NICK HOPPER
“Ayurveda is about working with the natural rhythms of your body and the day, it’s designed for effortless integration. ”
BIO: With nearly 30 years of experience working in front of and behind the camera, Nick’s career spans the worlds of food, fashion, lifestyle and travel. His role has equally varied from photography, brand building and art direction to acting and modelling.
Growing up in the countryside Nick has always felt most at home and in nature and the great outdoors. Having extensively travelled across the world, from 4 months of trekking and white water kayaking in the Himalayas to staying with monks in the Shaolin Temple he has always been drawn to a holistic approach to life. He is a meditator in the Vedic tradition for well over a decade and a keen cook. In 2010 he worked with Jasmine in a private client business, sharing their knowledge and inspiration to deliver traditional wisdom, well-sourced and home-cooked food for private clients which then developed into the wellness breakout brand Hemsley+Hemsley, for which he was Creative Director. Nick co-wrote and shoot Hemsley+Hemsley’s two best-selling cookbooks alongside the development of the Hemsley+Hemsley Selfridges cafe. Alongside his other projects, he continues to create with Jasmine to this day, art directing and photographing the award-winning East by West cookbook as well as sharing their ever-deepening interest in Ayurveda. Nick now strives to work with like-minded brands and people, enjoying the new journey of being a dad and running an Ayurveda-inspired business with Jasmine.
Nick's work has appeared in British Vogue, Vogue.co.uk, Marie Claire, Red Magazine, House & Garden, The Telegraph, Stella Magazine, Stylist, BBC Good Food, BBC Worldwide and more.
Follow Nick:
Instagram: @nickhopper_galacticman
“Once you realise and fully embrace that we are nature the rest falls into place and you begin to truly get deep insights into your own nature.”
What does Ayurveda mean to you?
Intuitive, graceful and harmonious life navigation.
When did you discover it and how long have you been practising it?
Ayurveda first came into my life around 15 years ago as Jasmine and I got more into yoga practice and then learned Vedic meditation.
What drew you to Ayurveda?
I had always tried to lead as healthy a life as possible but the modern day’s ever-changing fads and the Western approach to health of one size fits all, never sat well with me. The pillars of Ayurveda resonated with me on a deep level as soon as I looked into it further, it also answered and continues to answer, any questions I have regarding my own mental, physical or spiritual well-being.
Has it helped you with anything major?
It has given me a toolbox to address any situation and understand my needs in any given environment and under any given stress. That alone is major!
Is Ayurveda part of your everyday life or just for your medicine cabinet or fall-back routine?
Ayurveda is fully integrated into our daily lives. We even followed the Ayurvedic systems to naturally consciously conceive, and then applied the Ayurvedic knowledge throughout the different trimesters of pregnancy and postpartum which was a beautiful process.
What are your top 3 Ayurvedic tips that have worked for you?
Tongue scraping -the first thing I do every day it’s a great daily check-in on your health. Eating my main meal at lunchtime and eating light in the evening preferably by 6 pm. Rising with the sun and trying to be in bed before 10 pm. Sipping warm water throughout the day (boiled then cooled) I find this really beneficial and always keep a thermos with me.
What surprised you most about Ayurveda?
Its simplicity. Once you realise and fully embrace that we are nature the rest falls into place and you begin to truly get deep insights into your own nature.
Did you integrate it gradually or overnight for any particular reason?
It was a gradual progression but that is the beauty of Ayurveda there is no right or wrong or fast or slow, it meets you where you are at and grows and supports you as much as you allow it. The knowledge is limitless and has fed into all aspects of my life from being a dad through to staying fully in my zone on long-hour high-pressure photoshoots.
Do your children/family eat an Ayurvedic diet? And if they do, do they know it’s Ayurveda or do they just think of it as home cooking?
We eat Ayurvedically daily, in terms of meal times and spices we use, and always eat together as a family. Mahi (our daughter) has been brought up on Ayurvedic inspired food from the womb and onwards. Her first solid meal was Ayurvedic milk rice.
What is your favourite Ayurvedic recipe or go-to ingredient?
We have a saying at home “ you never regret a dahl”. Dahl and rice with various homemade condiments/chutneys and side dishes to hit all the six tastes never fails to satisfy and is a staple.
How does Ayurveda fit into your day-to-day routines?
Seamlessly, Ayurveda is about working with the natural rhythms of your body and the day, it’s designed for effortless integration.
What do you wish was easier in our society to make an Ayurvedic lifestyle more accessible?
I wish it was easier in society to have real freedom of choice! There needs to be more open-mindedness in our society, more compassion and less emphasis from day one on consumption and more on connection - and as we grow there needs to be a redefining of our value systems and what it means to be truly successful. Government policies that actually educate and empower and facilitate people to take command of their own well-being. All of the above would mean that people were naturally practising the pillars of Ayurveda.
Do people around you/in your circle of friends know about Ayurveda?
Yes! I feel really privileged to have grown a really wide circle of friends around the world within the Ayurvedic community. My schoolmates have christened me a beardy weirdy, however, they are always fascinated to talk about alternative health with me.
What’s the one thing you would encourage everyone to try or you think would benefit the majority of people’s health for the better?
The most simple thing would be eating their main meal at lunchtime and eating light in the evening and swapping drinking cold water for warm water.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Ayurveda is a system of health that originated in India and it’s easy in the West to be put off by the name or esoteric language of Ayurveda, however, it is a system of health and natural science of life that is deeply profound universal knowledge and is available for all to benefit from to keep us all as strong vibrant harmonious beings just as nature intended us to be!