KIM KRIYASAGAR
“Recognising that each individual is a unique micro-universe within the macro-universe, Ayurveda offers a way for each individual to enhance their quality of life. So as each individual strives to live more in harmony with nature, this affects the greater whole. This is the butterfly effect, where small changes lead to larger-scale adaptions, which in turn affect the future state of the whole system.”
Kim “Kriya” Kriyasagar in an Ayurvedic Yogic Practitioner. She has a masters degree in Ayurvedic Medicine from Middlesex University, London, which included clinical internships with collaborative Ayurvedic hospitals in India.
She trained with the British Wheel of Yoga before realising her spiritual home with the Bihar School of Yoga in 1992, and went on to take Karma Sannyasa initiation in India from Swami Niranjanananda Saraswati in 2013.
She has taught yoga for 28 years and practised Ayurveda for 13 years. Kriya practises in Kent and Sussex, UK, and teaches Ayurvedic modules for a yoga teacher training school in London.
She offers Ayurvedic consultation, massage and body therapies, individual and group yoga tuition to all ages and levels, including specialist classes for men, kids and peri-menopausal women. Her passion is women’s health offering courses and workshops including a monthly online “Menopause Masterclass with Ayurvedic Yoga.”
Follow Kriya:
Instagram: @kriyaayurveda
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Website: Kriya Ayurveda
“Ayurveda is my life.”
What does Ayurveda mean to you?
When I first started studying Ayurveda, I felt like I was looking though chinks in the wall of an enchanted garden. Now I feel like I am enraptured in this vast landscape, which might take a few lifetimes to explore and fully realise. Recognising that each individual is a unique micro-universe within the macro-universe, Ayurveda offers a way for each individual to enhance their quality of life. So as each individual strives to live more in harmony with nature, this affects the greater whole. This is the butterfly effect, where small changes lead to larger-scale adaptions, which in turn affect the future state of the whole system. Personally, Ayurveda and yoga have enabled me to live a happy fulfilled life, for which I am eternally grateful.
When did you discover it? How long have you been practising it?
During my first pregnancy, I started eating a plant-based diet. Then whilst researching how to extend this to raising my daughter, I discovered The Ayurvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar in 1990, which was enlightening. Four years later, I naively attempted a long project integrating Ayurveda with yoga for my Yoga Teacher Training. That was when I discovered the breadth of Ayurveda and decided I needed a specialist training to do justice to truly understanding the science. So I waited until my mid-40s, when my three kids were more independent, and went back to university to do my masters. I have been teaching yoga for 28 years and practising Ayurveda for 13 years.
Is Ayurveda part of your everyday life or just for your medicine cabinet or fall-back routine?
Ayurveda is my life. The wisdom of Ayurveda offers pathways to prevent disease and maintain long-term health and wellbeing. It is also helpful to treat the body and mind when health declines. During peri-menopause, I faced a personal health crisis. I undertook Panchakarma, which restored my body and strengthened my mind to make the life changes necessary to remove the cause of the crisis. This personal experience inspired further research into the “Effects of Ayurveda and Yoga for Menopausal Symptoms” for my masters dissertation, and informs my passion to support women going through this challenging life transition. Then again when my son was critically ill with cancer, we turned to Ayurveda and yoga to support his treatment. He has been in remission for 6 years and recently completed his MSc degree in Sports Science.
What are your top 3 Ayurvedic tips that have worked for you?
Integrating one lifestyle adjustment at a time and celebrating the achievement.
Establishing regular times for sleeping, waking, exercising, eating and eliminating.
Indulging in home cooking with a variety of fresh whole foods.
What surprised you most about Ayurveda?
How much the sages of Ayurveda knew 5,000+ years ago and how relevant this still is today. It makes sense to follow the rhythms of nature to maintain balance. Ayurveda offers a gentle, non-dogmatic, practical approach to managing life by working with nature’s daily, monthly and seasonal rhythms, and our life cycles.
Did you integrate it gradually or overnight for any particular reason?
Ayurveda reveals itself gradually through positive results. For this reason I am continually learning and integrating more and more Ayurvedic guidance into my life every day. I am particularly interested in the guidance Ayurveda offers about transitioning through the different stages in our life cycles.
Do your children/family eat an Ayurvedic diet? And if they do, do they know its Ayurveda or do they just think of it as home cooking?
When my kids were growing up, we prepared meals from scratch. Now my grown-up kids are interested in cooking fresh whole food and don’t distinguish between home or Ayurvedic cooking. My middle daughter is a Whole Food Vegan Chef. She is so inspired by Ayurveda that I am sure at some stage she will undertake a formal training in Ayurveda to deepen her knowledge of food.
What is your favourite Ayurvedic recipe or go-to ingredient?
Kitchari made with rice, mung dal, a range of spices, seasonal vegetables, fresh herbs and ghee. This can be particularly inspiring when exploring the six Ayurvedic tastes through seasonal produce.
How does Ayurveda fit into your day-to-day routine?
As a dedicated yogini, I found it easy to integrate Ayurvedic Dinacharya into my morning Sadhana. With fewer family responsibilities these days, I nourish myself by rising before sunrise and dedicating at least a couple hours of each morning to Sadhana including Asana, Pranayama and meditation. I follow Ayurvedic dietary principles, try to finish my last meal around sunset, use the last hour of each day to slow down, reflect and prepare for restorative sleep, and mostly fast until breakfast.
What do you wish was easier in our society to make an Ayurvedic lifestyle more accessible?
I would love to find a way to support more investment in teaching children about growing and cooking food that doesn’t cost the earth. I would love to support young families by introducing them to Ayurveda to develop healthier lifestyles. Also finding a way to invest in supporting Ayurvedic practitioners to share their lifestyle knowledge with GPs and other healthcare practitioners would be a worthwhile challenge.
Do people around you/in your circle of friends know about Ayurveda?
Yes, and I support that we are all individuals on different journeys. So if my friends ask my advice I encourage positive lifestyle changes, without being prescriptive about whether they are “purely” Ayurvedic.
What is the one thing you would encourage everyone to try or you think would benefit the majority of people’s health for the better?
Daily detoxification through drinking cooled boiled water.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Ayurvedic spices are like the superheroes of food, they have so much to offer.