The Ayurveda Experience Blog
Before I begin talking about my journey and how it helped me get better, I am sure there is a thing from the title that you don’t understand. Let’s explain it first.
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is as cool as it sounds. What I am talking about here is Ayurveda medicine. However, people just say Ayurveda because it’s easier and because they are lazy.
This type of medicine is one of the oldest human kind knows. To be exact, it was developed more than 3000 years ago. The country it originated in, and the country where I lived my dream and journey, is India.
My Arthritis Rehabilitation Journey
I had been diagnosed with arthritis and joint pain. When I learned about Ayurveda medicine and what it has done, I decided to go try it out. What better place to visit than the birth place of this medicine, India. Although my reason for visiting India wasn’t that good, I was happy and couldn’t wait.
India is such a beauty. If you are looking for a place to heal your body, soul and mind, a place full of tranquility, Kerala is the best option.
Its nature and its positive vibes reassured me that the trip was worth it when I first got there. Somehow, I instantly forgot about Lupus Arthritis and other causes of joint pain. However, reality caught up with me rather fast as I needed to find a place to stay and find a place for Ayurveda medicine.
Ayurvedic Medicine + Panchakarma
So, how can I describe Ayurveda medicine best? Well, Ayurveda is very similar to yoga as it also connects, like I already mentioned, your mind, body, and soul. Everything is pretty similar.
In Kerala, at the Ayurveda retreat center, you can find daily treatments. Also, you can find daily Panchakarma treatments.
Panchakarma is a process that will purify your body and clean it from the common everyday garbage that has been stored in it for years. This process
consists of five different treatments. You can get that from the name – Pancha is five, and karma is treatment.
Those five treatments are:
1. Nasya – medicine applied through the nostrils
2. Vamana – therapeutic vomiting
3. Basti – medicated enemas
4. Virechana – purgation
5. Rakthamoksha – blood cleanse, purification
What I didn’t expect then, was the fact that you must attend certain ceremonies, it wasn’t really optional if you applied to their medical center.
Don’t worry; they didn’t make me sacrifice a frog and drink its blood or anything. Let me give you an example.
What An Ayurveda Retreat Is Like
The Pooja is a prayer ceremony that begins at 5 am, and if you actually go and enroll yourself to Ayurveda medicine, prepare yourself for getting up early. It is pretty fun and interesting, so you don’t have to worry.
What you should also expect from an Ayurveda center is that you may actually leave with some cool fighting skills. Yes, you heard me! You will get Kalari classes!
Kalari, for those of you who didn’t know (I didn’t until I tried), is a Keralan martial art. You will be placed in a very hot room with your teacher. He will show you some of the moves and watch over your form and progress.
Something you probably won’t enjoy but something that is necessary, is the detoxification process. I will be honest and say that I have never tried something so, well, awful.
The thing is they gave me this herbal medicine which I had to eat. As soon as I ate it my desire to vomit kicked in. How I managed not to spit my guts out, I don’t know, but that was an incredible experience.
Just keep in mind that true, natural medicine and really a miracle worker doesn’t necessarily have to taste good. Think of the benefits it will bring you and try to keep it “in you.”
All in all, during the whole Ayurveda experience in their retreat center, I truly felt love all around me. Their working staff is incredibly nice and polite, everything is so peaceful. The environment where I’ve done yoga with my instructors was breathtaking.
Simply put, if you are a nature lover who wants to get in better shape, clean your mind or get rid of some disease or illness, you should check out an Ayurveda center.
To me, life is one huge travel. You only learn by traveling. Seeing some pictures and reading about it in some old book won’t cut the deal as much as seeing it with your own two eyes will. My advice to you would be to save as much money as you can, at least try, set up your mind on where you want to go, and simply go for it! Experience the journey for yourself!
