Customer Reviews of
by Melanie Robert Sachs
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| Review by Dr.Krishna: |
Tuesday 08 February, 2011 |
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 There is a general confusion in the awareness of Ayurvedic Spas and Destination Spas amongst people at large. The author of the book on Ayurvedic Spa logically explains the philosophy behind this great system of wellness and healing to the disenchanted and non-believers.
Stressing on the Ayurvedic pulse diagnosis as a critical knowledge required by a vaidya or Ayurvedic medic is very appropriate. The Indian Ayurved study curriculum should put more emphasis to the genuine traditional ways of learning Ayurved in the Ayurvedic Colleges. Comparatively our counterparts in Tibet have kept the tradition alive. The interrelationship of Vedic sciences, those relevant to Ayurved (health and wellness in general) such as astrology, Naadi Vijnan (pulse diagnosis) and Vaastu should be given a new thrust in the Ayurvedic Colleges. Once this is lost, India’s Ayurvedic supremacy will fall to hustles of modern wellness system.
As a westerner, having done such a commendable job in authoring this book, Melanie should be given a high five for her excellent work. A timely, well written book by someone who has done good research before writing the book.
However, the book does falls short of details on many other rejuvenate treatments, which should have been a part of a day spa. The photographs would have stood out had they been of better resolution and in colour. The content does lack in knowledge of the anatomy and functionality of muscles and nerves. For example, the massage technique puts more emphasis on Marma points than otherwise.
The book briefly deals with the marketing aspects, exercise, meditation and Ayurved food. Of course each area covered is so vast in its own that it is impossible to cover all the details required in one book. There is a wider scope to develop the idea of details for the various aspects of a spa.
There is quite a bit of fusion of Tibetan practice of Ayurved, which is nice. However, many traditional Ayurved puritans may not like to incorporate that into Ayurvedic spas in India. The required knowledge for such a fusion also lacks in the Indian context. Nonetheless, it is time for the Indian education system to make these changes. What would be more appropriate is to introduce a post graduate course specializing in Ayurvedic spa, similar to Thai massage, specialized courses that is available not only in Thailand but the world over. This would produce a new generation of well-trained Vaidyas or Ayurvedic medics, who could be the torch bearers of Ayurved of the world.
The book definitely has laid a very good foundation for the development of classy Ayurvedic spas around the world. Great attention to safety and comfort of the client is laudable. Fine tuning of the beautiful compassionate vision for an Ayurvedic spa by Melanie is a very worthwhile contribution to the field.
A complete set of DVDs to standardise each treatment and all the functionalities including recommendations for the interiors of the entire aspects of the Ayurvedic spa would be a next big step to bring the required standards to the industry.
This book is a must read for all Ayurvedic doctors, it is indeed a great wakeup call. It should be available in all medical libraries and a recommended book for all Ayurvedic students across the board.
Dr Talavane Krishna, MBBS, FFARCS (UK)
Founder President, Indus Valley Ayurvedic Centre, Mysore, Karnataka, India.
www.ayurindus.com
Rating:  [5 of 5 Stars!] |
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