Ayurveda and Marma therapy: how to add depth to your yoga practice
Learn how to use your yoga practice to target Marma points, a gateway between the physical and energetic bodies that are found in the physical tissues of your body
Have you ever wondered why you feel such a profound energy shift at the beginning of a yoga practice, simply coming to standing on your mat and bringing your palms to touch? According to yoga’s holistic sister science, the answer may just lie in energy centers throughout your body that can be targeted through massage and movement.
Marma points (or acupressure points in Chinese Medicine), are energetic centers described by Vedic science where vital energy (Prana) gathers and flows. Marma points are a gateway between the physical and energetic bodies and are to be found in the physical tissues of the body.
According to Dr. David Frawley, author of Ayurveda and Marma Therapy, Marmas interact with the chakras and organs of the body via energetic and physical pathways. Because they are believed to interact with both the physical and energetic landscapes of the body, Marma are believed to be a powerful access point to channeling Prana throughout our entire physiology.
There are thought to be 107 primary Marmas located at junctures of bones, ligaments, tendons and vessels throughout the body, as well as within the organs. Some of the most important Marma points correlate with the chakras. Though Marma therapy is a specialized area of massage and reflexology, understanding how yoga poses may influence certain Marma points may also add new depth to your practice.
As an example, Talahridaya Marma has four points in the body: one on the center of each palm and one in the slightly distal center of the sole of each foot. Talahridaya in the palms is likely the first Marma you will affect in your practice, particularly if you begin with palms touching in Anjali mudra. If you begin your practice standing in Mountain Pose, you will access a connection to Talahridaya in your feet. Through this point, Prana is believed to pass to and from the earth, creating vital grounding and connection for the Western body which is generally accustomed to sitting in chairs or standing in shoes.
“Marmani serve as points of access to the body’s innate intelligence, opening the doorway to health and wellbeing. They are vehicles to reach the ultimate goal of Ayurveda: perfect health, firmly rooted in a vibrantly alive body, and fully awakened mind.”
