Resetting my health at SOUKYA International Holistic Health Centre in India
Catherine Fairweather reviews a programme at a holistic health retreat near Bangalore, where she discovers the joys of ayurvedic treatments, nurturing practitioners and delicious, do-nothing downtime
I went to SOUKYA for a general health MOT, and to take stock, in celebration of a milestone birthday. I had a flare-up of ulcerative colitis, and that sense of restlessness that seems to go hand in hand with insomnia and the brain fog that feels an affliction of our times.
Situated outside the creeping metropolis of Bangalore, with the best climate in India at 950 metres, Soukya's reputation precedes it. The first accredited Holistic and Integrative Medical Centre for Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, it has a high-profile returnee clientele, such as actress Emma Thompson and King Charles and Queen Camilla, but this is no celebrity hub – instead, nature is the protagonist. It’s a lush 30-acre sanctuary and forest, owned and beautifully landscaped by homeopath Dr Isaac Mathai and his wife Dr Suja.
The forest wraps around a zero-carbon-footprint, sustainable farm which provides the centre with its own solar energy, vermicompost and water from boreholes and rain harvesting. Sequestered in these aromatic gardens, without the distractions of TV and Wi-Fi, surrounded by drifting blossom and birdsong (and where any other chatter is discouraged), I didn’t find it hard to unwind.
You can wear a medallion to flag that you are on a silent retreat, which I opt out of, but I find I'm too jet-lagged, then too drained by the treatments, then too much on a natural high, to consort with the other patients, who span all ages, nationalities and states of wellbeing.
Some are here as health tourists; others are wheelchair-bound. Most are here with serious medical conditions, while some, like me, are here to detox and rejuvenate. All of us get swallowed up by the hefty programming of the treatments, retreating to the cocoons of our spacious suites and cottages in downtime. So that, often, the place can seem empty.
Everything at SOUKYA is designed to soothe, from old-school bedroom interiors with four posters and floral chintz, which are comfortable but not showy, to the shady arbours and well-placed benches that encourage hours of forest-bathing and navel-gazing. This is a good thing, because everything, from exercise to taking long showers, is regulated so as not to exhaust the nervous system. My daily limit is a gentle walk in the mornings along the 2km trail, followed by healing yoga, and the irresistible 10 slow laps in a bamboo-fringed pool.
“Who wouldn’t feel lifted by the gentle charm of a sari-clad gardener, who downs tools, her rake or hosepipe, to wish you namaste, with her palms pressed together in front of her heart, every time you hurry past to your next appointment? ”
I’m staying in one of the 25 cottages and my own private lotus pond and garden, with outdoor shower and deckchair, is a favourite sanctuary. I spend a lot of my time here watching the peacocks patrol the garden boundary, the darting busyness of the nectar-collecting sunbirds, and lantana-loving butterflies.
I retreat at other moments of downtime to the smallholding, with lambs, calves and the kitchen gardens, where all the medicinal plants are grown. Every member of staff I meet feels nurturing. Who wouldn't feel lifted by the gentle charm of a sari-clad gardener, who downs tools, her rake or hosepipe, to wish you namaste, with her palms pressed together in front of her heart, every time you hurry past to your next appointment?
The food is delicious and well- balanced, a favourite being Murugan Keerai soup, made of drumstick leaves and packed with antioxidants. I love the relaxing abdication of choice - no mango, banana, melon or spices that might inflame my already imbalanced vata-kapha constitution.
Thorough and seamless daily consultations with a doctor make me feel properly looked after. They’re followed by the oil-based ayurvedic therapies, my favourite being Shirodhara, where medicated oil is poured in a rhythmic stream over my third eye to still my restless mind and help with my galloping insomnia. On day three, suffering a splitting detox headache, the addition of camphor to the oil seems to sort out the pain.
There’s a peculiar intimacy with two hands-on therapists working over your slippery body, and some of the treatments are not for the squeamish - detox purgations, for example, can include nasal cleansing, vomiting, enemas and scrubs. But I enjoy the coexisting spiritual component, which at SOUKYA is as natural as breathing. Therapists sing blessings to the god of ayurveda in the on-site church alongside the community, and there's always an inspirational thought for the day left on your pillow at turndown; an old-fashioned gesture to challenge the cynical mindset.
I leave becalmed and soothed, my ulcerative colitis eased, my sleep back on track. I will return.
