Garshana
Ayurvedic dry massage with raw-silk gloves or a natural-bristle brush: a morning friction routine that stimulates the lymph, exfoliates the skin and wakes up Kapha.
Garshana comes from a Sanskrit root evoking friction. It is Ayurveda’s dry massage: a few minutes of rhythmic rubbing on bare skin, traditionally with raw-silk gloves, nowadays often with a soft natural-fibre brush. Long strokes along the limbs, moving up towards the heart; circular movements over the joints and the belly.
Its place in the system: it is the morning stimulant, the exact energetic opposite of oily abhyanga. Where oil slightly grounds and nourishes, dry friction lightens, warms and activates — precisely what Kapha constitutions or Kapha periods need: foggy mornings, heaviness, late winter, sluggish circulation. The tradition sees it as a way to move the lymph and “dust off” the superficial channels; dermatology recognises at the very least a good mechanical exfoliation and a local vasodilating effect.
A concrete example: three to five minutes before your shower, from the ankles up to the thighs, from the wrists up to the shoulders, until the skin turns lightly pink and warm — never painful. Reactive skin, eczema, varicose veins: avoid the affected areas. The detailed technique, the choice between gloves and brush, and how often to practise by dosha are covered in our guide to garshana; on quieter days, alternate with abhyanga oil self-massage.