What Happens in a Marma Therapy Session: A Complete Walkthrough from First Contact to Last Breath
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Most people who come to Kavita Kanwarjani for their first Marma Therapy session at Actvebody have done their research. They have read about the 107 vital points. They have seen the word “prana” and wondered what it actually means in practice. They have read that Marma Therapy is deeply relaxing. They are curious, and they are also a little uncertain about what they are walking into.
This is entirely understandable. Marma Therapy is not a massage in the conventional sense. It does not involve the kind of firm pressure or muscle manipulation that most people associate with bodywork. The touch is light — sometimes feather-light — and concentrated at specific anatomical locations rather than spread across broad muscle groups. From the outside, it can look as though very little is happening.
What is happening inside the body is another matter entirely.
This is a complete, honest walkthrough of what a Marma Therapy session at Actvebody looks like — before, during, and after. Written by Kavita Kanwarjani from her clinical practice. No mystery, no mysticism, no unanswered questions. Just a clear picture of what you can expect when you come for your first session.
Before the session — the intake conversation
Every first session at Actvebody begins not with hands but with a conversation. Kavita Kanwarjani will spend 15–20 minutes taking a detailed intake before any bodywork begins.
This is not a formality. The intake conversation is clinically essential. Marma Therapy is not a generic wellness treatment applied identically to every person. It is a personalised therapeutic intervention whose effectiveness depends entirely on understanding the specific person in front of us — their constitutional type, their current imbalances, their health history, and their presenting complaint.
In a first session for a woman coming with a hormonal concern — PCOS, irregular cycles, perimenopausal symptoms, thyroid imbalance — Kavita will ask about menstrual history in detail: cycle length and regularity, the quality of flow, the presence and nature of premenstrual symptoms, pain, clotting. She will ask about sleep — how easily you fall asleep, whether you wake through the night, what your energy levels are like in the morning. She will ask about digestion, about stress levels and their sources, about the nature of your work and daily routine, about any medications or supplements you are currently taking.
For someone coming with a musculoskeletal complaint — back pain, frozen shoulder, knee pain, sciatica — the intake covers the history of the condition: when it began, what makes it better or worse, whether there has been any imaging or previous treatment, the quality of the pain (sharp, dull, burning, aching), its precise location, and whether it radiates.
For someone coming primarily for stress, anxiety, or nervous system regulation — the burnout that chronic overwork produces, the anxiety that has become a constant background condition, the insomnia that has persisted for months or years — Kavita will explore the nature and sources of the stress, the patterns of the anxiety (what triggers it, what reduces it), and the physical symptoms that have accompanied it.
All of this information feeds directly into the session design. Kavita does not follow a fixed protocol. She selects the specific Marma points, the sequence, the depth of stimulation, and the supporting techniques based on what the intake has revealed about this particular person on this particular day.
Setting up — what the environment feels like
Marma Therapy sessions at Actvebody take place in a quiet, private treatment space. The lighting is soft. The temperature is comfortable. There is no clinical coldness — this is not a hospital or a physiotherapy clinic, and it does not feel like one.
You will be asked to remove your shoes and lie on the treatment table. You remain fully clothed throughout the session. There is no need to undress. Most people wear comfortable, loose clothing — though this is not strictly necessary, as Marma work can be done through most fabric.
If a medicated Ayurvedic oil is being used — as it is in many Marma protocols, particularly for musculoskeletal and hormonal conditions — it will be applied to the specific Marma point areas through the fabric, or on exposed areas like the hands, feet, and face. Kavita uses high-quality Ayurvedic tailam selected specifically for each person's dosha and condition — Brahmi Bhringaraj Taila for nervous system work, medicated sesame-based tailam for Vata conditions, cooling coconut-based preparations for Pitta.
Before the hands-on work begins, Kavita will take a few minutes to settle the space — a brief moment of intention-setting and centring that signals to your nervous system that this is a different kind of time. The quality of presence a practitioner brings to a session is itself therapeutic, and this settling is part of the practice rather than a preamble to it.
