Dr. Rafeena

Onam & Ayurveda Day at Liv Ayurveda - You Should Come!
2025-09-28 15:00 - 19:00 (Australia/Sydney)
Okay, so we wanted to celebrate Ayurveda Day at Liv Ayurveda. I also wanted to do an Onam celebration! So we decided to do this thing and I’m actually pretty excited about it. It’s Onam (which if you don’t know is this massive harvest festival from Kerala) combined with Ayurveda Day. Weird combination maybe? But it can actually work well.
Onam – It’s Basically Amazing
My grand-aunt used to tell me stories about King Mahabali when I was little. King Mahabali was the ruler of Kerala who made everyone happy – rich, poor, didn’t matter. Everyone was content then. In a sad turn of events, he had to go to the underworld for his people. Onam marks the annual comeback of King Mahabali to visit Kerala each year during harvest season.
The food though… that’s what gets me every time. Sadya is what it’s called – you sit on the floor, get this banana leaf as your plate, and then they just keep bringing dish after dish. I think I counted 23 different items last year at my cousin’s place. At least two types of Payasam for dessert (which is basically rice pudding but way better).
And the flower arrangements! Children wake up early to collect (or nowadays to buy!) flowers and make these incredible patterns called Pookalam. It takes hours. My back gets tired just thinking about it, but the results are gorgeous.
Why This Matters (Beyond Just Being Fun)
Here’s what I’ve noticed after years of practice – festivals like Onam do something to people. You slow down. You reconnect. You appreciate things. You actually talk to your neighbors instead of just nodding awkwardly in the hallway. And in that process somewhere something changes for better.
That’s essentially what Ayurveda tries to achieve too, just through different methods. Both are about balance, gratitude, and community. When you’re stressed out of your mind (which let’s face it, we all are), these practices bring you back to center.
What We’re Actually Doing
We are going to start with a session in Panchkarma. With more awareness about cleansing and detox, many people are increasingly curious about Panchkarma. Here I will be discussing the principles and steps of Panchakarma. At least for some of you, Panchakarma sounds scary but it’s really just a systematic way to reset your body. Like hitting ctrl+alt+delete on your health. It works like a charm in many!
Then Dr. Shaun is going to present on home based Kitchdi cleansing. Now Kitchdi might look boring – just rice and lentils – but there’s a reason sick people in India eat this. It’s like chicken soup for us, except it actually works better. Easy to digest, gives you energy without any inflammation in the system.
We’ll show you head massage techniques. It’s a form of TLC in Indian homes! Puts me to sleep every time. There is actual science behind why it works for stress and headaches.
Cooking demo too – making proper Kitchdi from scratch. Shuan loves cooking Kitchdi, let’s learn from the master!
And yeah, we’re making a full Sadya. Fair warning – you’ll need loose pants. This is not light eating.
Look, Here’s Why You’d Want to Come
I get it. Another wellness event. But this isn’t really about selling you anything.
It’s more like… when’s the last time you learned something new that you could actually use? Some simple techniques that actually work.
Plus the people who come to these events are usually pretty interesting. Last event we had this teacher who’s fascinated about Ayurveda, and this beautiful soul who had been to India umpteen number of times! Good conversations.
The cultural part matters too. Australia’s got this incredible diversity but we don’t always take time to really understand each other’s traditions. Onam’s not just about Kerala – it’s about what happens when you build community around abundance instead of scarcity.
Practical Stuff At:
13 Marion Street, Parramatta. Call 02 7805 6110 or text 0469 928 491. Website’s livayurveda.com.au but honestly just call, it’s easier.
We have parking onsite. Or take the train – we’re pretty close to the station as well.
Oh and bring an appetite. Seriously. You’ll regret it if you can’t eat well!
Hope to see you there. Lets have some fun!
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