Diary of my "light" Pancha Karma

Pancha Karma stands for 5 actions, it is a traditional detoxification process that is usually practiced in centers so that you can be pampered and well cared for. The detox that I choose to do was considered a “light” Pancha Karma because I was not participating in all of the 5 actions, only several of them. I chose to go through this process to strengthen my immune system and to detox my liver. This was my first Ayurvedic cleanse, I felt ready and curious to dive into this seasonal lifestyle practice. I worked closely with an Ayurvedic doctor who created my whole protocol, so all I had to do was follow it. Although I did feel hesitant committing to a month long cleanse.

The cleanse started out with a detoxing week, which meant eating more fruits and veggies, going vegan and cutting out sugars, processed foods and caffeine. Just saying all that in one mouth full made me so incredibly nervous, cutting out coffee was a huge deal for me and I did not know if I could do it, but I was willing to try and do the best I could. I switched to decaf coffee, the Swiss Water method of organic beans, which was kind of cheating, but that little tiny bit of caffeine helped me move through the headaches, the frustrations, and the deep emotional attachment, easier. Cutting out crunchy foods was hard; I stopped eating chips and nuts and eliminated as many grains as possible to eat more whole foods. Cutting out sugar was actually easy for me, but cutting out eggs and proteins was hard at first. I realized quickly that I needed to take a day to stay home and make food and prepare meals, since I was so hungry, I realized quickly that I needed to practice self-care. This is one of the biggest lessons that I learned through this process, cooking and preparing meals is a way to nurture and give back to yourself, it is the one of greatest acts of self care. Preparing food was time consuming but I had committed this month to slowing down and doing things differently so this was a first step. I also drank a liver detoxifying tea, composed of Ayurvedic herbs specific for my constitution, during morning and night, this also took time to steep the tea and plan. This week was just the beginning of changing patterns and habits.

The second week was interesting, definitely not better. This week was all about using ghee, in my case, medicated ghee, to help loosen the toxins in the liver, gallbladder and spleen. The idea with ghee is to saturate the body with oil to then loosen, release, and aid in the toxin elimination process. I started out with one teaspoon of ghee in the morning and then waited until I was hungry and then I could have two meals of Khichadi. Khichadi is an Ayurvedic meal that is very easy to digest; it consists of mung beans, white basmati rice, ghee, and spices as well as a rotation of vegetables. It is very delicious and turns into a satisfying, clean, and pure meal. The amount of ghee that I took in the morning increased per day, so by the end of the week I was taking 5 tsp. of ghee, and let me just tell you it was gross. The plain ghee is sweet and delicious but this medicated ghee was gross, all around disgusting. I was very sluggish and lethargic around Thursday, and very toxic, according to my doctor, I was glad to have someone to check in with at this point. This week I also started the Ayurvedic treatments. On Thursday I had two treatments, Abhyanga (oil massage), Swedana sweat therapy, and then an oil enema called Sneha Vasti. The Abhyanga massage was wonderful in every way, as for the oil enema, this was the first time that I had ever had an enema, I was willing but had no idea what to expect. As it turned out this way of using oil in an enema is for a different purpose then to induce a bowel movement, instead it was to bring down my excess Vata that moved up into my mind, giving me anxiety and frequency of thoughts, the oil in the colon helps to ground Vata types and bring in nourishment and support. I did feel like the oil was an act of self-love, being rubbed with oil and then infused with oil all felt like a beautiful way to be taken care of and held. The next day I started the purge process, Virechana, with a castor oil blended with herbs to induce a bowel release of toxins. This was a fairly easy process to go through, although I had to teach a yoga class later in the day and I wish that I had planned better to take the day off to rest. All worked out though and after this toxin release I felt so much more energetic and free, it was great to rebuild and prepare for the week of treatments ahead.

The third week I began to introduce other foods besides Khichardi into my diet, I was still eating vegan but I began roasting vegetables and eating some fruits, I juiced and made kale vegetable juice, all of my taste buds were heightened, eating an apple felt like the greatest gift in the world, fruit had never tasted so amazing in my life. This week I felt very good and I was ready and open to begin the pancha karma experience with treatments. On Wedensday and Thursday I had Njavarakhizi, which is a rice, milk and bala herb application to feed and nourish the skin, the largest organ of the body, I then had Shirodhara, which is an oil drip therapy applied to the forehead and scalp to create a rejuvenating effect on the pineal and pituitary gland that regulate the hormonal circadian rhythm of the body. Let me just say that these were AMAZING, there is no way to describe them, you have to experience the complete bliss and relaxation for yourself. At this time, I did 3 oil enema treatments, at home, on myself, this took some getting used to but it was a small amount of oil and felt very nourishing, and grounding. The purpose was to lubricate the colon, relieving dryness, and to balance and restore the energy system of the body.

This last week I began reintroducing foods slowly, I did start to drink coffee again. I went back to my usual cup in the morning with coconut milk, which was good, kind of strange but good, my one comfort. I did try some chips and they actually did not taste that great, many foods that I used to love and devour now tasted strange. Nuts became a special treat, and this jam like ghee that I took 2 times per day, Chyavanprash, was delicious and had such a yummy herbal taste. I also took herbal capsules during this Rasayana phase. This week was about rebuilding the body, strengthening the immune system and pushing herbs to promote health. This was the time to strengthen the body after all of the toxins were released and a new balance had been achieved. I was also given Pranayama exercises and Yoga poses, a sun salutation sequence to practice to create harmony and balance through the mind and body.

Through this month I realized how important self-care is to maintain balance and health. For me, a lot of these huge realizations were breaking down the self imposed “should’s” in life, and letting go of the guilt that I felt for taking time for myself, when I should be taking care of everyone else. This took a week or two to let go of and to really see clearly, now I can see that I have to do this for myself, no one is going to suggest that I should take time for self care, this is a personal journey and a personal choice. I now choose to make time for myself and choose to listen to what I need. I love that Ayurveda gives us tools and knowledge of how we can heal our self and live in a healthy balanced state.