It must have been a fortunate coincidence that the chambermaid in the South Indian hotel where I was staying happened to be singing one of her soulful songs as she worked. She was one of those innocent souls you probably find only in this country, which is steeped in tradition and respect for God’s creation. Alongside her job she was studying traditional Indian voice, which she now intoned with deep devotion for the Divine and its manifold expressions. The melodies she sang immediately touched the heart, uplifting one’s very Being to a finer, divine realm.
Sound and melody – the eternal music of nature – are, according to Ayurveda, the subtle basis of the human physiology. The melodies of the heart vibrate in the Marmas and fill them with happiness and peace. It was this experience, later followed by the practical application of Marma Therapy on our patients, which confirmed in my mind the great value and undiscovered potential of the Marmas. Marmas are vital points and energy fields which are essential for health, happiness and a long life in spiritual fulfilment.
Currently, Marma Therapy is used in just a very limited manner in traditional Indian natural medicine. Furthermore the therapy as currently practised generally concentrates less on the energy field and consciousness of the Marma point and more on the physical structures which are included in massages. This kind of treatment has many similarities with muscle, tendon and trigger point massage in Western physiotherapy.
In this book we introduce a very gentle technique that we have developed for treating Marmas. It brings inner tranquillity, and therefore has its primary effect on the level of consciousness and then on the body and its organs. For this reason we call it sukshma, or gentle, Marma treatment. In Sukshma Marma Therapy, the main attention is on the energetic aspects of the Marma points: the field of consciousness of the Marmas.