Pokhara

Near The End

May 1, 2017 by Rose

On the final day of my Sirovirecana, I enjoy my usual early morning walk on the lakeside. This morning is looking particularly grey and stormy so I’m pleased when the heaven’s open up after I get back. I’m also pleased to see the wee puppy this morning as I haven’t seen him for a few days and was starting to get worried! I wonder if my fellow walkers/joggers will notice I’m gone after Wednesday.

Preparing to leave I think about the last few weeks and all that I’ve been through. It’s been quite an amazing experience and something I’m really happy to have done. I can definitely see myself doing a Panchakarma every one or two years. Dr Rumee said for a one week Panchakarma it is recommended to do one yearly and for a three or four week one then every two years is sufficient.

I would love to come back to Nepal, specifically Pokhara. Badri told me, when he was here, they have bought a large piece of land higher on the hill above lakeside, about a 20 minute drive from here. They plan to build a new centre there within 4 or 5 years. They are also building a new centre in Kathmandu in a forest area which sounds a lot nicer than the city itself where their current centre is. He said they are getting more and more popular and need to expand to cater for the demand.

What has impressed me most about the Ayurvedic Health Home is the attention to detail, the cleanliness and the efficiency of how everything is run. All of the doctors and the staff are very caring by nature and no one ever seems in a hurry to finish a treatment, consultation or class.

Something that I also really appreciate here is that the therapists always wash their hands before doing the facial massage. When I did my Aromatherapy training this was always so important and really drilled into us and I hardly come across a massage therapist these days who ever does this.

I mentioned earlier in the blog that two of the founders are Dr Rishi and his brother Badri. The third founder is a German lady, Marlies Foerster. She has been responsible for the training and professional guidance for developing organisational systems, quality-control and staff-management. This side of it certainly shows as the centre is run like a tight ship.

With a background in professional health care since 1962, she worked as the Head of Nursing at a large hospital in Dusseldorf, Germany. She managed the continuing education programs for health care professionals and worked for many years as Chairperson of the Federal Working Party of Head Nurses.

Since August 2000 Marlies has been living in Nepal, working with Dr. Rishi and Badri Koirala to establish the Ayurveda Health Home, the pioneer and first professional Panchakarma Centre in Nepal and has helped to bridge the traditional culture of Nepal with the European and foreign guests.

Since I have been here for the past three weeks or so, I have met guests from Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, England and the US so it certainly attracts people from far and wide!

My last Sirovirecana is administered by Dr Rumee who is now back from Kathmandu. Before that to prepare, I have my last 90 minute whole body Abhyanga given by Sarita which is fitting as she performed my first one the day I arrived.

It’s a full house that evening at the dinner table with four guests from the US, two from Germany, one from England and me.

Tomorrow I have my ‘grand finale’ to look forward to which, according to previous guests is quite something – stay tuned!

Sunrise over the Himalayas

April 24, 2017 by Rose

The next few days I get into the routine of having my morning and evening Bastis on alternate days. They get easier each time and the beautiful treatments I continue to have every day more than make up for any discomfort.

My daily routines have become, well routine! I have it down pat starting with the the eye exercises, eye wash, oil pulling, tongue scraping, pranayama, neti, meditation, yoga then the lovely lakeside walk. Sometimes I mix it up, if my morning Basti is at 6.30am, I do my yoga later in the day. I also have three more private sessions with Dr Kristina on Foundation 2 yoga which I very much enjoy.

On the Monday, four of us get up at 4.15am to watch the sunrise over the Himalayas in Sarangkot. We’ve been waiting for a clear day and two of the ladies leave on Tuesday so it’s great timing for them. We share a taxi that takes around 30 minutes to wind up the steep 1592m mountain to Sarangkot. Not the most comfortable trip. Most of the taxis here are very small Suzikis and much of the road was pot holes due to road construction so certainly a bumpy trip with three of us squeezed in the back.

Once we get there we climb a set of steps leading further uphill to the dramatic viewpoint in the ruins of an ancient fort. When we get there we’re greeted with a panoramic sweep of Himalayan peaks, from Dhaulagiri (8167m) in the west to the perfect pyramid that is Machhapuchhare (6997m) and the rounded peak of Annapurna II (7937m) in the east.

We’re there for over an hour as the sun rises, transforming the peaks from a purple-pink to a celestial gold. A truly amazing experience and one I feel very privileged to have witnessed.

Sarangkot is also the launching place for paragliding over the Pokhara Valley and the Lake Fewa. There is also a zip-line down to the Tibetan settlement at Hemja. Maybe I’ll save that one for another trip!

