Ayurveda. Kim Inglis
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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 uro vasthi, an effective therapy for complaints of the heart and respiratory organs. Warm medicated oil, chosen according to the client’s complaint and doshic imbalance, foments on the chest area for 40 minutes or so.
A Keralan therapist at the atmospheric Ayurmana facility at Kumarakom Lake Resort pours warm medicated oil on to the skull of a client. Prior to this therapy, which is thought to relieve stress and regulate brain function, it is recommended the head be shaved.
Vasthi is one of the five main procedures of the famous (or infamous) panchakarma therapy (see page 46), but it may also be used in localized areas for neck complaints (greva vasthi), knee joint conditions (janu vasthi) and heart disease or asthma and respiratory diseases (hrid or uro vasthi). In Indian spas, a couple of vasthi therapies are offered for one-off “try-outs”:
Siro Vasthi
Usually offered for conditions such as facial paralysis, depression, insomnia, dryness of nostrils, mouth and throat illnesses and severe headaches, siro vasthi is on some Indian spa menus as a relaxing, stress-relieving and hair-conditioning therapy. Siro vasthi (siro means “head”) involves the application of lukewarm herbal oils poured into a cap fitted on the head for any time between 15 to 60 minutes. The oils are left to stagnate on the scalp for the time required; according to one’s dosha, current imbalances and/or medical conditions, medicated herbs will have been added to the oil. An antioxidant medicated oil called dhan wantharam that contains 28 herbs and an earthy fragrance is often used as it has rich pain-relieving properties.
Kathi Vasthi
A vasthi treatment that concentrates on the sacro-lumbar region of the back (kathi), this is a curative treatment useful for lower back problems. It is also used for complaints that affect the abdomen, such as irritable bowel syndrome, endometriosis, menstrual and urinary tract disorders. It involves the pouring of warm medicated oil into an enclosed area of the lower back, created with a reservoir of dough (see right).
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