Just drink it and don’t think about it.

The doctor had been quite clear in his instructions:

•  Rise at six am  

• Drink 3 or 4 glasses of warm water 

• Take a brisk 15-minute walk 

• Have a shower and dress

• Say a morning prayer

• Come to the shrine for your morning ghee

• Take a 1-hour walk 

• Relax, read, meditate, - but do not sleep in the daytime

• Eat only when you are hungry (rice porridge) 

• Drink small glasses of medicated warm water - but only when you are thirsty 

The first thing that came as something of a surprise was the emphasis on the spiritual side of life. I thought about this and came to the conclusion that just as the exercise and the shower prepared the body physically for a start to the day, so the morning prayer provided mental preparation. The doctor had obviously had to explain this concept to confused atheistic Westerners, and he had gone to some pains to say that this was not about religion but about a humanist appreciation of Nature and Life in general. Nevertheless, I took the opportunity to spend a few minutes collecting my thoughts at the shrine to Ganesha that stands near the central area of the estate before going in for my morning ghee.

Shrine to Ganesha in the gardens

Much of what they do here takes the form of a ritual and this applied in some detail to the service of the ghee. I met up with the Icelander and the Dutchman who were sitting in the reception area, having just imbibed their first dose and putting a brave face on it. A junior priest arrived and led me to the shrine in the adjacent room and sat me down on a cushion. He then chanted for a minute or so, ending this by ringing little temple bells. He took two brass beakers, filled one with warm water and the other about a quarter-filled with warm ghee. Beside them he placed a tiny saucer with a spoonful of sultanas.

I drank the ghee back in one swift gulp then quickly rinsed the beaker with the warm water and drank that too. The sultanas were a welcome addition to take away the sickly sticky taste in my mouth. After a few moments of silent meditation, the priest motioned for me to leave and I went and sat quietly with my travel companions before heading off on the prescribed 1-hour morning constitutional which I’ll write about separately.

After my walk, the day was spent largely on my verandah. I read; I wrote; I listened to the wind in the trees; I tried not to doze off, though I may have slipped asleep briefly once or twice. It was a challenge to spend a whole day in total idleness but, as I discovered in the coming days, there was an overwhelming feeling of de-stressing.