We’re back ‘home’ just after 7am and the rest of the day is filled with shopping and treatments. I have another spinal program and Picu in the morning and a head and foot program in the afternoon following by a Siro Basti.

This basti is more like it! It improves the flow of prana (energy) for the better functioning of the brain/ senses. It is a medicated oil treatment for the head. The crown of the head is encased within a special type of material which is secured around the forehead and entire scalp. By doing this a small basin is created on top of the head. Warm, medicated oil is then poured gently inside and is left for some time to penetrate the scalp while Dr Kristina does her thing with the singing bowls – awesome!

It treats the following conditions:

For Vata disorders (my dominant constitution).
To improve eye conditions and diseases.
Facial paralysis.
Diseases of the head.
Brain haemorrhage and clots.
Tremors.
Insomnia.
Migraine.
For the improvement of brain function and in degenerative conditions of the brain.

That day is finished off with an evening Basti – six down, two to go!

First glimpse of the Himalayas

April 20, 2017 by Rose

I’m feeling pretty good after my first Basti day and set off on a lovely long early walk along the lakeside after I’ve completed my daily routines. As I round the corner near where the boat goes over to the Barahi temple, I suddenly see the snow capped Himalayas peeping above the foothills. I’m so excited, apart from the plane journey this is the first time I see them. For some reason I had decided to not take my iPhone today so I rush back to the happy house to grab it but by the time I get back they’re mostly covered in cloud – bugger! Oh well, I still feel very excited that I got to see them.

I head back again in time for breakfast then after that I’m off again to see if they’ve appeared but to no avail. Instead I amuse myself in the shops and discover a great book shop along with some other interesting shops. There’s certainly no shortage and I could amuse myself for days – which I do!

My afternoon brings another Citz bath, another fantastic sychronised cleansing massage and a Picu.

That evening after my early dinner, I have my first afternoon Basti, it’s shorter than the morning one which is a good thing. Two down, six to go!

Week 2

April 17, 2017 by Rose

It’s hard to believe I’ve been here for a week already. Another great start to the day with a longer than usual morning walk further down lakeside. I discover even more new areas including the Barahi Temple, the Royal Palace and an army base (not that I can see over the walls of the latter two).

Seeing the army base reminds me of something interesting I read in the Lonely Planet about the Gurkha soldiers. It might seem like an odd leftover from the days of the empire, but the British army maintain a recruiting centre on the outskirts of Pokhara (not this particular army base I walked past this morning). Every year hundreds of young men from all over Nepal come here to go through a rigorous selection process to become a Gurkha soldier.

Prospective recruits must perform a series of backbreaking physical tasks, including a 5km uphill run carrying 25kg of rocks in a traditional doko basket. Only the most physically fit and mentally dedicated make it through and it’s not unheard of for recruits to keep on running with broken bones!

Gurkhas are still considered one of the toughest fighting forces in the world. They have carried out peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Sierra Leone. These soldiers form elite units of the Indian army, the Singapore Police Force and the personal bodyguard of the sultan of Brunei.

The primary motivation for most recruits is money. The average daily wage in Nepal is under $2, but Gurkha soldiers earn upwards of $1500 per month, with a commission lasting up to 16 years and a British Army pension for life, plus the option of settling in Britain on retirement.

Back to my day after that brief interlude into military trivia!

I’m very excited as I have two days ahead of a normal food diet which includes fresh fruit, porridge and pancakes for breakfast and dessert for dinner along with the all the other yummy food they always serve. Yay, no more rice soup – for two days anyway!

My treatments in the morning include another Citz bath, another 90 minute oil massage (Abhyang) and a Pinda Sveda.

A Pinda Sveda is a dry type of sweating. In this treatment, hot sand is prepared in boluses (soft, round balls wrapped in acloth), which are used to stamp on the desired body part after my oil massage. This is performed by two therapist and it treats the following conditions:

Swollen and inflamed joints.
Joint pain, arthritis and deformity.
Muscle aches, cramps and lethargy.

I only have one of these treatments during my stay which I’m quite pleased about, once was enough!

I have the afternoon free so I ask them to set me up a place to do yoga and the only free space is the rooftop. There’s a nice breeze and a pleasant view of the lake.

Later that afternoon, as if I’m not getting enough treatments here, I take myself off into town to get a pedicure. That was quite an experience, I must be used to the efficiency run ‘happy house’ and I have to say this was the worse pedicure I’ve ever had! Oh well, my toes look pretty, at least they do if you don’t look too close.

That evening we have a group meditation on roof top after dinner lead by Dr Samichha. A very pleasant way to end the day.

New Year’s Eve

April 13, 2017 by Rose

Day 4 and final medicated ghee day. This time I get two cups of hot ginger tea to mix my ghee concoction with making it a bit easier to get the increased dose of 60ml down.

