Health tourism in India is attracting tourist in great deal. The term includes Ayurveda, Naturopathy, Yoga, Meditation and many other mental and physical exercises and treatments that are beneficial for health and rejuvenation. Visit Ayurveda Shalas, Meditation classes and Spa Resorts for mental calmness and ultimate realization of pure bliss. Check out the below links for a beneficial health tour to India.

Ayurveda
Ayurveda evolved around 600 bc in india. This system of medicine stresses on the prevention of body ailments in addition to curing them. Kerala's equable climate, natural abundance of forests (with a wealth of herbs and medicinal plants) and the cool monsoon season (june - november) are best suited for ayurveda's curative and restorative packages. Infact, today, kerala is the only state in india which practises this system of medicine with absolute dedication.

Meditation

According to Ayurveda, all disease and misery ultimately is caused by an imbalance of the three bio-energies known as the doshas. Like all energies (gravity, electromagnetic, subatomic forces), the doshas too ultimately arise from the field of pure consciousness. If the mind is pure, the energy of pure consciousness flows through us permeating our reality and brings the experience of well-being, eternal peace, and wisdom. However, when the mind becomes impure due to attachment to external objects and desires, the connection to the source of pure consciousness is lost and we experience pain and fragmentation. In Ayurveda we recognize that the mind is mirror-like in nature wherein are reflected the objects seen by the physical eyes, heard by the physical ears, tasted by the physical tongue, and so on. But even more fantastical than the most imaginative fairy tale, the images reflected in the mirror of our minds take on a life of their own! So, within our minds there evolves an imagined world-a world of images of things seen, heard, tasted, smelled and touched. A world which compares and contrasts images, remembers them, forms ideas around them. Quickly, there arise desires, aversions, ambitions, envy, hatred, attractions, plans, theories, and an entire imagined universe.

The practice of Yoga, or unification, re-establishes the connection between the individual and the universal field of pure consciousness. Yoga removes the attachment to external objects and false knowledge and corrects psychological trauma by merging the mind with the real, the virtuous, and the wellspring of harmony. It really is true. Since the mind plays such an important role in creating health, Yoga plays a vital role in Ayurvedic medicine Patanjali, the compiler of the original Yoga Sutras, lived approximately between 900-800 B.C. at a time when Ayurveda was flourishing. This profound piece of writing is comprised of merely 195 short aphorisms which would take up no more than twenty pages or so in modern typewritten pages. Yet the Ayurvedic scholars who were contemporaries of Patanjali recognized the practical wisdom in these lines: the attainment of spiritual reality through the purification of the physical and mental bodies.

Patanjali is quite detailed and clear as to how mankind can shed the veils and vestures of his emotional and intellectual mind. It is interesting to note that the Yoga teaching, like all true teachings, rests on a solid and strong foundation of spiritual rules which include honesty, truth, cleanliness, discipline, and obedience. It is these ethical laws of human conduct which are almost completely ignored in the majority of the so-called "yoga centers" which have sprung up throughout the world over the past few decades.

The original teaching of Patanjali's system of yoga describes a consecutive sequence of eight stages, ashtanga yoga, to achieve unification with pure consciousness (ashta = eight). Although many volumes can be written on each of these stages, it is here sufficient to point out that Ayurveda has adopted aspects of each of these eight steps. In the following section, we will summarize these eight steps.

Eight Stages of Yoga

Yama - Right Conduct Towards Others

Niyama - Right Conduct Towards Oneself

Asana - Physical Postures

Pranayama - Control of the Breath

Pratyahara - Control of the Mind and Sense Organs

Dharana - Concentration and Control of the Attention

Dhyana - Meditation

Samadhi - Perfect Balance and Unification

The first two stages, Yama and Niyama, define the moral and ethical principles of human life-how we should conduct ourselves. Together they constitute the instructions for Dharma, or right living. Realizing one's dharma means understanding what behaviors are appropriate for one both as an individual and as a member of society. No authentic or permanent progress can be made spiritually without firmly establishing correct inner and outer conduct.

1. Yama - Right Conduct Towards Others
Yama (Sansk. root, yam: self-restraint, rein, curb), has been distilled by the vaidyas into a list of behaviors as relevant today as when they were originally conceived. This list has become known in Ayurveda as sadvritta, or the ethical guidelines:

Avoid anger.

