TIA TUENGE
Creating a morning self-care regime that includes simple Ayurvedic practices is something that I now teach my own students. Treating ourselves with loving kindness helps us extend that same kindness to others.
Tia Tuenge is a renaissance woman in the true sense of the word. She incorporates her love of the sacred feminine, Council, ceremony and ritual, drumming, meditation, journeying, sacred sound, crystal healing and her expertise in the secret history of women into the gatherings she hosts to create unique and magical experiences that uplift women and remind them of their sovereignty.
She's a Council facilitator trained at the Ojai Foundation, is certified in yin and restorative yoga from Bhakti Yoga Shala, is a certified crystal healer, an initiate in the Red Moon Mystery School, and has participated in Priestess of the Moon training. She's a multi-media artist, jewellery designer and maker of sacred objects working in a wide array of mediums including clay, crystals, paper maché, and mixed media painting.
She’s the founder of Art of Sacred Living and is the co-founder of Sacred Woman Retreats.
Follow Tia:
Website: Art of Sacred Living
Instagram: @artofsacredliving_
What does Ayurveda mean to you?
I first discovered Ayurveda in 2006 when my yoga teacher invited me to a workshop he was teaching. It was a very basic introduction where we learned a little about the Doshas, Bija Mantras and how to incorporate simple Ayurveda practices, such as drinking a warm glass of water first thing in the morning and aligning our sleep more with nature. I enjoyed the workshop and incorporated what I learned for a while but didn’t pursue learning more.
Fast forward a decade — a lot of life happened in that time, including menopause, something that’s not openly discussed in our culture. After more than two years of suffering from symptoms that included hot flashes and crippling insomnia, I was desperate for help. That’s when a friend recommended that I visit an Ayurveda doctor that she’d been working with. I scheduled a visit and it was recommended that I do a seven-day Panchakarma program, which would entail a five-day home prep of morning doses of ghee and a kitchari diet, followed by daily treatments at the clinic. Desperate to get my life back, I enthusiastically agreed.
The experience was intense, some aspects such as the Abhyanga massage, a four-handed, perfectly synchronised massage with specially blended, warm herbal oil, felt beyond amazing; others left me wondering why I had agreed to seven days.
I stuck it out and the result was total transformation! I followed the doctor’s instructions, which included eating cooling foods, going to bed by 10 p.m., tongue scraping and a glass of warm water upon rising in the morning, as well as incorporating daily self-massage with sesame oil. Taking the time to include these practices felt like a gift I was giving to myself and left me feeling like a new woman.
It’s been three years and I still use the Ayurveda tools I learned, they’ve become a sacred practice of self-care. Creating a morning self-care regime that includes simple Ayurvedic practices is something that I now teach my own students. Treating ourselves with loving kindness helps us extend that same kindness to others.
Here’s one of Tia’s go-to recipes:
Comfort bowl with garlic tahini sauce (serves 4)
INGREDIENTS
1 cup adzuki beans, cook per instructions on package
1 cup brown basmati rice, cook per instructions on package*
1 large sweet potato
1 cup dinosaur kale, whole leaf
For the garnish:
Kimchi, kelp noodles and a few sprouted almonds
For the garlic tahini sauce:
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 water
Juice of 1 lemon
2 to 4 cloves garlic (add more of less to taste and you can finely chop and sauté if you prefer a milder garlic taste)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
Cook beans and rice per instructions on the packages.
Peel and chop sweet potato and steam until tender. When cooked, mash until smooth with a fork or potato masher.
Steam kale until tender.
To make the sauce, add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth, then adjust ingredients to taste.
In a bowl, add rice, beans and sweet potatoes, top with a few leaves of kale, kimchee, kelp noodles and a few almonds. Drizzle sauce over the bowl to taste.
East by West tip: *For how to cook brown rice the Ayurvedic way, turn to page 267 in East by West.