This year on World Ayurveda Day (Sunday 23rd October) I was lucky enough to spend time at an Ayurveda centre in Mallorca with my partner Nick and toddler Mahi.

We were out here for work before travelling to Ibiza for further work commitments at the end of this week so decided to take the time in between for a little R+R, delicious Ayurvedic cuisine, and to take onboard new learnings. Knowing the amazing ‘alternative’ community in both Ibiza and Mallorca alike I knew I’d be able to find something suitable for our stay while also having a few requirements - e.g. very toddler friendly!

We found what we were looking for in the form of Moksha Ayurveda Mallorca. Moksha Ayurveda is a family-owned and run Ayurvedic centre in the Tramuntana mountains of Mallorca and surrounded by nature making it the perfect place to decompress, reset and come back to yourself - and take that much needed step back from our busy and often frenetic lives.

Moksha when translated from Sanskrit means ‘liberation’, denoting a breakdown of cycles, taking you back to your holistic roots. The primary focus is to help regenerate your mind, body and consciousness using the ancient principles of Ayurveda. This is what the founders Nathalie and David aimed to do when they opened ‘Moksha Ayurveda’ - they offer a sanctuary with different programs for different needs, whether that is a deep relaxation break, full body ayurvedic program or an intensive ayurveda detox program all with the help of their in-house ayurvedic specialists.

All of their programs take place in a traditional Mallorquin village house, ‘Casita Ayurveda’, in Santa Eugènia nestled amongst orchards of orange and lemon trees. Offering two rooms on site, a very closely situated hotel nearby and a converted windmill there is plenty of room to stay while the centre remains very small and absolutely personalised to your needs. Nick is just finishing a more intensive program to rebalance his mind-body and doshas which includes strong Kalari massages, which was new for us and has been a revelation for Nick with all his sporting niggles and some back issues!

Meanwhile I have had the odd gentle abhyanga, enjoyed walks around the village and tucking into the fresh Ayurvedic food all in a relaxed environment surrounded by the rustic landscape and more succulent plant variations than I have ever seen before!

There are some other guests attending for a few days at a time through to much longer stays - we meet for 7am yoga and hang out over breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are daily meditation or creative sessions booked in the afternoons for those that want them and the rest of the time is your time to just rest. If treatments are not scheduled I keep up with emails whilst .keeping Mahi entertained. Luckily there is another lovely family from Berlin here with a toddler the same age as Mahi providing plenty of distraction and entertainment!

Both Nathalie and David are Ayurvedic Vaidyas and live 2 doors away from the centre with their 3 children. David takes initial pulse readings on your first morning at 6.30am - pre the am yoga, breakfast and no oil pulling or tongue scraping on this occasion please so the tongue can be assessed! Nathalie gives another consultation later that day going deeper into your history and any health concerns etc. Both are on hand throughout the day to guide you on your program and keep tabs on your development as well as answer all those niggling questions I have about the nuances of certain things I have learnt. David also does the most incredible Abhyanga and aforementioned Kalari massage - the therapists have been wonderful at their work and when the amazing cook is off on the weekend Nathalie’s food is something special to look forward to!

It is a truly beautiful and holistic retreat that totally caters to your requirements and needs - I can’t recommend this place enough especially if you’re in the UK or Europe looking for a Panchakarma much closer to home than travelling to India, the motherland of Ayurveda!

Here’s five things each that we have learnt during the trip:

Nick

I am actually much more Pitta in constitution than I had previously thought.
My golfer's elbow which had been causing me pain for over a year despite numerous treatments is related to a neck issue and has now gone!
The basic skills of Kalari (Indian martial art from Kerala) stick fighting from the Indian martial art (David is trained in many martial arts and uses a Kalari stick to stretch out post massage).
You can never get bored of a good kitchari! Especially with the different flavours that spice combinations, herbs and seasonal veg offers
That no matter how well we think we look after ourselves there is no substitute for proper rest and early nights.

Jasmine

My constitution is actually Pitta Vata not Vata Pitta! A revelation and one I will go into in more detail in another blog post.
A cup of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice consumed on an empty stomach before breakfast/lunch is excellent and gentle at helping flush excess pitta dosha (stay close to the toilet maybe!)
A little phlegm at the back of the throat which tastes salty indicates provoked Pitta and Kapha dosha (which are both related to water and provoke a salty taste) so take heed the rest of the day/week in your food and lifestyle choices to increase Vata dosha bring everything back into balance.
A tiny pinch of Triphala (a powder blend of equal parts of three medicinal fruits: amalaki, haritaki and bibhitaki) on the tongue provides an instant observation of dosha imbalance according to the taste you perceive. Sour taste relates to high pitta and kapha, bitter and astringent taste relates to high vata and sweet taste indicates high kapha. I tasted bitter and astringent shortly after arriving. Which makes sense after travelling and some intense work days followed by juggling the toddler!

MOKSHA AYURVEDA