The Panchakarma Experiment

Day 4

I’m in Nepal doing a Panchakarma… a traditional Ayurvedic detox that can last up to three weeks (I’m doing 16 days).

It’s said to be one of the most powerful ways to clear toxins from the body and prevent disease. And since I got another concussion 4 months ago, I’ve been dealing with exhaustion, headaches and struggles with my mental and emotional health.

I’ve always thought of myself as pretty resilient, but this one has really knocked me for 6. So here I am being scrubbed, steamed, bathed and nourished back to myself.

Panchakarma is like a full reset… digestion is restored, immunity strengthened, the mind returns to feeling light and clear. I thought it might be something like a lovely spa. I'm not so sure now.

I’ll be honest I’m getting to the point of being massaged out

There are about 4 hours of treatments a day. Some are blissful. Some are… mmmmm surprising!

So far I’ve been massaged with two hands, four hands, with balls of herbs cooked in oil as hot as I could bear.

I’ve been steamed, bathed, scrubbed and had every sense and orifice - eyes, ears… yes everything…. cleansed and nourished.

Last night’s highlight? I wore a nappy to bed.

I kid you not. I’m laughing as I write this. The toxins have no choice but to remove themselves from this temple.

Today my body feels tired. Crazy dreams with deeper messages (is that the toxins?), rushes of emotions, heavy bones. And yet there’s also this quiet part of me that feels like I’m just observing it all as if it’s happening to someone else. Watching it all with curiosity.

And I wonder… could I keep doing this in ‘real’ life? And watch life more. Meet the ups and downs with less reaction or judgement.

More in love and curiosity.

Less fear more trust.

Maybe thats the deeper medicine.

Day 7
6pm. Back in bed, nappied up, done for the night. 5 Bastis down, 5 to go. 😊

The Basti or enema is a core part of Panchakarma for many. Morning is a cleansing basti with medicated water, evening is nourishing with medicated oil. The first clears the digestive tract; the second restores and nourishes it.
Cleansing days? Definitely more… intense! 🤣

There are 5 doctors here and over 20 therapists. So your program is tailored to exactly what you need. This morning I had a head and foot massage. Feet and legs massaged and soaked in warm, herb-filled water, head massaged with hot medicated oil. 🫶🏼
When it ended, I opened my eyes to a jungle view, the greens were so vivid, it felt like a hologram. The colours felt brighter somehow. Literally. Like something had shifted.

My dreams are still wild, and so clear I remember them almost word for word when I wake up. People from my past talking to me. This is the body is clearing old emotions while I sleep. 😴

So far the last 2 days have been toughest. Still bearable though and I haven't needed medication for pain or anything like that.

Heavy, headachy, mild cramps and discomfort, smelt bad, grumpy, sensitive, emotional, tears.

But even in this discomfort I'm actually feeling something shifting inside. And then there’s another body treatment that soothes and restores my nervous system.

During Panchakarma these side effects are said to be toxins leaving the body - it’s not just physical (toxins being pulled from the digestive tract, blood, fat, liver), it’s emotional and spiritual.

The positives far outweigh the challenges so far:
Fungal infection (had for a year) gone in 3 days
* Wrinkles softening, skin brighter
Losing excess weight
No dry skin
* Feeling quieter, more connected
Moments of pure clarity
* And the food is divine

I’m nearly half way and feeling excited at the possibilities!!
This experience so far has been kind of magical.

I’m not saying it’s a cure-all. But I feel like this traditional therapy tapping into nature’s wisdom, combined with herbal medicine and a little patience and compassion goes a long way in restoring balance. For many of us, healing can be gentle, natural and profound - no chemical medication needed to feel whole again.

I woke myself up laughing in a dream this morning. I can’t remember the last time I did that. It was such a beautiful start to my day.

Day 11

This morning I was pounded with muslin balls filled with medicated herbs and rice, and boiled in milk. I literally got the giggles on the table feeling like Cleopatra. (I’ve done that a bit - my emotions feel intense.) Three therapists: two pound, and one cooks.

Yesterday morning was a hot medicated lemongrass oil scrub and steam to pull out toxins. Both treatments target muscle and joint inflammation - think arthritis, back pain, stiffness, achy muscles, sciatica.

The herbal medicine is grown here as well as much of the food which is freshly prepared by our Ayurvedic chefs. It's like a mini-paradise in many ways.

