Vaidyagrama Panchakarma- December 2023

January 12, 2024  /  Nirvani

There is nothing like the feeling of landing on Indian soil, knowing that I am returning home. After a day of rest to recover from jet lag, the next day I fly with my cousin Vandana from Mumbai to Coimbatore to embark on our 10 day healing adventure at www.Vaidyagrama.com, an esteemed Ayurvedic healing sanctuary that I have been hearing about for several years from many trusted Ayurvedic colleagues.

At the Coimbatore airport, our driver greets us and maneuvers deftly through endless city traffic for 1.5 hours. When the sound of noisy cars honking finally starts to dim, we reach the outskirts of town, and the energy immediately changes. Driving on the red dirt roads we enter the countryside. Lush green pastures filled with lazy cows wandering on either side, the sound of their bells signaling we are entering an oasis.

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The attentive staff at Vaidyagrama tends to all of our needs, greeting us at the front door, walking through a labryinth jungle to show us to our rooms. Welcoming fresh flowers are at the entrance to every building. After a whole morning of travel it feels wonderful to get settled in our rooms. Peace fills this space. We feel isolated in nature’s sanctuary, aware of the long trek we have made to escape the humdrum of the city. This quietness feels unfamiliar and yet familiar at the same time. This is the quiet I have been seeking in my heart that has felt so beyond my reach for some time.

The young vaidya Dr. Shyam does my initial ayurvedic health assessment inquiring about my energy, stress levels, digestion, bowel movements, hormones, sleep, etc. I realize how long it has been since I have been in the role of a patient, investigating my health under a microscope, allowing myself to focus on my healing. The intensity of the past few years did not allow me to prioritize my health but it is time to change my focus now.

The treatment room with its earthly ocher colored walls is inviting, the curtains pulled creates a dim light. I make out the typical wooden massage table in the center of the room. On the countertop is a statue to Lord Dhanvantari, the patron deity of Ayurveda. Every healing treatment begins with the therapists chanting to Lord Dhanvantari with a feeling of reverence and a devotion to healing. Sarali is the first therapist who starts with a rhythmic head massage with a warm triphaladi tailam (oil) that nourishes my scalp. I feel the stress starting to melt away with her touch. Shani, the second therapist, dips cotton balls in warm oil and then gently inserts them into my ears to lubricate the ear canals. Soft Indian music with chanting plays in the background lulling me into a deeper state of relaxation.

Next the 2 young female therapists start the potuli treatments with a round cloth bolus filled with medicated herbs to pacify the doshas heated up on a stove. They pound rhythmically on my body for a few minutes going from head to toe in a specific sequence to open blockages in the srotamsi (channels). Expertly they switch the bolus with the heated one waiting on the stove and repeat this pattern over and over, methodically pounding out all the stress and tension in my muscles. At first it’s hard to relax, hard to let go. I’m not sure what I’m trying to hold on to. I question my resistance. Have I been waiting for permission to let go?

The rhythm takes over my body and my mind. The pounding starts to penetrate beyond the physical body and the mental stress and fatigue that has built up seeks a pathway to release. The tension has been trapped in my skin pores, my joints, my muscles for too long. At some point I get lost in the sound of the pounding and stop resisting. I surrender to the heat of the bolus soothing my skin, soothing my mind. It feels heavenly. Like I have been waiting for this experience forever. This respite from my everyday busy life to slow down, to heal, to be. Why has it taken me so long to get here? Why does healing feel at times like such a luxury when in reality it is a necessity? I feel lulled into this blissful state where I decide to let go of worry, stress, fatigue, and busyness. I let go and realize this is exactly what my soul has been craving. This is why I am here- to be healed, to break-through, to go beyond my comfort levels.

After the treatment I bathe, and feel a heaviness settling in my mind and body. A feeling of being grounded after 2 long days of travel. This is only day 1 of my 10 day stay here in this heavenly healing sanctuary where Nature can truly heal all. My body, mind, heart, and soul are ready for this divine healing adventure to unfold….

