Your Stay at Poonthottam

Climate

March and April                     - very hot                                                                                      
May to September                 - warm and wet (June to August are rainy)
October to January                - Cool mornings & evenings, warm days                                                                                      

Currency Conversion 

US Dollars, AU dollars, Euro or British Pounds etc. are easy to convert at the International airports or at the local towns.

There is no strict dress code in the asram.
Modest attire is generally worn in Kerala.
Loose cotton cloths that cover your body is great to avoid sun and heat.
Sunglasses and hats will be very useful.
Shorts, T-shirts, sarongs or wraps, loose shirts, kaftans, loose pants etc are recommended.
During the rainy season and cooler months (Oct – Dec) a light sweater may be desirable.
Sandals, summer shoes, chappals or open-toe slip-ons,
flip flops, etc are recommended footwear within the campus.

We provide toilet paper, towel, natural soap, toothpaste and shampoo, bed linen and blanket, curtains, candles, incense sticks and holder, matches and  tissues.

Tooth brush, feminine hygiene products, cotton buds, nail clipper, shaving items, hair creams and grooming combs and brushes, other personal needs, natural mosquito repellent, Tea tree oil, and other daily essentials. Some guests desire to bring their own shower towels and a couple of small hand/face towels.

Items to bring to keep you occupied are Books, CDs / DVDs and player, craft and hobby items, board and other similar games, etc. In keeping with the serene environment all are requested to keep the sound very low to avoid disturbing others.

Inflatable neck cushion, earplugs, torchlight or flashlight with batteries, hat or cap to protect from sun, if desired, band-aid, personal current medicines, citronella oil spray, Herbal teas, and nutritional supplements – if required.

Gratuity, tips and gifts of any kind being given to any staff of the asram are strongly discouraged. The management will be happy to facilitate your gratitude by distributing sweets to the staff on your behalf.  If however, guests desire to do more in supporting the staff, then the desired amount can be given to the chief doctor directly, and it will be distributed equally amongst all the asram staff. Unwanted or discarded clothes may also be given to the management for distribution. Money should not be paid to anyone individually (even for minor purchases of items from the market). This should be done only through the office.

A typical day

Treatments are conducted in the mornings or afternoons. Therapy can take anywhere between 40 minutes to 2-1/2 hours depending on the treatment. Except for unusual circumstances, there is no treatment on Sundays. For ladies, there is no treatment during the monthly menstrual cycle.

Any one of the many qualified and experienced resident Ayurvedic doctors assigned to each patient  will be responsible and personally perform the treatments under the guidance of the chief physician. The chief physician may also perform treatments  as may be required. All doctors visit their assigned patients everyday to check status and progress. Please feel free to provide feedback to the doctors or the chief physician. Constructive feedback is welcome.

After completion of treatment at the asram, it is advisable to spend sometime in a calm place without too much travel, preferably for the same number of days as the treatment. This will assist to get the full benefit of the treatment. Traveling in India consumes a lot of energy which otherwise will heal the body after the treatment.

Guests are free to use the Yogamandapam to conduct one's own Yoga practice. No trainer is available right now in the asram.

Monthly Program

Rituals

Once a month the Asram holds a special ritual called “Puja”. This is held in the Yoga hall or Yogamandapam. The purpose of the puja is to invoke divine healing energy for all guests in the campus. In the evening “Lalita Sahasranama” is chanted and early the next morning Ganapathi homa is followed by “Vishnu Sahasranama”  recital. All our guests are requested to attend these puja events as these are meant for your well being. The puja is from 5:30 pm to about 8:00 pm in the evening and 4:30 am to 6:00 am the following morning. Dinner should be taken after the puja. 

