Having Your Fortune Told By The Pluse Of Your Arm! The Magic Of Ayurveda
I’m the kind of girl that believes in magic. Yup! I do! I always have. There are amazing things on this planet that can’t be explained, others that could, but the kind of things that will blow you away, that’s what magic means to me. There is magic in love, in the stars, rainbows, animals, nature and just day to day things (cheesy, but true). Most recently I discovered Ayurveda and that to me is like magic!
Ayurveda, that word alone could get a person confused. Sounds like something exotic and in a way it is. It only took me over a hand full of times to actually remember how to say that word. Ayurveda, Ayurveda, Ayurveda, try saying it 3 times in a row lol. What on earth is Ayurveda? Well, to be honest with you, I have heard that word before. Probably while visiting India over a year ago, but had no idea what it meant, let alone the full understanding of it and how it works until speaking to the Doctors at Ayurveda Paradise Maho. They explained it pretty well and I got my own reading and behold, I was AMAZED! and let me tell you something, it takes a lot to amaze me.
This might sound crazy to some, but think of it as having your “health fortune” told, just by simply feeling your blood stream on your lower part of your arm, where a doctor would normally check the pulse of your heart. The female doctor, who gave me a consultation, knew things about me that normal doctors or even fortune tellers didn’t know! I was shocked and awed at the things that were coming out of her mouth. I felt like I was secretly on a reality TV show with hidden cameras and my mom told them all my secrets. Still confused? OK I was too until I had it done to me.
What is Ayurveda and how does it work?
Ayurveda is an ancient holistic medicine that originated in India thousands of years ago. Scientists say it’s one of the world’s OLDEST holistic healing systems. It is an intricate system of healing that allows us to respond to our body’s individual requirements, achieve balance and maintain good health. Ayurveda does not treat the symptoms of illness but treats the cause without using any chemical medicine, instead, using natural herbs. The many components of this science provide a means to explore and correct the imbalance of the individual as a whole.
In this practice, a number of techniques including deep pulse reading are used to identify and treat the root cause of a disease. Conditions such as infertility, arthritis, asthma, auto-immune disorders, hormonal imbalance, low immunity, thyroid disorder, high blood pressure, hypertension and depression are all treated carefully and consistently in order to allow the physical body to heal and sustain good health. Ayurveda medicine offers an opportunity to explore and heal the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual of living a better and longer life.
According to WebMD, every person is made of a combination of five basic elements found in the universe: Space, Fire, Air, Water and Earth. These elements combine in the human body to form three life forces or energies, called doshas. They control how your body works. Each dosha controls a different body function. It is believed that your chances of getting sick are linked to the balance of your doshas.
There are 3 dosha categories: Vata (space and air), Pitta (fire and water), Kapha (water and earth).
Your body is build of these 3 combos: Pitta-Kapha, Vata-Kapha, Vata-Pitta. I’m Vata-Pitta.
For example, I’m Vata-Pitta, this means I’m space, air, fire and water.
Since Vata is created of space and air it translates to “wind”. Common signs of imbalance for Vata causes anxiety and bodily disorders related to dryness, such as dry skin and constipation. The main location in the body that Vata is located are in the colon, thighs, bones, joints, skin, brain, ears and nerve tissues.
As for Pitta, Pitta is fire and water. It’s the energy in the body that focuses on digestion and metabolism. It functions organic acids and hormones normally located on the body at your small intestine, stomach, liver, blood, eyes, and sweat. Psychologically, Pitta body types are said to be joyful, courageous, will-powered, angry and jealous. This, of course, depends on whether or not you are balanced or imbalanced.
There is so much more to this and if you want to find out more, WebMD has a pretty great explanation.
After getting a pulse reading, the doctor will tell you what body type you are. Each body type gets the body treatment that’s fitted with their type. There is also food recommended for the body type you are, that will help you feel physically and mentally better AKA balanced. The hotel’s buffet at Ayurveda Paradise Maho, even had labels under each dish so you know what’s right for your body type.
Side Note: Every Ayurveda doctor goes to school for 10 years to get a degree.
My Experience
Normally a reading is about an hour long, but since we were in a group of 6, we could only do a 30mins session each. I would have done anything to get the full reading…next time.
