We are pleased and superbly excited to host this Ayurveda Thai Bodywork (MASSAGE) Workshop to share our learnt experiences and trained skills from Thai Vedic Yoga – we will guide you based on Thai Vedic Yoga bodywork principles in this workshop so that you will learn how to give and receive mindfulness massages. We will show you how to give massages with metta (unconditional love/ kindness for others) – it’s different from any other massages you’ve experienced but divine and purely therapeutic.
To learn more about what we are trained, see video here
Class outline: (Bodywork = Massage) – Introduction of Ayurveda vs Bodywork- Demonstrate Bodywork – half body (pair up)
MUST Bring: A sarong or full sized towel
Optional: your own essential oils/ massage oils, eye mask or eye pillow
Dress Code: mask on, trouser that is loose, shirt with sleeves
Not suitable: pregnancy, age below 16s, post recent operation, critical injuries on limbs
Each 5HR workshop will issue certification upon completion as part of registered Yoga Alliance Continued Education under YACEP that you can add as part of your RYT training hours. You can look up YA ID 386734 via Yoga Alliance YACEP Directory if you are an eligible RYT member
Series 1 Vata Dosha: Sunday 14 Aug 2-6pm (Completed)
Series 2 Pitta Dosha: Saturday 1 Oct 11:00-5:00pm (Completed)
Series 3 Kapha Dosha: Sunday 8 January 2023, 12:00 – 5:00pm (OPEN NOW)
Level ONE: Ayurveda introduction to cover Vata, Pitta and Kapha doshas in 3 series
Class Outlook: Your first step to Ayurveda: doorway to true health (Introduction) Be your own healer.
Come and learn about Ayurveda, the oldest medical system dated 5,000 years ago originated in India. Ayurveda has greatly influenced Chinese medicine and modern medicine. Ayurveda touches full spectrum of human life including our environments, anatomy, psychology, diets, daily routines and lifestyles. It teaches us how to connect our body, mind and spirit with the great Nature to find the best balance in health. A way to heal from the disease is to forgive a disease. An imbalance occurs when we cannot digest our food or our life experiences. Digestion is key to full health in Ayurveda. In this introductory workshop, you’ll learn about Ayurveda and what it means to you as an individual and understand the Ayurveda way of creating your own daily routines based on your body type and imbalances.
Ayurveda is a vast topic to discuss. We will focus on your body type and imbalances in this level 1 session and what tools you can use to pacify your current imbalances, whether in your body or mind.
What can you expect from this workshop?
Understanding what Ayurveda is and what it means to you
Your own personal Ayurveda assessments
Ways to help yourself pacify your imbalances and how to pacify different Dosha by creating your own yoga asana and movements
Receive an attendance certificate upon completion
Curriculum:
Series 1 Vata Dosha 5 HR
Chapter 1. Origin of Ayurveda
1.1 ancient history
1.2 two streams
Chapter 2. Philosophy of Ayurveda
2.1 5 elements and 3 doshas
2.2 prakruti & vikruti
2.3diagnosis
2.4disease management
Chapter 3. Ayurveda lifestyle and tools
3.1Ayurveda clock
3.2pranayama
3.3vata dosha yoga therapy
Series 2 Pitta Dosha 5 HR to cover below topics but not limited to:
Chapter 4. Ayurveda on digestion
4.1 Digestive fire: agni
4.2 13 Types of Agni and 4 Tendencies
4.3 The root of all disease: Ama
Chapter 5. Meditation
5.1 five bodies
5.2 meditations for 3 doshas
Chapter 6. Ayurveda Yoga Therapy
6.1 Principle of Using Yoga Asanas for Heating & Cooling
6.2 pitta dosha yoga therapy sequence (easy)
Series 3 Kapha Dosha 5 HR to cover below topics but not limited to:
This special 5HR certification workshop provides you the doorway to the divine spiritual medicine called Ayurveda of 5,000 years old wisdom.
Are you interested in finding a more natural path to achieve health and wellness? Do you believe that everything we need to stay longevity should be cost-free and can be sourced from the mother nature? Do you suffer from long-term allergy, immunity disease or chronic illness that western medicines cannot solve all your issues?
You will learn about Ayurveda in a sense that was taught by ancient Rishis (saints) and apply to your daily life or integrate the knowledge to your class/ teaching.
We welcome you to join us to learn more about this beautiful way of living called Ayurveda. This will be our 3rd series of our 5HR certification course that you can register with Yoga Alliance as part of your continued education credits. This will also be my last workshop in Hong Kong before I leave in mid Jan 2023.
This Series N.3 is all about the water and earth elements: Kapha dosha – an element that we all have to cultivate love, intimacy, compassion and serving others. Winter is also a Kapha season when emotions and weights are built up if we don’t pay attentions to our mind & body. Kapha is sweet in tastes and it also carries a lot of Sugar quality. It can become sticky, like additional mucus stored in our organs and tissues. Let’s learn more about this “LOVE” dominate dosha and how we can balance it with our life style tips.
