Dancers & Ayurveda

 

Dancers & Ayurveda

Ayurveda is a holistic medicine system originated and developed in Bharat more than 3000 years ago. In fact, our healing is a divine gift given to us by the deity Dhanvantiri who appeared during the Churning of the Ocean of Milk.

Ayurveda understand the highest truth that the body is made of the Pancha mahabhutas or five elements namely earth, water, fire, air and ether. It understands the importance of the role of the mind and its strong hold on our body. Many illnesses are psychosomatic. Therefore, the treatment emphasizes the need to heal the mind, body, and spirit.

It is a life science which is aimed at a correct way of maintaining our health by adopting a principled way of living. It teaches the importance of healthy living. This century has seen the alarming rise of serious health issues which affect the young and old.

As dancers or musicians, our body is the medium of expression. This profession, like those of athletes, is high pressure living sandwiched between practice and performance. Anxiety of procuring performance opportunities, anxiety before the curtain opens, and currently, anxiety because we are dancing for just art’s sake with a lean bank balance.

As a dancer with endless domestic duties, and as caretaker of a child with special needs, my knees and back gave way long before I reached the age of forty. Knees and back! I can imagine dancers nodding their heads affirmatively as they read this. So many of us have knee problems, weight gain and lower back problems. My experience with Ayurveda started when I decided to take recourse to this healing system for my son. I saw firsthand how it helped him, me and other patients recover and improve miraculously.

I have read about the Wimbledon Tennis legend Boris Becker who is an ardent believer and practitioner. The west has adopted Yoga and Ayurveda while we still hesitate to respect and recognize our heritage.

We have seen how Kathakali artistes perform their vigorous dance carrying heavy costumes right till the ripe age of 70 or more. This is because the Kathakali dance kalari incorporates oil massage, a simple organic diet and herbal medicine.

Regular sabbaticals from the performance race to have an Ayurvedic Panchakarma treatment is my advice to all dancers. Teachers, start your students young.

My recent ten-day experience at the Agni Ayurvedic village resort near Mumbai city reinforces my belief that at every stage in life you need to go back to our organic holistic systems and maintain our health in these times of endless pandemics unleashed on us.

#Panchakarma #Ayurveda #Kathakali #Dancers #Oilmassage #Herbalmedicine #Kalari #Yoga

#BorisBecker #Kneepain #Backpain #Dhanvantari #Panchamahabhutas #agniayurvedicvillage #Holistictreatment #Bharatheritage