After an Ashtanga Yoga class, treat yourself to an Ayurvedic massage. Find peace of body and soul through the age-old knowledge of Āyurveda — and, for the ladies, the option of beauty treatments.
What Āyurveda offers
Āyurveda — “the knowledge of life” — is the traditional medicine of India, the world’s oldest therapeutic system, drawn from the Veda (over 5000 years of unbroken knowledge). A holistic approach to the being, it seeks to restore the balance of the organism (body, mind, spirit) through oils, plants and minerals.
“Every illness is a step towards healing, every pain an attuning with nature towards the good… It is God’s secret, which only souls purified of selfishness can understand.”
Sri Aurobindo
Panchakarma, the five cleansing steps
- Snehana: taking ghī (clarified butter).
- Virechana: a gentle purge, often neem-oil based.
- Swedhana: sweating, in a mild steam bath (≈ 40 °C).
- Basti: a gentle colon enema.
- Abhyanga: various warm-oil massages.
Massages according to Vata, Pitta and Kapha
- Abhyanga: full-body oil massage.
- Udvartana: detoxifying chickpea-flour massage.
- Pinda sveda: massage with poultices of herbs or milk-rice, to stimulate the elimination of toxins.
- Pichauli: four-handed warm-oil massage.
- Padaghat: deep massage done with the masseur’s feet.
- Pizzichili: a bath of warm oils on a special table.
- Shirodhara (from shira, the forehead, and dhara, the flow): warm oil is slowly poured over the forehead — a state of deep relaxation that clears and calms the mind.
Duration: from ¾ h to 2 h depending on the treatment; a course runs from 3 days to 4 weeks.
Our partners in Mahābalipuram
Massage — Krishna Kumar, at the Greenwoods Hotel (Othavadai Cross Street) · ayurkrishna2005@yahoo.com · 2000 to 3000 rupees depending on the treatment (course packages).
Ayurvedic consultation — Dr Arathi, Sri Durga, 36 Othavadai Street (next to Moonrakers), 1st floor · consultation 200 rupees.
Beauty treatments — Mrs Jessy Ravi, The Mayuri Ayurvedic Massage & Beauty Parlour, 5 Othavadai Street · 250 to 2000 rupees depending on the treatment.
