In Ayurveda there are three main body types; Pitta (fire), Vata (air) and Kapha (water/earth), as well as combinations of these.

You are born with a constitution and your lifestyle throws it out of balance, causing all sorts of disturbances. Samantha is an Ayurvedic practitioner and a remedial yoga therapy teacher. During the consultation that follows, she assesses my body type, and what's needed to bring my body back into balance.

Then I'm off for a massage with Margit, who studied Ayurvedic massage in France and worked in a pancha karma centre in Normandy for many years. The room is warmed, the massage bed is low on the floor, and I'm made cosy with a duvet. Margit's hands are like petals on my toes as she starts on my feet, ever-so- softly, and then with increasing pressure. It's never uncomfortable though.

I feel a sensation I'm unfamiliar with, which sends waves of sensation up my body. Afterwards, Margit tells me this was a massage using a small bowl made from different metals and ghee (clarified butter). For the next hour or so, I'm transported. The oil is warmed, and it feels as though she's using litres of oil (sesame and coconut, I'm told).

Massage, she says, is love therapy - and you must give it to yourself and others. "Of course you can learn techniques, but that's just a tiny bit of what I do. I go with what feels right and appropriate in the moment."

Ayurvedic massage offers a variety of options, including a body rub with chick pea flour, a massage in the foetus position and one using rice cooked in milk. Shirodhara is a therapy using warm oil poured on the forehead. The masseur decides what you need. Ayurvedic massages have a balancing effect on all body types, says Margit.

I would have been happy to fall asleep right there, but it was time to go back to the cottage, and more tea - this time ginger - and a facial steam, which was a mixture of cinnamon and other spices. It cleared my head, and I felt very ready for the yoga session with Samantha. It felt wonderful to stretch.

 Lunch is an optional extra for the half-day retreat. The cook is Daniel Erasmus and the food was served with aplomb by Xolisile Mahlobo. Rice, dhal and vegetables - simple and delicious.

Because digestion is so important, it follows that what and how you eat is also important. Food really is your medicine in Ayurveda, which has a range of seeds and spices that aid digestion. Before the meal, to stimulate the digestive fire, I eat a tiny amount of agni paste, which is a mixture of ginger, turmeric, jaggery (palm sugar) and ghee. Afterwards, a pinch of digestive seeds.

Samantha ends by giving me lifestyle advice, which includes tongue scraping, a morning massage with warm oil and the sesame oil mouthwash. And no eating late in the evening, as your digestive fire is at its lowest at night.

Then we talk. Margit tells me she is also an Ayurvedic practitioner and yoga instructor: "I feel humble about what I do. Ayurveda is a vast body of knowledge, and I've tasted just a little of it. We do not claim to do therapy here, but work from a wellness point of view. And I see it work for people. Our vision at Nalanda is to be a platform for Ayurveda."

They offer various retreats - from a half-day one to as-long-as-you-need residential retreats. They also offer one-day Ayurvedic workshops, retreats at Pringle Bay and a "Give and Receive" Ayurvedic massage workshop over a weekend. 

Natural eating guidelines

Feeling sluggish? Perhaps you're plagued with chronic sinus, tiredness or just don't feel on top of the world. In Ayurveda, how you eat is as important as what you eat. Here are some guidelines:

• Eat in a congenial, quiet place with pleasing accessories (tablecloth, flowers and so on).
  
• Engage in light, calm and soothing conversation, or observe silence while eating.
  
• Avoid eating when you are not hungry, or failing to eat when you are hungry.
  
• Over-eating overloads the digestive fire.
  
• If possible, share your meal. The gift of food is the best gift of all.
  
• Only eat when your previous meal has been digested (three to six hours).
  
• Regularity of mealtime routines promotes health.
  
• Food is most health giving when made from fresh, wholesome, seasonal produce, and is freshly cooked, warm and appealing to the eye, as well as tasty.
  
• Try to include all six tastes in every meal or at least once a day (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, pungent and astringent).
  
• Eat food that is prepared by someone who is happy, content and working in a pleasant environment.
  
• Avoid eating when you are depressed, angry or otherwise emotionally upset.
  
• Water or ginger tea may be sipped before and half way into the meal. Drinking cold drinks or large amounts of liquid before or within one hour of a meal dampens digestive fire.
  
• Eat at a comfortable pace so that the food will move at a proper pace through the digestive tract.
  
• Chew the food well and be aware of its smells, tastes, textures and sounds.
  
• Experience the joy of eating with your hands.
  
• Avoid eating while standing or lying down.
  
• Sit on your heels for 15 minutes after meals, or take a gentle walk to encourage digestion.
  
• Eat nothing within three hours of bedtime.
  
• Don't cook food for more than two hours, or leave it standing.
  
• Take agni paste, or a mixture of a small amount of grated fresh ginger, lemon juice and salt before meals. 

• Recipe for Digestive Seeds (eat after a meal to aid digestion and prevent flatulence)
  half cup fennel seeds
  quarter cup sesame seeds
  1 Tbs cumin
  1 Tbs ajwan seeds
  2 pinches of salt, preferably rock salt
  1 Tbs water
  
  
  Clean seeds of all foreign objects. Dry-roast each seed separately.
  
  When fennel seeds are slightly brown, add water in which the salt has been dissolved and stir.
  
  Allow seeds to dry out completely before taking them off the heat.
  
  Mix all ingredients and allow to cool before storing in an airtight jar. -