My long-awaited dream – an Ayurveda cure
Doing an Ayurveda cure had been on my “bucket list” for years (what else do I want to do before I kick the bucket). Years ago I had seen a TV documentary about Ayurveda. In it, the actress Maren Kroymann reported very convincingly how the annual cures help her to “refuel”.
Ayurveda and herbs
My name is Petra, I am 66 years old, a journalist, and was in February 2019 with a friend for two weeks at Pure Nature Ayurveda House in Bentota. As a herbalist and certified phytotherapist, I was particularly interested in Ayurvedic herbal medicine and nutrition. I wanted to get to know both at the original location and under the given climatic conditions.
The prerequisite was a small house and so I came across the Pure Nature Ayurveda House of Dilmina Rushan and Barbara Reiter during my research on the Internet. On my desired date, there were no more places available, but Inge Volkert offered group tours there in the said time window. Group tours are not really my thing, but Inge Volkert’s offer was convincing. What could be better, as a beginner to be gently introduced to the art of Ayurveda.
Change of view on the ancient knowledge of Ayurveda
And I was not disappointed. Inge Volkert, but also the entire team of the house, really tried everything to respond to the wishes of the guests. So she undertook with me immediately on the 2nd day a trip by tuk-tuk to the market. She gave us a lot of background knowledge about Ayurveda, we made excursions in the surroundings of the house and she was available as a direct contact person at any time.
Fine silk from Sri Lanka
What surprised me positively, is not so easy to explain but I’ll give it a try. Announced was a Sri Lanka evening. For this purpose, a sari should be “tailored to the body”, which we should then wear on this occasion. My first thought: My God, this peer pressure, I do not want to “dress up”. But my girlfriend thought it was good, so I let myself be persuaded.
Beautiful in sari
And what can I say? It was one of the most beautiful and surprising experiences in my life. Not only the evening, which was undeniably great with its performances, the great decoration and the fantastic food. But I was in that sari and suddenly I was a different person. I felt completely comfortable, much better and more secure than in any other garment, as if I had always belonged in it.
I leave prejudices and evaluations behind me
So I learned once again to clean up my own prejudices, to judge less, to let other opinions work and be valid. I learned a certain serenity. Of course, I am still on the way, but Ayurveda has already brought me a big step further.
Ayurvedic herbs now grow in Schildow
In my garden I have settled some Ayurvedic medicinal plants like Brahmi and Gotu Kola. I also dabble in Ayurveda with native plants, making tinctures and oils from them. From time to time I cook ayurvedic. Unfortunately, it has become a little rarer, because my partner then eats bravely with me, but I know exactly that it tastes nowhere near as good as me.
Ayurveda – Trust the moment
If I wanted to recommend Ayurveda to someone, I would recommend that, in addition to the many amenities that come with massages, baths and relaxation, you listen to your inner voice. Just let yourself fall and see what comes. Become more relaxed and trust the moment.
A great loss changes lives
The sudden death of my husband, who suffered from dementia, shook my entire life and initially I fell into a dark hole and hardly left the house. To better cope with my own grief and loss, I deal intensively with the topic of death. I visit widows and widowers and learn in long conversations how differently the respective people deal with the upcoming situation.
Two books and the café death
I then processed my experiences from this time in two books. And now, once a month, there is a regular meeting place in my house or garden for a common exchange: the Cafè Tod! There is a similar institution in our capital Berlin and now also in Schildow, my hometown. We are not a self-help group, but see ourselves as a trusting place for stories and grief.
Everyone is welcome
Nurses, young people who want to deal with the loss of grandparents – we are open to anyone who would like to address the topic of loss, grief and dealing with mourners once with those affected. There is no evaluation of the different feelings and reactions during a loss. Every person is unique and follows his own needs and feels differently about the loss of a loved one.
To love also belongs the mourning
Time is an important factor in being able to process the painful loss. And many do not take the time or are not given the time by society to grieve sufficiently. But to come out of it mentally and physically healthy, you should take the time and find out what can help you.
Ayurveda helps to relieve the pain.
The grief and pain clutch the heart and and spread throughout the body in the muscles and other organs. Most often, the loneliness caused by the death of a loved one intensifies the feeling of abandonment. The Ayurvedic treatments with the warm oil and the gentle strokes of caring hands of the therapists relax the muscles, but also the tense nerves. The whole atmosphere of well-being there in Sri Lanka, far away from the home and everyday life at home, gives enough free space to enjoy the day completely unburdened. There, no one expects you to function, but you can simply let yourself fall! Often the long-suppressed tears finally flow. This has an unbelievably liberating effect and dissolves a lot in me. You regain an appreciation for the beauty in life.
A new beginning seems possible now!
More about Petra Wolf
Petra is a journalist and certified phytotherapist and lives with her partner near the capital Berlin in her hometown Schildow. There she also leads the monthly meeting “Cafè Tod”
and offers a protective space for talking and listening over coffee and cake. She has now written two books:
- Staying hurts more than going – widows tell
- Grief is the price of love – Widowers tell
In the July issue No. 15/2021 of the women’s magazine MEINS she talks with Sarah Klas about her experiences with grief and the project Cafè Tod. Here you can download the article