CLAIRE PAPHITIS
“Through my clinic and my training at the institute I have seen first-hand the incredible and powerful effects [Ayurveda] can have in helping people get better, reducing or completely eradicating symptoms and enabling people to get off prescription medication and put an end to their suffering. Everyone and anyone can incorporate Ayurvedic principles into their lives – and as I say it all starts with the digestive fire!”
Claire Paphitis (AKA The Ayurveda Coach) is an Ayurvedic consultant and author of Balance Your Agni - An Essential Guide to Ayurveda. She runs her Ayurvedic practice from her home in Surrey and also in London and online. She is a classically trained violinist and pianist and worked as a senior artist manager in the classical music industry for 12 years before retraining as an Ayurvedic consultant after experiencing for herself the powerful healing and transformational benefits of following its practices. She is passionate about raising awareness of Ayurveda and making it accessible and straightforward for everyone to follow- whilst maintaining its authenticity and true meaning.
Follow Claire:
Instagram: instagram.com/the_ayurveda_coach
Website: http://theayurvedacoach.com/
“Ayurveda works by going to the root cause and treating that instead.”
What does Ayurveda mean to you?
For me it is the full 360. A complete circle. It helps me take care of my physical, mental and spiritual health and wellbeing. The ancient Sanskrit texts explain so beautifully the way in which one can live and eat to be well and I love how this ancient science has endured for millennia and offers very real and relevant solutions to what we are all desperately seeking in our busy modern lives: mind/body balance.
When did you discover it? How long have you been practising it?
I first read about Ayurveda back in 2003 just before I was heading off to university in London to study music. It wasn’t such a buzzword back then but I remember being fascinated by it and trying to figure out my Dosha and so on. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much patience in those days and soon gave up on it. To be honest the literature I had wasn’t so clear and I couldn’t understand how to incorporate it into my life. I also wanted to be a student and go out and get drunk and go dancing, so it was probably the wrong time for me back then! A seed was definitely planted, though, and when the time was right, which was back in 2016, Ayurveda appeared to me again — I tell people it was like a light bulb moment and I never looked back.
Two things happened in 2016 which put me on the path to becoming an Ayurvedic consultant: the first was giving birth to my daughter. She had been a much longed for child and I knew that going back to work full-time (I was a senior artist manager for a major classical music agency) would be very tricky to juggle and I wanted to be at home for my daughter and really enjoy those early years of being a mother. The second thing that happened was around 8 weeks after my daughter was born I lost my mother to ovarian cancer. During her illness I would say mum had been incredibly brave, and I think she probably shielded me a lot from all that she went through. But those final days visiting her in hospital were a massive eye opener for me: walking through the ward each day and seeing the suffering of the patients and the pain of the families at their bedsides affected a change in me and after that and I knew I needed to take a different path in life. I wanted to do something that would make some small difference to others and that’s when Ayurveda just came into my head again, all those years later. I did some research and chose to study at the Ayurveda Institute UK and have never looked back. It was absolutely the right thing to do and there have been so many little signs along the way that reassure me I am finally living my life’s purpose.
What drew you to Ayurveda?
