India 2011

I have sat down countless times to write down my own story of discovering Āyurveda. So many moments are deeply immeshed in experiences that would be both too personal and too boring to share! Also too long. I have been studying and practicing Āyurveda for ten years which feels like a good amount of time for digestion, in order to share. Here is a heartfelt weaving of the parts that I think you might find interesting; hopeful of a long journey ahead.

India 2011

Summer 2011/12 I was travelling to India with my dear friend Jo Buick. We were like many westerners travelling east, unprepared and enthusiastic. We decided to be ‘off the grid’ and leave our phones in Australia (I know!), seeking some romanticised idea of authenticity. Our trip was wonderful for many reasons, and for me it was my first encounter with Āyurveda.

Yogashala (PadmaKarma) Padma Nair, Kovalam, Kerala

While we were both interested in yoga, my deeply kapha nature was less enthusiastic for sunrise asana classes, and in a desperate bid to get out of those, I decided to dive into Āyurveda a ‘sister science to yoga.’ Wonderful, I could have a massage instead!

Our trip gently opened my awareness to this ancient healing tradition. From the colourful streets of Jaipur to the serene backwaters of Kerala, I encountered doctors and teachers who skilfully combined herbs, oils, and therapies to restore harmony within the body and mind. Looking back I can see how much impact this trip had, a way of seeing the body and mind through a holistic system of health. I observed the abundance of Āyurvedic clinics and retreat centres, a sanctuary for seekers, offering a profound healing journey that is both deeply rooted in tradition and infused with local innovations.

Jo at the German Bakery, Goa 2012

There, somewhere between surfing the coast of Mangalore and ordering samosa’s at the cinema, the Āyurvidya planted a seed of healing in my heart.

Lucy.

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