Since 1996, the ARYM Institute of Ayurvedic Yoga Massage has been dedicated to teaching AYM (Kusum Modak method of Ayurvedic Yoga Massage). A pioneer in its field, Ananta Sylvain Girard is the founder of the ARYM Institute in Mysore. He is the senior assistant and direct collaborator of the creator of the AYM method, Master Kusum Modak, with whom he taught the AYM Programme in Pune and Goa, India, on several dozen training programmes between 1996 and 2002. Since then, Ananta has offered over 250 AYM training courses to thousands of students worldwide. ABOUT AYM
Ayurvedic Yoga Massage is a comprehensive Dynamic Yogic Bodywork that combines elements of deep tissue massage therapy, yoga-based assisted stretching (passive yoga), and breathwork into one treatment.
The massage therapy is performed on a mattress on the floor and typically takes between 50 and 90 minutes. Although rooted in the tradition of Indian massage, AYM differs from other traditional Ayurvedic massages, particularly in its yoga-based assisted stretches, which form the core of the method and set it apart from others. In addition, unlike the famous Ayurveda oily massage treatment called Abhyangam, just a tiny amount of oil is used to deliver Ayurvedic Yoga Massage. More importantly, the massage exfoliates as oil is applied with Calamus root powder using slow, deep massage strokes performed with the hands and feet. It is worth saying that the massage is tailor-made when adjusting the pressure and selecting the series of stretches to suit individual needs. The session provides a deep sense of openness and well-being on a physical, psychological and emotional level. Kusum Modak successfully combined both traditional Indian Deep Tissue Massage and Yoga Therapies based on the BKS Iyengar Yoga. THE ORIGINS OF AYURVEDIC YOGA MASSAGE (AYM)
Master Kusum Modak developed the original AYM method in Pune in the early 1980s. She was greatly influenced by her two gurus (teachers): BKS Iyengar and Vasudev Limaye. Her legendary yoga teacher BKS Iyengar was a world-renowned expert in Hatha yoga with precise, clever alignments and pranayama (breathing techniques). The second, Vasudev Limaye, was a local massage therapist that came from a family practising traditional Ayurvedic massage therapy for charitable purposes for many generations. Thus Kusum’s massage practice evolved naturally into Ayurvedic Yoga Massage, an all in one bodywork combining the therapeutic tradition of Indian massage with beneficial stretching and alignment of Iyengar yoga. Over the next 35 years, Kusum has continued developing and teaching the AYM method to worldwide students visiting India and during training courses held in Brazil, Italy, and the UK. Building on this lineage, AYM is taught by Ananta Sylvain Girard at the ARYM Institute.