I honestly feel ten years younger.

No concussion headache for three days!

It’s such a relief.

And my energy feels like it's coming back.

I’ve had another weird headache that moves around, sometimes sharp, sometimes a dull ache at the back of my skull. The doctor says it’s a detox symptom. Like having an unwanted guest who doesn’t want to leave your house.

Another doctor chat taught me that Panchakarma helps prevent and support the healing of 70% of illnesses by detoxifying the body, improving digestion, balancing the system and strengthening immunity. Powerful stuff.

I’ve also been chatting to other guests, some here for health issues, a couple to cleanse or lose weight. One of the ladies I spoke to wasn’t keen, the medicine was too bitter, and too much massage for her.

But everyone else who has finished describes feeling:

Lighter. Cleaner. More energy.

I haven’t made friends yet with morning basti (think Natalie Imbruglio lyrics, and me being suitably melodramatic:).

And some days I’ve found pretty challenging. It’s a journey for sure.

But I feel like I’ve stumbled on a little piece of magic here in the Kathmandu hills. I’m an absolute believer!

There's so much we don’t understand about our bodies, our minds or even life. Curiosity and trust are my fave words at the moment. I come back to them daily. Sometimes all I can do is hold on, stay curious and trust that my path is unfolding exactly as it’s meant to.

One of my wonderful and very wise friends said to me a few weeks ago, “Honor, why do you think this is this happening to you again? (Talking about concussion symptons.)”

Maybe this is why.

Day 14

I feel like I have been mined.

The excavators and diggers disguised as soothing hands and bitter tonics and hot fragrant oils.

And what was mined isn’t the precious metals - they’ve been left behind. Instead they dug out the bits that didn’t belong. The undigested food, stale thoughts and emotions and the rubbish and excess that had got stuck and started corroding quietly.

I have 2 days left.

The work has shifted from excavation to repair… therapies that restore and nourish. For me that has lots to do with the head. Head massage, facials, nourishing the eyes, nose, ears all roads to the brain.

Highlights:

The minion therapy (the pic with medicated ghee in my eyes), which felt so weird as the doctor talked me through eye exercises to take the medication right to the back of the eye.

And the cleansing smoke which I strangely enjoyed, before medicine was put up my nose. The smells of burning ghee and the different cooked herbs was a combination of acrid and exotic.

(Curiosity and trust…)

The sharp detox symptoms have mostly drifted away now as I come out of the main Panchakarma.

It’s been hard at times. And also magical.

I’ve felt so grateful for the messages reveived from home and friends. They feel like a string of colourful Nepalese prayer flags floating in the breeze around me.

I’m noticing more changes… I’ve slowed down.

Calmer.

Quieter.

More spacious.

Deep restful sleep.

Weight loss.

Bloating loss.

My digestion is smooth and easeful.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if these centres were accessible everywhere….

I finished my Panchakarma yesterday

These are the two wonderful doctors who run the centre, and care for everyone, father and son, Badri and Vyoma. I had a lovely chat with Badri (on the left) a few days ago. We were talking about emotions and the nervous system, and he said something that really stayed with me:

(You may well have heard these…it’s just such a great reminder)

Honor, remember these three things…

The Past: Forgive. Forgive everyone in your past, even when it’s hard, even when it feels impossible. Holding onto anger or resentment doesn’t affect them, it only hurts you. Let it go. Forgive.

The Future: Have no expectations. Give without expecting anything in return. Love without expecting anything back. This is Karma in action, do it because you genuinely want to. And if they don’t reciprocate? That’s okay. That’s not your business. Forgive.

The Present: Be here now. Be present. Express yourself. Share it. Say what you need to say, even if it’s anger, without harming. Holding it in only creates tension in your body and mind. It creates future problems for you. Don’t worry about how it’s received, that’s not your business. And if you can’t express it, then… forgive.

Three simple things.

And life-changing when you let them sink in.

I'm going to miss this magic. The people, the food, the care, the jungle, the heat, the clouds gently passing my window, the monsoon rain.

And yet I know I'm taking some of it with me. Gosh, I wouldn't change this experience for the world. It's a game changer, a life- changer. I'm sooo grateful.

I feel like me again.

“If you know how to make good use of the mud, you can grow beautiful lotuses.”

Thich Naht Hanh