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Each day of treatment my body is feeling lighter. When we start the abhyanga oil massage, I can feel my skin pores drinking it in, absorbing the medicated oils and feeling deeply nourished. This is followed again by the potuli pounding to continue to open the blocked channels.

Time slows down here as the days stretch unhindered at Vaidyagrama. The rhythm of slowing down in general is what I have really needed. The perfect antidote to a busy hectic lifestyle. This slower pace is part of the magic of healing here as more than 50% of the clients are foreigners who have come to be cured of an assortment of maladies. I treasure this slowness, not feeling rushed to go somewhere or tackle a long To Do list, no pressure to achieve anything. I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt this way.

Each morning I wake up ready to greet the day, feeling so much energy, mental alertness, a new motivation. The sounds of the jungle are a cacophony, an orchestra of various birds greeting the day with such beauty and optimism, a symphony of pleasing sounds, whistles, and chirps that delight the senses. The air feels so pure, the morning so still. Living in the city this experience is lost, such a disconnect from nature. I miss this. I crave this time and solitude in nature and can feel the healing is already beginning. This is why so many are drawn to this space for healing.

There is a set schedule and daily routine followed at Vaidyagrama by all the guests.

🌱 6 am we are woken up by the sound of the bell and given our morning medicine to drink- a strong tasting medicated herbal drink, a kashayam.

🌱 6:15 the morning prayers are held in the large mandapam circular hall with a tall pointed roof with slats that lets the morning light gently filter in. I venture out in the twilight excited to greet the day. The priest is there making his preparations while about 25 panchakarma clients are getting seated. In total there are about 50 clients weekly undergoing treatments in this center. I find my way to a cushion on the floor and take in the surroundings. Candles and colorful flowers are strewn artistically between beautiful mandalas on the floor. Religious paintings adorn the walls. Bright orange and red curtains gracefully line the windows.

When the priest begins chanting, something within me wants to cry. I feel I am being broken open. Sanskrit sounds connect me to the earth and to the sacredness of this healing land and sanctuary where so many thousands of patients have come to be healed over the years. His chanting of the Vishnu Sahasranam, 1008 names of Lord Vishnu the preserver of Life, transports me, the Sanskrit at once familiar and taking me back to a time beyond time. I feel him singing the song of life- the song of birth and death, joy and sorrow, pain and pleasure, triumph and tragedy. it is the song that has always existed, the song that tells us of the human journey, the human spirit, the human heart. I get lost in the magic and richness of these sounds, their simplicity. It feels like there is nothing else in the world more important now than to listen to this song of life.

I love the rhythm of chanting for an hour in the morning prayers, followed by silent meditation with the group energy. The chanting is followed by agni hotra, the Vedic ritual to greet dawn and dusk honoring the movement of the Sun with sacred mantras and offering rice and ghee to the fire in a square copper vessel. We meditate in silence for some time following all of the chanting. After aarti we receive blessings from the priest anointing sacred water, giving us fresh tulsi leaves to chew, putting vermillion on our third eye.

🌱 8 am Breakfast is served promptly with warm satisfying foods that nourish my belly, coconut chutneys, idlis, warm lentil daals served with red rice that is good for diabetic patients.

🌱 Sometime between 9-12 our therapists call us to receive our 1 hour Ayurvedic treatments, designed each day to suit our doshic fluctuations.

🌱 12 pm Lunch is the biggest meal of the day and has more nourishing sattvic foods that are simple, satisfying, and not too spicy. Usually 1 roti, 1 vegetable dish, rice and dal, followed by spiced takra (buttermilk). Once a week there is a group lunch in the hall where all of the panchakarma clients attend. The festive room is filled with thalis with an assortment of delicious foods, our once a week feast. The attentive vaidyas serve us food and give us refills. It is a wonderful community of healing.

🌱 2:15 daily yoga nidra meditation in the prayer hall.

