I’m so glad you are here to make change!

I’ll be guiding you through each step.

 

 

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1 Home Preparation Phase

2 Treatments Phase

3 Culminating Strong Actions

 

 

Home Preparation Phase

 

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Too high a level of ama, not being able to comply with preparations or the protective after-care instructions, or menstruation may require

Start Home Preparation

5 days

FOOD PROGRESSION

WHAT TO EAT

Cleanse Diet for Ama Reducing

When to start: 5 days before your first office treatment day

This consists of:

  • Warm, soft foods with liquid base: curries, soups, stews, porridges
  • Rice, quinoa, barley, bulgur. No pasta
  • Minimal, small shredded pieces of meat or vegetarian if you can manage
  • No caffeine, alcohol, chocolate or other stimulants, no sugar
  • All whole foods only
  • No processed foods (incl veggie burgers etc and processed boxed foods, snacks, tapas, pickled)
  • No snacks in between meals. Take meals at same time daily.
  • No food past 6pm
  • No foods that you know give you gas: cabbage family etc
  • Substitute non-yeasted flatbreads for all bread
  • No fruits combined with other foods. No banana, melon, watermelon
BREATHING

Breathing is one of the key ways your body expels toxins, so this becomes priority #1 throughout your cleanse.

In this Home Preparation phase,

    1. 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening of alternate nostril breathing (primary balancer of hormones)- with or without holds, depending on your experience
    2. 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the evening of a strong breathing practice such as:
        • standing ocean breath (example: first 5 mins of this video or Max Strom’s app called “Strategic Breathing)
        • Kapalabhati (if it is not contraindicated due to acid reflux, migraines, feeling of panic, high Pitta etc)
        • Bhastrika (Kapha only)
ENERGY MANAGEMENT
  • Sleep
  • Go to bed earlier, but 10pm and get minimum 8 hours sleep.
  • No daytime naps.

     

Daytime Restorative Techniques

You may rest with your legs up the wall or do breathing exercises (see above)

MOVEMENT

Moderate cardio is allowed, including daily walks of 30-45 mins, runs, elliptical. If your constitution is Kapha and you are accustomed to strong movement, continue intense sporting.

HERBAL OIL

Oiling your Body

In the Home Preparation phase, please start daily application of warm oil all over your body, leaving it minimally 10 mins (max 45 mins) before showering.  What to use:

  • Plain, untoasted sesame oil or sunflower oil (or coconut oil in summer months)
  • Herbal oil specially recommended to you

 

Special spots to oil: ears, feet and head

While you are applying oil to your whole body, be sure to massage oil into the outer ears, soles of your feet and apply oil to the crown of your head and massage to spread. You may do the head only on the days you will shampoo your hair, if that is not daily. 

 

Below are articles on how to do this self-application of oil, and some additional tips.

 

Oiling your Nose

HOME REMEDIES

Start these kitchen remedies. You can do them minimal 1x day or even with each meal.

Agni Boosters

Digestive Agni Shot
Indications: low digestive fire, indigestion, gas
Counterindications: Signs of excess heat

1/2 tablespoon honey
1 slice of fresh ginger (coin sized) 1 pinch of salt
splash of lime juice
Prepare all ingredients on tablespoon before drawing into mouth to chew.

Gas Reducing

Cardemom chew
Remove the peel of 5 cardamom pods and chew the seeds inside 3x day after each meal

Cumin, Coriander, Fennel Tea
Indications: corrects direction of Vata, Tridoshic, cleans out ama and urinary tract
Counterindications: none
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
Combine seeds in a tea ball. Pour boiling water over. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Make a stronger more medicinal variation by placing seeds in 1 L boiling water and boiling down to 500-700ml, and drinking that all day long.

Ama Burners

    • ½ teaspoon Ginger POWDER after meals
    • Ashta churna powder – take 3g (about 1 teaspoon) with warm water twice per day before a meal
    • Gandharva Haritaki – for those with the tendency for dry-type constipation, reduces ama & Vata
      • In an iron skillet, roast a pinch of haritaki powder in 1-2 tablespoons castor oil
      • Take nightly before sleep
DRINKING OIL INTERNALLY

Ghee progression

5 days before your strong action, start to drink ghee in increasing amounts. This will overlap with treatment days a the office. 

Instructions: Melt the ghee (I prefer the au bain marie technique to melt the ghee and put the ghee inside a mug and then the mug in a bowl of boiled water). After the ghee melts, drink that, then have 50ml of hot water. You may cleanse the feeling and taste from your mouth by chewing a slice of ginger.