We’ll learn about below topics spending our afternoon together on Lamma:
1. Recap on Ayurveda principles
2. Kapha dosha and its meaning
3. Nadis and Marma (Chinese Accupuncture Points)
4. Application of Abhyanga – Oil Massage
5. Demonstrate best suited Pranayama, yoga poses to pacify Kapha dosha imbalances (Diabetes, sluggish and heaviness, over-weight, grief, sadness and attachments)
Investment: HK$1,350 per person, $1,150 for alumni students, including certification, massage oils and herbs blend for individual use
Rapid test is required for each person before attending this workshop. No refund/ date change will be available upon confirmation but can be transferred to another individual. If you wish to send the fees via PayMe or FPS, please get in touch by email vatayogaltd@gmail.com to settle offline
Your gut is your second brain. How healthy your gut is determines how balanced you are with your attitudes towards life. Accordingly to Ayurveda, any indigestion in the gut is caused by Agni (digestive fire) derangement.
When we address Agni, we will not forget about the key Pitta dosha as basis of Ayurveda principle. What is Pitta in Ayurveda? Pitta is an invisible energetic source as part of the key 3 doshas in Ayurveda. A combination of fire and water creates Pitta dosha. Pitta governs our metabolism process, regulating our digestion and our lifestyle. If we look at the life spams of a human being, Pitta is our peak time after young adults to mid-age. In our body, we also have Pitta sitting in different organs that is in charge of our digestion called Agni. Agni is the fire in our body if you like to call it in a simpler term. In total, we have 13 Agnis in our body. In our digestive tract, it is called Jathara-Agni. In the digestive track, this particular type of Agni meets with tri-doshas, as a result, they form 4 special types of Agni. When Agni is weak, the internal wastes will aggravate and eventually manifest in diseases. To keep it simple and short, these are 4 types of Jathara-sub-Agni below:
Vata: Vishamagni – when it’s deranged, it creates bloating, constipation, intestinal cramps, gas, diverticulitis,
Pitta: Tikshnagni – When it’s deranged, it creates heartburns, excessive thirst, loose stool, burning sensations in intestines, hypoglycaemia
Kapha: Mandagni- when it’s deranged, it creates heaviness after meals, stagnant in stomach, chest, lungs and nasal areas, sluggish and sticky bowels, bulky stools, excessive mucous, slow digestion and excessive craving for sugar, diary and breads
Balanced: Samaagni – smooth bowels, regular and good appetite and good digestion with a clear head
When we assess a client, Agni is one of the key parameters to understand the root of the cause. In Ayurveda, all diseases are caused due to indigestion of food or life experiences. Agni doesn’t only help us break down the food but also assimilate our mental emotions. Treatment of the symptoms is incomplete unless we address the mental imbalances that facilitate its development. The best medication to cure any bowel disease is a calm mind and relaxation.
Also as Agni shares similar quality of Pitta – a very Rajastic (action-oriented) attitudes towards life. When we are nervous and stressed, we sometimes contract the abdominal muscles unconsciously, like holding the breaths. When we are over disciplined and setting a high expectation of ourselves, excessive Pitta will result in excessive Tikshnagni in our digestive tract. Acid reflex and its bi-products of heart burns and dizziness may come along. This world nowadays is over pricing Pitta attitudes, do it all and do it fast, that has created an unhealthy environment to over compete. When we are not living up to the idealistic standard we have set forth for our selves or others, we become over-critical and controlling. This will create a lot of digestive issues and ulcer symptoms.
The sensation of burning is a sign of excessive Pitta. When you are over burning your body and digestion tract, you are prone to burn out. When the demand of the society is going out of control and exceeding our mental capability, your gut will show you it’s time to “slow down.”
What will help?
Start “deep belly breath” 3 times before each meal. Chew your food. In Ayurveda, we save 1/3 of empty space in the stomach, 1/3 for solid food and 1/3 for liquid. Eating moderately and snack lightly.
Remove 20% of your daily to-do list. Stop self-blame when you are not achieving your goals. And it is okay not to be BUSY or Productive all the time.
Slow down and relaxation is the panacea for Pitta imbalances. Cultivate a balanced life style to make space in your life. When we are empty, we then can receive. And if we are always on the go, our mind is too busy consuming and digesting a hundred of things – when can you make head space so the digestion can resume to normal? Fasting is also a great way to reset and rekindle your Agni if you are a Pitta or Kapha dominant body type. In Autumn, a Vata season, it’s best not to over fast fully. Easy 24 hours fast 1-2 times a month on weak ginger tea or juice will be a great way to detox. (please consult with an experienced Ayurvedic practitioner or a certified nutrients)
As for the Psychology, an unwillingness of expressing vulnerability and asking for help will also increase Pitta imbalances. Perhaps it’s time to ask for help now. Sometimes we worry about over burden people with our challenges and difficulties. However, now is the best time to ask and receive help from people around us. A time during the pandemic is the time to really break our old patterns to build resilience to deal with the unknowns.
