Detoxing Trauma & Burnout Through Panchakarma: My Ayurvedic Retreat in India: Part 1
Discover Panchakarma, Ayurveda’s profound detox system. In this deeply personal...
Detoxing Trauma & Burnout Through Panchakarma: My Ayurvedic Retreat in India: Part 1
If you’ve read my introductory blog post on Panchakarma, you’ll know this isn’t just a wellness trend for me. It’s a deeply personal journey, one that’s been nearly 40 years in the making. Now, after decades of exploring natural healing modalities, I’ve finally arrived in Kerala, India to experience the full Panchakarma retreat for myself.
This post shares my raw, unfiltered experience of the first two days, as I recorded it on the morning of Day 3. It’s not polished. It’s not spiritual perfection. It’s real. It’s messy. And it’s deeply healing.
Note: Especially as I am now well and truly back and now starting to really appreciate the changes that have occurred, and experiences I went through and had forgotten about.
Arrival: Chaos, Kindness, and Exhaustion
I flew Sri Lankan Airlines to Colombo, which, by the way, was a great experience. From there, it was just a short 40-minute flight to Trivandrum, Kerala. The chaos of India hit me instantly: the beeping, the erratic traffic, the smells, the dust, and that curious, beautiful organized chaos that somehow just works.
Ayursoma Hospital, where I’m staying, is located in a small fishing village right on the beach in Kerala – affectionately known by the Indian people as ‘God’s own country’. It’s not a little retreat centre. It’s massive. It spans several properties and includes over 25 treatment rooms, private suites with pools, yoga pavilions, and ocean views, just in Ayursoma. The sounds of the waves are constant, and for someone like me who craves stillness, it’s the perfect place to land.
But let me tell you, I arrived absolutely exhausted.
I’d been flat out: launching my new website, finalizing a course, managing clients, preparing the house for my son to house-sit. I even cleaned all the kitchen cupboards before I left, you know, so I could come home to that feeling of peace.
The First Appointment
Upon arrival, I was quickly ushered into my room and then scheduled for my first consultation with two Ayurvedic doctors, one male, one female. Any physical examinations are gender-matched, which I appreciated. I filled out a very detailed questionnaire, and after a thorough assessment, they confirmed my dosha: Pitta-Kapha.
They gave me a full schedule of treatments (daily at 2:30pm), and a collection of herbal pills and liquid tonics to take before and after meals. Then came the treatments… and this is where the magic begins.
Day 1 Treatments: Oil, Milk, Chanting, and Tears
My treatment woman, Premada, one of two, a beautiful, serene Indian woman, greeted me by intertwining our fingers and leading me into the treatment room. The space was dimly lit with candles, fragrant with oils, and warm. This wasn’t just a massage room. It was a sanctuary.
I was given disposable underwear (which I accidentally put on backwards, both legs in one hole – not my finest moment), and she began by massaging my scalp with oil while chanting softly in Sanskrit.
Then came the full-body oil massage, known as Abhyanga, performed by my two treatment women, Avita and Premeda, in synchronized movements. It’s not just relaxing, it’s designed to stimulate lymph flow, detox the organs, and re-regulate your energy channels (nadis). The table is a carved piece of dark wood with drainage grooves and a small outlet at the base, traditional and functional.
After the massage came Shirodhara – the famous Ayurvedic treatment where a warm
stream of medicated milk or buttermilk is poured slowly across the forehead. They use a swinging terracotta pot and a cotton wick to allow the liquid to gently trickle in rhythmic waves.
They covered my eyes with cucumber slices and tied my hair up. For 30 minutes, warm liquid streamed across my third eye. I drifted somewhere between sleep and stillness. When I got up, I was completely altered. My mind was quiet. I didn’t want to read, scroll, or even talk. I just stared out at the sea.
After the Treatments
They rinsed my body with more medicated milk, warm and soothing, poured in waves across my skin. Then a facial massage, a face mask made of honey, and a medicated nasal spray. They dressed me in a green cotton gown and instructed me not to wash the oils or mask off for an hour.
The bathrooms here are enormous, there’s a soaking tub, a rain shower, and a hand-held bath tap, which makes post-treatment cleanup feel like part of the ritual.
I had odd, vivid dreams that night. Apparently, that’s common for Pitta types as emotions start to release. Fearful, fragmented dreams, even though I couldn’t remember them clearly. I also took Ayurvedic sleep remedies – and though I slept deeply when I slept, I woke up during the night with restless legs. A bit to go on the sleep but fingers crossed.
Day 2: More of the Same – and Yet, Different
Yoga and meditation began at 7:15am. You don’t have to go, but I did, and it was my kind of meditation: silent. We started with gentle pranayama breathing, then sat in stillness. My monkey mind was bouncing all over the place. It was confronting to realise how much my personal practice had slipped.
The yoga? Oh my god. It’s called “beginner,” but I was sweating and shaking. It’s not like the poses we do at home, this more like Qigong lot’s of very simple movements, like swinging your arms one way then the next same with your legs, lots of breath awareness, and the sun salutations – looked deceptively easy but absolutely was not. I had to take breaks. I was embarrassed, honestly. But also determined.
The treatments were similar to Day 1 – the same order, the same therapists, but deeper. I could feel my body responding more. My digestion started to shift. My nervous system started to unwind.
And once again, I left the treatment unable to form a thought. Just peace.
Who Else is Here?
There’s a real mix of people: an Air India pilot here with his parents, Ravi – a retired restaurant owner from Delhi, a couple from France, a large group of Japanese guests, and another yoga group of 20 or so French guests. Apparently, this is considered off-season. I can’t imagine what it’s like when it’s full.
One man has been here 61 days. Another guest had bandages on his legs from Raktamokshana (Ayurvedic bloodletting), a very rare but still-practiced treatment. I’m grateful, but also weirdly disappointed (strange I know), I’m not scheduled for Vamana (therapeutic vomiting). Not yet anyway.
Reflections After Two Days
Panchakarma is not just a holiday. It’s a deep unwinding. A raw, unvarnished look at what’s been living in your tissues, physically, emotionally, energetically.
In just two days, I’ve experienced:
- Profound nervous system calm
- Emotional stirrings in my dreams
- Physical exhaustion and release
- Clear-headed peace I haven’t felt in years
- Disconnection from distractions (I’ve barely touched my phone)
I came here to detox. But already, I see this is about so much more. It’s not about the body, although the body is the doorway. It’s not even about emotions, although those are shifting too.
It’s about coming home to myself.
I’ll continue sharing updates as I move through the days. This is only the beginning. If you’re curious about Panchakarma and wonder if it could help you recover from trauma, anxiety, or long-term stress, keep following along as I live it.
Always consult with an Ayurvedic practitioner before beginning and Ayursoma where I went offer zoom session prior to your arrival and even prior to you booking with them.
Caroline x
Wow! Sounds like a ‘life changing’ journey you are experiencing, Caroline! “Coming home to you” That is really what it all comes too! Look forward to more about your experience ……
Warmest regards
Sue Aspinall
Hi Sue, how lovely to see you here and thank you xx
so happy you have had a great journey Caroline, sds like you too have experienced major trauma in your life
people who have dealt with trauma will understand, so lovely to have you back refreshed & ready to heal
warmest wishes
Dorianna
Hi Dorianna, how lovely to hear from you…and thank you for your kind words xx