Abhyanga is the practice of massaging the body with warm oil before bathing. It appears in the classical daily routine not as an occasional treatment but as something done every day, in the same way one might brush one's teeth — and the texts are quite specific about which parts of the body deserve the most attention: the head, the ears and the feet.
The word for oil, sneha, also means love or affection, and the double meaning is deliberate. What the practice offers is not only lubrication of the joints and skin but a settling of the nervous system, which is why it is described as particularly suited to Vata — the dosha of movement, dryness and restlessness.
Oil choice follows constitution. Sesame is the classical default and suits Vata: warming, heavy, grounding. Coconut or sunflower suits Pitta, being cooling. Kapha does better with less oil rather than more, and often with dry powder massage — udvartana — instead.
The method is unhurried. Warm the oil to a little above body temperature, apply long strokes along the limbs and circular strokes at the joints, and give the scalp and the soles of the feet more time than feels necessary. Fifteen minutes is enough. Leave the oil on for a further ten before a warm bath.
There are days not to do it: during fever, during acute illness, on a full stomach, and during menstruation. If the skin is broken or inflamed, leave it alone and ask first.