So pick up the phone, call someone who can listen to your difficulties and ask for help.
It’s okay not to be perfect. It’s okay to make mistakes and that’s how we learn.
Additional tools to help rekindle the Agni is to also learn to relax and let its function to normalize by taking advantages of Yoga Nidra (Yogi Sleep Meditation), Yin Yoga, Ayurveda Yoga Therapy for Vata/ Pitta, and Meditation. Stomach, liver, gallbladder Chinese meridians are targeted ones to stimulate as well. Below is a video I created to demonstrate few Yoga poses that focus on these meridians to help you release digestive pains or discomforts. Practice with care and patience.
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In Ayurveda, immunity is vyadhikshamatva in Sanskrit, meaning “forgiveness of disease.” The essence of motherly love is forgiveness.
With the increased measures taking place in Hong Kong these days, I’ve decided to use this down time to study Seth’s Materials by Jane Roberts after my first encounter to Seth’s Materials series 8 years ago. I bought the last Seth’s book called “The Way Toward Health.” To my surprise, Jane Roberts, the medium and author, died from severe Arthritis in her mid 50s in 1984. Another trigger to write about this specific topic is that I’ve consulted many people who currently suffer from various Rheumatoid symptoms. I am suddenly surrounded myself with different severity of rheumatoid diseases and clients that I have gone much deeper than ever on this typical Vata aggravated illness.
In Chinese, Rheumatoid is written as “Wind + Wetness” （written as 風濕 in Traditional Chinese characters), which is alike Ayurveda that also addresses Rheumatoid diseases to Vata caused diseases. When we look at the quality of Vata, which is the combination of Ether & Air, cold, pain, irregular, mobile, dry and cracking manifest themselves in rheumatoid diseases.
Rheumatoid disease like rheumatic fever, rheumatism and rheumatoid arthritis are auto-immune conditions. The Ama (toxins) in the body is tightly wedged into you that some of your own tissues are destroyed by immune reactions. A typical result is that synovial fluid gets clogged and becomes harder to lead to immobility of the body and affect the body functions. The pains are around the joints, like fingers, toes, knees, and ankles that may last few hours to longer to impair the body movements. And rheumatoid arthritis can affect the heart and eventually kill. It has to be treated immediately.
Physiologically, Rheumatoid is called “Ama-Vata” in Sanskrit, which when Vata circulates Ama all throughout the body via Vyana Vayu. (Ama means half-digested food wastes or toxins) The most important initiating cause seems to be improper diet, which creates Ama. Other causes will be overwork exhaustion, excessive exercise, frequent sex, intense worry and strong emotions such as grief. Any Vata aggravated attitudes and lifestyle will worsen the conditions and eventually Kapha imbalances will kick in if initial cause is not uprooted. The sticky, opaque and dense Ama can be found in joints of every sufferer of rheumatoid arthritis. This is different from osteoarthritis, which is due to aging process. In rheumatoid arthritis, the synovial fluid fails to lubricate the joints and clots. Synovial fluid is one of the body’s reservoir of Kapha force. Kapha has a similar caramel characteristic as Ama, which is accumulated in the joints and immobile them.
Vata = Ether + Wind
Psychologically, Rheumatoid is manifested from improper digestion of life experiences. Oppression of strong emotions of griefs, sadness, fears and insecurities and use over-work exhaustion as an escape to “empty the mind” will lead to illness. The avoidance of any strong emotions will lead to physical illness as our cells don’t work with oppression but expansion. And another interesting sign is no desire for food as the emotions will decrease the appetite and the sufferers end up improperly consume food at irregular hours, or eating without appetite, all these behaviours lead to more Ama in the body. Another explanation of psychosis arthritis is that taking a sick leave from work is more widely accepted to the public when the body is down with Rheumatoid diseases than mental disease. It’s a way of coping mechanism in the body to immobilise and condition the extremities without totally disrupting its balance of the mind.
Questions to ask yourself: What is it we are making ourselves unable to move freely? What is it outside that is threatening our identity and security?
There are still many ways to explain how the Rheumatoid disease come about and how to treat accordingly to different medical systems. In Ayurveda, the initial phases before the fluids clogged and impairing the movement ability, Vata is the primary causation to treat. In any Ayurveda consultation, I ask my clients to be 100% honest with themselves if they wish to uproot their causation. It is definitely not easy for Rheumatoid sufferers to face and deal with past hurts as that’s one of the reason that initiates the diseases. The psychological check-in questions I will normally ask, if they are ready, whether if they are escaping a certain role to play in the society or any oppressed strong emotions due to separations (real or potential). The auto-immune system is your war against yourself, there is no intruders from outside. If we can recognise this and start asking the right questions, the healing will begin.
