Ananta Ripa Ajmera is a 9-time international award-winning and 2-time best-selling author, spiritual teacher, Ayurveda practitioner, yoga instructor, host of the True to Yourself Podcast, Advisor of Ayurveda at THE WELL, and Co-founder and Director of The Ancient Way.
Ananta’s students, from all walks of life, in yoga and wellness studios, corporations, and government agencies, appreciate how she empowers them to awaken their inner guru and ignite the fire of spiritual transformation to make profound changes in their lives that they never imagined they could make.
Women Fitness President, Ms. Namita Nayyar catches up with Ananta Ripa Ajmera, spiritual teacher, Ayurveda practitioner, and yoga instructor as she shares how Spirituality and the Ayurvedic Way of life can heal.
Namita Nayyar:
“You are a spiritual teacher, author, Ayurveda practitioner, yoga instructor, and Co-founder and Director of The Ancient Way.” Please provide us with an insight into how it all began that motivates you towards yoga and the Ayurveda way of life.
Ananta Ripa Ajmera:
It all began for me with suffering from years of eating disorders, anxiety, poor digestion, insomnia, and nightmares. By the time I turned 19, I was ready to start digging deeper into why I was having so many health issues, all while Western medical doctors would tell me I was in ‘excellent health.’ My search first led me to Yoga classes in New York City, propelling me to return to my Indian roots to learn more about the practice. While taking Yoga teacher training in South India at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram, I discovered Ayurveda by following an Ayurvedic way of life for the duration of the training program. I loved how I felt at the end of the training, and that inspired me to eventually begin a decade-long oral lineage-based study of Ayurveda and its sister sciences of Yoga and Vedanta to dive deeper into it all. The rest, as they say, is now history.
Namita Nayyar:
The Ancient Way is an organization that supports you to embody ancient wisdom in a way that unfolds your true self. What are the key elements of this organization and how can one connect with one’s inner self through it?
Ananta Ripa Ajmera:
The three key elements of The Ancient Way are spiritual community, spiritual practice, and selfless service.
These are ancient values central to many spiritual lineages that emphasize connecting with your inner self through associating with others who are on a spiritual path (this includes spending time reading spiritual books and listening to lectures), doing regular spiritual practices that unfold your inner self, and giving back to the five entities of life that give us so much, including spiritual teachers, ancestors, humanity, nature, and divinity. When we are in relationship with the people, teachings, and practices that connect us to the eternal core of who we are as embodied spiritual beings, this has a way of naturally unveiling our true, divine nature.
Namita Nayyar:
You introduced Ayurveda to Stanford Medicine and led staff training at prisons throughout California. How far has the project been successful? What are the Ayurvedic life principles that have visibly worked in your life?
Ananta Ripa Ajmera:
The projects to introduce staff members at Stanford Medicine and California prisons yielded a self-reported 47% reduction in aches and pains, 46% better sleep, and 85% said they felt much more able to manage their daily stresses. The Ayurvedic lifestyle principles that have visibly worked in my life include: waking up early and following circadian rhythms (sleeping by 10 pm and awakening by 6 am), oiling my body with warm seasonal oils, eating only warm, cooked, gently oiled foods, following a seasonal diet, showering before eating my first meal, and starting each day by thanking Mother Earth for the chance to start a new beginning.
Namita Nayyar:
How do you like to kick-start your day? What do you recommend for a day filled with positive energy?
Ananta Ripa Ajmera:
I love to first look at my hands, and mentally repeat a mantra that affirms that the powers of transformation, abundance, and creativity reside in my own hands, followed by other ancient Sanskrit mantras, the last of which is a mantra that involves thanking Mother Earth for her blessings before stepping foot out of bed, upon her. I follow this up by silently reciting the Gayatri Mantra, which evokes the light and power of the sun, 108 times on a japa mala (rosary of prayer beads). I find that this puts me in a great mental state each morning.
Namita Nayyar:
What kind of diet do you follow and recommend? 5 foods you must have and 5 you keep to a minimum.
Ananta Ripa Ajmera:
I recommend following a seasonal diet that changes according to the needs of each season but always involves eating only warm, cooked, gently oiled foods, with ghee (clarified butter) or coconut oil.
5 foods I must have include:
- ghee (clarified butter) to cook my meals
- white basmati rice
- mung lentils
- sweet potatoes
- plant-based milk (almond, coconut, and oat are my favorites).
5 foods I keep to a minimum include:
- eggplant
- garlic
- onions
- mushrooms
- peanuts
the first four foods tend to have a heavy and dulling effect on the mind, and peanuts tend to be very sharp and agitating to the mind.