Once the treatment is completed and at time of being discharged from the asram, the doctors will advise further medication and dietary guidance. Medication, if prescribed, will be provided by the Ayurvedasram, at a nominal cost. Please liaise with the doctor in-charge of the treatment. It is also advisable that further progress be communicated by email to keep the records current and updated. If further medication is required, please email or phone  the asram with your request. As is mentioned earlier in this document, it is strongly advised to refrain from strenuous exercise and extensive travel immediately after the treatment in favour of relaxation and observe a lifestyle similar to that at the asram. This should be for a minimum of the same number of days as the treatment. For further advice and guidance please consult the doctor.

Meals

The food served is healthy vegetarian Kerala cuisine, specially designed to rest the digestive system and to compliment and accelerate the healing process. 

8:30 am to 11:00 am depending on the treatment time. Breakfast is selected from a range of South Indian delicacies such as idli, upma, appam, rice noodles and rice soup and is served with coconut chutney. Herbal tea, with or without jaggery and milk, is generally served along with the breakfast.

1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Lunch includes boiled rice with rasam (mildly spiced vegetable soup), dal, a vegetable curry, buttermilk and lemon or Amla pickle.

4:00 pm. We have a variety of fruit in Kerala round the year. A selection of fruit, apple, orange, pineapple, banana, etc., is served for the afternoon snack. Herbal tea is also served in the afternoon.

6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Dinner is light and consists of rice or chapatti made from whole wheat grain along with a vegetable curry.

For drinking during the day, herbal tea or medicated water is supplied daily to all guests in their rooms. Hot water is also provided to mix with the above medicated water for a balanced drink. Coffee and tea are discouraged. Tap and piped water is for external use such as brushing teeth and shower etc. PLEASE DO NOT DRINK TAP WATER.

Diet will be adjusted by your doctor to suit your body's needs. Meals can be had either in the dining area, the canteen or in the guest rooms at the times mentioned above. 

All the guest rooms, office, treatment rooms, doctor’s residences, canteen etc are connected by an intercom telephone system. The telephone numbers for these locations are tagged on the telephone itself as well as given at the end of this guide. Guests can make calls outside the campus, both domestic as well as international from their room by contacting the office with a request to connect them to a particular number. The office will connect the number and then connect your room. Please note that these calls carry a charge which will be billed to the guest. These days guests bring their own cell or mobile phones. A number of Indian service providers provide coverage over the campus.

For any emergency, please call the office on intercom numbers 320 or 323 for assistance. After 10.00 pm please call the doctor’s residence numbers for assistance. The telephone numbers to dial are tagged with the telephone and are also provided at the end of this guide.

Broadband wireless ,wifi ,internet connectivity is provided in the whole campus.

We are located in a remote village away from the city and in a developing country with power shortage. While the power supply is interrupted frequently, they are restored rather quickly. The Asram has its own back-up power generator. This generator starts up if the power is not restored soon. It takes a few minutes to start up the generator and provide power. We appreciate your understanding and patience as some of these issues are not entirely within our control.  

Library

There is a library in the Yogamandapam. Guests can borrow books from the library for reading in the afternoons. Please contact the office if any clarification is desired. Books are available on various subjects including fiction. Those who are interested in Ayurveda and Yoga can be read and learn from basic fundamentals to advance knowledge. We request our guests to please feel free to donate books to the library that you brought with you, and have read, at time of leaving the asram after treatment. This will be a great support to the institution and the gesture will be appreciated.

In order to derive full benefit from the treatments that are very carefully designed, and so as not counteract with the efforts of the vaidyas, all are advised to follow supportive lifestyles and behaviors.  This is a very precious opportunity to overcome suffering and should be taken seriously. Rests are prescribed after treatments and during the day. For optimal benefits, we need to conserve energy during the treatment process and channel the energy to optimize and accelerate the healing process. 

Minimise strenuous activities such as travel, sex, jerky movements and physical work. Avoid sitting for extended periods of over an hour and take short walks and stretch yourself. Reduce energy drain by avoiding excessive or intense discussions, study, watching television, internet use, reading, writing or thinking.