Expand your LMT services with Advanced training

Feb. 10 & 11

9am - 6pm  

Shiro-Abhyanga-Nasya treatment, commonly shortened to SAN, is a roughly hour-long combination of massage to the head, neck, face, and shoulders to help move and stimulate the lymphatic fluids in the head and help drain the sinuses, along with a eucalyptus steam treatment and medicated Ayurvedic nose drops.

Nadi Swedana is fomentation therapy, a medicated sweating of the entire body to release impurities and help clear toxins from the system. This is often followed by Nasya nose drops as well, but no massage per se is provided. Typically 30 minutes is sufficient.

Marma Chikitsa opens the Doors of Perception through various means, most commonly involving slow, methodical pressures on the marma points, vital energy centers of the body, but also accessible through Yoga Nidra and other practices. We will learn various charts of positions and also practice Nidra.

Garshana is a brushing massage technique done without lubrication, using raw silk gloves made especially for the purpose. It is outstanding for exfoliation but also extraordinary for boosting circulation and increasing the flow of subtle energy and prana throughout the body. It is considered to be a lymphatic massage, and often precedes the oil-based massages covered in a different module.

And finally, Shirodhara is the pouring of a thin stream of specially chosen warmed oil onto the third eye area of the forehead. The stream is occasionally swept to various points on the forehead to help balance the hemispheres of the brain and the nervous system, synchronizing the brain waves, stilling the mind, and helping to release stress and tension. Sessions usually last from 30 to 60 minutes and are extremely healthy for the skin, scalp, and hair.

  Feb. 17 & 18

9am - 6pm

Basti oil treatments are applications of warmed oil over joints, organs, or troublesome areas of the body, where a well is created by mixing flour and oil to form a customized dam around the area, oil is poured in, and frequently replaced by fresh warmed oil to keep the temperature more or less constant for 15 to 20 minutes.

The Valuka Sweda is a dry sand poultice, heated and applied to the body either after oil-based massage or without massage at all, in order to help break up lumps or congestion. Various medicinal plants are added to the sand to help relieve pain, inflammation, or stiffness. 

The Pinda Swedana is a hot oil poultice containing sand, fresh leaves, and certain herbs to transfer heat to the body and induce sweating as a therapy, plus deliver Ayurvedic medications.

The Sashtika Shali Pinda Swedana is similar but uses specially cooked basmati rice with milk and other ingredients, helpful in a huge range of difficult conditions for a client.

Udhvartana is a powder-based massage treatment, highly therapeutic and focused on the lymphatic system. Using special blends of Ayurvedic powders and performing a dry massage is highly beneficial for obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, and other kapha disorders, helping exfoliate the skin and a host of improvements for body, mind, and spirit. Adding oil and turning this into a paste massage helps combat nervous disorders, adds smoothness to the skin and promotes healthy elimination of wastes, bringing clarity and brilliance to the mind and senses. These two styles of massage will be learned both as two-handed and four-handed sequences.

 Feb. 24-25

9am - 6pm 

Oil-based massage work is termed Snehana, encouraging the divine emotions of love and tenderness in the mind. These are ancient practices that predate the Vedic period. 

Abhyanga massage is the ultimate calming and relaxing massage technique, stimulating the lymphatic system and promoting drainage, with extensive focus on the hands and feet. The client is typically draped in Eastern fashion, with the breasts exposed so the lymphatic system can be worked. This is a wonderfully healing and integral part of the treatment, but we will also learn how to accommodate the modesty of some members of the Western cultures and drape alternatively to protect the modesty while giving up as few of the benefits as possible. Please be aware that most clients, and students, will have upper bodies undraped for this work and we will be in a group setting for practice.

Vishesh massage is quite similar, but in some ways the opposite. Where Abhyanga calms, Vishesh stimulates and energizes. This massage is performed with selected oils to match the dosha balancing needs of the client, but strokes are also selected accordingly. This form of massage also activates the lymphatic system and is typically chosen for those with athletic or strong bodies, on auspicious or special days, and usually early in the morning as a very energizing practice. 

Both of the oil-based massages will be learned as a solo therapist as well as working as a team of two therapists, doing four-handed massage work.