ASHOKA - CURE PROGRAM by Galo Resort Hotels

Dear Cure Guest, My team and I warmly welcome you to our Ayurveda cure centre on Madeira. To make your stay as pleasant as possible, I would like to give you some basic information about your experience. On the morning after your arrival, we invite you – accordingly your cure package to join us for yoga or qigong in our yoga room. Afterwards, at some point during the day, you will have your initial consultation with your treating doctor. After taking a detailed medical history, a treatment plan will be tailored to your individual needs. The office will provide you with a copy of your treatment plan which also contains your schedule for various treatments. A successful course of treatment depends on your taking one to two hours to rest and recover after each treatment and not using the time to swim in the ocean (this applies especially to our guests doing a panchakarma cleanse). Another urgent request: When you have your initial consultation, please inform us about any allergies or food intolerances you may have! Each morning, you will receive a pot of personal tea in the cure centre. All meals will be served in the hotel restaurant at certain times: 8:30 am 1:00 pm 7:00 pm

Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Please make sure you take enough time for the meals and please let us know in advance if you wish to skip any meals. For special requests or questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time by calling ext. 5558 or 5526. Our cure office is open daily from 09.00–13.00 and 15.00–18.00. When our office is closed, you can reach the main reception by dialling the phone number 9. In case of emergencies our mobile no. is 00351 – 912 634 735

If you would like a consultation or wish to reserve excursions, hikes, etc. please ask our concierge at the Ayurveda cure centre. By appointment, I am personally available in the cure centre to answer any questions or hear any wishes, explanations, etc. If you would like any additional cosmetic or other wellness treatments, our information brochure provides a list of what we offer and the associated fees. When you come for your treatments, please arrive in your bathrobe. We will provide you with disposable undergarments. Please protect your head against the wind after treatments. I wish you a relaxing stay as you let your soul wander freely!

Cordially yours, Birgit Moukom

Quick Information Ayurveda treatments: If at all possible, the massages are given using heated, medicated oil. We recommend resting for at least an hour after treatment and not exposing yourself to direct sunlight. Ayurveda cuisine: Our Ayurveda cuisine is vegetarian and is offered in buffet form. Our food is coordinated and suitable for all three types of constitution. For guests doing a panchakarma cleanse: please take a "panchakarma" sign and place it on your table at lunch and dinner. Our staff will then serve you your panchakarma cleanse meals. (Guests dining from the buffet may help themselves.)

We generally recommend avoiding coffee, alcohol, and smoking during your stay.

Cure Office Our office is next to the hotel reception Hours: 9 am to 1 noon and 3 pm to 6 pm. (Opening hours may vary)

Bathrobe: Please come to your treatments wearing your bathrobe provided for you in your hotel room. You are free to move around the hotel in your bathrobe, including at meals or when having consultations with the doctor. If you would like to switch out your bathrobe during your stay, please contact reception or simply put the bathrobe on the floor of your bathroom. Treatment plan: You will receive a detailed schedule for your treatment based on your constitution as determined by our doctor. Before your treatments, please wait in your room. When your therapist has everything prepared for you, you will be called. Tea: Please collect the teapot bearing your name each morning at Ayurveda Cure centre. Important: Please drop off the teapot in the restaurant each evening so that you can pick up your freshly prepared tea in the cure centre the next morning. You can pour hot water over the fresh seeds in the teapot two or three additional times to make more tea. A kettle has been provided in your room. The water is potable. If the doctor has recommended you drink ginger tea in the morning and an herbal tea in the afternoon, please drink the ginger tea only until noon (after that it could be too stimulating) and then bring your teapot back to the treatment centre before 1 pm so that we can prepare your herbal tea for the afternoon. Excursions: We will be glad to organise a half-day or full-day excursion with our tour guide.

General instructions during an Ayurveda treatment

Below is some general advice that will help you to feel better during the treatment and thus lead to optimal success: 1.

