A healing art with millennia of history
Ayurveda — Sanskrit for “knowledge of life” — is the traditional Indian system of medicine and living whose roots reach back more than two thousand years. At its core stands the teaching of the three doshas (vata, pitta, kapha): constitutional basic types whose balance decides well-being. Ayurveda thinks holistically — nutrition, daily rhythm, movement, treatments and mental balance belong together. In Western wellness a popular treatment line of its own has grown out of it.
The treatments
The heart of Ayurvedic practice is abhyanga — the broad full-body oil massage with warm oil chosen to suit the constitution, often performed synchronously by two therapists. Add shirodhara, the famous forehead oil pouring in which warm oil flows in a steady stream onto the forehead; the herbal steam bath svedana; as well as head, foot and facial massages. The oils and herbs are matched to the dosha type — hence the consultation that usually comes first.
A cure or a wellness treatment
The strict form is panchakarma — a cleansing and elimination cure of several weeks with medical supervision, a change of diet and a fixed treatment plan. In the spa hotel Ayurveda is usually met in the lighter variant: individual treatments or multi-day packages that pick out the most pleasant methods without the ambition of a cure. Both have their value — whoever seeks depth chooses the supervised cure; whoever wants to get to know Ayurveda begins with abhyanga and shirodhara.
Ayurveda in the spa hotel
Many German-speaking houses run Ayurvedic treatments with trained therapists — some with doctors who learned their craft in India or Sri Lanka. Whoever seeks serious Ayurveda asks about the training and about the constitutional consultation beforehand: only the dosha determination turns a beautiful massage into an Ayurvedic treatment.
