The Himalayas left me on top of the world!
Cookery queen Jasmine Hemsley discovers how to get in peak shape at India’s legendary ‘mind-body’ spa
Ayurveda s an Indian holistic healing system which has been developed over thousands of years. I have become more and more interested in it since starting the wellness company Hemsley + Hemsley with my younger sister Melissa.
I was especially keen to further my knowledge with a trip to the Ananda Spa in the foothills of the Himalayas, the birthplace of yoga. People have been telling me for years that I would love it.
Ayurveda means knowledge of life. It’s a philosophy about how to live, how to eat and how to be at one with nature.
Because of ayurveda’s connections with Hinduism, the food is vegetarian. Advocates use ghee, for example – clarified butter; this also serves for medicinal purposes. Cows are sacred because of their milk. You might have heard of an ayurvedic drink called golden milk, which is perhaps better known as turmeric latte in trendy coffee shops.
I’m not a fan of turmeric lattes, but authentic golden milk is delicious. Think of it as a Mexican hot chocolate: spiced and sweet.
For our trip to the Ananda, my partner and I first flew to Delhi and then caught a 90-minute connecting flight to Dehradun.
We then faced a 90-minute drive up a windy road into the foothills of the Himalayas (unfortunately, I get car sick so the journey felt much longer!).
However he road trip did allow us to get a glimpse of Indian village life. It was interesting to see people outside at 5am doing their version of yoga, which is nothing like we do in the gym.
As far as the Ananda was concerned, I didn’t really know what to expect. How authentic would the experience be? Would it be aimed at Westerners?
Actually, I think they have struck the perfect balance. Sessions aim to introduce ayurveda to Westerners but they’ve retained the integrity. Despite what some people think, ayurveda is not just about raw food and juices, nor about calories and weight loss.
It’s about cooked, warming foods – for example, subtle, delicious curries. When I talk to people about ayurvedic food, they often say ‘Oh, I can’t eat chillies’ or ‘I don’t like curry’ – but they would absolutely love the sort of ayurvedic food we had at the Ananda because it was spicy but without the overpowering heat.
Food is a key part of the experience at the Ananda. It starts with a beautiful buffet breakfast, served in a serene dining room where you meet the chef who helps you choose from the huge range of options. They serve every kind of mountain food from Gujarat and include a lot of traditional foods from different places in India. There are also fruit platters, muffins, cooked breakfasts and all kinds of cereals.
The Ananda offers a gourmet experience: this isn’t one of those health places where you are expected to survive on bread and water. And in between meals there are lots of different programmes you can follow, or else you can also go out and explore independently.
I went on a hike one day, which involved an almost vertical climb, but it was absolutely worth it to reach the little temple at the top. At the Ananda you’re not really in the high mountains but you have a wonderful view of them and the air quality is incredible. As a result, I slept brilliantly.
At the Ananda, staff encourage you to go with the rhythm of the day: you rise with the morning sun, and then you wind down as soon as it gets dark.
Sessions during the day include yoga, breath work and cooking – there’s always something to do and to enjoy. And if for some reason you need to keep in touch with what’s going on at home, there is great Wi-Fi (I wished it hadn’t been so good!).
Being a Londoner and a bit of a ‘girl about town’ when it comes to my clothes, what I really liked is that when you arrive, you are given white pyjamas to wear every day.
This means that all you need to bring with you are several pairs of socks and you’re sorted clothes-wise for the entire stay.
My one real excursion was a 45-minute trip to the Ganges for one of the nightly blessings.
This was really busy – more like the India you imagine.
By the time the sun set, a huge crowd of people had gathered for the blessing and we were right at the heart of it all. To say that I dipped my toe in the Ganges at Rishikesh was an unforgettable experience.
The reason that I didn’t venture out apart from the Ganges excursion was because I was on a rejuvenation week, which is all about rest and ‘internalising’. You enjoy wonderful massages and treatments.
At the end of the stay nobody measures you to see how much weight you’ve lost.
Ayurveda is a holistic assessment. It’s not about what you look like physically.
Ayurvedic physicians, called vaidyas, assess you and tell you what’s going on with your body so you begin to understand it more clearly.
It seems I have lots of vata energy – I talk, think and act quickly, so I need to be more calm. That means lots of yoga and breath work.
Breath work encourages you to use the entire capacity of your lungs. It’s part of a broader movement towards a softer, kinder way of living.
If you want to get into this, a visit to Ananda is the perfect way to begin. The staff explain everything so well. Everyone is ready to help and share advice.
You can’t fail to be affected by the beauty of it all. Outside in the grounds, for example, there are peacocks walking round.
It had such a positive effect on me that I can’t wait to return. This isn’t a holiday – instead it’s a lifeenhancing experience.