Jetwing Ayurveda Pavilions: An Ayurvedic Day Out!
Wellness centres are targeting local travellers with Covid-19 care packages and immunity-building activities. If you’re seeking a detox to strengthen your mind and body in preparation for the new normal, Jetwing Ayurveda Pavilions, near the Browns Beach in Negombo, is the place to go.
On a recent trip to Negombo, I took to an offbeat health activity to align my mind, body and soul with the Ayurvedic dimensions of wellness. Because wellbeing is such an encyclopedic term, and each person’s route to it is unique, it is essential to consider a holistic approach to seeking balance. To let me experience how wellness could impact my life, Sri Lanka Tourism Board set aside a day for detox vacation at Jetwing Ayurvedic Pavilions. Holistically speaking, Ayurveda Pavilions isn’t your regular ayurvedic resort with body treatments. It is designed around a traditional healing technique that stretches back millennia.
This tranquil hideaway facing Ettukala Beach is only minutes from the Bandaranaike International Airport. Set among beautiful gardens and rustic courtyards, Ayurveda Pavilions, brings you tales and whispers of ancient knowledge that encourage the natural stimulation of your overall wellbeing. This place is a perfect blend of contemporary and traditional luxuries designed to immerse you in ancient healing science. Its name, Ayurveda Niwas, conjures up images of spiritual enlightenment and the quest for one’s real self.
To complement your therapeutic experience in Sri Lanka, Ayurveda Pavilions has created a menu of holistic treatments based on ancient therapies, including nutritional counselling. At the entrance, a wooden board, with the inscription “Ayurveda Niwas,” hangs. I was widely separated from the material world once I passed through the doorway, which featured trails of Aloe Vera, a yellow wall, a thatched ceiling, and two Victorian white cement vases on either side.
The sheer greenery of the surroundings struck me, and my attention was ‘instantly drawn to the quiet garden blossoming with many native trees and Ayurvedic plants. Each bush has a wooden signboard with the plant’s name written on it. I spotted Domba Alexandrian Laural, Heen Dan, and Jasmine, to name a few. This beautiful patch grows fresh vegetables and medicinal herbs used for internal nourishment, and a stroll around this tranquil garden is the perfect way to de-stress!
After passing through one more thatched door, I arrived at the Niwas, which has yellow walls, green columns and a slanting wooden roof. A courtyard pool with water jets and non-smoking rooms are located on the backside, of the waiting lobby. The foyer, which is vast and well-ventilated, is an appealing combination of heritage and modernity. It features a slanted rosewood-coloured timber ceiling. It was refreshing to learn that this environmentally friendly hotel uses no plastic in its facilities.
The traditional welcome ritual; where we washed hands and received coconut water, served as a symbolic indication that the healing process had begun. Every Ayurveda Pavilions programme starts with a doctor’s consultation, and I had to fill out a form that said “patient’s record book” at the top. The type of body massage, you will receive, is determined by the doctor after they study your medical history. An Ayurvedic lunch at Koththamalli by Rohan (the only vegan and vegetarian restaurant in Negombo) completes the sequence.
I’m sure it’s a little different for the resident guests, who are led through a detailed schedule that includes specific meals and physical therapies. A team of skilled doctors housed in two Ayurveda treatment facilities administer your treatments. Each doctor has completed a degree in Ayurveda Medicine and can provide you with individualised attention and support in achieving your holistic health journey.
My visit was made pleasant by Akila Jayawardena at reception, my doctor, and my therapist (who did not want to be identified). The staff is really kind, attentive, and they immediately make you feel at ease. Based on the information I provided on the questionnaire, I was thoroughly diagnosed and given a body massage that best suited my body types. I groaned my way through, which revealed, how much of a mess I was. My therapist stepped in to save the day. An impressively burly woman from Sri Lanka, she administered the classic long strokes of Ayurvedic healing.
She kept bringing her own repertory of novel techniques, culminating in the deep relaxation for the next ninety minutes. Instead of the traditional oil massage, I requested one in cream so she kept pouring cream over me in a synchronised beat the entire time. The purpose of this visit was to learn more about Ayurveda. And a 15-minute consultation with a doctor, followed by a 90-minute full-body massage worked wonders for my body and mind. I started to feel a sensation of lightness I hadn’t felt in years. The experience was excellent, thanks to the physicians, and the therapist. I am sure it will result in better overall health.
Towards the conclusion of the an hour and a half session, I felt more energised. Although a single session may not be enough to make you lose your taste for unhealthy cravings, a sequel of them will.
The other half of the healing is the food. Treatments that revitalise our mind and body, educating us on how to live a healthy lifestyle: come with dietary patterns. Ayurveda Pavilions, set in lovely green settings, has a charmingly readied restaurant overlooking the lush greenery. Because it follows the Ayurvedic belief that food is one of the three pillars of life and plays an influential role in treatment, meals are a large part of this institution. Consequently, vegetarian meals are not only cooked, using fresh vegetables grown on-site or sourced from local farms but are also adjusted to the preferences of the guests.
Lunch consisted of a beetroot and mango salad with wood apple sauce appetiser, roasted pumpkin and garlic soup with coconut chips, Sri Lankan rice with condiments as the main course and coconut sweet pancake as dessert. Banana blossom dry curry, green jack fruit, tempered mushroom, cabbage and Dhal white curry, tofu devilled, beetroot dry curry, and Gotukola sambal, a sort of green leaves salad, were among the condiments. I could eat this type of meal every day for the rest of my life.
I may have just had the base Ayurvedic meal for lunch as part of the set menu, but I can assure you that the quality and flavour of the food far surpassed my expectations. Chef Rohan at Ayurveda Pavilions is calmly creative, preparing delicious meals while adhering to each guest’s dietary preferences.
The biological environment of this centre also plays a role in the healing process. The structure is designed to promote serenity via its thoughtful use of natural light and environmentally conscientious materials. There are water features all around the place to help you relax. The colour palette is dominated by a subtle green, and the garden’s floral landscaping is bursting with blue and white water lilies. An on-site Ayurveda pharmacy is available for you to get prescriptions that complete your recovery programmes.
You don’t need a serious health concern to get off the hamster wheel of life and sign up for this therapy. If you’re smart, you’ll be preventing rather than curing. Wellness retreats are a witness to our trying times and the need of the hour. Generations of wisdom are brought to life here, together with a signature touch of ancient values. I had no idea what to anticipate, yet I’ve never felt so calm, cheerful, sanctified, and mentally clear as I do today following this Ayurvedic experience. The staff is also fluent in German and Japanese, which comes in handy if you need it.
Ayubowan! (May you live long)
