Massage therapists and bodyworkers are fielding a question they did not field ten years ago: clients want to know what else is available. Some of that is coming from the top down. The CDC’s current prescribing guideline tells clinicians to “maximize use of nonpharmacologic and nonopioid pharmacologic therapies” for acute, subacute, and chronic pain. Some of it is coming from clients themselves, who arrive already curious about hands-on and point-based approaches.
For practitioners, that curiosity raises a practical question: what do you actually train in? Ayurveda has a detailed answer that predates the current conversation by a very long time. It is called marma therapy.
What is marma therapy?
Marma therapy is an Ayurvedic bodywork system built around 107 specific points on the body called marma. Each point sits where several structures meet — flesh, veins, ligaments, bones, and joints — and classical Ayurveda treats those junctions as places where the body, the mind, and the breath are especially accessible.
Practitioners work with the points through precise touch and pressure, essential oil application, and Pranic Healing, the Ayurvedic energy-work component. Each marma is understood to relate to particular organs and to particular doshas, so a session is built around the points relevant to what the client presents with rather than applied as a single routine.
The count is not arbitrary. The 107 points, their locations, and their classifications are described in the classical Ayurvedic literature, and that description is what practitioners still learn today.
Where are the 107 marma points located?
Classical Ayurveda groups the points by region of the body:
| Region | Number of marma points |
|---|---|
| Head and neck | 37 |
| Back and torso (posterior) | 14 |
| Chest and abdomen (anterior) | 12 |
| Arms (both) | 22 |
| Legs (both) | 22 |
| Total | 107 |
The points are also classified by the dominant structure at the junction and by size, which is part of why the material is taught as a system rather than as a set of techniques to memorize.
How is marma therapy different from acupressure?
Marma therapy and acupressure rest on a similar premise: that specific mapped points can be worked with to influence how the body functions as a whole. The resemblance is real, and it is the reason the question comes up so often.
The systems belong to different traditions. Acupressure comes out of Traditional Chinese Medicine and its points sit on meridians. Marma therapy comes out of Ayurveda, and its points are defined anatomically, by the structures that meet at each site, and interpreted through dosha and organ relationships rather than meridians.
For a practitioner who already works with points, the difference is less about learning a new kind of touch and more about learning a different map and a different framework for deciding where to work.
What happens in a marma therapy session?
A session is typically part of broader Ayurvedic bodywork rather than a standalone treatment. The practitioner selects points based on the client's constitution and current imbalance, then works those points through massage and pressure, applies essential oils chosen for the same purpose, and may incorporate Pranic Healing protocols directed at specific organ systems.
Draping is modest throughout, and in a training setting students decide for themselves how much they participate in hands-on practice as the receiving partner.
A note on scope: marma therapy is a classical Ayurvedic wellness practice, not a medical treatment, and nothing in this article should be read as a claim that it diagnoses or treats a medical condition.
Who trains in marma therapy?
Four groups, mostly:
- Massage therapists and bodyworkers adding an Ayurvedic modality to an existing hands-on practice
- Energy workers who want a classical framework underneath work they are already doing intuitively
- Ayurvedic students deepening the clinical bodywork side of their training
- People exploring Ayurveda as a wellness interest or a possible profession
No prior massage or energy-work experience is required. What is required is a foundation in Ayurveda itself, because the point work only makes sense against dosha and organ theory.
Marma therapy training at the California College of Ayurveda
CCA's Marma Therapy workshop covers the history, classification, theory, and location of all 107 marma points, along with essential oil application, Pranic Healing protocols, and organ-system
| Dates | November 13–20, 2026 |
| Format | In person, Nevada City, California campus |
| Hours | 56 hours across eight days |
| Instruction | Hands-on practice in pairs, with live faculty guidance |
| Faculty | Elle Walker Buckton, CAS, PKS |
| Tuition | $1,495, including a $250 non-refundable registration fee |
| Multi-workshop discount | 15% for two workshops, 20% for three or more |
| Prerequisite | Ayurveda 101 On Demand, Module 1 of Principles of Ayurvedic Medicine, or the full PAM program. Active Dinacharya participants and students of other Ayurvedic schools may also qualify. |
Frequently asked questions
No. Both work with mapped points on the body, but marma therapy comes from Ayurveda and defines its points anatomically and through dosha and organ relationships, while acupressure comes from Traditional Chinese Medicine and locates its points on meridians.
There are 107 marma points in the classical Ayurvedic system, distributed across the head and neck, torso, arms, and legs.
No. Prior bodywork experience is not required. A foundation in Ayurvedic theory is, which is what the prerequisite covers.
Completion of Ayurveda 101 On Demand, Module 1 of Principles of Ayurvedic Medicine, or the full PAM program. Active Dinacharya participants and students enrolled at other Ayurvedic schools may also qualify.
Modest draping is used throughout, and students decide their own comfort level for participating as the receiving partner.
Train in the system Ayurveda has used for centuries
CCA's Marma Therapy workshop runs November 13–20, 2026 on the Nevada City campus. See dates, tuition, and how to register on the workshop page.