AYURVEDIC CLEANSING & REJUVENATION
WHY PANCHAKARMA?
When I arrived in Sedona to prepare for my first 7- day Panchakarma a few years ago, I walked up to a Buddhist Stupa in our neighborhood to begin the experience mindfully and dedicate myself to this special time of renewal. We always say hello to the majestic red rocks this way when we visit our high-desert cabin. With surprise, I observed scaffolding, paint scrapers, large tarps and other signs of work in progress surrounding the gold-domed temple structure. But the sign that captivated me read: “though restoration is underway, please continue to respect this as a sacred site.” I was amazed that I would simultaneously be involved in the same process. And near the end of my time of detoxification rituals across town, a Tibetan Rinpoche “happened” to be arriving to rededicate the Stupa as a radiating center of prayer & healing energy after its overhaul!
During this Autumnal Panchakarma in Sedona and a subsequent Spring cleanse at Kerala Ayuveda in Seattle 1 ½ years later, I experienced deep rest & rejuvenation, increased calmness, joy & equilibrium followed by more restful sleep & several healthy seasons with no colds or flu.
Just as the sun, wind, rain & desert soils swirl around the stupa & impact the condition of this “inanimate” structure through the seasons & years, so our bodies (composed of the same elements) interact dynamically with the external environment. Over time, these human vessels manifest signs of wear and tear and require careful tending, cleansing and yes, even restoration to allow the sacred light at the Center to shine through with brilliance, new energy & vitality. (Nearby the Stupa, a larger- than- life statue of the Buddha himself, weathered & dulled, was sanded, oiled and buffed to a brilliant sheen.)
In addition to experiencing the force of external, elemental, genetic & environmental stressors in our lives, we often make dietary & lifestyle choices that do not serve our health. Through the practices of Ayurveda we can reverse the effects of these choices & restore balance & harmony in our bodies and minds. All we need to do is understand our unique, individual, elemental make-up (constitution ~Dosha) & align ourselves with the rhythms of Nature. This wise Science of Life teaches that to enjoy high level health & freedom from disease, we must periodically ‘remove our vehicles from the road’ & undergo “human oiling & servicing” (as Dr. Lele would say.). Rest and purification of our bodies & minds will then ensure & maximize the benefits of a healthy diet & lifestyle chosen to support our individual constitutional needs, just as we first wash a garment before dyeing it. Additional follow-up measures of Panchakarma called rasayanas (herbs to build immunity, rejuvenate the system, strengthen the glow of life in the body called ojas) will be more effective & long-lasting once toxins are cleansed from the tissues.
In an effort to maintain my health over the decades, I had participated in several popular cleansing protocols, and finally, discovered the ancient science of Ayurveda, “Nature’s Wisdom”, a comprehensive, natural, health maintenance system over 5000 years old.
Ayurvedic detoxification cannot be purchased in a boxed formula or canister of herbs or achieved with chelation therapy, eating raw foods, drinking vegetable broth or algae. Ayurvedic cleansing depends upon assessment of one’s unique constitutional nature and current state of balance. It requires an individualized prescription of therapeutic treatments (plus dietary, herbal & lifestyle adjustments) to support cellular & systemic renewal, and is followed with a careful plan to maintain dynamic balance and strengthen one’s vitality & immunity.
During the 8O’s, I participated in several rejuvenation programs, including juice fasting w. spirulina, raw food regimens, and the Bieler’s broth diet. None of them took my unique constitutional needs or the state of my digestive fire into account, and in retrospect, served to aggravate a vata imbalance, leaving me high, but ungrounded and even more prone to nervousness & anxiety, and an attitude of acceleration which had previously created burnout & adrenal fatigue.
After slowly integrating many of Ayurveda’s simple purifying & nourishing practices into my life, I was ready to participate in the “crown jewel” of Ayurveda’s detox offerings, Panchakarma.
PURVAKARMA: Preparing to Cleanse
Creating space and time for the experience often presents the most formidable challenge for busy moderns, but once we have identified a skilled and compassionate practitioner, relaxing into that space promises profound healing. I believe giving ourselves the gift of unhurried, pressure-free time to retreat & renew may be the strongest aid to truly restoring the juiciness – rasa- of our lives. Pushing the pause button on our overfull schedules & clearly affirming our intentions for our life in these bodies, sets the stage for the powerful processes of PK to do their work.
The scaffolding set-up to prepare the red-rock Stupa for cleaning & repainting displayed a thorough regard for the prep work which would allow it to receive fresh paint and reflect the glowing desert light for years to come.
