Whenever I go to talks or workshops, I make a commitment to myself that I will walk away with one piece of new information or knowledge. Something that rings true to me and that I can use as active information in my life. The reason I do that is because most times trying to hold on to everything (or even more than one thing) simply prevents me from holding on to anything for real, over a long time, and on a personal level.

Most recently, I took one of Gabby Bernstein’s group workshops called “Busting through the blocks” here in NYC. We meditated A LOT and did a ton of other great exercises to calm our minds and manifest our ideal lives. It was awesome!

The one piece of newly gained information (or awareness) that I walked away with from our third meeting is that as people who are living a “regular life” (not in an ashram or a temple) we are inevitably exposed to stressors. May it be traffic, subways, noise, food, people, our jobs, our relationships and so forth…. the point is that we don’t really have complete control over the stressors in our lives and how much we are exposed to them.

BUT, we do have a choice when it comes to how we handle these stressors. This is where our power really resides!

As the group discussed what internal and external stressors were for different people, it became strikingly clear how different each and every person is and that there is not (ever!) a one-size-fits-all way of doing anything. Each person experiences stress in different ways and therefore, has completely separate needs and requirements for optimal well-being. This is exactly what I encounter with my clients as well. Each person has different concerns, problems, insecurities, and doubts that keep her from actively pursuing a different job or launching a new program.

This tells me that the key to handling anything in our lives and stress in particular, is in understanding our own constitution.

What are stressors for you personally? Can you minimize your exposure to them? If yes, great! If not, how can you support yourself and your life in a way that calms you and thus makes you more resilient. What self-care principles and healing methodologies can you adopt to feel more balanced?

I know from personal experience as well as from my work with my clients that self-care is often the first thing to go out the door when things get hectic. Instead of going to exercise and taking care of our bodies, we drink more coffee in the afternoon and more wine at night. Instead of spending our money on a massage, we go shopping for things we don’t need. In other words, we often exasperate our stress levels because we havn’t figured out what stressors are for us personally and how we can handle them optimally.

Because I believe in this kind of a personalized approach, I have been intrigued by the study of Ayurveda for quite some time. Ayurveda really looks at the individual's constitution and tunes into the person, which is why today, I would like to give you a little bit more information for what Ayurveda is, how it approaches well-being and how you can use this knowledge to deal with stress.

Here is my interview with Amita Banerjee, an Ayurveda Wellness and Life-style Consultant in NYC.

1) Amita, when did you start studying Ayurveda and why? Can you give us a simple, basic introduction as to what Ayurveda is?

I started to study Ayurveda twenty two years. I was working in the corporate world and my life-style and diet completely destroyed my health, body and mind. I then turned to this great science of wellness – Ayurveda. The word Ayur means life and Veda means Knowledge. Thus this great science that dates back to 6000 years is the knowledge of complete wellness and balance -mind, body and consciousness.

2) What makes Ayurveda different from other health philosophies?

Ayurveda is the mother of all sciences from which emerges – Chinese medicine, modern medicine, Reiki, Fungshui, aromatherapy, massages, reflexology, Vastu Shastra, color therapy, sound therapy, yoga, Pranayama, Herbology and many more aspects of the holistic healing sciences.

Ayurveda is unique because the science does not generalize but establishes the uniqueness of the individual and then customizes all the aspects of treatment. It also takes into consideration the mind constitution. This is the reason this science is different from all other health philosophies.

3) Stress and burn-out is such a prominent condition for so many of us. What are 3 simple things that everyone could do at home to reduce stress and fell more balanced?

Stress is the undetected silent killer in our lives and Ayurveda addressed this 6000 years ago. It is now concluded by modern science also that more than 85% of the imbalances are psychosomatic! A person's overall constitution includes their unique set of physcial attributes, mental tendencies and personal traits. There are three main constitutions: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha that inform how a person can balance themselves optimally. Vata types, for example, benefit from simple, nourishing food and a regular routine. Highly focused pitta types need to balance their intense schedules with more leisure time. Kapha types need a spicier diet and more stimulating activities.

The three most significant things for stress release in Ayurveda are:

Food according to constitution: Every individual is unique so if one eats food according to their constitution, then the cells will surely accept it best as nutrients and you will digest it properly.
Regular massages from scalp to feet with customized oil for the constitution. Massage supports elimination of toxins, better circulation and balances your chakras.
Yoga and Pranayama (breathing exercises) according to constitution.

We need to add to this a short regime of sound meditation.

4) You are going to lead an Ayurveda study program this June which will focus on self-healing for health and balance. I absolutely love that concept and am super curious! Can you tell us a little bit more about it?

The Ayurveda study program is aimed to empower all to understand their own unique constitution and create simple ways of health, weight management, youthfulness and higher energy. We need to be healthy to achieve our life goals with ease and create fulfillment.

The best way to get rid of the rounds of insurances and doctors and side effect causing medicines is to take control of your own body, mind and consciousness and create health and wellness in a natural way! Nature provides us with all the support we need to know our constitution and take all that nature is giving us in abundance!

If you are interested in finding out more about Amita's June Ayurveda Study Program, you can click here. For questions you can email Amita here amita4ayurveda@gmail.com.

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