Ayurvedic Institute

During winter I was considering getting another round of panchakarma sometime in spring. I called and enquired as to some open dates, but did not set any appointment. My bad. My body is telling me «Need PanchaKarma!» Time to call…

Assistant for dr Lad doesn’t have empathy. Long time ago about 8 years I made appointment but they did not sent me notice and they told me it can take years. Know when I asking for update they make me look like fool that I had never made one and they are no waiting list at all. Dr. Lad has to many patients doesn’t take new one. This year he can not see me anyway or help my dad just try next year. I asked politely if some herb can be order for my dad which had lung, brain and prostate cancer but no empathy at all. Where is understanding? My dad is weak and nobody can at least try… He told me go to India… I believed in Dr. Lad… but this is disrespectful. This was just a very disappointing experience which I will definitely share with others.

I had been wanting to go to the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque for a pancha karma treatment for about four or five years. Finally blocked out the time and put aside the money to attend the institute in May. I wouldn’t recommend this experience as I had a very unfortunate experience at the institute and was disappointed in some of the procedures and treatments and the way the institute handled the situation. They did not seem to supervise the practitioners that were giving the treatments very well and one of the practitioners seemed to be having a difficult time and was oversharing with the clients. When brought to the attention of the institute, they did not deal with it effectively. It basically ruined the experience and I left early as it seemed like a waste of time in the end. I cancelled a day of the pancha karma treatment and was told that I would still be charged for that day. Overall, it was not worth the amount of time or money spent. The yoga was really inadequate and half heartedly taught, there was no guided meditation which would have been nice since that was a part of the pancha karma experience. It was definitely not a spa and not luxurious which was fine as it is about the process of pancha karma. The staff overall was very nice and informed, just unfortunate that they did not supervise or take care of the one practitioner who was clearly having some issues. The sessions with Dr. Lad were interesting and he is a very well versed ayurvedic doctor, but also seems to have guru aspirations which was unfortunate. I still believe in the worthiness of the pancha karma experience and ayurvedic medicine as a whole, this was just a very disappointing experience and would not recommend the institute for an extended stay. Not worth the time and money expended.

I’ve been ordering Ayurvedic oils from the Ayurvedic Institute for over a year now, and couldn’t be happier. Great products, good prices, and a really nice variety that is hard to find in stores. I especially like the oils made by A. Muzda Enterprises.

I came to the Ayurvedic Institute last September for a modified Panchakarma experience. It is meant to be 5 days, but I only had 3 days to spare. No matter, the staff was kind enough to work with me.
I will admit, I’m somewhat bad about following rules, but I follow an ⁸⁰⁄₂₀ «good enough» rule. SO — when I was told to follow a mono kitchari diet for a week prior to arrival to aid in detoxing and purifying, I didn’t really do that. I actually hosted and threw a party the night before I departed, so there wasn’t much detoxification NOR purity going on.
The panchakarma is meant to be a holistic cleansing and detoxification of mind, body, and soul. This was 3 days of pure indulgence. Daily Ayurvedic treatments of approximately two hours consist of: Abhyanga (a two-​person synchronized oil massage), yes, 4 hands, 4 hands at once! You can choose the gender of your therapist, of course. Swedana (individual herbalized sweat therapy) is interesting — you essentially sit in a pod and sweat. It’s like bringing the sauna to you.
Finally, there is shirodhara (pouring of warm oil to the forehead), and it is the best treatment ever. It’s meant to enhance and stimulate your 3^rd eye, but it is also excellent at calming the nerves. Just imagine warm oil poured on your forehead in a relaxing environment for almost an hour. I can not stress what a feeling of tranquility this brings you. I would have done shirodhara 8 hours a day, 8 days a week. Wait.
Overall, i’d love to return to The Ayurvedic Institute for the entire panchakarma experience. I returned back home glowing and rejuvenated. Yes, I even had the proverbial «There’s something different about you» comments for about a week thereafter. Truly enjoyed it!