My Ayurvedic Stay in Sri Lanka. I finally figured out why...
Why does someone need more sleep and why does someone need less? Why does someone not need to exercise at all, and has a good figure, and someone can exercise for two hundred hours, is on a diet and can't lose weight?
Why can someone eat everything and have no stomach or intestinal problems, and someone has problems with almost every second bite?
Why "something is honey to some and poison to others"?
I was different too
I have always functioned completely differently from the people around me. What was healthy for others was not good for me. I can't eat raw vegetables and salads, they make my stomach hurt and I have a hard time digesting them. If I sleep less than 8 hours, I cannot function normally. Afternoon naps are even better for me.
Exercise is suffering for me, I have never enjoyed it. I never felt the euphoria from exercise that everyone talks so enthusiastically about.
Lose weight? Suffering! When I weighed less than my norm of 72 kg, I was completely lifeless.
I never understood my energy swings. One moment I'm hyper-energetic and the next I'm absolutely tired. Why do I feel tired and not in my skin all winter, and in the summer I am full of energy and enthusiasm.
That's because I'm supposed to be VATA-Kapha Dosha.
Hmmmm???
Don't you understand?
Read on.
Ayurveda gave me the answer
On the first day at the Ayurvedic resort "Peacock Ayurveda Garden" in Sri Lanka, the doctor took my hand, felt my pulse, and without me telling him a single word about myself, he poured out my whole life as if he had known me since I was a child. He is not a fortune teller, but an educated professional of a 5000 year old system about the human being.
After two weeks at the Ayurvedic centre in Sri Lanka, I understood a lot of things. About myself, my body and soul. Why it works the way it works and what is "specifically" good for me. I already did most of it intuitively, which made me extremely happy.
As a therapist, I always start with myself. When there is something new, for example the processes of alternative healing of the mind and body, I try it on myself first. I had heard a lot about Ayurveda before, but nothing specific. Staying in Sri Lanka opened my eyes, thanks to the conversations with the local Ayurvedic doctors who took care of us on a daily basis. I would like to bring this oldest system of natural healing in the world, originating from India, a little closer to you.
There is no one right lifestyle
I would like to give you a report on how I experienced and perceived it. Nowadays, you can easily and quickly Google detailed information. Or read this book: Ayurveda and Panchakarma (Sunil Joshi) which explains the basics in a very simple and understandable way. It also contains a test that you can use to find out what you are like and what is good for you. Many types of tests you can even find online even for free, but I am not sure how accurate they are.
Ayurveda literally means "the science of life" (principles of a healthy way of life). Yoga, meditation, massages, diet, sleep and a healthy daily life fall under its wings. It is not the same for everyone, depending on what Dosha we are. Dosha means "natural quality", "nature", "character", "essence".
There are three: Vata, Kapha, Pitta. We are either just one or a combination of two, but always one Dosha is dominant. Each Dosha, or combination, needs something different to live a healthy life. There is no one universal healthy lifestyle.
A guide to longevity? What is it?
To date, scientists have not been able to answer the question of how it is possible that some people who lived a "healthy lifestyle" died very early or had severe health problems, and others lived absolutely unhealthy lives, and yet lived to an old age.
Everyone who has lived to a old age has a different perspective on their longevity and the reason they lived that long. Someone drank and smoked all their life, some worked hard and is convinced that this is what kept them alive. Or there are groups of people who ate only a specific diet, or lived without the stress and hustle and bustle of everyday life, outside of busy cities. It is said Ayurveda has answers.
What can be treated with Ayurveda? And how they treated us...
When the Ayurvedic doctor determined my diagnosis using the diagnosis through pulse measurement on my hand and checking my larynx, tongue, eyes and blood pressure, he then suggested therapies, natural medications and diet for the entire stay (and, of course, also advice on how to proceed when I return home to my "normal" life.) They explained to us that if we want the best results, we should follow all the therapies and their procedures. It was desirable that we stay in the resort until the total cleansing of our bodies. Cleansing the body is the basis, the task of most therapies is to flush out toxins. However, nothing was forbidden except to smoke in the area. Everything was more or less a recommendation.
The resort had a beautiful peaceful tropical garden full of harmonious singing of animals, absolute peace and space for oneself and self-reflection, which was important. The maximum number of people accommodated is up to 11 people, and often guests came to stay completely alone.
In silence, warmth, peace and sometimes without a shower
We had to focus on ourselves, be quiet. Going to the city or to the beach was possible, but they did not recommend it to us. The body is in the process of cleansing, so the body pores were open, and just as the toxins went out of us through the pores, they could also get in. It would complicate the cleansing process.
Even swimming in the pool, in the sea, or taking a shower at some moments was not desirable. After some procedures, sunbathing in the sun was not recommended, it was better to stay in the leeward. Heat is the key to many treatments, and for maximum results, there is no air conditioning or ice in the resort. Many do not understand and complain. The place where we spent two weeks was in a tropical forest on a hill, in an area with a very pleasant climate and the heat did not bother us at all.
Oil inside, oil outside
Oil is another key to Ayurveda. Like a well-functioning machine that is well oiled, we soaked in oil for days. Oil inside and outside. Ghee oil was our daily ration for a few days. If someone told you that taking care of yourself is always nice, they were lying to you. 90% of the procedures were absolutely amazing, although the other 10% could be handled just fine, they were not always completely pleasant. The problem was that the 10% was the most important for detox and treatment of the body and spirit.
So it's not worth avoiding them. And honestly? I personally wouldn't trade those 10% for anything in the world, because the way I feel now thanks to them is priceless.
Doctors checked us daily, did regular health check-ups and asked about our feelings and difficulties. If something was really unpleasant for us, they removed it, replaced it, shortened it, or reassured us that the side effects are normal (for example, we both vomited and shit our guts out after cleansing. This is a natural result of cleansing the body of toxins.)
It is said that the human body has three intelligent zones. The first is our brain, the second is the heart and the third is the intestines. Everything reflects from these three centres. Ayurveda works on all three.
What can be treated with Ayurveda? Apparently everything.