Reiseberichte

Ayurveda cure in Natural Paradise: so close to the land, the people and to one’s own healing

A travelogue by Angela E., December 2022

Although the whole world fascinates me and I love to travel so much, India was never on my wish list of travel destinations. Besides my enthusiasm for traveling, I am interested in alternative healing methods and my own health maintenance. For decades I have been treating myself to a healing fast almost every year, which always does me a lot of good.

Yes, and how did I come to India after all? My globetrotter friends were there a few times. I listened to their stories with fascination. But they could not lure me to this beautiful country. Only when they did an Ayurveda cure in India every year, they aroused my interest and made me curious. When they sent a photo after the first days of the Ayurveda cure, it was unbelievable for me every time how one can experience such a significant change in such a short time. They both looked completely changed after just a few days: totally recovered and years younger. What fascinated me the most was that they had such an incredible calmness and special charisma. They always seemed to me as if they were from another star. It was only a matter of time before I packed my suitcase and traveled with them to India for an Ayurvedic cure. During fasting I regenerate very quickly and profoundly. But what happened to me during the Ayurveda cure can hardly be put into words. I would almost like to describe it as a kind of bliss. You are in a world of your own, you can fully reflect on yourself and have time to listen to what is good for you and enjoy the wonderful treatments and let them take effect.

In 2019, I accidentally learned about a lecture by an Indian Ayurvedic doctor. Here the new Ayurclinic “Natural Paradise” was presented. I saw the pictures and knew: that’s where I will go. It is a project of the heart of the owner Michael Braganza, the Ayurveda doctor Dr. Rohit and the idea giver Joachim Wohlfeil. And you can feel this “affair of the heart” immediately when you see the pictures. 2022 in November it was then so far after 3 for me extraordinarily strenuous years due to the C-thing and also a demanding professional and private phase. The 3 weeks of vacation I had left after an extremely busy year came in handy. Laura and Joachim actively supported me with the booking. And so my trip to India started at the end of November 2022.

The flight from Munich to Mumbai went smoothly. In Mumbai, we had a few hours of transfer time in the middle of the night. But this passed very quickly and so we could start the second part of the flight to Goa relaxed. The pick-up worked perfectly: we were already recognized by our driver from far away. On the drive we got the first beautiful impressions of India and the closer we got to the Ayurclinic, the more beautiful the landscape became.

The clinic is located in a dreamlike environment, surrounded by jungle and a natural area between hills and rivers. The sounds of nature accompany you into and through the day. It was simply wonderful.

The cure began with a consultation with Dr. Rohit, the Ayurvedic doctor. Dr. Rohit already fascinated me at my first meeting in Germany. He told me after 2 minutes of taking my pulse and looking at my tongue, what the doctors in Germany needed a laparoscopy for. He gets to the heart of the matter and grasps the circumstances of his patients in a very short time. Based on the medical history and length of stay, the schedule and treatments are determined. Our day started with 90 minutes of yoga and pranayama. A beautiful start to the day with an incredible backdrop of the yoga place in front of the jungle. During the final awareness exercise where we were asked to focus on the different sounds in the environment, it was hard to know where to listen first because the feathered friends were giving their morning concert at this time.

After yoga, there were various teas ready for us. I once asked if I could have some tea leaves so that I could also make my own tea in the room. The cook then went into the garden and came back with a handful of leaves. “Mango Leaves,” he said. I “showed” Google a photo of the leaves because, frankly, I was skeptical. Can you really make tea from them? Oh yes … you can. And who would have thought it: mango leaves have great active ingredients and the tea tastes really good.

After breakfast, the treatments started. We had a great treatment every day with mostly a full body oil massage or a vigorous massage with herbal stamps. I actually managed to nod off once in a while even during the massage. A treat. Well … at least except for the “I-don’t-like-toe-pulling-until-they-crack”. Sici, my therapist has always laughed and said: here comes your “I don’t like”. We also got bastis on different parts of our bodies. These are rings of dough about 15 cm in diameter and they are filled with warm oil. You get them on your heart, stomach or even on painful places like your back.

After the massages, you were taken to the steambath, a small seated sauna heated with steam. With the head you peek out of the wooden box. After the steam you should rest at least 30 minutes. And then comes another highlight: you go into the bathhouse and are rubbed all over your body with a paste. Afterwards, you are shaken off with hot water heated over an open fire in copper cauldrons, similar to a hamam. Afterwards, you float back to your room and rest some more. If therapists were free, you could book extra treatments and shoulders, hands or feet, depending on what you wanted, were additionally pampered.

