In this episode, we get to talk about a topic that I've been long intrigued by - AYURVEDA!
Susan Weis-Bohlen is an Ayurvedic expert and author the book Beginner's Guide to Ayurveda: Essential Ayurvedic Principles & Practices to Balance & Heal Naturally. On the Ayurvedic side, she's officially a Chopra Center Certified Ayurvedic Consultant; but she's also a meditation teacher, vegetarian cooking teacher and leads sacred site tours around the world. Oh yea, she also owns a quaint bookstore cafe in Baltimore, Maryland. While there is much wisdom to be shared, we focus on Ayurveda in this episode.
Ayurveda is considered to be the world's oldest medical system, dating back to be 5,000-10,000 years old. I gravitate toward it because it's a holistic approach to health - mind, body and spirit. It’s an intelligent system that leverages our natural functions to balance and heal rather than using force to create desired outcomes. But it’s also a complex system that has many layers to it. Traditionally the knowledge has been passed down by song and word of mouth. Understanding it can be difficult and for me, it was hard to know where to even start. That's why this conversation with Susan is sooooo good! She shares the basic essential concepts that you need to know so that you can start applying concepts of Ayurveda to your benefit right away. To name a few nuggets, we go over the framework of the constituents (doshas - kapha, pitta, vata) that rule this practice, how our doshas affect what foods are right for us, and guidelines for Ayurvedic eating that is beneficial for everybody.