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Ayurveda, The Modern Relevance of Ancient Wisdom: Jasmine Hemsley

The chef, author and wellness expert said wellness is coming full circle with a focus on the ancient Indian health system.
Jasmine Hemsley | Source: Getty Images for The Business of Fashion
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OXFORDSHIRE, United Kingdom — Almond milk. Turmeric lattes. Herbalism. Meditation. Bone broth. Fermented goods. Slow cooking. Digestion. Yoga. Supplements. Mindfulness. Intermittent Fasting.

"It's all Ayurveda, baby,"said Jasmine Hemsley, founder of Hemsley + Hemsley, chef, author and wellness expert, on the stage of VOICES, BoF's annual gathering for big thinkers hosted in partnership with QIC Global Real Estate."There are simple pointers to make our lives easier to navigate, and guess what? They're thousands of years old. Wellness is coming full circle. It's coming back to nature. This is what ancient systems are based on and what modern science is coming to validate."

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The above trends are deeply rooted in the science of Ayurveda, one of the oldest health systems that dates back to India 5,000 years ago. But they are just aspects, according to Hemsley.

“They need to be kept in context. We can’t overdue them. Avocados are not going to save the world. Green juice is not a long-term solution,” she said.

Her mantra is that a dose makes the medicine or the poison. And people have to strike a balance, the “really bloody boring ‘B’ word,’ in order to live well – which is not to be confused with perfection. Hemsley’s balance is a “sweet spot” people should aim for in their day to day lives where they feel “okay and centered.”

“We’re time poor. We’re overstimulated… We no longer honour the basic needs of sleep, rest and digestion,” Hemsley said. “The modern world forgets to value this, the yin energy or being. It’s not about gender, it’s about yin and yang but we forgot about the yin of being. It’s all about the yang of doing. We forgot how to be human beings – we’re human doings.”

This is the foundation of her latest concept, East By West, which began as a pop-up café in the Maiyet Concept Store and is now a book bearing the same name. Gut health, one of the wellness craze’s buzziest terms, is a core tenet of Hemsley’s beliefs. For her, the foundation of good heath is a lively digestion that, instead of focusing on when and how to eat, emphasises what to eat — a more holistic approach than only focusing on what's on your plate.

“We’re not living. We’re just high functioning – surviving on buzz and technology,” she said. “It’s up to us the people to make a change by going back to a way of living that make us forces of nature rather than a force against nature. We must demand a more nurturing and supportive way of life. When we work with nature we work with ourselves. That is Ayurveda.”

To learn more about VOICES, BoF’s annual gathering for big thinkers, visit our VOICES website, where you can find all the details on our invitation-only global gathering, in partnership with QIC Global Real Estate.

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