Therefore treating Vata and maybe a combination of Kapha are the common practice according to the severity of the diseases. Ayurveda is working best side by side with modern medicines as you should never replace your acute medical treatment with Ayurveda. Rheumatoid diseases can vary from minor to severe. You should always find an experienced practitioner to understand your imbalances to change your lifestyle and attitudes. My teacher always said if the clients are not doing their homework, please ask them not to come back. It takes 21 days to form a habit, so set your expectation when it comes to treat your diseases as it’s a life-long habit not just present.
Please note that my point of view can vary from other Ayurveda practitioner depending on what their specialities are. If you like my sharing, feel free to re-share (quote the source) and subscribe my blog post. Stay healthy and safe.
Love and Freedom are the foundation of our joys. True-love is to offer true freedom to someone you love, including yourself. What happens when your love is going out of whack?
I’ve been wanting to discuss about Love in the realm of Ayurveda. Like many of us, I have been searching for love all my life and only until recent years I began to understand what “True-Love” really means. Love is never limited to romantic kind of love; it includes all, from our national heroic kind of love to having empathy of every living down to the molecules beneath us. And the most important love is Self-Love, what you feed your body and mind will always return to you the way you give out. We cannot truly love anyone unless we start to love ourselves.
We cannot truly love anyone unless we start to love ourselves.
And what happens when our love is getting a little out of whack? What are the signs when our body is not digesting our Love experiences well? How do we manifest these in Ayurveda?
I want to use this opportunity to address a specific dosha imbalance called Kapha when it comes to Love. Kapha is the combination of Water and Earth. Visualise a clay-like, dense and heavy mixtures in your body that pulls you down to the ground, that is Kapha. Physiologically, Kapha is cold and wet. The flavor is “sweet.” Its animal symbol is Elephant. It sits in lungs and stomach. It moves slow and accumulate. Do you have a tendency to hoard? Do you feel heavy on your legs? And do you feel lazy these days with very little desire to do things? These are the manifestation of excessive Kapha dosha in you, as the first layer.
When we have too much Kapha dosha in our body and mind, it tells us one thing: we are unable to digest efficiently our current life experiences and food. When we have a separation from our loved one, a divorce, a break-up, a death, a job loss or a personal identity loss – Vata dosha increased then followed with Kapha dosah imbalances. Vata dosha is increased due to the trigger event but Kapha dosha is stored as grief, sadness, inertia and attachments. The inkling between psychological and physical is admitted by Ayurveda and Vedas. We must examine the 3 Gunas in all beings to pivot the human personalities: Rajas, Tamas and Sattva. Rajas means actions. Tamas means Inertia. And Sattva means harmony/ peace. Kapha is a form of Tamas, a manifested bi-product in the body from the mind. When we are going through a loss of relationship, our mind slows down to cope and our body craves for sweetness.
If you are reading this, you may have or know someone who have challenges with Love. It’s a good time to take a score on where you are if you have below symptoms during the past 2-4 weeks. Assess with true honesty to see if your Love event is causing you any degree of Kapha dosha imbalances:
Recent new craving towards sweetness, pastry, diary and bread
Start to eat more root food (potatoes, pumpkins, taros)
Enjoy snacking more than proper meals
Over sleep (more than 8 hours a day)
Thoughts are more cloudy, unclear and most related to past memories
Hard time to throw things away and start to hoard
De-motivate to move, exercise and go out
Cry for no reason
Dwell to past memories – with regrets
Feel more greedy towards money and affections
Become more needy towards family and friends
No desire towards sex, physical intimacy
Feel heavier on lower body, especially joints
Lower back pains increased
No motivation to make any change in life
Just notice how many ticks you have recently – this exercise is to assess any of your recent love & relationship event triggered your Kapha imbalances
Kapha imbalances manifest when we are having challenges with people relationship. And what we over look is those with Ourselves. Self-love is the most important loving relationship we have to develop in our life time as human beings. If we are too busy nourishing others, we easily forget about ourselves. This is very common in any motherly love to children relationship, which the mother gives it all to her children and family and eventually dismisses herself. When we neglect ourselves, Kapha also increases and manifests into the 2nd layer, diseases.
Why are we making ourselves immobile with pains?
Diabetes, arthritis, gouts, rheumatic disease, asthma, tumors, cancer, eating disorder (anorexia, obesity), to name a few. These are manifested for different purpose to serve our psychological and even spiritual needs. When we have too much Kapha, we become less mobile. It takes years of suppression emotions to confront of your true needs as an individual to manifest any above diseases. The single event triggered Kapha imbalances can be treated by creating a better life style habits and diet. A disease driven by Kapha that is a sign to go deep into your root of cause, that is your “heart.” Without tracing back to the original event historically, the experiences coming with it and the responded behaviours dealt with – you can only treat the symptoms not the whole.
