At the spa at Udaivilas, a beautiful resort on the shore of Lake Pichola in Udaipur, one of three Ayurvedic powders or choornam are used: the popular triphala choornam or three fruit powder, a powder composed from Terminalia chebula or Terminalia bellaruca, or kola kula thadhi choornam, made from a variety of pulses and herbs. The massage is quite rough and the powder enters the superficial bloodstream, but also enters nasally as it flies about in the air. This cleanses the internal system too. Afterwards, the client is encouraged to spend 10 minutes in the steam room and further massage any residual powder into the skin. As sweating occurs, toxins are released through the skin’s pores, and the skin is left feeling soft, extremely smooth and rejuvenated.
Another place that offers udwarthanam is Soukya International Holistic Health Center. Here it is prescribed for guests who are obese and the powders are prepared on site. They differ from patient to patient, but may contain vacha (Acorus calamus) to alleviate swelling, the Ayurvedic all-round wonder fruit amalaki or Indian Gooseberry (Emblica officinalis), green gram powder and/or basil. All the herbs are washed, cut into small pieces, dried and pulverized on site to make either a fine or coarse powder, which is then strewn on to the body and massaged in by two therapists simultaneously.
Some of the powders used at Udaivilas; they contain what doctors call madagna properties that reduce fat and help clear blockages.
Two therapists at Soukya massage a client with powder made on site. Udwarthanam is also useful as a depilatory because the short, sharp rubs tend to pluck hairs from the roots.
sirodhara Oiling the Third Eye
Surprisingly, sirodhara is the most widespread Ayurvedic therapy offered at spas outside India. Why this is the case is unclear, as it is not prescribed for many ailments in a clinical environment. It invariably comes top of the Ayurvedic menu, and even spas without an Ayurvedic department offer bastardized versions. Many people have tried it, and even if they haven’t, they will almost certainly have heard of it.
Coming from siro (“head”) and dhara (“pouring of herbal liquids on specific body parts”), sirodhara denotes the continuous pouring of herbal oils, milk, buttermilk or ghee over the head and scalp. The patient lies on his or her back on a wooden treatment table, cocooned in warm towels, while a therapist trains a steady rhythmic stream of warm liquid from a perforated vessel made of clay, wood or metal on to the forehead. The table is made from one of seven therapeutic woods and is designed to catch the oil for recycling on the same client.
Oil stroking the “third eye” has a balancing effect on the deepest recesses of the brain and is profoundly relaxing. In Ayurveda, it is seen as a stimulating procedure for the nervous system and is prescribed for bringing down aggravated vata conditions such as insomnia, headache, insecurity, fear and nervous strain. Irritable pitta predominant people with overactive minds can experience a cooling, calming benefit from a session or two and kaphas often fall asleep. Used in conjunction with other therapies, sirodhara has been practiced for thousands of years to treat many and varied conditions such as ear, nose and throat disturbances, glandular problems, psychiatric disorders, hypertension, skin diseases, facial paralysis and more. During a session, the nervous system unwinds, busy brains become clear, and tired bodies are refreshed.
In a clinical environment, the choice of liquid and duration of treatment varies according to the individual. Vata patients are generally prescribed medicated herbal oil, pitta types receive herbal milk, ghee or coconut oil, and buttermilk is often recommended for kapha patients. Ancient texts denote 53 minutes for vatas, 43 minutes for pitas and 31 minutes for kaphas! It is suggested the best time to receive sirodhara is early in the morning for a period of 21 consecutive days, depending on the client. A variation of sirodhara is deha-dhara, where two to four therapists pour a continuous flow of oil over the entire body.
Beautifully carved beds are usually made from one piece of wood, often neem, and are designed so that oil flows through a drainage channel and is captured in a wooden bowl for re-use.
The Charaka Samhita specifies seven types of wood for an Ayurvedic bed or patti with the emphasis being on the wood having no joins. Because of the quality of the wood, beds are often works of art in themselves; often inlaid with copper or tin inserts, the more elaborate ones have evocative carvings as well.
At Quan spa in the JW Marriott Mumbai, oil at a sirodhara session is forced to flow back over the forehead down to the bed with the fastening of a piece of cloth just below the “third eye”.
The palatial surrounds of Neemrana Fort Palace’s courts and halls are highly conducive to healing. Here, a therapist trains the flow of oil on to the forehead of a client.
vasthi The Medicated Enema
To most Westerners the subject of enemas is one to be avoided, at best; subjected to, at worst. This probably stems from an innate squeamishness, but, be that as it may, the insertion into the anus, urinary organs and genitals of various kinds of enemas such as water, medicated and nonmedicated oils and milks, and herbal decoctions is an integral part of Ayurvedic practice. This is because Ayurveda states that the status of the alimentary canal and other internal organs is of vital importance to one’s overall health.
Vasthi (basti) is the word for a medicated enema, and in Ayurveda vasthi involves the introduction of herbal and medicinal concoctions in a liquid medium into and also on to the body. Sites where vasthi may be administered therefore also include external areas such as the eyes, lower back, head and the chest region. It is believed that these medicinal vasthi remove wastes and toxins from the body (either internally or externally), balance the functions of the doshas, provide nourishment and raise the body’s mmunity.
Vasthi is most effective in the treatment of vata disorders, although many enemas over a prescribed period of time are usually required. There are different types of vasthi given for many vastly differing ailments, including constipation, chronic fever, cold, sexual disorders, kidney stones, heart pain, backache, sciatica and other pains in the joints. Many other vata disorders such as arthritis, rheumatism, gout, muscle spasms and headaches may also be treated with the varying vasthi.
After a doughnut-style mix of gram flour and water is placed on the lower back and deemed watertight, warmed medicated oil is poured into the “container”. It is left to seep into the client’s sacrolumbar region or “foment” as Ayurvedic physicians call it.
The nurturing Ayurvedic Penthouse at the Oriental Spa in Bangkok offers a number of vasthi treatments including hrid or