How to cool the body always!!!

When we were children and receive the yearly calendar, our eyes would always scan the day of Deepawali festival. It is all because, we have to plan for the mega festival. Deepawali is one of the biggest festival in India and it is filled with happiness, joy and lot more. Weeks before the festival, sweets will be prepared at home that will last for weeks. There would be no classes in school before to the Deepawali festival as strength will always go down. There will be many plans for the purchase of new dress, preparing home made sweets, buying crackers and to see the new movie releases of the movie stars. Crazily thinking about those small things will create lot of happiness in childhood but the only dreaded thing during this festival is the “Oil bath”. This is the ritual in all south Indian homes. Mother would wake up us at 3 am so as to get ready and complete the Deepawali Pooja before the sunrises.

My Christian mother would apply Gingelly oil in the head and allow us to wait. The oil would slowly drip to the eyes through the eyebrows and we would wipe it away, in the meantime our mother would be preparing the morning dishes, sweets for offering to God. The aroma from the kitchen would really test our patience during the waiting period of the oil bath phase. We cannot consume the prepared morning dishes, sweets before our Hindu father does the arti to God and it is believed that God comes to every home and tastes the food prepared for him. Then those are given to our ancestors and we seek the help of crows. After completing these rituals, then it becomes our turn to have those.

Wait, we haven’t completed our head bath!!!  It would be a hot water bath since early in the morning. Mother would burn the wooden logs to heat the water in the vessels. Next would be the preparation of Shikakai scientifically known as Acacia concinna. These seeds would be dried in sunlight and then taken to crushing machine shop and made into a powder.  It has been used since centuries as cleanser for hair and body. Due to presence of saponins in its bark, it lathers moderately when shaken with water. Shikakai imparts shine to body and hair. It has a balancing effect on irritated scalp and dandruff. This powder made as a paste will be applied and is used to remove the oil. Mother would help us to do the head bath with our eyes kept closed. Irritation of our eyes was the prime reason why we hated it so much. Children would feel this head bath like a nightmare. Oil bath would complete and we would rush for the Deepawali celebrations.

This oil bath is a ritual followed by generations by generations in Southern India every week. In olden days, parents would write letter to their children reminding them to take oil bath every week. As children we did not know the significance and importance of this oil bath. In recent years, the oil bath habit itself has seriously declined across India. It might be due to fast paced world and the reason not explained clearly to the next generation. However, this oil bath is not recommended and suitable for certain cool body individuals.

Avvaiyar, the great female saint from Tamil Nadu, wrote a work of aphorisms called “Aathichoodi”. One of these is “Sani Neeradu”, which means “bathe on Saturday”. The word “Sani” refers to the planet Saturn as well as the day “Saturday”. Her words are always attributed with divinity.

What is the science behind this oil bath + Shikakai powder wash?

Oil bath cools the cells, the head, body and eyes. It removes the accumulated heat from the cells. How?

Due to the day-to-day activities and functions of the body, heat that is generated from body has to dissipate. Our body pores get clogged due to dust, sweat, salt deposits etc. and this makes the heat generated in the body not to let it out and retains in the body cell itself. While applying oil, it reduces the surface tension between the dust and the pores and liberates it out. Later the Shikakai powder helps in removing the liberated dust & other particles and making the pores free, so all the heat accumulated in the body cell goes out freely and body gets cooled. This is similar to the fundamentals of how water that is filled in an earthen pot becomes cool. The water that is stored in an earthen pot becomes cool always. Same way we should maintain our body like an earthen pot for a healthy life and not like any other metal pot.

Increasing body heat is damaging for many of the internal organs. So, the benefits of oil bath are immense as it is also mentioned in Ayurvedic medicine for many cures. It restores youth, vigor in an individual and has lots of health benefits. Oil bath is a boon as it acts as a thermostat.

It is said to have the benefits like prevention of many diseases like migraine, depression, stomach disorder, diabetes, sexual disorder, jaundice, cancer. Also, we can get healthy, deep sleep. The quality of the skin improves by the glow and radiance. The nerves in the body improve and our body gets rejuvenated.

So, guys keeping cool our body keeps the mind too cool!!

Note-The images given for representation in this blog are taken from Google Images. Many thanks for Google.