My underwear’s halfway down my butt when I’m told to stop. “Keep on,” says one of the men who are about to massage me. He winds then ties a thin white piece of string around my waist. A longer and thicker section of material falls to the ground over my genitals.
Leave your modesty at the door
“Now take off.”
I slip out of my boxers and he bends down to pick up the tail end of the cloth, which he pulls tight over me and ties off at the small of my back. This isn’t the first time I’ve had Sarvanga Abhyanga (ayurvedic massage) so I’m not shocked at the disposable loincloth that’s suffocating my privates. Men massage men. Women massage women. But if you’re not used to being virtually naked, which is what is required for this type of massage, it can initially leave you feeling a little vulnerable. Get a few under your belt, though, and before you know it, you’re ready to get naked at the drop of loincloth.
Once I’m all wrapped up I’m directed towards a stool where I’m told to sit. One of the masseurs rests his hands on my shoulders.
“Now we’re going to say a small prayer,” he says.
This is one of the aspects I like most about ayurvedic medicine, how it links in with spirituality. When I say prayer, I don't mean the drone of something like the Lords Prayer. For all I know, he might be going through the motions, but to me it’s beautiful and a welcome novelty. When they’re done he drops a little warm oil on my head and begins to softly massage my scalp. From there he massages my face, the back of my head, shoulders, and top of my back. I’m then moved to a wooden table and asked to lie on my back on a foam mattress covered with a disposable sheet. Now the good stuff starts.
Two pairs of hands are better than one
While one of them rubs and massages my face with the warm oil, the other applies it to the rest of my body. In a few minutes I’m the human version of a backyard slippery slide. Now they begin to work in unison, moving up and down my body with broad strokes. There’s just enough pressure, which for me isn't really enough at all. So, I wouldn’t call this the best massage I’ve ever had, but I don’t think that’s the point. The aim is to get the oil into the body and detoxify. That’s what I think, anyway. Once the front is finished, they begin on my back. The loincloth is untied so the ‘G-string’ bit is released. Almost every millimetre of your body gets massaged in Sarvanga Abhyanga, apart from the obvious no go areas, which come ‘dangerously’ close to being touched anyway. When the back is finished the front is done again. After that I’m put into a wooden box and steam is pumped in via a pressure cooker. After 10 or 15 minutes, I'm a sweat, sticky, slippery mess. In total the treatment takes about 45-60 minutes.
So far we’ve had three of these. Maybe it's just my imagination, but at times, I can almost feel something leaving me during the massage. The last one is tomorrow, which is our final day, just before we’re given the laxative to purge ourselves of whatever is left in our digestive system after seven days of fasting.
How are we holding up?
I’m feeling good. Day four was the hardest. The last cup of ghee I gulped down left me feeling the most nauseous I felt and lingered for an hour or two afterwards. But mostly I’ve felt relaxed and calm yet with more energy than normal. Slightly more aware and ‘with it’ but prone to ‘outbursts’ of impatience where usually I might be a bit more measured. There’s been a little fatigue, but mostly boredom due to our restricted diet and slowed down life. Yet, I don’t feel any hunger, even though we changed to two meals per day from day five; on the last day we don’t eat anything. I’m unusually looking forward to Christmas lunch, though, which might have something to do with the fact we’re getting homemade Indian vegetarian food delivered. My body seems a little lighter when I practice yoga.
Rebekah, on the other hand, has been doing it tough. She loves her food and as the days have gone by missed it more and more. Nausea has also been an issue and she’s looking forward to the end. I can't say I’ve loved the process and haven’t occasionally longed for a dosa, chocolate bar, cup of chai or coffee, but I’ve definitely felt more energetic, compassionate and even less hungry than normal, which is strange considering we’ve hardly eaten anything. That might all change tomorrow after fasting and sitting on the toilet all day.
We’ll see. We’re almost there.