RAJIV RAJA
“Do at least one thing a day which brings joy to your life. Being happy daily helps your mind. A positive and happy mind will stop you doing things or engaging in habits that will bring disease to your life. So, happiness = good health.”
Rajiv Raja is an Ayurvedic practitioner and health and mindset coach with a BSc. (Hons) in Ayurveda. He has been surrounded by Ayurveda since he was born. Born into a family which practices yoga, Ayurveda, and Vedic principles daily, incorporating health-promoting activities has been part of his daily life forever. Having seen the benefits of Ayurveda in his own life, Rajiv wants to share the simple secrets of the ancient philosophy with everyone to promote good health, positivity and compassion in as many people as he can.
Having previously trained as an optometrist, Rajiv understands the needs of Western clients and how to integrate GPs’ and other “conventional” care modalities with Ayurveda in order to give the best care to his clients.
His special interest is in psycho-emotional causes of diseases. This interest inspired him to study Neuro-Linguistic Programming and coaching to help people understand their own psychological state, improve it and thus live the life that they’ve always wanted to live.
Rajiv’s mission is to spread the simplicity of implementing Ayurveda into our day-to-day lives to prevent disease and allow a person to live a great life full of health and vitality.
Please contact him for more information — he looks forward to guiding you on your journey.
Follow Rajiv:
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“[Ayurveda] runs through my veins; it is part of me, and I am part of it.”
What does Ayurveda mean to you?
To me, Ayurveda is life in its totality. It is a guide for how to live a fun, healthy and fulfilled life. It is an ancient secret to living your best life. It is timeless and its principles can be applied easily in everyone’s life, especially in this modern hectic world we live in. It runs through my veins; it is part of me, and I am part of it.
When did you discover it? How long have you been practising it?
I was born and brought up in an Indian family that follows Ayurveda, so there has never been a time when Ayurveda was not a part of my life. Living with an extended family and with grandparents who applied (and are still applying) Ayurvedic principles to their lives, I have picked up many simple home remedies and seen my family live a healthy and prosperous life. They have been observing good diet rules to maintain health and an on the odd occasion someone in the family gets ill, I have seen them make a strong and quick recovery using Ayurvedic herbs and remedies.
What drew you to Ayurveda?
I have been brought up on it and through my childhood I was a healthy, positive, and confident character, so I decided to study it deeper to understand it more from a vocational and theoretical sense so I could help others live healthily.
Has it helped you with anything major?
Luckily, I have been blessed with good health throughout my life thanks to living by Ayurvedic principles, but overall Ayurveda has helped improve my immunity, sped up my recoveries from flu, given me a strong, confident, and positive mind — in fact I have hardly needed to go to the doctor’s in my 39 years of life. I strongly believe that because I have been following Ayurveda since birth, my health has been good — the basis of good health as an adult is laying a good foundation in childhood using Ayurvedic principles.
Is Ayurveda part of your everyday life or just for your medicine cabinet or fall-back routine?
It is both. Firstly, it is part of my everyday life to stop any disease process, and secondly, if I do fall ill or feel imbalanced I have my herbs and remedies to fall back on to quickly get well. Life is a constant learning experience and Ayurveda has taught me so much.
What are your top 3 Ayurvedic tips that have worked for you?
Eat only when you are hungry — this will prevent toxins building up, thus preventing diseases.
Sleep early and wake up early — your body heals the most when you sleep.
Do at least one thing a day which brings joy to your life. Being happy daily helps your mind. A positive and happy mind will stop you doing things or engaging in habits that will bring disease to your life. So, happiness = good health.
What surprised you most about Ayurveda?
It is so simple to implement, and you don’t need to be a monk or live in the forests or mountains to do it.
Did you integrate it gradually or overnight for any particular reason?
It has been part of my life forever, so the majority of it was integrated over my lifetime, but I always advise clients to take things slowly. Observe your own life first and see where the principles of Ayurveda can be implemented easily. The more they become part of your routine the more they will stick and the more you will see the benefit. Persist on a change for 21 days — that way the change becomes a habit and a good Ayurvedic habit helps promote good health.
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 live in an Indian family so the food we eat is cooked using ancient Indian principles. These principles are based on Ayurvedic principles. Having said that, there is always more to learn and implement and the more I have learnt about Ayurveda and cooking the more I have implemented into our cooking at home. Good home cooking following the simple rules Ayurveda sets out should be followed by all households. The rules are simple and logical and easy to follow. Once children learn and grow up with Ayurveda around them, they will see the benefits and will grow up to live with awareness and maintain good health, avoiding preventable diseases thus taking the burden off the NHS.
What is your favourite Ayurvedic recipe or go-to ingredient?
Kitchari — this is my comfort food. It is warm, nourishing and just a nice wholesome and light meal. Hits all the spots and satisfies my Agni.
How does Ayurveda fit into your day-to-day routines?
I would say I make my routine fit into an Ayurvedic lifestyle rather than make Ayurveda fit into my day-to-day routine.
Ayurveda describes Dinacharya — which is daily routine. It helps determine how to live daily, what to do to allow the Doshas to stay balanced and to avoid disease. So, by following a routine which is Ayurvedic in nature and also works for me, I prevent disease and stay healthy.
I always try and be aware of how my body is feeling and then base my actions, food choices and lifestyle choices on how it feels. This moment-to-moment awareness keeps me present and helps me stay in tune with my body, which is what Ayurveda’s main guiding principle is.
What do you wish was easier in our society to make an Ayurvedic lifestyle more accessible?
More education about Ayurveda, what it is, how to access it and how to implement its principles into daily life. Also, Ayurveda has been made out to be religious, Indian-only and very strict. This is far from the truth and this myth should be dispelled. It should be taught in schools and it should be called “The Rules to Live Healthily.”
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?
Understand their Agni, or digestion, better. Understand what hunger is when they are hungry and then eat at that time. So get in touch with your body more and understand what it is trying to tell you. I believe knowledge of Agni is arguably more important than the knowledge of your Prakriti [Dosha type]. In my opinion the mantra for everyone should be AGNI AGNI AGNI. A strong Agni means a strong digestion, resulting in good immunity, which equates to good health.
Anything else you’d like to add?
So much more to add — how much time do you have?!