During the session — what you will feel
The touch in Marma Therapy is unlike any bodywork most people have experienced. It is not firm. It is not manipulative. It is not painful — and if it is ever uncomfortable, you should say so immediately, because discomfort is not therapeutic in this modality and is not necessary for the work to be effective.
Kavita will locate each Marma point with precision — years of training and practice give her a sensitivity to these locations that goes beyond their anatomical coordinates. She will apply a circular stimulation — clockwise to activate, anticlockwise to sedate — with a pressure that varies between the weight of a five-rupee coin and the weight of a fully placed palm, depending on the point and the intention. Some points are held statically for several breath cycles. Some are stimulated rhythmically. Some are simply contacted with the awareness of a practitioner fully present in that touch.
What you will feel varies significantly from person to person and from session to session, but there are experiences that are consistently reported:
Warmth spreading from the point of contact. Not the warmth of surface friction, but a deeper warmth — a spreading sensation that moves along anatomical channels from the Marma point outward. This is the most commonly reported experience, and it is the felt sense of improved circulation and prana flow at the stimulated location.
A wave of relaxation that comes suddenly. Many clients describe a specific moment — often 10–15 minutes into the session, sometimes sooner — when the nervous system visibly shifts. The muscles of the face and jaw release. The breath deepens and slows without any conscious effort. The shoulders drop. The mind becomes quiet in a way that effort cannot produce. This is the parasympathetic shift that is one of Marma Therapy’s most immediate and most important clinical effects. For people who spend their days in chronic low-level sympathetic activation — which is most urban Indian adults — this shift can feel profound, even surprising.
Tingling or pulsation at the Marma point. Particularly at the more energetically significant points — Hridaya at the chest, Adhipati at the crown, Nabhi at the navel — many clients feel a pulsation or tingling that seems to extend beyond the immediate area of contact. This is the experience of heightened sensitivity at the neuroendocrine junctions that the Marma points represent.
Emotional release. This is perhaps the most surprising experience for first-time clients, and it is worth preparing for. Marma Therapy, like Craniosacral Therapy, can release emotional content that has been stored in the body’s tissues. A wave of inexplicable emotion — tears that arrive without a corresponding thought, a sudden lightness as if a weight has been lifted, occasionally a memory surfacing — is not unusual and is not cause for concern. It is a sign that the therapy is working at a depth that goes beyond the physical. Kavita holds this experience without judgment and with the warmth of someone who has witnessed it many times.
Deep sleepiness. Particularly in the second half of the session, many clients drift into a state that is not quite sleep but not quite waking — a deeply restful hypnagogic state in which the body is profoundly still and the mind is quiet. Some clients sleep fully. This is entirely welcome. The body does its deepest healing in this state, and the therapeutic benefit is not reduced by sleeping through part of the session.
A full session runs 60 minutes. Some clients — particularly those with complex or long-standing conditions — have 75-minute sessions. Kavita will work through the specific Marma point protocol she has designed for you, which typically involves 15–25 points selected from the 107, depending on your condition and constitution.
The areas Kavita works
A standard Marma Therapy session at Actvebody works through the body in a sequence that moves from the feet upward, or from the head downward, depending on the therapeutic intention. The key areas and their clinical purposes:
The feet and lower legs. The feet contain some of the most important Marma points in the body — Talahridaya at the centre of the sole, Kurcha at the base of the toes, Kurchashira at the heel. These points have systemic effects that extend far beyond the foot: Talahridaya directly influences the heart and nervous system, making foot Marma work one of the fastest ways to initiate the parasympathetic shift. This is why the session almost always begins at the feet, regardless of the presenting condition.
The lower abdomen and pelvic region. Nabhi Marma at the navel, and the Marma points of the lower quadrants of the abdomen, are central to all conditions involving digestion, hormonal health, and reproductive function. For women with PCOS, irregular cycles, or fertility concerns, this area receives detailed attention in every session.
