Gharshana, (pronounced gar-shun-uh) in Sanskrit means ‘friction by rubbing’ is more commonly known as dry skin brushing.

This Ayurvedic practice involves dry skin brushing (meaning the skin is literally not wet), thereby providing the body with a stimulating lymphatic massage in order to detoxify and refresh the body.

What is the Integument (Skin)?

The integument (skin) is the largest organ system of the body. The function of the integument is to protect you against injury and parasitic invasion. In other words, it’s a Good way to keep the critters out!

The integument also regulates the body temperature by insulating you with a layer of fat underneath and aids the body in elimination, thereby preventing dehydration.

The integument is a reservoir for food and water. It is also a sense organ for the cutaneous (skin) senses. When it is exposed to sunlight, it is able to absorb Vitamin D.

Skin is actually our first piece of clothing (our birthday suit). It's like a raincoat to cover our internal organs, bones and tissues. It's a container of sorts, like a Zip-Loc baggie that is stretchy, soft, hairy, waterproof and it repairs itself. PRESTO!

The skin produces and creates all sorts of liquids. It manufactures waxes and oils that function to protect your body against germs and critters. Waxes and oils make your skin softer, but too much of a Good thing (sebum) can also give you acne. 

The glands in your skin also make sweat in order to cool your body when it becomes overheated and the water evaporates. It is also an easy way to get rid of body chemicals when it needs to, which means it detoxifies.

Your skin is made of several layers of flat, stacked cells. In these stacks you will find glands, hair follicles, nerves, blood vessels and sensory receptors. The older cells are continuously being sloughed off by new cells that grow from the bottom up. When the older cells get to the top, they get flatter and wider. They look just like tiles from the kitchen floor under a microscope. While you are active, they get rubbed and sloughed off. Activity is even important in the integumentary system.

The different colors of skin is possible because of pigmentation. The more melanin you have in your skin, the darker you are. The less melanin you have, the lighter your skin is. Depending on the amount of melanin in your skin, depends on how much or how little you will tan because the sun will cause more melanin to be manufactured. And just because the Sun can manufacture more melanin in your skin does not mean that it is safe.

Your skin will send indicators or red flags to the surface of the skin to tell you that something is not quite right.

JUST THE FACTS:

  • Every minute 30,000 - 40,000 dead skin cells fall off or are sloughed off your body.

  • In one month, your body will have a whole new layer of skin. An all new you every month!

  • An adult will have more than 20 square feet of skin.

  • You will shed about 40 pounds of skin during your lifetime.

The change in season

As we enter the Spring, we are reminded that this is a time of awakening. We re-emerge from our shelters and winter slumbers as the world around us begins to thaw and birds begin to sing.

The Spring is known as ‘kapha season’ because the elements are mainly earth and water. The snow is melting, the rivers, streams, creeks and brooks are flowing as the earth becomes a fertile ground for planting and sowing. Spring is a period of renewal, rebirth and reawakening. It’s Easter!

As we enter ‘kapha season’ our body begins to react to the changing environment and whatever seems to be caught-up in the wind. We feel allergies, asthma, congestion, conjunctivitis (pink eye), skin irritations and more. These and more are plenty Good reasons to detoxify the body starting with dry skin brushing and lymphatic massage.

As dry skin brushing has grown in popularity it is often taught to use a dry bristle brush, which can be incredibly abrasive and harsh to sensitive skin. It can also make skin more sensitive if used daily. It is best to buy a pair of Gharshana Gloves or Garshana Gloves, which can you can easily find online.

The Lymphatic System

Lymphatic drainage has some incredible benefits, but first, let’s address the lymphatic system. 

Lymph is one of your body's filtering systems, (like the the kidneys). It’s like an oil filter or air filter in your car, or even a coffee filter in your coffee pot. Once the lymph has been filtered through the lymph nodes it re-enters the bloodstream.

