Ayurveda: your tailor-made healing retreat
‘Madam…. we have no river here?’ he said.
Shock: where did I land here?I had been living in an Indian resort for 3 days and had already undergone various treatments. How could I have ended up in the wrong resort? I was exhausted. I was so exhausted that I could only perceive things in a blurred manner.
… plagued by the now widely used practice of exhausting my fumes as quickly as possible, 10 years of burn-out was catching up to me. It kept creeping up on me from behind. It was only years later, when I read ‘Adrenal Fatigue’, that I was able to understand what these little ‘adrenal glands‘ do in our bodies and what triggers them and when they start the rescue mode.
I, Violeta Labella myself: the mistress of the adrenaline spikes, had not been able to win this competition with myself.
… it doesn’t feel like a tropical forest burning down and nothing being left. Everything was still there – in theory… but almost every part of me cracked, creaked and rattled. My drive only existed under a low flame. Every little ache became a full-blown drama. There was no specific event that pulled me down. My body was no longer willing to tolerate this lifestyle.
The tropical forest was still there. A wild mess. Just no life in it.
Ayurveda spoke to me through its holistic approach. The deep connection to the essence of nature and the cycles helped me to sort myself out again. Slowly, I rebuilt myself ‘bit by bit’. This absolute respect for the complexity of the human being immediately fascinated me, and I buried myself deeper and deeper into the books…. ‘what’s your dosha, baby?’ I asked everyone who wanted to hear it – or who didn’t want to hear it.
As usual, when something fascinates me, I could lose myself in it for days on end… and I got it. These secrets of Ayurveda for Women hold far more than a skillful massage, knowledge of dosha (constitutional type) or the administration of pills.
In the meantime… Yoga and Ayurveda had completely taken over and give my life a direction.
Only a short time later, that life changed fundamentally. Suits, push-up bras – absolutely unhealthy for the boobies (read more: here) and high heels were exchanged with baggy pants, yoga bras and flip flops.
As part of my Elemental Yoga Therapy Training, I then also chose to dive into an Ayurveda Center in india. There, there was plant medicine, powder mixing, cooking with spices and kneading, and stirring in the symbol of infinity ∞ a cure in a ‘real institution’ which also involves a lot of presence. Presence a different kind of discipline than we know. It felt more like a devotion. Unrestricted and unconditional. A service to Oneself.
Sipping coconuts, lying on the beach with chilled cocktails. A facility with a swimming pool, mandatory A/C for the suffering white human and the ever entertaining TV… best if all this is with the internet, so you can still do everything quickly from the massage table. That’s how most people envision an Ayurveda Retreat. Nice, but not realistic – still happening and people buy it, but then… stay at home.
Finding these kinds of centres is incredibly out of place in a system that serves the recovery of humans. None of this in general serves our health. In an Ayurveda Centre in particular.
‘Go where the pepper grows’ – a popular German saying when you tell someone to get out of your sight… and as far away as possible… Over there in India with those wild elephants that visited us at night and the Natural Park Wayanad’s mystical and wild spirit. The unspoilt nature, a place of silence – rare in India – and far away from the modern world.
An experience that is hard to put into words….
The miraculous remedies, simmering in their pots for hours – even days – in the medicine hut – each one to be administered individually.
Exotic fragrances, which I could never describe, left quite an impression.
The dawn, inviting you to greet the day, instead of the other way around.
Warm oil on the body, nourishing, generously distributed and soothing.
The daily exchanges with the doctor, so educated and wise.
Awakening the taste buds, mouthgasms during meals.
The physical body, supple and joyful for the goodness it receives.
The busy mind, slowly coming to rest.
The world outside the resort, which hardly seems to exist here.
Day by day I learn more. About ayurveda. About nature. About myself.
Which part of evolution made us forget to take care of ourselves?
Looking at it this way, my life so far seemed ridiculous.
How could I take all this with me? Back to Europe… Another world. Was it possible to implement a small dose of my knowledge even there?
My mind told me NO. We are ‘civilized’ here. We don’t run around dripping with oil. Our food has to go fast.. after all, it’s a matter of eating quickly, we have not so much time for food as we are saving the world – while we starve ourselves. The malnourished soul craves more and more. And the four-hands-massages… ahhh… that is pure luxury.
We women in particular are very challenged by frequent ongoing stresses. At this pace, we don’t support our femininity after all. How would we be receptive, if we have no time to breathe?
I thought about how bad I felt when I arrived… so bad that I didn’t even realize I was sitting in the wrong resort. My spirit was so asleep that it could only be awakened with a full blast… in retrospect, was all that pre-life really worth it? NO.
You yourself may experience a remarkable exhaustion?
In my PussyTalks, I help you to recognize disruptive parts of your life, to identify shadows and to unfold your energy potential. Swing your vitality up the spiral and learn to consciously use your energy deposits. Realistically and integratively, within the scope of what is possible for the woman in our times. Your centering and inner power are especially supporting a blossoming sexuality. You remember from my previous articles, this is the first thing the body cuts back on in times of stress. You can read about why a healthy sexuality in turn is so important for our health.
with or without Ayurveda Retreats…
Take care of yourself, woman! Who else is going to do it for you?
yours
Violeta Labella
With sincere thanks for the time, experience, knowledge and recordings of the Ayurveda Yoga Villa team – as soon as the world sorts itself out, I’ll be back again for an all-round rejuvenation. There is rarely something so empowering than having one’s health back.