I spent 3 weeks at Athreya going through the Panchakarma treatment. Before I chose where to go I did a lot of online research to make sure I got the real deal and not the tourist version. I chose the right place!

For a long time (+4 years) I had been dealing with stress, light depression and generally just felt burnt out from the normal busy family life. I had tried a lot of different therapies but my body and mind could not get out of the negative cycle I found myself in. I had a burning desire to get rid of all the "bad" that I felt was stuck in my body and mind and just wanted to get clean and hopefully start to feel like myself again.

Panchakarma is a lot of things, some treatments feel fantastic, some nice, others boring and even some unpleasant. Some days are good and some hard, there were days when I didn't feel good and days where I felt amazing. I dealt with all kind of physical and emotional ups and downs during the process - but that's a part of getting your body and mind cleaned out. Actually I found a great learning for myself as an observer of my own feelings. No matter what physical or emotional feeling I experienced, it always changed and was replaced by a new feeling - and that's a great lesson that can be applied in my normal daily life.

What is different from normal life is the amount of care I received during my stay. And that goes for all staff members from the front office guys Hari and Ashish, the kitchen staff, the cleaning staff, the nurses, the therapists even the tuk tuk driver Anish. It is such a well managed and organized place and I felt that everyone went out of their way to make me feel safe, taken care of, seen and heard - in a very natural manner. And because of the length of my stay I got to know some of the staff and learn about them and their lives as well as the culture of Kerala, which I really enjoyed and made my stay feel very personal.

Another element that surprised me and that made the stay special was how many different people I met from all over the world. For at least two meals a day I choose to sit in the social area (there is also a silent area) and it was very easy to form a close bond with the other guests. Because everyone goes through similar vulnerable experiences and feelings so a lot of personal
and deep conversations were quickly had and I’m still in touch with some of them.

Last but not least the souls of the place are the doctors, Dr. Sreejit and his wife Dr. Jayalakshmi. Dr. Sreejit is different from any doctor I have met before – he makes you feel heard and seen and always takes time to listen, explain and take immediate action if necessary. He is also very direct, honest and tells you how things are and at the same time has a very good sense of humor and a very good understanding of western culture. He is so passionate about his mission to help other people through Ayurveda and everyone feels his dedication.

After staying at Athreya for around 5-7 days I literally could see how the toxins in my body were disappearing and I sensed some of my old self starting to come back. I left over a month ago and the feeling hasn’t gone away and I have felt no desire to go back to my negative patterns. I feel completely refreshed in my body and mind, so much more energy, happiness and lust for life – and its an amazing feeling! I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to go through a panchakarma treatment and even more grateful that I chose to do it at Athreya.

Being an Ayurveda professional myself I have seen quite a few places and can therefore confidently recommend "The Athreya" to anyone who is looking for high quality Ayurvedic treatment!
Dr. Sreejit is not only an excellent Ayurvedic doctor who has expanded his knowledge into various related subjects (like Varma, Myofascial Release, Acupunctur, etc.), but is also a highly sensible person who will surely take all the time and efforts needed to treat your particular problem.
His wife Dr. Jayalakshmi is equally sensible and a very warm-hearted, approachable person.
My massage-ladies (Simi and Anjana) did a marvellous job! Always punctual, always friendly and very well trained.... - I miss them a lot ;-)
Apart from the extremely friendly and helpful staff, a BIG bonus for the Athreya is also that it is located amidst rice-fields (very tranquil!), but yet quite easy to access (from Kochi-airport).
I spend an extremely refreshing and rejuvenating 10 days at The Athreya - and honestly regret not being able to stay longer. At least... not this time ;-)
Will be back for sure!!!