Saturday, June 28, 2014

Incredible Kerala -- Spirituality at its best

So my first week in Kerala went very well and I got adjusted to the new lifestyle here, as it would be a long hiatus of 21 days. In the end of the first week, procedures like purgation made me weak . But it was not long before I  was told about the rejuvenation techniques  which would help me restore the  lost  energy due to the treatment.

My diet for the first one week Rice soup in the afternoons. 

To compensate this physical weakness in the body, I decided to have some spiritual sojourn in the evenings everyday. There are many options which were available to me at the rehab center . So I took a choice of Indian philosophy, Yoga and meditation, Ayurvedic History and Cookery classes, yes cookery classes finally! I've been learning to prepare some dishes from my mum while at home sooo this time period was definitely a plus point for me.

I was staying at a place called Kalady, which is very close to the Cochin international airport. My mother told me that this was the birth place of one the greatest Indian saints of all times - Aadi Sankaracharya. Being in such a blessed place, I wasted no time and went around places in an thuk thuk. The first place I visited was the Shakaracharya Stupa
Shankaracharya Stupa at Kalady


The tower is almost 8 stories tall, and as one starts to take the staircase, the sidewalls showcase the birth of the great saint with the blessings of lord shiva, and one who at a very young age left this holy place and started a pan India yatra  on his foot. I've heard of these stories via films and books - but visiting such a place is seriously surreal. There were some other places which I visited, on that rainy evening. trying to collect information about the advaita philosophy ( Discovering our true self) of this great saint.


The grave of the holy mother - Circa 8 A.D


 I also had an opportunity to visit the grave of his holy mother within kalady. Rama krishna Ashram was an un-expected destination in our route, but the thuk thuk driver took me there as it was a place where people from any faith could come and meditate or pray. The driver was a roman catholic but was spiritually inclined towards the teaching of the great saint. So I payed a visit to the Ashram at the bank of the Periyar river.


Rama krishna ashram - A place for people from all faiths to pray


With so much spiritual places around a tiny town, my daily dosage of yoga classes in the evenings were making me more calm and relaxed. The hymns  and the asans combined were very effective in making me sane. I also lost some weight during this stay at Kalady around 6 kgs. Not bad huh . My yoga guru was kind enough to teach me breathing exercises for my specific health issue. 













Saturday, June 7, 2014

Week 1 in Kerala --- My fight with Psoriasis has begun

After having an extensive 9 months treatment with a regular skin specialist, I took a detour and stopped taking the conventional treatment all together in this January. I was not happy since there was no visible improvement from my end. Later after a gap of 4 months, I zeroed in on a more traditional approach to fight my skin condition. That meant, I had to travel all the way to  Kochi, a city in the southern Indian state of Kerala. This traditional method ,also known to Indians as "Ayurveda" has been in to practice since thousands of years. My aunt suggested that I follow this path because it was a natural way to get past things and it has it's own proven track record. So with lot of hope and anxiety, I made up my mind and came here last week .

I planned to stay here for three weeks to see if this would give me enough time to make me sane and also a better person. After having an initial consultation with the doctor, I called it a day as the long distance travel had taken the toll. It was bedtime for me by 8 in the night.  

The first day started at 6 o clock with 50ml of medicated ghee (yuk). I just closed my nose and took it in mouthfuls to avoid a vomiting. The medication within the ghee was so overpowering, that  I had to use the smell of a  lemon to counter a possible vomit lol.

Medicated ghee kept outside my room 

Taking the ghee was a major hurdle for me to go through this ayurvedic process of "Panchakarma" .  The medicine inside the ghee is supposed to saturate my whole body which will, at a later stage help in remove the unwanted toxins away. Since the first day, I was also going through a treatment process of Lengthy oil massage for an hour in the morning and short timed facial massage in the afternoon in addition to a process called "Nasyam" . And I must say, after four continuous days of Nasyam, my headache problem with which I was suffering from has gone away completely. I've been told that the oil massages in the morning would help to remove the scaling and reddish lesions by the end of my treatment. I see a ray of hope, because they have diminished by 90% in some areas and there are still 2 weeks to go. 

Another therapy which was started very recently was "Takradhara" . In this treatment, medicated buttermilk is allowed to flow over the forehead through a narrow stream from the vessel above. This therapy has been one my best experiences so far. It is so relaxing,that  I've been able to sleep for longer hours now (8 hours straight) . I also notice that this process has inhibited my headache problem to a large extent. 

Takra dhara - Photo courtesy of Keralatourism.com


The place where I am staying  is a heavenly world. Located on the bank of the Periyar river, it is  a self sufficient campus,far away from the bustling city of Kochi. The Buildings which include the Treatment rooms, the office and the rooms for the patients are located in the midst of a a large herbal garden. The whole area is dense with green everywhere,with a large variety of flowers and gigantic trees overlooking the entire campus. I fell in love in this place the moment I arrived and have been trying to enjoy my every moment here. 



I've been going around for a short walk in the morning and evening around the place, and the best thing is that the monsoon season has arrived here . Both the rain and the green have brought a sense of serenity within me. I can feel a lot of change within myself and I am hopeful that by the end of all this, I will leave this face with a happy mind. I am beaming with positiveness everyday. Above all, I hope that god will also me to move ahead of this condition in the near future.