Where do I start talking about this trip? … Whatever I write won’t be enough to capture the mass of emotions and sensations we have experienced in this paradise called Bali. The reason we travelled to the other end of the world (a 20 hour flight) was to do an ayurvedic detox called panchakarma. Ayurveda is a holistic system of Indian medicine that has been developed for over 5,000 years, and is a “sister” of yoga as it developed alongside it, and has the balance of the body and soul as a set for health (sattva). Ayurveda argues that we must live in harmony with nature and that the disease is the result of an imbalance between our body, spirit and soul or of the body’s bio-energies. Bio-energies (doshas) are characteristics that we find and in nature, whose combination is defined in fetus capture and differs for each individual. The diagnosis of bio-activities is based on physical structure, physiological function and specific personality characteristics, via questionnaires and bioassay examinations. There are three doshas:
Vata: defined by the physical element of air and associated with kinetic energy within the body
Pita: defined by the natural element of fire and related to the biothermal energy of the body
Cafa: is defined by the liquid element and is related to the bio-binding force as it gives structure and stability.
Diseases are the result of an imbalance in these bioactivities or the accumulation of toxins (ama) and the primary concern of any Ayurvedic treatment is to restore bio-energies to balance and remove toxins.
Panchakarma is an ancient and highly effective therapy designed to cleanse the body from the toxins left in the body by disease, drugs, compromised nutrition and environmental toxins. The reason why I personally decided to try it is because the chemotherapy I did for lymphoma left a huge toxic load on my body that I wanted to remove as soon as possible. Panchakarma is the ultimate therapeutic experience for body and spirit and is suggested for the removal of toxins, relaxation and strengthening of the immune system. That’s all I needed after all my chemotherapy and medical adventures over the last two years. For some reason, panchakarma in my mind was the treatment or gift I owed to my body as doctors finished their own therapies. As it turned out, it was much more. I would recommend it as a supplementary treatment to anyone who has recently been treated for a chronic health problem and has a lot of medication in their body for stress-related illnesses, or generally for anyone in need of relaxation needing to restore their well-being. Before making any bookings, the centre’s doctor will contact you to see if panchakarma can help. If they don’t contact you, try another centre.
In general, the key benefits of panchakarma are:
Total detoxification of the body
Opening of the closed body channels
Improving digestive function
Stimulation of metabolism
Weight reduction
Rejuvenation of body tissues
Spiritual relaxation
Stress removal
Stimulation of immune system
Panchakarma in Sanskrit means 5 treatments and, as the name suggests, is the combination of 5 therapies that are selectively applied depending on the patient and the disease. In general, they consist of therapeutic massages by specially trained therapists, botanical steam bath therapies to remove toxins through sweating, Ayurvedic diet – basically vegan – according to each patient’s doshas to enhance digestion and botanical formulations to remove of toxins through intestinal motility. The last piece, as you can see, is probably the most important one, and in this way, it the brutal (literally) removal of toxins happens. If you don’t do it, it’s dangerous for your health as toxins circulate freely in the body with the risk of further illnesses. Also, if you don’t do it, go to a spa because panchakarma is not the best treatment for you. For example, the 5 therapies of panchakarma are:
- Abhyanga: a synchronized massage with therapeutic oils on the body by 2 therapists with rhythmic upward movements. This massage is applied with enough pressure on the body to apply pressure on the fatty tissue where the toxins accumulate, it’s particularly refreshing and usually accompanied by hydrotherapy.
- Tala Dharana, during this treatment, several therapeutic herbal ointments are spread on the head and the head is covered with a banana leaf. This treatment works in the nervous and endocrine system, regulates the hormones, and helps to remove insomnia, stress and headaches.
- Dhara, the best-known massage of this kind is Shirodhara where healing oil is poured with a steady flow on the forehead. It’s probably the most relaxing massage I’ve ever had. And that’s the purpose: it calms and revitalizes the whole body, improves memory and helps in neurological disorders, and in problems associated with high blood pressure.