I head back to my room to finish off my morning routine activities then meet Dr Kristina downstairs for my morning breathing practices and neti. I’m feeling a bit dizzy today so she takes my blood pressure which has dropped slightly from 120/80 on my arrival to 110/80. Nothing to be concerned about but she said Dr Rumee would take it again tomorrow morning.

Time for breakfast which is the usual yummy porridge and steamed apples. I so love this being cooked for at every meal and knowing that all the food they are lovingly preparing for me is exactly what my body needs. I enquire about cooking classes during my stay but unfortunately they don’t offer this however I’m welcome to hang out in the kitchen whenever I want to observe. The ‘homeladies’, as they are called are all very nice as are all the staff here. The homeladies take care of all the cooking and cleaning, then there are a number of office staff who look after our schedules and anything we need during our stay, there are many therapists both female and male. Female guests only get treated by the female therapists and the male guests the male therapists. They are all highly skilled in the Ayurvedic therapies and I’ve had some of the best massages here I’ve ever had, and I’ve had a lot!

There are four doctors – Dr Rumee, Dr Kristina and Dr Samichha who are based here in Pokhara permanently and Dr Rishi who co-founded the Ayurveda Health Home, first in Kathmandu almost two decades ago and later the Pokhara center in 2009. I have not yet met Dr Rishi but have spoken on the phone and Skype twice since my arrival and he will be here on Saturday when I get to meet him in person for a long consultation.

I don’t have a private yoga session today so I do my own practice. The yoga room is busy so the office staff prepare the roof top room for me which is very pleasant and there’s an even better view of the lake up there. It’s directly above my bedroom and slightly above the new building that blocks a lot of my view. By the look of it up there they’re putting in another floor on which is a shame.

Lunch is another delicious delight – tasty pigeon pea soup followed by extremely yummy vegetable burgers, sweet carrots, fried cauliflower and onions and a beautiful green tomato chutney. I think I’m finding food particularly exciting lately as I know today is my last ‘real food’ for a few days before I embark on Virecana – the main procedure of the first stage in my Panchakarma. More on that later.

My afternoon therapy today is another goodie. A full body scrub by two therapists then immersion into a hot steam tub. Nothing like a good detox to get me further prepared for the big purge.

I have another wander down to the lakeside and check out the New Year’s Eve scene going on down there. Tomorrow begins a new year in the Nepalese calendar and the year date is 2074. Dr Rumee explains to me that their calendar started 57 years before ours so I’m wondering if that makes me 110 years old? Or am I still 38? Either way I know this Panchakarma will do wonders for my longevity.

That evening as I drift off to sleep, I hear the wonderful sounds of Nepalese music and chanting, in fact this started quite early in the day. At one stage the chanting then turned into a huge group singing ‘Wonderwall’ – not what I was expecting! There is the usual chorus of dogs barking in the night too, not such a pleasant sound.

More ghee

April 12, 2017 by Rose

Day 3 is much the same, I begin my day with the medicated ghee at the increased dose of 50ml. I perform my daily routines that I was shown the day before including eye exercises and eye wash, oil pulling and mouth washing, pelvic exercises, breath awareness, yoga, breathing practices, meditation and neti – phew, how will I find time to fit all of this in when I’m back in the real world! Some of this I do alone and some I have the guidance of Dr Rumee again.

In between these routines and breakfast I wander down to the lakeside for a pleasant walk and to check out the surroundings.

Pokhara is a naturally beautiful city, the second biggest in Nepal after Kathmandu and most probably ten times more peaceful and clean. It has a prime position beside the deep green lake Fewa, nestling among forested hills with a picture-postcard backdrop of gleaming Himalayan peaks. I have yet to see these peaks as since I’ve been here they’ve been covered in misty clouds so I’m hoping for at least one clear day so I can head up to Sarangkot for sunrise which is supposed to be spectacular.

The scene at Lakeside Pokhara, which is a short 5 minute walk from the “Happy Home”, is very chilled out. I notice lots of funky cafes and restaurants as well as some pretty interesting shops that I will definitely need to return to. There are plenty of yoga schools and adventure sports shops abound. I read somewhere that Pokhara has the best paragliding venue on the globe. No wonder I see so many every day from my room or whenever I’m down at lakeside.

One thing I notice the first time I head out for a walk is my shortness of breath on the most gentle of hills. I Google the altitude of Pokhara and discover it’s 827m so quite different to the 46m I’m used to in Noosa.

Also on the agenda for today is another wonderful 90 minutes massage and a Picu treatment – ahh, another relaxing day.