Neglected to Nourished
Like many people in this field, my desire to help others heal comes from my own journey of healing.
Problems with my body and food began around age 12. My figure was changing, my awareness and hormones were shifting and I didn’t like what I “saw". Body dysmorphia has a way of distorting reality - it makes you see something that isn't there. Looking back now, I can see a skinny teenager, but that’s not how I felt at the time.
What followed was a decade of disordered eating. To me, my weight fluctuated massively but I'm sure to the outside world I looked like a healthy young person.
I remember fanatically weighing myself and measuring my food, counting and tracking every calorie; restricting, or on the other spectrum, binging. There were periods of respite where I didn't give it my focus, there were also moments when my body started to fail me - passing out in the PE changing rooms, waking up with a headache every single day, or losing my periods for months at a time.
In my healing, I wept for my younger self and how she rejected so much within, but I know I had to experience that so that I could cherish my body and give it the love it so deserves. Our bodies carry and hold us; they are our vessel to experience all aspects of life, and we must learn to listen to their cues for they are there to guide us back to balance.
I bounced from disordered eating to bordering on orthorexia (an obsession with 'healthy eating' until I finally found a more holistic path.
My first steps into holistic health were at CNM (College of Naturopathic Medicine) doing a Naturopathic Nutrition course; although I loved certain aspects something didn't sit well with me. I finished the first year, but my gut guided me away from this and led me to Australia instead!
It was in Australia where I first encountered Ayurveda. A friend shared that she’d been diagnosed with a Vata imbalance, and the idea of feeling “ungrounded” resonated so deeply with me. This sparked my interest in mindfulness and meditation, which became crucial tools to help me reconnect with the present moment.
It took another couple of years for Ayurveda to come back into my life, but it spoke to my soul and so it was inevitable I sought to know it more deeply. Ayurveda encompasses healing on a truly holistic level by looking at the whole mind-body complex. It seeks to find the root of the issue and remove it so the body can come back to homeostasis.
Over the past six years, I’ve explored my inner self on a deep level, using Ayurveda to completely rejuvenate my health and bring me back into balance. From my hair falling out and irregular periods to menstrual migraines and skin breakouts. Ayurveda has helped me heal on every level. This ongoing, lifelong journey of self-love and acceptance is one I’ve fully embraced, and it would be my honour to support you in doing the same.
I used to say I eat to survive; now I can gladly say I eat to thrive.