Wow, sis, that detox post of yours made me think really hard about what food I am putting in my body. Hope I get a chance to try out one of those detox regimens.
I can't say that I can go straight into raw food, but I am now really trying to be more mindful and healthy about my eating choices. First off, I have, for the past week, been having half a lemon with warm water and salt in the morning right before breakfast -- the equivalent of the daily cleanse drink in your detox program. I think it is really helping me -- both to calm my stomach and keep my weight down. Actually, I used to do this during the time I was in India two months ago. I started it after I had a stomach problem -- a friend suggested that I drink a glass of warm lemon water everyday as it has an antibacterial effect. In fact, I never had a stomach issue after that and until I went home.
Anyways, about detoxifying, an experience I had in India was an ayurvedic consultation and massage. Ayurveda is a traditional Hindu medicine, a type of alternative medicine which focuses on a holistic approach to treating various ailments.
While I was in India and doing some yoga, I started feeling all sorts of aches and pains, and decided I needed a massage. I had heard of ayurvedic massage and wanted to try it out too, so off I went.
At the Ayurvedic clinic, I was first referred for consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor. He first took my pulse or felt my pulse -- pressing several times in my pulse area. He then took my blood pressure on both arms telling me I was bordering on high blood pressure at 132/70. I later read that one of the ways that Ayurveda diagnoses problems is through the pulse or nadi -- the others being through urine or mootra, stool or mala, tongue or jinvha, speech or shabda, touch or sparsha, vision or druk, and appearance or aakruti. This probably means that he probably also took note of how I looked.
He asked me what problems I was having and I told him about the pain in my knee and glutes -- which I think was mostly due to my over-exertions in yoga. He said I was a water type and that I had a lot of air in my blood. He said there were too many things going on in my mind and my mind was going in all directions. I actually can't argue with that diagnosis and it was perfectly true -- all of that from feeling my pulse.
He prescribed that I have a morning walk everyday as well as do pranayama or breath-control exercises everyday for 15 minutes. He showed me how it was to be done. I was first to do the anulom vilom pranayama for 10 minutes which basically goes like this: you put your right hand close to your nose, close the right nostril with your thumb, inhale through the left nostril, then close the left nostril with your middle finger, and exhale out through the right nostril this time. After this, you do the same thing, breathe in through the right nostril... and so on, alternating nostrils for the specified amount of time. After this, I was supposed to do another breathing exercise for 5 minutes called the bhramari pranayama where I touch my thumbs lightly on the inner lobe of each ear, put my index and middle finger lightly over my eyes, inhale deeply then make a throaty sound when i breathe out. For my joint pains, he prescribed an oil called dhanwantharam thailam that i should massage all over my joints and leave for an hour, before or after yoga.
Next came the massage on what looked like an ancient hardwood massage table. The doctor talked to the masseurs, two women, specifying to them what oil they should use for the massage. I was given a pretty vigorous massage by 2 sets of hands! First, a head massage with oil, then a face massage with yet more oil. Then yet more oil, warmed up and poured and rubbed all over the chest, the legs, the arms, then the back side -- every little inch covered with oil. The oil smelled nutty and warm and had the scent of curry spices. After I was fully slathered with oil, came another surprise -- steaming. I was asked to sit in a wooden steam box with only my neck and head showing through a hole -- while I could feel the warm steam opening up all my pores. This went on for 15 minutes which I presume would remove all my aches and pains. Quite heavenly unreal feeling. I was then asked to take a warm shower afterwards to wash off all the oil.
Felt super great after that! A must do in India.
Come to think of it, I haven't followed the diagnosis of the ayurvedic doctor which is probably why I am all over the place -- 3 months after. Off to do a morning walk, oops afternoon, and some pranayama then!
Here's a link to that ayurvedic place in India called Kerala Ayurveda and the treatments they offer.
