Fairfield 4 -- Treatments at the Raj

Last November (2011) I returned to Fairfield, Iowa for sessions of extended group meditation, but the novel focus of this trip was seven days of Ayurvedic treatments at The Raj: it had been 13 years since I had any panchakarma, as the treatments are called. I was fortunate to have two friends from Columbus, Rick and Ernie, also in Fairfield during the first half of my visit. (My previous post on Fairfield is here.)

General Stuff

My visits to The Raj did not start for several days after I arrived, while Rick was taking four days of treatment starting right away. This required him to set aside six afternoons, because the treatments are preceded by an interview and followed by an interview. If there are enough days of treatment, there is even an intermediate interview to see how things are going. This all meant that I had the opportunity to show Ernie (his real name is Frank, but that's another story) some of the campus and nearby areas; Ernie hadn't been to Fairfield in decades. Here, Ernie is standing in front of the bridge carrying the Jefferson County loop trail over Highway 1.

The loop trail is now complete -- 17 miles to circumnavigate Fairfield. Ernie and I explored the newest section of the trail, a dedicated path, not just a sidewalk, in the northwest quadrant of town.

We also discovered that the Dome Store (technically the Golden Dome Market and Café), close by the women's Dome on the MUM campus, was undergoing an dual-sided extension. This will give it more room for goods to offer, expand the café, and create a dedicated kitchen (currently the food is brought over from the MUM Student Center.) Even now, the Dome Store Café has its own chef and a separate menu from the Student Center.

Also lodging at Jan's, where I was staying again, was Fabbio Navaroli of the Tuscan Bar in Melbourne (Australia). Here Fabbio stands in front of a recent concrete pour; it's quite likely that bicyclists and skateboarders zooming downhill couldn't stay on the original, narrow ramp.

After a pause due to the economic downturn, work has started again on the Sustainable Living Center, which should be open next spring.

A lot has been done since last March:

 

At The Raj

But most of my time was spent in the men's Golden Dome or at The Raj. In a nutshell, I would arise in the morning, drive to the Dome, be there all morning and then drive to lunch at The Raj. After lunch it is time for treatments (2½ to 3 hours), followed by driving back to the Dome for the afternoon meditation program. Then back to The Raj for dinner, and optionally an evening talk. Not much slack! Because I wasn't lodging at The Raj, I never had breakfast there, and because I was in the Dome the rest of the time, I didn't partake of any extras available to guests, such as yoga lessons or exercise equipment.

A tip for those doing treatments at The Raj and meditating in one of the Domes: schedule your treatments for 1:30pm. Mine were scheduled for 1:50, and sometimes I was rushed, and once I was too late to get into the Dome (doors lock at 5:00).

When I turned off Jasmine Avenue The Raj was sitting at the end of a long driveway.

This is the face it presents at lunchtime.

And in the evening, when I would arrive for dinner.

The meals for guests undergoing panchakarma (PK) treatments are designed with the goal of purification in mind. There were no heavy, slow to digest foods offered. At lunch and dinner there was always a digestive concoction to start (a shot of herbs and spices in a gingery liquid, which might have been water or might have been a juice -- I didn't have the recipe). Then there was a cup of lentil soup (dal), and then the main plate, which would have rice or quinoa, most often quinoa, and two or three veggie offerings which might be asparagus, artichoke, fennel heart, okra, kale crisps, or others which I have since forgotten. There was a lassi (yogurt drink) and herbal tea, and there was always a chapati (Indian flatbread). On alternate days, corresponding with more intensive treatments, the main courses were blended together into a slurry, and there was no chapati -- no solid food. Dessert was often some stewed fruit, but there were occasionally other sweets.

At first I thought the diet would leave me feeling hungry, but it didn't. Perhaps the PK treatments slowed my digestion, and The Raj knew just how much would be enough. One could always ask for more, but I never did. I had intended to buy a Raj cookbook, but forgot -- I will the next time I'm in Fairfield.

The view across from The Raj is classic Iowa cornfield.

Behind The Raj are a small lake and several villas.

Behind the lake is where the true VIPs stay.

The interior is plushly appointed; here is part of the lobby between the two wings.

