India – the home of Ayurveda, Yoga and Spirituality

One week in to my professional development course in India, I am overflowing with gratitude and excitement about all the new skills I am able to learn in the homeland of Ayurveda.

Together with my colleague and dear friend Samantha from Seattle, who did her internship at our Ayurveda New Zealand clinic in Auckland, I walk the buzzing streets of Bangalore every morning from our hotel to the Athreya Ayurvedic Hospital to begin our day with a yoga class. Hot and busy roads with traffic noise, honking motorcycles, colourful fruit and flower stalls line our walk until we reach the hospital where a peaceful ambience filled with incense, the fragrance of Ayurvedic herbs, induces an instant feeling of serenity.

Dr B. R. Ramakrishna, MD (Ayurveda), PhD (Yoga), the Senior Ayurvedic doctor and founder of the Athreya Ayurvedic Hospital, is the Pro-Chancellor at a yoga university and Professor at the Ayurvedic Medical College in Bangalore. His 45 years of experience in Ayurveda brings a rich cultural depth and authenticity to our education.

The doctor, with his team of five interns, who’ve just completed their Bachelor’s in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery, walk us through each treatment available at the hospital. We begin with theory, observation and hands-on training that fills our day with studying the intricate details of Panchakarma. Following practical application each day, we personally experience one of the treatments, left glowing from the healing hands of the therapists and traditionally formulated medicinal oils.

One special emphasis in our training is Panchakarma, Ayurveda’s deep cleansing and purification therapy. We are diving deep into the ancient classical text books to understand each step and discuss how to create an accessible format for our clients in New Zealand.

Consultations are held from early morning till late in the evening to which the doctor allows us to sit in, listen and observe. Some are conducted in English, others in the local dialect, Kannada. Afterwards, we go over each case to understand the health history, integrated treatment plan and prescribed medicine. Patients range from small children to elderly, often coming all together as a family for one appointment.

The pharmacy attached to the hospital offers a huge variety of herbal formulations which are prescribed to patients directly following consultations. We spend time each day discussing these formulas and their health benefits.

We were fortunate to arrive in Bangalore during the festival season celebrating both India’s Independence Day and

Lakshmi Puja, the honouring of the divine feminine. During the Lakshmi festival, our host mother prepared special dishes and dressed us in traditional saris to visit a local temple where we expressed our gratitude and observed devotional prayers.

Through this immersion into the culture of India and the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda with its detailed teachings of Panchakarma, I hope to bring an authentic approach of cleansing and healing to our community in Aotearoa.