Avoid violence in any form.

Do not overexert the physical body.

Observe celibacy and enjoy sexual acts according to law.

Do not indulge in alcoholic beverages.

Promote calm and peace of mind.

Never utter words which are hurtful to others.

Do not steal in any form.

Bath and clean the body regularly.

Behave with courage and patience in all matters.

Give freely to others.

Observe religious acts according to your faith.

Respect your teachers, elders, guru, and priests.

Respect all animals.

Never act in a cruel manner towards any living thing.

Show mercy to all those who are in need.

Maintain the proper balance of waking and sleep.

Respect those who have mastered the control of their senses.

Maintain your religious practices.

Act in an appropriate manner, time, and place.

Resolve to follow reasonably made plans.

Turn your back on the ego.

Cultivate the attainment of pure awareness.

Mimic the behavior of the great sages and sadhus of society.

Study philosophy, science, and the arts and use your knowledge for the benefit of all mankind.

2. Niyama -- Right Conduct Towards Oneself

The second limb, Niyama, (Sansk. roots, ni: within, down, back, into; yam: self-restraint, rein, curb) turns the attention inward to the thoughts and feelings in the different levels of one's own mind. It involves keeping one's mind free from anxiety, sadness, depression, low self-esteem, doubt, worry, and fear and negative states such as hatred, anger, jealousy, avarice, and pride. It also implies eliminating these negative qualities and re-establishing positive ones: contentment, purity, self-discipline, scriptural study, and devotion to god. According to Vedic philosophy, negative thoughts and feelings are like mirages in the desert; they are only illusions. The reality is the supremely positive presence of the One Self within you.

3. Asana -- Physical Postures

Having achieved purity and steadfastness of mind during these first two limbs, the third limb, the Asanas, are used in Ayurveda to develop strength and flexibility of the physical body as well as to promote the unimpeded flow of energies throughout the mind body. Various postures also help to release and move stagnant energies, tensions, and impurities which have accumulated in the marma points and chakras. When allowed to remain stagnant these energies often give rise to physical and psychological disorders.

There are also specific asanas which are most suitable for individuals of each constitutional type. These should be prescribed individually by an Ayurvedic practitioner completely familiar with the science of yoga asanas and with the medical con dition of the patient.

4. Pranayama -- Control of the Breath

The word pranayama means "control or regulation of the breath". Breathing is a natural, automatic activity for almost everyone most of the time. Ayurveda emphasizes the connection between breathing correctly and the vital energy of an individual. In fact in the Sanskrit language the word for "breath" and the word for"life force" is the same: prana. Some people do unfortunately develop breathing disorders or suffer from diseases which affect the breathing. These disturbances in breathing may affect the strength of an individual's will-power, mental alertness, sleeping pattern, and mental stability. You can understand, in light of this, why breathing is so vital to health. Fortunately, most people can learn to improve their breathing with very little effort. Specialized breathing techniques can be used especially by individuals of different constitutions. Ayurveda borrows a number of highly specialized techniques from the Yoga tradition which have been adopted for specific health issues. However, before moving into the practice of these specific techniques, Ayurveda generally recommends that all people first master a technique known as purakarechaka (puraka means inhalation, rechaka means exhalation). To be certain, all the other pranayama techniques are merely variations upon this fundamental exercise.

This technique is nothing more than full, natural breathing through the nose. In natural breathing, inhalation causes the middle ribs, i.e. those located just beneath the breasts, to expand more than the upper and lower ribs. The abdomen expands too, but only slightly; the sternum moves out and away from the spine. Exhalation involves a relaxation of the muscles of inspiration. The diaphragm releases its tension and the outflow of air is not willfully modified by the respiratory muscles. Between inhalation and exhalation there is a brief interval during which there is no movement of air. Actually, there are two of these periods: one just after full inhalation and one just after full exhalation. The duration of these intervals are controlled unconsciously and should be manipulated only with extreme care.

5. Pratyahara -- Control of the Mind and Sense Organs

This commonly overlooked fifth stage of Yoga creates control and integration of the five senses and prevents fragmentation and disassociation. Fragmentation of the root of the five senses leads to distraction in whichever direction the senses lead us. A person under the control of the senses has no true established inner strength or stability because he becomes an instrument which reacts only to the environment.

