Ayurvedic Aromatherapy Trip
Oct 26th – Nov 10th, 2008
David Crow of Floracopeia & Niika Quistgard of MayaShakti Ayurveda came together for a 16-day immersion in classical Ayurvedic aromatherapy at Rasa Ayurveda, women and men welcome.
More….
Men and women enjoyed this opportunity to:
· benefit from the knowledge and energies of two great teachers, plus the Rasa Ayurveda staff
· experience the effectiveness and delight of aromatic Ayurvedic therapies
· observe traditional distillation in a Tribal area (This is a rare chance!)
· observe modern distillation in an Essential Oils Factory
· learn the healing and culinary secrets of Kerala’s aromatic herbs and spices
· trek and spend the night in the sandalwood forests of Kerala
Schedule of Activities
Written and Designed by David Crow,
Niika Quistgard and Sanjeev Kumar S.
Day 1 – Sunday, October 26th
| 8:30 am | Breakfast | |
| 9:00 am | Welcome: Logistics, Cultural awareness, Rules | |
| 10:00 am | Walk thru neighborhood | |
| 11:00 am | Lecture: Aromatherapy in Ayurveda/ Program Overview | |
| Overview | ||
| 1:00 pm | Lunch & Rest | |
| 3:00 pm | Lecture: Principles of Aromatherapy | |
| 5:30 pm | Aromatic cuisine: Spiced Drinking Waters | |
| 6:30 pm | Dinner | |
| 7:30 pm | Aromatic Meditation: Yoga of Olfaction | |
Day 2 – Monday, October 27th
| 7:15 am | Yoga | ||
| 8:30 am | Breakfast | ||
| 9:00 am | Track One: Therapies – Abhyanga & Svedhana | ||
| 9 – 11 [2 persons] 11:30 -1:30pm [2 persons] 3 – 5 pm [2 persons] |
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| Track Two: Morning Workshops | |||
| Medicinal Oil Making (workstations with several types of oils) |
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| 1:00 pm | Lunch & Rest | ||
| 3:00 pm | Track One – Afternoon Workshops | ||
| Medicinal Oil Making (workstations with several types of oils) |
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| Track Two: Therapies – Abhyanga & Svedhana | |||
| 3 – 5 pm [2 persons] | |||
| 5:30 pm | Lecture: Carrier oils | ||
| 6:30 pm | Dinner | ||
| 8 pm | Aromatic Meditation: Agarwood | ||
Day 3 – Tuesday, October 28th
| 7:30 am | Yoga | |
| 8:30 am | Breakfast | |
| 9:00 am | Lecture: Floral oils | |
| 10:30 am | Spice market and bazaar shopping | |
| 1:00 pm | Lunch in Bazaar | |
| 2:30 pm | Return to Rasa | |
| 3:00 pm | Lecture/workshop: Mythology of Flowers Pookkalum (mandala of flowers) |
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| 5:30 pm | Aromatic cuisine: Agni & Digestive Pitta Fresh dipanas |
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| 6:30 pm | Dinner | |
| 8:00 pm | Aromatic Meditation: Rose | |
Day 4 – Wednesday, October 29th
| 7:30 am | Yoga | ||
| 8:30 am | Breakfast | ||
| 9:00 am | Track One: Therapies – Abhyanga & Svedhana | ||
| 9 – 11 [2 persons] 11:30 -1:30pm [2 persons] 3 – 5 pm [2 persons] |
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| Track Two – Morning Workshops | |||
| Gulkand Preparation | |||
| 1:00 pm | Lunch & Rest | ||
| 3:00 pm | Track One – Afternoon Workshops | ||
| Gulkand Preparation | |||
| Track Two :Therapies – Abhyanga & Svedhana | |||
| 3 – 5 pm [2 persons] | |||
| 5:30 pm | Aromatic Cuisine: Cinnamon, Clove, Star Anise | ||
| 6:30 pm | Dinner | ||
| 8:00 pm | Aromatic Meditation: Survey of Indian Oils | ||
Day 5 – Thursday, October 30th
| 7:30 am | Yoga | ||
| 8:30 am | Breakfast | ||
