Ayurveda. Kim Inglis

      

      AYURVEDA

       Asian Secrets of Wellness, Beauty and Balance

      AUTHOR KIM INGLIS

       PHOTOGRAPHER LUCA INVERNIZZI TETTONI

      TUTTLE PUBLISHING

       Tokyo • Rutland, Vermont • Singapore

      Published by Tuttle Publishing, an imprint of Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd., with editorial offices at 364 Innovation Drive, North Clarendon, Vermont 05759, USA and 61 Tai Seng Avenue, #02-12, Singapore 534167

      Text © 2009 Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd

      Photos © 2009 Luca Invernizzi Tettoni

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from the publisher.

      ISBN: 978-1-4629-0701-4 (ebook)

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      CONTENTS

      Ancient Wisdoms, Today’s Practices 6

      wellness 18

      Abhyangam:—Traditional Ayurvedic Massage 20

      Chavitti Thirumal: Pressure Point Massage with Feet 23

      Hot Stone Abhyangam 24

      Marma Massage:—Pressure Point Massage 25

      Champi:—Indian Head Massage 26

      Udwarthanam:—Dry Massage with Herbal Powder 27

      Sirodhara:—Oiling the Third Eye 28

      Vasthi: The Medicated Enema 32

      Unani: An Holistic Graeco-Arab Medical System 36

      Siddha: Tamil Herbal Healing 38

      Soba Rig-pa: Traditional Tibetan Medicine 42

      Panchakarma: Ayurvedic Revitalization 46

      Mud Therapy 50

      Ksheera Dhooma: Medicated Milk Steam 52

      Netra Tarpanam: Vasthi Therapy for the Eyes 53

      Kizhi Therapy:—The Hot Herbal Pouch 54

      beauty 58

      Ayurvedic Facial Care 60

      Hand Care 68

      Foot Care 70

      Hair Care 72

      The Art of Mehndi 76

      Body Wraps 78

      Body Scrubs and Polishes 82

      Water Therapies 86

      Rasashastra:—Healing with Gems, Crystals, Metals and Minerals 94

      balance 98

      Yoga 100

      Amulya Uphar:—Lazy Man’s Yoga 112

      Pranayama:—Therapeutic Breathing Exercises 114

      Meditation 118

      Chakra Therapy 126

      appendix 130

      Nattu Vaidya:—The Barefoot Doctor 132

      Healing Plants 136

      Ayurvedic Preparations 142

      Listings 144

      ancient wisdoms,

       today’s practices

      At no time in the history of the planet have India’s stress-busting, all-encompassing therapies had more importance. While we strive to improve material gains, we often neglect the spiritual, the physical and the mental. However, with stressful lifestyles taking their toll, taking time out to concentrate on ourselves is no longer a treat — it’s a necessity. This is where India’s age-old traditional practices come in.

      Whether you travel to India to visit a spa, to try to “find yourself”, to experience some medical care, or to spend some relaxing time with friends or family, you are almost certain to come across some of these ancient practices. Even though the country is modernizing at a rapid rate, everyone — on some level or another — is tied to its deep-rooted traditions.

      Ancient Healing

      Many of these age-old traditions are explored in this book. We get to the core of the country’s medical systems — Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha — and explore its history of herbal healing and ancient beauty procedures. The mind, body, spirit practices of yoga, meditation and pranayama are showcased in depth, while related cultural phenomena such as temple and household habits and gemology are also considered. Some of these ideas will be familiar to readers, others will be totally new. We’ll take you through the myriad of wonders that has emerged from this extraordinary, exotic subcontinent, all the while explaining how past wisdom has relevance in today’s world.

      Ayurveda and yoga are probably the most well known of the ancient modalities outside India — and both seek to encompass much more than physical wellbeing. They are covered in depth in the ancient texts or Vedas and there are countless written instructions for both. Even though they weren’t traditionally practiced together, today they are finding synergy. “What’s interesting about India’s systems,” explains one Ayurvedic physician, “is that they often incorporate more than one regime. Methods of healing like Ayurveda include