The tropical island Sri Lanka offers a wealth of travel destinations. First and foremost, there are the sandy beaches, which are popular with beach holidaymakers, lined with palm trees and offshore coral reefs. Trips to the cultural sites from the country's past are also popular, mixed with nature observation in the exotic flora and fauna. A large number of hotels and resorts also advertise other terms such as Ayurveda, Panchakarma, wellness and relaxation. This is well received by guests, and health and wellness tourism have increased worldwide in recent years anyway. In contrast to Ayurveda hotels in Europe or America, however, Sri Lanka has a long tradition and experience, there are well-trained staff who understand Ayurveda more than a wellness massage with an oil pouring, and different from India and Nepal The majority of the hotels are specially geared towards their German-speaking clientele.
Ayurveda basics
Ayurveda originated in India over 5,000 years ago and is therefore the oldest traditional medical teaching known to man. For centuries it was only passed on orally, the oldest written evidence dates back to 350 AD. The term comes from Sanskrit and means Knowledge of healthy living. Ayurveda is also considered to be one of the holy scriptures of Hinduism. With the spread of the Buddhism found in the 3rd century BC The Ayurvedic teaching opened the way to Sri Lanka.
The three doshas
According to the idea of Indian mythology, nature consists of Prakriti, the matter and the Purusha, the mind. Accordingly, each person will be with his own Prakriti and Purusha born in three bioenergies, called Dosha express:
- Vata, assigned to the element air, controls movement processes and sensory organs.
- Pitta, assigned to the elements fire and water, means warmth, metabolism and digestion.
- KaphaAssociated with earth and water, stands for inertia and stability, responsible for bones, teeth and fingernails.
These three Doshas it is important to keep it in balance. From this alone you can see that Ayurveda actually means a lifestyle that you cannot, as a rule, permanently influence on a single wellness weekend, and certainly not without active participation, since every person was born with his own mixture of doshas there are different types, depending on which Dosha has the upper hand.
- Vatta type: Slightly slim physique, dry skin, quick conception, changeable
- Pitta type: medium build, systematic, tends to be impatient
- Kapha type: strong physique, tends to be overweight, calm and steady
With the help of various treatments, the balancing of these doshas should be achieved.
Panchakarma cure
A Panchakarma cure is the core of an Ayurvedic treatment. The term means Five actions and means five ways of cleansing and detoxifying a body. This can be done through discharges such as vomiting, enemas, purging, nasal treatment, bloodletting. A prerequisite for such a cure is a thorough examination and the willingness to actively participate,
The examination is carried out by a trained Ayurveda doctor before the start of each treatment. These doctors have had several years of training in theory and practice. German is usually not their forte. A detailed questionnaire and an interpreter will help them during the examination. During the examination, the general condition of the patient is determined, but the focus is on determining the Dosha type. The Ayurvedic preparations used in the cure are based on this. Such a cure consists of three steps:
procedure
Purvakarma
Internal and external preparation (Amapachana, Snehana): Dissolving waste products in the body with herbal teas, ghee (clarified clarified butter), massages with Ayurvedic oils, herbal inhalations, herbal bath.
Panchakarma
It is the real cleansing regimen. Depending on the diagnosis, one or more of the elimination procedures are selected, accompanied by massages, yoga, meditations. The diet should be tailored to this. Anyone who books a thorough Ayurvedic cure should be aware of this: not every spa guest reacts in a positive mood to a treatment with enemas and vomiting. Yoga and meditation can help with this.
Pashat karma
Follow-up treatment: After cleansing, the body should be strengthened again. A regulated lifestyle with a light Ayurvedic diet (peyadikrama), supported by anabolic preparations (rasayanas), helps. A flower bath is often the crowning glory of a cure.
Duration of the cure
Such a Panchakarma cure usually lasts three weeks and is therefore not in the schedule of most package tourists. For them there are often only treatments that focus on Wellness, Anti aging or Weight reduction lies. Whether she is now as Stress relief or as Body and Soul offered is in the philosophy of the houses. They last a week or two, depending on the type. The decisive factor is not the duration, but in particular the type and number of applications.
Other course offers
Ayurveda hotels in Sri Lanka usually offer different levels of treatment. What they have in common is that several applications take place every day and thus help determine the daily routine from the outset.
| Duration | Type of cure | Applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week | Wellness cure | 15-20 |
| 2 weeks | Wellness Anti-Aging / Vital / Burn Out / Slim | 35-50 |
| 3 weeks | Panchakarma Intensive | 60-90 |
Wellness
The simplest and most uncomplicated is a pure wellness treatment with massages and baths, you don't have to fly halfway around the world and you don't need a special examination. The houses in Sri Lanka usually offer them for a week, you get 15-20 applications, mostly massages and baths.
