Maharishi PanchakarmaSM for Rejuvenation and Development of Consciousness
Ayurveda holds that buildup of toxins in the tissues and blockages of the channels of communication and circulation are the root cause of many chronic conditions and a primary factor impeding the development of consciousness. Since ancient times Ayurveda has used “Panchakarma” cleansing treatments to rejuvenate mind and body.
Maharishi Panchakarma is the revival by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the TM® technique, of the authentic practice of Panchakarma, including understanding its importance for the development of consciousness.
The full range of Maharishi Panchakarma treatments is only offered under the supervision of a licensed physician (MD, or DO) who has trained extensively in Maharishi AyurVeda® and often has an Ayurvedic physician from India (Vaidya) acting as a consultant.
Holistic Cleansing through a Sequence of Three Treatments
Maharishi Panchakarma is primarily offered through three treatments, administered in sequence each day for 2 1/2 hours. Treatments are offered in an in-residence setting for 3–7 days, though longer treatments are available.
Treatments are done in silence, creating a profound inner experience, and most participants describe the treatments as deeply luxurious and cleansing. Maharishi AyurVeda Health Centers have separate gender-specific wings.
The three treatments offered in sequence each day are:
- Herbalized oil massage to start the process of loosening impurities, mobilizing them into the blood stream and opening the channels of circulation. The type of herbalized oil used is chosen by the Maharishi AyurVeda expert conducting your personal consultation and overseeing your treatment program. The massage is administered by two highly trained technicians over 50+ minutes. The technicians massage each side of the body with the same strokes in complete synchrony, creating a deeply harmonious and relaxing effect.
- Heat application continues the process of dislodging and mobilizing impurities into the blood stream from where they can be eliminated by the body’s natural detox systems.
Note: In some cases your physician may recommend a non-heating second treatment of the day, instead, to help balance or strengthen a specific area or function of the body. - Internal cleansing in the form of a mild herbalized oil enema completes the day’s treatments. This internal cleansing is essential as Ayurveda holds that massage and heat treatments drive many impurities into the lower digestive tract from where they need to be eliminated.
Longer Treatments Create Deeper and More Holistic Cleansing
Ayurveda teaches that when these treatments are administered daily for several days in a row each day creates cleansing of a deeper level of the physiology. It is analogous to using strokes of a cloth on a table to clean it – each stroke provides a deeper level of cleansing of the table.
According to Ayurveda a 7-day treatment is ideal as it is believed to sequentially cleanse and rejuvenate all 7 major bodily tissues described in Ayurveda.
Preparation for Maharishi Panchakarma Rejuvenation Therapy
Your Ayurvedic consultant will review information you provide and give personalized recommendations for a gentle home cleansing program to be done a week or two before you arrive for treatments. This home program aims to begin the cleansing process, strengthen digestion and metabolism, and start to soften and open the channels of elimination.
This allows greater completeness and ease in removing the impurities mobilized by the Panchakarma treatments.
Post-Treatment, Home Recommendations
Traditionally Panchakarma treatments are used to prepare the body to get the most from herbal “rasayana” programs that are recommended upon completion of treatment. Rasayanas are the traditional rejuvenation, nourishing and strengthening, herbal formulations of Ayurveda. The cleansing of Panchakarma is an ideal preparation to get the most from the rasayana herbal programs that will be included in the going home instructions from your physician.
Seasonal Panchakarma Treatments
Ayurveda recommends receiving Panchakarma treatments several times per year ideally at the change of the seasons.
For example, after the body has been functioning in the heat of summer for 4 months, it has accumulated a specific set of impurities that are important to remove before the body must adjust to the cold of winter. According to Ayurveda, this accumulation of impurities over a season is the cause of many people falling sick at the change of the seasons.