The lymph system is fairly familiar to everyone since both doctors and parents often check for swollen lymph nodes in the neck. When patients would come to me for various immune conditions, I would always perform what is called a "lymph pump." Since there is no lymph pump, like the heart pumps, when the body is sick or weak the the lymphatic system needs a little extra "umpf in the pump."

I would lay one palm on the middle of their abdomen and another on the middle of their chest or on a women, above the breasts. I would then gently and slowly pump my hands up and down in order to stimulate the action of the cisterna chyli (see pic), which is located in the middle of the abdomen and the thoracic duct, which is located at the base of the neck.

The Lymph is an alkaline fluid that is found in the lymphatic vessels and the cisterna chyli. The cisterna chyli is exactly what the name implies, it's a cistern, a reservoir for the storage of fluid (lymph). The cisterna chyli is a dilated sac that empties the intestinal lymphatic vessels, two (2) lumbar lymphatic vessels and two (2) descending lymphatic trunks into the thoracic duct. The thoracic duct is the main lymph duct of the body that has its origin at the cisterna chyli in the middle of the abdomen.

The thoracic duct originates from the cisterna chyli and passes upward through a dome-shaped muscle called the diaphragm located directly under the rib cage and into the thorax (chest). It continues upward, against gravity, alongside the aorta and esophagus into the neck, where it turns left and enters the subclavian vein, near its junction with the left internal jugular vein. The thoracic duct receives lymph from every part of the body, EXCEPT the right side of the head, neck, thorax (chest) and right upper extremity, which is emptied into the "right lymph duct" which is also near the junction of the jugular and subclavian veins. Lymph will then re-enter the bloodstream.

Lymph is usually clear, transparent and colorless fluid; although in vessels draining the intestines the lymph may appear milky due to the presence of absorbed fats. Lymph differs from blood because red blood corpuscles are absent and the protein content is lower.

Lymph may also differ in composition to other parts of the body. Lymph contains the proteins (serum albumin, serum globulin and serum fibrinogen), salts, organic substances (urea, creatinine, neutral fats and glucose) and also water. The cells that are present in lymph are lymphocytes (cytes = cells), which are formed in lymph nodes and other lymphatic organs. Lymph that is formed in the intestines is called chyle. That's how we get the name cisterna chyli for the sac containing the intestinal lymph.

This filtering system alone is one very Good reason to exercise your body to stimulate the lymphatic system and get it pumping. Lymph is formed in tissues spaces all over the body and the fluids oozes into the lymph system and gets pumped or pushed by normal body and muscle movement to the lymph nodes. For this reason, people who regularly exercise are less likely to get sick. This system is very similar to the sewage and water system where you live. The water is actively pressurized and the sewage itself has a more passive action. It flows by mere gravity.

The lymph nodes filter the lymph, freeing the lymph of foreign matter, especially bacteria. If bacteria is in the area, it will be filtered. This is the job of the lymphatic system, to detect, filter and remove bacteria and other foreign invaders. When fighting bacterial infections, the lymph nodes will swell with bacteria and it will also swell with the cells that are fighting the bacteria. This swelling can reach the point where you can actually feel the body fighting that infection. It's very cool system of clearing and cleaning.

In order to maintain proper lymphatic function, the body requires daily breathing techniques, some sort of cardio exercise to strengthen the heart, yoga for balance, strength and peace of mind, gharshana for lymphatic health and abhyanga massage, which involves an herbal infused oil from head to toe.

Now knowing so much about the integument (skin) and lymphatic system, you can see how making time for gharshana would be incredibly beneficial for overall health.

Health benefits of Gharshana

  • Combats cellulite (skin dimpling)

  • Helps to detoxify the lymphatic system

  • Helps to expel metabolic waste (ama in Sanskrit)

  • Exfoliates the dead skin

  • Encourages cellular growth and renewal

  • Stimulates blood flow

  • Increases circulation

  • Helps to keep the body warm

  • Improves energy

  • Promotes mental alertness

  • Revives skin tone and texture

More about cellulite

The cause of cellulite is not actually known. What is known is that cellulite forms when the fibrous bands connecting your skin to the muscle tissue below it tighten irregularly. This tightening then pulls down on your skin causing the normal layer of fat beneath the skin push up. The result is the dimpling appearance of the skin.

