KARE Ayurvedic & BKS Iyengar Yoga Retreat, Mulshi Lake

KARE Ayurvedic & BKS Iyengar Yoga Retreat, Mulshi Lake, Pune, 16-23 Jan '10
I am in India to set up an exchange program between the University of WI Center for Global Health and The Foundation for the Revitilization of Local Health Traditions located in Bangalore (I will post on FRLHT later in the month). Since 1998 when I began (and later completed) my PhD program in Traditional Ecological Knowledge Systems/Ethnobotany, I focused my research on Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicines' treatments for late onset Diabetes mellitus.

Dhanwantri, God of Ayurveda
I also completed a 4-month course in Ayurveda to understand the basic concepts for field research (Gujarat Ayurvedic Research Center in Jamnagar-GAU) and a 4-month yoga teacher training course (Bihar Yoga Bharati, Munger, Bihar-BYB). Since that time when in India, I explore different Ayurvedic, yoga, and meditation (Vippassana) modalities found throughout the subcontinent. KARE, the Kerala Ayurvedic Research and Rejuvenation Establishment, located on Mulshi Lake in Pune, is the most recent establishment I have visited.

A Typical Day at KARE
A friendly and professional staff greeted me; I enjoyed a light dinner and headed straight to bed after the long day's journey. After tea the next morning, I delved into the first of two Iyengar yoga classes held daily. The yoga teachers (especially Dr. Shetty) are excellently trained and focus on proper form and alignment foremost to avoid injuries. I had a detailed consultation with the Ayurvedic practioner, Dr. Rohit, and he designed a week-long program that focused on a mild detoxification process called Virechana. Unlike some larger Ayurvedic hospitals that I have experienced, KARE is small, intimate and highly personal. The food is light, fresh, and made specifically for your particular prakruti (vata, pitta, kapha or any combination).
For the next week, I woke at 6:30 had a light tea, headed to 2.5 hours of yoga, then a warm oil massage infused with specific Ayurvedic herbal combinations. All the massage therapists are well-trained, responsive to individual needs, and highly personable. At 1pm we were served our individualized lunches where sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent tastes had to be present in each meal. Normally in the afternoon we had a shorter massage treatment (I had an herbal 'potli' dipped in warm herbal oil and gently rubbed and massaged on specific problem areas). By 3pm, we headed to our second 1.5 hour yoga class where we stayed in the gentle asanas for longer periods of time (up to 15 minutes). Our days ended with another communal yet individualized dinner at 7pm. At the end of each meal, resourceful Uttam would serve us our prescribed pills, liquids and pastes depending on our unique program.

The fact that yoga is integrated into the Ayurvedic treatment plan makes this a unique and special place. And sets it apart from other retreats that focus on Ayurvedic treatments alone. I look forward to returning for periodic treatment in the coming years.