| 9:00 am | Tending Oils and Gulkand | ||
| 9:30 am | Lecture: Attars | ||
| 12:00 pm | Lunch & Rest | ||
| 1:00 pm | Travel to Kanyakumari | ||
| 3:00 pm | Arrive Kanyakumari: Ferry to Vivekananda’s rock, Meditation in Cave, Visit Gandhi’s Memorial | ||
| 5:30 pm | Sunset on the Beach at the Triveni Sangham | ||
| 6:30 pm | Dinner | ||
| 7:30 pm | Free time at Kanyakumari | ||
Spend Night at Kanyakumari
Day 6 – Friday, October 31st
| 6:00 am | Sunrise on Beach | ||
| 6:30 am | Drive to Flower Market, Survey of Flower Market | ||
| 8:00 am | Breakfast out | ||
| 9:00 am | Local Women making Maala and all things with Flowers | ||
| 10:00 pm | Drive to Thulasi fields, presentation by farmer | ||
| 1:00 pm | Lunch | ||
| 2:00 pm | Flower fields: Jasmine, Tuberose, Marigold | ||
| 4:30 pm | Travel to Rasa Ayurveda | ||
| 6:30 pm | Arrive at Rasa Ayurveda | ||
| 7:00 pm | Dinner | ||
| 8:00 pm | Aromatic Meditation: Jasmine | ||
Day 7 – Saturday, November 1st
| 7:30 am | Yoga | ||
| 8:30 am | Breakfast | ||
| 9:00 am | Tending Oils and Gulkand | ||
| 9:30 am | Lecture: Antimicrobial effects of essential oils | ||
| 1:00 pm | Lunch & Rest | ||
| 3:00 pm | Lecture: Community Immunity Workshop: Make Traditional formula fumigant incense Prepare freshly ground Mylangi for henna evening |
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| 5:30 pm | Aromatic cuisine (antimicrobial) : Five turmerics, chilis | ||
| 6:30 pm | Dinner | ||
| 7:30 pm | Mehendi applications | ||
| 8:15 pm | Aromatic Meditation – Frankincense / Kirtan | ||
Day 8 – Sunday, November 2nd
| 7:30 am | Yoga | ||
| 8:30 am | Breakfast | ||
| 9:00 am | Tending Oils and Gulkand | ||
| 10:00 pm | Travel to Ernakalam (230 kms) 4-5 hours | ||
| 3:00 pm | Check into hotel on Bolghaty Island | ||
| 4:00 pm | Explore Fort Cochin, Dinner | ||
| 8:00 pm | Aromatic Meditation: Indian oils | ||
SPEND NIGHT on Bolghaty
Day 9 – Monday, November 3rd
| 8:30 am | Breakfast | ||
| 9:30 am | Visit Commercial Scale Essential Oils Factory employing steam distillation, solvent extraction and fractional distillation, possibly C02 distillation | ||
| 1:00 pm | Lunch | ||
| 2:00 pm | Travel to Munnar (150kms) 3-4 hours Enjoy lovely hill station |
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| 8:30 pm | Lecture: Sacred Scents | ||
Spend Night in Munnar
Day 10 – Tuesday, November 4th
| 7:30 am | Breakfast | ||
| 8:30 am | Travel to Marayoor (62 kms) 2 hours | ||
| 11:30 am | Enter Tribal Forest Area for Observation of Traditional Lemongrass Distillation | ||
| 2:30 pm | Lunch | ||
| 5:30 pm | Settled into Hilltop Tents just above Sandalwood Forest | ||
| 6:30 pm | Sandalwood tea with honey Lecture: Sandalwood – commerce, ecology, politics |
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| 7:00 pm | Dinner | ||
| 8:00 pm | Lecture: Sandalwood – mythology, religious use, paste, oil Aromatic Meditation: Sandalwood |
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Spend Night in Marayoor Sandalwood Forest
Day 11 – Wednesday, November 5th
| 6:30 am | Rise, Take Tea and Light Breakfast | ||
| 7:30 am | Trekking into forest, for a lucky look at wild animals like bison, sambar deer, spotted deer, wild boar, jungle cat, maybe wild elephants… | ||
| 11:00 am | Breakfast at Marayoor Junction | ||
| 11:30 pm | Travel to Munnar | ||
| 1:30 pm | Arrive Munnar – shopping | ||
