NADENE HAWKER
“I had always had a natural ability to understand people very quickly, sometimes without them whispering a word to me. Ayurveda has helped me tap into the skill and I have already seen incredible results in those I have been supporting. But the part I love the most is I can help to guide people, but the magic is already inside them. It’s incredible seeing my patients understanding themselves in a way that creates balance, empowerment, and harmony.”
Nadene is currently studying for her Diploma in Ayurvedic Lifestyle & Nutrition under principal physician and director of the Ayurvedic Institute UK and of the Association of Ayurvedic Professionals UK, Dr. Deepika Rodrigo. With her studies freshly completed, her exam results are due in August of this year. Nadene plans to work with her local community to help the people of Hertsmere, Hertfordshire bring their bodies back into balance through lifestyle and nutrition advice and herbal supplements. She has recently secured a beautiful space to practice at Koop, Battlers Green Farm, Radlett, where her patients can enjoy a consultation indoors or outdoors.
Nadene sees her studies as a lifelong practice and aims to specialise in antenatal and postnatal care as an Ayurvedic Doula. Nadene wants to see this ancient healthcare system improve the wellbeing of new mums and will volunteer at her local NHS family centre as well as taking one-to-one clients.
Follow Nadene:
Instagram: @the_Ayurvedic_Mama
Website (coming soon): The Ayurvedic Mama
“Ayurveda provides the guide we all think we’re here without!”
What does Ayurveda mean to you?
Ayurveda has made the super complicated parts of life far simpler and the simple everyday things I once took for granted so beautifully complicated. It is a poetic guide to life that makes me reach out for more and more nourishing wisdom. I believe Ayurveda was already within me (within all of us) whispering quietly, but when life got too loud, discovering this wisdom felt like coming home. It saved me. Ayurveda provides the guide we all think we’re here without! It aligns us with the ebbs and flow of life, natural seasonal rhythms, meaning, purpose, and leaves us feeling held which in turn prevents disease and disorder in our body and mind.
When did you discover it? How long have you been practising it?
When I had my daughter three years ago, I was diagnosed with postnatal panic disorder which escalated into existential angst, unwanted thoughts, and derealisation. With a history of anxiety deep-rooted into my family I was no stranger to some of the symptoms I was experiencing, but this was fear on a whole new level. I felt fearful just being in my own skin. On top of the anxiety, I was sick at least once a month with cold-like symptoms that floored me, and experienced uncontrollable bowel movements which I couldn’t just ignore; I would need a toilet nearby. My skin was extremely dry, and my eyes hurt in daylight. My lymphatic system was inflamed with swelling around my groin and armpits. There was nowhere to hide but to take a deep dive into why my body and mind were suffering so much.
A long story short, during the postnatal period I spoke to various professionals, perinatal mental health team members, and therapists. Although everyone was helpful, the advice and prescriptions provided were very much hit and miss for me and only ever addressed symptoms, not the cause of why this was happening.
I investigated new ways of calming anxiety. I desperately wanted to know why I felt so terrible when I had everything I had ever wanted: a healthy baby girl to love.
Repeatedly, I was coming across the term “Ayurveda” in podcasts, yoga classes and books, where I eventually found various descriptions of ALL my symptoms as well as my character traits clearer than I have ever seen before: the Vata type, air, and ether. Finally, I had answers as to why I was feeling so fearful that even the vastness of the sky felt daunting to me.
I am a firm believer in feeling the fear and doing it anyway, but I needed to approach my healing from inside out, head to toe. The physical symptoms my mental health was causing were out of control. Ayurveda provided all I needed to gain enough physical strength to begin exposure therapy and start facing the world again. For just over a year now I have slowly been introducing more and more elements of Ayurveda to my lifestyle and diet.
What drew you to Ayurveda?
I wanted answers. I wanted to heal for me and my family. I didn’t want to mask the symptoms I was experiencing in case they might return one day, especially as my daughter become more aware of the world. I didn’t want my experience to shape her roots in a negative way.
Motherhood for me felt like a profoundly spiritual journey that Western medical advice didn’t incorporate. My suffering felt like my body and mind screaming at me as a time to heal so this history of anxiety could finally be addressed and not affect my daughter in the way it had me and my ancestors.
Ayurveda was the only wellbeing system that provided the type of healing that hit deep. Not only that but it helped me understand my needs and even ambitions clearer than I had ever seen before. For 37 years my conditioning had me filling the wrong wellbeing cup up, leaving me high and dry when any stressful transitions took place. My journey with Ayurveda feels like meeting myself and the world for the first time. I remember describing it to my husband as taking the pill Neo takes in the Matrix. Waking up felt messy, excruciatingly painful at times but when the dark clouds passed, I heard quiet answers to my healing and life felt magnetic in ways I had never experienced.
I had always had a natural ability to understand people very quickly, sometimes without them whispering a word to me. Ayurveda has helped me tap into the skill and I have already seen incredible results in those I have been supporting. But the part I love the most is I can help to guide people, but the magic is already inside them. It’s incredible seeing my patients understanding themselves in a way that creates balance, empowerment, and harmony.
Has it helped you with anything major?
I felt so fearful when my anxiety was at an extreme that life itself caused panic. Thankfully I never had thoughts of harming myself in any way, but the fear was debilitating. Some days it felt like the ground under my feet was being pulled away, I felt separate from my body entirely.
