I want to start today’s post with a quote from Sebastian Pole,

“A peculiarity of the nature of your mind is that, in contrast to your physical constitution (dosha) that is fixed from birth, it can be altered through discrimination and choice.”
― Sebastian Pole, Discovering the True You with Ayurveda: How to Nourish, Rejuvenate, and Transform Your Life

Hayley Dack, the head of spa operations at The Imperial, Delhi is an incredible woman who is so passionate about the world of ayurveda, yoga and wellness. I’m always bouncing ideas off her and she and I were exchanging notes on Bali for a long time before she insisted that I try the spas signature treatment. The Ayana Day Spa is a popular ayurvedic ritual that a lot of guests choose to embark on because it helps alleviate stress, fix tired,aching muscles and leaves you raring to take on the day. This treatment, like others at the spa are only available to guests of the hotel. Don’t let that deter you, she insisted. In busy times, stay-cations have become a quick, inexpensive way to enjoy a getaway and unwind without having to leave the city. Guests from Delhi often book themselves at the hotel for the night and then partake in all the goodness the spa has to offer. I was booked for a half day session at The Imperial which would include a yoga session, ayurvedic consultation, a massage, facial followed by a slow cooked Satvik meal at 1911.

I wore my yoga clothes, put on comfortable shoes and made my hair into a tidy bun and left for a day of yoga and blissful indulgences. My day started with an hour long yoga session with the instructor who assessed my energy levels, flexibility and range of movement before he took it up a few notches. We started with a few moments of pranayama- to really focus on the breathing and calm the mind. Next up, the trainer worked on a few versions of the surya namaskar and focused on really holding the poses for 30 seconds or so. I was already starting to work up a sweat when he singled out a few isolation exercises to really concentrate on the glutes, hamstrings, back and calves. I cradled my legs and rocked my body back and forth giving the spine a really gentle massage and subsequently undoing all the tension and knots. The session was culminated with a restorative poses followed by some chanting. I felt incredibly relaxed and at ease and helped myself to a few cups of hot ginger tea with some almonds post the session.

I was very excited to meet the ayurvedic doctor- Dr Sheema because as a health professional, I believe very strongly in the concept of ayurveda and eating right for your dosha type. She works as the ayurvedic consultant but also consults at Kerala Bhawan every week. She made me take one of those lengthy questionaires only to realise that I was in fact a typical vata type. She read my pulse and told me to look after my throat and build my immunity to fight any viral/germs in the air. Vata means air, and naturally vata types are free spirited, constantly moving with a ton of energy. They tend to sleep less, fidget a lot and are extremely sensitive to colder climates. I had a lot of neck pain from hours spent infront of the computer so she suggested that I go in for the ayurvedic potli massage. Dr Sheema gave me a few guidelines on what I should eat and avoid to maintain a healthy balance in my body without aggravating any one dosha. I was really intrigued with everything I had learnt that day and promised her that I would enroll myself into an ayurvedic teachers course as soon as I found the time.

Dr Sheema walked me to the Kerala Suite- a suite designed exclusively for the ayurvedic treatments. I was going to go in for the signature potli massage- especially useful for muscle soreness, joint pain and stiffness due to posture, injury or sedentary lifestyle. This treatment includes a hot compress made from herbs like ginger, neem, turmeric wrapped in a muslin cloth, dipped in hot ayurvedic oil and applied on the sore areas to bring relief. The massage was a long stroke gentle massage with a medicated ayurvedic oil. After the massage, the therapist used a few potlis to press my sore and tender spots to bring relief from pain and sprains. The heat therapy worked wonders to relax me and bring my body to a state of harmony and balance. My body was exhausted from all that walking, trekking in Bali and I was definitely happy I was able to stretch those muscles and give them some respite.

I thought I was almost done when another therapist – Harsha informed me that I had to go in for the facial kriya. After a quick assessment, they changed my facial to the natura bisse facial for sensitive skin. The specially formulated mixture for sensitive skin was free from animal products, parbens and harmful chemicals. Natura Bisse’s advanced ceuticals de-sensitizing facial treatment works very gently to exfoliate, leaving behind baby soft radiant skin. It helps restore balance, tone and moisture showing skin thats nourished from the inside out. The 60 minute facial was over before I knew it and Harsha took a few before and after pictures to show me the transformation. My skin was glowing from the inside out and looked absolutely radiant with an even complexion. The redness and sun damage was definitely less visible and my skin felt unbelievably soft to touch. It is recommended that you stay away from face products, chemicals and make up for upto 24 hours of the treatment to let the product really do its job. Its been over a week since my facial and the compliments haven’t stopped pouring in. My skin is extremely sensitive to heat, pressure and product and I would highly recommend this ritual to anyone who has skin thats prone to sensitivity.

At this point, I was overjoyed with the way that my face looked but keeling over because of low blood sugar and low energy. I hadn’t eaten anything in over 6 hours and was wilting by the time the facial was over. I went in for a quick shower and walked to 1911 for my specially curated lunch. Since the lunch was a satvik lunch and I was gluten free, Chef Vishal brought me a healthy plate cooked salad with sesame oil to begin. Next up was a beautifully curated thali of millet flatbread (bajra roti), a bowl of cottage cheese, lentils and some pickle. Vata types cant assimilate and digest raw foods too well so they need a fine balance of fermented foods, cooked foods and healthy fats to balance the vata and facilitate digestion. I am a carnivore on all accounts and seldom have a meal without meat but this meal was special. The paneer and lentils were spicy, flavourful and aromatic and the millet rotis went very well with the pickle. I enjoyed talking to Chef Vishal and bouncing ideas off him for collaborations in the future and other ayurvedic recipes. The highlight of my day was when the chef brought me gluten free, grain free croissants fresh out of the oven. They were soft, flakey morsels of goodness that melt in your mouth. I couldn’t believe they were made without gluten and grain and had to ask him several times to make sure it was safe for me to eat.

I’m ordering a batch of fresh bread and gluten free, grain free croissants from the patisserie today. To know more- you can contact the hotel.

Have a healthy, happy week!
xx

Quick notes-

THE IMPERIAL
JANPATH
NEW DELHI, INDIA

Spa Reception +91 11 41116210 & 41116211
Salon Reception +91 11 41116323 & 41116324
Health & Racquet Club +91 11 41116212

theimperialspa@theimperialindia.com

https://www.facebook.com/ImperialDelhi

Total cost of the treatment -15000++ inclusive of Ayurvedic consultation and the meal . The Natura Bisse 60 minute facial can be done separately and costs 6000++

Yoga session, followed by 45 minute ayurvedic consult, 75 minute massage in the Kerala suite, a 60 minute facial kriya and finally a customised satvik meal at 1911 restaurant for a leisurely, healthy, organic lunch. Please bring comfortable workout clothes, a change of clothes and enough time to really enjoy the day.