One Step at a Time: Step Four

I also began abhyanga during this process as step four.  I was intrigued by the idea of a daily morning massage because my rational was who wouldn’t want to feel like they started their day with a massage.  The first issue I ran into was the smell of the sesame oil that I initially purchased in the cooking oil aisle.  There was a burned smell that made this process repellant the first day.  I transferred over to the sesame oil in the cosmetic area.  It was later suggested to me that I might try cold pressed, unrefined sesame oil but I am waiting until I am done with my current bottle of oil. I am notoriously not a morning person and my sleeping patterns varied widely on any given day.  After about a week of step four, I found that I would go to bed early so I could easily get up early to complete the abhyanga and not feel rushed.  I also realized that I was waking up more easily (sometimes without the aid of an alarm) and less resentfully.  I looked forward each morning and was delighted to engage in this practice.  There was a whole ritual of waking up, putting the kettle on, relaxing in bed until the kettle’s light whistle would start and heating the sesame oil. This process was definitely the highlight of my day.