Ayurveda Panchakarma
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Ayurveda Panchakarma
Ayurveda Panchakarma is considered the ultimate purification therapy or shodhana chikitsa. It is often referred to as the Ayurvedic cleanse. Panchakarma translates to “the five actions”; pancha means five and karma means action. Ayurveda Panchakarma is the five actions used to cleanse the body of ama or toxins. Panchakarma removes ama and mala or waste products from the body and restores balance to the dosha.
Ayurveda Panchakarma is used when toxins or ama builds up in the body. According to Ayurveda, this is when we begin to see manifestations of dis-ease. Oftentimes when we’ve entered into the later stages of the disease process, Ayurvedic lifestyle and dietary changes won’t produce the major shifts that the body needs. That is where panchakarma is most needed because it purifies the toxins that have been lodged in the body, mind, psyche and spirit.
Types of Panchakarma Treatments
When you go to an Ayurvedic clinic or retreat space, you will usually experience a variety of Ayurvedic treatments to help enhance the process of releasing toxins from the body. Each Ayurveda Panchakarma experience will be different for each person as Ayurveda and Panchakarma are highly personalized based on the dosha (prakruti) and imbalances (vikruti) of the individual. However, people will usually experience Abhyanga, Shirodhara and Swedana. Abhyganga or Ayurvedic oleation therapy, often referred to as Ayurvedic massage uses specially formulated herbal oils to pacify your specific imbalances. Shirodhara or third-eye treatment is when a stream of warm medicinal oil is poured over the third-eye and forehead. Swedana or Ayurvedic heat therapy is steam or heated herbs are used to removed toxins through the sweat glands. There are many more types of treatments that could be prescribed. To learn more in depth about the different types of Panchakarma treatments click here.
