RAGINI VARIA
“Every aspect of my life is influenced by Ayurveda, my diet, lifestyle, habits, exercise routines, my values, and my purpose. Ayurveda is my roadmap which empowers me to make choices to create, maintain or restore health and balance.”
Ragini is a qualified Ayurvedic Practitioner who has been practising Ayurveda for 15 years since graduating with a BSc and postgraduate degree in Ayurvedic Medicine from Middlesex University. She is the founder of Triveda, which offers traditional Ayurvedic products sourced from sustainable ethical farming in India.
She provides consultations from her two busy clinics in London, specialising in Women’s health and skin conditions. Her purpose is to bring the simplicity and practical approach of Ayurveda to her clients, in making healthier choices for their physical, mental, and social wellness.
Follow Ragini:
Website: https://triveda.co.uk
Triveda Ayurvedic Products: https://triveda.co.uk/collections/all-products
Instagram: @triveda_ayurveda
Facebook: @trivedaayurvedicliving
“Listen to your body’s wisdom and it won’t let you down.”
What does Ayurveda mean to you?
Every aspect of my life is influenced by Ayurveda, my diet, lifestyle, habits, exercise routines, my values, and my purpose. Ayurveda is my roadmap which empowers me to make choices to create, maintain or restore health and balance.
When did you discover it? How long have you been practising it?
Ayurveda has always been a part of my life since childhood. My mum ingrained many Ayurvedic principles in our daily lives, from eating patterns to home remedies, when we were ill. I just didn’t know it till I started studying Ayurveda. I had always been drawn to yoga and Ayurveda and when my initial career in design and advertising felt hollow and pointless, I made a conscious decision to change my career to one that had more purpose. So at 40, I left my career and enrolled in a full-time five-year degree course in Ayurveda and began my Ayurvedic journey. 20 years later, I have not looked back and am grateful every day that Ayurveda found me!
What drew you to Ayurveda?
The fact that Ayurveda is not just a medical system, it is a way of life. It shows us how to cooperate and live in harmony with the cycles of Nature. It aims to heal the unhealthy and maintain the health of a healthy person, and prevention, maintenance and healing are achieved by natural means. Having grown up with Ayurveda in my daily life without even knowing it made me realise it could easily be part of everyday living without effort.
Has it helped you with anything major?
Ayurveda has helped me deal with a lot of minor health concerns before they could manifest into major illnesses. This is the beauty of Ayurveda, every illness has six stages, that can be detected and addressed at any stage. As I age, I rely on Ayurveda to keep me healthy in mind and body.
Is Ayurveda part of your everyday life or just for your medicine cabinet or fall-back routine?
As I have mentioned before, Ayurveda influences every aspect of my life, so consciously and subconsciously, I use its principles in my food choices, my sleep routine and mental wellbeing. When its principles are so ingrained in my life choices, it’s difficult not to see everything through an Ayurvedic lens.
What are your top 3 Ayurvedic tips that have worked for you?
Have a routine. It doesn’t have to be long or arduous, just find a few daily practices that work for you and keep you grounded. My daily routine combines yoga, Pranayama and Abhyanga (self-massage) or Nasya based on the season. On weekends when I have more time, I add a few more rituals which I find comforting.
Eat seasonally. Adjusting to the changes in our environment through diet and lifestyle helps maintain balance in the Doshas (elements) and nourishes our tissues to prevent seasonal ailments.
Eat mindfully. Eat only when you are hungry and have digested your previous meal. Use all your five senses, sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell, at each meal and observe how you feel after eating: heavy, light, content, etc. This will tell you a lot about the strength of your digestive fire and the food you eat. A strong digestive fire is the foundation of good health.
What surprised you most about Ayurveda?
What surprised me was how practical and logical the basic Ayurvedic principles are. Ayurveda views everything through 20 basic qualities or attributes: heavy or light, oily or dry, cold or hot, etc. Observing these qualities in us, in the food we eat and the activities we do can help us treat an imbalance using opposite qualities. For example, if there is too much heat in the body and mind, we balance it with cooling foods, taking a swim and herbs with a cooling effect. If we understand like increases like and opposites decrease each other, we can correct many imbalances before they become issues.
Did you integrate it gradually or overnight for any particular reason?
Being a Pitta-Vata type, for me to maintain a routine takes time and discipline. Once I see the benefits, I am hooked! I started adding Ayurvedic principles gradually, once I knew what I could maintain, and which ones helped me stay grounded to keep my Doshas in check!
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?
Being of Indian heritage, knowingly or unknowingly, Ayurveda becomes integrated into our cooking. We add spices based on the qualities of the food we are cooking to make them easier to digest and assimilate. Our food combinations are also based on Ayurvedic principles. This is how generations have cooked and passed it along.
What is your favourite Ayurvedic recipe or go-to ingredient?
In Indian cooking we don’t classify recipes as Ayurvedic; they are viewed as a balanced meal that is designed to be digested easily using spices and herbs and using all six tastes. I do love my dals and lentils, they are my comfort foods.
Ghee has got to be my go-to ingredient, as it supports digestion and improves gut flora. I use it in everyday cooking and medicinally for cleansing, personally and in my clinic.
How does Ayurveda fit into your day-to-day routines?
As I live my life following Ayurvedic principles, it becomes an extension of me, and I don’t think of it as separate. It is an integral part of my everyday living and the choices I make to live a balanced life.
What do you wish was easier in our society to make an Ayurvedic lifestyle more accessible?
One of the key factors in today’s health crisis is our relationship to food. The majority of chronic illnesses are due to the lifestyle choices we make. An awareness and understanding of how we use food to satisfy our emotional and mental wellbeing would change many metabolic and eating disorders. Unfortunately, Ayurveda is still viewed as an alternative health practice, although Functional Medicine is gaining popularity and does focus on diet and nutrition as an essential part of wellbeing.
Do people around you/in your circle of friends know about Ayurveda?
Yes, all my friends and people around me do, as they see how important it is to me and what a positive influence it has had on my health and wellbeing. I have many converts!
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?
Having a strong digestive fire is key to good health. This is not just confined to food but also our thoughts and emotions. Being able to process, absorb and assimilate our food and our experiences in life and letting go is what keeps us healthy, physically, mentally, and spiritually.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Ayurveda is all about making choices — the right choices for you to have a healthy, happy, contented life. There are no rules in Ayurveda, just awareness. Our minds and bodies already have that innate intelligence to know what these choices are. Listen to your body’s wisdom and it won’t let you down.
As the Vedic prayer goes:
Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah – May all be happy
Sarve Santu Niramayah – May all be free from illness
Sarve Bhadraani Pashyantu – May all see what is sacred
Maa Kaschcid Dukhva Bhagvete – May no one suffer