Cleansing Body And Mind Through Ayurvedic Program

suchandra · September 15, 2008

Not so sure what Dr. Weil means by cleansing the mind. So far the cleansing of the mind is ceto darpana marjanam and works by applying the maha-mantra.

Everyone can join: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. By chanting this movement, by the vibration, gradually one’s heart, which is so contaminated that he is denying the existence of God, will be gradually simplified or clarified. Ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. Just like the mirror, when it is overcast with dust, you cannot see your face nicely. But if you clear the dust you can see clearly. Similarly, our, this disease, denial of God, or “God is dead,” “There is no God,” “I am God,” “You are God,” such kinds of conception is due to covering of material dust on the mirror of our heart.
[Lecture at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, Dec. 24th 1969]

Cleansing the body and mind through an ayurvedic program

Dr. Andrew Weil, Special to The Sun

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/arts/story.html?id=c246b2b3-eee2-4e48-a0f0-8339fa4c2b3e

Published: Sunday, September 14, 2008

Q: I am considering undergoing the ayurvedic treatment called panchakarma for five days at an ayurvedic centre. Do you think this is worthwhile?

A: Panchakarma is an ayurvedic cleansing program for body and mind. Ayurvedic medicine, which originated within the ancient Vedic tradition of India, defines health as a body free of toxins, a mind at peace, emotions calm and happy, wastes efficiently eliminated and organs functioning smoothly. Panchakarma (literally "five works") is designed to restore health and wellness by cleansing the body of toxins with five methods: induction of vomiting, intestinal purging (with herbal laxatives), medicated enemas, nasal irrigation with medicated oils and bloodletting (traditionally with leeches or by cutting a vein).

In modern ayurvedic practice, people go to ayurvedic clinics, spas or resorts for panchakarma, where they eat carefully prepared food (generally bland and warming, like rice mixed with lentils), reduce physical activity and stimulation, and avoid exposure to cold. They sit in steam baths and get frequent vigorous massages with oil and herbal extracts, all designed to mobilize toxins and facilitate their elimination from the body. The ayurvedic doctor in charge of the facility prescribes the individual treatments and may suggest doing only one or two of the five methods, but, even so, the recommended time for panchakarma is 14 to 21 days. Less than a week is cutting it short.

Panchakarma is widely available in India (I underwent a 10-day version in Mysore a few years ago that focused on purging - I skipped the vomiting, enemas and bloodletting). In the United States, the foremost authority on panchakarma is Dr. Vasant Lad of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, N.M., and that is where I would send patients and friends to try it (www.ayurveda.com).

In an introduction to panchakarma published by the institute, Lad explains that the particular therapies recommended depend on your constitution and disorder.

Based on my experience in India, I'm not sure that it's possible to undergo authentic panchakarma here. (For one thing, it requires the services of many therapists per client, and labour costs here would be prohibitive). I suggest consulting Lad or one of his associates at the Ayurvedic Institute to check out the program you're contemplating and the practitioner who will supervise it.

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