Simple Ayurvedic cures
These include slimming cures, vitality cures, beauty cures, cures for body & soul or similar fantasy terms. Basic Ayurveda methods are a prerequisite, as with a Panchakarma cure, this includes a detailed examination at the beginning and end of the cure, including massages and baths, sometimes also yoga and meditation, and it is desirable that the course participants also take part in the given Adhere to behavioral and nutritional advice. Such cures usually last two weeks, depending on the type, you get 35-50 applications, depending on the cure, this can also include cosmetic treatments and aromatherapy.
Application-free course leisure time
If you have booked a wellness or beauty vital program, there are plenty of opportunities to visit the beach in front of the hotel, to walk along the beach, to meet the beach boys, to retreat to the hotel grounds and prefer to enjoy a drink at the pool bar. It might even be possible to take a trip to the hinterland to see something of the country and its people. Whether this is feasible in the schedule for an intensive cure also depends on the type of house booked. After all, you have several applications a day and should literally stay calm afterwards.
Much of the Ayurvedic resorts are on the west coast and south coast. The best time to travel there are the months of January and February. An intensive Ayurvedic cure is possible all year round, because in the tropics it often only rains in the mornings, even in the rainy season.
Methods of Ayurvedic Treatments
Different methods are used in the course of such a cure
Massages
Massage of the head and neck relieves tension. An Ayurvedic oil is used, which should take effect for some time. Facial massages with an oil or cream have an "anti-aging effect". Synchronous massages are often full-body massages that are performed on a massage table by two therapists. A massage oil is used for this. There are also massages in which the body is first rubbed with oil and then bags filled with rice and herbs are used during the massage.
The oils used in the massage should work for some time. It is therefore advisable to rest for a while after the massage and, if necessary, to put a cloth around the head. Staying in the sun or even in the water is not recommended during this time. In addition, some of the oils have the property of permanently coloring fabrics. In a number of Ayurveda resorts, you get special underwear to be worn during the treatment and special towels to take up the last inevitable paint residue after showering.
Shirodhara
Warm oil is used in this treatment. You lie on your back on a massage table and a fine stream of aromatic, warm oil flows from a gently oscillating vessel over your hairline and scalp. This process should take about half an hour, but Shirodhara is so relaxing that after a few minutes you are in a state of deep calm and forget space and time. This Ayurvedic treatment is usually carried out in the morning. If you think you're going to go to the pool afterwards, if your doctor prescribes you often have a scarf around your head hours afterwards, so it's better to go to yoga or meditation than to bathing.
Baths
- Herbal bath: Often used immediately after a massage. An extract of herbs is added to the water to aid the cleansing process. According to the instructions, you should rest for a while after bathing, preferably on a surface that does not damage an additional color, only then can you take a shower.
- Herbal steam bath: To do this, you sit in a headlock heated by herbal vapors
- Flower bath: Usually a bath at the end of a cure. Since something is always blooming in Sri Lanka all year round, the surface of the scented water is completely covered with tropical flowers.
Meditation and yoga
The holistic approach of Ayurveda includes concentration, body and breathing exercises like in yoga and meditation - Pranamaya. This requires an environment that exudes peace and quiet and that can also create a positive atmosphere through its beauty. Some houses complement these exercises not quite stylishly but effectively with Chinese Tai Chi.
nutrition
The Ayurvedic diet is very similar to a gluten-free vegan diet, so it is just not what you usually expect in hotels with four or more stars. The selection of drinks is also quite modest, herbal teas are dominant, and in between it is only warm water. Even coffee is frowned upon in some houses. Well, apparently there is no other way of detoxification. And opinions are divided when it comes to nutrition. Anyone who wants to do a strict Panchakarma regimen should go to a house that has it just Ayurvedic food and he will quickly get to know the variety of Asian lentil curries. Most of the resorts don't see this that closely. For guests who have not booked a strict cure, there is also a restaurant with international cuisine, then there are ham and eggs for breakfast instead of just a kind of porridge. However, this is also very seductive: the weaker self quickly broke off the cure and fell into the old eating habits. The prejudice that an Ayurveda cure has to be done entirely without alcohol, refutes the fact that a few healing essences are available as herbal wines.