- Basti, these are cures with medicinal oils and herbs in order to remove accumulated toxins from the large intestine. I fortunately did not have to do it because the herbs I got every day did the job.
- Swedana, this is a series of herbal-based water treatments. These treatments are done in individual wooden boxes (fortunately for the claustrophobic, the head is out) something like an individual hammam that creates heat to relax and remove the deeply accumulated toxins in the body. Another water-based treatment is Avagaham where you take a bath by relaxing in hot water with herbs
- Nasya is a respiratory treatment where you inhale hot healing water with herbs that helps in allergies and respiratory diseases. I did not have to do that.
The therapies and herbal remedies administered are personalized according to the patient and his / her goals. We were 12 people in the centre, and everyone had their own program that was adjusted every day by the doctor according to the course of the treatment. In the centre I went, there was a specialized Ayurvedic doctor who was present 24 hours a day and supervised the course of each patient every day and adapted their schedule. I can’t stress how important this is, and for me it was a crucial reason for choosing this particular centre. All these treatments, although absolutely natural, should be done under the supervision of a qualified physician.
And of course, the treatment not included in the 5 I mentioned but is an integral part of each panchakarma is the daily mild yoga exercise. This centre had both morning and afternoon yoga. The teacher was astonishing, and I enjoyed his practice, he made a mild form of hatha, and I ended up going to the morning and afternoon in yoga. Yoga surely exceeded my expectations, as I am not very good a friend of hatha, and I went with the purpose of enjoying yoga in Bali, but Tekok, the teacher who did it, was especially good.
Generally, our schedule was as follows: Morning yoga with Tekok at 6.45. Breakfast after yoga at 8.15, a session with Dr Ninnu, the doctor of the centre for examination and supervision of the healing course. Morning treatment until 11.00. Speech for the Ayurveda or Ayurvedic cooking show, lunch at 12.15. And right after that, the afternoon treatment at 13.00-15.00. Then we had free time where we could rest and take a nap or swim in the magical hot pool-whirlpool that they have in the spa overlooking the horizons.
It was followed by afternoon yoga at 17.00 and dinner at 19.30 for those who wanted. At dinner, we were given the next day’s program which we all were looking forward to seeing what treatments we had the next day and the medicines to remove the toxins released with the massage. We slept at 21.30 as there was not much to do since the centre was almost in the middle of the jungle and we had to wake up at 6.00. Part of the detoxification was also this; the absolute calm of the mind in not having to think where you will go, what you will eat and what you will do as everything was planned for you. Absolute relaxation of the mind! Although I generally am not a fan of all-inclusive vacation packages, I really enjoyed it because the place was a paradise and our program was full enough to leave no gaps that you’d want to fill with excursions outside.
Please note that the centre we went to when we did the treatment forbid you to be exposed to the sun, in cold water and to get out of the centre in general. At first it bothered me a lot because you are in Bali but can’t go anywhere like out on a beach. The reason they do so is because they want us to have absolute control over our health and healing and be sure we will not go out and load our body with toxins and get ill while they bear the responsibility. But at the end of the day, for me, this showed great responsibility in what they’re doing and measured me positively. The centre is such a paradise that I didn’t have the slightest desire to leave it.
In a very short distance to the centre, there’s one of Bali’s most famous rice fields, arranged vertically like balconies, where you could go for a walk at any time. The green of the rice fields could be seen almost everywhere from the centre and especially from the yoga hall and the relaxation area after the treatments which another of the very relaxing experiences of these holidays. Finally, the centre itself added some cultural experiences outside of our program: on the first day, for example, we visited a nearby temple that is believed to have holy water and we took part in a purifying experience that included bathing in the sacred waters and praying. I could not imagine a better place for this trip for praying (do not ask me in which god) to restore my health. Although at first I was a little wary of hygiene, up until I inspected that the waters were crystal clear and I saw all the locals went in so I surrendered to the sacredness of the experience and I really enjoyed it very much! We also took a moment off the last day to visit the capital, Ubud, and I can tell you that I was suffering a cultural shock. After a week of absolute silence, the Ubud’s crowd was a shock to my senses.