The lower back and sacrum. Guda and Sphij Marma points govern Apana Vayu — the downward-moving life force responsible for menstruation, ovulation, digestion, and elimination. Working these points restores the downward movement that, when obstructed, produces constipation, menstrual irregularity, and pelvic congestion.
The spine. The Marma points along the spine correspond to the autonomic nerve ganglia that innervate every organ of the body. Working the spinal Marmas systematically is one of the most powerful ways to influence systemic organ function — and is particularly relevant for back pain, sciatica, and the spinal tension patterns that accumulate from sedentary work.
The hands and wrists. Kshipra and Manibandha Marma at the wrist and hand are powerful distal points with systemic effects that extend to the chest, lungs, and nervous system. The hands are extraordinarily rich in nerve endings, and stimulating the hand Marmas produces a rapid systemic response.
The shoulders and neck. Amsa and Manyamula Marma at the shoulder and the base of the neck address the chronic tension pattern that virtually every person working at a desk for more than four hours a day carries. This region is where Vata accumulates under stress — where the stiffness, the aching, the headaches originating from neck tension all begin. Releasing the shoulder and neck Marmas often produces an immediate reduction in headache and a visible release of held tension in the upper body.
The face and cranium. Shankha at the temples, Sthapani between the eyebrows, Utkshepa at the lateral forehead, and Adhipati at the crown — these cranial Marma points directly influence the brain, the pituitary and pineal glands, and the quality of mental experience. Working the cranial Marmas is deeply calming for anxiety, directly relevant for migraine and chronic headache, and essential for anyone whose condition has a significant mental-emotional component.
After the session — what to expect
The immediate post-session experience is almost universally one of profound calm. Most clients lie still for a few minutes after the hands-on work ends — not because they are told to, but because their body simply does not want to move yet. This is a sign that the nervous system has shifted deeply and needs a moment to integrate.
When you sit up and stand, you may feel lighter than you did when you arrived — physically lighter, as if something has been put down. Some people describe feeling taller, as if they are standing more fully in their body. The mind is often unusually quiet. Some people feel mildly emotional without knowing why.
Kavita will always spend a few minutes after the session in conversation — sharing what she observed during the session, what the tissue quality told her about the condition of specific organ systems, and what you can do at home to support the work between sessions. This might include specific self-massage practices on accessible Marma points, dietary suggestions, or adjustments to your daily routine.
Drink warm water for the rest of the day. Marma Therapy mobilises lymphatic flow and metabolic waste products from the tissues. Warm water supports the kidneys and lymphatics in clearing what the session has released. Cold water and stimulants — coffee, alcohol — are best avoided on the day of a session.
Rest if possible. The 2–3 hours after a Marma session are valuable therapeutic time. If you can rest — not necessarily sleep, but quietness, no screens, no intense demands — the body uses this time to consolidate the changes the session has initiated. Rushing back into a busy schedule immediately after a session is not harmful, but it does reduce the depth of integration.
Notice what changes in the next 24–48 hours. Marma Therapy's effects are often not immediate. Many clients find that the most noticeable changes — the improved sleep quality, the reduction in pain, the emotional shift — arrive the following day or the day after. This is because the body's self-regulatory systems have been activated, and they need time to implement the changes the session has set in motion.
Occasionally, a release reaction. A small percentage of clients experience a brief release reaction after their first session — a day of fatigue, mild emotional sensitivity, or temporary intensification of a symptom before it improves. This is not cause for concern. It is the body releasing what has been held — the Ayurvedic concept of Ama (metabolic and emotional toxins) being mobilised before it is cleared. It resolves within 24–48 hours and is typically not seen from the second session onward.
How many sessions, and how often
This is the question Kavita is most often asked, and the honest answer is that it depends on the condition and the individual.
For acute conditions — a recent shoulder injury, a specific episode of back pain, a short-term stress response — 3–4 sessions at weekly intervals often produce significant and lasting improvement.
