Pindsweda: Hot Poultice De-stress Massage
This deeply invigorating treatment is done using small linen bags filled with either a special type of rice, fresh herbal leaves or Ayurvedic herbal powders. Each type of these linen bags or boluses is carefully prepared to tailor to the client’s complaints. This bolus called ‘Pind’ in Sanskrit, are then used to massage your body. ‘Sweda’ means to sweat or induce heat in the body.
Pindsweda is a part of the Sudation/ Fomentation or Steam therapy called ‘Swedana’ in Sanskrit, which means generating heat in the body to sweat, making the body lighter, removing stiffness and increasing flexibility. Thus making it an extremely important treatment in Ayurvedic massage-based therapies.
This therapy, also known as ‘Podikizhi’ in Southern India, and is used in the management and treatment of:
- Repetitive stress injury
- Sciatica
- Soft tissue injuries
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Gout
- Frozen shoulder
- Psoriasis
- Psoriatic Arthritis
- Diabetic carbuncles
- Leukoderma and other skin ailments
- Osteoporosis
- Osteo- arthritis
- Multiple sclerosis
- Fibromyalgia
- Spondylitis
- Other chronic and acute muscular, joint and neurological pains
- Weight gain
- Rehydrating and rejuvenating the skin
In today’s modern day spa culture, we see similar therapies like the Hot Stone therapy or Ultra Violet Heat therapy in Physiotherapy, which have evolved and are based on the similar principles of dry sudation from Ayurveda. However, the 5,000-year-old ‘Pindsweda’, still seems much better in terms of benefits, range of application in various ailments, cost-effectiveness and accessibility.
