PANCHAKARMA AT HOME

Even for healthy people it's recommended to undergo PANCHAKARMA, "the spring cleaning of the body", regularly, thus preventing accumulation of waste and toxins and providing health and youthfulness for years to come. For older people the regular body cleansing is even more advisable. If Panchakarma is given by professionals in an Ayurvedic centre, it is enough to undergo it once a year.

However, if you have no opportunity to visit an Ayurvedic centre every year, but only once in several years, it is advisable to undergo Panchakarma at home + carefully follow the systematic rules of maintaining balance of your constitutional type that we teach our patients at the Ayurvedic basic consultation. For certain constitutional types it is better to have other cleansing procedures instead of "home" Panchakarma, that you can also get to know at the Ayurvedic base consultation. In such a way you will succeed in keeping fit until the next professional Panchakarma in an Ayurvedic centre.

Basic consultation

"Home" Panchakarma is, of course, not so profound and effective as professional Panchakarma in an Ayurvedic centre is. But even "home" Panchakarma has evident cleansing effect on all the organs and systems of the body.

The most effective time to undergo Panchakarma is between winter and summer (spring, autumn) 2 times a year.

Below you can see one variant of "home" Panchakarma.

The first stage

Internal oleation

During 3 daysyou should take on empty stomach in the morning 50 grams of warm liquid ghee (clarified butter), washing it down with hot water. People with Vata constitutional type should add small amount (a pinch) of rock salt, Pitta – take ghee without any additives, Kapha – with a small amount (a pinch) of the mixture of ginger powder, red pepper and black pepper taken in equal proportions. You can have your first meal not earlier than 30 minutes after taking ghee, because before taking food ghee should be completely digested. If you absolutely cannot drink at once 50 grams of clarified butter, take at least 2 table spoons of warm liquid ghee 3 times a day 15 minutes before meal or just on empty stomach. Ghee brings internal oleation that gets ama (toxins and waste) removed into the digestive tract. (If your blood test shows increased cholesterol, sugar or triglycerides, you should take flaxseed oil instead of ghee as it contains oily acids that reduce cholesterol. In this case you should take flaxseed oil also 3 days in a row 2 table spoons 3 times a day not less than 15 minutes before food).

The second stage

External oleation

(Though if you have lack of time, it is allowed to start external and internal oleation on the same day – then your "home" Panchakarma will take only 7 instead of 10 days). During the next 7 days every day not less than 2 hours after food you do self-massage with warm oil. During 15-20 minutes oil is thoroughly rubbed on the skin of the whole body from the top of the head to he toes. It is better to have this procedure in the evening before going to bed. People with leading Vata Dosha should use sesame seed oil, with leading Pitta Dosha – sunflower seed oil, with leading Kapha Dosha – mustard seed (or corn) oil. You should always take unrefined oil. It must be quite warm in the room where you do self-massage for you not to get cold.

After having self-massage you should take either hot shower or a hot bath. You should not wash off oil with soap or any other detergent. After having a bath or shower wipe your body with a towel. Your skin will retain some amount of oil, but it is necessary because after the massage tissues absorb oil deeper thus providing highly efficient external oleation.

During all the 7 days at least 2 hours before going to bed, better earlier, after dinner, you should take 1-2 tea spoons of Triphala churna. (Ayurvedic medicines can be bought via a lot of Ayurvedic online stores existing nowadays.) You should choose the dosage yourself in accordance with your body reaction: in the morning of the next day your stool should be softened or a bit loose but not too watery. If you had no stool in the morning, you should take Triphala churna once more 1 hour after breakfast. Triphala churna is mixed with one glass or half glass of boiling water and left to infuse for 15-20 minutes. Then it is shaken and drunk together with residue. Triphala churna produces gentle purgative effect and also tonifies and activates functions of many organs and body systems.

The final stage

The final stage of "home" Panchakarma consists of cleansing enemas that are made after bath or shower last 3 out of 7 days. To make an enema you need Ayurvedic Dashmula compound. To make decoction 1 table spoon of Dashmula is mixed with 0,5 liter of hot water and boiled for 5 minutes. Then the decoction is cooled down to body temperature or a bit higher, filtered and poured in an enema. If you have Vata constitutional type, to make an enema you should mix Dashmula decoction with 150 ml of warm sesame seed oil. (If you failed to find Dashmula you can use a mixture of ginger, fennel, and calamus powder taken in equal proportions). You should try to retain this decoction in your body as long as possible, at least 20 minutes. Sometimes all the liquid or most of it does not come out. Do not worry. It is typical for people with leading Vata Dosha whose large intestine tends to be very dry and dehydrated.

DIET TIPS

Panchakarma, even at home, requires a lot of energy from your body. So give your body and mind enough rest during this days and prevent physical, emotional or mental overwork. It is preferably to make provision that your work schedule is not too tense. The best way is to be free from all the work for these days. After Panchakarma you also should start to work gradually, avoiding overworking on the first days after the end of the program.

Also it is recommended to stick to the special cleansing vegetarian diet throughout the program. This diet consists of a special dish called kichri (or kichadi) and herbal tea with spices (basil, or tulsi, thyme, chamomile, mint, dandelion root, burdock root + ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper according to your choice). You can also take honey, better if it is old and sugared. During the day you should have food as often as you fell hunger. Fasting in the course of the program is not recommended. On the first day after the end of the program it is recommended to eat only kichri cooked with vegetables, and starting from the second day switch to the diet that is recommended for your constitutional type.

Kichri (or kichadi) recipe:

Take rice (better basmati) and mung beans (you can buy it at the market at the stalls with dried fruit and nuts, because it grows in southern republics of the former USSR) in equal proportions. Do not forget spices – small amount of curcuma, coriander, jeera (or cumin) and mustard seed or powder. You can also add some rock salt. In order to improve digestion of mung beans, you can put them in cold water for the whole night, pour out water in the morning and cook in clean water. (If you buy husked, or yellow, mash, that Moscow citizens can buy in the shop "Indian Spices", you do not need to put it into cold water.)

It is convenient to use pressure cooker to cook this dish (one whistle – and your kichri is ready). But you can also cook it in a usual pot. Put mung beans, rice, spices, and salt inside the pot, add some water (the more water you add, the more liquid you will have in your dish, so you can change any consistence you like – from soup to fluffy porridge), bring to the boil, boil 5 minutes without a lid, stirring it intermittently. Slack the fire, close the dish with a lid leaving a small gap and cook for 25-30 minutes more until rice and mung beans become soft. Before serving the table add 2 table spoons of ghee (clarified butter) for each plate.

PRECAUTIONS

Also several PRECAUTIONS should be mentioned.

First of all, Panchakarma, even its "light" version, has very powerful impact on the body. If you feel weakness or exhaustion, or you do not have enough energy, it is better not to try Panchakarma at home: this procedure is for people who are strong enough.

Second, it is prohibited to undergo Panchakarma, as well as other cleansing procedures, during pregnancy.

Third, at the same time as physical toxins are removed, "psychic" toxins can also start to flow out. Negative memories and emotions, such as anger, fear, sorrow etc. that were repressed before may start to come to the surface level of the consciousness. It is a very auspicious part of the cleansing process. In this way a person gets rid of psychological blocks that were repressed into subconsciousness, having become very often root causes of diseases and sufferings of the soul. If you experience such processes, take them as a positive part of the cleansing process. It is recommended to drink calming herbal teas + use any meditation technique that you are accustomed to. Emotional outburst may happen even after weeks or months after the end of "home" Panchakarma.

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