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Damian Hagglund was brought into being by an Australian mother and Swedish father. He was born in Bali and grew up in India with traditional and tribal Ayurveda as a way of life.  He has been living and educating in the west for fifteen years and is excited to share his perspective on health and wellness in today’s times, particularly how Ayurveda unlocked the key to his digestive health. “I recall having a personal realization that by taking care of my stomach, and having a proper digestion, I was able to digest Ama that wasn’t just from my day-to-day life but Ama that was present in my body from years and years ago,” he tells us.  Damian’s Site: http://marmamat.com/ A note from the UMA Team: We produce The UMA Elements podcast purely to inspire, inform, and start conversations. While we sometimes feature the insight and advice of experts in the various fields of medicine, healing, and wellness, this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional care or advice.

Board certified internist and Ayurvedic practitioner Dr. Nisha Khanna takes an inspirational, layered, and modern approach to medicine. In her blended practice, Nisha incorporates traditional western medicine, offering telemedicine to patients, as well as mind-body-spirit treatments plans in which she incorporates Ayurveda and other ancient modalities. She often takes a look at the physical ailments and then dives deeper by considering the emotional, mental, and spiritual components. This allows for the discovery of unresolved trauma and a better understanding of the roots of manifesting disease. In her illuminating conversation with Shrankhla, Nisha points out the ways Ayurveda can offer us illuminating feedback on our health, the questions we can all ask about ourselves, and how to find the true roots to a wellness issue.  Nisha’s Gut Cleanse Guide: https://healing-courses.nishakhannamd.com/p/the-gut-cleanse-guide

Years ago, Dr. Zohreh Sadeghi had hit “rock bottom.” She was diagnosed with IBS, anxiety, depression, and many other ailments. “I had tried everything,” she tells Shrankhla, but nothing truly helped her—until she discovered Ayurveda.  To say the least, she dived right into the practice and moved to Kerala, India. “The decision to pursue Ayurveda was completely an overnight decision for me,” she says. “It was something that I can’t quite explain. It was a voice within me.” What ensued was a path of healing, learning, and liberation—and eventually, a new career. Since, Zohreh has founded Roha, an Ayurvedic healing center in San Francisco. She dives deep with Shrankhla to unpack all that Ayurveda has taught her. 

This week, journalist Stacey Lindsay takes over as host of the UMA Ayurveda Podcast. Stacey speaks with Josh and Eliza Peck of the Dojo Upstate, a sound meditation retreat in upstate New York. Josh and Eliza create experiences—which many call sound baths—that take people on a journey of exploration and healing. Their conversation with Stacey covers how sound can unlock greater abilities to heal, as well as ways for us to better know ourselves. In leaning in and recognizing discomfort, there can be great growth. Josh and Eliza also talk about allowing ourselves the opportunity to listen, really deeply listen, and engage in the moments with whom we share. All of this has the power to help us, as humans, transform, heal, and evolve.

Ayurveda “is a gentle and loving approach to becoming more yourself, understanding what you need to feel healthy and to feel whole,” says Ali Cramer. The ancient practice is about “having a way of looking at the world with more compassion.” Cramer, who is a yoga and Ayurveda specialist and author of the book Modern Ayurveda, has talent for unlocking the fun in Ayurveda, and for making it utterly accessible for all. That’s the key to her book, which she talks about with guest host, Stacey Lindsay. The two go deep about how Ayurveda is flexible, freeing, and a way to get to know yourself. Ali Cramer's Website: https://www.alicramer.com/

Michelle Magid, CAS, PKS, has a deep history with Ayurveda, to which she was first introduced when she was nineteen. Over the years, the ancient practice has informed her life and career. Today she is a certified Ayurvedic practitioner and herbalist. As founder of the Vibrance Ayurveda, her healing practice in Portland, Oregon, she offers Ayurvedic treatments and holistic wellness support for her clients. Michelle has a thoughtful and considerate approach to explaining Ayurveda, unveiling the ways it can help to heal and support everyone’s personal nuances. Here she talks with Shrankhla on the fascinating and often confusing topic of the three doshas, unpacking the elements of each and how they express in our modern personal and environmental worlds. “What we are really experiencing now is the request of Mother Nature to slow down and really be more in that Kapha-esque place.”

Divya Alter is a prolific voice in the world of Ayurveda. She and her husband are the co-founders of the Ayurvedic culinary school, Bhagavat Life,  Bhagavat Life, and Divya’s Kitchen, an Ayurvedic restaurant in Manhattan. Diyva also authored the book  What to Eat for How You Feel: The New Ayurvedic Kitchen, an accessible guidebook for bringing the ancient science into your kitchen and daily life. Diyva has a grounding presence and a way of educating the world about Ayurveda that is both inspiring and accessible. She also brings food to the forefront, helping us see that Ayurvedic cooking is not limiting or convoluted, but rather a way to ignite and honor our health. It’s also a way of cooking for everyone, as Divya says, “you can adjust your local dishes to make them Ayurvedic.” 

Vogue Magazine calls Candice Forness “the Ayurvedic Facialist With a Massage Technique So Good, You May Cry”. They continue “You come out looking fresher and feeling like you’ve had a full-body detox, even though she only works on your face and neck,”. I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of being on Candice’s table and can fully endorse that Candice’s technique is like no other. Candice is trained in the Ayurvedic facelift massage and has a strong understanding of Ayurvedic skincare and aromatherapeutic botanicals - which gives her unparalleled insight into the world of Ayurvedic beauty.

Lifestyle writer, creative, nutritionist, and chef, Tara Sowlaty Lehrer is a beacon in the world of wellness and self-care. As co-founder of the lifestyle site How You Glow, Tara provides a resource for anything seeking holistic living tips, wellness-focused inspiration, and honest ways to honor our health and how we connect with ourselves. Since a young age, Tara has been a student of various modalities, including how to use food as medicine. At fourteen, she went to Bali—and this opened a new world of yoga, Vedic meditation, alternative healing, and so much more. In her conversation with Shrankhla, Tara unveils the worldly wisdom she’s garnered from her travels and studies and the ways in which she learned to become her own healer. “When you get access to these tools, you really realize that you, yourself, have so much power.”

For the premier episode of The UMA Elements podcast, Shrankhla talks with Stacey Lindsay, a multimedia journalist and writer. Over the course of her career, Stacey has held positions as a new anchor and reporter, a magazine writer, and a producer. As the articles editor of goop, Stacey covered the topics of civics, design, money, and career health, and helped to launch several new franchises including The Good Samaritan and Game Changers columns. Stacey has recently engaged in the practice of Ayurveda, weaving in elements of the ancient science piece by piece into her daily life. As she discusses with Shrankhla, Ayurveda has profoundly impacted her life and work, and has unlocked learnings about herself beyond her expectations.