Our breasts represent so much—from love, fertility, sex, and pleasure, to our primal need for motherly love, support, security, care, and nourishment. For many women, they represent beauty and our identity as a woman.
Because they are so much more than just organs for nourishment to newborns, they hold a huge energetic role as well. Various studies conducted by many practitioners show us that imbalances in this part of the body correlate in astonishing ways with what may be going on in a woman’s heart and mind.
For example, do you often see breakouts on the chest during periods of intense anger, lumps that may come and go with periods of grief, or subtle pain without any diagnosable cause with periods of emotional pain?
Lucky for us women, Ayurveda does not write-off these findings as just coincidence.
Ayurveda looks deeper into the woman’s being, beyond the physical layer (annamaya kosha) into subtler layers, like that of the vital energy or breath (pranamaya kosha) or the mind (manomaya kosha).
The physical layer of the breasts is made up of two main tissue layers in Ayurveda—fatty tissue layer (meda dhatu) and plasma or lymph (rasa dhatu). There are many channels for the flow of lymph (and hence, there are many lymph nodes particularly around the armpit and along the collar bone) and milk, which are surrounded by fatty tissue. The tone of the breast comes from connective tissue and ligaments.
The quality of rasa dhattu and medha dhattu in your physiology is also determined according to your specific dosha type too.
Vata (air + space) dosha: People with this body type may have smaller breasts with the skin over the breasts usually dry or thin. Imbalance of Vata could lead to shrinking of breast size, dehydration and blockage in the ducts.
Pitta (fire + water) dosha: If you’ve a Pitta dominant body, you may have medium-sized breasts with reasonably moisturized skin over the breasts. Imbalances may lead to redness, pimples or tender skin over the breasts.
Kapha (water + earth) dosha: Kapha-dominant people tend to have large, well-formed breasts with sufficiently moisturized and sometimes even oily skin over the breasts. Imbalance could lead to swelling of the breasts and fluid retention in the chest area.
Considering these 3 body types, the key to breast health, in general, is:
But we do want to emphasize that if you find any changes in your breast, particularly those that stay for more than one cycle, please consult a qualified health care provider immediately.
To that end, incorporate these ideas into your life for healthy breasts and for a healthy heart center!
The term for massage in Ayurveda is ‘abhyanga’ and this is, in general, considered to one of the most important practices to be adopted for self-care when it comes to one’s routine or dinacharya.
More specifically, Ayurveda also recommends regular breast massage not just to keep the breasts healthy but also because they address a number of other crucial health concerns too. Massaging the breasts stimulates marma points or vital locations on your chest that are believed to be the centers that invigorate energy. Besides, this also calms your nervous system and helps you manage stress, frustration, anxiety, anger and other negative emotions in a constructive manner.
Follow this simple step-by-step guide to make sure you’re doing breast abhyanga in the right way:
It is recommended that healthy people can perform up to 100 circular strokes while performing breast massage.
Massaging your breasts regularly is the most important thing you can do to keep lymph moving and channels open. This, in turn, supports proper health of the breasts and maintains the tone of breast tissues, which is great for healthy-looking breasts! You will also find yourself more connected to your deeper self and heart chakra, while also benefiting your breasts with such a ritual.
Over and over again we see research studies with findings that unhealthy breasts have significant toxin loads (such as pesticides and other toxins). These toxins love to stick with the fat content (which is why breasts are such a popular location for these toxins). The process of doing a regular Ayurvedic breast abhyanga cleanses your whole system and prevents the accumulation of toxins. This is also why this massage has a huge emphasis on oil because it helps pull many of these fat-loving toxins out of your body.
Regular breast massage eases the muscles above the ribs and is even believed to improve your range of motion as it promotes free movement.
Looking for the best oil to go with your breast massage sessions? Try iYURA Shamanri Young-Energy Body Oil, a rare formulation to get smooth, firm, joyous and youthful skin with a gentle daily massage.*
Shamanri’s not only a naturally pro-age body oil that helps support aging and mature skin that struggles with dry skin that looks rough, ‘crepey’ or scaly, but it’s also THE best oil that’s especially fruitful for women’s wellness as it contains the legendary Ayurvedic herb Shatavari or Wild Asparagus.
Shatavari helps support fertility and reproductive health of women during all the different stages, so much so that it’s traditionally believed to help promote the production of breast milk in lactating women and even help reduce menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats. Besides, Shatavari can be great at enhancing general health and immunity of women too!
Learn More about Shamanri Oil, here!
While these practices really help support and maintain good health of the breasts and your whole body, also be mindful to eat healthy, and to include more natural and toxin-less foods as much as possible.
Apart from that, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Hydration is key to keeping the fluids of the body (including lymph) moving and fluid. A good rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces (if you weigh 140 pounds, drink 70 ounces of water). If your body tends to be of the Kapha type, it’s highly recommended to drink Ginger Tea or take a Ginger Liquid Extract 2–3 times a week.
Sweating is one of the body’s natural ways to detox. Regularly exercise, sit in a sweatbox or consider other enjoyable ways to kickstart the body’s natural detoxification process. It’s also advised not to rely heavily on antiperspirants, as they’re usually ridden with chemicals and to go for a more natural option.
*Consult a physician before use if you are taking medication or suffering from a medical condition. Pregnant or lactating women can also avoid.
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