Panchakarama to cleanse your body & mind

Panchakarma is a pivotal component of Ayurvedic treatment in Sri Lanka. This ancient technique is the ultimate mind-body healing experience that is useful to detoxify the body, restore balance and well-being and boost the immune system.

According to Ayurveda, our health depends upon our ability to metabolize various aspects of our life – to assimilate the good and eliminate toxic components. Improper digestion of food, experiences and emotions leads to a buildup of toxins in our body, which affects our health.

Panchakarma is used to cleanse and rejuvenate the body through a series of individualized therapeutic treatments that clear ama (toxins) and excess doshas (subtle energies) from the body. This helps to restore our body’s healing ability, and plays an important role of Ayurveda in Sri Lanka. Panchakarma is particularly useful to treat chronic illnesses such as arthritis, allergies, chronic fatigue syndrome and migraines. It can also increase mindfulness and inner peace.

There are three main stages of Panchakarma:

PRE – PANCHAKARMA

This set of therapies, called Purvakarma, helps to loosen toxins and poisonous substances from tissues, releasing them into the blood stream and collecting them into the gastrointestinal tract. This is done by using special diets; oil massages (Snehana) and steam therapy (Swedna). In addition, lifestyle modifications such as isolation, meditation, yoga and reduction of sensory inputs are a part of this process.

PANCHAKARMA

This treatment is used to remove the accumulated toxins from the gastrointestinal tract and body. Special therapies such as nasal cleaning (Naysa), purgation (Virechana), enemas (Basti) and emesis (Vamana) are used to remove toxins. These therapies are specific to remove toxins from particular dosha zones or related diseases. For example: Naysa removes toxins from the Kapha dosha zone, Virechna from Pitta and Basti from Vata.

POST – PANCHAKARMA

Following the main Panchakarma treatments, there are a few therapies that assist with the rebuilding process of the body. This includes a graduated diet (Samsarajana Karma), prescribed daily routine (Dinacharya), and rejuvenative therapy (Rasayanas) using herbal and mineral formulas.

A minimum of two – three weeks of Panchakarma is a common practice for severe medical conditions at many Ayurveda treatment centers. It can take up to three months to gain the full potential of Panchakarma so it is important to continue Post – Panchakarma therapies even after your Ayurveda treatment in Sri Lanka.