KIMMANA NICHOLS
“Ayurveda was a huge part of my life growing up, so the practices have always existed for me and continues to bring awareness and balance into my day-to-day, season-to-season and year-to-year life practices.”
Naturopath and Ayurvedic Teacher Kimmana Nichols is part of the third generation from an entire family of holistic healers and educators. He dreams of a world filled with perceptive self-guided individuals because of a united system of holistic medicine and self-healing. With experience in more than 20 modalities of bodywork and medicine, Kimmana's passion for healing arts and teaching has awakened a world wave of Vedic Wisdom that is radically changing lives. He co-created Vitality Now and ThaiVedic Systems to expand this wisdom into massage teaching, personal care products and detox retreats.
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“AYURVEDA IS NOT JUST A SYSTEM OF MEDICINE, BUT A SYSTEM THAT ALSO REWIRES THE BRAIN FOR SPIRITUAL UNITY.”
What does Ayurveda mean to you?
Ayurveda is the science of preserving life in form. I have experienced Ayurveda as a medical science that has healed my body and can also rewire our brains for spiritual unity.
When did you discover it? How long have you been practising it?
I feel like I discovered Ayurveda thousands of years ago...! In this form however, I've been practising and teaching Ayurveda formally since I was 19.
What drew you to Ayurveda?
My grandparents were my first guides to Ayurveda. They were vegetarian spiritualists, studying yoga and travelling regularly to India throughout the ‘60s-’80s. They raised me on an Indian vegetarian diet that also included elements of Ayurveda, following the spiritual practices of their Guru: Maharaj Charan Singh of the Radhasoami Satsang Beas. As my curiosity for Ayurveda developed, I inherited a library from a naturopath that contained an Ayurvedic section that inspired me to study Ayurveda formally.
Has it helped you with anything major?
Absolutely. It has totally changed my life, where I originally suffered from chronic pain and an autoimmune disease (ankylosing spondylitis) in my early 20s. I have since incorporated an Ayurvedic lifestyle that has put health back into my own hands.
Is Ayurveda part of your everyday life or just for your medicine cabinet or fall-back routine?
The Vedic Systems (Ayurveda, Jyotish and Yoga) govern my entire life. From decisions around what movement, breathwork and mantra to use in my day to the foods that I choose to eat, to whether or not health insurance would be a good investment for my next travels, the Vedic systems give me guidance in all aspects of my personal, professional, physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.
What are your top 3 Ayurvedic tips that have worked for you?
1. Early to bed, early to rise! This has been such a simple and incredibly powerful tool to return my body to the natural circadian rhythms that balance my serotonin and melatonin levels, cascading into the rest of my body/mind balance.
2. Seasonal eating from local markets. This has been one of the most worthwhile changes I've made to bring diversity to my gut's microbiome and prevent digestive imbalances caused by eating the same supermarket-bought foods every day with no break.
3. Healthy relationships. Within Ayurveda, there are the three pillars for a disease-free life: Sleep, Food and Sex. Some Ayurvedic practitioners believe that the "Sex" aspect in the pillars largely relates to relationships and the act of sexuality. Healthy relationships have been paramount to allowing my body, mind and spirit to feel nourished and supported in ways food and sleep haven't been able to provide. Without healthy relationships, I wouldn't have been able to share the Wisdom of Ayurveda with the world.
What surprised you most about Ayurveda?
"Surprised" doesn't seem like the appropriate word for me in relation to Ayurveda. So, perhaps instead of "surprised,” I'll focus on what attracted me to Ayurveda. I'm attracted by the profound ability of Ayurveda to recognise individuality. This allows the selection of treatment (and therefore cure of disease) to be far more effective than the Naturopathic systems I previously applied. I was also highly impressed by Ayurveda to not just be a system of medicine, but a system that also rewires the brain for spiritual unity.
Did you integrate it gradually or overnight for any particular reason?
Ayurveda was a huge part of my life growing up, so the practices have always existed for me and continues to bring awareness and balance into my day-to-day, season-to-season and year-to-year life practices.
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?
Yes, all my family (parents, siblings and nieces) eat "Ayurvedic food" and we all consider it just normal home cooking. When I say "Ayurvedic food" however, I don't mean we all only eat kitchari or add ghee and cumin to everything. I'm referring to everyone knowing their individualised Dosha (their Prakriti and also their Vikriti) and make the appropriate adjustments necessary to their meals. My mother for instance (more Kapha than my Pitta sister) chooses not to eat sweet desserts in the evening time as she knows it will imbalance her Kapha, and my sister chooses to eat dessert whenever she likes.
What is your favourite Ayurvedic recipe or go-to ingredient?
Papaya with lime juice! Such a powerful digestive aid throughout all seasons of the year.
How does Ayurveda fit into your day-to-day routines?
There are 3 Ayurvedic regimes I choose to follow to ensure balance and diversity exists within my life:
1. I use the Ayurvedic Dinacharya (daily regimes) to give my day a balanced schedule for personal health, work and connection.
2. I use Jyotish Varacharya (days of the week regimes) to organise my schedule within the 7 days of the week based on planetary alignment (Saturday — AKA Saturn's day AKA Service Saturday — is when I oil my body).
3. And, I use Ritucharya (seasonal regimes for health) to ensure I am diversifying and balancing my practices, foods and exercise regimes in accordance with the season that I am in.
What do you wish was easier in our society to make an Ayurvedic lifestyle more accessible?
The biggest struggle that I hear people express after we've moved through a personalised healing protocol is that they don't have enough time to fit the regime around their employed business hours. If we each had more freedom around work times and our work hours were, for example, calculated based on our constitution or present imbalance, perhaps living an Ayurvedic lifestyle would be more achievable for modern society.
Do people around you/in your circle of friends know about Ayurveda?
It's quite impossible not to be known as "The Ayurveda Guy" in and out of my personal circles. I have been embodying and teaching Ayurveda for more than 20 years and anyone who knows me or is going to know me is aware that I am passionate about Ayurveda.
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?
Such a simple, powerful and foolproof lifestyle medicine that promotes health, youth, great digestion, injury healing and disease eradication is the breath. Ensuring that we employ conscious breathing and Pranayama throughout the day will make our bodies, minds and nervous systems so much more adaptable to extreme pathogenic factors.
Anything else you’d like to add?
My last piece of advice relates to the importance of putting more emphasis on time of day and season than on the individual.
- If the person was extremely hungry and it's the middle of the night, you wouldn't feed them the same amount of food that you would if they were hungry in the middle of the day.
- If there was a stimulating herb or yoga practice, then do this in the morning and not before bed.
-The time for wheat is in the autumn and winter and not all year round.
As you can see, we need to modify our practices to the time of day and the season over a person's individual needs at that time.