If you follow me on Instagram, you would have definitely seen the photos of the food I posted. The food in the centre was another pleasant surprise for me, being a demanding customer, and so I had low expectations! The kitchen of the centre was vegan (with the exception of ghee) and Ayurvedic (I will write a detailed post about the Ayurvedic cuisine), while all the materials were organic from the farmhouse of the centre. Our breakfast usually included either a delicious porridge or fruit pancakes and a plate of local fruit or smoothies. I fell in love with the mangostine which I’ve never tried before, a fruit with a hard-brown peel and juicy white insides that is the tastiest thing I’ve ever had. Lunch usually had some Dhal lentils and vegetables and various sauces to dip delicious chapati pies or roti pies that accompanied each dish. At the end, there was always a delicious light sweet with a natural sweetener as in Ayurveda they believe that every meal should combine all flavours. The evening always started with a soup and continued with some delicious vegetarian dishes and a sweet. most visitors lost about 3-5 pounds in the week. I have not weighed but I have not lost weight since this way of eating was almost the same as mine, so I did not do something different. However, the combination of everyday practice, relaxation, good sleep (in spite of jet lag) and pure nutritious food made me feel a unique sense of well-being and energy while I was in Bali, and has been maintained even now in my first days of return to London.
No coffee and alcohol, of course, as they are forbidden both during the stay and a week before and after leaving the centre. And the best of all, apart from the culinary demonstrations, there was a booklet with prescriptions of all the dishes we ate, since the philosophy of the centre is to educate us to eat healthier after we return to our normal lives. This was a great gift for me, being a food blogger and I was eager to come home and prepare the delicious recipes I tried in Bali!
Where and how much
Panchakarma comes with a high price tag. Wherever I looked, it costed around $ 1,500 a week and usually includes accommodation, 3 meals, medications and 2 treatments a day. If you put them all down, it’s about $ 200 a day, and apart from the extra cost in airlines, you’re not spending anything else. If you think that an average massage costs around 50 euros, the cost is not as outrageous as I had originally imagined.
A plethora of Panchakarma centres will of course be found in India, particularly in Kerala, where Ayurveda was born, as well as in Sri Lanka. In both of these countries, you will find more economical programs. I personally chose Bali although it was a bit more expensive because I was immunosuppressed at the time and therefore limited in terms of the places I could travel to, and Bali with healthy infrastructure and less tropical illnesses, felt as a safer destination than India or Sri Lanka.
Also, if you want to avoid the high cost of airlines, I have found some centres in Europe, namely Portugal, Slovenia in Austria and Germany. More options are here:
I finally chose http://www.oneworldayurveda.com/ and I did not regret it! As I mentioned, it was important to me that we had a doctor standby, and that is not given in all the centres. Also, this particular centre is specialized in this treatment and in all treatments, I had two therapists in the room, sometimes three, and in some centres in Europe this was charged at extremely high prices. Finally, after my body spent two summers in the hospital, needed warmth and sun exposure so this was the catalytic reason why I chose this one and I highly recommend it either you have a health problem you want help with or if you just feel the need to relax and reset your body and your health. It is the ultimate relaxation of all senses, as it works at physical, mental and psychological levels. I feel like I really turned into another woman filled with energy and well-being! And I am so exalted that I managed to make such a trip and have this experience, as it was only 6 months before when I was in a hospital thinking I would never come out again to do those things that made me happy. As they say in “love yourself”, a new wellness magazine, “what you give yourself, it gives it back to you at 100%”, and because we only live once, don’t think too much about this trip if your body is asking for it.
For more food advice in Bali, read the yoga in Bali post.