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Last Updated: Oct 23, 2019
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SHIRODHARA

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Dr. Ashish SharmaAyurvedic Doctor • 18 Years Exp.M.Sc - Psychology, PGDEMS, Bachelor of Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery (BAMS)
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Shirodhara

Modern lifestyles lead to poor health in many ways. However, the use of simple and natural methods can significantly improve health and vitality. Purification therapy is a unique feature of Ayurveda involving the complete cleansing of body and thereby eliminating vitiated doshas. The technique effectively treats doshic balances in their advanced stages. Vitiated doshas causing blocked channels in a system, which needs purification, approach. Shirodhara is one of the great purification and rejuvenating therapy.

Shirodhara is an ancient ayurvedic healing practice performed in India for over 5, 000 years. The word Shirodhara breaks down into two ideas: Shiro, meaning head, and dhara which means flow. Together they form a concept that aims to bring physical and emotional balance by rejuvenating the spirit and preserving health. This is achieved through a relaxing technique in which warmed oil is poured over a client? s forehead for an extended period of time.

There are specialized forms of Shirodhara called tailadhara, ksheeradhara, takradhara and jaladhara.

Shirodhara works primarily on the mental sheath or 'manomaya kosha' as it is referred to in Ayurveda. Shirodhara is traditionally used to calm the nerves, harmonize vata constitutions, restore the nerves, release stored emotions, and purify the mind. In ayurvedic medicine, it is considered an important tool in the pursuit of higher states of consciousness. Shirodhara has been traditionally shown to help with fatigue, mental exhaustion, anxiety, insomnia, some mental disorders, headache, excessive thinking, nervousness, and many other conditions commonly affecting persons in today? s active lifestyle.

Benefits of Shirodhara:
Memory, nourishes hair and scalp, assists in providing sound sleep and calms the body and mind. Shirodhara is one of the most effective treatments for reducing stress and nervous tension.

Ultimate mental and emotional relaxation therapy beneficial for many diseases connected with the head, neck, eyes, ears, nose and throat beneficial for many diseases of the nervous system like nerve disorders, facial palsy, paralysis and ptosis (drooping) of the eyelids. Beneficial for curing long standing insomnia and schizophrenia beneficial for fits in epilepsy when used in conjunction with other medicines prevents hair lose, premature graying and cracking of hair relieves headache and burning sensation of the head nourishes and rejuvenates the body stimulates the nervous system giving sturdiness to the body improves digestion sharpens the sense organs improves the quality of voicegives strength to the neck and headimproves the health of the skincools the body and relieves pain. Invigorates the body and mind and stimulate cognitive memorieshelps relieve fatigue, tension, anxiety, anger, chronic headaches, rheumatism, hypertension, asthma, hair problems and stressdisperses negative electrical impulses that accumulate at the skull and hairline from stress. Renews the sweetness of liferejuvenates the entire face and softens worry linesopens the third eye of lord shiva by this therapeutic marma based head massageactivates the pituitary glandincreases spiritual awarenessregulates mood and depression disordersactivates the memory and stimulates the 6 and 7th charka which regulates our breathing patterns. Increases nutrition improves concentration, intelligence, confidence and self-esteem


Contraindications for Shirodhara therapy

Full stomach severe vatapeople with severe anxiety and combined control issues low blood pressurepregnancyrecent neck injuiryalcoholismbrain tumor abrasions or cuts on headrashes on forehead or scalpaversion to oil.