Many people find themselves stressed, anxious, and exhausted everyday. May it be because of hectic work, relationship problems, or personal struggles, everyone seems to have their fair share of stressors.
Because of these, an increasing amount of people are also learning to appreciate alternative and natural ways of treatment. Rather than taking synthetic medications as a cure, complementary and alternative treatments offer a safe and holistic approach to relieving your tension, stress, and body ailments.
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian discipline that aims to heal ailments by focusing on a person’s mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects. One of the treatments under the Ayurvedic medicine is the Shirodhara treatment.
Shirodhara is a unique treatment where a liquid is gently poured onto your forehead. This technique aims to soothe, relax, and free you of any anxiety and stress in your body. It’s one of the most sought-after ayurvedic treatments because of its many health benefits.
In this report, we’ll go into detail about the wonders of Shirodhara treatment. We’ll understand the treatment’s steps, goals, and health benefits. At the end of this report, you’ll be amazed at how this one-of-a-kind holistic treatment can heal your body, mind, and spirit.
What Is Shirodhara Treatment?
Shirodhara is a powerful ancient Ayurveda healing technique that restores and rejuvenates the balance of your mind, body, and soul. It balances the doshas or the three energies that govern our body’s physical, mental, and emotional states.
The divine treatment includes a warm liquid gently poured over your forehead and between your eyebrows. This area is said to be your “Third Eye,” or the seat of human consciousness. It’s also the location of your pituitary gland, also called the ‘master gland,’ as it produces hormones responsible for many vital bodily processes.
Shirodhara aims to give a holistic approach to treating ailments. As the warm liquid drips over your forehead, it creates a stimulating sensation that eases the tensions in your body, mind, and soul. The herbal oils, milk, and other liquids used in the process also contribute to Shirodhara’s divine healing treatment.
Shirodhara is considered one of the greatest relaxation experiences in Ayurvedic medicine. It has calming effects and improves the overall functioning of the body. A Shirodhara treatment heals, strengthens, and invigorates you to face your daily challenges. Read more below so you’ll get to learn all about these amazing benefits in detail.
The 9 Health Benefits of Shirodhara Treatment
We listed below the 9 main health benefits that you can get with a Shirodhara treatment:
- Reduces Stress
- Alleviates Anxiety
- Helps You Recover From Trauma
- Promotes Good Sleep
- Exfoliates Skin & Scalp
- Regulates High Blood Pressure
- Eases Muscle Pain
- Promotes Good Mood
- Improves Poor Blood Circulation
1. Reduces Stress
Stress is often associated with almost all modern-day diseases and ailments. At its core, Shirodhara brings back the balance in your doshas or energies by reducing stress in your body, thereby healing you from illnesses.
Shirodhara’s steady pour of warm liquid on the forehead activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the part responsible for your relaxed and resting state. It lowers stress hormones cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline and relaxes your mind. It slows down your energy level and heart rate and relaxes your muscles, relieving you of stress and tension in your body.1
2. Alleviates Anxiety
In Ayurveda, Shirodhara is considered among the top treatments for anxiety. The repetitive pouring of liquid onto your forehead regulates the brain waves associated with anxiety. According to a study, Shirodhara increases the alpha rhythm in the EEG, a brain activity linked to reduced anxiety and an increase in a relaxed state.1
Shirodhara activates a powerful Ayurvedic energy point called Ajna marma.
Ajna marma is located in the area of the pituitary gland. Clinical depression and anxiety are common with pituitary disorders. Stimulating the Anja marma helps reduce the tension in your pituitary gland and activates the blocked energy, initializing healing. Hence, it relieves your body of pent-up anxiety and agitation.
Herbal oils such as Brahmi oil, Gotu kola, astragalus, and others are also suitable for Shirodhara because they are anti-anxiety remedies in Ayurvedic medicine.
Read More: Best Acupressure Points For Anxiety
3. Helps You Recover From Trauma
Shirodhara is beneficial for individuals suffering from past trauma or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In Ayurveda, trauma and other psychosomatic diseases like depression and mental fatigue are caused by an imbalance of doshas or energy in our bodies.
Shirodhara brings back the order of your doshas by removing the excess vata dosha in your head. Vata dosha is the energy for air and space elements. An imbalance in vata dosha leads to fear, constant worrying, shame, guilt, anxiety, and sadness, the same intense feelings associated with PTSD.
