Indian Head Massage is a holistic therapy, and by that I mean it treats the person as a whole. It helps to heal and balance the Mind, Body and Spirit, helping to achieve ‘Wholeness’ with oneself.
Where does it originate?
The routine of an Indian Head Massage or Champissage (the Indian word for head massage) is based on the ancient Ayurvedic healing system in India, and has been passed down the generations for around 1000 years. Originally the treatment would have focused predominantly on the head, massaging and stimulating the hair follicles as they went. The treatment has now developed to include the neck, face, shoulders, upper back and arms also, and that is what is practised in the UK today. The treatment was developed by women who would have been friends and family, they would have massaged the head and hair with oils as a way to develop and sustain bonds between each other. These techniques have passed through the generations to the treatment it is known as today.
So, what is an Indian Head Massage?
It is typically a seated massage that allows the therapist to stimulate pressure points and help alleviate stress, tension and painful knots that may be within muscles within the neck, shoulders, upper back, head and face. It uses techniques to help increase blood flow to the areas worked upon, and it offers a soothing treatment to balance energies.
What are the benefits to a treatment?
The treatment encourages circulation to the areas being massaged. This encourages the fresh supply of oxygen and nutrients to the muscles, skin and surrounding areas so encourages growth, regeneration and toxin elimination from the cells. It stimulates Lymphatic Drainage so helps to detoxify the system, and it also helps to balance and improve energy levels. Indian Head Massage also works with Chi (Life Force Energy), and it helps to balance the Chakras (particularly the upper Crown, Third Eye and Throat Chakras). It helps the client to be in the present (Mindfulness) and enjoy the relaxing, balancing and invigorating art of ‘Touch’ therapy that us humans drastically need. By helping to balance the energies it allows the treatment to help heal the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual parts of a person’s ‘whole’ which is why it is a fantastic holistic treatment, and one of the first suggestions I make if a client doesn’t know what they want, but needs some help with stress and anxiety relief.
