Ep 30 | Susan Weis-Bohlen: Ayurveda & Writing - On Discovering your Own Inner Treasure

The Healthy Peaceful Podcast

Susan Weis-Bohlen began her career as a journalist in Israel. There, she was introduced to yoga and meditation - for her, precursors to Ayurveda. Upon return to the U.S., she soon became the owner of a New Age bookstore in her hometown, Baltimore. Back then, Ayurveda occupied a small section of her store. Exhausted and 50 pounds overweight, she dived into the Ayurvedic detox called panchakarma. She never looked back, eventually becoming an Ayurvedic practitioner and bestselling author.

Her professional life has been a series of ten-year journeys. And her most recent transition: author of bestselling books on Ayurveda. She describes her first book and how she initially thought she was being scammed along with lessons learned. She weaves her personal voice into her writing and unabashedly celebrates her Jewishness. No matter what her vocation, community has been essential to her success. Currently, she is offering writing salons on the Gateless Writing Method, a method that uses creative brain science, ancient Zen, and highly-effective craft tools + resources to move the writer beyond the conditioned, critical mind to a place of limitless creative potential.
We touch base on the current change of seasons – late winter to early spring – and what’s important for people to keep in mind from an Ayurvedic perspective. "Our health is at its most
vulnerable at the juncture point between seasons." Susan shares her top takeaways on how to make this seasonal transition smoother and healthier.
Susan’s own path with Ayurveda has evolved. She is no longer so hard on herself. If she strays, she knows she has the tools to once again, rest, repair and create balance. “Once you have
created a baseline of health, your body is more forgiving.” She approaches her clients the same way: “Ayurveda is not an all or nothing proposition. It’s important for each client to look at his or her lifestyle and determine how Ayurveda can fit into his or her world. If it’s not practical, it’s not useful.” We touch upon the habit change principles that have most effective for her clients. Hers is a 21-day approach. First and foremost, she is determined that her clients start experiencing good quality sleep. “Amazingly, when they wake up refreshed every day, they are ready for anything!”
Susan discusses emotional eating and how our cravings are inextricably related to taste. She encourages her clients who often crave the sweet taste to consider where they can gain more sweetness in their lives. “Cravings and emotional desires are interconnected. Ayurveda helps
clients initiate a gentle decoupling.”
Her thoughts about the growth of Ayurveda in the U.S.: while she hopes Ayurveda will experience the same exponential growth as yoga, she counsels consumers to do their homework. “Take time to ensure that the practitioner is knowledgeable. Start by reading the top 10 or 20 bestselling books on Ayurveda. They all have blurbs from other Ayurvedic practitioners – then read the books of these recommenders and so on. What I mean is: look carefully before you leap.”
Susan's books: Ayurveda, Beginner’s Guide and Seasonal Self-Care Rituals.
Find Susan:
breatheayurveda.com
Instagram: @susanweisbohlen

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