 

Timing of ghee drinking

You will find it easiest to digest ghee on an empty stomach as early as possible in the morning, before 6 or 6:30am. Do not delay ghee drinking after 7am or it will become heavier to digest. 

 

Fasting after drinking ghee

After drinking ghee early in the morning, DO NOT EAT ANYTHING until the ghee is completely digested. You will likely need to adjust your meal time, so carry a piece of fruit or packet of oatmeal. When you finally do feel TRUE hunger arise, take your first ‘meal’ of the day – a simple piece of fruit, like a mandarin (no banana)

 

Signs the ghee is completely digested (when you’re allowed to eat your first light ‘meal’)

  1. TRUE, growling hunger
  2. Clear belching, without taste
  3. A feeling of lightness at the stomach and in the chest

 

Amount to drink

The amount will vary per person, and Susan will adjust the amount you will drink daily.

Example for very intensive Panchakarma:

Day 1- 2 tablespoons ghee

Day 2- 4 tablespoons ghee

Day 3- 6 tablespoons ghee

Day 4- 6 tablespoons ghee

Day 5- 8 tablespoons ghee

 

Note: for these dosages, Susan may require you to skip a day of ghee drinking or adjust the next day’s dosage.

 

Alternatives to ghee

There is no alternative to ghee that has the same effect at loosening the doshas to make them available to be removed from your body.

 

Ghee is tolerable to most, even who are lactose intolerant since in the nature of its processing, the irritating parts are removed.

 

If you cannot tolerate ghee: first modification Susan may make is that your dosage may be reduced, and you may be required to take it for more days leading up to your strong action. 

A patient who cannot tolerate ghee can achieve the side benefit of overcoming dryness in the body (if appropriate) by taking flaxseed oil in increasing quantities instead, but no other oil will have the same effect on readying the doshas for excretion- the main goal of Panchakarma.

From The Office

YOUR HERBS

Start home preparation

5 Days

WHAT TO EAT
ENERGY SHIFT
  • Breathing

  • Downshift Activity: appointments, social events, exercise, sex

  • Sleep

  • Daytime Restorative Techniques

MOVEMENT
HERBAL OIL
  • Oiling your Body

  • Oiling your Nose

  • Oiling your Ears

HOME REMEDIES
  • Agni Boosters
  • Gas Reducing
  • Ama Burners
  • Teas
DRINKING OIL INTERNALLY
  • Ghee progression

  • Alternatives

FROM THE OFFICE

 

Possible treatment you may receive

full body treatments

udvartana

herbal body scrub

churna pinda swedan

bundle of herbal powder heated and used to steam body

patra pinda swedan

bundle of leaves heated and used to steam body

abyangha

herbal oil massage

swedana

Steaming via full body herbal bundle treatments above

Steaming via sitting in a steambox (no heating the head)

nadi swedana herbal steam via tube

bliss therapies

added to enhance the medicinal benefits

nasya

karna purana

warm oil soak dams

muscle packs (uterine, heart, head, or area of stiffness)

Phase II

Strong Actions

VIRECHANA (HERBAL LAXATIVE TREATMENT)

VAMANA (THERAPEUTIC VOMITING TREATMENT)
BASTI SEQUENCE (THERAPEUTIC ENEMA TREATMENT)
NASYA (HERBAL NOSE DROP TREATMENT)

 

 

Learn about Panchakarma Actions

 

Strong Actions

VIRECHANA (HERBAL LAXATIVE TREATMENT)

VAMANA (THERAPEUTIC VOMITING TREATMENT)
BASTI SEQUENCE (THERAPEUTIC ENEMA TREATMENT)
NASYA (HERBAL NOSE DROP TREATMENT)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

preparation phase

 

foods for each phase

FOOD: OVERVIEW OF FOOD PROGRESSION

What to eat will change depending on whether you’re in Phase 1,2 or 3

  • More than a week before treatments > Eat a clean, reducing diet. Cut out sugar, alcohol, reduce coffee to the absolute least you can without triggering headaches.
  • 3-5 days before treatments > Eat a strict pre-cleanse diet.
  • during ‘strong action’ days > Mostly fasting, but special instructions given depending on which ‘strong action’ treatment you have
  • 3-5 days after you ‘strong action’ > recovery diet, gradually moves from rice water to kitchari
  • next 2 weeks > move from kitchari back to strictly clean diet
FOOD: DIET BEFORE TREATMENTS

