Stones! Did I hear you say stones? What next I hear you muttering: pebbles, stones, rocks, crystals and even marble. Well do not be surprised as all are being used very successfully all over the world in top destination spas from Phnom Penh in Cambodia to London in England and from Sydney in Australia to Narendar Nagar in Uttarakhand helping improve individual’s overall well-being. Before I move on to tell you about this wonderful treatment, close your eyes and imagine heated stones being placed strategically all over your back, neck and buttocks while a therapist massages your tired legs with smooth pieces of heated rock. If this concept grabs your imagination then be introduced to one of the world’s oldest and most effective alternative therapies, stone therapy.

Close your eyes and imagine heated stones being placed strategically all over your back, neck and buttocks while a therapist massages your tired legs with smooth pieces of heated rock. This is stone therapy, a combination of massage, thermotherapy the alternate application of hot and cold temperatures), energy work and healing to soothe your senses.

The use of stones on and around the body as a healing tool has been popular throughout the history of our planet. Stones have been used in ceremonies and treatments by ancient races dating back as far as the Incas in South America, the Egyptians and the Chinese. The Native American Indians honour and respect stones as part of Mother Earth and know that the gift of healing given from these stones is sacred and deserves the highest thanks and integrity when using them. The stones used are millions of years old, which have been, for most of their life, buried deep in the layers of the earth.
An American lady by the name of Mary D. Hannigan in 1993 brought this age-old tradition back into our modern way of working and named it La Stone. Since then, a number of hot stone techniques have been adapted for use by many different body workers. One such therapy is conducted at Ananda in the Himalayas and goes under the name of Lithos.
Stone Therapy traditionally uses a combination of massage, thermotherapy (the alternate application of hot and cold temperatures), energy work and healing. The stones can also be used in other treatments to make these much more effective. They are:

• Aromatherapy Massage.
• Deep-Tissue Work.
• Reflexology.
• Facials and Waxing.
• Manicures and Pedicures.
• Remedial Massage.
• Relaxation Therapy and Meditation.

In fact, one’s imagination is the only limiting factor in the use of the stones.
For instance, if one’s system is sluggish, then this type of treatment will assist in opening and clearing the eliminative pathways to stimulate the system and increase energy levels. If one were stressed, unsettled or cold then the outcome of this treatment would be to feel much more ‘grounded’ and calm, safe and warm. This treatment is balancing not only to the physical body, but settling to the mind, emotions and the spirit.

Types of Stones Used

Stone Therapy uses a combination of heated basalt and chilled marble stones. It is not always necessary to use cold stones. A successful treatment can be used with the heated stones alone.
The reasons for the use of basalt stones are their colour: Grey/black, dark green/black stones. This colour assists them in staying the hottest, the longest. In the age-old healing traditions, the black stones have always been used in healing, probably for this reason. There could also be other possibilities such as the darker the stone, the more grounded it is.
The shape and colour also have a bearing on the use of certain stones. The more round the stone and the lighter the colour, the more Yin or feminine it is in its nature. The longer or more oblong the stone is along with the darker colour offer more Yang or masculine qualities to the body.

Using Hot Stones Short Term over an area
The use of hot stones over an isolated area causes passive dilation of the blood vessels of the related organ. It also pulls blood from the organ to the surrounding tissue resulting in warm, flushed skin.

Hot Stones are used to –

• Expand or dilate blood vessels.
• Increase circulation.
• Increase metabolism.
• Increase cell metabolism.
• Increase Lymph function.
• Increase pulse rate.
• Sedate the muscles & the Nervous System.

Using Cold Stones Short Term – less than 5 minutes
A cold stone is used in an isolated area and causes an immediate numbing effect, followed by dilation of blood vessels in related organs. They are also used to rehabilitate injuries and chronic muscle spasms – speeding up the patient’s recovery. Client’s range of motion increases and the muscles and nervous system are stimulated.

Cold Stones are used for recent injuries, burns and inflammation to –

• Constrict the blood vessels – pushes blood away from an area.
• Stimulate and improve circulation.
• Produce an analgesic effect.
• Limit further damage to injured muscles.
• Reduce inflammation.
• Stimulate the Nervous System.

A natural response to cold stone treatment is that the body will bring itself back to a homeostasis, thus the body heats itself.
This treatment can be done as part of a massage treatment, mainly because if feels fantastic and it is wonderfully relaxing and invigorating, depending on what an individual requires. The body will find its own individual balance.
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When to use Hot & Cold Stone Treatments
It is great for –

• Sprains, strains, bruise
• Chronic tension, Stress
• Muscular pain
• Menstrual Cramps
• Headache
• Sunburn
• Insomnia
• Constipation

When it is not good to have a stone treatment

• When suffering from Acute asthma.
• Pregnancy.
• Acute infections, fever, flu, colds, cystitis (bladder infection) – massage is definitely contraindicated in this instance, as the body is already busy enough trying to fight infection

• When someone dislikes cold of any kind.

The writer is Colin Gary Hall, the Spa Director of Ananda in the Himalayas, Uttarakhand.