#10 Victoria Hyndman

Victoria Hyndman is an Ayurvedic practitioner and yoga teacher, who studied with Dr. Vasant Lad at The Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico. I recently met her at Delight Yoga in Amsterdam, where I joined her Foundation course on Ayurveda. This course left me feeling inspired and enriched, not only by the knowledge and insights that I received, but also by the way Victoria was sharing these beautiful practices of Ayurveda and Ayuryoga. On the YAY!YOGA podcast we dive deeper into Ayurveda and Victoria’s personal story of how she got into this ancient wisdom. We talk about the cycles of life: birth, death and dealing with loss. Victoria shares Ayurvedic tips on how to ease into fall and make it through winter and also gives some advice for women that want to live in sync with their moon cycle.

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Shownotes: stuff & people we talked about

• Dr. Vasant Lad is Victoria’s teacher. He’s the founder of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. You can find many online lectures and resources on his website.
• Marma points are energetic points that are linked to specific functions and organs in your body. In a Marma treatment one touches the marma points with gentle pressure to stimulate energy flow in the body and to balance the system.
• Yamas and Niyamas are the first two limbs of the eightfold path that Patanjali writes about in the Yoga Sutra’s. They give direction to the way you live life.
• Abhyanga – oil massage. According to Ayurvedic traditions daily oil massage adds to your over all health in terms of immunity and especially vitality. You can do this to yourself or your partner or kids for instance with sesame oil or any other oil that works well for your dosha and the season you’re in at that moment. To see how it’s done, check out this video.
• The three doshas are Vata, Pitta & Kapha. These are all representing different elements that we hold in our body/mind too. According to Ayurveda, each person is born with a certain constitution of the elements. Vata is air and ether, Pitta is fire and water, Kapha is earth and water. The doshas bring different qualities and when it comes to finding a balanced lifestyle, we look at the qualities and its opposites to find that balance. So in short, what a person needs, depends strongly on his or her dosha, the change of seasons and his or her lifestyle.
• Dry skin brushing is another technique to massage yourself. It’s mostly done from February during early spring time to shed anything that’s build up during winter time. It’s especially helpful for Kapha types.
• Pippali – a long pepper that is heating but not too spicy. Adding this pepper to your food keeps your lungs strong and clear.
• Trikatu (3 peppers) – helps if you have any stagnation in the lungs. Especially helpful from December until March.
• Triphala (3 fruits) – this is mostly taken in as a powder, mixed with boiled water just before bedtime to the colon clean and add to the health of your digestive system.
• Ashwagandha – a herb that has a calming effect on the body and mind. It’s especially balancing if you’re dealing with stress.
• Satsang – a gathering in which spiritual texts and philosophy are shared.
• Sadhana – a daily spiritual practice
• Andrographis – a herb that supports the health of your liver and your immune system.
• Castor oil – this oil has many benefits. In this conversation Victoria emphasises the benefits of castor oil for women.
• Shatavari – plant/root that has great health benefits for women.
• Ashoka – this herb helps women who don’t have a regular cycle to regulate the bleeding.
• Svadhyaya – a Sanskrit word that is often translated as self-study.
• Resources for deepening your knowledge on Ayurveda:
  The Science of Self-Healing by Dr. Vasant Lad (book)
  The doctor from India (documentary)
  A Pukka Life by Sebastian Pole (book)
  Ayurveda courses and workshops by Victoria at Delight Yoga
• Recommended books:
  The Yoga Sutra’s of Patanjali by Sri Swami Satchidananda
  The Living Gita by Sri Swami Satchidananda

Connect with Victoria Hyndman

Instagram: @victoria_tory_raven_hyndman

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