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Fatty foods, gallons of coffee, constantly rushing around… Does that sound like your life? Is that how you want your life to be? How about getting away from all the stress and back to what matters, back to nature and yourself? Well, you can do just that in tranquil Traben-Trarbach in Central Moselle… at Ayurveda Parkschlösschen.
As soon as you step through the doors of this luxury five-star hotel, it hits you: an overwhelming, blissful feeling of zen. From the smiling faces of the attentive staff to the stylish ambience that radiates throughout the hotel (everything is designed in line with Ayurvedic principles), to the tantalising dishes served to guests every day. Because at Ayurveda Parkschlösschen, the motto is: Food is medicine. Not the kind of medicine that conjures up images of children grimacing as they’re forced to take disgusting cough syrup. Quite the opposite!
Regulate digestive fire
Chef Sascha Weber, who has been at the Parkschlösschen for over 25 years, constantly strives to incorporate six different ‘rasa’ (Sanskrit for ‘taste’) into every single meal: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent.
“I don’t even think about it anymore,” he says with a smile, but for his team, composing such dishes is a “process they need to learn in order to understand.” And that takes time. “You have to be flexible and patient and allow staff the freedom to experiment, within reason,” says Weber. We ask the chef what his favourite spice is, but it’s a tough question: “There are just too many! But I really like working with coriander seeds.”
He uses vadouvan – an Indian spice blend with garlic and mustard roots – which is like curry, but the taste is much more intense. With a great deal of experience under his belt and plenty of ideas up his sleeve, he creates dishes like orange and semolina pudding, Sardinian couscous salad, pulled jackfruit and braised swede with cumin jus and cucumber raita. Before their meals, guests are served an Ayurvedic aperitif to strengthen the digestive fire (agni). This drink stimulates the support of the digestive fire through the targeted addition of specific spices such as ginger and coriander.
Which dosha are you?
What guests love most about Parkschlösschen is the food. For many, it’s not their first time here – most have been before or have had an Ayurvedic treatment before. You can choose from a short weekend break, an anti-stress retreat, a yoga and meditation retreat or a Panchakarma retreat (three different options available). Whichever option you go for, you’ll kick off your treatment with de-stressing days, to get rid of all those metabolic residues! Your first consultation will be with an Ayurvedic practicioner, who will establish any deficiencies and your dosha by reading your pulse.
The term ‘dosha’ describes the basic regulating forces that are at work both in nature and within us. Our dosha type is determined from birth and shapes not only our physique, skills and abilities and preferences, but also how we react to certain foods and the challenges of everyday life.
Does it work?
Following your consultation, a personal plan will be drawn up for you: massages, yoga, meals and drinks, all tailored to your particular dosha. Because Ayurveda is a holistic medicine system, the person is treated as a whole, which is essential to ensuring the treatment is a success. Within just a short time, you’ll feel infinitely better, both physically and mentally – the Parkschlösschen “does something to you.” As one spa guest puts it: “After ten days, I was a new person!” So, if you want to swap all the stress of your everyday life for more joie de vivre and vitality, then Ayurveda Parkschlösschen could be the place for you!
www.ayurveda-parkschloesschen.de
Pictures: Ayurveda Parkschlösschen