GEORGIA MCCALL
“I started to enrich my body with whole foods, nourishing it from the inside out. I ate natural, organic, seasonal, fresh and wholesome produce suited to my body type and applied the Ayurvedic lifestyle practices to my daily routines. Slowly but surely, everything began to change. My energy levels increased, the cold shivers subsided, my skin cleared up, my sleep improved and the headaches were no longer a part of my everyday life. I started to heal. Naturally.”
Georgia is an Ayurvedic health coach, energy healer and yoga student and the founder of Hum Ayurevda, a wellness platform offering essential holistic services to fully support you on your health and healing journey, with a core focus on the mind-body connection.
Hum Ayurveda was born out of a passion for travel, health and wellbeing, and inspired by Georgia’s time in Bali, India, Sri Lanka and the Far East.
Georgia fell in love with the ancient science of Ayurveda after its simple yet profound ways enabled her to heal many years of chronic fatigue, digestive issues, skin problems, anxiety and low moods. After exploring many avenues with no hope, Ayurveda finally gave her all the answers she was looking for and her pain became her passion.
Since then she has dedicated her life to learning, absorbing and immersing herself deep into the world of Ayurveda and is deeply passionate about sharing her love of Ayurveda with others, knowing how life-changing her own experience has been.
Georgia’s goal at Hum Ayurveda is to assist you on your health and healing journey by giving you the tools, knowledge and support to truly thrive in all areas of your life.
Follow Georgia:
Website: www.humayurveda.com
Instagram: @humayurveda
“I can, hand on heart, say Ayurveda has totally transformed my life.”
What does Ayurveda mean to you?
To me, Ayurveda means healing, self-awareness, self-love and holistic living. It’s a complete science to living a wholesome, happy and well-balanced life that takes into account everything you do and how that makes you feel.
The sacred teachings of Ayurveda have enabled me to discover my own true self through aligning with the natural rhythms of nature and nourishing my mind, body and soul with appropriate foods suited to my body-type allowing me to live my life to its maximum potential.
I am incredibly grateful for discovering this ancient wisdom.
When did you discover it? How long have you been practising it?
After many painful, frustrating years of seeing one specialist after another, from doctors to nutritionists, dermatologists to naturopaths, only to leave each appointment clutching yet another packet of pills with no real answers, I felt I had exhausted every option. Nothing seemed to work. Nobody could shed any light on my health problems and the headaches, chronic fatigue, digestive issues, skin problems and low mood continued to rule my life. Reluctant to put my body through yet another course of prescription pills, I started to give up hope.
Thankfully everything changed in 2018 when I met an Ayurvedic doctor in Goa, South West India. I poured my heart out to this kind, radiant woman and she assured me that everything would be okay, something I had heard a million times before. But for the first time, something felt different. I found that I believed her.
My diet and lifestyle were having a negative impact on my health and my body was totally out of balance. I learned that my body-type was Vata and that I need to favour warm, grounding, nourishing foods and any exercise that I take should be light. The raw vegan diet that I was following at the time, combined with regular high-intensity workouts, were in fact damaging my body.
Armed with a bundle of herbal supplements and a new diet and lifestyle plan to follow, my Ayurveda journey began. I started to enrich my body with whole foods, nourishing it from the inside out. I ate natural, organic, seasonal, fresh and wholesome produce suited to my body type and applied the Ayurvedic lifestyle practices to my daily routines. Slowly but surely, everything began to change. My energy levels increased, the cold shivers subsided, my skin cleared up, my sleep improved and the headaches were no longer a part of my everyday life. I started to heal. Naturally.
What drew you to Ayurveda?
In all honesty it was desperation, having exhausted so many avenues and running out of options to turn to.
Once Ayurveda was explained to me it all made so much sense. The Doshas completely blew my mind, giving me an immediate understanding of my own unique blueprint shed so much light on my innate strengths and weaknesses. I’ve always been a bit of a daydreamer who loves to jump from one idea to the next, easily overwhelmed and anxious and always freezing cold! Understanding that my Dosha is Vata (Air) has enabled me to understand this is just how I am supposed to be, just like a Pitta person (Fire) will be ambitions, determined, competitive, passionate and a bit hot-headed at irritable times. Or a Kapha person (Earth) will be calm, well-grounded, patient, loyal and often resistant to change. In all instances this is how we are supposed to be, it’s our DNA. Understanding this knowledge is a true gift.
Has it helped you with anything major?
