Dr. Mahesh Kumar is the Panchakarma specialist at Shivani Ayurveda, working alongside Dr. Shivani Sood to lead the clinic's detoxification and chronic-care programmes from its home in Bhagsunag, McLeod Ganj, Upper Dharamshala, in the Himalayan foothills of Himachal Pradesh, India. Over more than 25 years of clinical practice, he has treated patients from India, Europe, and North America, with particular depth in classical Panchakarma protocols, musculoskeletal disorders, digestive disease, emotional and psychological conditions, and long-term chronic condition management.

He holds a BAMS degree and an MD in Alternative Medicine, specializing in Panchakarma and Clinical Ancient Therapies, and has been recognised for his clinical work with the Ayush Ratna Award for Best Clinical Practitioner, the Leadership Excellence Award 2024 for Best International Ayurvedic Practitioner, and the India Excellence Health Care Award 2024. He is also co-founder of Shivani Ayurveda Poland, bringing his Panchakarma expertise to the clinic's European-facing practice alongside Dr. Shivani Sood.

Where to Find Dr. Mahesh: The Shivani Ayurveda Clinic in Bhagsunag

Shivani Ayurveda's clinic and Panchakarma centre is located in Bhagsu Nag, McLeod Ganj, Upper Dharamshala, Kangra District, Himachal Pradesh, a short walk from Bhagsunag Temple, in the same Himalayan hill town that has drawn seekers of Tibetan Buddhist and Ayurvedic healing for decades. The clinic sits within the Shivani hospitality ecosystem, alongside Hotel Shivani International, where many retreat patients stay for the duration of their treatment, and Café Shivani Des Étoiles ("Café Under the Stars"), also in Bhagsunag, where the clinic's dietary philosophy carries through into the food served on-site.

McLeod Ganj — sometimes called "Little Lhasa" for its Tibetan community and the presence of the Dalai Lama's residence — sits above Dharamshala town at roughly 2,000 metres elevation, giving patients a cooler, quieter setting for deep detoxification work than they would find in the plains below. For patients travelling internationally, the nearest airport is Gaggal (Kangra) Airport, roughly 20–25 minutes from McLeod Ganj, with connections through Delhi.

Beyond Wellness: A Root-Cause Strategy, Not a Retreat Package

Most Ayurvedic clinics stop at wellness — relaxing treatments, generic diet advice, a nice week away. Dr. Mahesh's work at Shivani Ayurveda is built differently: it is a structured, root-cause healing strategy, not a wellness experience. The approach has three parts, sequenced deliberately:

• An alkaline-forming, anti-inflammatory diet — shifting patients away from acid-forming, inflammatory eating patterns toward foods that reduce internal strain on digestion and immunity, as a foundation for everything that follows
• Targeted Ayurvedic supplementation — classical formulations and herbal support prescribed specifically to the individual's constitution and imbalance, not a generic product line
• Mindset and behavioural change — because Ayurveda holds that lasting healing has to include how a person thinks, reacts, and relates, not diet and detox alone, an approach explored further in our Transformation with Ayurveda course

This is also where Dr. Mahesh's work interlocks directly with Dr. Shivani Sood's — his Panchakarma and clinical protocols, her constitutional and psychological framework, run as one coordinated strategy rather than two separate practitioners layering treatments. Patients experiencing burnout or chronic stress alongside physical symptoms are frequently guided toward her RESTORE group coaching programme as a complement to Panchakarma. Together, patients get a single, synchronized plan instead of fragmented advice.

