I arrived in Delhi on the November 20th after a great flight on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. The first leg from JFK to Amsterdam was only 6 1/2 hours. We had a strong tailwind. I did not get to see much of Amsterdam since it was 6 am and still dark. It was pouring when we first arrived but lessened so grabbed a train from  the airport to the city. It was only a 10 min trip. Having left my jacket is a storage locker at the airport, it was too cold to explore the city and drizzling rain. I did notice a great many bicycles in and around the train station indicating that most people must travel without polluting the city. I have a longer layover on my return trip so hope to get into the heart of the city which I hear is incredible. The second leg to Delhi was another 7hr 45min which really broke the flight up much better than my previous trips. Spent one night in Delhi getting my land legs back again. There we were met driver to take us by car from Delhi to Rishikesh which was 8 hours. It was the worst part of the trip The roads in India are not that great and the traffic can be difficult at best. I will travel by train from Delhi from now on. I have a client who has traveled with me this time to receive Pancha Karma. It is her first trip to India so she is very excited to be here as am I. She returns to US on Nov 17th but I stay here until Jan 8th. I will traveling to several locations in country by train and plane. I go to Varanasi, a city that is considered to be the oldest in the world. I plan to be there for more than two weeks doing research and talking with Professors at Banares Hinduu University. I have a client who was born there and his parents still live there. He has lined me up with a friend to show me around the city and arranged for me to stay at the University. I then head to the southern most tip of India to see my spiritual teacher, Ammachi. I will be there for my birthday and the New Year. Then back up north near the Himalayas for a Yoga conference, Jan 2-5. I return on Jan 8th to US.

I have already received 12 of my 14 days of PK in Rishikesh, the birthplace of Ayurveda. This is the third trip here for these ancient cleansing and rejuvenation techniques. These treatments are performed for the prevention of disease and to promote longevity. It is the primary objective of Ayurveda to offer preventive measures to dis-ease. The second goal is to return the person to health if they experience illness and disorder in the doshas. It is recommended that we do PK two times a year for either three days minimum to as long as a month depending on the condition of the person and their constitutional make-up at the time. I received thirty days of treatment the first trip and two weeks this trip and the last time I was here. I have received Ayurvedic warm oil massage and steam everyday. The only problem here is that you go into withdrawal after two weeks of these amazing therapies. Each time I do PK the cleansing seems to go deeper into the tissues, organs and cells. Every person has their own journey to health and wholeness. For me this time, in addition to the physical benefits which I will discuss later, I am experiencing more emotional release than any other time. Some deep emotions have surfaced from the unconscious for me to look at and resolve within myself. I had forgotten about most of these things but I am once again reminded that we must resolve each feeling and emotion or it will get locked in the tissues and organs of the body/mind. I am grateful that Ayurveda is helping me detox at all levels of consciousness.
I have received two new treatments this trip as a part of my individualized program. Keep in mind here that these are not for everyone to receive and I actually volunteered for one of them which no one has done here at the clinic. I received Uttara Basti which rejuvenates the prostate and the urinary bladder. It is excellent treatment for benign prostatitis(inflammation) which 60% of men have over the age of 60. It is therapy for excessive, difficult urination and incontinence. I immediately noticed the next day that my urination decreased in frequency and urgency. The female therapy for Uttara Basti is medicated, herbal douching.
For Pitta related blood disorders, infectious disease, sciatica, back pain and stagnant blood, Rakta Moksha is the primary method of treatment. This is blood letting of only 10 to 100 ccs which is much less than a pint of blood. I volunteered for using medical leeches for this therapy. This is a very ancient method of cleansing but continues to be used in many modern hospitals in the US for microsurgery and infectious diseases. This was an amazing experience to have done and the results have been remarkable. I have had numbness in my right foot and ankle for years but after one treatment and five leeches later I can actually feel the blood flowing into that area again. I also had what is called a frozen left knee for several years due to a pinched nerve in my left sacroiliac nerve. This area is also almost free of all numbness as a result of the treatments. The leech pricks the surface of the skin, very gently I might add, coagulates the blood so that the impurities are removed into their body and they secrete in their saliva enzymes that increase the circulation of blood in the areas where administered. My sciatic numbness has also decreased in both legs and back since my treatment yesterday and today. I am looking forward to the next treatment and will keep you posted on the results. Even though Ayurveda and PK is generally a very gentle process based on each person’s receptivity, there are times and conditions when more radical methods are required for healing and longevity. Actually, they are not as radical as some of western medicines frequently used treatments such as introducing poisons into the body with chemotherapy and radiation.
HAPPY DIWALI! This is a celebration that is done in the buildings and homes in India in Oct or November each year when there is no moon. They place lights on the buildings and in their homes similar to Christmas decorations and then the fireworks they set off are similar to New Years. It is a time to light the physical darkness but also symbolically to ward off evil of any kind and to light up the dark places within each of us that is hidden by our egos.(The ego part is my addition).

Jai Ayurveda Jai The Light