I don't want to go into detail on the PK treatments, lest I accidentally reveal something considered part of the "secret sauce." I will state that everything starts with a dietary program at home for several days, followed by a self-administered procedure that, shall we say, is a twin to colonoscopy prep. Next is your entrance interview at The Raj, where they take your pulse -- pulse diagnosis -- and ask and answer medical questions. From all this they prescribe the sequence of treatments that you will receive in the coming days. By "they," I mean persons trained in Ayurveda as well as knowledge of Western medicine. When I was there the director at The Raj was Mark Toomey, Ph.D. I was fortunate that during my stay the Ayurvedic doctor, or Vaidya, named Vaidya, was also there, so my pulse reading and interview was a collaborative effort of the two of them. (Yes, you would say "Vaidya Vaidya," to the same effect as if there were a doctor whose first given name was Doctor.)

Most treatments start with a two-technician sesame oil massage before the individualized portion. Having two techs takes massage to a new level; for example, when it's time to massage the arms, they both get massaged at the same time, with perfect symmetry.

I attended three of the optional evening knowledge presentations. The first was by Lawrence Scheaff, an artist who has works spread throughout the public areas of The Raj. He specializes in abstract work where every arc, straight line, and dimple are drawn by hand (click to enlarge).

On another evening the talk was given by Ken Walton, which was about cholesterol and how it has been demonized unfairly by the medical establishment. Did you know that cholesterol and vitamin D differ by only one chemical bond? And that lowering the cholesterol too far increases the risk of stroke? Ken referred us to many on-line resources, including this one.

The third talk I attended was about Vedic lifestyle and routine. In other words, proper diet, proper rest, meditation, proper housing, etc. I had heard much of it before, and although the speaker was enthusiastic the topic did not engage me. There are only so recommendations one can endure at once, and being presented with the whole panoply of programs can seem like climbing Mount Everest. I, like most, pick and choose.

After three talks I decided that they were keeping me up too late. They often started a few minutes late and went long, and I had to drive to my lodgings to have the first and only opportunity of the day to check email!

My mid-treatment and exit interviews with Mark went well. The list of foods to cut back on had a horrifying overlap with my usual diet, so I picked one or two resolutions to act on, such as eating more asparagus. I'm already eating a decent amount of spinach but it would be good to add kale to the rotation.

Dr. Nancy Lonsdorf

Near the end of my stay Dr. Nancy Lonsdorf gave a lecture on the MUM campus, entitled "Seven Secrets of Health After Fifty." The timing of my visit to Fairfield couldn't have been better -- I had just turned sixty! The lecture hall was standing room only.

Although Dr. Lonsdorf's practice specializes in women's health, this talk was aimed at everyone. One example of the gems in this lecture: 20% of the general population over age 55 is low in vitamin B12. Getting your vitamin B12 and D levels tested is on her checklist alongside colon cancer screening, blood sugar, and bone density, among others.

Fun in Fairfield

Lest you think that the Fairfield experience is solely one of somber self-improvement, I have another short episode to tell. One day, near the end of lunch at The Raj, a fellow flying his powered parachute made a couple of broad circles near The Raj's driveway. I dashed out to get some pictures. Because he was moving, I got only one really good one.

The Peanut Butter Story 

At one point Bevan Morris, the president of MUM, was speaking to the participants in the extended meditation program (Invincible America). He told an amusing story about a meditator who was disturbed by his lack of progress, of feeling that nothing much was happening during or after meditation. Maharishi checked various points and finally queried about the person's diet. The response included 'a sack of peanuts' for lunch. We might think of this as a small snack size, but at first Maharishi interpreted it as one of the large shipping sacks for peanuts. In any case, Maharishi recommended that the person stop eating peanuts to improve the quality of his meditation, a point that Bevan made clear applied to us here and now.

This was also the day that a big turnout at the Dome was being encouraged: the effect of the group program on the environment is supposed to increase with the square of the number of participants. As we were leaving the Dome, the organizers of the turnout effort were handing out cookies as thank-yous. They had sugar cookies and ... you guessed it ... peanut butter cookies. I guess PB can't be that bad for you!
 

Spoon River Rest Area

Those of us who drive between Fairfield and Columbus consider the eastbound Spoon River Rest Area, on I-74 in Illinois, the best rest stop. It's conveniently placed (about 2 hours from Fairfield), and its true claim to the crown comes from the path behind it, climbing a small hill to an observation tower. Here's the view from the tower.

In the center is the main rest area; below that you can see a small footbridge and the path leading to the base of the hill. This is a wonderful leg-stretch and fresh-air jaunt, much better than walking up and down the sidewalk in front of the rest area. The tower looks like this.

And then I was back in Reynoldsburg.