Mornings: after brushing your teeth, rinse your mouth out with sesame oil. It binds the bacteria that have accumulated during the night. Then spit the oil into the toilet bowl and not into the sink!

2. Drink at least 2 litres of warm (ginger) water or herbal tea per day. We recommend not drinking ginger water after 3 pm as it can be too stimulating.

3. Regularly take part in yoga or qigong lessons and meditation as instructed by your doctor.

4. Avoid sleeping right after your treatments and generally during the day.

5. Avoid direct sunlight between 10 am and 4 pm.

6. Do not use alcohol, coffee, or tobacco. Do not eat meat.

7. Avoid swimming and/or excessive physical activity of any kind.

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda - the science of life Ayurveda, the science of long life, is the oldest traditional medicine currently known. With its holistic understanding of the relationship between body, mind and spirit, this health system, originating in India, has been widely applied in the west as well for many years, since it includes highly effective methods of treatment and purification, a well-developed system of plant medicine and a comprehensive approach to nutrition. Inner harmony and the balance of all the forces living in the body are the basis for a fulfilled and healthy life according to Ayurveda. As Ayurveda sees it, health is not just a statistical average or a general state of well-being, but a state full of vitality, resistance, and inner happiness.

Every being in creation is unique.

If we recognise our true nature (prakrti), then, according to Ayurveda, we have already attained a high degree of self-fulfilment. One of the fundamental goals of life and healing is to be in harmony with one's own constitution. This is the key to a long, healthy, and fulfilling life. This is, however, more difficult than it might sound at first. Not only do we have to work through a jungle of (sometimes dubious) questionnaires about the physical and mental characteristics of our vata, pitta, and kapha parts that can be rather embarrassing. You'll be asked about such things as digestion, sexual behaviour, childhood memories. In the distinction between our original constitution (prakrti) and the current expression of our dosha constitution (vikrti), which is often in a state of disharmony, there are many pitfalls and misunderstandings between our true self and the self we create. Without professional diagnosis and guidance, only very few people can decipher their true constitution. It is a fascinating experience to find out what our heartbeat, tongues, and physical appearance tell us about our true personality, and what conclusions can be drawn about health, illness, likes, and dislikes. According to the basic principles, the weighting and expression of the three doshas vata, pitta, and kapha are encoded at the genetic and biological level to define of seven possible constitutional types.

(There are three types where one dosha clearly dominates, three types where two doshas dominate, and the tri-dosha type, where the three doshas are approximately equal in strength.) Ayurveda believes that our fate is manifest itself in our individual constitution. In the long run, it is not possible for us to live counter to our own original nature. And yet most of us are at war with our physical or mental faculties. Whether we are slim, creative, and medial (vata); sporty, ambitious and freckled (pitta); or restful, persevering, and economical (kapha), we prefer to define to identify ourselves with the shadows of our constitution than with the potential lying dormant within us. The art of living in harmony with one's own constitution means letting go of all our (negative) interpretations of our constitutions and instead discovering the abilities and potentials hidden within us. Only by using and testing our type-specific strengths will we become aware of the unprecedented possibilities of our true self. Vata can always rely on a good idea, even in the greatest need; pitta rely on their intelligence; and kapha on their stability and adaptability.

The three Doshas

Every human being has three forces at work inside them (doshas). Vata embodies the principle of movement (also mental mobility); pitta is the fire and the transformation power (digestion, enzymes); and kapha provides stability and firmness (bones and lymph) in the body. How these are arrayed inside determines your individual constitution.

Types at a glance

Vata type Vata:

People with a dominant vata are usually very slender, wiry, and creative. They are always in motion, easily get cold, and have difficulty coming to rest.

Too much vata:

stress, insecurity, and constant overloading can overwhelm the vata. This is expressed, for example, in insomnia, nervousness, lack of concentration, and anxiety.