So here is how this went, nothing fully made sense until I was in the actual room with the female doctor. She checked my heartbeat, checked my blood pressure and then ask for my arm, which I gladly gave her. She placed her 2 fingers at the end of my arm, right where you check a heartbeat. I figured, “oh ok, I get it, she is going to check my heart beat”. Nope, she wasn’t. She was giving me a whole reading through the pulse of my blood stream.
The first thing she said to me was “you have a hard time sleeping at night, don’t you?”, I was like “huh?! Yes! I do! How do you know that?!”, she smiled and said “You can stay up all night and twist and turn in your bed and never fall asleep, right?”. I was shocked and confused, she was totally right, but I didn’t understand how she knew this by feeling my arm.
Then she said, “Are you a vegetarian?”, OMG! WHAT?! Who told her to say that? She looked over at me and said, “You tend to have a lot of lower back pain, right?”. OMG, this was getting weirder by the second, I was amazed by this woman. I literally said “Waitttt, are you a fortune teller? How do you know all of this?!” She smiled and laughed. Then she said, “Do you have pain in your knee?”, I said, “Yes, all the time!”. The moment I was about to point out which knee, she pointed at it for me! This was crazy, I mean you guys, think about this, she was getting all of this from basically holding my hand! MAGIC!
She kept going, she told me I had a low immune system, which I do. She knew I had terrible cramps during my menstrual cycle and that it hurts my thighs, back and stomach, which is all true. She knew what part of my head I get headaches on. She knew I easily get mosquito bites, she even knew that when I have a scar or a cut, it takes my skin a long time to heal. This woman was incredible, to say the least. And on top of that, she told me I looked like Shakira, which I’ve heard before too lol. So she basically nailed down everything about me physically!
When it was over, I was speechless, like what just happened? How does she know all these things about me! If only I knew about this while I was in India, I promise you, I would have stayed an extra week and done a full treatment.
After the reading is over, she tells you what kind of treatments you need to help you with the problems, she gave me a list of treatments which was pretty overwhelming. She recommended I get a head massage (20-30mins), then a reflexology massage (1hr), followed by a full body massage and oil treatment for my skin with a face mask (1hr), then to the steam room bed to let the oil settle into my skin (15mins, but I could only handle about 7mins). I was like YASSSS!! Score! All this, for me?! Yes, please! Where do I sign up!
I’m obsessed with spas, so this was perfect for me. It was 2 days after my birthday and I felt like I just got the best birthday present. The treatments were amazing and relaxing. My head massage was located outdoors, overlooking a small pond and trees. The rest of the treatments were indoors. The final steam bed was supposed to help you lose weight, I am not kidding you guys I literally lost 5lbs in 2 days after the treatment. Later when I got home, I ate too much pasta, mac and cheese and bread and gained most of it back about a week and a half later. However, I really felt like a new person physically that rest of the day and the following week. It’s crazy, whatever oils and treatments they are doing, really do work! I was amazed.
Most people who have serious conditions go for much longer, probably between a week to 3 weeks, sometimes even longer. So I really had the intro experience. Other treatments depending on your condition are more intense and physically demanding, but all done in a natural way.
I’ve never been the girl to take pills when I’m sick, unless I feel like I’m dying and start crying, then I give myself the OK to take meds (I’m a tough cookie). I know this might sound crazy to the western world, but I much rather find natural remedies because I really don’t believe it’s healthy to take all those pills we are recommended to take all the time. Our liver would agree with me on that one. and then Ayurveda came along and really change my point of view on medicine. Finally something I agree with and believe in and the best part, is that it actually REALLY WORKS!
If you’re ever traveling to Sri Lanka, India and Asia PLEASE DO THIS! You will be blown away! I’m sure there are also places that do it in different countries, but the location this place was at really added to the experience.
A HUGE THANK YOU to Ayurveda Paradise Maho for an amazing day and helping me discover a whole new world.
**Vanilla Sky Dreaming was invited by Sri Lanka Tourism to attend the Ayurveda Paradise Maho experience. Thank you to Sri Lanka Tourism and Ayurveda Paradise Maho for welcoming Vanilla Sky Dreaming! As always, my opinion is my own.
