Dry Brushing
In this ancient Ayurvedic practice, scrape the dead skin cells off the top layer of your skin
by brushing your skin with a dry brush before showering. Dry brushing promotes detoxification
and stimulates your lymphatic system.
Dry brushing is the Ayurvedic practice of gently scraping the body with a dry loofa
brush to remove toxins and dead skin cells and stimulate the lymphatic system.
Why Dry Brush?
Your skin is your largest organ and is responsible for 25 percent of the body’s ability to detox, If your skin is covered with dead follicles, it cannot breathe and detoxify, causing inflammation and toxicity within your body. With daily dry brushing, you can increase oxygen flow, yet we tend to focus our beauty routines on the face and hands when the whole body deserves reverence and respect. In addition to being an Ayurvedic practice, skin brushing for the whole body has been used for ages in Scandinavia, Russia, Japan, Thailand, and Greece.
Skin brushing helps rid the body of dead skin and also stimulates the circulatory systems, which assists the kidneys and liver in releasing excess hormones that have built up in the organs. Over time, dry brushing can prevent cellulite and help regenerate collagen, and in the short term, it invigorates and energizes you.
Dry brushing stimulates your lymphatic system and allows it to drain out the built-up toxicity within your body that naturally accumulates over time, especially if you’re eating the wrong foods for your Dosha. Seasonal shifts and other factors increase toxins in your body, so it’s recommended that you detoxify once a season.
How to Dry Brush
Dry brushing only takes 5 minutes a day to do, yet its benefits are infinite.
You can use any natural, firm-bristle brush or purchase one specific for dry brushing. Strokes go
toward your heart in long, slow motions
Using long strokes in the direction of your heart, brush each part of the body six times.
Dry brushing should be done before bathing or showering;
your skin should be dry.
After using, squeeze water out and hang to dry.
By LATHA SUBRAMAN
Certified in Yoga, Ayurveda, and Naturopathy. Expert in Ayurvedic Beauty.