We must be brave to start asking ourselves this important question: am I happy? if not, what is causing my unhappiness?
We must be brave to start asking ourselves this important question: am I happy? if not, what is causing my unhappiness?
And when Kapha is balanced. We are cultivating warmth, compassion, empathy, social work, charity and nourishment. Kapha has a quality of calming, security, rooting down and love. Kapha is like Moon, the gentle and unconditional love.
How do we shake Kapha off when we don’t need them?
Exercise, exercise and exercise. Sweating will do us good to pacify the heaviness muds.
Give-back. Helping other people will make us feel good, which also pacify Kapha.
Our body is a wonder and serves us with no exception. Pay attention on how your body feels today. Close your eyes, ask your heart: what do I need to heal today?
Your happiness starts when you start to love with freedom. Your love to yourself will be the greatest treasure.
You will be guided on a self-discovery journey in your initial consultation with suggested tips on life style, routine, diet, exercise and more.
You will understand what it means in Ayurveda about how you feel and how you act in life.
Healing starts with understanding. An understanding of yourself and the connection between that and the roots of your imbalances.With an Ayurveda Yoga Therapist, you can expect to have an overview of who you are based on Ayurveda wisdoms and how you can change to become healthier and happier.
Your body has messages to tell you about everything you need to know. All you need to do is to take a chance to open that space, whether on your own or with a trained therapist.
Let us help facilitate a channel for you to connect with yourself.
We’ll sit together for 1-1.5hrs to go over your:
Your intention, chief concerns and goals
Prakruiti (Innate Body Type)
Vikruti (Current Imbalances – targeted dosha to treat)
Agni (Digestive system) Type and Strengths
Ama (Half digested wastes, meaning Toxins) level
Your lifestyle and daily routine
Your medical history and your chronic illness if any
Examine your pulse, tongue, nails and eyes
Meeting April and receiving her services has been life changing for me! I was struggling with poor bowel issues and wanted to seek more natural remedies to heal. I’ve been an avid practitioner of yoga, and have heard about the incredible benefits of Ayurveda as a sister science. April was so kind to help me personalise a regimen that was unique to me – which I frankly really needed. Although there is general health advice out there, Ayurveda really focuses on one’s personal features and tailoring a specific remedy. April’s approach isn’t just about taking certain supplements but rather creating a way of life and routine that is most beneficial for the individual. I am so thankful to have encountered April for opening up a whole new world of the benefits of Ayurveda!
nicole w. consultation with april during 2020-21, hong kong
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What is Ayurveda?
A: Ayurveda is a 5,000 years old, Indian and the oldest medical system documented in history. It is a pioneer and influencer to TCM and current Western medical system. Ayur = preservation of life, and Veda = wisdom. Ayurveda means “The Art of Longevity of Life.” Yoga, Ayurveda and Tantra form a triangle of spiritual, body and mind of harmony in true health accordingly to old Indian scriptures. Ayurveda is all about coming back to the Mother Earth, and with the knowing that we are all connected with every living being. Ayurveda focuses on 5 elements of Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth which result in 3 life principles of Vata Dosha, Pitta Dosha and Kapha Dosha. These components are everything that made of life, outside and inside us.
Q:What can I expect in my first Ayurveda personal consultation?
A: You will be guided through questions and conversations to go over your current imbalances, routine, diet, body type, digestive system, psychology, internal toxic level and targeted areas to treat. The initial session will last around 90 mins to really deep dive in who you are and how you live to find out the most appropriate/ natural way for your treatment based on Ayurveda. You will receive herbal supplement for immediate digestive issues when needed. You will also receive initial tips on your lifestyle changes (including routine, habits, exercise styles, meditation styles and so on) during the consultation. All the personal data and information will be kept highly confidential.
Q:What a follow-up Ayurveda holistic treatment would look like?
A: Once you have completed your first consultation, you’ll know what’s the most apparent imbalance dosha* to treat and work on. A treatment will focus on both your mind and body: a typical Vata imbalance treatment will include Pranayama (breathing) exercise, guided meditation, Ayurvedic Thai massage in targeted body part, led Ayurveda Yoga Therapy sequence and Reiki. A treatment will be around 60- 75 mins with a mix of modalities involved that’s designed only for you. It’s highly personalised and intent to be sustainable that you can also practice at home.
Q: What are the benefits of taking Ayurveda therapy and treatment compared to Western medicine?