Pitta type Pitta:

Powerful, purposeful, keen. They have a strong digestion, abundant assertiveness, and are always in action.

Too much pitta:

heartburn, diarrhoea, or skin impurities are evidence of an excess of pitta. People with too much pitta often quickly respond with irritation.

Kapha type Kapha:

These people are very stable, loving, and enduring. Since the kapha element is responsible for the structure and composition of the body, they tend to have a rather strong appearance.

Too much kapha:

Lack of movement or too much sweetness leads, for example, to fatigue, listlessness, depression, being overweight, and colds.

Ayurveda in practice

Ayurveda also has a lot to offer as a holistic way of life and healing for modern prevention since over 80% of its recommendations help to make and keep people healthy. All effective methods and recommendations that increase energy, vitality, and the body's defences are applied directly to the physical and mental constitution. Health, self-fulfilment, and spiritual development go hand in hand. However, inner growth and the expansion of one's heart are not encouraged so much by meditative exercises and spiritual techniques, as they are manifested primarily in the habits and behaviour patterns in your daily life. In this way, Ayurveda can be used not only to support the healing of serious diseases, but, ideally, prevent disease and keep you healthy longer. And this is one of the greatest goals of Ayurvedic teaching and nutrition. According to the classical texts of Ayurveda, survival, freedom from discomfort, and the pursuit of well-being are instinctive desires of all living beings. Everyone one of us is filled with this desire and striving for immortality and maximum comfort. The old story of science and medicine is nothing but the history of these efforts. The rishis of Ayurveda realised that immortality is not possible, but a long life with maximum comfort is attainable for every person. This is why they described in detail those measures that give a long life with full health and without discomfort. There are now many recommendations for a daily routine that include detailed behaviours for day and night, for the different seasons, and not suppressing natural body movements. Our well-being depends on the constant movements of the cycles such as the rhythms of the day, the seasons, our hormonal cycles, the moon, and life phases. A harmonious coordination of the rhythms of life with our internal dosha clock according to one's constitution is particularly important. Different functional principles (doshas) are active at various times of the day and night and have different effects on our well-being. For example, a vata requires a short nap at midday sleep and then a small meal, whereas a kapha type should avoid both. For a pitta type, Ayurvedic cleansings are particularly important in the mornings to rid themselves of excess metabolic products and acids.

The better you know yourself, your constitution, and your needs, the more subtly you can affect the different cycles of life and live in harmony with nature. The Ayurvedic rules of conduct for the day (dinacharya) start with a daily morning programme to cleanse the body and refreshes the spirit. The morning ritual describes a comprehensive cleansing programme which goes far beyond the usual showering and brushing. By effective measures such as tongue scraping, gargling oil, oiling the body, and yoga, all of your sense organs will be opened and activated. The digestive fire is stimulated, excretions are promoted, and the mind is clarified and strengthened. Thus, the Ayurvedic morning routine is a fitness programme with directly noticeable results that delivers a dynamic and healthy start to the day.

Explanation of the various treatments

Abhyanga Is an Ayurvedic oil massage where the whole body is gently massaged with herbbased oils. The massage is a healing therapy and helps the body to renew and nourish itself. Benefits: The oil massage soothes the nerves, relaxes the muscles, and relieves stress. A soothing, refreshing, and nourishing therapy that helps to prevent many diseases. Application: Warm oil with herbs is spread all over the body and gently massaged in. This is an ideal application to balance all the doshas. Duration: The whole body abhyanga takes approx. 50 minutes.

Shiro-Abhyanga is an Ayurvedic head massage. Shiro means head and abhyanga refers to the oil massage. Shiro-Abhyanga treats stress-producing points such as head, shoulders, face, neck, etc. The massage brings about mental stability, calmness, and clarity. Benefits: Shiro-Abhyanga is used to treat migraines, anxiety, exhaustion, neck/shoulder pain, and also stimulates hair growth. This application is especially recommended for the pitta dosha, as it reduces the heat in the body.

