My story
Eating well, personal health, dancing and cooking have been passions of mine for many years. But you see, I was an obese child who struggled with my weight and self-image. I tried every imaginable diet and watched many loved ones around me suffer from health-related issues like diabetes, hypertension. However, like many others, it took me a while to discover my path to wellness.
When I look back to all of my life experiences I can see now that Ayurveda was always written in my Kismet, (destiny) and foretold in my Dharma, (the cosmic law): as I was born into an academic Indo-Mauritian family and ingrained into Vedanta philosophy, spiritualism, and Hinduism from an early age. My late father was a renowned priest who performed traditional Vedic ceremonies to celebrate auspicious days, and festivals and to build community. After the prayers and bhajans ( songs of worship ), we performed Kathak dances dressed in 'traditional Indian outfits at prestigious venues across London.Vedic ceremonies in the community and temples across London, England where I often performed Indian Classical Dance ‘Kathak’
Even though I was an overweight child, Dancing brought me so much joy and was my happy place.
I grew up in a multi-cultural household and has lived in both London and Mauritius (my parent’s homeland and a paradise island in the Indian Ocean) where she observed her “nani’ (grandmother) living a plant-based Ayurvedic lifestyle, living off the fruits and vegetables of her garden till the ripe old age of 96.
Although dancing was not considered a suitable vocation, instead I was instilled to study hard and to get a degree and get married. So of course, I rebelled graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality and held several leadership positions, within the luxury boutique Hospitality, from Park Lane London to Soho New York.
Driven to succeed, I had the corporate job of my dreams, buzzing social calendar, great relationships,At first it was so much fun, yet soon the novelty began to wean. Life was going at 150 miles an hour, after a few years it became pretty exhausting.I fueled myself with caffeine, alcohol and eating at expensive restaurants. Exercise was considered a luxury, and sleep was for those who didn’t care about moving up the ladder. I was working ever more long hours in the city that never sleeps with no real sense of purpose. Yet I had the life that was supposed to bring me happiness, fulfillment and success, but inside a longing to do something else with my life .
After the birth of my son, Revel. I struggled to find balance between a being a mother and my full-time career. I felt a heaviness from the noise, pressures if life and energy of the city that once had been so enticing. I needed a change and a yearning to move. Nature was calling, I had no choice but to reexamine, yet always knew there was another path...
So I took some time out that year to disconnect and slowed down enough to realize that I had been running on the hedonic treadmill like a hamster, a wheel with no destination. I had been living life on fast forward, my diary had been full of countless events, with no time scheduled for reflection or relaxation. I was a constant planner, who was not living in the present but always looking to the future. In order to unlearn all those bad habits, I began dabbling with meditation, learning Yoga, Dancing, writing and cooking all the things that felt nourishing for my soul.
I switched gears moving transitioning to the nonprofit world into Business Development working at the esteemed “David Lynch Foundation” alongside Bob Roth, where I presented Meditation as a professional business tool to hundreds of CEO's and business leaders and curated wellness days and retreats and so began my spiritual practice of Transcendental Meditation.Once I learnt to meditate and it became a daily ritual, Ayurveda found its way to me and I began studying this ancient wisdom.
When my dad Gaya, a witty, renowned Hindu priest. passed away a few years back from type 2 Diabetes-related illnesses, I was devastated. His death made me question my own mortality. It spurred me to become a certified Ayurveda Holistic Consultant at the Kerala Ayurveda Academy to help others avoid lifestyle diseases and be accountable for their present and future health. Through Ayurveda I learned to how to eat, live, drink and celebrate life more mindfully. It also set me on a path of self discovery, adventure and understanding, to wholeness,
Today I combine my passion for Food, Drink, Ayurveda & Dance, as a nod to my Mauritian ancestral roots and cultural heritage. When I am not coaching, teaching, or writing I can be found dancing in my spice garden in the foothills of the Catskill mountains, with my husband Yusef and two sons.