Kusum Modak Method – Ayurvedic massage and Iyengar yoga combined
What is the Kusum Modak Method? Who can learn it? Who does it benefit? Meet Purnima, the Brazilian expert who trained directly in India with the founder and sits on Board of its new Institute. She has lived in London for more than a decade and is part of ThinkTree.
Purnima
Purnima’s life has been one of very helpful coincidences. Growing up in a conservative small village in the North East of Brazil, there was little contact with events in the outside world and different cultures for Purnima. There was no library and no bookshop. However, when she was 12, more people began moving there, there was a dam being built to improve the water supply. There was an influx of people escaping different places in Brazil. And they brought with them different music, and books. By chance, one of the books they brought was one containing talks and meditations by the spiritual teacher and Indian mystic Osho. By chance it fell into Purnima’s hands
What also were the chances that when she moved into a bigger city to continue her studies, her lodgings were next to an unmarked building that was an Osho teaching Centre? The energy of the place called her and her curiosity was piqued by noticing the comings and goings in the centre. Overcoming her shyness, she knocked on the door and was invited to join them for Nada Brahma meditation.
With the first meditation “The whole world opened to myself. It was liberation. Some of the meditations are quite… revolutionary. Helping common people to move on with their emotions” says Purnima. It was here in the Centre that she also came into contact with the Kusum Modak method via a teacher who attended the centre. “My first experience of Kusum Modak method was a session. This was like an explosion of life inside of me. My BA was in Database Programming, I was working in the IT field, but I was not happy. The experience my body brought – the best memories of freedom, no pain in my body, vitality in my body. I was fascinated. I got on fire to learn this, to make this happen to other people.
“From that moment, for two years I was experiencing and learning how to receive, how to exchange. In 1999, two years later I went to India for four months and I was directly taught by Kusum Modak – I rented a flat and she taught me there”.
Who is Kusum Modak?
“Kusum Modak led an incredible life. In India, marriage is arranged. But Kusum had parents who didn’t force her to get married. Her father died when she was young. They had big troubles with flooding and lost everything. But they had the strength to overcome it all. Kusum Modak had lots of health problems and was in various classes to help her recover. One day, her mum asked her to guide a friend to Limaye – the local expert in massage. He saw Kusum and immediately asked if she wanted to learn. So, every morning for a year she would sit in the corner watching him work.
“Then one day, he just said, ‘it’s your turn’.”
In response to her nervousness, he simply asked what she thought she had been doing there all this time! A month or so later, her teacher died.
Kusum was clearly very talented. She had also built a close connection with BKS Iyengar, which had made a profound difference to her health. She practised Iyengar yoga for over 20 years. And so, she began incorporating Iyengar yoga stretches into her work, working with the breath, and watching the profound changes that came over people.
What Kusum did was combine the mastery of her teacher Limaye and the mastery of Iyengar. There are over 200 moves that are incorporated in the method.
What you need for the method itself is very simple.
“All you need for a session is to have a mat on floor, a stool to balance the feet work, two bowls, one for oil and one for powder, and a quiet room for privacy.”
“While people may have an idea that Kusum Modak Method is some kind of beneficial relaxing massage treatment, the truth is that Kusum Modak Method has profound therapeutic effects – it’s the stretches that can fix the body.”
Spreading Kusum Modak Method in Brazil
Abandoning her IT career, Purnima returned to Brazil and set about spreading the benefits of Kusum Modak method, teaching it from 2006 – the Kusum Modak method is strongly established in Brazil.
In 2010, following her heart, Purnima moved to London where she practises and teaches the Kusum Modak Method, as well as working therapeutically with the breath and founding The Rebirthing Club of London. The journey involved learning English from scratch and training to Education and Training (QCF), TQUK Level 3. Most recently Purnima, like many, has been reconnecting with her roots and Brazilian shamanic ways which were just waiting to come out.
In 2019 the Kusum Modak Institute was founded to preserve Kusum’s teachings and keep the method ‘on track’ in alignment with Kusum Modak’s ethics and vision. “Kusum Modak comes from a culture where it is expected that you honour your master, your guru, the founder of a method – this is a route to achieving this.” Much to her surprise Purnima was invited to be on the board of the Institute where she looks after the Institutional Directory and the Treasury department.
Receiving Kusum Modak Method
The benefits of the Method go beyond the physical, says Purnima, beyond releasing tissue. “It works well to help the spine get into alignment, balances the nervous system and improves mobility for the joints. To warm up the muscles, we use the Vekhand powder, calamus, it works like a scrub and revitalises the skin cells. When we have lots of ‘blockages’ the brain and mind cannot understand what the body needs. This work removes the blockages and the whole system starts to work better.”
“The tripod that sustains this work is: vital energy, blood circulation and breath. The whole work is slow and deep motion. It brings back self-esteem and self-love in alignment with the base of ayurveda. When you receive this work with regularity, you naturally give up bad habits. When you come for a session, you must understand that you are learning how to receive as well.”
How long does a treatment take?
“The session itself takes 50 to 75 minutes. I like to book 1.5 hrs. It gives time for time for treatment and time to integrate, I recommend not to work afterwards and instead take time for the self. There is no miracle to fix a body in one session. It’s recommended to take ten sessions for optimal results and you can see the progress with the issue that the person has from the first session.”
Who can train in Kusum Modak Method?
There is no prerequisite. Perhaps people want to change career and are looking for a path that is more health for them. Perhaps they have studied yoga. I had no prior training. If you want to learn, you can train. We give you the professional skills and knowledge you need over 80 hours in the classroom where we go from A to Z in the official manual of the Modak Institute. We especially like to make sure you feel confidant using the feet.
Where can you train with Purnima?
Purnima teaches in London and Brazil – email for upcoming dates.
She is also offering an immersive training in India from13th to 25th October 2024. It is an opportunity to receive Kusum Modak’s blessings in person, study at the birthplace of this method, and enjoy your stay at the GGP Farm, where Kusum built a Ganesh Temple in memory of her parents!
There are concessions for people from South and Central America, India and other underdeveloped countries.
Contacts:
Tel: +44 0 741 184 8588
Email: purnimakmmtraining@gmail.com
Website: www.purnimabodywork.com
Social Media: Instagram @kmmtrainingbypurnima and @purnimabodywork