The second round of treatment – the morning session specifically -was a little too stringent for my Vata sensitivities. Massage is one of those pleasures that I look forward to, but this type of massage didn’t feel nourishing like those warm, oily ones that I savor.
Mesh bags filled with herbs soaked in hot oil were pounded and pummeled onto my body, followed by a continual wiping motion with the bags. The first day of the massage was novel and endurable. On the second day the swiping action of the bags on my sensitive Vata skin felt too rough and the pounding action too hard. By the third day I felt raw, the coarseness of the mesh like sandpaper on my skin. Any benefits to be derived must’ve surely been canceled out on that day. I was relieved beyond measure when it was over. It was a tiring experience; I sort of felt like I had been beaten up. The skin and sense of touch are primary in Vata dosha – this massage proved too irritating.
The afternoon sessions were, in contrast, relaxing and simple, two administered at the same time. Oil-soaked gauze was placed onto my forehead; a cotton ball with oil hot was placed, and replaced, in the middle of it. On my third-eye.
The other treatment consisted of pouring warm oil onto my chest which was held in place by a small circular fortress made of flour-dough. When the oil cooled down it was replenished; slowly dripped into the well in a slow, spiral motion.
The diet portion of the treatment is going well. I’ve had little desire to eat anything other than the prescribed food, indicative of my nutritional needs being adequately met. My morning meal – oatmeal with apples and honey – is likely fulfilling my emotional nourishment since it’s a favorite of mine.
The deep sense of fatigue I’ve been feeling makes it hard to imagine that upon the completion of treatment I’ll be fully energized. But this is what I’ve been promised. I excitedly await such time.
Let us see what Phase Three of the treatment brings…