Pratyahara (prati = towards, beside, near; hri = to keep back, dispel, to avert) is the discipline of withdrawing the senses from the sense objects. It is often mis-translated as "e;withdrawing the senses,"e; but this is not precisely what is meant. The senses do not stop operating. It is their connection with their sense objects which is broken. It is a technique of maintaining a kind of neutrality between the senses and the sense objects and being in control of their input.

Ayurveda cites three main causes of human disease. Among them is asatindriyasamyoga which literally means "e;"inappropriate connection of the senses with the sense organs."e; Inappropriate operation of the senses may include either excessive, insufficient, or inappropriate use. The way we use our five senses determines the forms of energies we assimilate from the outside world and creates, in large part, who we are.

There are classically two main approaches to pratyahara and both are extremely useful.The first is to simply remove sensory stimulation. This can be accomplished by being in a very quiet, darkened room with no artificial smells and very little if any clothing on the skin. Abstaining from sensory stimulation in this way will allow the mind to clear and detoxify itself. It also permits the usually drowned out subtle, deep, subconscious memories, impressions, and "mental and emotional residues" to float up to awareness where they can be digested and processed.

The second approach to pratyahara is executed during normal acts of sensory perception. It involves perception with an aloofness and non-involvement of what is perceived. We do not judge, measure, or even name what we perceive-we simply allow our sensory apparatus to operate in their role of receiving appropriate impressions. We are then perceiving external object for exactly what they are without projecting our own subtext onto them. This form of pratyhara can inform the student about the play and interactions of various energies and can be a profound and reorienting experience. Although no special environment is required, it is important for aspirants to be under the guidance of a guru to discuss questions which may arise. Ayurveda incorporates this knowledge into its medical tradition through the prescription of mantras, yantras, essential oils, colors, massage techniques (touch), and tastes.

6. Dharana -- Concentration and Control of the Attention

Attention is the cornerstone of knowledge. Dharana is the capacity to focus the attention on a given object or region and steadfastly hold it there. Dharana, (from the Sanskrit root dhri, meaning to hold, to keep fixed, to direct towards, to confer) consists of different techniques for developing one-pointed concentration. The methods of Dharana and Pratyahara are outwardly very similar, hence the confusion regarding the latter. In Pratyhara the attention is focused through the senses but the energy is drawn inward into the mind. In Dharana, the energy is focused on various objects, which can be external or internal.

Dharana techniques include fixing the gaze on the flame of a ghee lamp or candle, on a yantra, on an image of a diety or guru, on a mountain, tree, or other natural object. It can also involve focusing the mind on an internal point, light, sound, or concept.

Only if the mind can be properly focused can there be the establishment of personal aims, disciplines, pursuits, or spiritual development. Dharana brings about the capacityto control the mind instead of the mind controlling you. The antithesis of this state in the condition known today as ADD, or attention deficit disorder. It is increasing worldwide in prevalence in both children and adults. Have you ever read a paragraph with your mind on something else and then realize that you have no idea what you just read? So you read it again with your mind still on something else, with the exact same result. This is also a common form of attention deficit disorder, only it doesn't have a medical term. Rather than administering harmful drugs like Ritalin, the Yoga system provides a method of approaching this condition in a very effective and natural way. In fact, Dharana methods are useful in many psychological conditions as well as in learning any new material or strengthening the memory. In order to develop spiritual knowledge, one must first be able to master spiritual attention.

7. Dhyana - Meditation

Meditation is the single-minded, sustained attention resting on one object. While Dharana develops the ability to focus the attention on an object for some short time, Dhyana is the ability to fix it there. One can gradually extend periods of Dharana practice and it will eventually mature into Dhyana. When the mind is able to sustain its attention on a particular object, it receives the essence of that object. The true significance of the object is revealed as if a strong constant light were shining upon it until all of its previously hidden details were now uncovered.

Meditation can be dynamic or passive. Dynamic forms of meditation involves effort by which we reflect upon aspects of the Self. These techniques can illuminate cosmic intelligence. Passive meditation is effortless and involves a detached witnessing of the workings of the mind without any involvement. These techniques can create a vacuum into which flows the light of pure consciousness.

