The State Of Wellness

We belong to a time today where people are constantly looking for better ways to care for their mental, physical, and spiritual health in all aspects of life. This pursuit for wellness has given birth to a novel industry of ‘wellness tourism’, a journey to attain holistic wellness in diverse destinations. One such wellness destination is god’s own country, Kerala.

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There is no doubt that Kerala has some striking natural beauty, however, it is also brimming with some substantial healing powers. Kerala’s gift to humanity is a treasury of wellness known as ‘Ayurveda,’ which dates back to around 8000 BC. The Vedic verses contain the enigmatic history and origins of Ayurveda as we know it today. 

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After Acharya Vagbhata (one of the three acharyas who conceived Ayurveda) or one of his followers travelled from the Sindhu river region of the Indus Valley to the nearly inaccessible South of India, Kerala, thereby creating a special therapeutic system of Kerala Ayurveda. Vagbhata brought his Sanskrit medical text “Ashtanga Hridaya,” which he had distilled from the various practises prevalent in North India. Originally, eighteen families took formal discipleship and studied this. These traditionally trained hereditary practitioners were folk healers, poison experts, herbalists, and performed priestly well-being rituals. These families became known as the Ashtanga Vaidya families, or Ashta Vaidya families. They eventually took their craft to Thrissur, Calicut, and beyond, as well as Vellode and Cherthala, all in Kerala. The Ashta Vaidyas provided Ayurveda physician training to all classes through their own apprenticeship schools, and the knowledge spread throughout Kerala. While colonialism wiped out most of North India’s knowledge of Ashtanga Hridaya, Ashta Vaidya families in Kerala preserved the original Ayurveda practises.

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Ayurveda has been viewed as a contemporary phenomenon in Western culture, with many of men and women seeking relief from the ancient Indian philosophy of healing and wellness. But, rather than being a passing fad, many would argue that Ayurveda has become a modern-day need. While western medicine does wonders for our everyday ailments, it falls short of providing overall wellness. A holistic approach to health and wellbeing instils in us a positive energy that serves as a crucial component in fueling our brains and bodies for a meaningful existence. Ayurveda has been practiced in Kerala for centuries now and combines modernism with traditional techniques to improve the state of mind and body and assure a life that is happier and healthier. Kerala has recently placed a lot of emphasis on wellness practises at retreats that aim to free people from their daily grind of stressful conditions and into a holistic healing environment.

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Ayurvedic practitioners in the state established more simplified practises without straying from the core principles of Ayurveda. Some of the peculiar Ayurvedic therapies created in Kerala are Sirodhara, Pizhichil, Chauthi thirumal, Navarakizhi, Thalapothichil, Pachakizhi, and Podikizhi. The core practise of Ayurveda now includes a wide variety of herbs and pharmacological preparations. The Government of India’s Udupa Committee proposed postgraduate instruction and research in four specialisations that are extensively practised in Kerala, namely Marma, Panchakarma, Netra, and Visha, in appreciation of the state’s unique contribution. 

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Panchakarma is one of the most popular Ayurveda practises in Kerala. Known as rejuvenation therapy, it is a modern form of cleansing and healing the body physically, mentally, and spiritually. Rejuvenation therapy, also known as rasayana chikitsa, is an all-encompassing Ayurvedic medical procedure. A mix of five proven therapeutic modalities, the Pancha (Five) Karma (Action) method to illness prevention revitalises patients by reestablishing their bodily and emotional equilibrium. The significance of panchakarma is found in the use of herbal and organic medicines, which spares it from the side effect hazards associated with many contemporary medications. The idea behind it is that the bulk of illnesses are brought on by ingested foods and poisons in the environment. Because it guarantees the patient’s short- and long-term wellbeing, panchakarma therapy is exceptional. It vehemently rejects the immediate satisfaction strategy. It inherently revitalizes the human body, giving it the means to restore and preserve health.The two prominents types of rejuvenation therapies used are shamana and shodhana.

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Shodhana and Shamana are two major theories that steer Panchakarma and Ayurvedic treatment philosophies. According to these theories, a sickness is brought on by an imbalance or an excess of amam (toxins) in the body, and a rejuvenation therapy is necessary to bring the body back into balance. Shodhana is concerned with body purification and the control of amam spread. Shamana is a therapeutic technique that helps the body rejuvenate and revitalise itself. Thus, Panchakarma first eliminates undesired items from the body before renewing the patient’s biological processes.

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A myriad of rejuvenation methods have been suggested by various Ayurvedic research schools. They are divided into five categories known as the Pentads of Panchakarma. The Charaka school of Ayurveda defines five primary therapies:

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– Vamana (Emesis Therapy) (Emesis Therapy)

– Virechana (Purgation Therapy) (Purgation Therapy)

– Nasya (Nasal Therapy) (Nasal Therapy)

– Vasti Anuvasana (Therapeutic Enema with Medicated Oil)

– Vasti, Niruha (Enema with Herbal Decoction)

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Later, the great surgeon Sushruta and his Ayurvedic school united the last two Vasti (Enema) methods into one and added Raktamokshana (blood-letting) to the Panchakarma Pentads. He argued that because blood pollutants are a primary cause of sickness in and of itself, incorporating a technique to purify blood in the Panchakarma is essential.

