Panchakarma in the Ayurvedic Practice

By Nishita Shah

What’s up with detoxing? In this panchakarma series, we’re going to be exploring all of the ins and outs of why the ayurvedic detox process is the gold standard in the wellness world, and what makes panchakarma a wonderful way to support your overall healing. 

A Path of Wellness in Ayurveda 

Ayurveda is considered one of the most ancient healing sciences in humanity’s existence. Intuited from a group of seers and sages, Ayurveda is not only the science of life, but an art of graceful living in harmony with our environment. “You are the world and the world is you!” This phrase is not an uncommon one from our dear teacher Vasant Lad, BAM&S, MASc. You are just a mirror and representation of the greater macrocosm that surrounds you. Hence, truly everything in our life has an impact on our health–the food we eat, the beverages we drink, our exercise habits, our relationships, work, stress, our environment, and so much more. This is why in Ayurveda, detoxification processes are fundamentally part of our wellness practice. 

Living in accordance with our environment, the season, and our own constitution are considered some of the pillars of good health. And this isn’t just physically! In Ayurveda, we see the whole human as the body, the mind, and the spirit. The harmony and balance of all 3 of these facets are seen as the sign of true health. 

In Ayurveda, we have two main methods to support healing:

Shamana or palliative support: This form of healing includes basic dosha pacification. Eating well for our constitution, having a good routine, exercising, doing yoga and pranayama, and sleeping well are fundamental to this form of wellness. 

Shodhana or cleansing: This form of healing includes detoxification processes to cleanse the deeper tissues to ensure our channels are clear and there is a healthy flow of prana, or life force to remain in a state of balance. 

What is Panchakarma? 

Google alternative health, and I’m sure that you’ll come across no less than 25 different types of detox as part of the healing process. Detoxing has long been part of many healing traditions–from water cleanses, juice cleanses, parasite cleanses, to observing fasting as a spiritual cleansing and so much more. And it makes sense! In today’s society, we are constantly being bombarded with sensory stimulation through all of our sense organs that have the potential to throw us out of balance. In Ayurveda, we call this our vikruti, and it can be seen as the opposite of our prakruti or our balanced state of health. 

You may be wondering what makes a panchakarma retreat so unique. This is the glory of Ayurveda. It is a personalized and individualistic science. No two humans are made the same, thus no two cleanses can have the same impact on an individual. On top of that, we are working on the root causes of our imbalances by pulling toxins or ama from deep within the tissues and then eliminating them from our body. Many of the modern wellness retreat processes can be powerful for general recalibration of our agni or our digestive fire. These practices can feel really wonderful because we feel an instant difference in the way we are digesting food. With juice, water, or fruit fasts, you may feel a sense of lightness in your body. This makes sense because we have given our digestive system a break from our otherwise harder-to-digest foods. 

In panchakarma however, we move beyond just the G.I. tract (although definitely crucial to our health, which we will get into in future blogs!). Panchakarma retreats use various herbs and oils to extract the toxins from our deep tissues, to bring them back into the digestive system, to then eventually pull them out of the body. So, oftentimes, with panchakarma, you may notice that same lightness, but towards the end of the detox process. 

The other key difference between general detox programs and panchakarma is that we are doing more than just changing and modifying our diet. There are several other treatments that we utilize in order to support pulling the ama from the deep tissues. These treatments can be abhyangas or oil massages, bastis or enemas, as well as other topical treatments to support various organs and tissue systems that are unique to your state of imbalance. 

How Often Should I Cleanse? 

Cleansing isn’t just for specific imbalances. In Ayurveda, we say that we should cleanse at the turn of each season to prepare for the next one. So, anywhere from 2-3 cleanses are recommended for most individuals. Panchakarma is also a great way to stay ahead of any doshic imbalances by keeping the body strong and preparing it to transition from one season to the next. 

But the important factor here is also making sure that our bodies are ready to receive the cleansing. Remember, we see everything as highly personalized. So, cleansing may not be for everyone at any given moment. There are also preparatory practices we must undergo to make sure our bodies are also strong for the process. This is where being under the guidance of an Ayurvedic practitioner comes into play. 

Supportive Care 

Because of the nuances of how the panchakarma retreat program is designed for each client, it is best to undergo a panchakarma through the care and support of an Ayurvedic practitioner. These individuals have been trained to understand not only the panchakarma process but also the pre and post aspects of the detoxification process. 

The Ayurvedic practitioner should check-in daily with the client to ensure that all treatments are going well and that ama is continuing to pull out in a manner that is conducive for that client. 

At The Ayurvedic Institute, our Level 2 and Level 3 students have the privilege and opportunity to observe Vasant Lad in his own panchakarma clinic, both in Asheville, NC at SoHum Mountain Healing Resort, and in India at the Vasanta Institute of Ayurveda in Pune. Learning the science and the art of the panchakarma process requires deep levels of study, observation, and implementation of the theory. 

The beauty of Vasant Lad’s training program is that it is beyond just learning and memorizing the classical texts and theory. As practitioners, we must ask ourselves, “how are we holding a client in our awareness?” “how are we acting from compassion and grace?” “how are we supporting what is best for the client?”. These are the subtleties that true Ayurvedic practitioners operate from, and this is the inner wisdom that Vasant Lad imparts to his dear students. To take on being a panchakarma practitioner is a great responsibility, but if taken on with care and love, our clients can become our greatest teachers. 

To learn more about our training programs at The Ayurvedic Institute, please click here to speak to an Admissions Advisor. 

To learn more about experiencing your own panchakarma with Vasant Lad, please visit the SoHum Mountain Healing Resort website.