“Nothing is without purpose in this universe,” she said, facing a semi-circle of eager students on the floor of Vibe Yoga Studio. “Everything that is naturally occurring — not what man has done to so much of the food — is medicine.”
Arora learned that philosophy from her parents. Growing up in India, she watched as her mother combined foods and spices, creating home remedies for any illness. Her father practiced yoga every day of his life.
These self-healing practices seemed so natural that she used to assume everyone lived that way, she said.
“When you meet people who have not understood yet the power of food — not food used as a medicine, but that all food is a medicine — it does feel surprising,” Arora said. “It does bring into question why this is not the norm of life.”
In order to help others embrace this style of living, Arora started teaching the practice of Ayurveda when she was 19 years old.
Ayurveda, translated as the wisdom or science of life, is a traditional Hindu form of alternative medicine. This week, Arora is teaching a four-day, 22-hour training program to students hoping to achieve a high level of yoga certification.
“We selected Ayurveda because it’s commonly known as the sister science to yoga, so we thought it would be supportive of our teachers to add this segment,” said Laura Patterson, the owner and director of Vibe.
Students attending the course said they hoped to learn more about what types of food to eat and how to understand their individual doshas better.
A dosha, according to Ayurveda, is a characteristic that describes a person’s constitution. A person can be vata, pitta, kapha or a combination thereof depending on his or her physicality and personality.
“It gives me awareness of my own personality — not necessarily how I react to things, but my being,” said Jordyn Kahler, a yoga student and IU senior.
Patterson is mostly a pitta, a fiery type of person. She said she has sensed a positive change in herself since she’s begun practicing Ayurveda.
“From the colors that I wear to the food that I eat, I’ve learned how to calm that fire element when it gets a little too excessive,” she said. “From eating cool things like coconut milk to wearing lighter colors, I’ve seen a change.”
Though the practices of Ayurveda can seem very overwhelming, Arora said it’s okay to start with small steps.
“Just start observing how the food makes you feel,” she suggested. “You want to observe which foods make you feel lighter, clearer and active.”
Arora said she feels people have forgotten how to pause and listen to what their own body is telling them. She said people look to doctors, science and books for answers that could easily be found by paying attention to how they’re feeling.
“For most problems you don’t need to go outside the kitchen for the remedies,” she said. “When you do, it’s usually only as far as the yoga studio.”
