Ayurveda retreat

All the notes I took during my Panchkarma treatment in July 2024.

Unanswered questions

Questions

Salary: 1000 rupees
Tip: 1000 rupee minimum

My treatment

All about the treatment I had, and why it was what it was.

Enemas

Focused on CNS and liver, to treat the stress buildup in the CNS, and the hormonal imbalance in the liver
Using medicines that act as blood purifiers, immuno-modulators
- Our immune systems have different reactions from person to person; Dr Ashwati might not respond to dust, but I will. Immuno-modulators can change the behaviour, and help identify overreactions. For example, they can reduce the amount of histamines produced by your immune system.
- Turmeric is an immuno-modulator, but can make your vessels bleed if you take too much.
- Heart-shaped moonleaf (giloy, gurruci) is a creeper which became famous during covid as an ayurvedic medicine. In Dr Ashwati's home they made concoctions of the leaves (2L with a few leaves reduced to 1/2 L) that were taken by her 90 yo granny, she had one day of fever, then had no symptoms. Nobody in the home had any major symptoms when they got Covid.
I will be taking giloy during my enemas and also in tablet form after I leave. If you sneeze 10 times in response to something, you are hypersensitive; if you sneeze 0 times, you're hyposensitive. For me, giloy will bring
- Arma dosha, toxin, free radical, oxidative (burning every tissue). Produced when food is not being digested properly for years and your body doesn't know what to do with it. In ayurveda, it's believed this is responsible for most diseases. For Eczema, it's believed that arma triggers the skin in places with joint issues and sweating. Then the T cells attack the arma, and the skin produces more toxins that attach to the arma that worsen the problem.
- When you take giloy, it will tell your immune system that it's fighting the wrong thing.
- Drinking five cups of coffee a day could interfere with your digestive fire, dehydrate you, and consequently develop arma buildup.

Dr Ashwati has been treating my vata from the beginning. If you think of a lion or see one you'll probably get an itch. Mental stress is Dr Ashwati's top bet for the cause of your Eczema.

PNS, CNS, joints, some muscles, ligaments, intestines
Considering the pitta for blood purification
Shirodara was done to calm your nervous system via the forehead, which dictates this.
If the creative side of you is coming up during shirodara, and it's not exhausting you, it's your nature. The purpose of ayurveda is to restore the "natural self" or "natural balance".
Indeed, it sounds like the creative thoughts that come up for me during meditation is not necessarily my prefrontal cortex being heavy at work analysing (although it is sometimes for sure); the deep creativity and knowledge I explore in my meditation is more likely from the "subsconscious", or more specifically, the astral, emotional and mental realities.

I am chopping off your head without a knife.

Dr Ashwati

Normally, you would finish a panchakarma with a "closing" rice bundle treatment, which is followed by two weeks of rest while your body regenerates all these tissues. However, Dr Ashwati is not giving you this treatment because she wants you to focus on having movement.

If I had been here for three weeks, Dr Ashwati might have put me through ghee. In these two weeks, she has attempted to remove the strongest causes of my condition, which she picked to be my CNS and bone marrow (majja).

Learnings

#funfact You cannot make warm water by mixing hot water and cold water. Hot water that has cooled naturally is not the same as water that has been rapidly cooled. This is because of potency, which doesn't transfer or distribute as easily as temperature in water. This is analogous to mixing cold milk with boiling water, the temperature transfer will stress the proteins. You can imagine cold and hot water as being capable of stress, like the milk.

Ayurveda says you should only have maximum 25% of your stomach capacity as fluid. If you have a sambal or tea today, you should not drink as much water.

#interesting Dr Ashwati has observed at Ayur Yoga that in most YTT batches, people with autoimmune conditions complain of diarrhoea in week 3. It's cleansing which your body (probably liver) has put off from many past stressful situations, which produced unnecessary biproducts (we might call them toxins) that were set aside to be removed "later". Routine and its rhythm is the thing that allows your body to start cleansing this on its own in Ayurveda.

#important When one dosha is disturbed, symptoms are small. When all three are disturbed, it is very hard to control, and symptoms are huge; this is probably what an Eczema flareup is.

#important Ayurveda says to avoid fast temperature changes. Dr Ashwati saw a lot of strokes in the villages where it is common to dunk your "hot head" in a bucket of cold water, especially with inversion. This is not true for vikings because their bodies became acclimatised to this.