Namita Nayyar:
Yoga practices that you follow as a routine? Asanas you would recommend every individual irrespective of their age or work routine.
Ananta Ripa Ajmera:
Yoga practices that I follow as a routine include Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations), Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose), Pawanmuktasana (Wind Relieving Pose), Mayurasana (Peacock Pose), Ardha Matsyendrasana (Seated Half Spinal Twist or Half Lord of the Fishes Pose), Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose).
Asanas I would recommend to every individual irrespective of their age or work routine would be Pawanmuktasans (Wind Relieving Pose), Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations), and Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose).
Namita Nayyar:
How has spirituality worked in your life? Steps to follow when walking a path of healing oneself from trauma or stress?
Ananta Ripa Ajmera:
Spirituality has worked wonders in my life. It has empowered me to overcome all forms of abuse and lots of traumas. The steps I recommend following to heal yourself from trauma or stress are those I’ve written about in my second book, The Way of the Goddess. The first step is to cultivate the power of stability, followed by the powers of creativity, transformation, love, voice, intuition, truth, rejuvenation, and intention. I write in detail about what each of these steps entails, and a variety of simple yet potent ways to follow them in each chapter of The Way of the Goddess. Following this as a daily practice of connecting with the nine spiritual superpowers I’ve written about has been incredibly transformational for me.
Namita Nayyar:
Please provide us more input on your books, The Way of the Goddess: Daily Rituals to Awaken Your Inner Warrior, Discover Your True Self, and the award-winning book, The Ayurveda Way: 108 Practices from the World’s Oldest Healing System for Better Sleep, Less Stress, Optimal Digestion and More. What can one look for in these books? What do you mean by the term “inner Warrior”?
Ananta Ripa Ajmera:
The Way of the Goddess is a vibrantly illustrated gift book that invites you to embark upon your own sacred hero’s journey, inspired by the nine-night goddess festival of Navratri from the ancient Indian spiritual tradition that gifted the world Yoga and its sister holistic science of Ayurveda. I share my story of how I overcame trauma and abuse with the spiritual power of love, to give you a roadmap to reclaim your own power. Weaving together mythological storytelling, memoirs, and inspired rituals, this is a step-by-step guide to balance all your chakras. The term “inner warrior” means the power within you to overcome and channel all the internal dark forces of potentially destructive raw emotions like anger, fear, jealousy, hatred, lust, etc. into internal, spiritual power. The Ayurveda Way is a full-color photography gift book that showcases 108 different ways of accessing Ayurveda, with an empowering approach that makes time-tested wisdom available to a contemporary audience of holistic health enthusiasts in a fresh and exciting approach suitable even to beginners.
Namita Nayyar:
What motivational quote do you live by?
Ananta Ripa Ajmera:
A motivational quote I strive to live by is from the ancient spiritual text, The Bhagavad Gita, in Chapter 6, as verse 5: “You must lift yourself, by yourself. Do not lower yourself. Your self alone is your friend. Your self alone is your enemy.”
This quote always reminds me that, while we can and need to consult others at times to uplift ourselves in different ways, we must ultimately take responsibility for our own progress and spiritual evolution in life into our own hands, by loving ourselves as a way to love all others we encounter on our journeys.
Namita Nayyar:
Share 5 simple practices for working women to find personal and professional balance in life. Things they should workaround?
Ananta Ripa Ajmera:
While balance can mean different things to different people, I feel that 5 simple practices working women can do that don’t take too much time would be:
1) Focus on eating only warm, cooked, gently oiled foods. This means choosing soups over salads and opting for warm foods that will ignite your digestion instead of snacking or eating raw foods, that can dampen digestion. Digestion is the key to balance in all aspects of your life, so starting here would be a powerful game changer for cultivating balance.
2) Try to align yourself with circadian rhythms by going to sleep closer to 10 pm and waking up closer to 6 am (as much as you can – even shifting back your sleep and wakeup times by 15 minutes will make a world of a difference).
3) Eat lunch as your largest meal of the day for balanced digestion.
4) Do one simple thing that brings you joy each day, even if it’s just going for a 10-minute walk by yourself in nature.
5) Spend at least 10 minutes each day in silence, to be able to tune into your inner voice for guidance that comes from deep within.
Namita Nayyar:
What are your plans with the changing face of lifestyle around the globe? How do you plan to encourage the young and old to adopt an Ayurvedic way of life?
Ananta Ripa Ajmera:
I plan to contribute articles to various media outlets, re-launch my True to Yourself Podcast to educate people about all aspects of leading an Ayurvedic lifestyle, and embark upon a speaking tour soon to empower more souls to lead a healthier way of life, in alignment with nature’s rhythms.
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