Marma Chikitsa

Marma Chikitsa is an important part of Ayurveda text that helps us to maintain health by cleansing blocked energy.

The word Marma is derived from Sanskrit’s‘ Marin Maranae’. The Sanskrit shloka, “mriyatae asmin iti marma” means ‘there is risk of demise or serious damage to health when these marma points are extorted. Hence, these areas are called marma. Marma in Sanskrit also means obscured or secret. A Marma point is a junction on the body where two or more kind of tissue (connective tissue) meet, such as bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, or joints.

107 Marma Points in Ayurveda for Healing

Marma therapy uses 107 marma points or “doorways” into the body and consciousness(Awaken state). The mind is considered the 108th marma of the body.

Major marma points correspond to the seven chakras of the body, or energy core of the body, while minor points radiate out along with the torso and limbs. These points range in size from 1 to 6 inches in diameter. The points were mapped out in detail thousands of years ago in the ‘ Sushruta Samhita ’, a classic Ayurvedic text.

The points cover both the ventral and dorsal aspect of the body, including

• 22 points on the lower extremities
• 22 points on the arms
• 12 points on the chest and stomach
• 14 points on the back
• 37 points on the head and neck

What Happens During Marma?

• In Marma chikitsa, very light stimulation of points on the body is given. It removes blockages and opened up channels from the marma points giving physical and psychological relaxation and strength to the body. 
• This is an intense process that works with these subtle and sensitive energy points to open the energy channels in the body are called strotas.
• Marma points, when lightly pressed on the skin can activate a chain of positive events.

Methods of Application of Marma Therapy

• Ayurveda doctor says the pressure (while stimulating marma) should be optimal with contact time for 0.8 seconds (one cardiac cycle) and it should be repeated for ten to twenty times (optimal respiration rate per minute) in one sitting while others say six-time stimulation in one sitting is enough.   
•  Medical varmalogy (systematic study of vital points) affirms 12 stimulation methods for each marma point to ease 48 different diseases. 
• The uniqueness of the art of marma is in abating forty-eight various diseases by stimulating a single marma point. 

The following are the general rules to be followed while providing marma treatment: 

1. Fingernails should be cut properly on both hands and the varmam point should not be touched by the fingernails. 
2. Don’t talk to others while receiving treatment and make the patient sit or lie down during the procedure. 
3. It is enough to cure the diseases by rendering varmam treatment two times a week. But depending on the requirement of the patient and the intensity of the disease, it can also be administered daily. 
4. For indoor patients, the treatment can be given once in six hours daily (four times a day). 
5. After rendering treatment to each patient, it is required to touch the wall or any wooden objects before treating the next patient. This is to avoid the transfer of the energy from one patient to another. 
6. There are no dietary restrictions usually for this treatment but it is better to avoid the intake of curd and greens at night. 
7. The pressure applied should be based on the age and the individual condition of the patients. 
8. Don’t provide this treatment to patients who come with complaints of snakebite, scorpion bite, and cases of poison. Make sure that patient is neither fasting nor full stomach. 
9. Preferable times are morning hours after rising from the bed and after clearing bowels.

 There are 12 methods of marma application as following 

1. Gentle movement
2. Mild tapping
3. Mild movements 
4. Clenching the marma point along with the muscle 
5. Slippery pinches 
6. Pressing point with a single finger
7. Gentle stroking with fingers
8. Placing the energy on the marma point
9. Balancing the energy of the points in the bone and joints 
10. Transferring energy from one point to another
11. touching and lifting the marma point
12. Strengthening one nerve as that of the other 

All these twelve practices can be executed on a marma point. The application of these twelve techniques on a single point is capable of curing 48 various diseases.

Benefits

Marma therapies are profound and work at many stages – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual and can develop dramatic shifts in the body. Because marma points are required channels through which the healing, sustaining, and vital life force enters an individual’s body, their potential for harmonizing all aspects of physical and mental health is excellent. Marma point therapy may offer the following benefits:

• Increase immunity
• Clears emotional blockages
• Enhance energy level
• Gives pain relief
• Improves digestion, and assimilation of food
• Encourages deep sleep
• Increases blood circulation to the skin
• Increase creativity
• Releases trauma
• Amplify intuition
• Facilitates the experience of relaxation and peace
• Strengthens internal organs
• Balance tridoshas
• Slow down the aging process
• Effective in chronic or acute pain, both locally and distally
• Detoxification at all cellular levels.
• Significant improvement in bodily functions, especially immunity
• Healthier skin and a radiant appearance of the face
• Balances body temperature  
• Releases neurotransmitters such as serotonin, melatonin for improved cognitive function