An Earthly System Takes to the Skies

Ayurveda translates as the Science of Life. Its basic principles constitute advice for a way of living, which if adhered to, provide guidelines for optimum health and harmony.

The Ashtanga Hridayam, one of Ayurveda’s three celebrated compendia, was compiled at a time when the wheel was not yet invented and the fastest mode of transport was ostensibly by horse or camel.

In the Ashtanga Hridayam, Vagbhata acknowledges the need for nutritional Abhyanga (ayurvedic massage), and rejuvenating therapies to be applied to individuals undernourished by excess Vata, the air and space elements.

Ayurveda adequately addressed the needs of the traveler traversing distant villages, and how this dynamic life led toe excess Vata, which if left unattended, would give way to undernourishment, insomnia, premature aging and low immunity.

Ayurvedic therapy was required by one and all but especially by the weary traveler. Today, we live in the supersonic jet age. It is ironic that although modes of transport have developed multi-fold in conjunction with business development, the executive traveler’s mind and body is even more susceptible to Vata excess. And so, the expanded need for Ayurvedic therapy.

A tired body, aching muscles and an overloaded mind crave attention during and after long journeys, high powered conferences and hop-skip-jump business trips. While the spa offers an escape at the other end of the journey, the disappointing truth reveals that given the current travel scenario, there is no real “transit therapy” – one which can be provided in a an airport lounge, a conference room or even on the plan.

I speak of therapies that are short, that do not require disrobing, and that are actually restorative (rather than beauty-oriented or merely “feel good”) in nature. All these requirements are necessary for the executive’s intellectual output at that critical presentation at the end of the journey. The encouraging truth is that Ayurvedic therapies have addressed these issues for centuries. Now they can be applied to the executive transit/travel format.

Ayurveda addresses health from an internal as well as external point of view. Internal therapy includes proper nutrition and breathing. External therapy includes all abhyanga. All of these work to balance Vata, which is responsible for intellectual activity, idea generation, movement, motor skills, nerve force and digestion. Excess Vata translates into mental and physical fatigue, jet lag, gas, constipation, dehydration, swollen feet and dry skin health symptoms reminiscent of hours spent in conference rooms or on flights in “air and space.”

The typical executive traveler escapes (rather than addresses) these issues by indulging in fast food, quick fix business lunches and unsavory airline wine and food. What s/he really needs is re-hydrating foods and fluids to help the body acclimatize to its new surroundings. Ayurvedic rejuvenating spa cuisine in simple formats such as herb teas, drinks, corporate lunch boxes and airline meal preferences are ideal for addressing the digestive issues.

Abhyanga of the head, hands and feet ideally addresses issues relating to skin, hydration and stress; Abhyanga utilizes herbal oil or powder purification therapies applied to vital energy points on the body known as marmas. Marmas, when stimulated, relax and revitalize the nervous system (a vital body system that is adversely affected by excess Vata), providing restorative therapy to the mind and body. Marma points are situated all over the body and number 108 in total.

However, key points are located on the head, neck, ears and feet. These include the third eye, the crown point, the head-neck spine connector points, the Achilles tendon and the toe webs, all of which are critical for initiating and aiding the flow of nervous impulses to the different parts of the body. As such, daily marma abhyanga in these areas is especially good for optimum mental and physical health. Pranayama or Ayurvedic breathing exercises maximize natural oxygen intake and tissue replenishment, in man-made travel or office environment. Moreover, it stimulates biochemical responses to assist the body in recovering from state of excess Vata.

While Ayurveda covers a range of spa therapies, the “chair format”, nutrition and breathing therapies are specifically relevant to the needs of the weary executive traveler. Treatments range from simple marma abhyanga that can be applied laterally in a board room or plane, to the application of lepa (herbal medicinal plasters) and svedana (localized herbal steam treatments) that can be administered practically in a transit lounge (in conjunction with a simple hairdresser style washing basin or a foot bath.

However, given the stress implications of executive travel outlined above, the ideal locale for implementation of this therapy is in the transit lounge. As the international spa industry further expands traditional beauty and fitness programs, the executive travel market requires exploration of diverse spa options that are not only interesting from a feel good standpoint, but also quantitatively fit the needs of stress it frequently encounters.

Remedy lies in the 5,000 year old Ayurveda spa system from India – what better tool to equip us for the 21st century?