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06. CULTURE |
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Yoga Ayurveda |
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If advances in western sciences and technology have brought corresponding
revolutions in agriculture and medicine, they have also resulted in
widespread acknowledgement of many unpleasant side-effects. Small
wonder then that the world now is looking back to nature and traditional
systems of healing. And to India, Yoga became a New Age cult in the
1960s and 70s following a visit by the Beatles to Maharishi Mahesh
Yogi’s ashram in Rishikesh. In the East yoga stands for a way
of life that takes the soul to freedom from the cycle of death and
rebirth, balancing the individual karma; in the West its popularized
avatar is that with potential to heal and preserve health, both mental
and physical. |
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Apart from proposing a spiritual outlook and detachment
from excess, the sage Patanjali, writing his Yoga Sutra
over 2000 years ago, advocated the adoption of aseries
of physical postures and asanas. These were to be supplemented
on the one hand by regard for hygiene and personal grooming,
and on the other by meditation and controlled breathing
(pranayama). Together, he postulates an ashtanga (eight-fold)
system of self-control and enlightenment. Essentially
yoga calms and focuses the mind, improves circulation
and respiration, relaxes both nerves and muscles, and
stimulates glandular functions. Its modern revival owes
much to the likes of Sri Ramakrishna PAramhans and his
disciple Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo and Sri Ramana
Maharishi.
Asana Ashrama
Today, despite the proliferation of yogic schools in
Europe and the US, Rishikesh remains the yoga capital
of the world, hosting an International Yoga Week every
February. While yoga ashrams and spas abound in this
town, the one resonatingly named Ananda in the Himalayas
is justly famous. A full-fledged spa with arrange of
wellness programmes, it offers stress management and
sanjeevini (rejuvenation) packages in addition to ‘plain
vanilla’ yoga. If you can’t find a room here,
there’s also the Yoga Study Centre, Sivananda Ashram,
Yoga Niketan Ashram and Sri Ved Niketan Ashram.
Other options for a yoga holiday in India include Span
Resorts in Manali, Kalmatia Sangam Himalayan Resort
in Almoro, Himalayan Iyengar Yoga Centres in Dharamsala
and Arambol, the famed Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry,
Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari Ashram in Kerala,
Vivekananda Centre in Banglore, Ashtanga Yoga Nilayam
in Mysore, Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai
and Ramamani Iyengar Momorail Yoga Institute in Pune.
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If you’re advised not to risk
the asanas for fear of further injury by instructors
at ashrams, pay heed. It is always preferable to study
with a trained adept rather than DIY with a book, though
the manuals available from various centres (such as
the Sivananda Centres, Aurobindo Ashrams, and Ramakrishna
Missions) are handy for a refresher course n correct
technique.
On the other hand, if the contortions prove too strenuous
for you, meditation is still for you. The Vipassana
International Acedemy (Dhammagiri) in Igatputri, Maharashtra
is one place you could head for. Others are The International
Meditation centre in McLeodganj, the Osho International
Commune in Pune, the Chinmaya Mission in Mumbai and
the Art of Living Ashram in Banglore.
Ancient Ayurveda
Ayurveda is an ancient rejuvenation system that Southern
India has been particularly successful in transplanting
to contemporary times. Relying on the healing powers
of herbs and natural foods, Ayurveda treats the body
as a conglomeration of three humours-vata (air), pitta
(bile) and kapha (mucus). An imbalance in the humours
produces variously a mercurial, choleric or phlegmatic
temperament as also various ailments. In addition, each
person is considered to be prone to a specific set of
health concerns given their predominant humour. Said
to have been brought to the human race (with Maharishi
Atreya as it representative) by the divine twin physicians
called the Ashiwinikumaras, the first knowledge of Ayurveda
is attributed to the Creator Brahma himself.
Of course, this 4000-year-old holistic science is practiced
throughout India today, but the Kerala methods are the
most popular with the current generation. Founded on
medical text Ashtangabridaya, written by the Buddhist
physician Vaghbata, Kerala
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Ayurveda specializes
in the therapeutic use of herbal essential oils for inhalation,
application and massage. On the whole, however, it is a five-pronged
method (panchakarma), calling upon the benefits of medicinal
oils, herbs, milk,massage and a special diet. As with all Ayurveda,
the goal is not simply to heal but to maintain health.
This is achieved through an understanding of Swastha (health),
an understanding of one’s own nature with its perculiar
abilities, sensitivities, and limitations. Following up on this
self-awareness, it advocates physical, mental and spiritual
discipline. Ayurvedic Theraphy is predicated on the belief that
as we are one with nature, the solution to any ailment that
may manifest itself in the body lies in nature itself. Thus
its medicines are drawn from nature-herbal, animal, mineral-so
as to combine with the natural secretions of the body seamlessly.
The famed Kairali Oil Massage is only one medium of transferring
their goodness. Others are powders, juice extracts, pastes,
decoctions, smoke (as from incense), infusions and fermentations-all
which may be inhaled, drunk, eaten or absorbed.
While Kerala abound in Ayurvedic resorts (especially Kovalam
and Thiruvananthapuram), particularly stellar are those earmarked
‘Green Leaf’ or ‘Olive Leaf’ by the government.
In Kochi, there is Tamara Spa; an and around Thiruvananthapuram
are Somatheeram, Travancore Heritage, Poovar Island Resort,
Surya Samudra Beach Garden and Coconut Bay; around Kumarakom
or Alleppey are Coconut Lagoon, Kayaloram Lake Resort and Keraleeyam;
near Calicut are Taj Ayurveda Centre and Kadavu Riverside Resort;
in Palakkad there is the Kairali Ayurvedic Health Resort (branches
in Delhi and Khajuraho) and in Kovalam the Somatheeram Ayurvedic
Resort. In Banglore, try Aayurgram, Soukya or the Leela Palace. |
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