Covered from head to toe in massage oil, I’m helped up off the wooden table and offered a shower, which I eagerly accept given the state of me and Sri Lanka’s intense humidity.
My therapist modestly wraps me in a sarong, places my belongings in a plastic tote bag and leads the way outside to what I’m hoping is a bathroom. After being cocooned in the massage room for 90 minutes of bliss during my Ayurvedic massage, I’m suddenly plunged into daylight and shuffled past amused villagers observing the oily white woman grasping a tote bag and sarong for dear life.
She guides me into what I can best describe as an igloo painted in saffron yellow, reminiscent of a tagine. Inside sit two Swedish girls, equally oily and baffled at the promised shower. On the ground, some herbs gently smoke and as we awkwardly make eye contact, we explode into laughter.
I guess the unexpected is partly why we travel the world. Although this wasn’t my first Ayurvedic experience, it was probably one of the most comical treatments.
Meaning the Science of Life, Ayurveda is one of the oldest forms of holistic healing in the world. It has been passed down through the generations for more than 5,000 years and is still practised today by most Sri Lankans. The essence of Ayurveda is to maintain a balance between the three life energies, or doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. When our doshas are in harmony, we achieve a state of equilibrium where our well-being improves, vitality increases and healthy ageing is activated.
Ayurveda treatments range from body massages and herbal potions to intensive treatments such as Shirodhara, where oil is gently poured from a special vessel for 30 minutes onto the third eye on the forehead, as well as eye therapy where the eyeballs are washed with oil to relieve tired eyes. Panchakarma purges toxins to cleanse the body, treat chronic illnesses or for healing after invasive treatments such as chemotherapy. Herbal medicines can include up to 60 ingredients foraged from the land such as bark, root seeds and flowers boiled in earthenware pots and reduced to an intense potion, ideally diluted with honey or warm water.
Like the corner pub in the UK, there’s an Ayurvedic centre on almost every street, hotel, hospital and dispensary in Sri Lanka, including one of my favourites called The Good Spa in the seaside town of Weligama – it’s like having a holiday within a holiday. There are more than 20,000 registered practices on the island around the size of Tasmania, which speaks volumes about the difference between Western and Eastern lifestyles. As the government dispenses herbal medicines free of charge, it’s not uncommon for your tuk-tuk driver to nip in for a top-up of herbal medicine or tea, and you’ll probably be invited to join them.
Sri Lankans have one of the longest life expectancies in Southeast Asia, as does the neighbouring Maldives. However, neither country is classified as a Blue Zone (region in the world where people are claimed to have exceptionally long lives). These are Ikaria (Greece), Loma Linda (California), Sardinia (Italy), Okinawa (Japan) and Nicoya (Costa Rica). Singapore has been cited as the sixth zone; perhaps there is something to island life.
I fondly recall a four-day Ayurveda retreat I joined at the Barberyn Beach Resort in the seaside town of Weligama on Sri Lanka’s south coast several years ago. The Ayurvedic doctor interviewed me about my health, lifestyle, and diet and gave an assessment based on my body shape, weight, skin tone and overall physique to determine my dosha, a treatment plan, herbal medicines and meal recommendations.
It was a confronting experience as there was little privacy, and spending most of my time in only a sarong, my therapists weren’t strangers for long. Synchronised massages, herbal baths, steam baths, steam inhalation, head oil baths, herbal pastes, facial therapies and acupuncture were all part of the daily routine. After I had been pummelled, oiled up, bathed, steamed and seasoned, much like the food on the buffet, I left energised and eager to return again one day.
The Sri Lankan diet intrinsically employs the healing properties found in Ayurvedic medicine, using a balance of heating and cooling flavours as vibrant and aromatic as the country. Ideally, each dish stimulates the entire palate with six taste sensations of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent, which are aligned with your dosha.
On a more recent trip to Colombo, I indulged in an Ayurvedic degustation menu at the Siddhalepa Anarva Resort in the Mount Lavinia district. After a shot of herbal elixir exuding notes of liquorice, I delved into baked jack fruit stuffed with cuttlefish and prawn, lemon and basil pesto soup, grilled fish, honey-glazed grilled pumpkin, sweet potato tempered, red rice exuding a nutty flavour and curd with treacle paired with a delicious herbal wine. The decadence continued with a Vera Thavaruma (Exotic Body Glow) massage, with the option of extending the pampering with a holistic package, rooftop yoga and an ocean-facing suite spanning several days.
While growing older is inevitable, if you’re lucky, Ayurveda takes a holistic approach towards restoring the body’s equilibrium leading to healthy ageing. If laughter, good food and massages are the best medicine, I’m booking my next flight to Sri Lanka.
If a trip to Sri Lanka isn’t on the cards, there are several reputable Ayurveda centres in Perth at Nisarg Ayurveda, Lakshmi Ayurveda, Priya Birdi, Rainbow Parakeet Ayurvedic and Perth Ayurveda.
Carmen Jenner was a guest of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotional Bureau, Siddhalepa Anarva Resort and Sri Lankan Airlines.
For more information, go to www.srilanka.travel
