Panchakarma
Well this one you wont believe. After giving up my body during vapassana and saying “im not my body”, believe me my body exists and its letting me know in a huge way! Nausea, yes! Diarrhea, yes! Headache, yes! Stomach cramps, yes! Vomiting, yes! Tears, yes! Screams, yes! My body exists, I have not transcended to great spiritual heights. And the worst part it is self inflicted. I decided to do the Panchakarma which a deep cleansing Ayurvedic treatment lasting 12 days!
Ayurveda??
Indian Ayurvedic medicine came out of the mystic Sanskrit Vedas, so is said to be a science of living that is 5000 years old. The Vedias or Holy Sutras from the Rishis were received during an enlightened state. There is one book of Veda, Atharua, that is dedicated to the healing arts and the prevention of disease. It started out as a healthy programme for living and it seems that as man began to settle and eat more grains (they acid forming), complicated diseases began and the sages had to develop ayurvedic healing methods.This is a holistic approach to disease that like homeopathy always looks at the persons past habits and asks the question: ‘Why?’ its speciality is the mind body connection that has only become popular in the west over the last 20 years! It completely believes that the emotional and mental state of a person has a direct impact on health and therefore they make an analysis of thinking styles and emotional problems (as well as observing the actual physical dysfunction).
They also believe we have to be true to our personality type. We need to balance it if excessive and not change it as this would be negative to our health.
The Doshas
They believe that all bodies are made up of the elements that the universe comprises: namely air, water, fire, earth and ether (space). These they call the cosmic forces of the universe. Which as we have discovered from modern science that this is true when you look at the chemical break down of these elements. Ayurveda says: Fire is Pitta and this dominates the temperature in the body/mind, water/earth is Kapha dominating all the solid parts of us and the phlegms; and air /ether is Vatta which produces gas. Ether which is space are all the cavities we have inside and on the outside of the body. These 3 Doshas have an impact on our bodily and mental functions. Kind of like a medical astrology. Theres an intricate analysis system that is used to determine which Doshas influence us. From this a special diet is formulated to balance and maintain the doshas. Ideally we should have all 3 equally but we never are.
Different doshas for different parts..
The major ayurvedic treatments are through herbs, food and massage. They believe strongly that food even effects out state of mind and if its out of sync with our dosha than we can develop dosha imbalances which if not corrected can lead to disease. So in a summary, Vatta “the force of movement’: dominates or influences all movements and therefore joints and intestines/colon; circulation, breathing and so on. It is also responsible for many of our mental function imbalances. Pitta “the dynamic force” dominates digestion, skin/body heat, intellegence and eyesight. Kapha “the force of harmony”, all mucous and fluids and rules excellent shanty states of mind. The complicated aspect is that we can be born a particular dosha and because of people and circumstances can adopt another dosha which brings an imbalance. There are endless reasons given as to how and why we get an imbalance which is when a dosha is not operating as it should be. Theres no such thing as a blockage! On top of this we can have different doshas for mind, body and our functions. Like Pitta body; Vatta mind! So ive just given the interesting basics. So my take on this is: If you depressed anxious or forever trying to please you have Vatta mind; If you can almost eat anything without digestion problems, you athelic with an apple bum, you have Pitta body. If you are predominantly Kapha you are happy and fat! (of course theres more…)
So how I got involved and what happened…
So anyways, the Chilean couple I live with in Bhugsu on the mountain, had started this cleansing process which they were really into when I got back from Vapassana. It sounded perfect: I can now rid my body of all the sins of the past! So off I went to sign up at the Asho School of Ayurveda in Bhagsu, only knowing that I was going to clean up from the inside. Well Indians being Indians, this is done in a really radical way! I was happily having herbal massages, steaming, eating a strict vege diet for the first 4 days, when I learnt that the next step was pressure point therapy (marma) and then diarrhea! My bliss of waking up, meditating, a little yoga right next door, than oats and honey followed by 2 hour massage was over! I was battling with the clean diet and so when I was told it was my diarrhea day, I rushed to the closest café and ate a bar of almond Cadbury’s chocolate. My logic was it was coming out anyway.
