NATHALIE AZKUE MOUKOM
"Ayurveda for me is the ongoing practice of observation of my outer and inner nature and the art of balancing those. It also means simplicity to me."
Nathalie Azkue Moukom is a Vaidya in Ayurvedic medicine, who has spent years working at their family-owned centre Asoka Ayurveda on Madeira island. Nathalie, along with her husband David, founded Moksha Ayurveda, an Ayurvedic community centre in Mallorca, in 2021 as an extension to Ayurveda Kalari, their successful Ayurveda hub in Berlin opened in 2018.
Follow Nathalie:
Website : Moksha-Ayurveda
Instagram: @moksha_ayurveda_mallorca
“WHAT FASCINATES ME MOST ABOUT AYURVEDA IS THAT THIS ANCIENT COLLECTION OF KNOWLEDGE OF HUMANS HAS NEVER LOST ITS RELEVANCE AND HAS BEEN FURTHER DEVELOPED THROUGH CONSTANT EXPERIMENTATION UNTIL TODAY.”
What does Ayurveda mean to you?
Ayurveda for me is the ongoing practice of observation of my outer and inner nature and the art of balancing those. It also means simplicity to me. Ayurvedic lifestyle consists of simple yet powerful tools that everyone can integrate into their daily lives. Drinking warm water, conscious eating, self-massage…the transformations are profound! Ayurveda offers a treasure chest of tools to get a deeper understanding of how body and mind work together.
When did you discover it? How long have you been practising it?
Back in 2001 my mother founded her first Ayurveda Centre in my hometown Hannover, Germany. From that time on many new practices followed me in our home. Even though I faced these with mixed feelings as a teenager, the seed of Ayurveda was planted.
What drew you to Ayurveda?
After having met my husband, David and I have implemented more and more Ayurvedic routines into our daily life. We have learned all those simple tools such as practising “Dinacharya” is a huge source of strength especially after having become parents of three.
Has it helped you with anything major?
I also have to admit that I am very grateful that my mum has spoiled us with an amazing nourishing Ayurvedic diet throughout my postpartum times; it makes life much easier when the whole family aligns with the Ayurvedic lifestyle.
Is Ayurveda part of your everyday life or just for your medicine cabinet or fall-back routine?
Ayurvedic principles are an integral part of how we live together as a family. Our children are growing up with Ayurveda in a natural way. They do have a very good sense of what is good for them and when they might be a bit out of balance. They instantly ask for herbal medicine such as Trikatu, Tumeric or Guduchi when getting a cold.
What are your top 3 Ayurvedic tips that have worked for you?
Give more importance to how you prepare your food rather than what you prepare. Integrate Ghee and spices into your diet it nourishes all tissues of the body and supports balanced metabolism.
Respect your timings - enjoy your meals at the same times every day. For example,9 am breakfast , 12 pm lunch, 6 pm dinner …Eating off-schedule may cause indigestion. Regular meals help your body to keep you Agni strong!
Do daily self-massage at least once a day mornings and/or evenings - It improves proper circulation and is nourishment for all the body, it also improves sleep patterns and gives a deep feeling of warmth and comfort.
What surprised you most about Ayurveda?
What fascinates me most about Ayurveda is that this ancient collection of knowledge of humans have never lost its relevance and has been further developed through constant experimentation until today. This profound knowledge relates to external factors such as climate, seasons, environmental conditions and diet as much as it considers any other aspect of human life and it is seen as part of the cosmic order.
Did you integrate it gradually or overnight for any particular reason?
I really immersed myself into Ayurveda in 2013 in Madeira Island, Portugal, where my mum founded our family-run Ayurveda Centre “Ashoka Ayurveda” about 15 years ago. At that time I started studying the “Sutra” course with my teacher Dr. E. P. Jeevan and later on “Chikitsa”.
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?
At home we spend a lot of time at the kitchen together and prepare our main meal, lunch together. At least one of our children always wants to help but we never force them to. It all comes naturally from them because they feel pleasure to do so. Some days they ask for Dhal or Kitchari on others not and that is fine.
What is your favourite Ayurvedic recipe or go-to ingredient?
My favourite Ayurvedic recipe is a tridoshic Kitchari. I eat it almost on a daily basis and celebrate its preparation. I am in love with this simple nurturing one pot that you can cook in so many different ways. And best of all you can be sure that it contains everything a strong body and mind need.
How does Ayurveda fit into your day-to-day routines?
My family and I are running an Ayurveda Centre in Mallorca. So the Ayurvedic routine is already predetermined. When I wake up in the morning and do my dinacharya practice my oldest and youngest daughters are following me. Oiling the body, followed by simple asanas, boiling a big pot of hot water and so on…and it is lovely to see how they do it with so much joy.
What do you wish was easier in our society to make an Ayurvedic lifestyle more accessible?
I wished that Ayurvedic consultations/ treatments would be supported by social security or health insurances to make an Ayurvedic lifestyle more accessible to a wider population. Traditional Chinese Medicine is already being recognised in Germany and I very much hope that Ayurveda will also gain more and more trust in the years to come.
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?
A lot of our clients are often getting anxious about integrating the Ayurvedic lifestyle into their daily routines when going home after Panchakarma as our society has forgotten to recognise that we really need to take very good care of ourselves and that we are more sensitive than we think. Many people tend to ignore their natural needs because they are busy performing at their job. Irregular or complete skipping of meals is common practice.
I wish that we start again to pay more attention to our inner voice and needs by cultivating ourselves more and therefore create a higher quality of life for us and our children.