Interest in all-things Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of health and wellbeing, has rocketed in the West. YA editor Lucia Cockcroft takes time out at London's Ayurveda Pura, for a revitalising Face Life Massage.
It's a lacklustre January Friday, and I am relieved to finally arrive at the warmth and comfort of Ayurveda Pura, a relatively new day Spa tucked away near the O2 arena in north Greenwich, London.
I have almost an h
our to spare before it's time for my face-lift treatment, so I sink thankfully into an chair in the corner of the onsite cafe, Cafe Pura.
The tempting menu includes vegetarian curry (a steal at £3.50), a Premium Veggie burger and a Detox Veg Salad with carrots, mango and red chilli tossed in olive oil.
Accordingly to the ancient Indian life science of Ayurveda, diet is absolutely central to our health and wellbeing: as the saying in the West goes - 'we are what we eat'. This comes across in the cafe menu, which is bursting with delicious, yet wholesome-sounding, meat-free food.
The company's own website describes Ayurveda as a 'holistic health system comprising diet, yoga, massage, detoxification, herbal remedies, meditation and daily lifestyle.' Physical and mental/emotional wellbeing are viewed as equally important, and Ayruveda's arsenal of tools - mentioned above - aim to keep body and mind balanced.
Holistic philosophy
Although Ayurveda is not intended to replace modern medicine, its fundamental ethos is different: the system is prevention-oriented and treats the root cause of illness, rather than the symptoms - viewing disease as an imbalance in a person's constitution (or 'dosha').
Since I came across Ayurveda some ten years ago, I have admired this common-sense approach to wellbeing and believe that Western medicine, while wonderful in many ways, fails many of us in its approach at treating the cause, not the effect, of illness.
As I am shown into one of the Spa's four treatment rooms, it becomes clear that my therapist, Laura, was drawn to Ayurveda for similar reasons. As an ex-nurse, she hails from a medical background, but decided to pursue Ayurveda as a career on becoming increasingly disillusioned by the pill-popping mentality of modern Western medicine.
The full Spa menu includes Shirodhama (the famous archetypal Ayurveda treatment, involving a steady stream of warm oil poured onto the forehead), Aromatherapy Facial, and Abhyanga (Whole Body Massage, improving the lymph flow and revitalising the nervous system).
Today I have chosen a Traditional Ayurvedic Face Lift massage, described as: 'An excellent treatment for the prevention of wrinkles. This massage relaxes the face muscles and stimulates facial micro-circulation and lymph flow, thereby promoting the regeneration of healthy, younger looking skin.'
After gently cleansing the skin on my face, Laura began to massage my face with warm Sesame Seed oil (often used in Ayurvedic treatments). The oil, and her fingers, felt incredibly soothing, as she continued to use circular movements to gently massage my face, concentrating especially on the Marma points.
According to Ayurveda, the body's 107 Marma Points are sites in the body where tends, veins, arteries, bones and joints meet. In Ayurvedic massage, the therapists' fingers stimulate the Mama points, therefore relieving anxiety, stress, headaches and muscular pains.
In the same way as acupuncture, Marma points correspond to the body's internal organs. Astonishingly, Marma-point massage is thought to date back to Southern India circa 1500 BC.
As Laura's expert hands glide soporifically over my face, massaging my neck and scalp, I try not to think about my long journey home sporting oily face and hair!
Feeling the Zen
By the end of the treatment I am feeling completely relaxed, and my body feels strangely (but pleasantly) weightless. I can feel the calming effects of the massage right down to my fingers and toes, and the skin on my face feels soft to the touch, and oddly un-oily.
The benefits of a regular face massage are said to include fewer lines and wrinkles, increased flexibility in the facial muscles, improved skin texture and circulation, and enhanced relaxation.
Remarkably, my Zen-like state continued for the length of my 90-minute rush-hour commute back home, woolly hat covering up oily hair!
The after-effects of the treatment continued for days after the treatment: my hair was unusually shiny and manageable, and my skin felt smoother, and clearer.
If there's one thing I could change about the afternoon, I would have saved up funds to stay overnight in one of the nearby hotels (of which there are plenty; the Spa is situated close to the O2 arena and Greenwich Village).
That would have transformed a lovely experience into a true retreat.
Ayurveda Pura is based in Greenwich Millennium Village, ten minutes' walk from Greenwich North tube station (Jubilee line). For details of Spa treatments and Ayurveda training courses, see: www.ayurvedapura.com
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