The Marma is for clearing emotional imbalances normally as a result of Vatta in the body/mind. My problem: Vatta in the mind even though Im dominantly Pitta (fire). These imbalances were discovered by careful analysis of my dosha, body type and mind and the way it all functions as well as the type of lifestyle I have lead and the food you have eaten. I am almost fully Pitta (fire) naturally, but because of being out-Pitta-ed by my father and another relationship or two (Im not mentioning names); my Pitta reverted to Vatta (air) bringing along the Vatta characteristic of ‘trying to please’ and eating in an emotional way. This resulted in body/mind problems like depression, stomach problems and so on. On top of this my high Pitta went into overdrive when I started my psych practice and was a single mum at the same time. In short this meant stress to the Pitta parts of my body. The Ayuvedic Doc Shavani asked me straight out about my liver and low and behold: suppressed anger! And of course I had major liver problems after my divorce (I was hositalised and dropped to 48kgs) and who knows what I did with my repressed anger…more than likely directed it inwards resulting in depression. (and took it out on a few boyfriends I’m sure). JP tells me that every time I take my boat out I use it to release my anger!
Doc Shavani, analysed my diet, o my lord, I’ve been eating all wrong, exacerbating Pitta and Vatta problems. What with my microwave meals, coffee, spicy foods, meat and erratic eating patterns. And all the time I think I’ve been watching my weight, with no carbs, more protein or little oil, I’ve been making it worse! And of course health foods are not the way forward either because what’s healthy for one dosha is not for another. For instance hot lemon water before a meal which we think is good is bad for me. It ups my digestive fire. My biggest insight and greatest gift is that as a high Pitta I can eat sugar and milk! Yay! At least for that. I have to eat cooling foods and those that are bitter and astringent. Yuk! Its hard to even find the astringent foods. In fact everyone needs to eat more astringent, across all Doshas. Lousy Brussel sprouts! Persimmons (which we cant get), Bioflavoids (?); Bramhi (?); Amla (fruit only growing here!) and then blackberries. We could also take anti-oxidants!! But the added benefit of astringent food is that they are detoxifying where tablets are not.
Marma (scream therapy☺)
So off doc Shavani goes with her instrument digging into my flesh at the vital Vatta pressure points. My word those ancient sages must have been ruthless! Im sure as farmers we could take it back in the day. Shavani started on my left foot, by the second point I was screaming, by the third crying, by the fourth sobbing. And with it came flashes of painful memories. The tears seemed to squirt out from really deep down and were hard to stop. The release was immediate and I felt really shaky afterwards but really pleased that Shavani was cracking open a hard nut. Sure I cry and feel sorry for myself and slump into depression, but this was different: these were tears that had to come out and before the thoughts. Before my rational mind could calm me or harm me. As a therapist I was amazed and had to conclude that the Vapassana and all the other yoga and meditation must have also helped to bring me to this point. O and eating vegetarian completely for 3 months now. So Ive had Marma about 4 times now: some on Vatta emotional points and some on Pitta stress points; and everytime I’ve screamed from the pit of my belly and cried with my whole heart. If anyone hides their emotions this is the way to go. The point on my right palm sent pain rushing through some fingers and up my arm. The responsibility point!
Then yesterday I arrived at the clinic at 8am for a relaxing massage and body steam. Which always makes me chuckle. The steam comes out a pressure cooker pot boiling away on the table, than through a hose pipe! To stop the drips of hot water on my body, a ladle spoon has been tapped near the outlet to catch the drops at the end of the pipe! And don’t think clinic luxury: the rooms are painted bright blue with vinyl on the floor trying to impersonate wood and everything has that faded look. My masseur is a sweet, kind Indian lady in a sarie and she tells me she hasn’t even had one treatment. I wondered if I should speak to the Doc and insist.