🌱 3:15 satsang community gathering with one of the campus vaidyas to discuss a Ayurvedic wisdom on a specific healing topic. I attend many of these with Ramkumarji, the founder of Vaidyagrama, who patiently answers basis Ayurveda 101 questions of the international patient population. His wisdom is much appreciated and his interspersing of humor makes us all laugh.

🌱 5:30 second ayurvedic satsang with a different vaidya or evening chanting in the prayer hall. One of these weekly satsangs includes an herbal walk on the grounds with one of the knowledgable vaidyas who shows us the wonderful herbs growing naturally- brahmi, ashwagandha, neem, aloe, etc. and explains all of their medical benefits.

🌱 6:30 dinner, a light simple meal that is not too heavy to promote an early bedtime.

🌱 9 early bedtime to promote sound sleep and following the wisdom of dinacharya, the rhythm of a daily routine in sync with nature.

Walking the grounds of Vaidyagrama is an intricate labyrinth of covered walkways to shelter patients from the sun, different buildings called illums that house 4 patient guest rooms, 2 treatment rooms, a kitchen, and office area for the doctors. There are a number of lovely herbal gardens that are well taken care of and pristinely organized. There is so much attention to detail everywhere on campus with a dedicated staff of 150 who run this center so efficiently. Most of them are from Kerala and half of them live on the campus itself. Nearby some new buildings are under construction, signs of the campus constantly growing and expanding to meet the demand of visitors from all over the world- USA , Europe, and so many other places. It is more than just a panchakarma center, but an ayurvedic eco-friendly village.

All of the illums are designed the same with a beautiful tree in the inner courtyard reaching up for the light. 4 client rooms surround the center square, each with a spacious living room area which serves a a consult room where the doctor comes to visit daily to check in. Each room has a bathroom, big bedroom with 2 beds, and a sitting area with nice windows. Down the long hallway are 2 spacious treatment rooms on each side with ochre colored walls and a big wooden massage table for treatments. The desk at the end is where the doctors will sometimes sit next to the kitchen where staff prepare our daily herbal decoctions.

As we tour the grounds we discover the main kitchen, not too big in size, where a staff of 6 women are busy preparing the meals for the day. They cook for 150 staff as well as 50 PK clients. It’s incredible to see how efficient this place is run. There is a prayer room for morning prayers, a classroom for daily satsang with vaidyas, a small library to check out books, a reception area with limited wifi. An herbal room where the staff prepare daily medications, teas, syrups, etc. for the 50 or so clientele daily. Overall it is very well designed.

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Punarnava is the nonprofit arm that feeds 100 local villagers for free daily, has a hostel for young boys from troubled families to get more support, sustainable farming with more than 50% of the vegetables to support the center. I am more than impressed with everything Vaidyagrama is accomplishing in the name of spreading authentic Ayurveda. It transports me to visions of ancient India when Ayurveda was embraced by all and the natural way of life, living in wisdom with the earth.

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On one of the last nights of my stay I am delightfully surprised to hear that my beloved guru Dr. Lad is in town teaching a 2 day pulse workshop for about 200 vaidyas from all over India. His energy at 80 is amazing and going strong. He offers a satsang gathering for the Vaidyagrama staff and clients one evening after a long day of teaching, his commitment to ayurveda relentless. Every time I visit India I have always traveled to Pune to see Dr. Lad at his center and school. This is my first visit to India where I could not schedule a visit to Pune which had caused me some distress. But the Universe surprised me with Dr. Lad’s visit to where I was, ensuring that I would still be able to see him miraculously. As I sit at his feet during the satsang I am transported to my days of learning with him at the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico for 4 years. Transported to listening to his timeless wisdom, feeling his endless compassion, and seeing how Ayurveda is lighting the way for the future of medicine to evolve, become holistic, and heal the earth and the people together. Every time I see Dr. Lad my heart is filled with inspiration for the endless possibilities of Ayurveda that have yet to bloom.

