Spa Therapies Of India
The Concept Of Ayurveda:
At the heart of Ayurvedic philosophy is the concept that our bodies are a microcosm of the universe and that there are three universal governing forces at work inside us: vata, pitta and kapha. They are described as doshas (literally, the force that darkens or causes things to decay). And just as each of us has an individual face or thumbprint, we each also have a particular pattern of energy that corresponds with these three types, a combination of physical, mental and emotional characteristics that is our inherent constitution. Broadly speaking, a vata type tends to be artistic, with a nervous or highly strung temperament. A pitta type, on the other hand, is the typical type ‘A’ personality – aggressive, driven and hot-tempered, while a kapha type is the Mother Earths among us – charitable, loving and prone to weight gain. Still, diagnosing a dosha type is not as simple as it may seem. It is believed that all individuals possess vata, pitta and kapha to certain degrees, but there is usually one dosha that is predominant. A spa’s resident Ayurvedic practitioner will first determine your constitution or combination of tridoshas before prescribing the treatments that you may need. Unlike Western diagnoses that attempt to identify illness through common symptoms, the Ayurvedic system is highly individualised and holistic in approach. An examination of the pulse, eyes, tongue and overall physical appearance is incomplete without a thorough assessment of emotional and spiritual well-being. The Ayurvedic practitioner’s task is to re-balance your body, mind and spirit according to your unique personal ‘pattern’ so that they can resume harmony once again with the universe.
We are said to be in good health when all three doshas are properly balanced. The proper amount of vata promotes creativity and flexibility, pitta generates understanding and analytical ability, and kapha endangers stability, affection and generosity. Imbalances in the doshas are thought to disrupt the flow of prana (the equivalent of qi in TCM), the ‘life force’ that enters the body through food and breath; and impede agni, the fire that provides energy for digestion, metabolic processes, the immune system, and the processes of thought and feeling. The key to Ayurveda is treating the body, mind and spirit as a united entity to ensure total harmony is achieved. So ‘illness’ is just a reflection of an imbalance of doshas, and it is believed that once the doshas are balanced again, all symptoms of disease will disappear.
At the spa, your prescription to help increase or decrease each doshic property usually entails a combination of treatments, usually in seven-day cycles. A typical regime could include a series of luxurious massages, oil therapy, vegetarian diet, consumption of healthy herbal tonics and a daily routine of yoga and meditation. For those who are in perfect health, preventative treatments that revitalise the body maybe prescribed. Therapies are generally divided into curative and preventive treatments, but all follow the essential self-healing philosophy and prom promote self-care techniques. Those who practise Ayurveda understand it to be a long-term lifestyle choice, with the full benefits reaped only if its principles are followed in every respect.