When I first picked up a book in the library back in 2003, it was because I had suffered since the age of 12 with severe menstrual migraine. My husband always jokes that when we first moved in together he knew he was in for a night of fun when he came home to the lights out and the bedroom door closed. It meant I was having one of my migraines and I would be out of it for the next 24 hours!! So they were bad and had been for many years. I was always trying to find natural alternative therapies to try and help me either get rid of them or reduce the pain. I was given strong painkillers, beta-blockers, the contraceptive pill, etc. by my GP but it just felt as though this was covering up the problem. When I discovered that Ayurveda works by going to the root cause and treating that instead, it seemed like the answer I was looking for. However, as I mentioned before, I was 18 at that time and just heading off to university. I tried to fix the problem just by reading a book when I should really have sought help from a qualified consultant to have a better understanding of the root causes. So at the time I gave up. I tried lots of other things after that — acupuncture, reflexology, homeopathy, cutting out dairy, sugar, wheat, etc. Whatever was trendy at the time! When I had my lightbulb moment and returned to Ayurveda in my early thirties it was because I wanted to retrain and become a consultant, and so as part of that I had a series of consultations with one of the doctors at my training clinic. Within a couple of weeks of following the diet changes and taking the herbal medicines, I felt lighter, had more energy, was calmer, sleeping better, and my digestion was really good. The migraines radically reduced – though I would say it took around 6 months to erase them completely. It was astonishing. Because I was training as a consultant I followed the protocol very carefully but I soon found that actually it wasn’t so difficult to adjust my eating habits and take the herbs especially when it meant I was free from headaches. My Dosha is Pitta-Kapha, though it was aggravated Pitta causing me the most trouble. A few years on I still follow a Pitta-pacifying diet but I only take the herbs as and when I feel I need to. The idea is not to take them forever, just until you are in balance again or when you need a little extra support.
Is Ayurveda part of your everyday life or just for your medicine cabinet or fall-back routine?
It is absolutely a part of my everyday life. I would never ask my patients to do anything I wouldn’t be prepared to do myself. Having been through the process of making changes to my diet and lifestyle I can empathise with my patients all the better. I also like to be realistic: Yes I live by Ayurvedic principles every day, but that doesn’t mean I do so “perfectly!” I don’t believe there is a “perfect” way to do it and I don’t like the idea that people have to add it to a list of things to beat themselves up about if they sometimes stray from the ideal. So I always say to people: if you are managing 80%, you are doing great. What I mean by this is that — while I am pretty strict about Pitta reducing foods — every now and then I will have a coffee, or an ice cream. I don’t stress about it. I am pretty well balanced now, so I know this isn’t going to cause any particular problem as long as it doesn’t start becoming a regular thing.
What are your top 3 Ayurvedic tips that have worked for you?
Balance your Agni!! Agni is Sanskrit for fire – and in Ayurveda it means our digestive fire. There is a wonderful and important verse in the ancient texts that says, “the root cause of all disorders is an impaired Agni.” How amazing is that? And it really is that simple… take care of your digestive fire and you reduce the number of toxins (or Ama) in your body, which means the Doshas will stay balanced and you will be well. So the first port of call for any consultant is to asses the state of the digestive fire and take steps to help the patient balance this. I also think this is an easier concept for a lot of people to understand. So often patients come to me very confused about what dosha they are and get in a muddle about it all. So I tell them about the Agni, as I think it is a much easier concept to get the hang of when you are new to Ayurveda.
So, balance your Agni by:
1) Eating warm cooked foods (avoid raw food as much as possible)
2) Using culinary spices – cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg are some of my favourites as they help to further “cook” the food before you digest it
3) When you have real hunger – eat something! This is your Agni waking up and it needs fuel. Don’t subdue feelings of hunger by having a big glass of water or a coffee (this just dampens the Agni, meaning it will work less well when you need it to!).
What surprised you most about Ayurveda?
That it works! Can I say that?! Because I tried a lot of other alternative remedies and practices and for me nothing was as sustainable or easy to incorporate (once I was shown how!) or as effective as Ayurveda. It has completely changed my life. I have been practising just over a year — but through my clinic and my training at the institute I have seen first-hand the incredible and powerful effects it can have in helping people get better, reducing or completely eradicating symptoms and enabling people to get off prescription medication and put an end to their suffering. Everyone and anyone can incorporate Ayurvedic principles into their lives – and as I say it all starts with the digestive fire!
Did you integrate it gradually or overnight for any particular reason?
Overnight. I’m quite Pitta so I don’t do anything by halves!
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?