Whichever technique one utilizes, the ultimate purpose of meditation is to transcend all thought. This cannot be achieved by a mind which is distracted by an agitated, frustrated, or otherwise disturbed energy. It requires that an individual has maintained the Yamas and Niyamas, has controlled his breath, and physical body, and that he has learned the secrets of the senses and the attention. Otherwise all attempts at medictation will mutate into something quite different and will ultimately fail. Much of what is called meditation in the modern world is merely relaxation, visualization, or stress reduction-all useful and valid techniques but not true meditation. For the true meditative state to emerge, a person must already have released all worldly attachments and be free of all the usual and distracting problems of human life. This is even more difficult for the modern aspirant than it was for the original sages. Perhaps that is why they retired to live in total seclusion after reaching the age of seventy.

8. Samadhi - Perfect Balance and Unification

Samadhi, the final stage of Yoga, is defined in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras as the state in which the perceiving consciousness totally merges with the object of perception and becomes free from any sense of separateness or individuality. In other words, Samadhi is the unification of one's consciousness with Universal Consciousness. This brings a permanent state of consciousness (sat), knowledge (chit), and bliss (ananda).

Yoga

Feeling the squeeze of the modern day rush? Kids, cars, job, mortgage, bills, congestion charge Or maybe you’ve always wondered what it would be like to just have 2 weeks of stillness in a beautiful place, with a personal yoga teacher on hand, healthy food prepared for you, plenty of rest and the odd bit of sightseeing and exploration thrown in?

Whilst the Kerala sometimes feels like a really good idea, for most of us it’s still a bit extreme. Compromise, as my mum always told me, that’s the key.

Staying as a guest in the God's Own Country lets you have the best of both worlds - retreat from the modern madness without burning your passport and shaving off all your hair.

The existing daily routine of Kerala life supports you in your yoga retreat, there is nothing for you to do or not to do apart from rest and enjoy. Good food is on hand, your own host is ready when you are, all time and space to practice are available.

Ayurveda

The most fascinating aspect of ayurveda is, it was using almost all methods of healing like lifestyle regimen, yoga, aroma, meditation, gems, amulets, herbs, diet, jyotishi (astrology), color and surgery etc. in treating patients. Though ayurveda came into being as an independent upaveda of Atharva Veda, it has close links with other Vedas also. The Yajur Veda, which recommends rituals to pacify the panchamahabhuts in a view to heal both the Cosmic Being and the individual soul, is related to ayurveda in its principles and regulations of lifestyle. The upaveda called Dhanur Veda or the martial arts and ayurveda both refer to each other in the treatment of marmas or sensitive points in the body. Ayurveda recommends specific ayurvedic massages, exercises and bodywork for this purpose.

Around 15,00 BC ayurveda was delineated into to two distinct schools: Atreya—The School of Physicians, and Dhanvantari—The School of Surgeons. This made ayurveda a more systematically classified medical science, hereafter. Dhanvantari, who is considered to be a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu, was the guiding sage of ayurveda. He made this science of health and longevity popular and widely acceptable. In fact, these two schools of thought led to the writing of two major books on ayurveda—Charaka Samhita and Susruta Samhita.

These two Samhitas were written in the early part of 1000 BC. The great sage- physician Charaka authored Charaka Samhita revising and supplementing the text written by Atreya, which has remained the most referred ayurvedic text on internal medicine till date. Susruta, following the Dhanvantari School of Thought, wrote Susruta Samhita, comprising the knowledge about prosthetic surgery to replace limbs, cosmetic surgery, caesarian operations and even brain surgery. He is famed for his innovation of cosmetic surgery on nose or rhinoplasty. Around 500 AD, Vagbhatt compiled the third major treatise on ayurveda, Astanga Hridaya. It contained knowledge comprising the two schools of ayurveda.

From 500 AD to 1900 AD, sixteen major Nighantus or supplementary texts on ayurveda like Dhanvantari Bhavaprakasha, Raja and Shaligram among others were written incorporating new drugs, expansion in applications, discarding of old drugs and identification of substitutes. These texts mention about 1814 varieties of plants in vogue.