#important In Ayurveda, the first 25 years of your life is for learning (and apparently, celibacy). Apparently, life expectancy has been going down. There has been a genetic mutation increasing the capacity of the brain, but the body has not followed suit; the brain demands a surge of electrical activity that the body cannot provide. Celibacy was recommended until 25 because sex produces massive electrical activity in the brain(?), and the body is not developed enough to supply it. The mental focus in Modern society seeks only to increase the growth speed of the brain relative to the body, which can lead to more dysfunction. In the past, it was recommended you live in the forest until 25 because it would distract your mind until your body could keep up. This is also the reason that the physical aspects precede the mental ones in Yoga.

Lifestyle changes

Lets talk about medicine first. This will determine the diet and lifestyle.

Medicine questions!
I was given (but did not discuss): psoraherb
Given and discussed

Patoladi tablet
Kaishora gulgulu
Dadimasthaka
Given but not discussed
Psoraherb oil
Eladi coconut oil, mix with thailam?
Kumkumadi thailam
Not given and discussed
Triphala

Medicine

Patolakaturohinyadi (patoladi) kwatham tablet. Restore normal liver function, helps liver not to produce antibodies that fight your own immune system, improves digestion
1. 30 mins before food with warm water twice a day
2. Take for one month
Dadimasthakam, the chat powder
1. 1 tsp levelled, but specifically 5g, before food twice a day
2. Mix in warm water which has been allowed to cool from hot (like tea), wait for 5-10 minutes
Khadhiraistam syrup
1. 2 tbsp (20mL) after food twice a day
2. 2 more bottles, must finish
Kaishora gulgulu. Tablet. Autoimmune.
1. One tablet after food twice a day
2. Take for three months
Triphala. Capsule. It does everything for your gut. If there is any issue with digesting these medicines or your food in general, it will deal with any arma that has been produced by the body.
1. Take one capsule at night before bed
2. Take for two months
3. The gooseberry inside acts upon your intestines, purifies your blood, is a vitamin C supplement, and is a laxative (only if you take something that should not be absorbed by the body). You can think of it as "mini virechana, only if you need it".
Eladi kerataila. Cardamom herb coconut massage oil.
1. If time, apply daily to the red/rough patches
2. Ideally, twice a week, 15 minutes, concentrated on any place with skin roughness or redness (ie your elbows). The healthy parts of the body can be just brushed down.
3. Take every seven days, fifteen times
Kumkumadi thailam. Nasal drops for nasya. One drop in each nostril, once a day.

Diet

Strictly restricted (you may not eat any of this) for one month (while on kwatham tablet).
- Generally speaking, we are avoiding kapha which is associated with water intake. The higher your kapha, the more dehydrated your skin will be. It will also cool the agni rapidly, like getting smoke by pouring water on a fire, which will spoil the medicines.
- See how you feel after a month of doing this, and if it helps you, consider adopting it for general life.
- For one month, completely avoid fermented foods as it will mess with the patoladi.
- Freshly harvested grains; rice, wheat, cereals; for three months. You should only consume grains that are at least three months past harvest. This is because the water content (and therefore kapha) of the cereal will be reduced. Having lighter (water weight) cereals makes it easier to digest them, because your body needs less energy to separate the water. You should have light cereals only.
- Avoid fish for three months. In particular, squid, prawns, and anything bigger with more flesh and less bones, like salmon and mackarel. If you take mackarel, you will have scales.
- Avoid black gram lentils. This includes vala; you may have at most one every fifteen days. This is for one month, while on kwatham.
- Avoid radish, eggplant, okra for two weeks.
- Curd (yoghurt). Avoid for one month. Buttermilk is okay with curry leaves, turmeric, cumin or salt (masala milk). Adding crushed curry leaves to the buttermilk, or anything, will be helpful. If you take curd, you will observe an itch in 2-3 hours.
- No processed milk, including non-dairy milks. Milk tea is okay with ginger. Most definitely avoid powdered drinks, ice-cream and smoothies in India. Milk will become curd in your stomach, and either become arma (partially digested food) which triggers your immune system (to attack the digestive system), or be thrown out by the medicine you're on.
- No sesame seeds internally for one week. They are super heating in nature.
- No jaggary for one week. There is a small candy in India which is a mixture of sesame seed with jaggary.
For life (aka general rules)
- Moderate foods that have "cold" potency, heavy to digest in nature, and acidic or fermented foods. You can eat these foods once in a while, but be conscious of them.
  - Cold potency foods include:
    - Melons, coconut, pumpkin, cauliflower, asparagus
    - Many sweet fruits, namely banana, strawberries, kiwi, watermelons and apricots
    - Dairy products are typically cold
    - Hot green tea
- Heavy for digestion, acidic or fermented, or anything that is increasing kapha or pitta.
- Only have fish once in a while; it's your biggest enemy because it's in the water. Fish with lots of small bones (or high bone to flesh ratio) are best if you have it. Have with white or black pepper, bell peppers (last resort because nightshade), ginger, garlic, dried garcinia (tamarind), fenugreek powder; can add to fish to balance the kapha increasing properties. You can make a tadka or lightly warmed coconut paste (oil and flesh) to season it.
- Follow the incompatible foods.

