It gets hotter by the day reminding me of the VA summers and it is only April. Do not want to be here in the summer. I actually plan to return to Rishikesh in Oct-Nov of this year for another visit and two weeks of PK when it is much cooler. I have already booked my flight for the return.

I began the second week of PK with more of the Sarwangdhara, continuous pouring of oil on body to eliminate Vata, the dry, light, mobile, cold qualities. The practitioner pours the oil on the body with one hand and massages the body with the other one. It is an incredible treatment especially when done with two practitioners simultaneously.

In Ayurveda there are 80 diseases of Vata origin in the Body/Mind, 40 of Pitta origin and 20 that belong to Kapha type imbalances. This is why Ayurveda uses so much more oil therapies than western massage therapy. It is imperative to heal diseases of all types but especially the abundant number of them caused by Vata. Once we pacify Vata the other type diseases are relatively easy to cure. The oil possesses the very opposite qualities of Vayu(Vata) It is, of course, oily, as well as heating, liquid, stable and heavy to offset those internal attributes that cause most disease. Ayurveda always goes to the root cause of all disease to create a true healing. It is like the diseased tree. You must go in and cut the roots out. Cutting the limbs off will not produce the cure for the tree or the human being. In PK we get to the root cause by removing the toxins from the body/mind created by Vata, Pitta, Kapha and low Agni.

We did three more Rakta Moksha treatments of blood letting with a day or so of rest in between each technique. The Dr. takes 5-10 cc of blood with the syringe which is a small amount. A pint is a great deal more quantity which I have done many times in the past years sometimes giving a donation every eight weeks. This is the minimum time period allowed. The stagnant blood becomes toxic. By removing a small amount of this blood the body is required to manufacture fresh blood to replenish itself. The body is such an intelligent organism. It knows without any conscious activity on our part how to rejuvenate itself. If, however, we suppress the symptoms rather than eliminating the cause, we also can very easily repress the body’s innate response system to heal itself.

By performing warm oil massage and steam most days, we effectively coaxed Vata from the extremities, organs and tissues into the gastro intestinal tract where we can easily remove them through the five actions of PK. We have done two so far, Rakta Moksha and Virechana. The third is Basti or enemas. I had three Basti done; two with oil and herbs, and the other with an herbal decoction of water, herbs and some oil. The former one is nutritive or more medicinal, and the latter is cleansing or purifying. We did two of the nutritive types with a day of the cleansing kind sandwiched in between. The site of Vata is the large intestine. Utilizing the warm oil and steam Vata moved back to its original site allowing us to remove it with the enemas. This is the amazing technique of Ayurveda that even though Vata is lodged in the heart, the oil enema recalls it to its home where it is pacified. The Vata type heart disease is cured through enemas along with Vata pacifying diet, herbs, and life style changes.

My reward has been that I was able to receive my favorite treatment twice. It is call Shasti Shali which is the constant pouring of a warm milk and rice decoction all over the body for 30 minutes along with the two practitioners massaging you with the bolluses (Cloth bags) containing rice and herbs that heal the skin like neem, guduchi, castor seed. It brings vitality to the body and luster to the skin. It improves the beauty of the skin and cools down Pitta. Considering the heat it was definitely a welcome relief.

We did two Nasya treatments which is the fourth Pancha Karma. The fifth one, Vaman, is not for my constitution, thank goodness, because it is self-induced vomiting therapy to clear Kapha from the lungs and stomach. Nasya is the placing of medicated oils in the nasal passages which clears Kapha from eyes, ears, nose, throat and sinuses. It is extremely good for allergies of any kind, sinusitis, migraines, headaches, jaundice, congestion, eye problems, plugged ears, sore throat and any ailment from the neck up including stiff, sore neck muscles. Medicated herbal oil is introduced into each nasal passage while lying on massage table on your back and after receiving head and neck massage, herbal medicated steam to loosen the passage ways. You then snort like a pig to remove and dislodge the Kapha from its hiding place. It is an extremely effective procedure which can be done on its own without massage and steam cabinet.

Let’s look at the perfect conduit for the massage and steam treatments of Ayurveda, the skin. It is the largest organ of the body. When any substance is placed on the skin, it must be able to digest it just like other organs. These substances are absorbed into the blood stream and circulated to the tissues and other organs for their nourishment and nutrition. This is why we should not put anything on the skin that is not organic and free of chemicals. These toxins are immediately absorbed into the entire system including the brain. In Ayurveda, we use only what can also be eaten or drunk on our skin. We only use all natural oils in any of the treatments. Ayurveda says to not use soap on the skin because of its drying nature unless we have been digging in the dirt and it is all over the body. Deoderants should be organic as well as all of our shampoos. We see many older people with very dry, cracking and wrinkled skin. It is a result of not taking proper care of the skin and the body as a whole. Vata time of life begins at 55-60 years of age. The entire body becomes drier especially the skin for all of us regardless of our constitutional make-up. We recommend an Abhyanga which is a self-massage with oil at least 2 -3 times a week. This should be warm oil massage followed by a warm shower or bath with sesame oil for Vata types, coconut for Pitta and mustard oil for Kapha. This will make the skin very beautiful and pervents the aging process.

Since I finished my treatments a few days ago, I have been observing the pratitioners in the administering of the therapies on my friend Maury.In this way I will be learning to use these methods of treatment on clients and to teach others in the US how to perform massage treatments in the true Ayurvedic tradition.

Today was the last bathing day for Maha Kumbh Mela. This is the largest and most popular spiritual event in INdia. It is also the largest gathering of people in one place in the world. It is reported that there were 300 million people at the last Kumbh Mela. In celebration of this historic event which occurs every 12 years, you take a shower or bath in the Ganga (Ganges River). One of the young practitioners took me to the Ganga in Rishikesh and taught me the proper way to observe this holy ceremony. Maury took some pictures of this happening. For more information on Maha Kumbh Mela go to www.kumbh.com

and click on the one which says Kumbh 2010 Haridwar.

I return to the States on the 19th and return to VA on the 21st when I start seeing clients and teaching until May 7th. I leave that day for Montana and the west coast until the first of August. Let me know if you need herbs so that I can prepare them in advance of my leaving.

NOTE: If any of you need a quick follow-up or someone needs a short pulse diagnosis, THEY WILL BE $10 FOR 15 MINUTES. Longer 1 – 1 1/2 hour full consultations are still available for a donation basis.