For chronic conditions — PCOS, long-standing back pain, thyroid imbalance, chronic anxiety, fertility support — a full course of 8–10 sessions at weekly intervals is recommended. Chronic conditions have typically been developing for years, and the body's self-regulatory capacity needs consistent support to re-establish new patterns. The first 3–4 sessions build the foundation. Sessions 5–8 are where the most significant therapeutic shifts occur. Sessions 9–10 consolidate the work and establish the home practices that maintain the gains.
For general wellness, stress management, and seasonal rebalancing — which is what Dinacharya recommends for everyone, not just those with specific health concerns — monthly maintenance sessions are ideal. Kavita has clients who have been coming monthly for years, not because they have a condition that requires ongoing treatment, but because they have experienced what a monthly Marma session does for their energy, their clarity, and their resilience — and they have chosen to make it part of how they care for themselves.
Who Marma Therapy is for
Marma Therapy is safe for virtually everyone. There are no age restrictions — the touch is gentle enough to be appropriate for elderly clients and can be adapted for children. Pregnancy is not a contraindication in the hands of a skilled and trained practitioner who knows which Marma points to avoid and which are beneficial during pregnancy.
The conditions Kavita most commonly treats at Actvebody:
- PCOS and menstrual irregularity
- Hormonal imbalance, perimenopausal symptoms, fertility support
- Chronic back pain, neck pain, sciatica
- Frozen shoulder and rotator cuff conditions
- Migraine and chronic headache
- Anxiety, stress, burnout, insomnia
- Thyroid conditions (Hashimoto’s, hypothyroid, hyperthyroid)
- Knee pain and osteoarthritis
- Digestive disorders — IBS, chronic constipation, bloating
- Post-surgical recovery and rehabilitation
- General wellness maintenance and preventive care
If you have a condition not on this list and are wondering whether Marma Therapy might be relevant, the best approach is simply to ask. Kavita will give you an honest assessment of whether Marma is the right modality for your situation, and if not, she will tell you that too.
Marma Therapy within Actvebody’s integrated approach
Kavita Kanwarjani’s Marma Therapy practice sits within a broader wellness environment at Actvebody that makes every individual intervention more effective than it would be in isolation.
A Nadi Pariksha assessment with Dr. Santosh Kadam before beginning a Marma course provides the constitutional foundation — the precise dosha picture that tells Kavita exactly which patterns are most dominant in your case and which Marma points and sequences are most indicated. If you are new to Ayurveda and to Actvebody, a Nadi Pariksha session is the ideal starting point.
The Ayurvedic herbs that support the specific condition being addressed in Marma sessions create the internal biochemical conditions that make the bodywork’s effects more lasting. For nervous system and hormonal work: Ashwagandha for cortisol reduction, Shatavari for hormonal nourishment, Brahmi for nervous system support. For musculoskeletal work: Triphala for metabolic foundation and anti-inflammatory support.
EFT Tapping with Sunil Kanwarjani addresses the psychological and conditioned emotional patterns that Marma Therapy releases somatically — together, they work at both the body and the mind level of the same pattern.
Craniosacral Therapy with Sunil Kanwarjani works at the level of the dural membrane and cerebrospinal fluid — the deepest structural level of the nervous system. For conditions with a significant nervous system component — chronic anxiety, trauma, migraine — combining Marma and Craniosacral in alternate sessions often produces results that neither modality achieves alone.
Wellness Coaching provides the Dinacharya and dietary framework that maintains between sessions the internal environment that the Marma sessions are working to restore — rather than undoing during the week what the previous session established.
Booking your first session
Kavita Kanwarjani’s Marma Therapy sessions are available by appointment at Actvebody, Shop 17, Om Sai Shravan CHS, Borivali West, Mumbai — 400092. Sessions run 60 minutes. All bookings are through WhatsApp.
If you are coming with a specific health concern, it helps to mention it when you message so that Kavita can let you know if there is anything specific to prepare or bring for the first session.
To book your first Marma Therapy session, or to ask Kavita directly whether Marma Therapy is right for your situation, message on WhatsApp. She responds personally and will answer every question you have before you decide.