Geeta Vara Ayurveda

We have become very good at asking if ‘Is this evidence-based?’

But we rarely ask: 'Is this actually right for me?'

Because what works well in a study, or for someone else, does not automatically mean it will suit your digestion, your constitution, your age, your current state or your stage of life.

This is one of the reasons I value Ayurveda SO deeply.

Ayurveda doesn’t flip-flop with trends. Its principles stay consistent, while the application stays flexible and personal.

It does not stop at whether something is generally considered beneficial. It asks whether your body can receive it, digest it and actually turn it into nourishment.

The same food can feel strengthening for one person and leave another feeling heavy. The same supplement can support one person and unsettle another. The same routine can feel regulating for one body and depleting for another.

That is what I mean by ‘Ayurveda-approved’ or ‘Body-approved’!

Not hanging just on the word of the latest research.

Not one-size-fits-all but considering the holistic context.

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Some of the most useful information I get in clinic is the detail people often think is irrelevant.

How you feel after eating. What your appetite is really like. Whether your bowels feel complete. What changed before the symptom started. Whether your sleep is actually restorative. The health of your relationships and social environment as well as exposure to stress.

These things matter because Ayurveda does not look at symptoms in isolation. It looks for patterns and the root causes.

Two people can come in with the same complaint and need completely different support depending on their digestion, constitution, current imbalance, life stage, stress, sleep and daily rhythm.

That is why personalised medicine is at the heart of Ayurveda. And this is often ‘preventative’ by nature or understanding the early signs of imbalance.

The symptom matters. But so does the story around it.

And very often, the perceived ‘small’ and often ‘insignificant’ details are where the gold dust is for treatment protocol. Nothing is irrelevant if it comes up in a session.

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There is a reason so many traditional cultures built periods of fasting, simplifying and cleansing around changes in season.

Long before ‘detox’ became a January buzz word, Ayurveda was already paying close attention to spring and autumn.

These transition points were seen as times to adjust food, routine and sometimes use deeper cleansing practices, because the body is adapting to a completely different set of seasonal qualities.

That is the thinking behind my two virtual retreats this October.

𝟯–𝟱 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿: 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗺𝗻 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗲 & 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁
A few days to simplify, settle digestion and get your rhythm back.

𝟭𝟳–𝟭𝟵 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿: 𝗥𝗮𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝘂𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁
Then we shift into nourishment, rebuilding ojas and strengthening your reserves before winter.

You can join one, or experience them as the sequence Ayurveda has always understood: clear first, then nourish.

Comment 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗨𝗠𝗡 and I’ll DM you the full details and booking link.

September is a natural turning point. The light changes, the air gets cooler and the body and mind need to slow down, turn to nourishment, warm foods, grounding rituals and more unctuousness.

In Ayurveda, autumn is a time to protect vitality, support digestion and begin building ojas our deeper reserve of resilience and strength before winter sets in - something I focus on in my book 𝗥𝗮𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮.

Here are six simple ways to make that seasonal shift:

🍂 𝗘𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀
Warm, cooked food and a steady meal rhythm are often more supportive as the weather cools.

🍂 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗵𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆
Warm oil massage is one of my favourite autumn rituals for dryness, tension and grounding the nervous system.

🍂 𝗔𝗱𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝘀
Ghee, sesame oil, olive oil and other good-quality fats help bring back softness, lubrication and nourishment.

🍂 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗹
Give your body its most substantial meal when digestion is naturally stronger.

🍂 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆, 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
Walking, strength work and mobility can feel far more supportive than constantly pushing for intensity.

🍂 𝗦𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆
Simple, practical and one of the easiest ways to support hydration and digestion.

Ageing well is not about following the same routine all year round. It is about noticing what your body needs now and adjusting with the season.

September is all about autumn wellbeing and a good time to start protecting your reserves before winter asks more of you.

Which one are you starting with?

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A wrap on a milestone solar return month which I spent mostly off-grid, very much on purpose.

I’m proud and happy of this journey called life so far. It hasn’t always been easy. Like all of you, there have been challenges, breakthroughs, lessons and so many blessings along the way. The beautiful experiences become my muse; the harder ones become the ones that change me the most.

