Śodhana: From Sacred Purification to Detox Culture

From pañcakarma clinics to spa menus, from abhyaṅga to massage therapy, trace how Āyurvedic purification became the global detox industry.

Lessons in this chapter

• Pañcakarma: Five Sacred Actions, Endless Spa Menus — How Āyurveda's comprehensive purification system became luxury wellness packages
• Abhyaṅga: Sacred Self-Massage Becomes Spa Treatment — How a daily act of self-love became a luxury service you pay someone else to perform
• Gaṇḍūṣa & Kavala: What Oil Pulling Actually Is — How a simple morning practice became a viral miracle cure, and what the texts actually say
• Basti: The Therapy Too Powerful to Commercialize — Why the 'king of Pañcakarma' refused to become a spa treatment
• Nasya: Nasal Therapy Before Neti Pots Went Mainstream
• Juice Fasting: Where Ayurveda Draws the Line
• Ṛtucarya: Why Cleansing Has a Season — Seasonal rhythms that govern purification timing

Back to Indian Wellness Traditions: Modern Connections