Benefits of the treatment:
Akshitarpana is the process of holding warm ghee in the eyes. This treatment improves the sight, heals stiffness, pain and roughness around the eyes. It strengthens the eyes and protects them against the sharp rays of the sun. Akshitarpana is also helpful for serious eye disorders, such as glaucoma, ulcerated cornea or inflamed lesions surrounding the eyes. It can help dissolve early stage cataracts as well. This is an excellent treatment for those who suffer from dry eyes. Eye pain, darkness around the eyes, paleness around the eyes and roughness around the eyes will be relieved. Overall, akshitarpana is very soothing and relaxing to the eyes, releasing any tension in the eye muscles and leaving the eyes feeling relaxed and nourished. The skin around the eyes will be softened as well and eye wrinkles will be diminished. Your mind also benefits from this treatment by achieving greater clarity.
When to do it:
This treatment is suited to all body types. It is often performed in the summer, as it reduces Pitta, (heat), in the eyes and cools down the body. The best time of day to administer akshitarpana is early morning.
Treatment schedule:
Aksthitarpana is ideally repeated each day for 7 consecutive days. If this is not possible, than having 7 treatments as close together as you can is optimal. It can also be applied as a one time treatment to soothe mild eye irritations.
Materials Required:
Mixing bowl
Urid dal flour (black lentil flour), can be found in an Indian grocery store
Water
Ghee
Dropper bottle
Small coffee cup warmer to keep ghee warm (you can find these at Canadian Tire)
2 Damp cloths (for wiping the sticky dough off your hands after placing it around eyes and for wiping the ghee from around your client's eyes)
Dry towel to wipe hands
Box of tissue
Blanket (to keep person warm)
Massage table or mat on floor
Stool or cushion to sit on while doing treatment
Rose water
Round make-up remover pads
Eye pillow (filled with flax seeds and soothing herbs like lavender and chamomile)
Triphala eye wash (see below for details)
Triphala Eye Wash
Ingredients:
1 tsp triphala powder
1 cup pure water (spring water, distilled water or reverse osmosis water)
How to make it:
Boil water in a stainless steel saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in triphala powder. Let sit for 5 minutes. Strain through a fine wire strainer or through cheesecloth. Let cool to just warm or room temperature before using. Pour into a dropper bottle.
Akshitarpana Procedure
Making the dough:
Use about 1 cup of flour and add enough water to form a stiff dough
You may need to add more water or flour to get the right consistency
Divide the dough into 2 ballsMake a dough ring with each of the balls (it will look like a round doughnut).
Make the doughnut large enough so that it fits just around the eye of your client.
Administering the treatment:
Have client lie down on a massage table or on a mat on the floor
Cover them with a blanket, (if they would like one)
Gently massage around the eyes with a bit of ghee, (you can massage the entire face too, if you'd like)
Using a Kleenex, gently blot around the eyes to remove any excess ghee
Apply a few drop (around 5), of triphala eye wash into each eye and have client blink. The eyes might sting and tear a bit. This is normal and helps to clean out any impurities in the eyes.
Blot the eyes with tissue to dry them
Apply one of the dough rings, beginning with the right eye. Ensure that the dough ring has adhered to the skin, forming a seal, by gently pressing down on it. You want to ensure there will be minimal leakage of ghee our of the dough ring
When the ring is in place, you can begin by applying a few drops of ghee to the bottom corners of the eyes. Eyes are to be closed to begin. Begin slowly so that it is not a shock to your client.
Apply drops of ghee into the dough ring until the eyes are completely immersed.
Wait 2 minutes and then instruct client to open their eyes
Guide them in some eye exercises: look up...look down...to the right...to the left...criss-cross...circles to right...circles to left...blink...After 3 more minutes (a total of 5 minutes), ask the client to close their eyes and relax.
Fold a tissue so that it forms a thick wad that will fit into the dough ring. Gently use it to soak up the ghee inside the ring. You may need to use a few tissue wads.
Once ghee has been removed, you can use a damp cloth to gently wipe around the eyes of your client. Ensure cloth is not cold!
Apply some rose water to an eye pad and apply over the right eye (the one that has just been treated)
Repeat the procedure with the left eye.
You can leave the rose water pads over the eyes afterwards and fold a tissue in half, place it over top of the rose pads, across both eyes, and then place an eye pillow over top
Gently massage the hands and feet of your client with a bit of leftover warm ghee. You can also milk the hands and feet, by grasping with both hands from wrists/ankles and gently pulling along hands/feet as if you were squeezing milk from the udders of a cow.
After the treatment, leave your client to relax for 15 minutes before getting up
Post-treatment instructions:
Rest the eyes, no reading, watching television, driving, or any visual stimulation for the rest of the day
Wear sunglasses to protect the eyes against the sun's rays
Drink lots of water to flush out the system. This simple treatment is detoxifying
If you are going home afterwards, have someone drive you home
Comments:
I have had a lot of positive feedback with this treatment. One of my clients had extremely dry, itchy, irritated eyes. After receiving just one treatment, he told me that his eyes were not dry for quite some time, (several weeks).
Another client said this treatment reduced her Pitta, (excess heat in the body), and was so soothing to her eyes, she just loved it. She also commented that her vision felt sharper after receiving a series of 7 treatments.
It is advisable to be taught this treatment before administering it yourself. If you would like to receive training in the application of this treatment, please contact Satkiana."
Satkiana
Ayurvedic Practitioner
www.satkiana.com
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