It mirrored the preparatory process for cleansing called Purvakarma, which provides a crucial framework of support for the Panchakarma process. Depending upon the length of Panchakarma chosen, the length of Purvakarma varies. The initial consultation with my therapist identified my unique constitutional nature (Prakriti), and current imbalance (Vikruti). I had chosen a 7 –day treatment plan, and so two weeks before the start of treatments, I began to eat more carefully to support my Vata-Pitta constitution during the fall season. The preparatory prescription included the avoidance of alcohol, chocolate, sugar, dairy, breads & meats. Lightening up the digestive load is the first line of encouragement to mobilize energy for detoxification. The pre-cleanse program also added certain herbs to gently loosen ama/toxins from the various srotas or channels of the body and direct them toward the GI tract for elimination. Eating according to my constitutional guidelines, adding gentle cleansing herbs, and avoiding certain complex foods that can tax the digestive system began to prepare the body to release accumulated toxins.
Depending upon the season, one’s current age & state of imbalance, the practitioner/physician may suggest a variety of herbs & practices to prepare the body to release toxins. There are many herbs in the Ayurvedic pharmacopeia which will initiate the release of ama. This repetoire of herbs is called ama pachana, or ama-busters. I.E. : I made a simple thermos of tea to sip throughout the day: 1 tsp. ea. Coriander, cumin & fennel seeds, steeped with 1 tsp. grated ginger. Added ¼ lemon + 1tsp. honey. An evening tea formula I used to calm the mind and support colon detox included ½ tsp. triphala + ¼ tsp. ashwaghanda + ¼ tsp Brahmi + 1/8 tsp basil & senna. Added honey.
Adding a drizzle of ghee if it is high quality, or Udo’s oil to one’s daily grain and vegetables further lubricates the channels and gently flushes toxins. This mild oleation also balances the three doshas and triggers cellular fire or Agni to release toxins. Black walnut oil is also excellent for internal oleation. I was advised to exercise daily to the point of a mild sweat for 10 or 15 minutes in order to percolate the oils. It is important not to over-exercise during this time of rest & internal cleansing. Morning and evening meditation and gentle yoga stretches were recommended to enhance the opening and release of mental & physical toxins. So that the body and mind can deeply rejuvenate, during treatments it is also important to reduce exposure to stressful situations, TV, computers, unnecessary noise or external stimulation.
THERAPEUTIC BODYWORK
After two weeks of gentle herbal cleanses and careful eating for my dosha type, my PK therapist began external oleation treatments, the most luxurious and relaxing part of Panchakarma. Even though these treatments are actually part of Purvakarma, most people in the West think of them as the main menu because of their profoundly beautiful & relaxing effects on body and mind. During my first Panchakarma, I received daily skin brushing, abhyanga (Ayurvedic massage with warm herbal oil for my dosha type), Shila (hot stone) abhyanga, fomentation treatment, Nasya, (nasal oils to cleanse the sinuses and open Prana…) and Shirodhara (a 20 min. flow of warm oil over my forehead), followed by a steam bath, (swedana) to further flush toxins. These treatments increasingly loosen doshas & toxins which have become lodged in the compact tissues of the body and move them toward the hollow organs of the GI tract where they will be eliminated by the main actions of PK.
Another Sanskrit word for the oleation process is Snehana. Maya Tiwari’s understanding of Snehana as “the love that restores our inner intelligence,” illuminates for us the profound effects of the bodywork employed during the Panchakarma process. The meaning of the word ‘sneha’ “conveys stupendous love and immense tenderness, the essential spirit imbued in human nature…snehana therapy is meant to invoke these deeply imbedded codes of our nature and reawaken our cognitive memories…..the outpouring of caring energy from the practitioner into the person, along with the inpouring of oily substances, aids the body/mind/spirit to bend, stretch and remember it’s…nature.” This therapy creates” a symphony of synergy to release the negative elements from the body and lubricate passages of memory.”
The sublime peace and glowing well-being one experiences as a result of well-timed and skillfully administered snehana is indescribable.
Depending upon one’s state of imbalance, the PK therapist has many treatment options to choose from. Other external oleation treatments I have received in Seattle during a subsequent PK include Udvartana massage (special therapeutic massage w. herbal powders), pinda sweda( massage with hot herbal bolus); marma massage, and kati basti (warm oil poured into a dough ring to soften the stiffest, scoliotic part of my upper back )
PANCHAKARMA/PRADANAKARMA ~~~ THE 5 HEALING ACTIONS
After the preparatory period of loosening ama & pacifying the doshas, the physician/practitioner will choose one or more of five actions, (karmas) to remove accumulated toxins & aggravated doshas. Once the doshas have “ripened” and moved to the GI tract thru internal & external oleation, elimination through one or more suitable “karmas” can be quickly accomplished to prevent toxins from resorbing thru mucosal walls
- Medicated enema therapy (basti) to remove ama and excess Vata from it’s seat in the colon. Since aggravated vata is the most common cause of imbalance & disease, this prodedure is most often utilized in PK. Medicated enema or basti is self-administered with detailed instruction. Herbal decoctions may be used and alternated with oil basti depending upon one’s condition. These treatments are nourishing as well as cleansing, and crucial to the successful release of excess doshas and ama from the system.
