Ancient Herbal Body Oiling as a Ritual
Herbal Body Oiling as a Ritual of Self Respect
Herbal Body Oiling the Green Witch way.
Sympathy for the Parasympathetic Nervous System Response.
In 2020 I became fascinated with the ancient, ritualistic practice of Herbal Body Oiling and learning about the beautifully symbiotic relationship with our humanly resilient but delicate nervous system and the magical wonder of the healing plant world. I’m naturally very drawn to rituals, giving structure and purpose to everyday activities. I have found more recently that creating rituals is very important when working through difficult times of grief and sorrow. Rituals can become the container for the broken and splintered parts of your being that are too much to bare within solitude. Your ritual can be many things and it can be unique to you, it is your non-negotiables, it’s yourself showing consistency, repitition, it’s your good manners to yourself, that you’re still here and that slowly but surely you’re building trust within yourself and your structure that it matters you’re still here. Herbal Body Oiling is one of my many, many rituals. Probably one of my favourites too.
In Ayurvedic practice, if there is a Vata imbalance (note that vata is related to our fight flight freeze response) it’s recommended to lovingly anoint the body with sesame oil before showering. This ancient Vedic ritual is one of many throughout different cultures that practiced herbal body oiling for health and wellness. Alot of these ancient rituals also encouraged a slower pace, taking the time to do less things with more attention and awareness, the wisdom behind these rituals have been lost or forgone in place of convenience and hustle.
Our skin is primed to take in fat-based substances, and our nerves instantaneously absorb the medicine of the herbs used within the oil. By making Herbal Body Oiling a regular practice, you create a layer of nourishing protection around your body. We can think of this as a ambient aura, being both subtle, etheric and physically powerful. It’s as if the oil on your skin extends its energy outward to fill up the space around you, ensuring that whatever comes your way is processed first through this layer of healing defence, slowing down and transforming what can otherwise be anxious and overwhelming reactions.
The nervous system is your body’s interface with the rest of the world. It is the Master Control Headquarters for your whole organism. Every muscle, organ, and tissue in your body relies on nerve impulses to communicate and function properly. It’s where you and everything outside of you meet. It affects your perception, your sense of well-being, and your reactions to stressors. The OG Herbal Queen Rosemary Gladstar states;
“Whatever your philosophy of life, the nervous system is your only means of connecting and interacting with your world. If you treat your nervous system like the sensitive system it is, it will play back the finest music to enrich your being. Keep it tuned and healthy, feed it well, and protect it from overuse and exploitation, and your reward will be a life of exquisite quality. Through even the most stressful events, you will feel centred and empowered.”
It's worth noting that your nervous system never forgets, it's a response to your lived and learnt experience with the world, that fight/flight/freeze or the lesser known ‘tend and befriend’ response is your nervous system warning you of potential danger, that things might feel like situations that haven't been safe for you before, our nervous system response can be a high alert of vigilance. It’s worth noting that for some, we can do all the breath work in the world and bathe in sweet smelling herbal oils until hell freezes over and still be stuck in an activated response. This is not to discredit the healing benefits of breathwork, yoga, meditation and use of herbal body oiling but it’s reassuring to know that there is also some incredible work that can be done through specific holistic health modalities such as: acupuncture, chiropractic, psychology, energy work and I’m certain many other healing services that I am yet to experience.
As for me, I use sesame oil before I shower three times a week. I alternate between using Dreamy - Blue Lotus and Mugwort Herbal Oil and Equanimous - Lavender and Chamomile Herbal Oil, after showering, before meditation and sleep. I also use Brenna - Violet and Rose Herbal Breast Oil during the day and at night. I really like oil. If you would like to read more about these herbal oils, head over to my website and take a read. As always, I hope my sharing has been helpful and I hope you take great care of yourself.
Love
The Green Witch xo
For more information on the lesser known nervous system response, tend and befriend response, this is an interesting read:
https://scholar.harvard.edu/marianabockarova/files/tend-and-befriend.pdf
For really helpful information on the nervous system:
https://linktr.ee/repairing_the_nervous_system