Sitaram Beach Retreat - Ayurvedic Retreat in Kerala — Restaurant in Kerala

In October, accompanied by my parents, I boarded the plane for Kerala. We were planning to spend a week at Sitaram Beach Retreat, one and a quarter hour from Cochin International Airport, India’s first airport built under a public-private-partnership (PPP) model and which has scripted another chapter in aviation history by becoming the first airport in the world that operates completely on solar power. |I met Dr Vignesh Devraj (MD) during a conference in Mauritius. I was very impressed with this Ayurvedic healer, founder & chief physician at Sitaram Beach Retreat in Thrissur. It took me 3 years to decide to go to this place of authentic healing and transformation for a holistic healing experience and I do not regret it a bit!|The mystical name Sitaram and the chanting of mantras that greeted us at the Retreat had an immediate positive effect on our mental, physical & spiritual well-being. We were immediately shrouded in an oasis of peace, tranquillity and serenity. It was like stepping into another world where you kick old habits to embrace new ones that will improve your well-being. Gradually the stress of everyday life ebbed away like the tides of the Arabian Sea along the Resort. Far behind is the rat race. Instead, your schedule is posted each day in your letter box: meditation/yoga; Dr’s consultation; treatment; other therapies; breathing exercises; meal times; etc. |The focus at the Retreat is “Panchakarma”, an ancient body purification method which activates the body’s innate healing energies, providing the foundation for true health.|Nestled in a beautiful garden swarming with colourful butterflies and covered by a canopy of green trees, our wooden, rustic bungalows had all the modern amenities excluding TV sets. The bathroom was a surprise as it was partially outdoors with plants, etc. And I had the surprise of sharing my bathroom once with a beautiful white and grey squirrel! |To be frank the first day we had a hard time acclimatising ourselves to the new diet: no coffee/tea, no fried food, food that we have never ever tasted in our lives. But one thing was for sure, the food was very tasty and we never ate the same food again! |Both overconsumption and malnutrition contribute to a number of health problems including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and premature mortality. It’s easier to treat malnutrition than overconsumption as it is more difficult to eliminate than to add nutrients in the body. The body is addicted to sugar, salt and fat! A proper diet plays a significant role in our physical and mental health and one of the foci of the Retreat tries to address these 2 factors.|The food and the treatment are prescribed by the doctor on an individual basis, according to one’s ailments and to what fits one best. After a few meals, we were looking forward to the delicious dishes concocted by the Chef. We even had a cooking class to continue eating healthy when we are back home. |Balanced meals in adequate portions are accompanied by charged water, cinnamon, ginger, mint or cumin tepid water and by our medications if such is required. And if you have been subject to purgation, one of the panchakarma, as I have been, your meals are monitored by the doctor for 2 days.|And the treatments are awesome. First, I had the Abhyanga massage which helps to detoxify the body, reduce stress, and improve circulation. I was so surprised to have my feet washed in fragrant rose water and an aarti ceremony performed on the first day of my treatment. All treatments start with a mantra and ends with one. Lying down on the panchakarma table (Paathi), two professional therapists give you the ayurvedic treatments for more than an hour. I enjoyed very much the Shirodhara which is a classic Ayurvedic therapy or the practice of slowly and steadily dripping medicated oil or medicated decoctions on the forehead. The therapy induces a relaxed state of awareness that results in a psychosomatic balance. Intense feelings of wellness, mental lucidity, and comprehension are experienced in the Shirodhara treatment. The treatments were the highlights of my stay (head and foot massage, full body massage, etc.) |From the watchman, to the front desk, from the gardener to the therapists, from the Dr and his staff to the waiters, from the yoga instructors to the Chef, everybody contributed in making our stay so memorable. After this first unique experience we want to repeat it next year. It can only work for you if you surrender totally to the cure no matter the number of sacrifices. There is no half measure. And the results are tangible: peace of mind, good sleep, no back pain, no indigestion, no stress…|I can vouch that this stay at Sitaram has changed me in more ways than one. I would go so far as to say that I am reborn!|“Every day since our birth we die a little and it is only when we die that we stop dying”. The Retreat enables us to live a little...

No review can justify the experience one can have at Sitaram beach retreat. We as couples have been to multiple retreats across the globe, but the experience at Sitaram will be the most remembered and tops all our experiences, be it holistic or touristy.

There is something different about the energy and vibe of Sitaram beach retreat. It is so positive, that you genuinely end up feeling that you have come to gods own place with gods own people. You come and enter from big cities with your heads high, and end up going back in utmost gratitude and fulfilment.

My personal experience at Sitaram beach retreat has been twofold:-

I visited Sitaram beach retreat because my partner was detected with ovarian cysts, and we didn’t want to rush her to modern science principles of surgeries, as they are extremely complicated.

