Day 28 – Thank You, Kalari Rasayana

These photos were taken during my goodbye ceremony. The staff “gifts” you a ride around the lake to say goodbye to all the memories you have of Kalari Rasayana. (The women behind me in the dugout punt were there to hold umbrellas over me if I got too warm. Talk about thinking of everything!)  The second photo is me with some of the Ayurvedic staff. My sweet therapist, Greeshma is standing on my left — I told you she was tiny!

March 2, (DAY 28)

To the beautiful, loving staff here at Kalari Rasayana,

Today is my last day; I leave tomorrow morning at 7am. I felt it was important to thank you properly for your kindness and compassion during what was a very stressful treatment process for me.

From the moment I stepped out of the car on arrival, each of you took it upon yourselves to treat me like family: some cherished relative to be pampered and cared for with all your hearts. I will treasure my time here, not simply because I learned lessons about how to safeguard my health, but because I got to experience time and again just how much love and kindness India instills in her people.

This place feels like coming home — to your own body, mind and spirit. It is hard work, made even more challenging because you must relax into the work and not force it. Helping on that front are the curious herons always poking around at our feet and the melodic prayers chanted from the Hindu temple next door every day.

Gazing out onto that beautiful lake surrounded by tens of thousands of coconut trees and watching the color of the sky change every morning from indigo to pink, then to light blue…Watching it change in the evening from light blue to orange and back to indigo again is not just peaceful, but meditative as well. And seeing the fisherman every morning and every night, toss their nets into the water and gently pull them back up into their dugout canoe is a zen experience in and of itself.

I thank you for the memories of this place — and of this time with these people.

Yours sincerely,
Grace

(Thank you to all of the people who make this place run so beautifully.  Front office staff: Mani, Reshma, Aathira, Mukesh; Dining room staff: Ashok, Jibin, Pradeep, Revathy, Giopika, Deepika, Reshma; Housekeeping: Xavier, Rekha, Manjush, Aswathy, Nandhu, Sujith, Anandhu, rejitha, Sarita, Anitha, Joemon, Sandeep; Ayurveda Department: Dr. Sreelal, Dr. Poornima, Dr. Nidhish, Dr. Thushara, Dr. Sandra, Dr. Sreeraj, Greeshma, Reshma, Anirudhan, Shaji, Shinu, Rasheena, Aji, Niju, Vishnu, Niya, Jithin, Aswani, Rajitha, Sruthi, Krishna, Ratheesh, Joseph, Jinil, Aparna, Meenu, Anju, Sreekala, Archana, Kavya, Radhika, Rajelekshmi, Prijimol.)