PANCHA KARMA IN KANNUR: A HOT EXPERIENCE

Thank you for opening this page today as I invite you on a journey of pancha karma, a fantastic way to clean your body, the temple of your soul.

Feeling great after pancha karma
and a henna treat.

A change of scene

Journeys have the power to
transform our lives deeply. Whether you travel to another country, go through the process of cleansing the body at home, balancing your emotions with aromatherapy, engage in a long-term yoga practice to clean the mind, or de-cluttering your office, you have the opportunity to rejuvenate and reconnect with life in a fresh way.

In travelling for example, you first become acutely aware of all the sights, sounds, tastes, textures and scents because the contrasts they offer to what you know. At this point, you start analyzing, comparing, judging, indulging or resisting, becoming aware of rigid positions. This in turn brings up thoughts and emotions, likes and dislikes that affect your physical body and the whole matrix of who you are.

Setting up the stage

An amazing beach in India.
Almost no one there. Unbelievably pristine!

Now imagine that you are going to a simple, warm and friendly resort by an almost deserted beach along the ocean in Kerala, a southern province of India where the sun shines every day and the thermostat varies between 37 and 41 Celsius. You go swimming every morning as the sun and tide rise. The morning haze blurs the city line, but it will soon be burned up. Barely anyone there except fishermen, a few joggers and a woman doing pranayamas. Small hotels of all colors, coconut trees and a kind of milk weed bearing flowers similar to passion flowers line the road parallel to the ocean. Breakfast with spiced tea is served with a smile when you are ready.

Then you go up to the shaded terrace and attend a leisurely yet profound meditation class. A delicious, healthy lunch, complete with papadum, fresh pineapple, papayas and bananas is then brought up to you. Meanwhile a mini-bus  is ready to drive you to Anjali, an Ayurvedic spa, in the bustling city center of Kannur, where you receive a medical assessment and a prescription of treatments for the next few weeks. A doctor sees you every day to adjust treatments as you go along. You realize that this is the full pancha karma treatment.

Some cleansing process!

Most of you will get daily penetrating massages with two or four hands, or with two feet; with oil, powder or herbal boluses; nose treatments; shirodaras on the forehead with cool milk or warm oil; steam bath; and maybe a facial. Which treatments have you selected in your mind? On the seventh day, your treatments stop for a one-day purgation, nothing intense or dramatic. And the process repeats every day for two, three or four weeks. Staff meet almost all your requests in an attitude of service.

Amazing colours, quality, quantities and service.
 Loved shopping at Lulu Sarees and at The New Store!

After the  afternoon at the spa, there is time before 

dinner to explore the city and shop for cottons, sarees and ‘stitching’ services available at amazingly affordable prices. Or you check the local food stores… not that you really need it, but coconut milk fresh from the fruit is such an amazing treat! Then you will discover iddli, banana flowers, tamarind and other exotic produce! After a ride in a brand new or rickety old tuk-tuk, you return to the resort where a delicious dinner awaits, spiced to Western palates. This meal is very similar to all the others you will eat everyday for lunch and dinner.  

All your elements are impacted

Where are you right now? Wish you could stay longer? Totally bored or has impatience settled in? Your answer will likely depend on how balanced your elements are since the emotions are connected to the elements. In bliss, your air  (Vata) element is comforted by the local warmth and humidity, but the routine may drive you bonkers. The person with a Pitta (fire) dosha will likely be irritable and impatient because of the ambient heat and delays in various activities. The milk shirodaras was designed for you in mind. If you have a Kapha (earth, water) dosha, you are likely sweating profusely, lethargic or bored because of the humidity but delight in the friendliness of the locals. When your elements are balanced again, you sweat less and are totally engaged in and fully enjoy the discoveries each moment brings.

Dr. Rajesh teaches the basics of pulse reading.

Towards the end of your stay, you attend a class to learn how to read the pulse, one of several diagnostic tools to determine your dosha and current state of your elements; you witness a manna of mussels on the beach that attracts thousands of residents from the area with family members of all generations attired with umbrellas, pails, bags and carts; you meet two Indian women in amazingly colourful dresses who volunteer  to visit you at the resort to decorate your hands with traditional henna designs. You pull out your camera for a few last shots and bask in the setting sun. On the last day, you say goodbye to several new friends and head back to the airport with a stop on the way to admire a freshly opened pink lotus.

An 8-inch wide marvel of nature.

The mystery gift

One thing you can be assured of is that after a cleanse, there is a period of adjustment as your cells feel surprised by the new space available and their renewed flexibility. You may meet freed aspects of that came out of hiding. They now challenge you to live more fully, according to their potential. A surprise gift generally accompanies the end journey of cleansing. The one I received this time is the ability to read tea leaves.

If this short article inspires you to embark on a cleansing journey, contact me. I’ll be happy to offer a basic reading of your pulse, pancha karma (purification of the senses) treatments or a series of classes on how to balance your emotions with aromatherapy.

Yours in service,