I do most of the cooking at home so yes, everyone eats “Ayurvedically.” This doesn’t mean we only eat curry and dal (a general misconception). For me one of the other important principles of Ayurveda is “Ojas” – our natural immunity. We can boost our Ojas when we do something with love for others. So I try to cook mindfully and with love for my family or friends. Then as often as possible we all sit down together and eat as a family. So whether you roast a chicken or make a simple vegetable soup – this act and the process of preparing and eating the food mindfully, and with love and gratitude for the ingredients and each other is something that builds Ojas in our bodies. And this, for me, is Ayurveda.
What is your favourite Ayurvedic recipe or go-to ingredient?
I do make an excellent cardamom coconut curry… it’s wonderfully cooling for pitta and contains all six tastes: sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter and astringent, so it’s always a regular dish at home! But one of my favourite ingredients is also one of my favourite home remedies — and that is the humble coriander seed. You can soak 3 teaspoons of bashed coriander seeds in a glass of water overnight, strain and drink in the morning anytime you feel you have an excess of Pitta in your body (This could be hot flushes, rosacea, urinary tract infection, cystitis, etc). Strain the seeds and drink the water first thing on an empty stomach. It tastes delicious and refreshing and will immediately cool Pitta and boost circulation (important to flush Ama or toxins out from the body).
How does Ayurveda fit into your day-to-day routines?
I try and go with the flow. As a consultant I suppose it is easier for me to know exactly what I might need each day in terms of balance and so on. I think it is important for people not to make it another “thing” to have to think about on their to-do lists – but start with some small steps such as above: eating warm cooked foods, avoiding raw and cold foods or iced drinks and eating when you feel hunger. A good consultant will be able to guide you with foods to include and foods to avoid for your particular Dosha and any symptoms you have and it is their job to build a plan you can make work for you as much as possible, though of course you have to be prepared to make some changes. I believe once people take the initial steps and are committed to making a change they soon start to see how much better they feel and have a more positive outlook. This is then the fuel to encourage them to keep going and after a little while it starts to become intuitive — people start listening to their bodies more and naturally steering clear of certain foods without having to really think about it. For example, a Kapha-dominant person who might have been experiencing a lot of congestion and sinus problems would be asked to keep away from foods like yoghurt, ice cream and cheeses. They might love these foods at first and find it challenging, but as the body comes into balance and the congestion clears they start to feel lighter and more energised. In time, the thought of eating those foods is actually a turn-off!
What do you wish was easier in our society to make an Ayurvedic lifestyle more accessible?
I think there are some wonderful people in the community doing brilliant work to make Ayurveda more accessible. I think it is important to try and bring it into the mainstream but keep principles simple and intact and not let it become hijacked and distorted through marketing and so on. You don’t need lots of fancy gadgets or expensive equipment. Ayurveda is for everyone and for the benefit of everyone. I think if we can spread the message of looking after digestion first, people can incorporate this and start seeing improvements in their overall health: then they will hopefully want to find out more and slowly we can build this community and spread the word about Ayurveda, this wonderful “knowledge of life.”
Do people around you/in your circle of friends know about Ayurveda?
A lot of my friends are interested in taking care of their health and so since I became a consultant, they have been interested in finding out more about Ayurveda. I have helped to treat a lot of my friends and they are now converts, which is brilliant as they then tell their friends and family and so the news about Ayurveda and its positive effects starts to spread. Some people are still skeptical and that’s fine. I am passionate about Ayurveda but I understand it’s not going to be for everyone. I will be here with my herbs and remedies when they want me!
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?
Take notice of your digestion — it is telling you so much. Are you bloated, gassy, do you have trouble with acid reflux? Do you feel lethargic after eating, are you having to cut out certain food groups that you feel you can’t digest? How often are you having a bowel movement? Modern science and research is also backing up what Ayurveda says about the importance of digestion — and moreover the link it has not just to our physical health, but to our mental heath as well.
Anything else you’d like to add?
You can visit my website www.theayurvedacoach.com for further advice and appointments. I offer a free 15-minute discovery call as well. Also, my book, Balance Your Agni – An Essential Guide to Ayurveda published by Ebury Press, is out on 13 August 2020 and available to pre-order on Amazon now.