I found usefull the following tips for performing massages with aromatherapy:
The sense of smell is processed in the oldest part of the human brain and is closely associated with memory, learning, emotion and hormonal regulation. Ayurveda recognizes that the sense of smell can be used to influence the balance of the doshas. Although other animals may have a more highly developed olfactory sense, our sense of smell is 10,000 times more sensitive than that of taste.
Aromatherapy uses essential oils derived from fruits, flowers, resins and barks to help enhance balance and create specific beneficial influences on the mind and body.
- VATA is balanced with a mixture of warm, sweet and sour aromas like basil, orange, rose, geranium and clove.
- PITTA is balanced by a mixture of sweet, cool aromas like sandalwood, rose, mint, cinnamon, and jasmine.
- KAPHA is balanced by a mixture of warm aromas with spicy overtones like juniper, eucalyptus, amphor, clove and marjoram.
Aromatherapy is usually recommended at bedtime. Place about ten drops of the prescribed aromatic oil into hot water. This will provide about a half-hour of scent. Candle- powered aroma pots are available, but using a teacup and a miniature coffee warm is just as effective. Essential oil mixtures applied to the skin over the neck and temples are also effective and can be used during the day.