There are also suitable Shirodhara oils that contain nervine herbs that can restore balance and support a healthy nervous system to mitigate the effects of PTSD. It also manages the sleep disorders of those suffering from PTSD.2
4. Promotes Good Sleep
Shirodhara is also traditionally used to manage sleep disorders like insomnia. Studies show that Shirodhara using sesame oil improves sleep quality and quality of life among people with sleep disorders. According to the study, the Shirodhara calms your brain waves, bringing you to a relaxed state and ready for good sleep.3
Using milk in Shirodhara can effectively treat insomnia by stimulating the pineal gland responsible for melatonin. The more melatonin your body produces, the better it regulates the circadian rhythm or our body’s wake and sleep cycles.
Read More: 10 Things Not To Do Before You Sleep
5. Exfoliates Skin & Scalp
Shirodhara also exfoliates your body and scalp from dead skin cells. Aside from the process of pouring a warm liquid, the treatment includes massages that use exfoliating and herbal masques and oils.
Herbal oils, such as Ashwagandha Bala oil, are perfect for Shiro Abhyanga or head and scalp massage. It can clear up your itchy and dry scalp. It also strengthens the hair follicles, preventing dandruff. Mukha Abhyanga or facial massage also detoxifies, exfoliates, and rejuvenates your face, improving your skin’s complexion and glow.
6. Regulates High Blood Pressure
Shirodhara can also help regulate high blood pressure for hypertensive patients. Several studies show that the treatment can help reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure. During the Shirodhara treatment, your body comes to a deep state of rest. This results in reduced stress hormones, and slow but deep breathing, resulting in lower diastolic blood pressure and heart rate.4
Shirodhara also shows significant improvement in individuals with systolic hypertension. Studies show that patients who used to complain of chest pains were relieved of these symptoms after a week of regular Shirodhara treatment.5
7. Eases Muscle Pain
Shirodhara is also effective against muscle tension and pain. When herbal oils or other liquids are poured onto the head and scalp, the muscles experience a soothing and calming sensation.
It can help loosen your muscles and tissues and improve the energy flow throughout your body. Studies show that a head and body massage included in the Shirodhara process induces muscle relaxation and a calming effect, beneficial to both adults and children.1
8. Promotes Good Mood
Shirodhara can also improve your mood, making you happier and less stressed. Studies show that Shirodhara can put you in a good mood, reduce your irritability, and improve your focus. Individuals also feel happiness at the end of the therapy.6
The essential oils and the therapeutic massage in Shirodhara can bring down high serotonin levels. Serotonin is the hormone that regulates our mood. Too much serotonin leads to mood swings, extreme irritability, confusion, and uneasiness. Reducing it stabilizes our mood, bringing in a feeling of happiness and joy.
9. Improves Poor Blood Circulation
The pouring of liquid into our head’s vital points improves blood circulation. Specific herbal oils can cause vasodilation or widen the blood vessels. This helps lower blood pressure and also improves the brain’s blood circulation. Shirodhara’s body massage also relaxes tension and promotes overall blood circulation.
Read More: The 10 Best Herbs For Blood Circulation
How To Experience Shirodhara?
It’s best to experience Shirodhara with a professional who has been trained in Ayurvedic practices and procedures.
The Shirodhara treatment begins when you are asked to lie down on your back and relax. Your eyes will be covered with a lightweight cloth for protection. The liquid you will use will be heated up to match your body temperature.
Then, the practitioner will hold the bowl over your head and gently pour the warm liquid over your forehead between your eyebrows.
When that’s done, you’ll be treated to a relaxing body, head, and scalp massage to complete the process. You can also have a massage at the start of the treatment. The whole process can last between 30 to 90 minutes.
The liquid used is also an essential part of the healing process. You can choose your mixture of essential oils, medicinal herbs, buttermilk or animal milk, or water.
Sesame oil is commonly used because it is neutral enough to be combined with other oils and Ayurvedic herbs. Other oils that can be used are:
- Ghee
- Coconut oil
- Ksheerabala oil
- Mahanarayan oil
- Narayana Thailam
- Chandana Thailam
In Short
I hope this article was helpful to you as you learn about the healing powers of Shirodhara treatment. This powerful ancient ayurvedic treatment has so many amazing health benefits to offer.
It can help you with your mental health struggles and alleviate stress and anxiety. It can also detoxify and exfoliate your body, so you feel rejuvenated. It can promote good sleep and ease your body’s pains. Hopefully, the list of benefits is enough to convince you to try the Shirodhara treatment.
Shirodhara is truly an amazing experience that you don’t want to miss. So, treat yourself to a Shirodhara session as soon as you can!
For more Ayurvedic treatments, you can also read our post about Elakizhi treatment, the health benefits of Abhyanga massage, Udwarthanam massage and the health benefits of Padabhyanga.
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