Kalari Rasayana Venad
If Ayurvedic wellness is your goal, Kalari Rasayana walks the walk and follows the ancient practice to the 'T'. While Kalari Kovilakam takes the visitor into a traditional palace, its sister Kalari Rasayana takes things outdoors and onto palm-fringed lakes of beautiful rural Kerala.
A literal Ayurvedic retreat is what Kalari Rasayana is, in every sense of the word. Set along the Paravur Lake in Venad, an erstwhile Keralan Kingdom, in present day Kollam, the surroundings are calm.
This is an area of inter-linked waterways, fishing hamlets and swaying coconut palms along backwaters. Like the very successful Kalari Kovilakam, Kalari Rasayana conforms to the strict Ayurvedic regime. Visitors check-in and leave busy urban lives behind to begin a stay of yoga, meditation, massages and an ascetic, calm life.
Kalari Rasayana is a yogic experience with yoga at day-break and sessions in the pool. Wellness of the mind and body is the goal. We eschew tea, coffee, alcohol, cigarettes, meat, poultry, salads and seafood to regain Rasayana or rejuvenation. Visitors soon realise there are no loopholes to circumvent in this strict requirement. If you are here for a 14, 21 or 28 day stay of detox, rejuvenation and therapy, a doctor decides on the kind of therapies and asanas to suit your specific mind and body constitution.
The stay at Kalari Rasayana is not all serious or too ashram like as you will discover. You are allowed cell phones in the confines of your room and the rooms are air conditioned. Enjoy local dance and music performances and interactive sessions or Satsangs on Yoga, meditation, chanting and Ayurveda after dinner. The detox days give way to days of wellness, massages and therapies with medicated oils.
Once you get used to the strict vegetarian rule, the food will be a revelation. The produce is locally sourced and most dishes are vegetables cooked with coconut and served with rice. The only raw food you get are fruits like pineapples, guavas and pomegranates. Ayurveda is opposed to the over-consumption of raw food.
The ancient kings and wealthy landlords of Kerala used the monsoon months of incessant rains to detox and rejuvenate with Ayurvedic treatments as provided in Kalari Rasayana. Age-old prescriptions, concoctions, potions and massages that only the wealthy were privy to, is why it all seems exclusive. The longer the stay, the more the weight-loss as food is strictly maintained to set calories per day.
The best part is the time you allow yourself when you sever all digital ties to reflect and get away from urban life. Leave lighthearted and stress-free with a slimmer body and glowing skin - a great trade-off for two weeks of ascetic life from a year of decadent pursuits, don't you agree?
Leading treatments:
- Anti Stress Programme - 14 days
- Panchakarma - General Rejuvenation - 21 & 28 days
- Sthoulyagna Chikitsa - Slimming Programme - 21 & 28 days
- Rasayana Chikitsa - Anti Aging - 28 days
All package rates includes the cost of all consultations, treatments, massages, oils, herbs, accommodation, yoga, meditation, food and the clothes provided for you on arrival.It also includes pick up and drop from Trivandrum airport.
KarmaKerala Review of Kalari Rasayana Venad
Like its sister, the emphasis is on service, care, courtesy and inducing a feeling of security and comfort. Emphasis on traditional ayurveda with an exact conformity to protocols. The location close to the sea may not be the ideal location according to Charaka, but you will love it!