Ayurveda, an Indian health philosophy more than 5,000 years old, is in the midst of a renaissance. Ayurveda seeks to balance mind, body and spirit through food, yoga, meditation and treatments. Reinvented by the current explosion in spa and health tourism, its potions, decoctions and cures can be found almost anywhere, from the shelves of the Body Shop to a beach resort in Mexico. But it is in Kerala, a long strip of tropical lushness at the base of the Indian landmass, that the real revival is happening. Like coconuts sprouting after the monsoon, a flood of ayurvedic resorts have opened in Kerala. Plush, palatial and catering specifically to foreigners, the resorts offer tourists the chance to experience the health discipline at its source. Although born in the Himalayas, it was in this tiny southern province that ayurveda evolved and is still practised en masse. Calmer, greener and less ruffled than the rest of the country, Kerala's cardamon-scented hills contain a myriad of plants used in ayurvedic preparations. Like India herself, the treatments can be a little weird, but are always wonderful. Herbal smoke is blown through a coconut shell to cleanse ears, steam baths are taken in Tardis-like capsules and foot massages are performed by a therapist who hangs from a rope. What about a rice-pudding wash? Or the ultimate in blissful spa therapy - shirodhara - where warm herbal oil is poured over the forehead in a rhythmic stream? Traditionally, these treatments were the domain of sanatoriums lining the misty slopes of the Western Ghats, claiming to cure anything from cancer to paralysis, aiding weight loss or slowing down the ageing process, all holistically, but with time and infinite determination. Ayurveda is not about quick-fix solutions: doctors say even the Rejuvenation-Detoxification course takes at least three weeks, during which time the patient must stay out of the sun, out of air conditioning, out of the bar and on a strict diet of meditation, gentle yoga and easily digested food. And the process must be annual. 'But any practice is good practice,' says Dr Sreenarayan from Kairali Ayurvedic Resort near Palakkad. 'A few days is not ideal, but it does give the guest a taste of what true holistic living is like.' Repackaged for foreign palates, ayurveda can be taken in relative luxury and in accord with busy lifestyles. 'The most important element for any health resort is to de-stress the guest,' says Sreenarayan. 'That's more than half the job.' He says stress and the bodily strain caused by eating the wrong food, constant air travel, too much or too little exercise, pollution and so on are the primary causes of disease. More than a cure, ayurveda is a philosophy of life, which outlines how to be healthier, happier and more balanced - mentally, physically and spiritually. These principles are taught at any number of ayurvedic resorts scattered throughout Kerala. Most are located in the province's famous backwaters, a world of canals, shallow fens, lakes and estuaries. They wind through a labyrinth of coconut palms, rice paddies, cashew nut plantations, mango trees and quaint, sleepy villages of ochre brick sprayed with hibiscus and bougainvillaea. Children play cricket with homemade bats while women slap multi-coloured saris on well-washed stones and long, slender boats make their way up narrow tunnels carved out of the jungle. In Kerala, all you have to do is kick back with a hammock and watch how the locals do it. Somatheeram Ayurvedic Beach Resort Half an hour from Trivandrum, Kerala's capital, Somatheeram is the pioneer of modern ayurvedic health retreats in the province. It is set in six hectares of cascading tropical gardens falling to a private beach and the azure waters of the Malabar Coast. The resort was modelled on a traditional hospice, albeit a luxurious one, and offers some of the most comprehensive programmes available. These include Rejuvenation and Phizichil, an application used to treat arthritis and nerve disorders. Accommodation is in private wooden cottages, each built and furnished in traditional Keralan style with million-dollar views over the Lakshadweep Sea. There are no air-conditioners or televisions, in accordance with the principles of holistic living. Instead, there are daily yoga classes with the eccentric and assertive Miranda, a 65-year-old with limbs like Plasticine. A 14-day Phizichil treatment is $5,550. Double rooms from $300 to $2,000 a night. Tel: 91 471 226 8101; fax: 91 471 226 7600; somatheeram@vsnl.com . www.somatheeram.com . Kairali Ayurvedic Health Resort Set in, apparently, the ideal geographical location and climate for ayurvedic treatments, Kairali is a 30-chalet resort in the quiet, shady hills outside Palakkad. Kairali takes its ayurveda seriously and the property is set up for long stays, with doctors guiding patients every step of the way. Specialised programmes include weight loss and Sirovasthi, during which warm oil is poured into a cap fitted to the patient's head, which is reported to alleviate facial paralysis and certain psychological disorders. Fourteen-night weight-loss programmes start at $25,890 for two people, including all meals and accommodation. Tel: 91 11 680 2106; fax: 91 11 680 4879; kairali@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in . www.kairali.com . Malabar House, Serenity and Privacy A gorgeous old colonial mansion splashed with art and antique furniture, Malabar House is one of India's finest boutique hotels. It is set in Fort Cochin's rambling old Portuguese quarter and within walking distance of spice markets and a lively strip of Chinese fishing nets and seafood restaurants. The hotel offers an alternative to the relative confines of a resort. It offers one-off treatments or full courses in the energetic karali massage, traditionally used to heal sports injuries sustained while practising kalarippayat martial arts. For other ayurvedic therapies, the hotel owner Jorgh arranges courses at the government hospital nearby. Couples or groups on retreat may prefer to stay in one of the hotel's two villas: Serenity, a 1920s estate bungalow set among the cardamom plantations of the Western Ghats, and Privacy, by the gentle shores of Lake Vembanad. Each comes with personal chefs and choices of yoga or meditation instructors and karali massage or ayurvedic therapists. Seven-day packages at Malabar House, including daily karali massage and room, start at $10,280 for two sharing. Two-roomed Privacy is $1,390 a night, including staff and chef, therapists extra. Six-roomed Serenity is $1,240 a room, including staff and chef, therapists extra. Tel: 91 484 216 666; fax: 91 484 217 777; escapes@malabarhouse.com , www.malabarhouse.com . Coconut Lagoon and Marari Beach Resort Fancy an ayurvedic resort that does not make you feel guilty about ditching yoga for a gin and tonic by the pool? Both Coconut Lagoon and Marari Beach, owned and run by the Casino Group of Hotels, have ayurvedic clinics and facilities but without minimum lengths of stay or rigorous programmes. Perched on the edge of Lake Vembanad and accessible only by boat, laid-back Coconut Lagoon is a rustic, eco-designed resort. There you stay in traditional Keralan cottages with outdoor bathrooms. In a similar style but slightly more luxuriant is Marari Beach, a shady resort on the shores of the Lakshadweep Sea. Both resorts offer excellent yoga classes every morning and evening. Fourteen-day Rejuvenation packages, including room and treatment, start at $18,170 for two sharing Tel: 91 484 266 8221; fax: 91 484 266 8001; contactus@casinogroup.com , www.casinogroup.com . For complete lists of available packages and treatment courses, contact the properties directly. All hotels and resorts listed offer substantial discounts on rooms and ayurvedic packages during the monsoon season, from April to October. Cathay Pacific flies from Hong Kong to Bombay; Jet Airways flies to Trivandrum and Cochin.
