{"id":1255,"date":"2015-07-02T22:41:31","date_gmt":"2015-07-02T22:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.sacredearthjourneys.ca\/blog\/?p=1255"},"modified":"2017-11-24T20:40:10","modified_gmt":"2017-11-24T20:40:10","slug":"craving-rest-and-rejuvenation-try-panchakarma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sacredearthjourneys.ca\/blog\/craving-rest-and-rejuvenation-try-panchakarma\/","title":{"rendered":"Craving rest and rejuvenation? Try Panchakarma!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Panchakarma, Sanskrit for ‘five actions’ or ‘five therapies’, is rapidly growing in popularity amongst Western travellers who seek detoxification and rejuvenation of their bodies, minds, and spirits.<\/p>\n

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Panchakarma is a branch of Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of healing that emphasizes prevention, balance, and self-awareness. Ayurveda is a way of life that deals not only with the body and mind, but also with the human spirit and consciousness. Ayurveda is the knowledge of life and longevity, and promotes balance within the body for optimum health and well-being.<\/p>\n

When our digestive energies, known as agni<\/em> (fire), are functioning optimally, our tissues are healthy, we eliminate waste products efficiently, and our bodies produce a subtle essence called ojas<\/em>, which promotes physical strength and immunity. When agni<\/em> is weakened, however, digestion is slowed and toxins become stored in the body.<\/p>\n

In Ayurveda, these toxins are called ama<\/em>, a foul-smelling, sticky, damaging\u00a0substance. When ama<\/em> accumulates, it binds to the srotas<\/em> (the subtle channels of the body), and compromises the flow of energy and nourishment throughout the system. Stress, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, suppressed emotions, and genetic predisposition are just some of the ways our bodies become overloaded with ama<\/em>. In Ayurveda, this build-up of waste is considered the underlying cause of all disease, and thus it must be completely eliminated from the body. This detoxification process is achieved through Panchakarma.<\/p>\n

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The wonderful staff at Vaidyagrama Ayurveda Healing Village<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Panchakarma is a highly sophisticated and individualized system, and treatment includes diet, herbal medicines, enemas, oil massage, yogic breathing, asana, meditation, self-study, and more. Panchakarma eliminates the harmful ama<\/em> out of the body through the body\u2019s organs and means of elimination (colon, sweat glands, lungs, bladder, urinary tract, stomach, intestines), through a variety of techniques as determined by a qualified Ayurvedic physician. Factors taken into consideration are the individual\u2019s Ayurvedic constitutional type (dosha<\/em>), their doshic imbalances, age, immune strength, and digestive capacity.<\/p>\n

According to Jaisri M. Lambert, Ayurvedic practitioner and tour leader for our upcoming Ayurveda Health & Healing Retreat in India<\/a>, Panchakarma’s numerous benefits include:<\/p>\n