Ayurveda retreat basics: the consultation, the routine, the food and the treatments

Everything at a proper Ayurveda retreat starts with the doctor. The first consultation usually takes 30 to 60 minutes, on your arrival day or the next morning.

• Questions about you: your health history, sleep, digestion, energy, stress, periods, and every medicine and supplement you take.
• An examination: the doctor reads your pulse at the wrist (nadi pariksha), looks at your tongue and eyes, and often checks your blood pressure and weight.
• Your constitution: Ayurveda describes each person by the balance of three doshas, vata, pitta and kapha. Your prakriti (constitution) and your current state shape the plan.
• The plan: which treatments, in what order, the food you'll get, any herbal medicines, and the daily routine.

Every centre has its own rhythm, but most days look something like this:

6:00 am

Wake up. Gentle yoga, breathing practice or a walk.

7:30 am

Herbal medicine or a warm decoction on an empty stomach, if prescribed.

8:30 am

Breakfast, often porridge, idli or kanji (rice gruel).

9:30 am–12:30 pm

Treatments: usually one or two sessions of 45 to 90 minutes, then a herbal bath.

1:00 pm

Lunch, the main meal of the day.

2:00–4:00 pm

Rest. Napping straight after oil treatments is often discouraged, so read or sit outside.

4:30 pm

Another treatment, a doctor's check-in, a talk or a cooking demonstration.

6:00 pm

A walk, meditation or a bhajan session.

7:30 pm

A light, early dinner. Lights out by about 10 pm.

Ayurvedic treatments are long, warm and very oily. You'll lie on a wooden treatment table called a droni, wearing a disposable loincloth, with one or two therapists of your own gender. Afterwards you wash off the oil with a herbal powder in place of soap.

Abhyanga

A full-body massage with warm medicated oil, often by two therapists working in step. Firm, rhythmic and relaxing.

Shirodhara

A thin, steady stream of warm oil or buttermilk poured across your forehead for 30 to 45 minutes. Many people drift into something close to sleep.

Kizhi

Warm cloth bundles of herbs, leaves, rice or powder, dipped in oil and pressed and patted over the body. Feels like a hot compress with rhythm.

Pizhichil

Warm oil poured continuously over the body while you're massaged. Very relaxing, and very oily.

Udvartanam

A brisk massage with dry herbal powder, upwards against the hair. Invigorating rather than sleepy.

Nasyam

Medicated oil drops in the nose after a face massage and steam. Brief, and a little intense.

Steam

A wooden steam box with your head outside, usually after a massage. Ask them to stop if you feel dizzy.

Your hair will be oily for most of the stay. Bring clothes you don't mind staining, and a cap or scarf. For what happens in a full programme, read Panchakarma explained.

Food is treated as part of the treatment. Of the 76 Ayurveda retreats we list, 43 say their kitchens are vegetarian or sattvic and 2 offer non-vegetarian food; the rest don't say. Expect simple, freshly cooked meals: rice or millets, dal, vegetables, chapatis, herbal teas and warm water. Portions and spices are set for you, so two guests at the same table may eat different things.

• No alcohol, and usually little coffee or tea.
• Few raw salads, cold drinks or fried snacks.
• Meals at fixed times, with dinner early and light.
• Some centres serve everyone the same menu; others plan a plate for each guest.

Across the 76 we list, the typical minimum stay is 3 nights, and 19 ask for a week or more. Three or four nights gives you a consultation and a taste of the treatments. A week lets the doctor follow a plan. Two weeks or more is what most doctors want for Panchakarma.

The places themselves vary a lot: the Ayurveda retreats we list are 32 retreat centres, 27 boutique stays, 12 luxury resorts and 5 ashrams. Hospitals and clinics are simpler and more medical; resorts add pools, beaches and better rooms. Compare them on Ayurveda retreats in India, or by region in Kerala and near Bengaluru.

• Ask what is in any herbal medicine you're given. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health notes that some Ayurvedic products have contained heavy metals, so keep the labels.
• Floors and feet get slippery after oil treatments. Walk slowly and use the handrails.
• Tell the therapist straight away if the oil is too hot, the pressure is too hard, or you feel faint in the steam.
• If you have a skin condition or allergies, ask for a patch test of the oils first.