I’ve completed the first phase of treatment; three days of abhyanga (oil massage), followed by a steam bath, nasya and shirodhara.
Each treatment began with a vigorous oil scalp followed by whole body massage. In Ayurveda, if whole body massage is not possible, massage to the scalp, as well as the feet, is most important. Which means that we can administer it ourselves. Actually, massage can be self-administered, and is a recommended part of one’s Dinacharya (daily routine) prior to a morning shower.
After my massage medicated drops were inserted into each nostril (nasya). In the afternoon I received shirodhara, a therapy where warm oil is slowly drizzled across the forehead. Relaxing and nourishing to the mind.
The oil remained in my hair until the completion of the abhyanga and shirodhara. Elated to be able to wash it out, it took three rounds of shampoo to remove three days worth of oil slick. I felt reborn. I love the feel of oily massage but do not relish the oil remaining afterwards. It leaves it’s mark everywhere.
I developed a cold the first day, before the treatment began. It may have been from having lowered immunity exacerbated by the three-day semi-fast or it could be cleansing in nature. It’s still hanging on despite my strict adherence to the food they serve, which is basically the same as when doing ghee treatment, with a few more vegetables, and sometimes chapattis (Indian flat bread).
I’ve met a woman who is struggling with the bland repetitive diet. While dining, a group of us make fun of the meal, talking about our favorite forbidden foods while consuming our rice and mung dhal. While I’ve gotten accustomed to it – knowing it’s only short term – I understand her feeling of deprivation. It’s a common reaction that people have when thinking of the foods they’ll have to give up or extremely curb in order to achieve wellness. I made a few substitute suggestions, such as the use of ’stevia’ (produced from a S. American plant) for sweetener, and spoke about ‘antidoting’, a system in Ayurveda that eliminates the need for overly-obsessive diet choices, by finding ways to make a food more doshic-friendly. For example, potatoes are not a grand food choice for Vata, but if eaten on occasion, smothered in ghee, butter, or healthy vegetable oil, and appropriately spiced, the oiliness helps antidote the dryness factor.
My energy waxes and wanes, as per usual these last few weeks. It’s quite normal to have low energy reserves when doing pancha karma; it’s pretty intensive cleansing. I developed a rash (it looks like a heat rash) on my upper chest and back, which crept up my neck and down my upper arms. The massage oil was changed; it eliminated the slight itching that it produced, so it may have been a reaction to the oil. It may also have been an eliminative response by my body.
I met a man who is also receiving pancha karma whose entire body is covered with an angry red rash, some of it raised and oozing. He’s itching miserably. Despite having been given four different ayurvedic medicines, the symptoms remain and worsen after each massage. When he showed me today, he confusedly said that he did not know if he should shower after the massage, or not shower… (it’s recommended to keep it on for the duration of the treatment phase, though I feel it best to shower it off the next morning). I asked him what his sense was and he said he felt fine about the oil. He and the doctors consider his rash a triumphant sign that his body is releasing toxins. But perhaps it’s too quickly, too aggressively. I learned that his treatment time is double that of mine, likely because he is the only male patient at the moment.
The attendants for the female patients, on the other hand, are administering treatments a full day, most of which are quite vigorous in nature. They appear fatigued though won’t admit it when I ask. One of them has been ill, but her work must continue in order to serve the patients. I feel badly for her, and know that their overwork effects the quality of the treatment that I am receiving. Which concerns me. My business mind (I managed a doctor’s practice for several years) thinks of how I would rearrange the schedule to accommodate their needs, which would benefit them and their patients. I’d also implement some quality control with perhaps a bit of consistency, but alas, I am reminded, these things are not easily found in India.
Onto Phase Two…