Diarrhea
To my surprise I was handed a glass of brown mud that tasted foul. The Doc stood there making me down the whole thing: this was the poison for my diarrhea. This was Mahadiktam (the Great Bitter). I was told to take the day off and be close to the toilet. Well I had to take instant action in true Pitta style. No climbing back up the mountain to a little house with an Asian squatting loo shared by 4! This was not for me at this urgent time. The drink was so vile that I was sure id have to stay stuck to the loo and I was not squatting (as ive had to for nearly a month now)., nor waiting for it to be free. This was an emergency once more.
Luxury for the loo
So I called the Chonor House, the quaint little hotel, styled in true Tibetan style with comfy beds, muraled walls and private western loos! I jumped into an auto rickshaw taxi and headed down the hill with just my daily bag which is thank goodness always stuffed with essentials because the trek home is so far, (I can never just pop home to get something). I made it to the hotel room very appropriately called ‘wild animals’ just in time! And there I stayed all day and all night hardly sleeping except for short naps. Drinking stacks of hot water and a little lemon later. This cleansing was not for the faint hearted and once more I wondered why I was torturing myself so. Dis I really need to be so strict with myself? Was I still bent on perfection? Looks like I was trying my own rebirthing treatment! Scrubbing clean my mind and body. But I could hardly worry about that and at least I had the quaint room with walls painted top to bottom with the neatest tigers, bears and yaks in a forest. The black bathroom matched the atmosphere in there!
Hot oil on my head…
By 10am the next day I felt a little better and made the mistake of having oats and fruit because I was starving and my tummy concave. So another bad day, which was soothed by a wonderful massage to rid my body of poisons and shirodhara. This is an oil treatment for the head. Its apparently good for balancing the mind as stimulates blood flow there. Amazing! I lay on a massage bed with my head on something that looks a bit like a guillotine! Above my forehead hangs an earthen pot with a string hanging down through a hole. Oil is warmed and then poured into the pot from which it flows down the string to run delicately on my forehead. yes my entire head and hair ended up dripping in oil but I felt fab. The only funny part is that the oil was heated in a pot on a mini stove right next to my right ear and when I heard it bubbling I thought I may be scarred for life! I hoped the training was sound.
So today I head for an enema!! My word.
The enema
As usual a massage with tons of oil and a body steam with the pipe. This time I couldn’t switch off, because I knew I would have to have oil put up my arse! So then in came Doc shivani with a tube, warm oil and a large syringe! It felt so weird and embarrassing I nearly fainted. I really had to use all the Vapassana clam to remain on the bed! Thank all the gods it only took 5 mins and then I had to only wait for 20mins! And now I have the flattest tummy you have ever seen. And for the records Im told Ayurveda have the best cellulite treatment. And no Im not doing that. Enough is enough!
The medicines for 6 months
Well now I have to schlep home a large box full of Ayurvedic herbs! And they’re not that cheap either but unobtainable outside of India. I have to take all these jams, drinks and tablets for 6 months to balance my Vatta. I’ve even got a brain tonic! My Pitta I am to control with a Pitta diet which is really do-able. Mainly no to ‘heating foods’ : strong spices, sour things, and of course salty stuff (including all the salty snack stuff.)
The results so far
I really do feel light and clean! And Im almost ready for a bikini! The other thing is that all my bloating and swollen legs have completely gone. I don’t go to bed with sore, fat, heavy legs as a result of my low metabolism (from the thyroid prob). I do feel a little weak and im worried for Tibet and what on earth im going to eat! The other worry: how can I keep this up especially since I don’t cook!
and i hate making a fuss at a dinner party or out with you guys….but promise ill look like a picture of glowing healthy….but be warned when my Pitta comes back to balance….no more trying to please for me!
My fabulous midlife crisis in india's Weblog 