A healthy outside starts from the inside – Robert Urich.
Today’s wakeup call was at unusual 4.40am as I had to take the capsule for cleansing at 5am to start the Virechana Plan. Then I slept till 6.10am to be in time for the yoga class at 6.30am. Once in the class, I saw the teacher wearing a Sivananda Yellow Tshirt, the one I almost brought in this trip as it was given during the course and said Namaste to him with a smile of recognition. Suddenly I realized that the wrap from last night was still on my right knee as I forgot to remove it that morning. Hoping it won’t be uncomfortable during the class, I placed the mat on the floor and lay on my back in Savasana. I was told by one of the ladies a day ago that this session is generally very basic and rightfully so, as it was targeting all in the class. I enjoyed the time as it was good to go back to the basics and concentrate on each and every part of the body. With a focus more on breathing and stretching, an hour later we concluded. I like to witness Sivananda class from various teachers as all of their styles have a different touch, extracts from the complete 90 minutes session.
Almost at the end of the class I felt uneasy in my stomach and knew exactly where this was going, the tablet had started doing it’s job. The class finished and I reached my place straight into the bathroom to first puke water and then flush down the much needed toxins. It gets slightly uglier, from that time of 7.30am till 11.30am, I rushed like 7 times which am told is normal. This was confirmed by the doctors during my consultation at 9am, they suggested it was a day to stay indoors. What does this process do to my body? Virechana cleanses blood toxins, the sweat glands, kidneys, stomach, small intestine, colon, liver, spleen, and rakta vaha srotas. It is particularly for a person with Pitta Dosha as per Ayurveda and my dominant type.
As per the plan, the teas kept coming in and the team kept checking on me. One therapist came to ask if I was ok and ready for the 30 minutes back and neck massage, I was happy to keep the treatment going, especially with the pressure cooker steamer that helped me feel better.
After lunch came the turn of the daily massage, day two and I was already loving the ritual of saying prayers before every treatment and ending with ‘Amen’. I wish there was more to do like read a book or something to keep the mind busy too. There was a time when I wouldn’t spend moments with myself but since few years, I really enjoy the ‘self-time’. There was so much already in my head and if anything, my aim was to leave light-headed and focused to prepare for what is next. I looked at the Rubick’s cube I had bought at the airport the moment I landed in Cochin, even before my check-in luggage had arrived and thought about starting to solve it and then thought, not yet. During tea time, I got my Ayurveda tea with a steamed banana, first time for me. Sylvia (one of the ladies) and I chatted a lot and she made me realise with her 6 months journey from Nepal to here, that one should follow their dreams and do what they will instead of realising it years after when they lose the time and opportunity. She spent 5 months in Nepal for charity and would spend almost 5 weeks here, as she had taken a sabbatical from work. And here I was, contemplating my next steps towards education in Ayurveda and Yoga, balancing the pros and cons.
I was planning to do some yoga practice in the yoga room when doctor suggested a stretch class at 5.30pm to which both of us got excited like school kids. After few minutes, we made our way and with drizzle outside, we watched the rain and waited for the instructor. That one hour was great, felt my body actually stretch and felt the pain in areas known and unknown. Since we weren’t wearing watches or had our phones with us, what we estimated as close to dinner time was actually 10 minutes past dinner time. Point to note, the schedule said we should be on time for all meals in the dining hall and I was super excited about my soup diet tonight 🙂 The menu for rest was Masala Dosa with coconut chutney and for me, it was pumpkin soup with celery and spring onions. A big pot was enough to fill me up and call it a night as I avoided sleeping the entire day as per the doctor’s recommendation. This was day two, which gave me a little more energy and removed some toxins from my body, healing from the inside out. I was discovering possibilities of changing my life with few choices on a daily basis and was eagerly looking forward to a meal the next day.
