In this week’s article of our Rediscovering Ayurveda series, we interviewed Dr. Dixa Bhavsar. For Dixa, Ayurveda is the ultimate savior of mankind especially now that human beings have evolved so dramatically. The world is quite literally on our fingertips but what is lacking is the peace of mind. It often sounds like an unessential thing, but a peaceful mind can surely make a restless soul happy. And Dixa knows – a healthy body always helps in keeping out minds at peace and at ease. As they say, prevention is better than cure, thus, it is imperative to keep an eye on our day-to-day habits. Ayurveda certainly helps us do that in the best possible way.
When she first got admitted for her bachelor’s degree in Ayurvedic Studies, Dixa felt an instant connection with Ayurvedic principles and philosophy. “While other students felt lost reading Padarth Vigyaan, I continued to gravitate towards the divine philosophy” , says Dixa. Reading Shrimadbhagvad Gita surely made it easier for her to understand the principles of Yoga better than she had thought.
“I started practicing right after my internship and consulted over 10,000 patients in my first year itself, which not only gave me a lot of exposure but helped me gain the much-needed confidence.”
Turns out, studying Ayurveda has been certainly the most rewarding and enriching experience of her life!
When asked what inspired her to take the path of Ayurveda, she fearlessly admits how she was diagnosed with hypothyroid four years ago. Just like her mother, who was diagnosed with hypothyroid and pursued Yoga, Dixa decided to take the deific path of Yoga and Ayurveda. “My mother is a Yoga Instructor and has been my biggest inspiration”, she adds. From seeing her mother conduct free Yoga camps in different regions of Gujarat to running an Ayurvedic medical store – this humble upbringing has surely had a profound impact on her life.
“Four years ago, I got diagnosed with hypothyroid and my TSH was 28. However, I refused to take any allopathy medicines and followed a strict Ayurvedic regime and Yoga routine and within months, my TSH reduced to 14. This strengthened by faith in Ayurveda even more.”
A true devotee and lover of the Ayurvedic regime, Dixa credits the poignancy of her lifestyle to the holistic Ayurvedic regime and its magical healing powers. She believes Ayurveda is not just a treatment modality unlike other systems of medicines. Concepts of dincharya (daily regime), ritucharya (seasonal regime), ratricharya (night regime) and pathya-apathya (do’s & don’t’s) are what she finds enormously fascinating. It continues to put her in awe with its healing powers.
Taking a glance at the sun first thing in the morning and extending gratitude for blessing her with another day is how Dixa begins her day. Following which she indulges in practices like surya namaskar and morning rituals of brushing, tongue-scraping, exercise, etc. Being in the medicine field surely involves a lot of hard-work and efforts but Dixa manages to pull off an 8-hour work-routine rather effortlessly. Consulting patients and writing articles are key aspects of her professional life, which she enjoys seamlessly. After getting done with her day, she prefers an early dinner and some uninterrupted quality time with family. What a bliss!
Like any natural lifestyle enthusiast, Dixa also has her set of favourite habits inspired by Ayurvedic philosophy, which she makes a point to practice regularly.
“Vyayama, Kavala or Gandusha and my bedtime rituals are my most sought after habits”, says Dixa. She goes on, “Exercise has become an integral part of my morning routine, and although I don’t follow a specific pattern, I enjoy going with the flow.”
Gandusha, meaning oil-pulling involves putting about a tablespoon of oil in your mouth and swishing it for about 15-20 minutes and is ideally done on an empty stomach but only after brushing your teeth.” Jumping on to the end of her day, the part which she absolutely adores – reading, listening to serene music and meditation are her most loved activities. No wonder she wakes up with a fresh mind every day!
We ask her what is her modern-day perspective of Ayurveda and Yoga and their interrelationship to which she excitedly responds – “I view Ayurveda and Yoga as soul sisters. The way they complement each other is utterly fascinating.”
For Dixa, Yoga is not restricted to Asanas – it is beyond performing a set of practices. The true meaning of Yoga can only be understood after connecting with an adopting to the Ayurvedic lifestyle. She opines:
“I believe Ayurveda is taking your Yoga practice off of your mat and incorporating it into your everyday life!”
Ayurveda surely teaches us everything and while platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram have helped in spreading its awareness, the poor and underprivileged continue to be devoid of these quintessential philosophies.
“I think it takes a lot of courage, kindness, humility and passion to take up Yoga and Ayurveda professionally”, Dixa concludes. The people who continue to spread awareness about the magical powers of Yoga and Ayurveda are truly the gift to the world. Lastly, we ask her which Amrutam product she would love to try to which she says she would love to try the Kuntal Care Hair Spa to keep her long hair healthy and lustrous.
At Amrutam, we take immense pride in having passionate individuals like Dixa as part of our #AmrutamFamily!
REDISCOVERING AYURVEDA
Rediscovering Ayurveda is Amrutam’s series of blogs wherein we interview various men and women for their views on Ayurveda. Even though, India is the birthplace of Ayurveda, with passing time it has lost its original importance as a school of life. Indians now refer to it as a school of medicine. Certainly, Ayurveda is much more than that.
So, we at Amrutam have decided to find out what Ayurveda means to people in the present day.
This is the twenty-second article in Amrutam’s series of articles called Rediscovering Ayurveda, which aims to understand the idea or perception that modern-day men and women have about Ayurveda.
