Last evening I had the best massage of my life. Zholti the massage guy who is from Hungary gave me an ayervedic massage. OK what is that anyway?

Well, Zholti has studied just about every type of massage I’ve ever heard of,like lomi lomi, and some I haven’t, so it could just be a synthesis of all his studies.

At any rate, he used very long, firm strokes along muscles and tendons in a way that seemed therapeutic rather than merely relaxing. Also some pressure point work, especially on tender spots. There was brisk rubbing of the feet and hands, and round circular strokes on the stomach.

Occasionally he would rub his hands to create heat and then place them strategically. Sometimes he would exhale his breath on my body. He used lots of oil which I liked, and was appropriate since one of the traditions of Pongal is to get an oil massage.

When he was finished, he did not ask me the way US therapists do, “How do you feel?” Instead, he stood silently in the room for a few minutes, then departed.