We are excited to introduce you to Dr. Varalakshmi, Ayurveda doctor and owner of Ayur Wellness and Pain Center in Birmingham, UK. She has been practising Ayurveda for the last decade and works with gut health and chronic pain management.
We love how Dr. Varalakshmi strives to make Ayurveda accessible and achievable, and her Instagram addresses common ailments in our modern lifestyles from food intolerances to chronic pain to boosting your immunity! Having successfully treated many women with chronic conditions, she believes that Ayurveda can be an alternative for anyone with a chronic health condition.
We sat down with Dr. Varalakshmi virtually to ask her a few questions this week.
What does Ayurveda mean to you?
Ayurveda is the only way I could demystify both simple & complex aspects of our health. Ayurveda helps me to decrypt some of the complex physiology of human body & to understand the delicate harmony with nature.
What led you to become an Ayurvedic practitioner?
While it was my dream to become a doctor, I never knew about Ayurveda. When I was a teenager, Ayurveda healed my gut issues & hormonal imbalances. That was the first time I came to know about this vedic wisdom. Fascinated by its intricacy, I spent a whole summer working under the same Ayurveda doctor. Later I did my degree in Ayurveda and have been practicing Ayurveda for the past 10 years.
What are some easy ways to incorporate Ayurveda into our daily lives?
I believe Ayurvedic practices are so easy to incorporate, and some of the basic daily practices like tongue cleaning, oil pulling & nasya are all part of my routine.
I always stick to the "rule of 3 meals" per day with a bigger meal during lunch time & lighter meals at breakfast & dinner. I also believe in doing a regular cleanse during seasonal transition, and avoid things like ice-cold drinks, stale & chemically processed foods.
Can you share one of your favorite Ayurvedic recipes?
One of the my personal recipe is Haldi Ka Doodh (Hot Tumeric Milk).
Ingredients:
A glass of cow milk/almond milk
A glass of water
9 dates soaked in hot water & deseeded
2 teaspoons of turmeric
2 teaspoons of cardamom
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of almond flakes
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Grind everything together in a blender, add the mix to a pot and heat it until the milk starts to boil. Pour it in a glass, sprinkle a few almond flakes and a pinch of cinnamon and enjoy!
Are there resources that you would recommend for people interested in learning about Ayurveda?
Some of my favourite books are The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies by Dr. Vasant Lad, Women's Power to Heal by Maya Tiwari and Ayurveda Beginner's Guide by Susan Weis-Boheln.
You can follow Dr. Varalakshmi on Instagram @drvaralakshmi and check out her website Heal Your MindBody.
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