It sounds luxurious to have a one-hour wash of warm milk continuously poured over the body, but by this point in the treatment, it felt more like work than relaxation. My reserves were hitting bottom, it all felt all-consuming. What kept me energized enough to get myself to the clinic four times daily is in the knowledge that in the end, I’ll emerge rejuvenated. I hope.
The morning milk treatment was followed by an afternoon of two therapies. The first was the same treatment as in the second phase of pancha karma, where hot oil is drizzled into a makeshift well on the body; this time it was on my low back. This was followed by one of the most beneficial of the karma’s, the basti or medicated enema. It is especially indicated in Vata constitution or derangement, since the colon is the main site of Vata. Each day was a bit different in terms of the quantity and formula of the basti. Of all the treatments that were administered, the basti proved to be the most energizing. Afterwards, I felt a few sparks of life returning. What joy!
The final day, after the pancha karma was complete, I was prescribed an ayurvedic herbal concoction to be taken at bedtime. It’s action – to induce therapeutic diarrhea. This insures that the impurities that were loosened during the treatment are swiftly eliminated from the body. My experience did not, thankfully, match what the doctor described I could expect, namely 10-15 movements that may last most of the night. For me it was simple and fairly quick. Most everyone else I’ve spoken with has had the latter experience.
It’s been three days since the treatment ended. Each day I feel a little more energy. To be honest, I think some of this can be attributed to the liberation I feel with being on the other side of it now. I was mostly confined to my room and the clinic for nearly two weeks; now I feel free!
Siby explained that after pancha karma the body is open and in some ways this is when the healing begins. Therefore it is important to maintain a healthy diet (preferably the same one as during the treatment for the first few weeks) and to take care not to do anything to exertion, not to get overheated. This cancels out the few other destinations I considered before returning home next week, since the temperatures in both of those places are well above 100 degrees. Just the 12-hour bus travel from here to Delhi will prove taxing, unless I decide to splurge and fly back. It may be worth it; the trip from here is an arduous one.
I originally started this series of posts on my pancha karma treatment to do a review of Siby’s. I do have some concerns and criticisms which I’ll put in a separate, final post.
