In this week’s article of our Rediscovering Ayurveda series, we interviewed Dr Sharon Samuel.
A walk through her journey
Dr Sharon's affinity with Ayurveda started as early as her childhood as her family always led an Ayurvedic lifestyle. She quotes that she never remembers going to a hospital as her mother always had these handy recipes for every little ailment. While her mother was encouraging her to understand her body's signals, she also encouraged her to pay attention to them which helped her understand when she needed a break. This subconsciously inspired her to choose Ayurveda as her degree.
“Learning Ayurveda has been a journey of revelations and realisations”
As a result, she went on to complete her postgraduation in Gynaecology & Obstetrics in Ayurveda at SDM, Hassan. However, with a curiosity to learn and explore more, she began to teach undergraduate and postgraduate students. Further on, she started exploring the route of healing through the mind and that led her to train with experts on dreams, reiki, cognitive behaviour therapy and Hypnotherapy.
Inspirations & Motivations
Being in control of her own life’s steering wheel and being able to be equipped with the knowledge and strength required to quickly examine and challenge and devise strategy is what helps her stay inspired by the path of Ayurveda.
“Every experience has become an opportunity to learn something about myself. This has greatly influenced my idea of life and everything around it.”
Her motivation is knowing the beauty of simple solutions and the not-so-simple impact it has on people, how it transforms people's life from being helpless and lost to being entirely in charge of themselves and their lives. Being witness to how subtle that entire process occurs, keeps her going.
Daily life & Habits
Sharon’s average day starts by waking up early in the morning before the sun is up. So that she can execute her dinacharya as closely as possible. She continues her day by cooking a balanced meal, eating on time and according to the season, arriving at work and trying to learn a bit more with each patient or student interaction, discussing cases with colleagues, reading a little fiction, spending time with family, unwinding by filling up her gratitude journal and retiring to bed before 10 pm.
Inspired by the philosophy of Ayurveda she likes to follow these 3 healthy habits:
1. Nasya everyday with Anu taila
2. Treating food as medicine, respecting the process of creation and consumption.
3. Mindful moments in the form of meditation or just quiet introspection.
Read about: Integrate Mindfulness into your Work
Influence & Achievements
A spark lights up Sharon's eyes when asked what influences her to lead a healthier lifestyle
“100 % my patients. They do what they see and I want to show them that it is possible. And also, somewhere yes, my counterparts of modern medicine who are constantly trying to find flaws with the system of holistic well-being”
After hearing these answers we couldn’t help but ask what did she feel was her biggest achievement?
To which she mentions -
“The ability to look at a person and relate to their status of health even before they start talking about their pain. The ability to see what is not in words. This is the result of consistent observation based on Ayurveda parameters.”
Ayurveda & more…
Sharon believes that Ayurveda and Yoga are both about healing from within, the union of body, mind, and soul and about understanding that everything is so transient. Ayurveda looks at everything as a whole element and so does Yoga.
She also mentions how the contemporary world is demanding attention towards Ayurveda. After straying so much farther from our roots and we have come to realise that quick fixes don't really fix anything. There is a lot of momentum gaining upon the advantages of adopting preventive and rejuvenation methods that are sustainable as well.
"Ayurveda is everything that we need now for the self, the community and the world."
Read about: Five Simple Ways to Incorporate Ayurveda into your Life
Tips & Message for Amrutam Community:
When asked for the secret behind her good health and skin she mentions that -
“One must respect the circadian rhythm and go along with it, treat your appetite with love, eat when you can as old age depends on today, exercise for at least 40 minutes a day and don't forget to pause. Further for skin do not use too many products. Skin health is a lot about what happens inside”
“Cook your own meals, stick to traditional combinations; adopt panchakarma procedures periodically under the guidance of a qualified doctor”
And for the finale, we asked her for a message to our readers to which she smiles and says -
“Keep doing what you are doing. Don't let doubt weigh you down, instead use those doubts to empower yourself and others through knowledge.”
Sharon mentions that she is excited to try Kuntal Care Herbal Conditioner for her curly hair as she is always looking for products made of natural ingredients and ayurvedic.
Check out: Amrutam’s Kuntal Care Herbal Conditioner is curated with ingredients like Triphala, Balchhad, Brahmi, Hibiscus, Marigold, Reetha, Coconut water and Aloe Vera to ensure lustrous, voluminous, strong and frizz-free hair from the first wash.
We are grateful to Dr Sharon for the wonderful work she has done and is honoured to have her as a member of our #AmrutamFamily!
