NEW (OLD) BALANCE

Author and wellness expert Jasmine Hemsley shares the top five Ayurvedic tips that changed her life

- CASSIE STEER

Wellness industry: “It’s all about gut health, intermittent fasting, self-care and the mouth microbiome.” Ayurveda: “Hold my drink.”

Although Gen Z may be forgiven for thinking that they invented the (at least) 3,000-year-old practice, it’s never too late to start tapping into its wisdom – and for Jasmine Hemsley, it’s been nothing short of transformative.

“I discovered Ayurveda via a few different routes, such as yoga and meditation, in my early 20s, but it was after battling chronic acid reflux that I started doing research into alternative ways to treat it,” Jasmine says.

“Back then, people weren’t really talking about Ayurveda or gut health, and I was a little sceptical that such an ancient system could rival modern medicine.

“But each time something worked, I found myself incorporating more into my life, and now it’s part of my day-to-day living.” Here, Jasmine shares her most valuable (and wholly achievable) Ayurvedic life lessons.

1. TONGUE TLC

“I learnt about tongue scraping from my meditation teacher over 15 years ago and it’s what pushed me to dive further into Ayurveda. It’s such a simple but powerful wellbeing tool that I will never stop waxing lyrical about it. We brush our teeth every day, so why not clean the rest of our mouth?

“I’ve been known to use credit cards after forgetting my tongue scraper on a trip, as it feels wrong not to do it. In Eastern culture, the tongue reflects the health of your entire body, and after you start tongue scraping, you begin to notice what your tongue is telling you. I can see if I’ve got a cold coming or haven’t had enough sleep.