Lifestyle

Temporary
- For two weeks, most importantly, do not exert yourself. If you are getting symptoms of fatigue, limit your activity for two weeks.
Limit exposure to sunlight. Morning and evening is okay, but if you go out in the daytime, you should use a mineral-based sunscreen or umbrella. You will be given an oil to protect you from the sun. This is to prevent dryness and to protect the new skin which will be very sensitive, especially to sun in India.
Nasya. Every day, one drop in each nostril holding your nose parallel to the ground, breathe in until your feel oil in your throat (1-2 minutes), gargle some water, then spit out, do not swallow or you will hamper your digestive system. Can do lying down in bed. The time is up to you, but it should be the same time each day. Before brushing at night would be good, because you can spit out the oil, and it will help condition you to sleep with a lifestyle change. Dr Ashwati uses a saffron oil, but it's burning in nature (like wasabi); the purpose is to help your skin, and help to calm your immune system by stimulating.
Food
- Cold liquids may only be taken 1 hour before or 45 minutes after food. Do not mix cold water with eating times. Hot water may be taken 30 minutes before food. Herbal tea can be taken anytime. Chai can be taken with a light meal (as in, one dosa), typically breakfast or dinner. After dinner, please do not drink water.
- Eat only to 50% capacity, and only when you are hungry.
- Avoid excess of tea, coffee, airated drinks, caffeine.
- You should not be experiencing constipation, indigestion, gastric reflux or any acidity in your throat. If you get a blister in your mouth, your stomach is upset. This is the key warning sign that something is wrong, and your Eczema will increase.
Sleep
- If you cannot sleep enough at night, you can recover half of that during the day before food (or rather, not while digesting).
- Do not sleep for 2-3 hours after food, because this is how long it takes to push food from the stomach to the intestine.
- Please try to get REM sleep during kaliyama (about 10:30pm - 3am). This is when your liver will be given enough pitta to cleanse itself and perform blood purification. Western medicine has shown that the liver will go through an intense detox during REM sleep.
- Limit water after sunset. People get Prostate cancer early because they have a lot of water around bedtime or in the night, which places stress on the prostate.
Urges
- Do not suppress any natural urges; hunger, thirst, yawning, sneezing, peeing, pooping, farting, burping etc. Anytime you suppress an urge, it will upset the vata in your body. Specifically vomiting should not be suppressed for me. Sexual urges should also not be suppressed unless you have food in your stomach. This also applies to your emotions, you should try not to suppress them.
- Should I focus on unsuppressing then? what should I do from ayurveda? any tips
Avoid sudden changes in temperature for your body.
- For example, avoid
  - Going outside in winter from a warm room with minimal clothing, which will cause you to cool down quickly.
  - Taking a cold shower or drinking lots of cold water immediately after exercise.
- Practically for me this means
  - Taking lukewarm or hot showers after Exercise, but not cold showers.
- In general, doshas should be allowed to increase/decrease slowly. If you go outside in the cold, your vata and kapha will spike because they have cold properties; pitta will be balanced because it is hot in nature. If your vata and kapha are heightened and disturbed, they will also disturb your pitta. When all three doshas are disturbed, it is very difficult to manage your condition; this is probably going to look like an Eczema flareup.
- Going from a hot place to cold will also cause sudden vasoconstriction, which can cause strokes.
Do not allow your weight to drop below 73kg, or it will impact your immune system.
We think a major lifestyle cause of my Eczema is indigestion.
- If you don't digest food properly, it is arma, which is a toxin that will travel through your body and reside in the weakest parts, causing inflammation.
- You won't digest food properly if you do not have enough blood supply to your intestines and stomach. And you won't get enough blood supply there if other places are demanding it; perhaps your brain if you have just started Programming immediately after lunch, or your legs and arms if you are cycling.
- My whole life, I have never prioritised having time to digest properly. I have always been "on the go", and figured my body will just keep up with me. This may be the biggest lifestyle factor that has caused and perpetuated my Eczema.
- Ideally an hour of lunch should be 20 minutes of eating, then 40 minutes of light walking and/or socialisation. This is so that the food leaves your stomach in an hour.

If you're free in six months or later, you should do another classical panchakarma. You should do a blood donation every three months, or if they won't take you, go to a hygienic blood letting practice that will take 50-100mL.