The breasts hold a prominent role in our female collective psyche, both as sexual pleasure site, as well as a sacred archetype of mothering. How is it, then, that we spend more time nourishing our teeth than our breasts? Ayurveda encourages us to develop a loving relationship, and routine. These routines can help balance hormones, prevent disease and reconnect you to your sexuality and femininity.
I strongly recommend massaging the breasts in castor or sesame oil to stimulate circulation, promote lymphatic flow and reduce any buildup of ama in the breast tissue. I keep a bottle of castor oil in the shower and give my breasts a nice massage daily. Lady’s mantle, fenugreek, calendula, and bladderwrack are also wonderful herbs to be infused into the oils for breast protection. I recommend Banyan Botanical’s Breast Balm or Lady Nada’s Breast Oil from Rupam’s Apothecary. I also recommend the book Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life by Dr. Claudia Welch for a more in-depth look at breast cancer prevention and research.
Use about a teaspoon of your oil on each breast, depending on the size. Massage in an upward circular motion from the outer lower quadrant of the breast, across the bottom of the breast, toward your heart, around, up, and back outward toward the underarm. Pay particular attention to the area under the armpits. Massaging the breasts in this way cleanses the tissue of ama, breaks up cysts and stagnation, and encourages lymph movement. It also cultivates body love and self-awareness around any changes in your breast tissue. When you massage your breasts, it sends a subconscious message to your female essence: “Your breasts are perfect (whether you look like Twiggy or Marilyn Monroe),” it whispers.
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Katie Silcox 