Application: Ayurveda oil or an herbal oil mixture is distributed generously on the head. The oil remains on the head for a few minutes and is then massaged in with gentle pressure. Duration: approx. 40 minutes

Padabhyanga is a stimulating, soothing, and revitalising therapy that improves the functioning of the individual organs. Pada means foot and abhyanga means therapeutic oil massage. Suitable for all doshas. Benefits: This massage is a pain- and stress-reducing treatment because the feet are associated with many body organs. A foot massage at the pressure points improves the functionality of the organs connected with the foot. This massage helps with swollen legs, weak ligaments, heart problems, sprains in the feet, and supports a balance in the body's fluids. Application: Ghee (clarified butter) is applied to the feet and lower legs and gently massaged in with gentle pressure. The pressure points associated with the body organs are stimulated. Duration: approx. 40 minutes

Udvartana is the oldest Kapha-reducing therapy. In Ayurveda, this is a weight-reducing treatment whose goal is to get accumulated fat out of the body. The massage with herbal powder and oil relaxes the muscles and balances the doshas. Benefits: Udvartana increases the warmth of the body and breaks down the fat deposits in the body. In addition, the treatment helps to strengthen the whole body. It improves metabolism and supports the circulation of the blood in the skin. A wonderful and very effective weight-reducing application. Application: Ayurvedic herbs in powder form are mixed with oil to form a paste and applied to the body. The massage which runs against the hair growth has a stimulating effect. Duration: 50 minutes

Shirodhara

Shiro means head and dhara means continuous flow. Ayurveda oil is gently poured on the forehead. The doshas are balanced, especially the vata and pitta, which relate to the nerve system. Benefits: Shirodara is a regenerative therapy used to treat migraines, memory issues, sleep disorders, and depression. The therapy has a soothing effect on the autonomic nervous system. Application: Lying on the back, ayurvedic fluid such as oil, water, milk, or coconut water is gently and continuously poured over the forehead. Duration: approx. 40 minutes

Mukabhyanga means facial massage and is one of the beauty therapies in Ayurveda. Suitable for all doshas. Benefits: The face is gently massaged to improve the skin's texture and appearance. Mukabhyanga is a nourishing therapy that improves blood circulation and relaxes the facial muscles. It supports collagen production, for a healthy, radiant appearance. The treatment is also suitable for headaches, eye rings, and to reduce stress. Application: Oil is applied to the face and gently massaged in to stimulate cells and nerves to improve blood circulation. Duration: approx. 40 minutes

Ricinus Pinda

For this treatment, which calms the vata, fresh Ricinus leaves are picked. The leaves are then cut and ground with grated coconut, lemon, turmeric, and mineral salt. This mixture is then mixed with sesame or medicated oil and then placed in fabric cloths. These are then used to form bags with which the treatment is carried out. During the treatment, the therapist stamps the bags at a 45Â° angle to gently massage the active ingredients into the skin. Benefits: Improves blood circulation and skin texture Strengthens the muscles and relieves pain. Helps with tension, arthritis, back pain, neck pain, neuralgia, sports injuries. Duration: approx. 50 min.

Panahasveda

is an Ayurvedic oil massage that mainly focuses on the back side of the body. Benefits: The oil massage relaxes the upper and lower back muscles, relaxes the neck and shoulders, and improves blood circulation. Application: Warm oil with herbs is spread on the back of the body and gently massaged in. Duration: The whole back massage takes approx. 50 minutes.

Colon Vasti is a cleansing following Ayurvedic principles that is not unlike a colon cleaning. Benefits: Vasti is one of the most effective therapies in Ayurveda to balance the vata dosha. Vasti acts against constipation, kidney stones, back pain, body and joint pain, and cleanses the intestines and internal organs. It improves sexual function and supports the whole body as it regenerates and renews. Application: The enema is performed with a special device and medicated oil, ghee, or medicated milk is injected into the colon. Duration: approx. 10 minutes

Uro Basti oil bath A chick-pea flour dough is placed on the sternum and filled with herbal oil. Takes away unrest and tension from the chest area.