Anyone who nevertheless dines in the Ayurveda restaurants must first know their typology. Then you can then eat the foods that are suitable for this type, and there are hints at the counters about the foods that are suitable for a certain type. The general rule is: Meat and fish are not eaten at all or in smaller quantities, with vegetables and fruit there are hardly any restrictions for most types. But you can also get that in writing for a final examination at home.
Remedies
Ayurvedic remedies are made on a herbal and / or mineral basis. There are numerous spice gardens in Sri Lanka, in which medicinal plants thrive in addition to the well-known kitchen spices. Some of these establishments also produce Ayurvedic products from these herbs. This includes a whole range of teas that can be tasted during a cure. Some of them even taste quite good.
Which herbs or other substances are used as drugs for the discharge is probably the secret of the doctors. That some black sheep also used poisonous substances can be found in the Internet quite fast. But you can also quickly find providers who have a trustworthy effect with specific information and certificates. Otherwise, the advice applies: "If there are huge side effects, sue your doctor or pharmacist".
In the centers of the cities you can find shops in which Ayurvedic products are traded, mostly at a fraction of the price as in the actual Ayurveda resorts. It is questionable whether they are of the same quality. But you can try general products such as flavors or cinnamon oil.
Sample offers
Dynamic cards
There is hardly a hotel or resort in Sri Lanka that does not include the term "Ayurveda" in its offer. The decisive factor is whether it is only a question of individual wellness or beauty treatments or whether the treatment is monitored by doctors with a doctorate, how the environment is suitable for the cure, and whether professional nutrition is offered. One can distinguish:
Houses that only offer Ayurveda cures
Houses that work according to the pure teachings of Ayurveda have the advantage that you can usually rely on their professional qualifications. This can be a decisive factor in the success of a regimen. In addition, you are not distracted from the cure due to the lack of offers, it starts with the desire for an omelette at breakfast and ends with the need for an ice-cold drink in the evening. Pure Ayurveda knows neither omelets nor ice cream. Sometimes Ayurveda has no TV, no air conditioning and no wifi. Asking beforehand saves disappointment.
- 2 Laluna Ayurveda Resort. Hotel and Ayurveda resort, affordable price range, they also speak German.
- 3 Hiru mansion, Kudawa Mount Rd., Maggona. Tel.: 94 34 227 9248. Ayurveda supplemented by tai chi, qigong, music therapy. Afternoon excursions are possible during the cure.
- 4 Ayurveds Ceylon Star (formerly Kuma Villa)
- Ayurveda Sri Lanka: Ayurveda cure in the Surya Lanka Ayurveda Hotel Traditional Ayurveda cure in paradise. Ayurveda, Panchakarma, Yoga and Meditation.
- Ayurveda Sri Lanka: Surya Lanka Ayurveda Resort Authentic Ayurveda cures in Sri Lanka.
Houses with a mixed offer
Quite a few houses go two ways: they offer good Ayurvedic food and treatment, supervised by trained doctors, but if you don't want that, you can study the menu of the day in the neighboring restaurant with a cold glass of beer and then enjoy the pool instead of a herbal bath. This option is very convenient if, as a person accompanying a spa guest, you don't necessarily want to go along with everything, although it might make sense, at least for a few Langhana applications(= Reduction) to book. Many houses are accordingly flexible and are geared more towards the wishes of the guest than the pure teaching.
- 6 Lanka Princess. The 4-star hotel in Aluthgama at the mouth of the Bentota River is an upscale hotel and at the same time one of the most famous Ayurveda resorts. It has two restaurants. Individual Ayurvedic treatments can also be booked upon request.
- 7 Siddhalepa Ayurveda Resort. The resort is located in Wadduwa near the beach, it has a main restaurant and an Ayurveda restaurant.
- 8 Austrian Beach (Boutique hotel and Ayurveda resort)
- 9 Kosgoda Beach Resort
Houses with wellness offers
In principle, in most hotels from three stars upwards you will find a program with beauty, wellness and massages. If an Ayurveda cure is not explicitly offered, it can be assumed that there is no Ayurveda doctor in the house either. The massages can still be professional, and those who are only looking for relaxation and variety may be in the right place in such a house. For more hotel offers see the local articles from Sri Lanka
- 10 Jetwing Yala. The hotel on Yala National Park belongs to the Jetwing chain. The hotels in this chain have consistently high standards, also have good wellness offers, but mostly no special Ayurveda offers.
