Your Stay at Poonthottam

Climate
February                             - warm and dry
March and April                    - very hot
May to September                - warm and wet (June to August are rainy)
October to January               - Cool mornings & evenings, warm days

Currency Conversion International currencies, usually USD, Euro and GBP, can be converted into Indian Rupees (INR) at the international airports on arrival. Please note that the Asram does NOT have the facility to handle credit card transactions or foreign currency conversions. We can, however, accept Traveler’s cheques for payments of dues to the asram. Concert your currency here...

Items to bring with you

Meals: The food served is healthy vegetarian Kerala cuisine, specially designed to rest the digestive system and to compliment and accelerate the healing process. 

Breakfast:8:30 am to 11:00 am depending on the treatment time. Breakfast is selected from a range of South Indian delicacies such as idli, upma, appam, rice noodles and rice soup and is served with coconut chutney. Herbal tea, with or without jaggery and milk, is generally served along with the breakfast.

Lunch:1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Lunch includes boiled rice with rasam (mildly spiced vegetable soup), dal, a vegetable curry, buttermilk and lemon or Amla pickle.

Afternoon Snack: 4:00 pm. We have a variety of fruit in Kerala round the year. A selection of fruit, apple, orange, pineapple, banana, etc., is served for the afternoon snack. Herbal tea is also served in the afternoon.

Dinner:6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Dinner is light and consists of rice or chapatti made from whole wheat grain along with a vegetable curry.

Water: For drinking during the day, herbal tea or medicated water is supplied daily to all guests in their rooms. Hot water is also provided to mix with the above medicated water for a balanced drink. Coffee and tea are discouraged. Tap and piped water is for external use such as brushing teeth and shower etc. DO NOT DRINK TAP WATER.

Diet will be adjusted by your doctor to suit your body's needs.
Meals can be had either in the dining area, the canteen or in the guest rooms at the times mentioned above. 

Telephone: All the guest rooms, office, treatment rooms, doctor’s residences, canteen etc are connected by an intercom telephone system. The telephone numbers for these locations are tagged on the telephone itself as well as given at the end of this guide. Guests can make calls outside the campus, both domestic as well as international from their room by contacting the office with a request to connect them to a particular number. The office will connect the number and then connect your room. Please note that these calls carry a charge which will be billed to the guest. These days guests bring their own cell or mobile phones. A number of Indian service providers provide coverage over the campus.

Emergency: For any emergency , please call the office on intercom numbers 320 or 323 for assistance. After 10.00 pm please call the doctor’s residence numbers for assistance. The telephone numbers to dial are tagged with the telephone and are also provided at the end of this guide.

Internet: Broadband wireless internet connectivity is provided in the whole campus.

Power Supply: We are located in a remote village away from the city and in a developing country with power shortage. While the power supply is interrupted frequently, they are restored rather quickly. The Asram has its own back-up power generator. This generator starts up if the power is not restored soon. It takes a few minutes to start up the generator and provide power. We appreciate your understanding and patience as some of these issues are not entirely within our control.  

Library: There is a library in the Yogamandapam. Guests can borrow books from the library for reading in the afternoons. Please contact the office if any clarification is desired. Books are available on various subjects including fiction. Those who are interested in Ayurveda and Yoga can be read and learn from basic fundamentals to advance knowledge. We request our guests to please feel free to donate books to the library that you brought with you, and have read, at time of leaving the asram after treatment. This will be a great support to the institution and the gesture will be appreciated.

Lifestyle & Health Guidelines: In order to derive full benefit from the treatments that are very carefully designed, and so as not counteract with the efforts of the vaidyas, all are advised to follow supportive lifestyles and behaviors.  This is a very precious opportunity to overcome suffering and should be taken seriously. Rests are prescribed after treatments and during the day. For optimal benefits, we need to conserve energy during the treatment process and channel the energy to optimize and accelerate the healing process. 

Some Suggestions: Minimise strenuous activities such as travel, sex, jerky movements and physical work. Avoid sitting for extended periods of over an hour and take short walks and stretch yourself. Reduce energy drain by avoiding excessive or intense discussions, study, watching television, internet use, reading, writing or thinking.

1. Sleep at regular times and preferably between 9:00 pm and 6:00 am.
2. Avoid day sleep, except for a short nap of about 20 minutes and after a gap of about 3 hours after lunch.
3. Food should be consumed as prescribed by the physician at the asram. Avoid overeating and eating before the previous meal has been digested, as well as avoid eating too quickly and swallowing without chewing. Strictly avoid from eating any food from outside the Asram.
4. Food items to avoid include alcohol, fermented or carbonated drinks, meat, eggs, processed grains, preservatives, additives, artificial coloring, junk foods like pizza and hamburgers etc, fried food and excessive oil
5. Attend to all natural urges without any delay. These include yawning, burping, passing flatus, thirst, crying and evacuation bowels and bladder.
6. A peaceful and positive mindset is required to get the full benefit of the treatments. This can be accomplished by suitable practices and counseling from the practitioner.
7. Avoid subjects, topics, activities and thoughts or situations that may contribute to provocation of emotional outbursts and folks getting upset.
8. Surround yourself with supportive and loving people.
9. Read books and see movies that make you happy and hopeful.
10. Minimise exposure to extreme heat, cold water, sun and wind.
11. IN CONSIDERATION OF OTHER PATIENTS PLEASE ALWAYS KEEP NOISE TO A MINIMUM,ESPECIALLY DURING TREATMENT TIMES IN THE MORNING(6AM TO 10AM ) AND AFTERNOON/EVENINGS(4.00PM TO 6.30 PM).
12. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with your queries and for further information. Since all at the asram are very busy, there may be some delay in acknowledging emails. In the event of urgency please telephone and speak briefly to our Ayurvedacharya, Dr Ravi on most evenings after 7:00 pm on +91 466 2285 934, or +91 466 2285 935 or mobile +91 98479 5934.