The Talk Around Skin Care!
What is Indian Champissage?
by Annet King
Worldwide Training and Development Manager - The International Dermal Institute.
Reprinted from Skin Inc. in The United States of America.

Modern life can be a headache and a pain in the neck—literally. Physical and psychological stressors alike assail the head, including the scalp, the muscles of the face, and the neck and shoulders, threatening to turn the upper body in to a minefield of tension, congestion and constriction. Here’s a surprising modern-day solution with a 4,000 year history: Indian champissage™, a unique therapy developed and taught by osteopath and massage therapist Narendra Mehta and Kundan Mehta, his wife. Together, the Mehtas established the London Centre of Indian Champissage in 1995, and beginning in fall, 2003, The International Dermal Institute will incorporate a class based upon Mr. Mehta’s teachings into our curriculum.

“Champissage”, meaning head massage, in spite of its Gallic ring, comes from the Hindi term “champi”, from which the English word “shampoo” is derived. According to Mr. Mehta, massage has been part of Ayurvedic tradition in India for more than 40 centuries, with intergenerational family massage playing a social role for a thousand years or more. Massage of the head, incorporating the use of oils, was of particular interest to women as part of their grooming routine for maintaining the health and luster of their hair, which was classically worn very long. Barbers also offered “champi” to men, ostensibly as a refreshing, tonic experience versus a beauty treatment—although one does wonder, male vanity being a universal constant!

Narendra Mehta’s concept of “champissage” expands from this background to include massage of the shoulders and upper arms, and to incorporate energy-work focused upon the three upper charkas, which is typically not part of the champi practiced today on the street corners of large Indian cities. The objectives of his practice are to relieve pain and tension, improve both concentration and relaxation, and dramatically improve chakric balance for greater well-being. Mehta explains that he was inspired to create this form of therapy after experiencing massages in a variety of places with a variety of professionals—not one of which included the “champi” with which he was so familiar! In 1978, he went to India to research the traditional techniques, and developed his new hybrid champissage therapy soon thereafter.

Modern life with its daily menu of churning stress offers a prime environment for the introduction of this low-risk, non-intrusive, non-invasive relaxation technique which requires only a few minutes a day, may easily be practiced while seated in an office without disrobing, and may even be practiced on one’s self! Next time you’re in a meeting, or even sitting in gridlock in your car, have a look at the faces around you. Jaws are clenched, lips pressed tightly together (or bitten shut) and molars locked in unexpressed rage. Brows are deeply furrowed, constricting the blood flow to the temples. These two familiar examples are the cranial equivalent of wearing “killer” stiletto heels every day: the muscles eventually become permanently shortened, and are unable to relax and resume their original shape and relative slackness! TMJ, migraines, and loss of mobility in the neck and shoulders are just a few of the most common manifestations of these “game-face” behaviors.

Even in the friendliest of workplaces, many of us spend 8 – 10 hours a day staring into computer monitors. Add to this the ergonomic nightmare of sitting for prolonged periods, typically with a less than ideal seating-keyboard arrangement, cradling a phone between ear and shoulder, and the fact that most of us unconsciously push our chins slightly forward when concentrating on our work – and eye, head and neck strain become inevitable.

Champissage’s beneficial effects are varied and inter-related. The increased circulation which results from the therapy disperses toxins from previously congested muscles, and stimulates the lymphatic system. This is always necessary through light, though focused, massage, since the lymphatic fluid is not driven by the heart or any equivalent pump. This improved circulation also increases oxygen uptake in the tissues, and, with the clearing of congestion from the muscles of the upper back, shoulders, neck and face, allows more oxygen to reach the brain, thus promoting mental alertness and clarity.

Mehta bases his concept on massage as a way of life, based upon compassion for others. His manual for teachers notes “Compassion is a way of breathing art into what we do…from helping and teaching the individual, we begin to see our work in a wider social context—teaching and healing the community. Through serving in a selfless, compassionate way, we connect and communicate with and become real participants in the flow of nature—open to change, willing to learn and listen.”

The core movements and postures for champissage are simple and direct. The therapist stands, while the fully-dressed client is seated in front of the therapist. The client is advised not to cross her or his arms or legs, which constricts circulation. As with all massage techniques, the therapist is advised to maintain skin-on-skin contact at all times with the client, to keep an unbroken flow of energy—prana, if you will—intact.

The treatment begins with grounding breaths. The therapist inhales and exhales slowly and deeply through the nose, mouth closed, to center and gather energy, with hands resting lightly on top of the client’s head. This gentle initial contact establishes the “introduction” between the therapist’s energy and the client’s energy, on both physiological, psychological and even more subtle levels. This non-confrontational initial contact is key to full communication and mutual participation. Think of how a cat, a small child, or any sentient being reacts when grabbed or snatched suddenly. We recoil, and possibly even lash out in a perceived need for self-defense!. So, a reassuring “greeting” movement which diffuses any reflexive flight or defensive response is therefore essential to a successful treatment.

The second movement is intended to ground the client. The therapist lays one hand across the client’s forehead, the other across the back of the client’s neck. The client then inhales and exhales in three slow, deep breaths through the nose, mouth closed. Ideally, this second movement brings therapist and client into an energetic harmony with each other. The therapist then moves to a third movement, which is a repetition of the first step. Three deep breaths with the client now energizes the therapist for the work ahead.