A daily highlight was also the food. We got various regionally grown vegetables for lunch and dinner. Even those of which Mikel, the owner, did not even know what they were called in English. In addition, there was either rice, chapati, khichdi or papadam bread. Since I wanted to optimize my weight during the cure, I sometimes wished that not everything had tasted so good. But the weight has nevertheless worked well 😊. The other course participants have already grinned when a “mhhh delicious” came from me. Because there were a few who then still sometimes talked about sauerkraut and sausages, while I was blissful with everything that was served. For breakfast, the fresh fruit and porridge were the highlight and the upma was also a favorite with many. At this point, kudos to the kitchen crew who always cooked so diligently and deliciously for us.

Another highlight were the daily walks. Depending on how the participants were assigned to the treatments, small groups formed and walked together. There are several paths around the Ayurclinic in beautiful surroundings. We discovered something new every day and had very nice encounters with the people from the village, who were all very friendly and And we saw animals again and again: cute little monkeys and also “Thekla”, the spider, which seemed to us fatter from day to day and of which Google claims that it belongs to the genus of tarantulas. Also we saw a few times very large birds, which unfortunately could not be photographed, but remain unforgotten to us, as they floated audibly with their large wings through the air.

The weekend with Joachim in Goa was an experience and brought me closer to this beautiful country. Thank you Joachim for taking us on this beautiful tour. It was an absolute highlight. In the Tropical Spice Plantation we were explained the spice plants and shown what they look like. It was very impressive and interesting and the lunch was a nice change from our daily meal. We enjoyed it very much, but were very well-behaved and followed the guidelines of our Ayurveda treatment (I think 😊).

We continued to Temple Shree Mangesh, one of the largest and most visited temples in Goa. A beautiful building. Next door was just celebrated wedding, to which we were invited spontaneously very hospitable. Then we went on to the next highlight “Mapusa Market”. Here regional specialties are offered in large halls: Vegetables, fish, mussels, flowers…. Outside the halls, one small store after the other is lined up. Thomas was dressed as a maharajah and we stocked up on great spices, cloths and saris. It was quite an experience. And who would have thought that freshly squeezed sugar cane juice with ginger tastes so delicious. One should definitely try it. Our next destination was Arambol. After a delicious meal we moved into our rooms and slept blissfully, accompanied by the sound of the sea at the cliff in Arambol.

The next morning we strolled a bit along the beach and then we went on to Mandrem to Dr. Rohit, where we had our consultation and our treatments. This was great, because we could continue our cure without interruption. For breakfast we had a fresh coconut for everyone, which was opened before our eyes: first the coconut milk was sipped and then the nut was split for us and the pulp was loosened. This was a whole new treat. The next stop was at a beautiful colorful temple that fascinated us with its colors. We took the Querim Ferry across the mouth of the Terekhol River to Fort Tiracol. The fort has a great location on an elevation directly above the sea and invites you to stay and you can eat very well. We continued our tour to Paradise Beach, a very beautiful and quiet beach at the delta of the Tiroda Creek. If you are here, you should definitely go to the Yashwandt Gad Fort. Those who know Ankor Wat will feel transported back to this place. A very mystical fort overgrown with trees and roots. On the way home Joachim’s sense of direction came in handy, otherwise we would have been “lost in India” for sure. After we lost our connection to the navi, he confidently took us in the right direction and brought us back to the Ayurclinic safe and sound. Thank you for these impressive and eventful days. It has truly enriched my trip.

During the rest of the days in the clinic, a nice rhythm was established for me:

7:00 – 8:30 yoga.

From about 8:30 breakfast and if necessary ghee, if it was on the cure schedule

Approx. 1 – 2 hrs. brisk walk

11:45 – 13:30 Massage and Steam Bath followed by 30 minutes of rest

14 h lunch

Visit to the bath house (peeling and hamam)

Sometimes another walk

17:30 – every 2nd day meditation

18:30 Dinner

Afterwards chatting, listening to Ruppert’s jokes 😊 and using the wifi for messages and calls (if it went 😉)… and then early to bed and enjoy the rest.

I was more refreshed after the 3 weeks than I have been in a long time. And even after some time at home I can say that the cure and the beautiful stay in India still resonate very positively. It was a great time and repeat anytime gladly again.