A: Ayurveda is non-invasive. Ayurveda focuses on treating the root cause not the symptoms. The Ayurveda herbal supplements have very minimal side effects as they are sourced naturally. We provide a holistic way to help clients to live a healthier life. We also promote self-healing and self-empowerment as the herbal supplements will only work the best with a healthy change of lifestyle, habit and attitudes towards life. We empower our client to take back your power of your own health.
Q:What’s an ideal lead time (length) of an Ayurveda treatment to see the effect?
A: It depends on individual’s imbalances but ideally we’ll be checking-in once a week in the first start of the treatment for 4-8 week’s time.
*Dosha: Ether + Air = Vata Dosha, Fire + Water = Pitta Dosha, Earth + Water = Kapha Dosha, 3 different principle of life, different metabolism styles in the body and different tendencies that go out of whack – it is believed in Ayurveda that you are born with a certain dosha (or dual) type called Prikriti and the dosha can go out of imbalance due to external factors that’s called Virkuti, which is what we focus on when designing your treatments
Ayurveda Treatment Program
A treatment can only start after your initial Ayurveda personal consultation to set your goal to assess the progress. A typical treatment will last 60-75 mins per session, the plan will cover below but not limited to treat targeted dosha(s):
Ayurveda Yoga Therapy (a detox style of gentle Yoga flow with TaiChi, strengthening, de-heating and body water draining)
Nadis (Chinese meridian acupressure application)
Hands-on Reiki treatment
Vayu Ayurvedic Thai Massage (targeted body part)
Pranayama (breath work) & Guided meditation
Heart Compass counselling (optional): uproot your imbalances from finding out the root cause psychologically
Ayurvedic herbs, home remedies
Available face to face & ZOOM session now!
All your personal information and interview details will be highly confidential for treatment purpose only.
Fees
Personal consultation $850 (90mins), First time promo with 1 consultation & follow-up session (Treatment): $1600, 3 follow-up treatment sessions: $2600
A doctor and a therapist are very different in terms of training and practice, an Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist based on my trainings is to provide more hands-on approaches to clients. Offering a holistic & accessible set of treatments including guided Yoga practice, chosen meditation styles, Ayurvedic Thai massages on targeted body parts and more spiritually-led counselling to help you connect with your imbalances and find out the root of causes.
We start by going through your body type, imbalances, historical medical conditions, routines and your apparent concerns.
I prescribe my clients with wellness tools instead of medicines. Treating the mind will treat the body.
Undoubtedly COVID-19 has shaken our beliefs and dependency on Western medicines; therefore, I think it’s a right time to explain more about what an Ayurveda Yoga Therapist can do for you here.
Ayurveda is all about coming back to Mother Earth, the Nature.
close your eyes, and listen to the sounds.
As an Ayurveda Yoga Therapist, my role is more than an Yoga asana (pose) instructor but someone who facilitate your connection to the True Nature of your own. Imagine yourself as a complete Nature, there are 5 elements within your body: Ether (emptiness, a way to explain is Tao in Taoism), Air, Fire, Water and Earth. You have the quality of different combinations of these 5 elements. When you combine Ether with Air, it becomes Vata dosha. When you combine Fire with Water, it becomes Pitta dosha. When you combine Earth with Water, it becomes Kapha dosha. These 3 key doshas are throughout our bodies in a balance to maintain your longevity of life. Think of yourself as someone with Vata dominant body type, you have a bigger weather system in your mind and body – naturally you have a tendency to act out like winds. Winds are irregular and unpredictable sometimes, so with too much Winds, your mind can become too chattering and eventually lead to anxiety. With this concept, you then know which element can help you feel more grounded. And we look for the grounding quality in food, experiences, lifestyles, habits and relationship patterns in life to stay balanced. So I will help you see yourself through the lens of Nature as an Ayurveda Yoga Therapist. I am here to help you understand that you are never away from the Nature but within one of it.
If you recognise yourself and understand yourself as a marvellous eco-system of the Nature. You will start to know how to take care of yourself.
So what can you expect from a 1o1 Ayurveda Consultation? Think of yourself going to see a Chinese doctor + Therapist + Massage therapist and a Yoga teacher. I know it sounds vague so let me lay it down for you. In a 60-90 min session, we go over your Body Type & current imbalances first. Then to understand your intention and chief concerns. I will then go over your day routine from morning to bed time to get a glimpse of your lifestyle. A conversation based to lead to understand how your digestive (Agni) functions and the level of your Ama (tonxin) to be treated. Then we also touch base on any discomforts or beliefs to be elevated to help you find your balance.
A high level analysis will be shared with you on the spot in the consultation room with some tips. You will then receive your detailed report with suggestions within 10 days. If you wish to move forwards with treatment program, we’ll meet again to set goals and create a personalized programs just for you.
