24.01.2008

Ayurveda Treatments

I am yet to decide what exactly I think of these treatments, I love and hate it at the same time. I call it the "sweet pain" and "pleasurable torture"…

Kerala is very famous for its ayurvedic treatments and all along the coast it is absolutely full of ayurvedic resorts in beautiful settings offering treatment packages with special food, Kerala huts for people to stay in and the promise of clear beaches and sunny weather.

In Kovalam there are also a few very well known and recommended doctors offering ayurvedic treatment. Most yogi/nis think that as well as doing intense practice with Lino they can also do panchakarma or treatments for their injuries or ailments. Lino feels pretty strongly about these treatments as he believes that people shouldn't go to these doctors unless there is really something wrong with them. It is true in a way as ayurveda isn't to be taken lightly, even though it is all herbal remedies the effects are often very strong. For this reason I always went for massages twice a week but 80% of the students are having some kind of treatment. It is just funny that the subject is avoided whenever Lino is around so that it all takes place behind his back.

As much as I didn't think I needed any intense treatments I also thought this year could be a good opportunity to a little deeper with Ayurveda, maybe work into some of the long term residual effects of stress from past few years, so I decided to have daily treatments for 2 weeks.

First week, which is what I'm currently in at the moment, is all about purification. So my arse is feeling it as much as my body from daily foot massages (that is my body and the therapist's foot), getting scrubbed in some curry powder by 2 women who don't speak English but vigorously shifting my fat from hips to waist to head, and getting burned by Das time to time who pounds my body with 2 herbal rice bags soaked in hot oil…I sometimes don't know whether to laugh or cry. Today was one of those days that I scrubbed so hard to the point they took skin off my hip bones, my mole bleeding, got burnt with oil and just to finish off was given 50ml enema injected up my bottom by Unni.

Great, bring it on! Let's see what else I will have to do in the name of purifying my body. My mind is getting filthier by biting my tongue not to swear out loud. I just want to be bathes in milk like other friends do…

Am I that dirty?