The Ritual

Snehana
by Lucca Kroot

Sneha means 'oil' but also 'love' in Sanskrit. Sometimes in periods of stress and pressure it can be hard to love yourself. Your mind is full of (negative) thoughts and emotions that can influence your mind the moment you wake up. Starting the day with this kind of stress can block your system. It can cause a bad posture, pain and (extra) stress. In my Ayurvedic morning ritual you can get rid of this. First you have to know which Dosha (energy) you have. You can find this online. I made a suitable oil for every Dosha. The Vata energy has a sesame oil, the Pitta energy has a coconut oil and the Kapha energy has a safflower oil.
Through a self massage you will learn to let go of stress and negative emotions. You will start with the head, the relaxing and wake-up part. In this part of the massage you shouldn’t focus on the negative emotions yet. Than the hands, the reflecting part. During the hand massage you can reflect on these emotions and thoughts and put them in perspective. At the end, you will massage your feet. This is the grounding part, time to let of of these emotions and to focus on a clear mind. Try to let your feelings be for what they are. The cards that come with the oil will give extra information about what your Dosha means, how you can massage yourself and how you can reflect on your emotions. After this self massage you can take a shower and start the day hopefully more relaxed.