Many of us walk through life with one shoulder higher than the other, or with both shoulders clenched and hiked up near our ears, clear indicators of often-painful stress, our tendency to sit and stand incorrectly, and in some cases past injury (such as whiplash). While Mehta strongly advises against performing champissage on individuals who are suffering from recent whiplash or spinal trauma, the treatment may suitable for easing the long-term effects of these injuries, following consultation with a medical professional.

The trapezius often “traps” stress. We use the trapezius to shrug, and many bodywork therapists in a variety of disciplines agree that stress will often accumulate in the shoulders and traps when we long to “shrug off” burdens, just as we may experience chronic back pain when we are feeling oppressed and weighed down by responsibilities or the “heavy” expectations of others! The mind-body connection plays an elemental role in understanding champissage; in fact, Mehta would reason that the Cartesian distinction between the two is entirely Western, and entirely artificial.

Thumb-sweeping movements along the trapezius and scapula “sweep” systemic debris and wastes through the system, lightening the neuromuscular load and easing accumulated tension. The area between the shoulder-blades then is stimulated with friction, first by using the pads of the fingers, then switching to the same movement using the heel on the hand for deeper contact. This series of movements breaks down the knots and nodules which are the tangible proof of “contents under pressure”!

A movement which runs throughout the treatment is one which Mehta calls “ironing out”, and the effect is to quite literally smooth out stress and its toxic residue. The movement begins with firm pressure to the trapezius, generally using the heels of the hands, then decreasing pressure as the hands travel down the shoulders. Some practitioners prefer to use their forearms in this movement, to allow for a larger area of contact between therapist and client, and to produce a broader sweeping motion—rather like using a larger paintbrush than a smaller one, in effect. The mechanical effect of this movement is to sluice out toxins from the tissues, and to move lymphatic fluid toward the nodes beneath the arms. The movement also is reminiscent of the “cleansing” moves practiced in many healing traditions, where the practitioner literally seizes negative energy and pulls it away from the client’s body!
This movement continues to “iron down” from the shoulders to loosen and warm up the muscles of the arms. Kneading heel rolls across the deltoids breaks down knots in the arms, ending just above the elbow. The practitioner then uses both hands, with fingers interlaced, to gently squeeze (no pinching!) and lift small, medium and large areas of tissue and muscle on the arm, ending each squeeze-and-hold sequence with a gentle shake. This movement which Mehta charmingly calls “chicken off the bone” is rather reminiscent of having a large dog hold your wrist playfully in its jaws!

Similar patterns of movement are applied to the neck, with a focus upon gentle, controlled tilts of the well-supported head to relieve headaches and general tightness resulting from literally decades of habitual contraction! The aspect of scalp massage arises quite naturally here, as it is necessary for the practitioner to get her or his fingers into the hair (if it is longer than a buzz-cut!) in order to warm up the muscles under the occiput using gentle finger pad friction.

With techniques named “windscreen wiper” and “hairstyle spoiling”, it’s impossible to stay in a bad mood during the scalp treatment. Touching of the face and head is a highly intimate act. The face of the skin is thin, so much so that we can perceive changes in light through our closed eyelids. The entirety of the facial skin is laced with thousands of nerve-endings, muscles and capillaries, allowing for the exquisite range of perceptions and expressions which are so critical to human communication. Also, we all possess an innate instinct to protect the face, especially the eyes, as well as the head in general, from impact or harm of any kind.

For these related reasons, allowing another person to explore and examine your face is in some ways the ultimate gesture of trust. Little girls spend hours playing with each others’ hair, and “coiffing” the hair of their dolls. Ruffling the hair of another person may be interpreted as an act of acceptance or reassurance, sometimes with a parental quality. All mammals, primates in particular, use facial contact, whether “head-bumps”, nuzzling, stroking, grooming, petting, rubbing, etc., as a powerful form of social bonding and communication. Perhaps some ancestral memory is stirred when the practitioner uses finger pad friction, whole hand friction and light plucking and ruffling motions across the scalp.

In terms of hair rejuvenation, the varying fingertip and full-hand approaches to the scalp and neck improve circulation, encouraging hair growth; some practitioners also maintain that stress causes graying at the temples, and that this is reversible through champissage! The use of oils applied to the roots of the hair as a strengthening agent may or may not have broad application to a mainstream American client. Although organic sesame, mustard, olive, almond and coconut oils are traditionally used in India, depending upon the season, American consumers may feel that these oils require too much effort to remove thoroughly from their hair on a regular basis. Ever since the intrepid Vidal Sassoon made the “helmet” of the teased, sprayed weekly ‘do a thing of the past 30 years ago, Americans in particular have loved wash-and-wear hair, and have developed a daily (or every other-day) shampoo habit, which Mehta incidentally discourages. Therefore, Americans may prefer “dry” champissage, as much for relaxation and stress reduction as for hair-care.

The experience of champissage is a blissful one. There is none of the heavy manipulation or snap, crackle, pop associated with chiropractory, and the approach is far more gossamer in feel than conventional sacro-cranial work. As you sit with your eyes closed, the practitioner’s fingertips ruffle your hair both gently and wildly, patter across your eyelids like cool raindrops, and scratch delicately behind your ears. Fifteen or twenty minutes passes in one sweep of a butterfly’s wing. If you had a tail, you’d wag it, and probably scratch at the screen-door for more.

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