An example: what a treatment plan can look like for Vata imbalances
Vata Dosha Yoga Therapy
Guided meditation twice a week
Reiki hands-on treatment
Prana and Udana Vayus Ayurvedic Thai Massage
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy – empowering questions to find out if any mis-beliefs
Create a practical routine of 14 days
And more…
Faith in healing is the key to health. In Ayurveda, we “uproot” and treat the root cause from body to mind then spirituality.
Due to the limited shipping and freight availability due to COVID-19, only needed Ayurvedic supplements will be given if the digestive system is badly disturbed. My offering is modern, practical and reasonable for anyone who wishes to explore an alternative healing therapy to support your well-beings. It’s important to ask yourself, what do you want to get out of this in any given experience.
Ayurveda opens a new door for me to become healthier and stronger. It also provides me a good foundation (body) to train my thoughts (mind) and eventually develop my connection (spirituality) to everything beyond. I hope this article helps you understand what you can expect from taking any 1o1 consultation. Please note that there will be variations on how every Ayurvedic therapist practice depending on their experiences and styles.
Send you healing vibes on your wellness journey. Thanks for reading. Feel free to forward and re-share this write-up if you find it useful.
In Ayurveda, Prakruti (or Prakriti) in Sanskrit means Nature. The “Nature of Your Own Body and Mind” is your innate and permanent constitutional body type. This is your first step into Ayurveda realm if you are curious and interested at this 5,000 years old ancient medical system originated from India.
We are all unique in our own little way 😉 There are 8 possible Ayurveda dosha body types.
I have noticed that most modern people I have encountered, whether on the mat, in the classroom, or at work, rarely took time to understand about themselves. We are so accustomed to seek outside for help, like going to the western doctors when we feel ill for a “quick fix.” The symptoms are treated and we carried on with our old life style, eating preferences and behaviours towards life & relationship. Hardly do we know that Western medicines do not treat nor look for the causes. On the other side, Ayurveda and TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) are taking a view of your entire system when you have an illness. When you have symptoms of shoulder/ neck pains, we could treat the heart first because it may be caused by over-stress. It takes more time to treat because it is less invasive and creating less side effects than western medicine. The effects are nourishing and long lasting. I grew up in a tradition of Chinese medicine, I was acquainted with the “cooling”, “heating” and “neutral” properties of the food we consumed. Nature works its wonders around us. Most of the seasonal harvests normally carry the balancing quality for the body. For example, Watermelon harvested in Summer is a cooling fruit. I inherited this common knowledge when I was little without knowing the roots of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) under the influences of my mother and grand parents in Taiwan. And I was told to be a “heating” person as I was always on-the-go and often in bad temperament when I was young. It feels natural and common to have that awareness of some simple TCM principles of what to consume and what not based on the season, the climate and how our body feels. Although I was not familiar with Ayurveda when I was little, but later on Ayurveda opened a bigger door to me to enter a world of how we should co-exist with Nature and how that can help us recover by owning our inborn healing power.
So I asked myself how much I can or I should explain about Ayurveda, from 5 Elements & 3 Doshas to individual body types to current imbalances of Agni (digestive fires) and Ama (half-digestive wasted toxins) without making people fall asleep. It’s a big and important topic and should not be spent on rushing through it. As I came to recognise that it is hard to convey the whole Ayurveda topic, even just high levelly, at the beginning of a Yoga therapy class, I have decided to synthesise the main principles starting from Ayurveda body type here, in a blog post, to help anyone who is new to Ayurveda or new to my Ayurveda Yoga Therapy class to have a glimpse.
And before you carry on reading, I suggest you to spend 15 mins now to take the free Ayurveda Body Type assessment form first.
Wonderful, congratulations on your first step into Ayurveda. This is what we assess as the first thing during a 1o1 Ayurveda consultation to understand your innate nature then 2nd step is to assess your current imbalances to work on (Virkuti). Read on to find out below typical personality traits from your scores: especially from your Mental (Deha Prakriti section from page2)
8 constitutional dosha body types – Personality Traits
Single Dosha Type Traits
Your body type never changes. It was determined when your parents of their conception based on the conditions of their bodies. Each type has its own inborn approach to managing its physical and mental energies. Below we are taking a glimpse on the Personality Traits of each bosha type: (Based on your result as a single dosha of Vata, Pitta, Kapha dominate type or dual Doshas type)
Your body type is decided by your parents
Pure Vata Dosha Type: sensitive, talkative, high-strung and quick to react to changes of environments. Very changeable, regularly resist in their lives because their minds need constant stimulations. They are over-enthusiastic when energy level is high but burn out easily once the energy is not kept up. They crave relationship sometimes and solitudes sometimes. They make friends easily but often short-lived. They are highly creative, fun, and love to travel for fun. They often find themselves hard to maintain focus on 1 subject for a longer time and hard to stick with what they work on consistently. Their faith often arises from insecurities.
