The practice of Ayurveda has been around for centuries. 5,000 years to be precise (source: International Spa Association) – when Indian monks began looking for new ways to preserve their health.
Gaining popularity from scientific evidence of the intense effects from mind-body connection, Ayurveda continues to be one of the world’s most sophisticated and powerful mind-body health systems, both in modern medicine and spa treatments. The World Ayurvedic Market Analysis & Trends Report conducted by Acurray Research shows that the ayurvedic market is poised to grow at a compound annual growth rate of around 16 percent by 2025.Before getting into details of what constitutes the relevance of the Ayurvedic craze, let’s dig a little into Ayurveda history.
What is Ayurveda
Simply put, Ayurveda is a holistic medicine practice stemming from India. Physicians, or Vedas, determine your doshas (internal energies within the body), to offer dietary guidance, detox and balancing treatments along with herbal and oil remedies.
Used primarily to prevent physical and medical ailments, it has become much more than that.
Based on the tenets of the Hindu religion, Ayurveda is designed to prevent illness and promote wellness by balancing mind, body and spirit through massage, yoga, diet, herbs and metals that cleanse the body of impurities.
The two main guiding principles of Ayurveda are that the mind and body are inextricably connected and that nothing has more power to heal and transform the body than the mind.
We’ve reached out to one of the leading Sri-Lanka’s Ayurveda practitioners, Janith Chaturika to tell us more about the ancient-stemming popular practice and reveal for us why more an more West Europeans are becoming tempted to explore its benefits abroad:
Q1, STEPP:
Tell us in 3 sentences a bit about yourself:
What is the nature of your activity, your background and do you think you’re making a difference in this crowded service economy we’re all witnessing these days?
Janith:
My grandfather was the one who’s inspired me all along before I’ve become an Ayurveda practitioner in my own right having completed my specialized degree and collateral background qualifications in: Acupuncture, Yoga, Relaxation techniques, Pancha Karma & Ayurveda beauty culture. I was amazed at the benefits I could witness when sourcing for my customer-base remedies provided by alternative medicine, namely herbeology also referred to as phytotherapy or botanical medicine. I’m now sharing and passing on my knowledge with therapists across the country.
Q2, STEPP:
How did your childhood influence your career choice, work ethic and attitude towards business?
Janith:
It would be fair to say that my interest for the ancient practice of Ayurveda was stemming from my grandfather’s indigenous medical practices where from I was lucky enough to get the knowledge stream from its very core: via the use of herbs to therapy practices which vary in technique types and require deep knowledge-base to sustain strong results we’ve been seeing over the years.
Q3, STEPP:
Who are your target audience? Can you describe their common challenges and how are you helping overcome these?
Janith:
I offer my service to treat a myriad of diseases. The majority of my patients who I’m working with tend to suffer from skin problems, bone disorders, eye diseases and liver diseases. Skin conditions such as: Psoriasis, Scabies, Vitiligo, Warts, Eczema, itching bone disorders – Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Numbness, dislocation, movement disorders, calcium deposit, eye diseases such as glaucoma, low vision are only a few of the common issues I deal with yet longer-term illnesses such as diabetic retinopathy ,retinitis pigmentosa & others are often a cause of concern for many.
According to Ayurveda, it makes it easier to recognize a given patient’s condition by understanding the changes of Tridoshas, Sapta dhatus and Trimalas. I’ll explain below:
The treatment plan divides in to two parts:
- Shodhana (stands for purification) &
- Shamana (stands for sedation). Prior to sedation I start purification out of many reasons. I often use external and internal methods conducting 3, 5, or 7 days of purification. Sedation is also conducted internally as well as externally.
The period of medication intake, selection of necessary herbal treatment and suitable purification method depends on the constitution, physical strength & age of the patient. It’s a well-thought process from the inside out.
Q4, STEPP:
Ayurveda is topping the global wellness service chart these days.
What do you think should shape a successful Ayurveda practitioner these days?
Janith:
Most of my patients are coming from highly engaged & dynamic professional backgrounds. They tend to look for faster solutions to their needs to be able to get back on track in almost no time. I’m not up for a speedy process, I put quality recovery above all client aspirations as neither of us want to keep healing same or similar, connected diseases over and over again. I therefore take the necessary preparation time and follow a well-planned treatment scenario. Given that I’m in constant professional development I believe Ayurveda practitioners would experience substantial benefits from sharing their findings and achievements. I’m all up for knowledge exchange.
Q4, STEPP:
British tourists are known for choosing Shri Lanka as their recreation and now often a wellness destination.
How are you promoting your services on a wider global scale? What do you think fuels global interest in Ayurveda practices?
Janith:
European patients are reaching out to Sri-Lanka’s practitioners such as myself more often these days. I believe they see in us a closer geographical source to the origins of Ayurveda’s practices. I’m more and more solicited to provide Skype consultations on the use of herbs for holistic body & mind-related conditions/disorders or regular dietology consultancies. It’s now becoming a norm to support overseas patients remotely if not within the premises of our specialized and nature-friendly locations.
Q5, STEPP:
Looking back, what was your best business decision to-date and what was the most challenging one?
Janith:
Shortest version of the answer would be adopting the service-at-home trend. I became ‘mobile’: which allowed me to extend services offered outside of my treatment centers, namely at patient’s own home locations where they would further experience the comfort of own premises and by all means higher perceived confidentiality. Additionally, I found a great benefit in sharing my knowledge within the Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurveda Research Institute by joining several free mobile clinics there. I have also introduced a membership card for regular clients to help increase the level of comfort which invariably scored highly on our customer satisfaction levels.
Q6, STEPP:
Who are you most grateful for supporting you in your career so far?
Janith:
Undoubtedly my family and within that my husband who I’ve met during my practicing stage. I owe them my 15 years of career development for their unconditional and devoted support throughout. They are also active practitioners themselves: helping me prepare herbal medicine and botanical oils which I use in the Ayu Zone. My gratitude has no boundaries, we’re a true fully supportive family type.
STEPP:
Thank you for such a comprehensive and engaging journey, Janith! Best of luck with practicing and uncovering the new Ayurveda benefits for your customers.