Kati Basti back oil bath with short back massage After a short back massage, a chick-pea flour dough is placed on the spine and filled with herbal oil. Relieves pain and tension in the lumbar spine. Also recommended for sciatica.

Grivabasti - neck oil bath A chick-pea flour dough is placed on the neck herbal oil. For neck cramps and osteochondrosis spine.

and filled with of the cervical

Virechana are one of the 5 stages of cleansing therapies in panchakarma, a medical cleanse with the goal at creating an equilibrium in the pitta dosha. It flushes toxins out of the body. Application: Virechana improves the metabolic processes of the body and supports the healing of metabolic disorders. It cleanses and nourishes the internal organs in the lower part of the body. Virechana is also a good therapy for different skin problems. Application: For virechana, a special herbal mixture is taken on an empty stomach, which has a flushing effect. The internal organs are cleansed, and toxins are excreted through the colon.

Nasya is a nasal treatment. This treatment is a cleansing and detoxification treatment in Ayurveda where the medicated oil is dripped into the nose. Nasya improves the airways and strengthens the nervous system. It soothes all doshas and is a nourishing therapy for vata Benefits: As the medicated oil is dripped into the nose, the oil quickly reaches the nerve cells and the tissue in the head area. Nasya supports the five senses, cleanses the airways, improves the nervous system, concentration, and memory. Application: Three to five drops of medicated oil are added to the nose. Duration: approx. 20 minutes

Kalari Through this marma point massage, blockages and tension patterns are released throughout the body to reduce pressure and stress in the spine and joints. This treatment has a lasting positive effect on pain, posture, flexibility and vitality. Benefits: Improvement of mobility + vitality Application: Duration: approx. 50 min.

Kalari Therapy Intensive Ayurveda Cure package for the musculoskeletal system. Here Ayurveda is optimally supplemented with the Kalari therapy, which solves blockages and tensions on the myofascial level. The Cure package is particularly suitable for relaxing body spaces and their organs so that they regain more space and dynamics for their functions Benefit: musculoskeletal system, resp. to improve mobility. Application: Ayurvedic treatments combined with Kalari elements Duration: approx. 80 min.

Trimurti Trimurti is an ayurvedic full-body pressure point massage. Benefit: Supports the purification and brings deep relaxation. Duration: approx. 50 min.

Yoga Surya Namaskara is one of the most important yoga practices and includes 12 positions. Surya Namaskara means "sun salutation". Practising Surya Namaskara awakens the body's intelligence to get energy directly from the sun. In the Vedic tradition, the sun symbolises consciousness and was practised daily in Indian culture. Yoga Nidra is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping. It is a condition in which the body is completely relaxed. Practitioners gain access to their inner world so that they can more easily follow the instructions of the yoga teacher. This state of consciousness differs from meditation. Yoga Nidra is one of the deepest states of relaxation possible and is practised to relieve anxiety symptoms, headaches, dizziness, chest pain, heart palpitations, sweating, and stomach pain. Sattva Chikitsa is an excellent yoga therapy. In this method, the postures are supported by a wall. Both beginners and advanced can practice Sattva Chikitsa. The focus is on a better alignment of the body centre to promote entire body awareness. It is ideal for anyone who wants to strengthen their spine. The spinal column is associated with the total physical and mental health of the human being. Sattva Chikitsa contains positions or "asanas", which were named by the founder as Sattva Yoga or "Mother Sequence". This method has been especially developed to balance mind and body, and includes pranayama breathing techniques, relaxation, and meditation. This technique stretches and elongates the entire body.

YOGA, QI-GONG

On request On request

Private Yoga session (60 min.) Private Qigong session (60 min.)