Katie Grossman

"I see Marma as a part of supporting the nervous system, the root system of the body, which in turn is going to support all the other systems of the body. I think of it as resetting your body to factory settings. "

What is your offering?
I offer an Ayurvedic practice called Marma therapy. It is similar to how reflexology and acupuncture work, in that you press on certain nerve endings where many different types of tissues overlap and are associated with nerve endings that connect to different parts of the body and our organ systems. When you press on them, it sends a message to the pituitary gland to become aware of that part of the body and then it sends a message to that organ system or part of the body to bring it back into homeostasis. I see Marma as a part of supporting the nervous system, the root system of the body, which in turn is going to support all the other systems of the body.  I think of it as resetting your body to factory settings. 

What does Marma mean?
A lot of these words in Sanskrit have many meanings, but the meaning that I gravitate towards is secret and doorway. The Marma points are basically all these little secret doorways that live all over your body, and when you activate or press them, it reveals the wisdom of your body to you.

How is it connected to Ayurveda?
Marma is part of the bigger Ayurvedic system, which to me is described as the science of life and longevity. Two main things determine how long we live, the health of the nervous system and the health of the microbiome. These are the two things we often inherit faulty systems from the people before us. So Ayurveda is our ability to rehab those relationships through our conscious awareness of our relationship to nature. So if we have a healthy nervous system and we're present, then we can adapt and our body can detoxify and process life as it needs to. But if our nervous system gets trapped in a fight or flight state, or epigenetically we get passed down systemic trauma, then we can’t detox anything and that can cause disease and impact our longevity. 

What lineage of Marma are you practicing?
Marma is from India, but they say, for every family in India, there's a different lineage. The whole system of Ayurveda that I studied is connected to a warrior tradition, so it has a bit more intensity but also a practical element. A warrior’s body is their livelihood, so they were experts at self care.

What is Marma good for treating?
Marma is good for anyone who wants to become more aware of or present with their body. By working on the nervous system, marma can support the endocrine, immune, circulatory, respiratory, and digestive systems. It supports the body’s natural detox pathways and can be helpful with pain and stress management

What types of sessions do you offer?
I do in person marma treatments where you lay down and get all your points pressed, it's like a nervous system reboot. I do consultations online around diet and lifestyle practices where we really get into more of what is going on with your whole system. 

How do you help people with their systems?
I offer an ancestral version of Ayurveda, where I help people connect to their own ancestry and their own relationship to nature, because Ayurveda is unique to each and every individual. I really focus on rehabilitating your system by eating ancestrall foods as it allows you to absorb nutrition very easily. We also take into consideration the other Ayurvedic tenets of seasons, where you live, your body type and temperature.

What can you expect during a session?
Marma works on every level because it's as deeply physical as it is mental, emotional and energetic. Even though sessions can be silent, there is still a lot of movement happening. Some people talk a bunch in sessions so we can work through the mental and emotional stuff that arises as well.

What led you down this path?
I grew up with chronic pain that was undiagnosed for a really long time and with symptoms starting as early as five years old. By the time I had a period, my system was so messed up but everyone told me it was my head, and that there was nothing wrong with me. When I was around 19, I read the book, The Sacred Path of the Warrior by Chogyan Trungpa and there was a passage about your body being a temple and not to spray paint on it. This began a spiritual awakening for me, and I realized I needed to get my act together. I was studying social work and engaged in a lot of self-inquiry, and was doing yoga training. From there, I started learning about Ayurveda.

What made you want to learn more?
I went to see an Ayurvedic doctor and after looking at me he told me everything that was going on in my body, almost like he had x-ray vision. I'd never felt that kind of experience in the medical system and it was profound. When I had my first Marma treatment, it was so familiar to me, like I was coming home to my body. I went for a second session and he asked if I wanted to apprentice with him, and train and learn. When I got healthy enough, I went to India and studied with his teacher. 

What drives you to continue this work?
I believe in decentralizing healing - I don’t think you should have to go to one person for your healing. Marma was a household science, and my teacher in India was really clear about his dream being for this to become a household science again, where families and communities are working on supporting each other. I think you should be able to have these techniques at home and in your own hands. That's a very important mission for me if I'm going to continue doing this work. 

What is by your bedside?
I am a crazy crystal chick with crystals all over - like little baby crystals sprinkled everywhere. My jewelry is always with me, and certain talismans. They are my filtration system. I have a guitar by my bed night stand too - I like to practice when I get home to decompress and get out of my head.

What are some of your own personal practices?
I am very committed to Kriya Yoga, it is basically non negotiable. I've really found holotropic breathwork to be a massive one for me in helping to move and shift my energy.  I practice meditations from David Elliott and I have been working with him for the last two years. I am a singer-songwriter, so singing is something I do every day as it is very cathartic. And then I have an ozone machine that I love and using it is a big self-care practice.  

What else is part of your practice?
Right now I am experimenting in skincare and food that are connected to my heritage of being Eastern European. I’m going very ancestral on my soap and skincare routine, using small batch tallow based products. I also heavily rely on ozonated olive oil, you can use it as a deodorant or toothpaste because ozone kills bad bacteria. I have a friend who makes beautiful Ayurvedic oils that I would recommend. 

What else are you working on?
I am in the process of creating some tools for people, like acupressure rollers and I have a prototype of a piece of jewelry that you can use to press your pressure points. I have also been creating a card deck that has all the Marma points in it and guidance on how to create self care rituals.

What books do you love or recommend? 

The Path of the Spiritual Warrior by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche 

Eastern Body, Western Mind by Judith Hill 

Health in Your Hands by Devendra Vora 

What words of wisdom do you find yourself sharing?
A good student can learn at the feet of a charlatan. So if you're a good student, everything and everyone is your teacher. And don't sweat the small stuff. Every time I'm with an older client, they say this is what they would tell their younger selves. It's the simplest one and the hardest one.

Photos by Tommaso Meneghin and Nico Nelson