Janice's Insights and Offerings from her Panchakarma Journal at Amrit Yoga Institute Panchakarma Program

First, here is the definition of Panchakarma from the manual:

Panchakarma
Ayurveda uses two modalities in the treatment of disease: Shamana therapy and Shodhana therapy. Shamana therapy, which means alleviating the symptoms, does not deal with the root cause of the illness and thus can never affect a complete cure. On the other hand, Shodhana therapy is a procedure for eradicating disease. This therapy rids the body of Ama and Malas and restores balance to the doshas.

Panchakarma is such a therapy. It is also called purification therapy because it reverses the disease mechanism that carries toxic waste products from the digestive tract into the tissues of the body. Panchakarma is designed to draw ama out of the dhatus, return it to the digestive tact, and expel it from the body. It does this through ghee and herbs along with a simple diet for five days before the program.

During the program there is inner and outer oleation through abhyanga and shirodhara, oil massages, bastis or herbal oil enemas, a sattvic (easy to digest) diet as well as some much needed quiet and rest.

Journal entry, Thursday 4/20/2010 (first full day)
Calm and peaceful day. Took my tea onto the dock. Still some mist. Saw some beautiful birds (learned later that they were Sandhill Cranes, an endangered species). I felt calm and peaceful and then some resentments from the past came bubbling up. I realized, just now, that the herbs and oil I took last night to cleanse are bringing out poisons from my mind as well as my body. I will not blow off these feelings as some may indeed need attention and for right now, I am not going to take them so seriously.

Had soothing/calming/balancing treatments today. I was relaxed, my heart calm and it was heaven. Had the two-person oil massage, then steam and then Michele doing shirodhara (this is a technique where oil is poured onto the forehead and massaged on the face and head). It really does calm down the brain, I would start to go off into thinking and then I would notice where the oil was dripping on my forehead and I would slip right underneath the thoughts to a place of ease.

Saturday morning
A new day. Perhaps a new leaf. What might I find when I have faith and let myself grow? Feeling tired today. Letting myself be slow. A lot is being stirred up. Getting rid of ama and I have good agni. That just delights me. Most people would think you were nuts if you said that. Found this poem from Yogi Desai that relates to the feelings of the past couple of days -

"Although it may seem contrary to what you eventually want, this is the process a spiritual aspirant must go through. You cannot clear the debris that is holding you back without first stirring it up."

Sunday morning
Had a heaviness when I walked into yoga this morning. Michele remembered that it is Laughter Yoga Day, so we laughed and moved and laughed some more. It was perfect. It was what we all needed. We all had bastis and had a lot of "shit" (literally and figuratively) moving through.

Ganesha must be laughing at me. I am not supposed to be working but got permission to work a little on the lesson plan for the level 2 retreat. I called Kevin and asked him again to try to find this certain handout. It wasn't on the computer but I thought I knew where there was a hard copy that he could fax. But it was nowhere to be found. So I get it. I am not to work. I am to trust.

Had oil, steam and sirodhara today. Knew I needed to sit in the shade in silence. As I sat there my mind went into a story. Went on for just a short time and then caught it. Not a good atmosphere for digestion! Took a breath and focused on the tastes of the food. Tried to fine all six tastes and I did. Much better.

Monday night
In bed after a Brahmi basti and warm milk with ghee and honey. Relaxing and resting. I am learning to reset my system.

Tuesday afternoon
From Yoga Nidra today - "If you are not your memories, thoughts, perceptions or emotions then what is blame? What is shame? Drop into the nothingness. Are you witnessing consciousness or are you consciousness itself? Be the consciousness from which the witness emerges."

Vijay tells me my agni is good. My dual dosha nature of pitta/vata is just about equal. - 50%/50%. Did a brief swim. Didn't overdo. Actually listened to myself. I rest deeply in myself.

The closing circle was beautiful and emotional. We did not talk a lot to each other during the week yet we got to know each other in a deep and meaningful way. We have almost graduated! It is beautiful to have been part of a transformative experience in such good company.

Thursday night
Back home. Glad to be home and landing is hard. It seems somewhat surreal. It takes time to integrate after PK. I get the challenge is to befriend and work with what shows up and to not be enemies. As Richard Miller would say, to welcome all that is. Well, I am welcoming. Hello life!

P.S. I am still integrating the lessons from the week of PK. PK is about letting go. The time after is about rebuilding. I am even more conscious of what I put in my body and mind because what I put in is more foundational now. I want to rebuild with good materials, and I am, for the most part. I will confess, I have had some dark chocolate and eaten at an Indian buffet. But hey, that is Life!!! And I welcome Life.

Shanti, Janice