In this extended episode, I interview Dr. Venu Panicker and Michaela Fábry Pardubská, MBA about the life science of Ayurveda. Originating in India about 5000 years ago, many of the descriptions of Ayurveda are given in the original Sanskrit form in which the Hindu Vedas were written, with an English equivalent given by Dr Venu as he guides us through the key elements of Ayurveda.
You will hear about the Panchakarmas - or five (5) cleansing procedures which are used to detoxify the body. These are Vamana – vomiting; Virechana – purgation; Vasthi – enemas; Nasya – nasal drops; and Raktha moksha – or blood letting. As Dr Venu explains, not every patient needs to receive each of these cleansing procedures and it depends on the individual as to which is best for them, according to which of the Doshas, a person's energy type, is predominant in an individual's body and mind. In this way, Ayurveda is best described as a holistic practice, focussing on the whole person and looking at the causes of their ailments or illnesses, not just focussing on the symptoms.
Other Sanskrit words you will hear in the podcast describe the various treatments which may be prescribed for an individual including: (1) Abhyangam – a full body massage; (2) Udwarthanam – a type of body scrub using herbal powders; (3) Sirodhara – the dripping of medicated oil on the forehead or 3rd eye; (4) Kizhy – best described as a bundle or pouch massage [ the pouch contains herbs, herbal powder , lemon, rice etc and any one of them is used for massaging the body after tying them in a piece of cloth like a pouch]; (5) Siro abhyanga – a head massage; and (6) Pizhil – an oil bath.
Michaela Pardubská who has undergone many of the treatments described in the podcast and who has adopted an Ayurvedic lifestyle to improve her health and wellbeing, describes the benefits she has gained from the treatments and the changes it has made to her body and mind.
Michaela and Dr Venu have organised several retreats to India, Croatia and Slovakia where the Ayurvedic lifestyle can be experienced at first hand. The upcoming trip to Kerala, in southern India, is a wonderful opportunity to live the Ayurvedic practice and to explore some of the beautiful nature that can be found in the state of Kerala. The retreats will incorporate the daily practice of yoga and meditation.
To find out more about the opportunities to join the retreat in Kerala at the end of January 2023 - beginning of February 2023, please see the website at: https://www.ayurdia.eu or contact Michaela directly at manager@ayurdia.eu . Dr Venu can be contacted directly on +798 27 28 28 00 or by email at doctor@ayurdia.eu
The general aim of the podcast series is to be entertaining for all listeners, as well as being educational, assisting upper-intermediate and advanced level English language students with additional listening practice. I've been told the podcasts are a perfect travelling companion for long car journeys, train rides and for airplane adventures.
For more information on this podcast series, or to make any comments or to ask any questions relating to English Language learning, please contact me at johnscottlawton@hotmail.co.uk or visit my LinkedIn profile at https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-scott-lawton/or my company page at https://www.linkedin.com/company/john-scott-lawton-consulting/?viewAsMember=true
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