KANSA VATKI FOOT MASSAGE
Ayurveda and the
Kansa Vatki (KV) Foot Massage
Ayurvedic
foot massage can be traced back 5,000 years. It offers many benefits:
it nourishes the skin, improves blood and lymph circulation and
soothes the agitated mind. It relaxes the muscles of the feet and the
legs and it can also help to alleviate stress, including anxiety,
nervousness and depression.
According to Dr Vasant Lad, we can
reduce stress, activate our immune system and even heal our body, mind
and consciousness through the simple act of foot massage. Dr Lad
postulates that the soles of our feet can open the doors of our body’s
internal pharmacy.
The foot is divided
into different zones, which are linked to an element.
■
The heel is
associated with Earth element
■
The arch of the foot
with Water.
■
The ball of the foot
with Fire.
■
The toes with Air.
■
The tips of the toes
with Ether.
In the Ayurvedic tradition, foot massage
is said to balance the bodily humors, or
doshas
—
vata, pitta and
kapha.
On a biological level, says Lad, “Vata
is the principle of movement, governing the body’s sensory and motor
function; pitta is bodily temperature and governs biochemical changes,
digestion, absorption, assimilation and the transformation of food
into energy; and kapha is the building material of the body, used to
form new tissues and cells.”
Lad says that these doshas are present
in every cell as a genetic code and create a “unique, biochemical lab”
in every individual’s body. He points out that since the combinations
of vata, pitta and kapha are endless, each person has a constitution
that is “as unique as his fingerprint.”
In most people, however, one dosha is
primary, another is secondary, and the third is least prominent. Some
people could have two dominant doshas.
Kansa Vatki (KV) Foot Massage is one the best
ways to balance the tri-dosha.
This training manual tells you how to
give a supremely relaxing and dosha-balancing foot massage using the
unique Kansa Vatki bowl.
When it’s not possible to receive a
complete Kansa Vatki (KV) Foot Massage, self-help techniques can come in
handy. Rubbing ghee or olive or sesame oil on the soles of the feet —
especially at bedtime — can calm the vata dosha and induce a sound
sleep. For those with a predominantly pitta constitution — especially
people who suffer from headaches, migraines, or a burning sensation in
the eyes, rubbing ghee or coconut oil or sunflower oil on the soles of
the feet at bedtime is especially recommended. Coughs, congestion and
colds indicate a kapha imbalance. This is when rubbing ghee or sesame
oil or jojoba oil on the soles of the feet near the cushion at the
root of the toes is highly beneficial.