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Ayurveda’s
5,000 year old wisdom gives us great insight into purification and
healing. Purification is the process of
eliminating imbalances from the past, which cause the current
unbalanced condition. One of the basic laws of
Ayurveda is that when one or another of the forces of nature becomes
disturbed through excess or deficiency, disease is established. We must reverse
this process -- re-establish the balance of the natural forces -- to regain
our health. This technique is called Pancha Karma and is a
process of eliminating toxins from the body through
the digestive tract. Pancha Karma
not only accelerates restoration of physical and mental health, but
also makes
the material foundation for spiritual progress.
There are many purification systems in the world, but Pancha Karma is one of the most gentle,
effective, and efficient methods of detoxification.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Digestion is probably the most important process that our body performs.
During Pancha Karma (and one week after that)
you will be on a special diet consisting primarily of grains and
vegetables. Also, we will make sure that
you are digesting your food properly by supplementing your diet with
digestive herbs. The second most important body
process is elimination, so you will take elimination formula every
evening to ensure proper bowel movement the next day.
Between the days 3-5 the body will be internally and externally oleated in
order to loosen toxins in the body and bring them to the digestive tract.
The internal oleation is in the form of medicated ghee consumption. The
medicated ghee is prepared by the practitioner, and consumed by the client
in the morning of the days 3, 4, and 5. The external oleation (also on days 3-5) is done by gently massaging warm
constitutionally appropriate oil into the skin and followed by
fomentation (heat application) by either hot towel treatment or a bath.
Fomentation opens the channels and brings the
toxins out. On day 6, you will take
purgation formula and eliminate all the toxins that were brought into
the digestive tract during the cleanse. On day 7 you will rest, relax and
start rebuilding your digestive fire and rejuvenate your system. The
rejuvenation process will take at least one week.
NECESSARY COMPONENTS
First of all you must have motivation to regain your health. Then, you must
have commitment to the process set by the practitioner. Severe
consequences might appear if on the day of purgation you don’t follow
the exact guidelines set by the practitioner. Pancha Karma is a
delicate art as well as science and is precisely individualized for
each health seeker. You must be willing to set aside
time when your primary focus will be on healing even though you
will be able to participate in your day to day activities during most
of the cleanse (it’s not a good idea to do Pancha Karma during a deadline week
or any other stressful period). You should
create a peaceful and quiet environment with minimum stress so as to
free up as much energy as possible for healing.
Purification, under the best of circumstances, is not a simple
process. Pancha Karma can be difficult. One does not heal without
struggle. Also, you must have the patience to go through the process of reversing
the disease. Sometimes old symptoms will reappear or symptoms will appear to be worse.
Frequently, there will be a feeling of crisis. There are all
positive signs, as they show that the actual physical, psychological, and spiritual disorders are
being dealt with.
TIMING
Even though our Pancha Karma is scheduled for one week, you still will need
another week to recover and follow recommended diet.
Make sure that day 6 (the Purgation Day) is on the weekend or other day
that you don’t have to (and won’t be able to) work. Don’t
schedule anything for that day. It’s important that this day is
dedicated to resting. The first 5 days are preparatory and it’s the time when toxins
are loosened and moved from the organs and cells throughout the body into
the digestive tract. On day 6, the toxins are
eliminated from the body and then the body is rejuvenated. Pancha
Karma can be done whenever necessary to cleanse the body or as a general practice in the fall to prepare for
winter or in the spring to prepare for the summer.
It’s not advisable to do it during hot summer or very cold
winter. Also, Pancha Karma cannot be done during
menstruation. The best time to start Pancha Karma for women is right after a menstruation, since the body
already went through a natural process of gentle cleansing.
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