I am in picturesque Vermont!  It is my first time here, and with the Fall foliage turning such beautiful colors, it is an ideal place to be.

I’m here for a Panchakarma program.  The word panchakarma means five actions and refers to five procedures intended to intensively cleanse and restore balance to the body, mind, and emotions.  Some of you may recall that I did a Panchakarma program in India with Dr. Vasant Lad last year.  Allison Morse, the Ayurveda doctor and owner of The Ayurvedic Center of Vermont (where I am right now) was trained by and worked with Dr. Lad for a number of years.  The center's therapists are also Dr. Lad followers and students of his.

You may be curious as to why I would need an intensive cleanse when I follow a mostly healthy vegetarian diet, do yoga practices daily and already have been on an Ayurveda health routine of herbs and supplements for nearly five years now.  You may also wonder why I need another cleanse after having one last year in India.  Both are good questions.

While I try to eat a very healthy diet, I cannot control the environmental impacts of air quality, nutrients or lack of nutrients in the food I eat due to the soils the food was grown in, noise pollution that I often encounter, or emotions that may be negative.  Emotions such as anger, annoyance and frustration, sadness, fear, guilt and disappointment have all made their way into my psyche throughout the year.  My response to these emotions is very slowly improving, but it is a daily struggle and practice.  Some situations put my emotions in what feel like tight knots inside my body.  My digestion and sleep are both negatively affected.

Emotions are highly impactful on the body’s nervous system, which then affects all other systems in the body. My emotions are less extreme than they once were, and some emotions I’ve listed only appeared on a few occasions, but nonetheless, they did appear.

All this to say, the balancing that will be the result of Panchakarma treatments will be very beneficial.

I can’t say enough positive about this Ayurvedic Center of Vermont experience.  The staff are gentle, kind, skilled, highly educated, and proficient in their services. The accommodations are fantastic, and I feel so at home in the tastefully and comfortably decorated yellow house.  The sun room/dining area where I now sit to write this blog, overlooks a lush backyard with beautiful trees, bright red sumac, a lovely flower garden, brick patio and birds, bunnies and squirrels in abundance.  It is a magical place. 

The kitchen, yoga room, library and each of the cozy, spacious bedrooms have views of the beautiful, natural setting.  I’m able to spend time reading, hiking, meditating, chanting, contemplating and enjoying the quiet beauty of the nature around me. I've also met interesting and lovely people since I arrived. I am so grateful to have found this place and highly recommend anyone interested in Ayurveda healing treatments to consider coming here.  They have weekend ojas/energy building retreats and many other services besides the Panchakarma that I am doing.  Even if you know nothing about Ayurveda, but you know you need to recharge and relax, this would be a perfect place.

Their Abhyanga massages and Shirodhara (warm oil streamed on the forehead/third eye) are so relaxing and rejuvenating - heavenly! Everyone would benefit from these treatments.   The treatments are done at the Center, less than a minute walk from the yellow house, in an historic building with beauty, charm and a special healing energy.

Those who follow Ayurveda in India do cleanses twice a year - in the Spring and in the Fall.  It is a regular routine for them to maintain good health.  In Thailand, pretty much everyone regularly gets Thai massage; in some parts of Europe regular salt baths are part of the health routine.  Many other countries do some type of yearly treatments as a typical maintenance for their bodies.  In the West, we have Spring cleaning for our homes but there is no annual health routine that I am aware of.  For me, I’m so grateful to have discovered and had the opportunity to participate in this once a year cleanse which will not only balance my body, mind and spirit but will also give me more energy to meet the days ahead with joy and peace in my heart. 

​I am deeply grateful to the wonderful staff here and the equally wonderful accommodations.  What a blessing!

​Namaste
Loving Life and Living Love,
Mary
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