Dimple is a brilliant Ayurvedic practitioner and teacher and brimming with wisdom, knowledge and positivity. We met through my Prajna book launch event in Mumbai – she interviewed me at Soho House Mumbai. Watch the live conversation here from 9th June 2020.
What are your top health tips for time in quarantine?
I had a strange fever just before Corona virus became as big as it is, and I have considered the possibility that I may have had it. It may have come and gone and thanks to my immunity I was able to fight it off. There is currently no cure, so immunity really is so important. Anybody who has immunity and the antibodies to fight it, will survive. Immunity is something you can boost at home, and I advise everyone to work on it. Neem for example is great, it is antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial. Consume it in moderation, so take capsules consecutively for 15 days and then stop. Don’t take it if you are pregnant, a child or elderly.
How is Ayurveda a holistic wellness system?
The first rule of Ayurveda is that all illnesses in the body begin in the mind. If there is conflict in the mind, the cells in your body replicate this. Every 4 seconds, a new cell is created in your body and reflects the emotion you were feeling at the time it formed. The same way a child imitates a mother’s emotions. If you don’t keep you mind calm and clean you will physically harm your body. So, it’s important to remember…
- Don’t stress or get anxious, or you will damage your immunity.
- Control your cool emotions (temper, anger, jealously, envy, frustration, irritability), which are all triggered by a Vata imbalance in the body. 80-90% of people across the world have a Vata imbalance due to quarantine. The symptoms are constipation, sleep issues, anxiety, excessive thoughts and not knowing where to project your thoughts. You must get this under control.
How do you channel your thoughts in the right way?
This is not the time to have confrontations with your friends or family, everyone is trapped. Don’t project your issues onto other people, because they also have their own battles. Instead try eating sweet Kapha foods, such as fruit, mango or a glass of milk. Even eat fried foods, because they instantly make you happy. A Vata imbalance can mean too much air in your body, and oil and ghee in these foods can trap this air and get rid of dryness around your organs.
What is the purpose of Ayurveda?
The purpose is to prepare your body for meditation so you can achieve salvation. Lots of people however have a lot of ego when practicing yoga and Ayurveda. There are lot of misconceptions about what Ayurveda is. It did come from India, but it literally translates as ‘wisdom of life’. It doesn’t matter who you are – you have the right to practice Ayurveda and yoga, to help you fulfil your desires and live a long life.
4 key Ayurvedic beliefs are:
- Follow the path of righteousness DHARMA
- Earn money in a legal way ARTHA
- Don’t forget to fulfil your desires without prejudices KAMA
- Attain salvation after you have done your life duties MOKSHA
What are your thoughts on smoothies?
A key rule in Ayurveda is that you don’t mix fruit and vegetables. They have different digestive enzymes, different tastes and digest at different rates. So, when mixed, they can become toxic in the body. Fruit juices are great for the summer, but again use one type of fruit, don’t mix them.
Here are some other tips:
- Don’t mix fruit and yoghurt.
- Milk and mango can be mixed.
- Garlic and milk can reduce inflammation and pain in the body
- Milk and ghee can release constipation.
- Milk with turmeric helps prevent Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other chronic diseases due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
- Milk with nutmeg induces sleep.
- Lemon and coconut water are amazing together. They make the stomach alkaline, preventing cancers, as cancer can’t materialise in an acidic environment.