DIMPLE JANGDA
“Ayurveda is an intuitive intelligence, that we were born with. Ayurveda is a manual that nature provided for us to care for our body. Ayurveda is a science that explains the potential energy, kinetic energy, cause and effect of food on our body, mind, and emotions.”
Dimple Jangda is a celebrity Ayurvedic health coach, a gut health expert and founder of Prana, an Ayurvedic healthcare centre started in November 2017. The centre has treated 1900+ patients from 49+ countries. Dimple has coached the likes of Dev Patel, Juhi Chawla, Anjali Tendulkar and many more on Ayurvedic diet and principles for daily life.
In an attempt to bridge the gap between traditional Ayurvedic science and modern research-based science, Dimple started Prana Academy for Healthcare Studies, in collaboration with the esteemed Jain (Deemed-to-be University), a group of 85 schools and colleges. Prana Academy for Ayurvedic life sciences, under the leadership of Dimple, has coached 1800 students from 40+ countries including students from Japan, China, Korea, Australia, Brazil, France, Algeria, Argentina, Iran, Pakistan, and others.
The vision of Prana is to make Preventive Healthcare Life Science through Ayurveda a global phenomenon and a household practice, by simplifying and demystifying the science, and bridging the language, cultural, and communication gap.
Prior to this, Dimple was a seasoned investment banker, founder of Rudra Investments in New York City, and she was previously a TV producer at CNBC-TV18, TV a reporter, and a copywriter in advertising. She eventually left Wall Street and started exploring rural India in pursuit of the secret to happiness and health, and thus was born Prana, which means source of life.
Follow Dimple:
Website: Prana by Dimple Jangda
Instagram: @pranabydimplejangda
“Ayurveda is now a way of life, helping me fulfil my desires while caring for my body, mind and emotion.”
What does Ayurveda mean to you?
Ayurveda is a way of life, not just a part of life. This is a science that teaches you how to live a long, healthy, and happy life; and most importantly it prepares your body for meditation so you can attain salvation. This is the purpose of Ayurveda and yoga.
When did you discover it? How long have you been practising it?
When I was on a one-year sabbatical from my career travelling around the world, trying to find answers to questions I didn't know I had. I was travelling with the wind, accepting invitations to different countries, and at one point I was in Rajasthan and discovered I was unconditionally happy for no specific reason. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that it was because I was aligned with nature and was in a state of balance. I wanted to bottle this happiness and unconditional bliss and make a viable business of it. I then heard about an Ayurvedic manufacturer in Kerala whom I wanted to visit. The very next day I had tickets to Kerala and spent a few days on the road visiting various Ayurvedic manufacturers. I spent another 4 months finding a place where I could set up a small Ayurvedic Clinic in the heart of Mumbai. A few months later, Prana was born.
What drew you to Ayurveda?
Ayurveda has existed for 5,000 years and has been selflessly caring for humanity without due recognition quite often. This is a piece of legacy and heritage that we must preserve for future generations. I was an investment banker in New York City, television producer for CNBC, a news reporter, a copywriter in advertising in my past life. I finally wanted a meaningful business that would allow me to create value for the present and the coming generations without causing harm to the planet and with minimum carbon footprint. The challenge was to make this business sustainable and to make Ayurveda available to people without biases, prejudices, barriers and gaps. At prana, we marry 5,000-year-old traditional Ayurveda with modern research-based science and focus on bridging the language gap, cultural gap, and time gap.
Has it helped you with anything major?
I have been able to avoid a fifth surgery for myself, avoid a surgery for my father for his gallbladder, and cure several issues for my close friends and family. Ayurveda is now a way of life, helping me fulfil my desires while caring for my body, mind and emotion.
Is Ayurveda part of your everyday life or just for your medicine cabinet or fall-back routine?
Ayurveda is part of my daily life in more ways than I can imagine. I understand the food on my plate, from the perspective of Doshas, Shadrasa and Gunas. I plan even my workouts, sleeping patterns and social life based on what my body needs.
What are your top 3 Ayurvedic tips that have worked for you?
My 3 tips are to follow the circadian rhythm of the sun, eat as per my emotions and Dosha imbalamce, and apply the rule of Shadrasa to my meal. Most importantly, boosting my immunity on a day-to-day basis.
What surprised you most about Ayurveda?
What surprised me most about Ayurveda is that it was heavily misunderstood to be a slow healing process, when in fact me and my patients have found immediate results and visible difference in our health on a day-to-day basis. I recovered from chronic urticaria in just 2 weeks, and I was also able to avoid a surgery in another situation. My patients have found a visible jump in their health for treating a range of disorders as well.
Did you integrate it gradually or overnight for any particular reason?
I integrated Ayurveda gradually one day at a time as and when I discovered what it had to offer. I was amazed with what I learnt with each passing day, and how it all connected the dots. Ayurveda is an intuitive intelligence, that we were born with. Ayurveda is a manual that nature provided for us to care for our body. Ayurveda is a science that explains the potential energy, kinetic energy, cause and effect of food on our body, mind, and emotions.
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?
Luckily for me I am still single… and my family is slowly discovering the benefits and the power of Ayurveda.
What is your favourite Ayurvedic recipe or go-to ingredient?
My favourite Ayurvedic recipe is buti for cold, cough and allergies. I use 1 teaspoon of honey with half a teaspoon of grated ginger and a pinch of pepper and turmeric to treat sinus-related issues.
How does Ayurveda fit into your day-to-day routines?
I follow Dinacharya, the circadian rhythm of the sun, and small Ayurvedic rituals like oil pulling, tongue scrapping, Abhyangam, Udwarthanam, and eating a balanced meal with all six tastes incorporated in a day.
What do you wish was easier in our society to make an Ayurvedic lifestyle more accessible?
I wish Ayurveda was made mandatory in schools and colleges, so young kids and adults could learn the science of life and incorporate it at a young age.
Do people around you/in your circle of friends know about Ayurveda?
All my friends and my inner circle have no choice but to listen to me talk about Ayurveda, whenever I find them struggling with imbalances. Almost everybody I know has had to to do a consultation and incorporate the Ayurvedic diet or medicines into their daily life, and most of my friends and family swear by this science.
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?
I would encourage everybody to approach this science with an open mind and allow your body to receive the benefit of nature. After all, we are all made of just 5 elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. From earth and back to earth.