- Purgation or laxative therapy (virechana) to release excess Pitta from the small intestines, stomach, liver, kidneys, spleen and colon. Herbs, ghee, flax oil or castor oil may be chosen depending upon one’s condition. .
- Nasya – administration of nasal oils (ie: ghee or sesame) or powders into the nostrils to help eliminate accumulation of doshas in the head, sinus, throat & breath pathways.
The last two karmas are rarely performed in their traditional manner in the United States, and vamana only with a physician’s supervision.
4. Therapeutic vomiting (vamana) – to clear excess Kapha from it’s seat in the stomach & lungs.
5. Blood purification – (rakta moksha), which in the United States is done through blood-cleansing herbs such as manjista or burdock. This action of herbal blood cleansing can be a part of the Purvakarma process right from the start.
EATING DURING PANCHAKARMA
During the 7 days of treatments, my light diet consisted of stewed fruit for breakfast and kitchari (rice & split mung bean soup) for lunch and dinner. This menu provides nourishment in an easily digestible form to support the cleansing process.
Ayurveda understands that whatever we “eat” without digesting well ends up eating us. Toxic byproducts of hastily eaten, mistakenly chosen, poorly digested food wind up creating a sticky mess in our tissues and cells called ama, resulting in a variey of unpleasant symptoms. Ama coats the tongue, robs the skin of luster, manifests as fatigue, bodily stiffness, lowered immunity, indigestion, & disease conditions from mild to severe generally reducing if not depriving us of life force
Similarly, we are all on a pretty fast track in our world these days without leaving much time to absorb, assimilate & digest our experiences. This very real mental ama registers in the body and can manifest as uneasiness, anxiety, irritation, overwhelm, confusion indecision or anger. Rooting into the rhythms of the earth & beginning to resonate with all the elements slows us down, grounds vata dosha , reduces sensory overload, and enables us to digest our experiences & unfold our lives moment – to- moment with more ease, stillness & grace.
”When the Doshas are aggravated because of poor diet, environmental toxins, unhealthy lifestyle, negative emotions or other factors, they first affect Agni, the body’s biological fire which governs digestion & elimination.” When agni becomes weakened or disturbed, food is not properly digested. In the next stage of the disease process, ama clogs the intestines, overflows thru other bodily channels such as the blood vessels, and infiltrates the tissues, causing disease. So disease is actually a crisis of ama, in which the body seeks to eliminate the toxins. Panchakarma programs include pre-purification procedures to encourage the body to eliminate toxins, followed by the purification methods themselves.- Dr. Lad
PASCHATKARMA: REJUVENATION & REBUILDING –COMING OFF THE CLEANSE: RASAYANA
The manner in which one moves out of the cleansing period of Panchkarma is very important for several reasons. In their cleansed state, the cells and tissues are open, receptive and impressionable to whatever nourishment is offered. Also, due to the procedures undergone, agni, the digestive fire, needs to be carefully rekindled by very slowly shifting the diet back to a normal and optimal volume and quality for one’s constitution. Guidelines for this process include building back more complex, high quality foods slowly, and adding Ayurvedic rejuvenatives (rasayanas) which will continue to purify the body and strengthen it so that future diseases will not occur. The practitioner chooses herbal rejuvenatives appropriate for one’s dosha, and recommends a specific dietary protocol for the following days and weeks.
As one prepares to re-enter the busy stream of life, it is also important to review guidelines for eating, and living the daily cycle (dinacharya), which will insure optimal digestion of food as well as the experiences life offers us. This process of digestion, absorption, assimilation & elimination are crucial in order to maintain and increase our newly restored vitality.
IN CONCLUSION
Toward the end of my Panchakarma in Sedona, I arrived at the stupa for its re-dedication ceremony, my oily head swathed in a turban. With the Lama presiding and monks in attendance, the conch blowing, colorful prayer flags waving, rice & holy water blessings were offered as incense wafted thru the clear desert air. I was invited to participate in the ritual & surprisingly, given a card picturing Shiva’s pearl-white elephant Airavata, to carry ’round the Stupa in procession.
<!–[if !vml]–><!–[endif]–>A symbol for both Earth & Space, the young vital elephant’s four trunks symbolize the four goals of life according to Ayurveda: a) enjoyment – kama; b) material wealth – artha; c) offering one’s unique gifts in service – dharma; d) ultimate freedom – moksha. Accompanied by the ringing of bells,we circumambulated the Stupa , a sacred symbol of Divine Light, wisdom and compassion present in each being. My heart sang with gratitude for the fire of renewal & the opportunity to re-dedicate my embodiment in service to Shri, the goodness at the Source of life. This synchronistic celebration at the Stupa dramatically & serendipitously illustrated the Ayurvedic understanding that our life in these bodies is intimately & dynamically connected to everything and everyone. Our essential nature is ever-existent beneath the accumulation of life’s stresses. This radiance of body, mind and spirit waits to be discovered, reawakened, revealed, uncovered and restored thru the ancient, healing methodologies of Ayurveda, the Wisdom of Life.
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