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My highlight during my 10 day stay at Vaidyagrama is teaching a class on marma chikitsa (acupressure therapy) for the local staff of Ayurvedic doctors. There are about 20 vaidyas, some who live here on campus and some in nearby villages. They are all young, in their 20s and 30s, but so knowledgable, experienced, and wise. All the women dressed in their uniform of colorful saris and the men in the traditional dhotis. For this class I explain a little about the history of marma chikitsa and how my guru Dr. Lad has developed this knowledge further in the West. The vaidyas admit that their exposure to marma therapy is limited from the ancient texts and lacks real hands-on training in this art.

I share with them techniques to locate and stimulate the facial marmani- energy points to soothe the eyes, tension from headaches, open the sinuses, melt away wrinkles, and enhance the skin. I can see how deeply they absorb the material. They listen attentively, carefully mimicking all of my movements, feeling the power of the marmani. They ask questions, brimming with excitement at going deeper into this vidya that is a sacred part of Ayurveda. They invite me back on my next visit to India to teach them an extended class on marma chikitsa for the vaidyas and therapists that I eagerly look forward to.

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As my time at Vaidyagrama comes to an end, I am moved by the quiet tranquility and gentle power of this healing place. I find here the majestic healing that only comes from being one with nature. I can’t recommend this healing oasis enough to all of my clients and colleagues in the Ayurvedic community.

#vaidyagramaayurveda

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My Ayurvedic Vacation!

November 26, 2021  /  Nirvani

My 3 instagram posts about my fabulous panchakarma experience in puerto rico! Visit www.lafinca.com to book your ayurvedic vacation and use discount code "Anisha" to get 10% off your panchakarma!

10.24.21

Restoration 🌿Replenishment 🌿Rejuvenation

🌿This is what my soul has been craving for months. Time to step away from the busyness of life. Space to get away from all of life’s obligations, hectic schedules, endless zoom meetings, my relentless creative projects, & find space to breathe …

🌿I found exactly what my soul was craving @finca_victoria, a beautiful ayurvedic spa & hotel in the magical island 🏝 of Vieques off of Puerto Rico.

🌿The sacred land & jungle here is healing itself, blessed with an energy of peace & harmony. Every step you take here you feel a reverence for Mother Earth 🌍.

🌿From the delicious vegan meals where every bite is a symphony of flavors bursting in my mouth, to the 4 course vegan meal by @chefdossantos, to the sustainable breathtaking architectural design, this place is a delight to the senses!

🌿From the morning creative vinyasa flow yoga taught by @sylvia_demarco by the gorgeous pool deck, to the Ayurvedic inspired treatments, this place is an oasis of healing.

🌿What makes this center special though is the people. The outstanding hospitality is welcoming, inviting, & they pay attention to every detail of creating the most luxurious experience for you.

🌿They are not employees. They are a family of healers, chefs, gardeners, & more that care about the well-being of each & every one of their guests. I cannot recommend this oasis enough! If this speaks to your soul then treat yourself to the rejuvenation that you deserve.

#ayurvedicwellness #ayurvedatreatments #ayurvedichealth #ayurvedichotel #vieques #panchakarma

10.25.21

🌹As I moved and flowed in my yoga practice this morning I truly understood how "loving myself is essential to my wellbeing & the wellbeing of the world."

🌹The daily morning yoga classes @finca_victoria are charged with a creative vinyasa flow & dynamic breathwork matching breath to movement through joyful exploration & surrender taught by @sylvia_demarco.