It is also not known why cellulite occurs more commonly in women than men.

One is a theory that involves the bands connecting the subcutaneous tissue and deep muscle layers. In men, the fibers that make up the connective bands crisscross and in women, the fibers that make up the connective bands run in the same direction and are an equal distance apart, so they are parallel to each other. The parallel bands show the dimpling more than the crisscross bands do.

There is another theory that states higher amounts of estrogen may cause cellulite. Cellulite develops when more estrogen is produced, which is usually during adolescence or pregnancy.

The Gharshana Method for the Body

Advice: Stand in the shower or on a towel to perform gharshana as dead skin cells can land everywhere and look pretty snowy, like dandruff.

  1. Always brush or massage the skin toward the heart to assist the movement of lymph in the body in the direction of lymph flow, which is toward the heart (where the thoracic duct dumps) or toward the cisterna chyli, applying as much pressure as is comfortable. You may give more pressure to fatty tissue and brush gently on more sensitive areas.

  2. Wearing your gharshana gloves, begin at the top of the head and make small circular motions.

  3. Move on to the face using light circular motions from the center outward.

  4. Move to the neck and shoulders using longer strokes.

  5. Move on to the arms with even longer strokes along with circular motions around the elbows and wrists.

  6. Move to the abdominal area massaging in a clockwise motion, which is the natural flow of the gastrointestinal tract.

  7. Move on to the low back, hips and buttocks using the same circular movements.

  8. Complete the massage with the feet and legs using circular strokes around the knees and ankles, while using longer strokes for the legs and feet.

When you are finished, shower-off any remaining loose flakes and then apply your favorite lotion, moisturizer or oil.

The Gharshana Method for the Face

  1. Lymph drains toward the heart (thoracic duct) down the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM), located at the base of your skull on either side of your neck, behind your ears and runs toward your clavicle (collar bone). It is that big muscle on both sides of the neck that you can see when you turn your head. (3x)

  2. In sweeping motions, sweep from the jawline toward the ears. (3x)

  3. In sweeping motions, sweep from the upper lip to the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). (3x)

  4. In sweeping motions, sweep from the bridge of the nose to the cheeks. (3x)

  5. In sweeping motions, sweep from the 3rd eye to temples. The 3rd eye just up from between the eyebrows. (3x)

  6. In sweeping motions, sweep from the hairline to temples. (3x)

  7. Use the fingertips of both hands moving back and forth on the forehead.

  8. Using the fingertips use a figure 8 motion on the cheeks.

  9. Using the fingertips perform a nose bridge friction movement.

  10. End the massage with a full facial sweep up and across the forehead. (3x)

WHO SHOULD DO GHARSHANA?

Purely from the Ayurvedic perspective, those who are dominant in the kapha dosha or who are actively experiencing a kapha imbalance will benefit the most from gharshana on a daily basis.

If you are dominant in the pitta dosha or experiencing a pitta imbalance, it would be Good to do gharshana 3-5 times per week.

If you are dominant in the vata dosha or experiencing a vata imbalance, it would be Good to do gharshana 1-2 times per week

  GHARSHANA AND ABHYANGA

Abhyanga is a traditional Ayurvedic massage that involves the application of warm oil. Even though gharshana and abhyanga are both lymphatic massages in nature, gharshana can be seen as more energy activating, as an abhyanga oil massage is more nourishing and calming. 

Gharshana is perfect prior to an abhyanga massage because it exfoliates and detoxifies the skin, which allows the oils to penetrate and absorb the skin for maximum effect.

Contraindications for Gharshana

Do not do gharshana if: