Clients walk into my Ayurveda practice for a number of reasons. I have worked with both young and old individuals, and have supported clients with minor imbalances all the way to serious chronic illnesses. In all of my Ayurveda stories, one of the common underlying reasons that clients seek out an Ayurvedic consultation is that they sense that there is an alternative—something beyond addressing symptoms alone. Often, they know that something in their wellbeing is off, but they just don’t know where to start.
One of the beautiful things about Ayurveda is that we work with the whole person. A digestive problem or chronic headache is not viewed in isolation. The first time that I meet with a client, I do a very thorough intake, gleaning information about everything. I learn about daily food choices, sleep cycles, bowel movements, how they make decisions and how they react to stress.
Many of the recommendations that I make in my Ayurveda practice may seem simple or even common sense. But then again, due to the complexity of modern living, many of us aren’t living in a common sense manner. Ayurveda helps us live in harmony—harmony with our bodies and minds, and harmony with the natural world. I have seen clients transformed physically, psychologically, and emotionally by adopting Ayurvedic practices and principles gradually over time. Now I will share with you a brief story that illustrates how making small positive changes over time can have profound and lasting effects.
Nora was 32 and had a successful career in the medical field. Though she spent many hours per week looking after the health of others, her own self-care was sorely lacking. When she first came to my Ayurveda practice, she was experiencing the following symptoms on either a daily or weekly basis: lethargy, neck pain, loose stools, mild nausea, anger, resentment, anxiety, and overwhelm.
In looking at Nora’s diet, it was not surprising that she was experiencing digestive issues. Though she was athletic and had a fairly hearty appetite, she took no joy in eating. In fact, she regarded food as something to merely get though so that she could carry on with other activities. She rarely cooked, and fresh vegetables and fruits were a rare occurrence in her diet. Breakfast usually consisted of an energy bar on the go and lunch and dinner were usually frozen meals. There were often sweet and salty treats at work that she would snack on, and she rarely sat down to eat lunch.
I knew that we would need to make baby steps in improving Nora’s diet and self-care routines. However, I was confident that if she moved toward eating more whole foods, which contain a higher concentration of prana (life-force) her digestive issues would likely subside. I also suspected that time spent slowing down to take better care of herself might soothe some of the emotional tension that she was experiencing.
My first suggestion to Nora was to include one fresh cooked vegetable with her dinner each night. I told her that she could still eat the burrito or pizza, but at least eat one fresh vegetable too. To help calm down her neck and shoulder tension, I suggested blue vervain (Verbena hastata) tincture. Blue vervain is especially indicated in cases of chronic neck and should tension, as well as for driven, Type A personalities. I suggested she take two dropperfuls two times per day before meals. Blue vervain also doubles as a digestive bitter, which I suspected would be helpful for her digestive woes.
Nora and I met weekly, then bi-weekly, then monthly over the course of a year. We made many gradual adjustments to her diet and daily routines. Nora began to cook daily for herself and even take delight in preparing vegetables, legumes, and other wholesome foods! Since had a predominantly pitta constitution, I suggested foods and spices with a cool energy, such as dark leafy greens, rice, barley, apples, coconut, coriander, cilantro, and cruciferous vegetables.
After several weeks of making dietary changes, Nora’s digestive issues resolved. Much of her emotional tension and even her neck and shoulder tension lessened as well. I heard from Nora several weeks ago and she is now happily in a long-term relationship and has enrolled in an online herbalism course! Nora is a wonderful example of how small changes can have a big impact over time.
Greta Kent-Stoll
Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner (NAMA)
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