Ayurvedic experience with Bharti Vyas by Denise Hall, FFHT, FICHT

Denise Hall, joint-coordinator of Sheffield LSG, provides a personal account of her visit to India to experience the Somatheeram Ayurvedic Health Resort. Every year around the beginning of February, Bharti Vyas, Vice-president of the FHT, organises a nine-day visit to the Somatheeram Ayurvedic Health Resort in Kerala for a small group of therapists, clients, and friends. I was lucky enough to join the group this year, which consisted of nine people including Bharti and her husband, Raja. Bharti made everyone feel very

welcome and saw to all our requirements, ensuring that we had excellent

accommodation and treatments. She was even there to greet me at my unearthly arrival of 3.30am from Manchester with a garland of flowers and a coconut drink, and had kindly made arrangements for me to use a room until my own was vacant. Nothing was a problem for her and she sorted out any query with absolute efficiency, which made for a very relaxing stay, as you really didn’t have to worry about anything but just going along with the flow. Somatheeram Ayurvedic Health Resort is renowned worldwide for its ayurvedic treatments and also has a hospital attached to the clinic. The resort is set on the southern tip of India in Kerala, which means ‘land of the coconuts’ and of which there is an abundance. The gardens of Somatheeram wander down a hill towards the sea, through a variety of tropical trees, flowers and shrubs of amazing colours. The beach is long and sandy with surf crashing

Denise with Bharti

Somatheeram Ayurvedic Health Resort

down, through which the fishermen launch their roughly made boats. It was fascinating watching them in a long line hauling their nets in from the sea onto the beach, before auctioning off their catch to a surrounding crowd of potential buyers. At the clinic, everyone in the group was allocated therapists and given two hours of treatments everyday. Doctors carried out a thorough consultation to work out your Dosha (body type and temperament) before the treatments commenced, taking into consideration any medical problems. The treatments were then organised according to your problems and Dosha. Most of the treatments were different types of massage, usually with two therapists who worked in synchronisation, using herbal powder, rice or warm oils. Sometimes the massage was performed by the therapist using their feet very skilfully, which helped to find all those painful knots. The most relaxing and hypnotic was the Shirodhara - ‘shira’ means ‘head’ and ‘dhara’ means ‘the continuous flow of liquid’. Warm herbal oils were dripped onto the forehead from an earthenware container, which was hanging from above. This was so relaxing that it usually sent one off into a drowsy state. A diet sheet, according to one’s Dosha, was given to everyone and you were recommended to try and follow it, as the right food is important to obtain the correct balance in the body. The food was mainly vegetarian but it was all delicious, skilfully cooked, and with all sorts of unusual ingredients. The only

downside was that you were also prescribed various ‘medicines’ to take before and after, which you had to quickly swallow down with the ‘medicine’ water. Alcohol was not forbidden but you were strongly advised to drink only herbal water and juices, and smoking was also not forbidden but strongly advised against. Most of the group were determined to concentrate on their diet, because - if followed - there was a strong possibility of weight loss. In fact, I lost threes kilograms and several others lost the same amount. We did

not starve but ate sensibly with wholesome, fresh food. The fruit was very fresh and tasted completely different from supermarket-bought fruit. There was also the possibility of joining yoga and meditation classes, which were held outside overlooking the sea. In the evening, there were different forms of entertainment, including dancing, music, fire eating and rope dancing. There were also lots of shopping opportunities outside the resort where tailors could make items of clothing at very reasonable prices, or you could buy amazing jewellery, shoes and pashminas.

Eating together in the evenings

At the end of the nine days, we all looked and felt much better; we were fitter, more relaxed, and ready to face our daily lives at home, albeit wishing we could come back every year.

Idyllic accommodation in Kerala