Follow an Ayurvedic programme in Kerala

What the experience is

Ayurveda is the traditional medical system of India, and Kerala is where it is most widely practised as residential treatment. Hospitals, family-run centres and resorts along the coast and in the hills receive guests for programmes that run from a week to a month.

A programme begins with a consultation. A physician asks about habits, sleep and digestion, examines the guest and prescribes a sequence of treatments, a diet and often herbal preparations. Kerala Tourism describes two broad kinds of programme. Rasayana chikitsa is rejuvenation therapy. Panchakarma, “five actions”, is the classical cleansing course, carried out in three stages: preparation with oil treatments and induced sweating, the main procedures, and a period of rehabilitation with a set diet and rest.

A day in the programme

Days are quiet and repetitive by design. There is usually yoga or a walk early in the morning, one or two treatments of an hour or more, vegetarian meals chosen by the physician, and an early night. Treatments are given by two therapists working together with warm medicated oils. Alcohol, strenuous exercise, sunbathing and long excursions are discouraged for the length of the stay.

When to go

Centres work all year. Tradition holds that the best time is the monsoon, and in particular Karkidakam, the last month of the Malayalam calendar, from mid-June to mid-July, which Kerala Tourism calls Ayurveda’s season of renewal. The dry season from December to February is more comfortable for those who also want to travel.

Good to know

Choose the kind of place first. A hospital such as the Arya Vaidya Sala at Kottakkal, founded in 1902, is for patients and is plain. A resort offers the same treatments in more comfort. Kerala Tourism publishes a list of accredited Ayurveda centres. The length of a stay is set by the physician: a full panchakarma course is usually measured in weeks, and a few days of massage is a different thing. OKYTO does not make claims for the medical effects of the treatments; anyone with a health condition should consult their own doctor before booking.

Why OKYTO recommends it

It is a way of travelling built on staying still, in the place where the tradition is part of ordinary life. Our article on how a panchakarma stay works explains the stages. For the same tradition across the water, see an Ayurvedic cure in Sri Lanka, and for the setting, our page on Kerala.