At Ulpotha you will find treatments are based on the ancient Vedic wisdom found in local village medicine. The region around Ulpotha is the oldest continually inhabited area of Sri Lanka, and it retains much of the ancient healing wisdom of the sages. The special herbs used for the traditional steam bath, or infused into warm oil treatments, which mesmerise, sooth and calm, have been valued in this area for thousands of years.
All the yoga, massage and native village treatments are included in the cost of your holiday. Full Ayurvedic packages ranging from one week to four week treatments are also available at an additional cost subject to a free consultation with our Ayurvedic doctor.
Ayurveda Programmes
The primary aim of ayurveda is to balance the body’s energies and thus restore one’s health and vitality. Ulpotha is a particularly suitable place in which to undergo ayurvedic treatment, as the food and the environment complement the therapies and serve to underscore the holistic approach of AYURVEDA itself.
Subject to availability, all guests may consult Dr. Srilal, Ulpotha’s resident ayurvedic doctor, to learn about their state of health from an ayurvedic perspective or to simply satisfy their curiosity. This first consultation is free.
If a treatment programme is desired, Dr. Srilal (hypelink to text below) will prepare a personalized detoxification and rejuvenation treatment plan for each individual. Central to the drawing up of a program is the consultation. Through this the doctor will get a sense of what imbalances are present, what type of body type is involved and which of the therapies described below need to be administered.
The Ayurveda programmes begin with detoxification therapies, which consist of preparatory and specialized elimination treatments. Preparatory treatments are called oleation and fomentation therapies and consist of oil applications, massage, steam and medicinal bath therapies. Specialised elimination therapies on the other hand consist of emesis, purgation and inhalation treatments among others. All of these are used to bring the body’s energies into balance, though not all of them will be necessary in all cases.
Once a balance is achieved, nourishing therapies are administered to maintain that balance. These rejuvenation treatments consist of traditional ayurvedic remedies using organic ingredients.
A few words on Dr. Srilal
After practicing as an Ayurvedic physician in Colombo for the past four years, Dr. Srilal is now based in Ulpotha. He intends to establish a unique practise in the tradition of his illustrious ayurvedic forebears, Dr. Ven. Dehiwela Dhammaloka Thero and Dr. Amaratunga. To facilitate him in this, Ulpotha has set up a free Ayurveda clinic where Dr Srilal diagnoses and dispenses free medicines to over 100 local villagers weekly. The cost of this is paid for by the money raised from the ayurveda treatments paid for by guests to Ulpotha. Guests are encouraged to visit the free clinic during their time at Ulpotha where they can learn about some of the plants that are commonly used in Ayurvedic treatment. Many of the medicinal herbs and plants used in Ayurveda are grown in the compound surrounding the clinic.
Yoga
Many of the UK's most respected yoga teachers come to Ulpotha. As the teachers usually change every fortnight several types of yoga - usually Hatha, Sivananda, Iyengar and Astanga - are available at different times in the season. If you are keen on doing yoga we recommend you look at Our Yoga Programmes to see which teacher is coming before you book. Every morning there's usually an optional yoga class in a large, open-sided building with a palm leaf roof, or in the cool dappled shade of a banyan tree. Some teach one class a day, others two and some run separate classes for yoga students of different standards. Many also guide early morning walks in the beautifully wooded surrounding hills.
As Ulpotha attracts some world-class yoga instructors some guests go mainly for the yoga classes. But it isn't primarily a yoga centre, there's no pressure to attend classes and life doesn't hinge on classes of any kind. So you won't feel an outsider if yoga isn't for you. This is a place to unwind, be gentle with yourself, live close to nature and simply be, rather than a place to exercise and strive.
Ulpotha provides yoga mats, wooden blocks, belts, small flat cushions & bolsters in the yoga shala.
Massage
The western massage treatments range from Thai or deep tissue massage, or aromatherapy, to Shiatsu. They are done by fully qualified massage therapists from Europe and massage styles change from month to month, as Ulpotha uses different massage experts each month. So, if you yearn for a particular type of massage, it's wise to ask when it's available before booking your holiday. Guests can expect one free massage from visiting therapists per week. Any further massages can be arranged with the therapists subject to availability at a cost of $50. Please note though that if you are undergoing an Ayurveda programme the doctor may advise you not to have any Western massage therapies that may interfere with your treatment.