| 3:00 pm | Travel to Kumily (a beautiful drive, with stops to see) | ||
| 7:00 pm | Arrive Kumily | ||
Spend Night in Kumily
Day 12 – Thursday, November 6th
| 8:00 am | Breakfast | ||
| 9:00 am | Travel to Chottupara | ||
| 9:30 am | Guided Plantation Tour to observe vanilla, cardamom, pepper, clove and nutmeg, discussion of plant cultivation, pollination, harvesting, etc. | ||
| 12:30 pm | Lunch | ||
| 2:00 pm | Observe and participate in essential oil distillation; hydrosols | ||
| 4:30 pm | Travel to Rasa Ayurveda Healing Centre | ||
| 9:30 pm | Arrive at Rasa Ayurveda Healing Centre | ||
Day 13 – Friday, November 7th
| 7:30 am | Yoga | |||
| 8:30 am | Breakfast | |||
| 9:00 am | Intro to Bathi: tradition, quality control | |||
| 9:30 am | Track One: Therapies – Shirodara | |||
| 9:30 – 10:30 [2 persons] 10:45 – 11:45 pm [2 persons] 12:00 – 1:00 [2 persons] |
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| Track Two – Morning Workshops | ||||
| Steam inhalation | ||||
| Introduction and theory Traditional way done in India (fresh herbs) Steam therapy experience |
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| Bathi making | ||||
| Introduction to ingredients Hand making of sticks |
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| 1:00 pm | Lunch & Rest | |||
| 3:00 pm | Lecture: Prana, Prana Vata, Fragrance and Consciousness; Shirodhara | |||
| 5:00 pm | Aromatic Cuisine: Karivepella (curry leaf) | |||
| 6:30 pm | Dinner | |||
| 8:00 pm | Aromatic Meditation: Indian oils | |||
Day 14 – Saturday, November 8th
| 7:30 am | Yoga | |||
| 8:30 am | Breakfast | |||
| 9:00 am | Track One – Morning Workshops | |||
| Steam inhalation | ||||
| Introduction and theory Traditional way done in India (fresh herbs) Steam therapy experience |
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| Bathi making | ||||
| Introduction to ingredients Hand making of sticks |
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| Track Two: Therapies – Shirodara | ||||
| 9:30 – 10:30 [2 persons] 10:45 – 11:45 pm [2 persons] 12:00 – 1:00 [2 persons] |
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| 1:00 pm | Lunch & Rest | |||
| 3:00 pm | Using Essential Oils According to Ayurvedic Principles | |||
| 5:30 pm | Aromatic Cuisine – Tulasi, Ginger & Black Pepper | |||
| 6:30 pm | Dinner | |||
| 8:00 pm | Evening entertainment in town | |||
Day 15 – Sunday, November 9th
| 7:30 am | Yoga | ||
| 8:30 am | Breakfast | ||
| 9:30 am | Lecture – Fragrance and consciousness: Aromatherapy for specific mental and emotional applications | ||
| 1:00 pm | Lunch & Rest | ||
| 3:00 pm | Lecture: Nasya | ||
| Introduction and theory Formulas and applications |
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| 4:15 pm | Group Nasya | ||
| 5:30 pm | Aromatic Cuisine: Saffron | ||
| 6:30 pm | Dinner | ||
| 8:00 pm | Aromatic meditation: Indian oils | ||
Day 16 – Monday, November 10th
(last class day)
| 7:30 am | Yoga | ||
| 8:30 am | Breakfast | ||
| 9:30 am | Free time: Relax, pack, or hire a car for shopping or a trip to the beach | ||
| 1:30 pm | Lunch – Special Kerala Sadhya | ||
| 3:30 pm | Goodbyes all around (good bye to staff, tip distribution) | ||
| 4:00 pm | Lecture: Global Benefits of Medicinal Plants | ||
| (Replanting the Global Garden) | |||
| 5:30 pm | Aromatic Cuisine: Coconut | ||
| 8:00 pm | Special Aromatic Closing Session | ||
Tuesday, November 11th
Departures
