Ayurveda Daily Journal – Day 16

Feb 18 (Day 16):

WORDS OF WISDOM:
“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” — C.S. Lewis

GENERAL IMPRESSIONS:
Woke up this morning feeling like a new person. I’m so relieved that the hard part is behind me. From now on, no more ghee, no more purging…I can actually eat again! I can even have a glass of juice in the morning and a piece of fruit in the afternoon…feels like a miracle. That last week was so rough it made me doubt myself and want to run away. Now that the hard part is over, I know I can finish this. My energy is higher and I am so much happier. I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders for the first time since we moved to India. I don’t just see the light at the end of the tunnel, I’m standing in it.

I spent a lot of time talking with Emil today too, which always makes me happy. Since he’s leaving tomorrow, we spent the entire evening learning more about each other. What a remarkable man Emil is. He’s an economist, an entrepreneur and a philanthropist…But the best thing about him? He absolutely adored his wife. That alone makes me love him to pieces! Emil will definitely be a houseguest once we move to London. We’ll also get to visit with him when we take our vacation in Zurich next year. I can hardly wait to see him again…He’s one of the loveliest men I’ve ever met.

Emil introduced me to another wonderful person here, a man named Jan (pronounced djahn). Since Emil is leaving tomorrow, he wanted me to have a friend here after he left and he picked a total sweetheart. Jan is open, interesting and all heart…another kindred spirit. He lives in Paris and owns a large company that specializes in trekking through the Himalayas and once in a lifetime trips throughout India. How cool is that?

Emil and Jan love travel as much as I do, so we spent the night going over our favorite places on the globe. We even discussed the difference between travel and tourism. Tourism is when you go to the top tourist spots and check them off your list, never bothering to learn about the life and culture of the place you’re visiting. Travel is when you look at every new country through the eyes of the people living there. You learn their customs and interact with the people. Travel is when you fall in love with a place because you immerse yourself in it. You live like a local, even if you’re only there for a week or two. As a traveler, every place you visit becomes a part of you. It inhabits a tiny corner of your soul. Jan, Emil and I all travel like that. We fall a little in love with every place we visit. Life is so much more fun when you get to discuss the things you love with people who you respect and enjoy. What a wonderful night!

THE TREATMENTS:
Today I started having my oil treatments again with Greeshma. This morning I had the Dhatupushty Uzhichil. (That’s the one where they push the medicated oil into your skin.) This afternoon, I had Lekhaneeyam (the mud-paste scrub to draw out toxins), Sirodhara (the oil running on my forehead for an hour) and Thalam. Thalam is a medicated oil that they rub into your head. Then they wrap your hair in a turban and leave it in for at least three hours. Both Thalam and Sirodhara are supposed to be very good at relieving stress. (Frankly, all they had to do to relieve MY stress was stop making me drink ghee!)

THE DOCTOR:
Dr. Sankar confirmed that the hard part is officially over! Starting today, he will try to help me figure out what core issues are causing my body the most stress. All we’ve done up to this point was get my body to a neutral enough place that he could study me. Who knew that getting neutral would be so much work?!?!?! I am so glad to be moving on to the “answer” portion of my stay. I am relaxed, open and very ready to work.