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Panchakarma is practiced in three stages, each of which guides the body through a series of treatments.

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Purvakarma is the initial step, in which oleation treatment and induced severe sweating remove excess doshas and toxins in the body. Purvakarma is a combination of the terms Purva (first) and Karma (action) (Action). It is the initial set of acts performed prior to a Panchakarma therapy and lasts three to seven days. The body is preparing for therapy at this stage by releasing toxins and excess doshas. Diseases are caused by amam, or undigested poisons, which accumulate in the system as a result of external influences and spread to various sections of the body. Toxins are channelled and gathered by Purvakarma for easy elimination during the Pradhanakarma step. Pachana (digestion), Snehana (oelation), and Swedana are important Purvakarma methods that are applied across the Pentads of Panchakarma (sudation). They get the body ready for cleansing and rejuvenation. Purvakarma is required for Panchakarma therapy.

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Pradhanakarma, a specialist therapy, is delivered during the actual treatment to eliminate impurities and restore the system. The stage after Purvakarma (preparatory therapy) during which the toxins are expelled and the body is cleansed is known as Pradhanakarma, or ‘Key Action.’ Panchakarma treatments are usually timed to coincide with the doshas and environmental circumstances. Medicines are delivered into the system at certain points based on their state to optimise the advantages. As a result, Pradhanakarma is initiated only when the moment is ripe for extracting the vitiated doshas. The patient must adhere to a strict diet for the length of the therapy. Pradhanakarma is repeated till the poisons have been eliminated from the body. Certain approaches necessitate medications being in the system for an extended period of time in order to revive the system. Depending on the patient’s health, Paschatkarma, or post-treatment care, is started following Pradhanakarma.

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Paschatkarma is the final step, in which a rehabilitation plan involving nutrition, rest, and lifestyle changes is given to avoid illness recurrence. This after-treatment care distinguishes Ayurveda from other branches of medicine. Paschatkarma comprises of a series of treatments suited to the needs of each patient. Paschatkarma’s primary purpose is to avoid illness recurrence in addition to giving treatment and healing. Paschatkarma helps patients gradually reintegrate with the outside world by requiring them to relax, refrain from too lavish meals, and adhere to a stringent exercise routine. Paschatkarma is just as vital as the other stages of treatment. Each patient is given a unique combination of herbal concoctions that aid healing, spiritual guidance, exercise instructions, dietary and lifestyle changes based on their body composition. The procedures for this stage of Panchakarma are determined by the therapies that the patient has previously undergone in order to chart a path to holistic wellness.

The state of Kerala offers a range of beauty and body related wellness therapies as well, from slimming and de-stressing procedures to body immunization. 

Slimming procedures are varied as they may include drinking plenty of water with a nutritious diet, as well as medicated herbal oil or powder massages, medicated steam baths, herbal tea consumption, following a normal sleep cycle, and exercising regularly.

Beauty treatments includes applying herbal face packs on skin, herbal cream massage, massage with special fruit juices and oils, head pack, bodypack, herbal or steam bath and intake of nutritious fluids. To give a beautiful lustre to the skin, massage is an easy method as it maintains a proper circulation of vital fluids. These treatments are best known for improving skin tone, muscle tone, and skin complexion.

Destressing practises mix Ayurveda therapy with Yoga and meditation to assist in achieving a calm state of mind. This entails rejuvenation massages, therapy, thalam, njavarkizhi, dhara, herbal steam bath and pack, herbal medicines etc.

The body immunisation therapy is based on Swethakarma and Panchakarma treatments and includes a regime of an unique Ayurvedic Rasayana (medicine) for the healing. Sweda Karma (Body Sudation): Swedana karma covers a variety of sweat-inducing practises. This is accomplished by thermodynamic changes in the organism. For starters, it temporarily raises heart rate and blood pressure. Following that, it can help to reduce systolic blood pressure. This is done primarily to enhance blood circulation and to eliminate toxins from the body through sweating.

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The most preferred season to visit Kerala for an Ayurvedic treatment is said to be Karkidakam, the last month of the Malayalam calendar, which occurs between July and August. The onset of Pravrt Ritu (the monsoons) is supposed to be the period when all three doshas in the body are innervated.

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Kerala is a land with copious terracotta soil that births trees heaving with jackfruit, banana, papaya, cashew, and coconut. From Kumarakom and Alleppey’s backwaters to Munnar’s undulating hills, Kochi’s ancient charm, and Varkala’s exquisite beaches. The lanes adorned with bougainvillaea and water bestowed with calmness. Kerala is not just a boon to human senses but a way to attain holistic wellness!

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