Being a Leo, a little attention is naturally welcome but I’ve always loved quiet, solitude-filled birthdays too. This year I wanted to honour both - my inner lioness and the quieter, more authentic part of me.

I intended to mark the auspicious 108 here, but who says everything must happen in order? I skipped posting on my solar return because ‘real’ life mattered more than ‘reel’ life. August offline felt refreshing, nourishing and soothing, leaving space to ask: am I wiser, closer to my true self?

It also go me thinking on why we blow out candles? So this year, I lit one instead as a marker of a new beginning, along with a Sankalpa, a deep intention that remains personal and private.

One of the biggest lessons of this birthday was also learning to surrender and receive. Something I’ve never found particularly easy as the eldest South Asian daughter, where doing, organising and taking care of everyone else can feel much more natural.

And it showed me who really shows up and not because Instagram reminded them. A meaningful phone call. Making a plan. Travelling to meet. A thoughtful rendezvous. Those gestures meant more to me than material gifts. Because time is finite! So when someone chooses to give me some of theirs, I don’t take that lightly.

I’m deeply grateful for the for the clarity that comes with getting older. Less expectation. Better boundaries. More compassion for myself.

Thank you for being here, whether for years or newly arrived. Your messages, reflections and kindness give me courage to keep writing, questioning and creating from the heart.

Here’s to whatever the next lap around the sun has in store. 🧡

✨ 𝗔 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗬 ✨

I evolved into my half-centenarian self earlier this month, and felt compelled to be mostly off-grid in every sense of the word, so this celebration is arriving slightly late and I want to share something with you.

A milestone solar return felt like the perfect excuse to celebrate something I care deeply about: ageing well, feeling well, and creating rituals that genuinely support us for the long term.

So i’ve partnered with Shakti Acupressure Mat for one person to win a very special wellbeing bundle centred around learning, resting and feeling more like yourself.

One winner will receive:

✨ A signed copy of Ayurveda 📗
✨ A signed copy of Rasayana: Live More, Age Well 📙
✨ A Level 1 Shakti Mat
✨ A Shakti Pillow

The books are there to help you understand your body better and take a more nourishing, sustainable approach to ageing well.

The Shakti Mat and Pillow are for the days when you need to switch off, release tension and do absolutely nothing for a few minutes.

To enter:
1️⃣ 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁
2️⃣ 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 @𝗴𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗮
3️⃣ 𝗧𝗮𝗴 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 - 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗻.

✨ 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆: Share to your 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 & 𝘵𝘢𝘨 𝘮𝘦 or subscribe to my 🆓 substack (link in bio) 😉.

Giveaway closes at midnight on 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟲 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 (𝘽𝙎𝙏). Winner will be contacted via DM on 8 September.

UK entries only. No purchase necessary. This giveaway is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Instagram.

Good luck 🧡

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If a disease took years to develop, why do we expect the cure to work in days? why do we expect it to be effortless?

That's the part of modern wellness I struggle to get behind.

We're constantly sold that one supplement, one detox, one protocol can undo what's likely been building for years. It won't. And I think most of us know that, even when we want to believe otherwise.

Ayurveda’s approach feels far more aligned, by understanding ‘what has been wearing the body down.’ instead of ‘what do I take to fix this’.

It happens by realigning digestion, sleep, minimising stress, coming back to a natural rhythm. The small, daily choices in how we eat, rest and recover.

Because real healing is rarely dramatic. To be clear, this isn't about replacing medical care where it's needed - some conditions require intervention, and that matters. This is about what happens in the years before and after that point: what allows the body to actually respond, recover and stay well. It's smaller, slower, and it asks for commitment and consistency in the habits you change.

This is what I explore in my books, Ayurveda and Rasayana, moving past trends and quick fixes, toward something more personal, more preventative, and built to last.

Available from all good book retailers.

✅ Follow Ayurveda Author | Practitioner | Speaker for more Ayurvedic longevity and pro-ageing wisdom.

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