What is Panchakarma?

Each year I take 10 people to do this amazing cleanse. I work with a fabulous and highly experienced Ayurvedic doctor and her team of therapists.

Panchakarma is the traditional cleansing and detoxing programme that has been used for thousands of years to reestablish the balance of the doshas in the body and therefore restoring health and vitality. Pancha means 5 (5 different cleanses) Karma means action.

The doshas are the subtle energies within the person and when one or more are out of balance, symptoms in the body, mind and spirit can manifest.

The 3 doshas are Vata, Pitta and Kapha. Each will dictate certain characteristics within the person. These include character traits as well as physical shape of the body.  Food choices can correct imbalances as well as causing the imbalance. The Panchakarma resets these subtle energies through cleansing and detoxing the major systems of the body and mind.

The 5 cleanses are purgation, vomiting, enema, nasal therapy and Shirodahra. This may sound scary, and many are nervous of purging the body in this way. It is a very different experience however, when you are being cared for in a beautiful, natural environment with experienced and knowledgeable therapists than when you are purging food poisoning or the results of other excessive behaviors!

I  assist and guide you through the experience and its challenges with 1:1 coaching. As the body purges inflammation and toxins, thoughts and feelings can also rise up to be cleansed, effectively the body begins to open up space to move emotions that may have been stuck for a long time. I trained in Compassionate Inquiry, the approach developed by Dr Gabor Mate and use these skills in facilitating an inquiry into the origin of the emotions that may be making their way to the surface to be addressed consciously in a safe and compassionate way.

Alongside the cleanses are daily massages and the use of food as medicine. The massages prepare and restore the body before and after the cleanses and they are essential in collating and moving toxins into the lymphatic system for removal through the actions of the cleanses. The therapists use medicated oils and herbs that all work towards this realignment. Certain foods are  given to prepare the internal organs for the cleansing process. It is very clever!

We go to Yogiville in Tamil Nadu in Southern India. This is a beautiful retreat in a very rural area. Most of the food and medicine used in the Panchakarma is grown on the land which seems to lend itself to enhancing the power of the medicine and therefore the cleanses. There is plenty of free time to explore the land and we practice very gentle yoga every morning and evening. The morning yoga wakes the body up and is also designed to assist the treatments that are done that day.  The evening yoga is more a meditation practice where I also guide participants and encourage them to cultivate their own practice, bringing together the principle of connecting back to the body and their true essence. This has an incredibly grounding result which in turn helps to integrate all the work done on and off the retreat. I encourage the participants to journal and/or use other creative outlets to move emotions through and out of the body.

I have been doing Panchakarma in various places in India for the last 10 years and I use it as a complete reset that sets me up for the following year. Many of my clients became interested in how I keep myself so well and as the Panchakarma was such an integral part of my health regime, I decided to pick up the challenge and escort a group. When I experienced the Panchkarma at Yogiville I knew this was the place that I could comfortably bring my clients to. The nature there is incredible, the rooms comfortable, all with ensuite facilities and , above all, the care and professionalism is second to none.

The Panchakarma, done properly which is a minimum of 10 days, is not an easy thing to do. I am incredibly proud of the clients that make the decision to do it. It is not a holiday, but you do feel amazing as your strength and vitality is restored. By making the decision to participate you send a clear message to your Being that you care about your health and well-being. It is a complete change of environment for most people and as toxins are removed from the body, a sense of clarity begins to be felt. With clarity generally comes a creativity that motivates and drives one to make better choices in life, from food to relationships to all daily decisions whether big or small.

Find out more about the upcoming Panchakarma retreat:

Website: https://www.thevitalsauce.co.uk/panchakarma

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