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Priya S Tandon
A recent visit to Palampur had us go to a place for detox. There were people of all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life. Most of them were from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi. There was one thing common to all. They were all not in the best of health. Some were troubled with obesity, others with cholesterol, high BP, diabetes, insomnia and many other such problems.
There were different lines of treatment available, ranging from Panchkarma to naturopathy to physiotherapy, acupuncture and even acupressure.
There was a huge emphasis on an hour and a half of yoga every morning and meditation in the evening. The day started at 6 am and closed at 10 pm with an hour of rest in the afternoon. Come evening and the focus was on ‘Dhyan Mandir’. The activities there were in the likes of silent meditation, Jyoti meditation and chanting.
Everything was done with utmost precision and solemnity. But the scene in the dining hall was hilarious at times. Only the diet prescribed to each person was given to him. Detox was the goal. The person serving would refuse to give even a morsel more than the diet prescription, which was treated as a commandment. The protests by the clients were comical to say the least.
One skinny patient was prescribed only roti and dal and was told to eat slowly and chew each bite to a count of 32. Just that, was his treatment. His complaint was that his stomach was always upset no matter what he ate. So his tummy was overactive and the metabolic rate had to be slowed down. Another strange case there was of a busy executive of a large telecom company. He travelled extensively and had meetings at odd hours of the day and night. He had no regular sleep time. He said he slept only during flights and worked at all other times. The doctor told him that if he wanted to stay alive beyond six months, he’d better start sleeping six-seven hours. All they worked on during his 10-day stay there was his sleep. They did Shirodhara, hot and cold packs, body massages and acupressure.
Truly, the body is a temple given to us. Given that the body is a vehicle for us to cross the Bhav Sagar (ocean of life), it is our duty to look after it well. What I am coming to is that we all know that we need to eat healthy, sleep adequately as well as do some sort of exercise on a regular basis if we want to live a healthy life. But why do we forget? More often than not, by the time realisation sets in, it’s already too late.
Perhaps in our mind’s eye, we never grow old. Perhaps we feel that our youth shall continue forever. But that is just phantasmagoria.
In a place like this, the purpose of life suddenly appears very simple. As you spend time with nature and yourself, you have spiritual experiences. You wake up to the realisation that man is not just an earthly being having a spiritual experience. The truth is that man is a spiritual being having an earthly experience.
After having tried all the fancy foods like pizzas, burgers, noodles and pastas, we finally come back to our basic food of roti, dal, vegetables and fruits. Hence simplicity!
After baking and grilling, braising and tempering, we realise that simple food like sprouts and lightly cooked vegetables are the healthiest options. Hence detox!
After listening to various kinds of music as well as noise, we come to understand that silence is the most peaceful, for it is only in silence that you can hear the voice of God. Hence meditation!
After wearing all the fancy apparel in the world, we realise that nothing is more comfortable than cotton. Hence Khadi!
Sooner or later each of us comes to realise that we want to simplify life. Too much baggage makes the journey difficult. Hence, ‘Ceiling on desires’.
‘Kayakalp-Palampur’ gave us a simple holiday, a time to reflect on what we are trying to achieve, a time to introspect on the purpose of life … it did us a lot of good. Perhaps everyone needs it, sooner or later.
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