In my first post on The Kairali Ayurvedic Healing Village, I wrote about the accomodation, the Ayurvedic cuisine as well as the resort in general. You can read that post here as well as check out the video on my YouTube channel.
Activities at Kairali Ayurvedic Healing Village
A day at The Kairali Ayurvedic Healing Village starts early with all the guests at the resort making their way to the tennis court by poolside for the day’s yoga session which starts at 6:30 am sharp. Since the whole resort is laid out according to the principles of Vaastu shastra (the ancient Indian science of architecture), yoga is done facing the east so that when you do the Surya Namaskar (sun salutation), you actually face the rising sun peeking out from behind the trees. I can’t describe what a beautiful, ethereal experience that is.
Once the energising yoga session is done, one can either head to their own cottage to shower or to the restaurant, called “Ayurvedic Canteen” for a healthy, filling breakfast. There is no routine or hurried schedule here and you can either enjoy a game of carrom in the games room, read a nice book, swim in the pool or simply relax on the hammock in the cool breeze while soaking up the Vitamin D.
A welcome change from the fast-paced, urban life where each minute is scheduled and accounted for, at Kairali, you have time to yourself, for yourself. The second day of my stay at Kairali, I spent the entire morning chatting with two ladies from UK, sisters both, who had come there for a 14 day stay. Strangers initially, once we got chatting, we never realised where the entire morning flew by and before we knew it, it was time for our Ayurvedic treatment.
As mentioned in the previous post, meditation sessions happen every evening at Kairali and add to the whole wellness experience.
Kairali also has an ayurvedic cooking demo once a week, as well as nature walks. On request, they could also arrange for a visit to the Kairali factory where they make the various medicines and other products. They can also help organise sight-seeing trips to nearby historic places.
Ayurvedic Treatments at Kairali Ayurvedic Healing Village
The Ayurvedic doctor recommends the treatments for you depending on your body’s requirements after a consultation with you. Being a certified Ayurveda hospital, there is a wide range of treatments ranging from preventive and regenerative treatments to those for Sinusitis, Migraine, Detoxification, Weight loss, Hypertension, Slipped Disc, Arthritis etc. I am in pretty decent health and was prescribed Abhyangam and Shirodhara.
Abhyangam, which can be translated as a full body massage, starts off with a hair/head and shoulder massage, after which the entire body is massaged with herb infused oil. At Kairali, the Abhyangam is done by two therapists who work with incredibly synchronized movements. They also are very generous with the oil! You wonder how you will manage to get it all off and yet, it comes off quite easily with the ubtan you are given to bathe with post massage.
Shirodhara is an Ayurvedic treatment where a steady stream of warm oil is poured on the forehead where the “ajna chakra” is situated and which has a high concentration of nerves. While initially, you do feel a tickling sensation on your forehead, once the oil begins to trickle down, it feels soothing and relaxing. I almost drifted off to sleep while the Shirodhara was in process!
Since Kairali is a certified Ayurvedic Hospital, it offers a whole gamut of treatments (depending on an individual’s requirements) some of which are Pizhichil (slow full body massage), Navarakhizzi (massage with rice-filled bags), Udavartanam (massage with herbal powders), Ugharashanam (body scrub with medicated pastes) Kativasti (for slipped disc problems) as well as Panchakarma (a series of treatments to balance the five elements of the body).
Kairali Ayurvedic Products
All the products that are used at the Kairali Ayurvedic Healing Village are manufactured at the Kairali factory which we had the pleasure of visiting. From Ayurvedic medicines to hair oils to body ubtans, facial oils, herbal teas, Kairali has a huge range of purely Ayurvedic products.
So far, I have tried only the Kairbal which is the herbal ubtan for bathing. It gets rid of excess oil, grime and sebum quickly without overly drying the skin. I add a few drops of lavender essential oil to it while making a paste so that it doesn’t smell so much of gram flour, which is one of the ingredients in it. My mother-in-law has been using the hair oil and is quite happy with it. These products are available on their website here.
My Experience
By now you would certainly have realised that I absolutely LOVED the entire experience at the Kairali Ayurvedic Healing Village. Even if you don’t have any health issues, this is a great way to detox and rejuvenate yourself amid lush vegetation.
Have you visited any Ayurvedic wellness retreat? What do you think of undergoing such a detox at a wellness retreat? Do share your thoughts in the comments below.
Disclaimer – I was invited to ‘Wellness Bloggers Meet, Edition-2 organised by Ayurved Sutra at Kairali Ayurvedic Healing Village, Palakkad, Kerala‘, but my views and opinions are honest and unbiased.