An ayurvedic tour of Kerala

Dr. Cyril Thomas. BAMS, DMT, BLSHP

Hitha hi tham sukham
dukham ay usthasya
hithahitham
Manam cha thacha
yathroktham
Ayurveda sa uchya the

Ayurveda - Monsoon Therapy - An Unforgettable Experience

Monsoon clouds bring good news to lovers of Ayurveda all round the globe. Kerala, where Ayurveda is a way of life and monsoons spectacular, is getting ready to receive tourists from around the world who flock to experience Ayurveda rejuvenation therapy during the monsoon. The reason: the monsoon season is known to be the best time to receive Ayurvedic therapy.

There is no harm in taking Ayurvedic therapy at any other time of the year, if you take complete rest and do not tire your body. But monsoon is the ideal time any one can go for an Ayurvedic therapy without a second thought. Ayurvedic oil massage and other treatments rejuvenate the body. The goodness of the soothing oil made of mountain herbs, when torrential rains lash outside is an out of the world experience making the monsoon the ideal time for Ayurvedic therapy. Traditional texts reveal that people of any body type can have Ayurvedic therapies during monsoon and the human body will respond better to therapy during the monsoon, than any other time.

"Number of health tourists to Kerala will cross half a million mark, thanks to Ayurveda," says a prominent tour operator, analyzing the current trend. In Kerala for the past so many years Ayurvedic tourism has been a big draw. There is a steady growth in tourist flow owing to the interest in Ayurveda. Monsoon rejuvenation therapy is the fastest growing segment in health tourism here. Ayurvedic tourism has a cultural component, which is best experienced in Kerala by tourists from the western world. This is one reason why the influx to Kerala keeps on increasing. It is a culturally vibrant state where tourists love to return.

What is Karkidaka Chikitsa (Why monsoon Therapy)?

In monsoon season all the Tridoshas namely Vata, Pitha, Kapha aggravates. Especially Vata. It is the ideal time to flush out aggravated Vata and all impurities and to bring back all the Tridoshas to a balanced state. This comes under Sodhana Chikitsa (Elimination and Curettage). This therapy purifies the whole body to attain proper balance of Thridoshsas (Vata, Pitha, Kapha) and enhances immunity, thus to maintain health.

The Significance of Karkidaka Chikitsa (Monsoon Therapy)

Karkidakam is the agrarian days in Kerala. Karkidakam is the period of the year for many rituals and customs related to agriculture linked with religion. The monsoon was a period of misery and scarcity during the agrarian past in Kerala. It detained the peasants from their workplace, the paddy fields because of the fury of wind and rain. Gloom reigned everywhere and so people turned towards the almighty and concentrated more on Godly matters like Karkidaka seasonal medicinal foods, ritual, sacred and holy things. The invaluable herbs are rich with their magical healing powers during these seasons. These potent herbs were collected and preserved to make great variety of seasonal medicinal foods and potions, which contributed for the purification of the body and the soul. The most important among them and simple to prepare is the Karkidaka Kanji - a concoction of 42 herbs.

Benefits of Shirodhara in Monsoon

According to Ayurveda, Shirodhara deeply relaxes the nervous system, lowers metabolism, integrates brain function and creates brain wave coherence and an alpha state. When the brain is under stress, cerebral circulation is compromised. As oil is poured on the forehead, the nervous system is deeply stilled. The brain waves slow down and become coherent. Once the brain is relaxed, more life, energy and oxygen and other nutrients flow more freely to the brain. The result: better brain function, mood stability and improved stress handling ability. With each successive Shirodhara treatment, the mind systematically achieves an even deeper state of silence and more healing takes place. Regular treatments are said to increase blood circulation to the brain, improve memory, nourish the hair and scalp, encourage sound sleep and calm body and mind.

"Ayu" means "life", "Veda" means "knowledge". Ayurveda is misinterpreted as a medical system only. Ayurveda deals with all aspects of life. Medicines and methods of curing disease are well explained in Ayurveda. But major areas give much emphasis on noble way of living. Daily Routine, seasonal routine, food habits etc. are explained with moral codes in chapters "Dina charya" and "Iruthu charya"

Ayurvedic tourism is no more a passing interest to the western tourist; it is fast becoming a trend. British, Americans, Germans, Spanish, French and even next-door neighbours Sri Lankans make a beeline to Kerala. So, see you in Kerala this monsoon.

(The author can be contacted on mail - Cyril192003@yahoo.com)