What do they need: routine, self-development plan that is executable
Vata is highly creative and quick – they dislike rules and frames
Pure Pitta Dosha Type: strong, forceful and purposeful. A goal getter and like to have a to do list or a plan, highly practical, can be domineering, inherently courageous and fair-played, high tempered, impatient and yet warm hearted, can tend to be over competitive and jealous – make friends easily, especially those useful to them. Acutely intelligent but impatient with anyone who cannot equal up. Can be intolerant with people who are less capable. They are dedicated to own self-development, which can lead to ego-expansion if over-doing/ not practicing mindfulness, stubborn with own opinions, can fall into fanaticism if this will benefit their lives, natural born leader
What do they need: relaxation, slow down and go into nature
Pitta people love checklist
Pure Kapha Dosha Type: predominately calm, quiet, steady, grounded, serious and home buddy, loving, a typical giver not taker; they love to serve, to give back and work on causes but not always motivated as they tend to become lazy. They are very stable and so stable sometimes they lack that extra kick to move forwards to their goals. Excessive Kapha can lead to greed, attachment, passivity and possessiveness towards things and relationship. They can study each subject cautiously before committing themselves, once they do, it’s a marathon. They make friends slowly but long-lasting. They make less fanatics, but their faith in whatever they believe is unshakable. They are born to be more compassionate than other types and more maternal.
What do they need: think out of the box, play more, and leave the comfort zone
Kapha people need to step out of the known into unknown to understand their full potentials.
Dual Dosha Type Traits
Dual constitutions have personalities with a spilt of 2 key doshas. Most individuals are dual in body type nowadays.
Vata- Pitta Dual Dosha Type: VP people have poor circulations and enjoy the warmths. They love to eat but sometimes they have trouble to digest a larger meal. When VP is unbalanced, their angers manifest as a response to stress, which can lead to bullying and domineering. While V can get stressed and anxious easily, P will add extra fuels. They can have a internal conflicts and self-doubts when they have goals to achieve but worrying about not being capable enough. Internal compromise can happen when there are many uncertainties in life. A healthy VP can excel in application of a new theory/ idea in a creative way.
What do they need: stability, more Kapha elements in diet and life (earthy food like Potatoes, Taros and sweet flavors etc)
Pitta- Kapha Dual Dosha Type: PK is a great at adjusting to the ever-changing environment, such as COVID-19 currently, and irregularity and confusions. They tend to achieve all-round success as they combine K stability with P’s agility and adaptability. The K personality will calm the P fires when the temperament arises. They don’t hold angers too long and value mental health and try to maintain a good balance. The ease of success can sometime promote arrogance and over-confidence. They can be dwelling with indulgence in their own success. They tend to take flattery from criticisms, which can make it difficult to live with a PK personality.
What do they need: listen to constructive criticisms, practice on being humble and flexible, embrace changes and uncertainty as this will sharpen your skills and enhance your spirituality growth
Vata-Kapha Dual Dosha Type: VK people are zealous about what they do, and often over doing things by neglecting to use discretion. They can be open and airy and at the same time deep and secretive. They can be somewhat in self-conflict as they lack the P elements. They are those ones hard to understand and grasp. Once they are hurt, the traumas tend to linger and penetrate deeper and longer. They worry about jumping into conclusions or making decisions without investigating thoroughly. They need warmth more than anything else.
What do they need: 80/20 rule on most things, forgiveness, and self-nourishment and self-compassions
Tri-Dosha Body Type & Balanced
Rare and small number of VPK individuals need more disciplines in life to maintain balance
Vata-Pitta-Kapha Tridosha & Balanced Type: A very small group of whose three dosha energies are constitutionally out of balance are rarely healthy and must live a very disciplined life to remain disease free. And the Balanced one normally remain healthy , for they must be drastically stressed before any imbalances develop. These 2 groups exhibit a very small number of our total populations in current world.
What do they need: a disciplined lifestyle in everything, less is more, honour your differences and self-love
So now you know how Ayurveda explains who you are as Nature, a born-to-be. Whichever your body type is, or tend to be, shows what dosha type(s) will go out of whack most or easily. You can start to pay more attentions on how you feel when you notice an imbalance and reduce that Dosha property in diet and cultivate the opposite mindset/ attitudes towards the trigger event. However, this only weighs 25% of our Ayurveda assessment as we normally treat your “current” imbalances first regardless of your body type for you to receive the immediate relief (we called Virkuti in Sanskrit).
If you are interested in having a holistic view of your own Ayurveda assessment and find out the current causes of your imbalances and challenges, please reach out for an 1o1 Ayurveda Personal Consultation. This will give you a report in depth on your body type, current imbalances, Agni (digestive system) , Ama (toxins) and your life style and mental wellness (heart compass).
Thanks for reading and I hope you find this information insightful from a different philosophy. Ayurveda is a massive topic and everyday I am learning something new from my own practice as well.
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