Ayurvedic Massage Cures Vertigo

Portland, Oregon offers many interesting points of interest and access to scenic views, such as Mount Hood or the Williamette River. It also offers numerous massage options including from Ayurveda practitioners.

In the Washington, DC metropolitan area, there are few Ayurveda practitioners offering massage services.

I selected the Center for Healing and Rejuvenation (the Center) in SW Portland which offered several types of Ayurveda massages. The Center offered two different services which were supposed to be beneficial for treating vertigo.

In July 2021, I visited my audiologist for vertigo which had started in November 2020. The audiologist diagnosed it as being positional vertigo and walked me through several physical movements which proved ineffective.

Rose, the owner of the Center, requires an initial detailed consultation. Rose explained how the information helped her determine the proper treatment to administer and which oils to use.

She discussed the importance of digestion and eating the correct foods based on my current state of mind and physical condition. She described this in terms of doshas.

She explained how doshas are more apparent during specific years of our lives as well as times of the day. For example, after the age of 45, the Vatta becomes more prominent than Kapha or Pitta.

I remember my introduction to doshas many years ago. The instructor handed out a checklist and asked the participants to check off the appropriate response based on general conditions.

Rose explained how fluid dosas can be. She noted how they change based on environment, stress, and other conditions.

Rose introduced a new level of complexity associated with doshas; she helped me understand doshas are more complex than the superficial answers collected from the simplified checklist used by the instructor.

After the consult, she recommended I accept a different service than the one I had chosen for treating my positional vertigo. She suggested the abhyanga, shirodhara, head massage and nasya.

I’ve enjoyed abhyanga and shirodhara in the past - two of my favorite types of massage sessions because I find them to be very relaxing and centering. I had never experienced the head massage nor the nasya.

There are several treatment rooms at the Center. The room I entered had a hydraulic massage table which was set a lower height to ease access to the table. I could easily lay down and position myself on the table while listening to the sound of relaxing music.

Rose knocked before entering. She slowly raised the table before starting the Abhyanga with warm oil and brisk strokes to stimulate the lymph. The head massage and nasya followed the Abhyanga. A few adjustments to the table and linens were made before starting the Shirodhara.

After the Shirodhara ended, Rose gently placed a cloth over my eyes and asked me to rest until she returned. After a few minutes, she returned and helped me rise to a seated position.

I immediately noticed I didn’t experience any sensations of vertigo. A feeling I had experienced since mid November 2020.

Rose wiped the oil off of my back then provided me with a bowl of warm cloths to wipe off any oil before getting dressed.

The entire session ended with a brief consult to emphasize the steps I need to take to improve the balance of my doshas. I requested another visit before my return to the East Coast to solidify the reduced vertigo symptoms. I was able to see Rose one more time for a repeat session.

Four days after my second session at the Center, I had a follow up visit with my audiologist for a check on my vertigo. The audiologist repeated the movement tests then confirmed my positional vertigo no longer existed.

If you are in Portland, Oregon, I recommend the Center for Healing and Rejuvenation for an authentic Ayurveda experience and a dosha-appropriate treatment.