The Ayurveda Wellness Centre: Looking for a natural remedy

Ayurveda is a holistic approach to health that is designed to help people live long, healthy, and well balanced lives. Ayurvedic treatments, which are 100 per cent natural, have been practised in India for about 5,000 years, and have also become popular globally for some time now. Ayurveda specialists can identify an individual's "prakriti" (constitution) by checking their pulse and identifying their dominant element. Based on this information, the doctors can then deduce what health habits a person has to adopt in order to have a constitution where all elements are balanced.

It is a fact that many of us Bangladeshis do not maintain a healthy lifestyle. The high stress levels we always have, our rice-based diet, pollution levels and the chemicals sometimes present in our foods all add to our health problems.

The founders, Lady Sarwat Abed and Zahida Ispahani want to promote the Ayurvedic lifestyle in Bangladesh, and this initiative led to the establishment of the Ayurveda Wellness Centre. This Centre focuses on the Ayurvedic practices of Kerala, Southern India, which emphasises massage therapy.

Photo courtesy: Rohini Alamgir

"I have always been health-conscious. I grow my own fruits and vegetables and I try to stay active," said Lady Abed. "Our lifestyle in Dhaka is really bad for health. You will hear about people having heart problems, muscle pains, migraines, etc. from a young age. We need to realise that we are doing something wrong."

"Modern medical treatments will only make the symptoms go away, but usually the core problem still remains," said Zahida Ispahani. "But Ayurveda strives to heal the cause of the problem. It is a long term solution, not a short term one,that works on both the body and soul."

Situated in a quiet corner overlooking Banani Lake, the Centre's interiors have an instantly calming effect as you enter. There are candles that greet you in the entrance, an abundance of plants inside, bamboo window shutters to keep out the blazing sunlight, and soft music playing in the background. The founders chose the lakeside location to avoid the noise of traffic and provide the Centre with a serene view of the lake.

There is a facial room, a head massage room, as well as separate massage rooms with attached bathrooms. The massage tables and steam beds are beautiful wooden furniture pieces that have been brought in from Kerala, and are specially designed for oil body massages.

Dr Shaheen Mahamood from Kerala and Dr Atique Zaman from Bangladesh both specialise in Ayurveda and prescribe patients with treatments at the Centre. The massage therapy offered at the centre can benefit people suffering from muscle or joint pains, arthritis and stress. The massage treatments are carried out by therapists who were sent to Ayurgreen Hospital, Kerala for seven months' training. They use a specially medicated oil which is chemical free and made personally by the Ayurveda Wellness Centre using their own ingredients to guarantee that no artificial substances are used. There is a basic relaxation massage for everyone as well as special massages for specific aches, flexibility and spine treatments. In addition, there are also herbal hair treatments and head massages for hair loss and hair softness, body massages for obesity and herbal facials.

Ayurvedic treatments cater to everyone. Young people who have sports injuries or cramps from spending too much time in front of the computer can benefit from the massages as well. And, of course, many older people with joint pains are known to have benefited from ayurvedic treatments. There have been cases where patients could not bend their knees to pray but after a few weeks of treatment they experienced little or no trouble during prayers. It is however, important to note that because Ayurveda is a long-term healing process, the results will not be seen within a day. With patience and regular treatments, however, there will be a noticeable change over some time.

"We did not start this Centre to make huge profits," concluded Lady Abed. "There are other clinics that claim to provide Ayurvedic treatments in Bangladesh, and we have conducted research on them. They are not adequately trained, and do not keep track of the source of their products like we do. Our aim is to provide high quality services to our families, friends and the people in Dhaka who need our help so that their lifestyles can improve."

Address:
Ayurveda Wellness Centre, Capital Lake Front, House 66 (1st floor), Road 18, Block J, Banani, Dhaka 1213. Phone: 01733239674
E-mail: [email protected]
By appointment only