Evidences show that ayurveda had nurtured almost all the medical systems of the world. The Egyptians learnt about ayurveda long before the invasion of Alexander in the 4th century BC through their sea-trade with India. Greeks and Romans come to know about it after the famous invasion. The Unani form of medical tradition came out of this interaction. In the early part of the first millennium ayurveda spread to the East through Buddhism and greatly influenced the Tibetan and Chinese system of medicine and herbology. Around 323 BC, Nagarjuna, the great monastic of Mahayana Buddhism and an authority on ayurveda had written a review on Susruta Samhita. In 800 AD ayurveda was translated into Arabic. The two Islamic physicians Avicenna and Razi Serapion, who helped form the European tradition of medicine, strictly followed ayurveda. Even, Paracelsus, considered to be the father of the modern western medicine toed the line of ayurveda, as well.
In the postmodern age, the popularity of this vibrant tradition of ayurveda lies in its, subtle yet scientific, approach to heal a person in its totality. It aims, not only at healing the body, but also the mind and spirit, at one go. Its unique understanding of the similarities of natural law and the working of human body, as well as its holistic treatment methods, help it to strike a balance between the two. This gives ayurveda an edge over other healing systems. Perhaps that's the reason behind ayurveda being the longest unbroken medical tradition in the world, today.

Pizhichil:

Application of lukewarm herbal oil all over the body for the treatment of spondilosis and other rheumatic diseases

Sirodhara:

Medicated oils, Butter, milk etc. are used for the treatment of neurological disorders.

Udwarthanam:

Therapeutic dry massage with herbal powders to relieve excess fat from the body.

Snehavasthi:

Medicated oil enema

Nasyam:

Inhalation of medicated herbal preparations for the treatment of nasal ailments.

Takradhara:

Pouring in normal temperature of medicated buttermilk for the treatment of memory loss, severe headache etc.

Njavarakizhi:

Application of medicated rice packs to induce perspiration. Good for rheumatism, pain in the joints, etc.

Tarpanam:

Application of medicated ghee on the eyes to prevent cataract and strengthen vision.

Virechana:

Oral intake of herbal purgative drugs or skin disorders, urinary disorders etc.

Abhyangasnanam:

An oil bath and rejuvenating oil massage is given, which preserves youthfulness, tones the body and prevents skin diseases.

Dhanyamaladhara:

Warm herbal liquid is poured over the body to treat hemiplegia, paralysis and rheumatic diseases.

Health tourism in Kerala,India

Health and medical tourism is perceived as one of the fastest growing segments in marketing ‘Destination India’ today. While this area has so far been relatively unexplored, we now find that not only the ministry of tourism, government of India, but also the various state tourism boards and even the private sector consisting of travel agents, tour operators, hotel companies and other accommodation providers are all eying health and medical tourism as a segment with tremendous potential for future growth. Kerala - The Pioneer State

Kerala, or God’s Own Country as its corporate slogan goes, has pioneered health and medical tourism in India. They have made a concerted effort to promote health tourism in a big way, which has resulted in a substantial increase of visitor arrivals into the state. Kerala and Ayurveda have virtually become synonymous with each other. However, though Kerala has strongly focussed on Ayurveda and its wide array of treatments and medications, good facilities are also available in the other traditional forms of medicine as well as in modern medical treatment.

The bias towards health tourism in Kerala is so strong that Kerala Ayurveda Centres have been established at multiple locations in various metro cities, thus highlighting the advantages of Ayurveda in health management. The health tourism focus has seen Kerala participate in various trade shows and expos wherein the advantages of this traditional form of medicine are showcased.Kerala,India has one of the best qualified professionals in each and every field,Allopathi,Dental,Ayurveda etc and this fact has now been realized the world over. Regarding Medical facilities Kerala has the most competent doctors and world class medical facilities. With most competitive charges for treatment, Kerala is a very lucrative destination for people wanting to undergo treatment of certain medical problems who do not need immediate emergency treatment.
Kerala offers World Class Medical Facilities, comparable with any of the western countries.Kerala, India has state of the art Hospitals and the best qualified doctors. With the best infrastructure, the best possible Medical facilities, accompanied with the most competitive prices, you can get the treatment done in Kerala ,India at the lowest charges. A patient will come to Kerala India where he will undergo medical treatment and along with that we will show him the Kerala tourist and pilgrim destinations, as and when advised by the Doctors. The whole thing would save him a lot of money and he will get to discover Kerala,India at the same time. We assure that we provide the best medical and travel facilities during for you in Kerala,India.

Get your medical treatment done in Kerala at a fraction of the cost at which it is done abroad - in Europe or America. Besides providing you medical treatment, we will also show you different tourist destinations in Kerala,India. The complete package will cost you less that what you would have to pay for the medical charges alone, in other European, Middle East or American countries.