We did a lot of research and found out that Ayurveda, the bliss of our ancient medicine, our roots, thy neglected by us in the realms of modern science allopathic marketing, has ways to treat your body from extreme complications, that are disturbed due to our very own karmic lifestyles. We spoke with Dr Vignesh and took a few consultation sessions with him to determine what we can do for her, and realized from his honest advice and invaluable insights that why are we sitting in our big city comforts and seeking advice on the phone when the clock is ticking. We spoke to him and told him that we would come to Kerala and experience Ayurveda and it’s principles.

Having said this, this was our purpose of visit. But the place caters to almost everybody! Everybody who wants to experience natures beauty, service from gods own people, and Ayurvedic treatment (only basis doctors consultation and advice) for self healing and relaxation. The place is the most ideal for:-

People seeking treatment towards chronic ailments People seeking ways out of small day to day problems with their health (like gas, acidity, constipation, low energy etc) People looking for a holistic experience near nature and having a break from their intense mentally stressed life style People who have an upside down lifestyle/sleep cycle and want a correction People who just want to relax and have a good time with peace for a couple of days

We are taught wrongly about Ayurveda in cities in India as laymans. It is not just about taking pills of herbs for treatments. It is a lot more than that. It is a way of living. It is a way of correcting our mind, our body and our heart and getting a balance between them. Herbs and everything is a byproduct of good health. And that is what we learnt and incorporated in our life post Sitaram Beach retreat. We went there for a week, but ended up staying for 23 days and never felt like coming back from that bliss.

I personally have always had sinusitis issues and post contracting covid, my chest would occasionally catch up with weird pains. Doctor recommended Virechanam and Vanamam to me, and daringly, I took it under doctors supervision there and felt extremely light on my chest! My sinuses became a lot better and I just felt that something stuck on my chest was finally off.

Every abhiyangam massage before any treatment is accompanied by a prayer and it feels that it’s gods hands touching our body.

I cannot thank Sitaram beach retreat, Dr Vignesh and the entire team of Sitaram enough that gave us their souls to help us feel replenished, and give us a new life with a new lifestyle.

Now we ensure that we live a holistic lifestyle with our clocks corrected, and know how to balance our diets if one day goes a bit off on schedule or...

I came to Sitaram for a 21 day Panchakarma to treat chronic migraines, IBS and sleep issues. My migraines started about a year ago, and western medicine could not figure it out. I’ve done several MRIs and tried numerous medications, injections, acupuncture, physical therapy - you name it, I’ve tried it. I’ve also had IBS and sleep issues for most of my adult life. After 21 days at Sitaram, with the incredible care of my doctors, Dr. Jobin and Dr. Sreelakshmi, and my therapists, Akshy, Sujeesh and Aswin, I returned home with a significant reduction in migraines (from 10/10 pain morning to night, to 2-3/10 on some days, and some days with no headaches at all), 18 pounds lighter, off my prescription enzymes and anti acids with almost no digestion issues, and sleeping like a baby (fall asleep and stay asleep). It’s nothing short of a miracle!||I read about Panchakarma a lot and I knew that it would have a positive impact on my physical health. What I didn’t expect was the huge impact on my mental health too, and while I believe many different Ayurveda resorts could have an impact on the physical health, I think the impact on my mental health is somethings very unique to Sitaram (I say this confidently because of others I’ve met there who have been to several Ayurveda resorts and felt the same way). From the moment you arrive to the moment you leave, you are treated with the absolute BEST service I have ever experienced in my life, and I’ve been to some fancy resorts in my life. What differentiates Sitaram is that the service is full of AUTHENTIC care and compassion, not just good service for a tip or a good review. Every single person that works at Sitaram genuinely cares about your well being and wants you to get better. From the incredible garden staff, to the sweet restaurant staff, the caring front desk, the smiling housekeepers, the passionate yoga instructors and even the guy that comes twice a day to spray for pests and smoke your room for mosquitos - everyone is so lovely and kind that it just heals your heart. ||I also want to shout out how LGBTQIA+ inclusive this place is. I had my wedding anniversary while I was there, and Sitaram made my day so special! My husband called to ask them to send me some flowers, but they went above and beyond! In the morning housekeeping left me beautiful towel art of 2 swans with a big message to congratulate me and my husband. In the afternoon the entire management staff showed up at my door with a gorgeous bouquet and card from my husband. At dinnertime the chef sent me a plate with congratulations, a rose made out of a tomato and a candle made of an orange. Everywhere I went staff were congratulating me and asking to see photos of my husband and daughter, saying we are a beautiful family. I woke up that day a little sad, missing my family, but Sitaram turned the day around and made me feel close to him. ||If I could give Sitaram 1 million stars I would, because I don’t think there is any place on earth that is like it. I absolutely cannot wait to...