It was in 2017 when I was heading to Masai Mara with a bunch of new friends, and one of them mentioned about an Ayurveda treatment called “Panchkarma”.
I was intrigued with this idea, and I knew one day I will try this technique. In November of 2023, I embraced healthy life and quit all sort of intoxicants, and I realised I need to do a deep-detox of my body.
When My Mrs. came back from her recent Vipassana retreat in April 2024, and shared about a fellow meditator journey, who successfully able to recover from life taking diseases with a combination of Ayurveda and Vipassana, and I felt it’s time for me to try Panchkarma.
Here I’m sharing my experience of one such treatment that I have undergone in the month of May 2024. In fact I’m writing this experience when it’s been 15th day of my treatment, and a few more days to go.
So grab a cup of herbal tea, and read on to discover some of the nicest thing this world has to offer.
Panchkarma experience – Ayurveda’s gift to humanity
This was my first proper Ayurveda treatment. I have had single sessions of Abhiyangam and Shirodhara in the past, but committing to a 14 days stay in a Ayurveda resort for a treatment, was definitely new.
I have heard of Kairali Ayurveda village zillions of time, and it is an awarded Ayurveda luxury resort. I contacted the team, and they scheduled a call with the doctor.
The next day I was on a call with Dr. Deepu John of Kairali, and he asked me questions around my medical history, and then finally suggested a plan as per my requirement.
He suggested minimum 14 days treatment for me, which I later extended to 21 days.
Ayurveda emphasise on treating the body when it is healthy so that the body gets more stronger, and able to fight diseases. Panchkarma is one such treatment that one can get it done every year.
I booked my flight to Kochi and Kairali team arranged a taxi for me. It was about 2 hours drive from Airport to the Kairali Village. Coimbatore was another nearby airport.
I stopped in between at a Vegetarian restaurant to enjoy Dosa. How can you resist this temptation when you are in South of India. 🙂
In the flight, I also watched a few video around Ayurveda by Dr. Be from Auroville. It just made me realised that fortunately I have chosen something which might have a greater impact in my rest of the life journey.
Here is the first video of her which gives a great overview of Ayurveda:
I arrived At the Kairali Ayurveda Village and I received warm welcome by the staff.
Rooms at Kairali:
I booked the Deluxe room which is an entry level room category, and they do have higher category rooms, and one should book the one as per their need. I was pretty satisfied with the Deluxe room, as my goal here is to heal my body and find a quiet corner to meditate.
I intended to spend next 14 days in solitude learning a few stuff about Ayurveda and also practice Yoga and Meditation. The plan was all set, and simple.
Initial days of Ayurveda Treatment
On the first day of my treatment, I met the doctor again and this time I shared all my medical reports again and we set down to discuss my goals from this treatment. I told him about my meditation practice and did mention that I feel pain all over body when my awareness increases.
After analzying my medical reports, understanding my present and past lifestyle, and he checked my nerves and doctor said there are internal inflammation, which could be the primary cause of pain.
He created a treatment program as per my Doshas imbalance (You have to watch above video to understand what are Doshas in Ayurveda).
Also, there was 50% chance that I might get the Panchakarma program, else I will be in for rejuvenation and detox program.
Day one was Oil treatment, and in the further days I got many other Ayurveda treatments.
Within 3-4 days of treatment, I could feel so much better physically and emotionally.
The schedule at the Kairali Village for my treatment was as follows:
- 6.30-7.30 -> Yoga (Optional)
- 7.30-9–> Breakfast
- 9.0 AM – 10. AM -> 1st Treatment of the day
- 11.15-12 -> Yoganidra
- 12-12.45 -> Activities like education seminars, Tours and others.
- 12-2 PM -> Lunch
- 3-4 PM -> 2nd Treatment of the day
- 6.30-7.30 -> Meditation
- 7.30-8.45 -> Dinner
This was general schedule, and there is enough free time to take care of my work, and do any other activity.
The food was also customised as per my allergies, and body requirement.
A few other insights:
The doctors are available almost all the time, and one could meet pre or post the treatment.
Initially I was calling my morning Massages as massages, and doctors always used the word “Treatment” and later on I corrected myself and started seeing it as treatment.
Once I asked the doctor about different between Enema in Modern medical science and the one done in Ayurveda. He explained that in Ayurveda they have 9 different types of medicines which are used to treat different issues, and they have option to clean the entire stomach of toxins.
Once the person who was giving the treatment (Abhiyangam massage) told me, this treatments are like servicing your car. Once an old car is serviced, it can go faster like a new car. And one should bring it again next year to get it serviced, And this makes so much sense that as we navigate this world, we consume so many toxins which needs to be remove on a regular basis.
Extending the treatment from 14 to 21 days:
As 10 days passed, I could feel a lot of improvement in me (Physically, mentally and emotionally). And after speaking to doctor I realised that it is better it I extend my trip to make most out of the treatment. Reason being, It takes a few days to prepare the body for the treatment, and I could have visited again after 6 months, but it’s better to extend if time allows.
In the 10 days, I connected with fellow travellers and since my work was also pretty much in auto-pilot, I decided to extend my stay for another 5-6 days. I remember how the doctor said that, any extra day you stay after 14 days, it is bonus days for him, and helps him to do more for the patient.
I was definitely touched by his determination and volition to take care of patients.
Friends at Kairali –
I was fortunate to meet some really good people from all over the world and especially Venkat Chandrashekhar. This 50 year old chap from Chennai who later became a dear friend, connected everyone here at Kairali in his stay. He definitely serves a special mention here.
There was another person called Herman who was super happy, as he was able to cure one of his years old medical issue and now successfully removed his dependency on medicine. Stories like this makes me realized that I’m at a reliable place.
You should know that Ayurveda philosophy is the remove the root cause of the problem, and this enabling us to live a happy life. A happy body and a happy mind is definitely a good recipe to a joyful life.
There was never a dull day. Personally, I found myself to be very serious, and connecting with many like minded people in such a scenario, brought me out of myself.
There were people from all over the world, such as Italy, Russia, UK, Brazil to name a few. Many of them were doctors, restauranteurs and so on.
As I’m inching towards the final days of my first visit to Kairali Ayurveda Village, and the immense benefit that I received, the least I can do is to share my experience with the world, and you never know who might need it the most at this moment.