The love I feel for my daughter and the wisdom of Ayurveda gave me the strength and grounding I needed to find my way. I no longer ever fear needing the toilet and rarely have urgency. My digestion is almost where it needs to be, which in turn is strengthening my lymphatic system and immunity. I look at the sky now and it grounds me, I feel connected to the world in a way that has changed my whole approach to life.
Is Ayurveda part of your everyday life or just for your medicine cabinet or fall-back routine?
Ayurveda is part of every part of my life, from the way I choose to spend my time and who with, to the ingredients I choose for lunch and how I eat it. It sounds all-consuming but after a while, when habits begin to stick, it is far easier than you might think. Being a Vata type, I do need flexibility in my routine, so day by day, hour by hour, I think about what my needs are so I can adapt accordingly. For example, the foods that were good for me yesterday may cause an imbalance the following day. Things like the weather and life events all play a part in what’s needed each day.
What are your top 3 Ayurvedic tips that have worked for you?
This is ancient wisdom; it’s been important to keep a modern-day head on whilst delving into Ayurveda. Some of the ingredients or ways of living are not fitting for my life and world location so I adapt according to what works best for me and my family.
I can’t remember who said it (it could have even been Jasmine!): I go for an 80/20 percent approach. If I fancy something that isn’t favoured within my constitutional plan, I allow myself to have this craving 20 percent of the time. If I am following what is best for me the remaining 80, then I see that as doing great. Ayurveda is a practice, and I need to do just that. I practise, and there is no end to it, as it’s a continual journey which I will need to keep adapting as I grow older.
When I feel overwhelmed with life or Ayurvedic wisdom itself, I take a step back and get quiet. Usually then, I hear the gentle whisper of intuition letting me know what to do next.
What surprised you most about Ayurveda?
How much of Ayurvedic knowledge is already buried in our intuition. Much of the wellbeing knowledge that has helped balance me and the people I have supported felt like our bodies already knew it somehow. My period now even syncs with the new moon, which I find is a great way to work with emotions and stuck energy through movement and meditation.
Did you integrate it gradually or overnight for any particular reason?
It was a gradual approach for me. It felt like my ego kept pushing wisdom away even though it was helping me so much! Old habits die hard. I would feel a little better and then reach for my old favourites thinking a little of this won’t hurt. Peanut butter for example was far too heating for the Pitta aggravated by my super out of control Vata, but I kept going back for more each morning until it took horrific heartburn to shout at me, “what are you doing?”
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?
Nope. I feel like Ayurvedic wisdom can only be heard by ears that are ready, that need it. But when it comes to cooking, they see it as just mum’s home cooking. I am going through a tough patch with my little one’s eating habits now — she only wants very limited ingredients, which are mainly of the beige colour. However, I see that as her Vata toddler energy trying to balance. So, I will happily give her a bowl of Kapha-increasing mash potatoes mixed with ghee. I do my best to reduce things like cheese, which are harder to digest, but I do not lose sleep over her diet. She’s happy and healthy and that’s all that matters.
What is your favourite Ayurvedic recipe or go-to ingredient?
Mung dal without fail. You can leave it in a slow-cooker, and it just gets more delicious and easier to digest. Cooked with simple spices in ghee, it’s quick, highly nutritious, and cheap! It boosts blood circulation, and weaning babies love it. And It’s cultivated with minimal resources which means it is sustainable for the environment as well.
Slow cooker mung dal
Add to your slow cooker:
100g of mung dal, soaked overnight and washed
1 litre veg stock
Cook on the high setting for around 4 hours or until the mung dal is almost at a paste consistency. Once cooked, drain off any excess water and set aside.
In a frying pan, add:
1 white onion, chopped
1 tbsp ghee
2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp hing (asafoetida)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp rock salt
2cm fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 clove fresh garlic
When the onion is soft, add the mung dal, stir in, and enjoy with fluffy white rice and freshly chopped coriander.
Freezes nicely or could be kept in the fridge for a couple of days.
How does Ayurveda fit into your day-to-day routines?
Ayurveda is my daily routine, from how I spend my limited time in the morning to what rituals I follow before bed.
What do you wish was easier in our society to make an Ayurvedic lifestyle more accessible?
Without fail, food! When I began a Vata/Pitta-reducing diet, I realised how cheese and tomato-heavy almost every U.K. restaurant menu is. It would be great to see society encouraging home cooking with more spaces to eat outside in tranquil surroundings. Can you imagine little heat-up points, loos and sinks to wash our hands? Dreamy.
Do people around you/in your circle of friends know about Ayurveda?
I think they do now it’s such a huge part of my life. Even people I thought would be the last to want to try Ayurvedic remedies and eating are coming to me for advice. It’s a beautiful thing to see, only good things can come of it.
I noticed a huge increase in interest after lockdown and greater COVID immunity. The people around me seemed to be looking for wisdom and answers like they hadn’t done before.
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?
Sort your digestion out! Boy or boy it has so much to answer for, 70 percent of your serotonin is made in your tummy, meaning a good poop will seriously make you happier. The more I opened about my poo fears, the more others were saying the same.
Speak to an Ayurvedic counsellor and they will guide you on some simple herbs to balance your Agni (digestive fire) and what foods and mealtimes are best for your lifestyle.
Anything else you’d like to add?
No matter your walk of life, religious beliefs, lifestyle, age, Ayurveda is for everyone. Whether you dip your toes in or dive headfirst, this ancient wisdom has something to offer all of us.