What to eat will change depending on whether you’re in Phase 1,2 or 3

  • Eat a strict pre-cleanse diet, consisting of kitchari, or alternative
  •  sugar, alcohol, reduce coffee to the absolute least you can without triggering headaches.
Ghee Drinking Instructions
You may be asked to start a technique of ghee drinking called snehapana
It is drinking increasing amounts of ghee first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, then fasting until it is completely digested and true hunger comes up. This often replaces breakfast, and may even mean you skip lunch. 
To start
I find the easiest to melt the ghee before drinking is au bain marie, and I like to have a slice of ginger nearby to chew directly after, or some citrus essential oil to smell.   
Place the ghee into a cup, then that cup into a bowl with hot water. Once the ghee is melted, drink all of it. I prefer to avoid smelling it as I drink it. Chew on the slice of ginger directly after.
Each day, you will increase amounts (unless I tell you otherwise if I see signs of serious indigestion of the ghee and we have to skip a day)
Day 1 – 1 tablespoon
Day 2 – 2 tablespoons
Day 3 – 3 tablespoons
Day 4 – 4 tablespoons
Day 5 – 5 tablespoons
Day 6 – 6 tablespoons
Day 7 – 6 tablespoons
You have to be extremely mindful to wait for true hunger, because it can feel like it’s time to eat when you’re tired, but that is likely not the time the ghee is completely digested yet, especially with the larger amounts.
It is tempting to eat early, but resist that. 
Any doubts, you can take 1/2 – 1 tsp of ginger and wait 60 minutes to see if the hunger comes.

recovery foods

 

FOOD: OVERVIEW OF FOOD PROGRESSION

What to eat will change depending on whether you’re in Phase 1,2 or 3

  • More than a week before treatments > Eat a clean, reducing diet. Cut out sugar, alcohol, reduce coffee to the absolute least you can without triggering headaches.
  • 3-5 days before treatments > Eat a strict pre-cleanse diet.
  • during ‘strong action’ days > Mostly fasting, but special instructions given depending on which ‘strong action’ treatment you have
  • 3-5 days after you ‘strong action’ > recovery diet, gradually moves from rice water to kitchari
  • next 2 weeks > move from kitchari back to strictly clean diet
FOODS: Post-PK Diet/Recovery foods
Rejuenation Jam Instructions
How to restart your herbs

the karma’s

Get familiar with Ayurveda’s strong actions we’re doing all the preparation for.

STRONG ACTION: LAXATIVE (VIRECHANA)

FOOD: OVERVIEW OF FOOD PROGRESSION

What to eat will change depending on whether you’re in Phase 1,2 or 3

  • More than a week before treatments > Eat a clean, reducing diet. Cut out sugar, alcohol, reduce coffee to the absolute least you can without triggering headaches.
  • 3-5 days before treatments > Eat a strict pre-cleanse diet.
  • during ‘strong action’ days > Mostly fasting, but special instructions given depending on which ‘strong action’ treatment you have
  • 3-5 days after you ‘strong action’ > recovery diet, gradually moves from rice water to kitchari
  • next 2 weeks > move from kitchari back to strictly clean diet
FOOD: DIET FOR 3-5 DAYS BEFORE TREATMENTS

What to eat will change depending on whether you’re in Phase 1,2 or 3

  • Eat a strict pre-cleanse diet, consisting of kitchari, or alternative
  •  sugar, alcohol, reduce coffee to the absolute least you can without triggering headaches.
Ghee Drinking Instructions
You may be asked to start a technique of ghee drinking called snehapana
It is drinking increasing amounts of ghee first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, then fasting until it is completely digested and true hunger comes up. This often replaces breakfast, and may even mean you skip lunch. 
To start
I find the easiest to melt the ghee before drinking is au bain marie, and I like to have a slice of ginger nearby to chew directly after, or some citrus essential oil to smell.   
Place the ghee into a cup, then that cup into a bowl with hot water. Once the ghee is melted, drink all of it. I prefer to avoid smelling it as I drink it. Chew on the slice of ginger directly after.
Each day, you will increase amounts (unless I tell you otherwise if I see signs of serious indigestion of the ghee and we have to skip a day)
Day 1 – 1 tablespoon
Day 2 – 2 tablespoons
Day 3 – 3 tablespoons
Day 4 – 4 tablespoons
Day 5 – 5 tablespoons
Day 6 – 6 tablespoons
Day 7 – 6 tablespoons
You have to be extremely mindful to wait for true hunger, because it can feel like it’s time to eat when you’re tired, but that is likely not the time the ghee is completely digested yet, especially with the larger amounts.
It is tempting to eat early, but resist that. 
Any doubts, you can take 1/2 – 1 tsp of ginger and wait 60 minutes to see if the hunger comes.