Yes! So much! For the best part of my early 20s and 30s I suffered from anxiety, chronic fatigue, digestive issues, sinusitis and low moods. Since discovering Ayurveda and applying its principles to my life, I am thrilled to say these symptoms are no longer an issue. If any symptoms do arise I am able to pinpoint why, treat myself accordingly and bring myself back into balance through diet, herbs, detoxification therapies and lifestyle practice.
I can, hand on heart, say Ayurveda has totally transformed my life.
Is Ayurveda part of your everyday life or just for your medicine cabinet or fall-back routine?
Ayurveda is very much a part of my everyday life, from the moment I wake to my head touching the pillow at night. My Dinachraya (daily rituals) are so sacred to me I couldn't imagine my life any other way. These simple yet powerful practices are the foundation for my health and wellbeing and a real act of self-love, enabling me to function at an optimum level and show up for life with ease, grace and gratitude.
What are your top 3 Ayurvedic tips that have worked for you?
There are so many to choose from but my top three would have to be:
1. Eating foods that are suited to my own mind-body type (Doshic constitution) and eating no later than 6pm.
2. Sleep is one of the key pillars in Ayurveda. The Doshic clock indicates that Kapha (Earth) is abundant from 6-10 (am/pm), Pitta (Fire) from 10-2 (am/pm) and Vata (Air) from 2-6 (am/pm) so sleep should take place between 10pm-6am.
3. Daily Pranayama and meditation are non-negotiable. Sitting quietly, turning inward and calming my active Vata mind is a practice I love so deeply and the benefits are endless.
What surprised you most about Ayurveda?
How simple yet how powerful and effective it is. Armed with this knowledge and understanding I truly do have a choice to how I feel physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually by practicing these principles daily.
Did you integrate it gradually or overnight for any particular reason?
For me it was a gradual process starting with the simple things like tongue scraping, dry brushing, drinking golden milk and herbal teas to adjusting my diet and taking herbal supplements. Fast forward two years I now have an extensive daily practice but always advise my clients to implement the changes gradually to achieve maximum results and to maintain the practice. Starting off with two modalities a day such as Abhyanga (self-massage) and getting to bed by 10pm is a great place to begin.
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?
My family don’t eat an Ayurvedic diet but I’m working on it. I’m currently at home with my parents and sister during the COVID-19 lockdown so I offered to make a simple kitchari for dinner one night. Aside from staining all the kitchen utensils with Turmeric, I think my kitchari went down rather well!
What is your favourite Ayurvedic recipe or go-to ingredient?
I absolutely love porridge so my go-to recipe is oats with cinnamon, ginger powder, cardamom and coconut sugar topped with chopped up dates, currants and toasted coconut flakes. It’s warming and delicious and perfect for balancing my excess Vata.
How does Ayurveda fit into your day-to-day routines?
It never leaves me. My Dinacharya (daily practice) and Sadhana (morning practice) really sets the tone for my day.
I rise with the sun, do 45 minutes of Pranayama, meditation and journalling and I always write a list of at least 10 things I am grateful for in my life. I then splash my face with cool water, tongue scrape to get rid of Ama (accumulated toxins), brush my teeth and do Jalan Neti to clear my sinuses before showering. I then prepare my warm, nourishing and grounding breakfast of porridge and a chai tea. Lunch is always at midday.
In the evening I have a light easy to digest dinner around 6pm and do the following rituals to unwind and prepare me for bed. Abhyangha (self-massage), yin yoga, self-reiki, diffusing essential oils, meditation and some more journalling before lights out at 10pm.
What do you wish was easier in our society to make an Ayurvedic lifestyle more accessible?
Open-mindedness, more knowledge and awareness. I am excited to see the Ayurveda movement really coming to life through events, workshops and social media platforms and a big shout-out to Jasmine and everyone else who makes Ayurveda, fun, accessible, modern and easy to grasp.
Do people around you/in your circle of friends know about Ayurveda?
Yes, it’s been a gradual process but they are starting to discover Ayurveda through me and the changes in me. I am always excited to share my knowledge of Ayurveda with them and love going into more depth during my 1-on-1 consultations.
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?
The one thing I would encourage everyone to try is eating right for your body type and consuming the largest meal of the day around midday when Agni (digestive fire) is at its strongest and eating no later than 6pm, or leaving at least 4 hours digestion time before going to bed. This simple practice has made a dramatic difference to my energy levels in the morning and to my overall health.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you Jasmine for asking me all of these beautiful questions. I am humbled to be part of such an inspiring community and to feature on this page alongside such wise and knowledgeable pioneers in the Ayurveda world. Please keep doing what you are doing.