"We like to take them in our arms, enjoy their smile, look into their eyes, smell their scent, tickle their nose, talk to them, rock them and why not massage them too..."
Océane Chavanel, naturopath and well-being masseuse in Lyon, talks to us about Shantala baby massage. This traditional art comes to us from southern India and was introduced to the West by Dr Frédérick Leboyer in the 50s.
Infant massage is an ancestral practice taught naturally from mother to daughter in many countries. Our Western societies have placed certain taboos around massage and touching babies. Fortunately, this has been changing since the 1970s, thanks to fruitful scientific research demonstrating the benefits of massage on babies. One of the most widely recognized and practiced massages is Shantala. We owe this name to the famous gynecologist and obstetrician Frédéric Leboyer. During a trip to India, he marveled at the sight of a young mother called Shantala, sitting massaging her baby on the floor. He subsequently introduced this tradition of neonatal massage to France and named it "Shantala".
Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated the positive aspects of baby massage, notably by highlighting a hormone called oxytocin. This "happiness and well-being" hormone plays a decisive role in the parent-child bond. We found that oxytocin levels rise when parents touch and interact with their babies. This reduces baby's daily stress, particularly following childbirth, and soothes pain (teething, digestive problems, colic, etc.). A relaxed baby is also a baby who falls asleep more easily and sleeps more peacefully.
In addition, massage supports the child's growth by facilitating motor development and movement coordination, and contributes to the evolution of body awareness. By feeling touched, babies gradually become aware of their body's contours, limits and volume. Massage is therefore a very important means of establishing a relationship with your child, listening to his perceptions and supporting him in his motor and sensory development, and in his awareness of his body entity. Baby massage also helps strengthen the baby's immune system by stimulating dopamine, killer cells and lymphocytes. In this way, it contributes to the baby's physical well-being, helping to fight infection.
Océane Chavanel - Yoga Korner, 3 rue Pizay 69001 Lyon - 07 78 90 24 56 - www.therapieetmassage.com