Clinical Focus

At Shivani Ayurveda, Dr. Mahesh's practice centres on four areas:

• Panchakarma detoxification — designing and personally overseeing full Panchakarma protocols, from initial diagnostic assessment through to post-treatment reintegration guidance
• Chronic and musculoskeletal conditions — joint and muscular disorders, degenerative conditions, and long-standing pain patterns that haven't resolved through conventional treatment alone
• Digestive and metabolic disease — chronic digestive dysfunction, metabolic imbalance, and the downstream conditions that follow prolonged digestive impairment, often addressed alongside our Ayurvedic Nutrition guidance
• Emotional trauma recovery, depression, and anxiety — using Panchakarma's nervous-system-focused therapies, particularly Basti, Nasya, and Shirodhara, alongside classical Ayurvedic approaches to support patients through emotional trauma, depression, and anxiety, where imbalance is understood to sit as much in the nervous system as in the body; patients further along this path are often also guided toward our Sleep & Anxiety Relief consultation

Every treatment plan begins with a detailed Ayurvedic diagnostic assessment — pulse and tongue examination, constitutional analysis (Prakriti), and evaluation of current imbalance (Vikriti) — before any protocol is prescribed. Readers new to these concepts can start with our Introduction to Ayurveda for Beginners course. Dr. Mahesh's approach is built on the principle that Panchakarma is not a standardised detox package but a medical intervention that has to be sequenced and dosed to the individual in front of him.

Panchakarma Protocols

Dr. Mahesh performs the full range of classical Panchakarma therapies at the Bhagsunag clinic, applying each according to what a patient's constitution and condition actually call for, rather than as a fixed package:

• Vamana — therapeutic emesis, used to clear excess Kapha and conditions rooted in respiratory and upper-digestive congestion
• Virechana — therapeutic purgation, used to clear excess Pitta and conditions involving the liver, skin, and blood
• Basti — medicated enema therapy, considered in classical Ayurveda the primary treatment for Vata disorders; used extensively for musculoskeletal, neurological, and chronic degenerative conditions, as well as in supporting emotional and nervous-system imbalance, and is often paired with hands-on work from our Marma Therapy practitioners
• Nasya — nasal administration of medicated oils or powders, used for conditions affecting the head, sinuses, and nervous system, including as part of supportive care for anxiety and stress-related conditions
• Raktamokshana — bloodletting therapy, used selectively for specific blood-related and skin conditions where classically indicated

Each of these sits within a broader programme of preparatory oleation and sudation (Purvakarma), daily therapeutic massage (Abhyanga, Potli, Udvartana), and a structured post-treatment phase (Paschatkarma) — the sequencing Dr. Mahesh considers as clinically important as the procedures themselves.

Treatment Philosophy

"Ayurveda doesn't treat diseases — it treats people. My mission is to restore balance and vitality by listening to the body's wisdom."

Dr. Mahesh's patients and colleagues describe his approach as precise but unhurried — diagnostics that go deep before any protocol is set, and a manner in session that patients repeatedly describe as attentive rather than procedural.

Recognition

• Ayush Ratna Award — Best Clinical Practitioner
• Leadership Excellence Award 2024 — Best International Ayurvedic Practitioner
• India Excellence Health Care Award 2024
• Co-founder, Shivani Ayurveda Poland

Working With Dr. Mahesh

Dr. Mahesh sees patients through Shivani Ayurveda's Panchakarma programmes at the Bhagsunag, McLeod Ganj clinic in Upper Dharamshala — and continues care remotely afterward through online consultations, so treatment doesn't stop at the end of a retreat:

• Panchakarma Retreat: Deep Detox for Mind & Body — the Intensive (14–21 day) and Clinical Restorative (7–28 day) formats
• Panchakarma Day Treatments — shorter, focused sessions
• Online Follow-Up Consultations — ongoing diet, supplement, and progress review for patients across Europe
• About Dr. Shivani Sood — for the full clinic team and philosophy

Clinic location: Bhagsu Nag, McLeod Ganj, Upper Dharamshala, Distt. Kangra, Himachal Pradesh 176219, India

Explore More From Shivani Ayurveda

• SOS Consultation — for urgent, acute imbalance that needs immediate guidance
• Weight Loss — an Ayurvedic approach to sustainable metabolic balance
• Ayurvedic Consultancy Course Level 1 — for those interested in training under Dr. Shivani Sood
• Blogs — more on Panchakarma, constitution, and Ayurvedic lifestyle
• Events — upcoming workshops and retreat dates