I can't say that I can go straight into raw food, but I am now really trying to be more mindful and healthy about my eating choices. First off, I have, for the past week, been having half a lemon with warm water and salt in the morning right before breakfast -- the equivalent of the daily cleanse drink in your detox program. I think it is really helping me -- both to calm my stomach and keep my weight down. Actually, I used to do this during the time I was in India two months ago. I started it after I had a stomach problem -- a friend suggested that I drink a glass of warm lemon water everyday as it has an antibacterial effect. In fact, I never had a stomach issue after that and until I went home.
Anyways, about detoxifying, an experience I had in India was an ayurvedic consultation and massage. Ayurveda is a traditional Hindu medicine, a type of alternative medicine which focuses on a holistic approach to treating various ailments.
While I was in India and doing some yoga, I started feeling all sorts of aches and pains, and decided I needed a massage. I had heard of ayurvedic massage and wanted to try it out too, so off I went.
At the Ayurvedic clinic, I was first referred for consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor. He first took my pulse or felt my pulse -- pressing several times in my pulse area. He then took my blood pressure on both arms telling me I was bordering on high blood pressure at 132/70. I later read that one of the ways that Ayurveda diagnoses problems is through the pulse or nadi -- the others being through urine or mootra, stool or mala, tongue or jinvha, speech or shabda, touch or sparsha, vision or druk, and appearance or aakruti. This probably means that he probably also took note of how I looked.
He asked me what problems I was having and I told him about the pain in my knee and glutes -- which I think was mostly due to my over-exertions in yoga. He said I was a water type and that I had a lot of air in my blood. He said there were too many things going on in my mind and my mind was going in all directions. I actually can't argue with that diagnosis and it was perfectly true -- all of that from feeling my pulse.
He prescribed that I have a morning walk everyday as well as do pranayama or breath-control exercises everyday for 15 minutes. He showed me how it was to be done. I was first to do the anulom vilom pranayama for 10 minutes which basically goes like this: you put your right hand close to your nose, close the right nostril with your thumb, inhale through the left nostril, then close the left nostril with your middle finger, and exhale out through the right nostril this time. After this, you do the same thing, breathe in through the right nostril... and so on, alternating nostrils for the specified amount of time. After this, I was supposed to do another breathing exercise for 5 minutes called the bhramari pranayama where I touch my thumbs lightly on the inner lobe of each ear, put my index and middle finger lightly over my eyes, inhale deeply then make a throaty sound when i breathe out. For my joint pains, he prescribed an oil called dhanwantharam thailam that i should massage all over my joints and leave for an hour, before or after yoga.
Next came the massage on what looked like an ancient hardwood massage table. The doctor talked to the masseurs, two women, specifying to them what oil they should use for the massage. I was given a pretty vigorous massage by 2 sets of hands! First, a head massage with oil, then a face massage with yet more oil. Then yet more oil, warmed up and poured and rubbed all over the chest, the legs, the arms, then the back side -- every little inch covered with oil. The oil smelled nutty and warm and had the scent of curry spices. After I was fully slathered with oil, came another surprise -- steaming. I was asked to sit in a wooden steam box with only my neck and head showing through a hole -- while I could feel the warm steam opening up all my pores. This went on for 15 minutes which I presume would remove all my aches and pains. Quite heavenly unreal feeling. I was then asked to take a warm shower afterwards to wash off all the oil.
Felt super great after that! A must do in India.
Come to think of it, I haven't followed the diagnosis of the ayurvedic doctor which is probably why I am all over the place -- 3 months after. Off to do a morning walk, oops afternoon, and some pranayama then!
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| The massive wooden massage table, and one of the massage therapists (from Kerala). Looks like the brass canal at the foot of the bed is for all the oil to flow through -- lots of oil. Behind her is the steaming box. |
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| Ayurvedic Center in Green Park, New Delhi |
Here's a link to that ayurvedic place in India called Kerala Ayurveda and the treatments they offer.
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