I started my journey at Prakriti Shakti, a naturopathic clinic high in the Panchalimedu hills, part of the mountainous and heavily forested district of Idukki. A wellness center for purists, the clinic has a minimalist and elegant structure built with locally sourced materials; glass panels bring warmth and light and views of the valley.
The wrap of honey and banana leaves
His first morning, Rai says: I woke up to the singing of birds and a session to greet the five elements of nature: earth, water, fire, air and space. I dipped my feet in the pool, then walked barefoot on the grass, looking up at the morning sun as I did breath work.
And yet we are disconnected from these elements even as we live among them, Rai laments.
Reconnecting with nature is the main objective, reflected even in the treatments, he says. The treatments that Rai describes seem to be truly transformative:
In my honey and banana leaf body wrap, I was anointed with Epsom salts and coconut milk, the former to remove impurities, the latter to hydrate, and then wrapped in banana leaf and cotton wool so that the ingredients can penetrate deeply.
My hair was drenched in coconut milk, my face lathered in wild turmeric and sandalwood. As I lay in the bright southern sun, hotter than a sauna, I felt like a caterpillar in a chrysalis.
Ayurvedic treatments and changes of season
Traditionally, Rai writes, Ayurvedic treatments are best administered during seasonal changes or monsoons. But the optimal window really depends on the affliction itself, as I later learned at Sitaram Beach Retreat., in Thrissur, the cultural capital of Kerala.
Rai delved into this point of Ayurveda with an expert.
Vignesh Devraj, a fourth-generation Ayurvedic doctor who is the magnetic founder and chief physician of Sitaram, told him: “Seasonal changes are better for those who suffer from allergies.”
“The monsoon is better for those with joint pain and arthritis because it prepares them for winter,” added Devraj.
At the time, Rai was suffering from nasal allergies, which made it an ideal time for her.
Ayurveda, treatment for the mind and stress
I have an overactive imagination (thanks to my combined vata and pitta doshas, two of Ayurveda’s mind-body types), so I was prescribed treatments to ground my mind, Rai says.
And continues:
The first treatment, a four-hand massage, used warm oil. It was followed by the podikizhi, in which my body was stamped with hot bags made from powdered herbs, and the nabhi vasti, which involved a cauldron of flour being created around my belly button and filled with warm oil.
The stress on my shoulders was relieved by a herbal paste sealed with warm leaves. I drifted in and out of sleep, listening to the ocean.
While the treatments helped me relax, they also left me emotionally fragile.
“The tapping movements of the poultices work like the Emotional Freedom Technique to help you release pent-up feelings,” Devraj explained.
A beautiful trip ending
The next day, Rai says, on the beach, I listened to the stories of Girish, a local fisherman who had lost friends at sea, and Balakrishnan and Srikala, the couple responsible for the retreat’s incredible greenery.
“We couldn’t have children, so we treated plants like our babies,” said Balakrishnan, who is said to have kaipunyam, or gifted hands. I felt a lump in my throat and a pang of recognition, moved by how the couple used their pain to create something beautiful.
The end of the journey that Rai describes seems to be a lesson for everyone about happiness:
My journey ended in the serene backwaters of Kerala, at Kaval Island Retreat on the island of Kakkathuruthu. Early one morning, I sat on the waterfront waiting for the sun, listening to the prayers from the nearby temple. At that moment I understood that finding happiness doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes it just shows up.
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