What happens during a week at a Kerala Ayurveda retreat

The first thing to know is what a week can and cannot do. Kerala's Ayurvedic doctors divide programmes into two broad kinds. Rejuvenation, called rasayana, restores energy through oil treatments, herbal therapies, diet and rest, and it can be done well in 7 to 14 days. Panchakarma, the classical five-part cleansing, needs at least 14 days and often 21 or more, because the body must be prepared, cleansed and then rebuilt. A retreat that promises panchakarma in three days is not following the classical method.

So a week is the right length for someone who is tired, stressed or recovering, and who wants to try Ayurveda properly before committing to a longer stay. It is also a good first visit. Many of the guests who return for 14 or 21 nights began with a week. What follows is what that week usually looks like at the established retreats we use around Kovalam, south of Thiruvananthapuram.

A good retreat treats you as a patient, so preparation starts at home. We send the retreat's health form when you book, and the doctor reads it before you land. Be complete and honest: some treatments are not suitable during pregnancy or with certain conditions, and the doctor needs to know what you take. These are the things we ask every guest to do:

• Tell the retreat about every medical condition and medicine, and bring recent reports
• Keep taking your own prescribed medicines unless your own doctor advises otherwise
• Cut down on alcohol, caffeine and heavy food for a few days before you fly
• Pack loose cotton clothes, flat sandals and old underwear, as the oils stain
• Bring a light shawl or cap to keep your head covered after oil treatments
• Plan a quiet day or two at home afterwards, not a return straight to work

You arrive at Thiruvananthapuram airport, about 20 km and 40 minutes from the retreats at Kovalam, and are given time to settle. The consultation is usually that afternoon or the next morning. The doctor, who holds a five-and-a-half-year degree in Ayurvedic medicine, asks about your health, sleep, digestion, work and mood, reads your pulse, looks at your tongue and eyes, and may check blood pressure and weight.

From this, the doctor assesses your constitution, or prakriti, in terms of the three doshas, vata, pitta and kapha, and your current imbalance. The programme follows from that: which treatments, in what order, which herbal medicines, and what you eat. Two guests arriving on the same day may follow quite different weeks. If you have a goal, such as better sleep, less back pain or simply rest, say so here.

Once the programme starts, the days take on a steady pattern, and most guests find the routine itself is part of the treatment. Times differ a little between retreats, but a typical day runs like this. The doctor's morning visit is short, and it is the moment to say how you feel, because the treatment is adjusted each day.

Treatments take place in simple rooms with a carved wooden table called a droni, and are given by trained therapists of the same gender as the guest, often two working in time. Expect warm oil, a lot of it, and expect to feel heavy and sleepy afterwards. In a rejuvenation week, the doctor usually chooses from these, changing the mix as the days go on:

Each treatment comes with small instructions that matter. After oil, you will be asked to keep your head covered, avoid cold water and wait before bathing, often with a herbal powder to wash the oil away. After shirodhara, most guests rest for the remainder of the morning, and the doctor may ask you to avoid reading or screens for a while. A herbal steam, in a wooden cabinet with your head outside, usually ends the session.

• Abhyanga: a full-body massage with warm medicated oil, usually the first treatment
• Shirodhara: a steady stream of warm oil poured over the forehead for 30 to 45 minutes
• Elakizhi: warm bundles of medicinal leaves pressed and rubbed over the body
• Podikizhi: warm bundles of herbal powder, used for stiffness and swelling
• Njavarakizhi: bundles of rice cooked in milk and herbs, used to strengthen
• Udvartana: a brisk dry massage with herbal powders
• Nasya: medicated drops in the nose, sometimes added for the head and sinuses

Food is treated as medicine. Meals are mainly vegetarian, warm and freshly cooked: rice, lentils, vegetables, a little ghee, mild spices and herbal waters, adapted to your constitution. Raw salads, cold drinks and heavy food are usually avoided. Alcohol and smoking are not allowed during treatment at most retreats, and strenuous exercise and long hours in the sun are discouraged. Phones are allowed, but the doctors will tell you that the less you use them, the better the week goes.

Most guests describe the first two days as pleasant and the middle of the week as heavier, with tiredness, vivid sleep and sometimes a headache as the body adjusts. By the end of the week, many feel lighter and sleep better. The doctor gives a final consultation on the last day, with written advice on diet and routine and, often, herbal medicines to take home. Check your home country's rules on importing herbal products, and tell your own doctor what you are taking.

A week suits people who want deep rest, help with sleep or stress, or an introduction to Ayurveda before a longer programme. It suits couples too: most retreats treat partners separately but let them share a room and eat together. It suits less well anyone who wants to combine treatment with touring, because the programme needs quiet days, or anyone hoping to treat a serious or long-standing condition, which needs a longer stay and the advice of their own doctor as well. Panchakarma is not begun during pregnancy, and some treatments are adjusted for heart conditions or high blood pressure.

We place guests at a small number of established retreats with doctors on site every day. Around Kovalam, Niraamaya Retreats Surya Samudra and Somatheeram are both respected, and for longer stays CGH Earth's Kalari Kovilakom in Palakkad and Kairali, The Ayurvedic Healing Village, are also well regarded. Programmes, minimum stays and rates change, so check current status before you travel. Kerala's practitioners consider the monsoon, June to August, the best season, with fresh herbs, little dust and lower rates; the Malayalam month of Karkidakam, mid-July to mid-August, is the traditional time for rejuvenation.

Our Monsoon Ayurveda journey gives you seven nights at Kovalam and two quiet nights at Kumarakom Lake Resort afterwards, from ₹2,60,000 per person, twin sharing. For full panchakarma, our 14-night Kovalam programme is from ₹4,50,000. Both keep sightseeing to a few short outings, because long drives and late nights work against the treatment.