Panchakarma : The Beginning
Puri, Chutni and Chai- Welcome to India
I woke up in Kozhikode, North Kerala on a Monday morning to a delicious breakfast, my first beloved chai, puri, bhaji and coconut sauce and have been dreaming of food ever since. I would have eaten my way to Kannur if I had known that this was the end of my culinary satisfaction, I’m drooling as I write!! I’m having medicated ghee in the morning, so appetising Devutthi covers my eyes and nose before giving it to me. 200 ml of ghee, all I can say is thank God for ginger tea. I am allowed plain rice gruel mid-morning and at 6pm.
I am hoping this snehana, (internal oleation or oiling), will be for only three days. It’s not the worst thing I’ve lived through but it’s not a pleasant experience. The first day I had 125ml, slept all morning, felt good but ravenous and at 4pm. the doctor relented and sent me to the restaurant for chappatis and potato bhaji, HEAVEN!!
Snehana day two was a different story. I swallowed 250ml of ghee and with the firm admonishment not to sleep nor leave my room but to rest I was abandoned on my bed, where it appears I will be camping for the forseeable.
The ghee made me nauseous, every smell, smoke from the furnace, herbs from the medicine factory, soap….. noxious waves of weakness assaulted me. The bitter regurgation of ghee and a heavy head finally led to an all sound, all light, all smell overload and a headache so painful I finished with earplugs, a blindfold and, figuring I wasn’t completely breaking the rules by sitting, abandoned my self to sleep.
No-one caught me sleeping and I felt better for it. 5 30am is an early start, it’s hot, humid and no aircon is allowed during snehana, so I am only sleeping 1-2 hours at a time. Tonight I will cheat, I’ll chill the room down just before bed, don’t want to chill the ghee down to solid and cause congestion, then I can cuddle my quilt and SLEEEEP.
Deu brings me my ghee and ginger tea at 6am. That cup of ghee is full! 200ml.
I spent the rest of day two trying to stay awake, reading the fabulously written The Alchemy of Desire by Tarun J Tejpal, watching re-runs of Shetland on Netflix. Then my efforts at a little gentle movement, Yoga, a walk around the building and garden, doing some washing, pranayama( yogic breathing), another walk, all of which were sanctioned, You must rest! I’m champing at the bit really, all of India is waiting to be discovered outside my window and I have had a tantalising taste on my way here!! So this is a really, really good excercise in slowing down, doing nothing and not dying of anxiety in the process.
Last night I woke twice dreaming of forgetting how to do someting essential and basic, this is the out of control anxiety from the lack of sleep, confusion and memory loss of hyperthyroidism. I’m looking forward to the dhara treatments and the real food I will have once the snehana is over and I have traversed the challenge of Vamana (therapeutic vomiting !) and Virechana, (therapeutic purge).
Kind and fun and hardworking Deu, I love you, but after today, I hope tomorrow morning will be the last time I see you coming at me with Ghee.
For more Kerala Adventures see : Tea with Tigers
PKM Hospital, Ayurvedic treatments that make me feel at home.
