Ayurveda-
- I like what it means "Life Knowledge"
-I like that its roots are Indian and that our Sages discovered this Life
Knowledge and practised what they discovered.
-I like the disciplines that they imposed on themselves , giving them
prowess over their minds and bodies.
- They were willing to share this knowledge and took disciples; but only if
they were convinced of a level of commitment.
I am not one of them . I do however look for opportunities where I can partake
in some of the practices.
The sages spent a lifetime in pursuit of life knowledge.
A week was
all I could afford of both time and money at Carnoustie - An Ayurveda and
Wellness Spa Resort near Kochi.
“Spa” these days is a very loosely used word...there are no Beauty
Parlours, no Hair Cutting salons.. they are all “spas” .
Every hotel boasts of
one... Carnoustie has fallen into the same trap.. ....and I wish they would
remove that part from their name...and leave it as an Ayurveda Wellness Resort
which it definitely is.
Staying here I discovered many things about myself.
Firstly I think I like luxury..no no scratch that I know I Love luxury.
Luxury means different things to different people.. opulence, extravagance, or for some never
having to get up to fetch a glass of water for themselves.
For Calvin Klein and myself Space is
the pre requisite
-30 cottages in 30 acres of land..with one side of the the 30 acres ending
at the Arabian Sea.
The Beach was exclusive to the residents of Carnoustie
-A cottage with an emperor sized bed, a seating area and a bath, in just
under 2000sq ft
-A deck with a lounger, overlooking an expanse of green. The odd bird would
come and
perch on the railing for a while, not find you
of much interest and fly away.
A paddle pool...to cool off...
parts.
The Birds were attracted to my Orange Shoelaces ....Briefly
- And yes Cleopatra bathed with Asses Milk, but my bath had rose petals.
The walk to the beach was past a Spice Garden.
A walk to any place...the dining area, the yoga centre, the swimming pool was through forests of varieties of palms,
birds of paradise and orchids in potted plants tied to the barks of trees.
I was always able to find my way to my cottage. It was the only one with
two champa trees growing side by side ..one with white flowers and the other
with red.
Carnoustie has two full time Ayurveda doctors and an Allopathic medical practitioner..all
of whom live on the premises.
I was examined by the Ayurveda one who analysed me as a combination of ”Pitha’ and “Kapha”
The intrinsic composition of the”
Pitha”is : Bold, Aggressive (not true for me)Intelligent, Witty
adventurous( yeah..could me)
Kapha: is friendly, calm, dependable ,honest and joyful.
The doctor and I both agreed that I am 60 (Kapha) and 40 (Pitha) .
The
treatments... massages, and a vegetarian diet was prescribed accordingly.
Yoga was at 7.am and at 5.pm.
I was told to attend both sessions..and
assigned to a level just above beginners.
The breathing and the balance
positions is what kept me above the beginners level. The stretching to clasp
your feet with your head on your knees and the Surya Namaskar is what brought
my grades down.
This was the life knowledge for me.
I lost ½ Kg in weight and a few
frown lines.
It was great...and I will put Carnoustie into my budget to go back.