Today's revelations were to: 🌹Honor my body & its limitations 🌹Honor my breath & its graceful movement 🌹Honor the flow of my consciousness 🌹Honor the flow of my thoughts 🌹Honor the expansion of my heart 🌹Honor the intelligence of each emotion 🌹Honor the challenge of each asana 🌹Honor the beauty of my spirit 🌹Honor my wisdom that unfolds naturally 🌹Honor the dance of prana within me 🌹Honor the path I have chosen to walk in this lifetime 🌹Honor each lesson that reveals itself on my journey 🌹Honor the joy that is my true essence 🌹Honor each part of my being

My wish for all of you is to love yourself so you spark well-being & joy for all those around you. 🌹

#selfcaredaily #selfcareritual #yogini #yogalife #yogaeveryday #yogainspiration

10.27.21

The Ayurvedic treatments here @finca_victoria are luxurious, heavenly, & soul soothing. 🌱 The journey begins with a lovely dinacharya self-care kit personalized for me by Lindsay @wildreverie. 🌱 During the abhyanga massage I can feel my skin drinking in the medicated oil feeling nourished beyond measure. Every joint is lubricated, every muscle awakened. With each rhythmic movement, I feel the love pouring in. 🌱 The udhvartana herbal body scrub, made of bitter melon, vidanga, chitrak, tulsi, haritaki, & dashamula, peels away layers of dead skin cells invigorating each part of me and I am born anew. 🌱 With the hot pinda sveda herbal boluses, she pounds all the toxicity away, melting the burdens I have been carrying. 🌱 This is followed by a lovely dashamula bath strewn with gorgeous fragrant flower petals that feels like a decadent, luxurious treat. 🌱 I love the attention to detail by @sylvia_demarco, from the ruddy majistha liver pack, to the aloe vera & green juice concoctions, to the warm sesame oil in my karna purana ear treatment, & the nourishing punarnava kidney pack. 🌱 The highlight was the hrid basti with hibiscus flowers strewn on my heart chakra, bringing my heart into perfect stillness. 🌱 My amazing therapist @theresa.vqs has an aztec arm tattoo "moyocoyotzin" which means "she who creates herself." This feels like a divine message that I have the power to create myself anew during this panchakarma. 🌱 I am filled with deep gratitude for my amazing vessel that has carried me this far. I promise to treat you well. 🌱 This place has been an Ayurvedic adventure of a lifetime. I will be back!

#ayurvedicwellness #ayurvedatreatments #ayurvedichealth #ayurvedichotel #vieques #panchakarma

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Recipe for a Happy New Year

January 06, 2016  /  Nirvani

Fail-Proof Ingredients for a Glorious 2016

Take 12 whole months.

Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness, hate, and jealousy.

Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.

Cut each month into 28, 30, or 31 different parts, but don't make up the whole batch at once.

Prepare one day at a time with these ingredients.

Mix well into each day one part each of faith, patience, courage, and work.

Also add to each day one part of hope, faithfulness, generosity, and kindness.

Blend with one part prayer, one part meditation, and one good deed.

Season the whole with a dash of good spirits, a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play, and cupful of good humor.

pour all of this into a vessel of love.

Cook thoroughly over radiant joy, garnish with a smile, and serve with quietness, unselfishness, and cheerfulness.

You're bound to have a happy new year.

-Author unknown

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previous travel blog posts

April 01, 2015  /  Nirvani

Click on the links below if you missed any of my previous travel blog posts:

1 One Way Ticket to India- December 1, 2014

2 The Yoga Event of a Lifetime- December 12, 2014

3 Ayurveda, Longevity, & True Dedication- December 22, 2014

4 Words of Wisdom - December 30, 2014

5 Silence, Surrender, & Samosas- January 16, 2015

6 The Gem of Yoga- January 30, 2015

7 India: The Land of Bollywood Stars, Business Tycoons, Yogis, & Snake Charmers- February 7, 2015

8 A Tuk Tuk to Cambodia- February 18, 2015

9 The Magic of Bali- March 2, 2015

10 A Green Future- March 12, 2015

11 Miracles & Divine Grace- March 20, 2015

12 Revelations on the Road - April 1, 2015

Lessons learned, promises made: 1) Doing what feels good 2) Listening to myslef 3) Slowing down 4) Entering silence 5) Nourishment 6) Spirit of Adventure & Discovery 7) Magic & Miracles 8) Divine Guidance & Trust 9) The Inner Quest 10) Carpe Diem 11) Connections 12) Creating Space 13) Fluidity

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