This Conscious Life

Exploring the power of sweetness – from the primal roots with our mother’s milk, to the ways in which we crave sweetness when life might begin to feel that bit more bitter. In this episode, wellbeing author Emine Rushton, explores why sweetness remains a powerful, primal craving for so many of us, and explores how lack of kindness – most crucially to ourselves – might manifest in ever-more powerful cravings. Nourishment – of the spirit, the heart, the mind, the body – are far more complex than the nutritional profile of our food, and often, with life’s busy-ness and demands, we can lose sight of this. A provocative episode that asks intuitive questions about why we crave what we do, and how to feel into their root meaning. 

Sometimes we are forced to make space in our lives because we could not sustain the lives we lived before. But sometimes, we make space, unsure of where to go next – trusting that once the space is made, the right thing will come into its place. In this intuitive & personal episode, wellbeing author, Eminé Rushton, reflects on her own choices & decisions, and where they have led her – and also asks us all to consider the reasons for the decisions we make – and whether or not we make them because we are too scared to maintain space, silence & stillness in our lives.    Getting clear on our non-negotiables – the bedrock of good health, clear thinking and heart-led living – are at the crux of how we move forward, and how we begin to make better decisions. For more information on conscious living, or to find out about Eminé’s seasonal living course, The Clearing, visit www.thisconsciouslife.co 

Wellbeing author, earth mama & nature lover, Eminé Rushton, awoke in spring of this year, with six words in her mind: “We’ll meet you at The Clearing.”    She wasn’t sure what they meant, or why they had come to her. In this episode, Eminé explores the importance of giving ourselves the space to reflect, clear and ultimately FEEL our way around our lives – without fearing that we have to rigidly plan every small thing in order to be successful. She also talks very candidly about her own creative process – with its own shortcomings and pitfalls – which led her & Paul to create The Clearing – a brand new ‘year-long nature lesson’, and member’s community, within This Conscious Life.    In this episode she explores the importance of trusting our intuition – and, crucially, allowing ourselves enough space to allow that intuition to flourish. She also offers insight into what The Clearing will share, month by month, and the ethos it upholds, for all of its members.   Join Eminé & Paul for a year-long lesson, deeply rooted in nature, with monthly lessons, seasonal attunements and nourishing rituals and recipes. Learn more at www.thisconsciouslife.co/theclearing/theclearing

What does Autumn signify? A time of shedding and lightening – a time when we can leave behind the burdens of things that are no longer helpful, and when we can get a true, honest insight into who we are, beneath it all. In this episode, Ayurvedic consultant and wellbeing author, Eminé Rushton, guides us through Autumn’s unique energy, with holistic advice to guide us on our way. Filled with soulful reflections on the significance of this time of year – to help you with your own reflections and inner questions – and practical advice to bolster our health, immunity and spirtual wellbeing, this is a lyrical guide to the season ahead.    Eminé shares a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke, called Autumn Days, at the end of this episode: After the summer's yield, Lord, it is time to let your shadow lengthen on the sundials and in the pastures let the rough winds fly.   As for the final fruits, coax them to roundness. Direct on them two days of warmer light to hale them golden toward their term, and harry the last few drops of sweetness through the wine.   Whoever's homeless now, will build no shelter; who lives alone will live indefinitely so, waking up to read a little, draft long letters,    and, along the city's avenues, fitfully wander, when the wild leaves loosen. You can learn more about seasonal living, Ayurveda and conscious lifestyles, at This Conscious Life: www.thisconsciouslife.co and follow Eminé’s honest accounts of a real, if gentle, life, at www.instagram.com/thisconsciousbeing

Co-founder of This Conscious Life, and co-author of SATTVA: The Ayurvedic Way to Live Well, Eminé Rushton considers the biggest lesson she’s learned from her youngest daughter – in embodying all that you are, freely and lovingly, without condition. In this episode, Eminé explores what a life with less fear, and more love, feels like – and how we can build a better future for ourselves, by removing our choices from expectation-rooted ego, and focusing on unconditional & good intentions instead.    Part of the poem, Ulysses, by Alfred Lord Tennyson, is shared at the end – food for the spirit, to remind us, it’s never too late to seek a newer world.   www.thisconsciouslife.co https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sattva-Ayurvedic-Way-Live-Well/dp/1788172248

In this short ‘story’, Paul Rushton explores what our quest for the happy ending might teach us about our selves, and shares his own learnings on happiness – how, so often, we set ourself up to fall or fail. He explains that bliss, or ‘ananda’ is our natural state and our natural birthright. By bringing our attention to the things that distract us from this ‘bliss’ and happiness, we begin to see how we are fabricating obstacles to this natural, gentle path. By celebrating Sattva – the truth of life, and truthful, conscious living – we remind ourselves that we are here, alive, and can thrive without any extra ‘stuff’.  Paul and Eminé mention one of their favourite books in this episode – Spiritual Compass, by the wonderful Satish Kumar – which also guides us through the subject of ‘Sattva’... Satish sent us a copy of his book, with a beautiful note within, having read our own book, Sattva. It’s a book we return to often, and read with open hearts & pure acceptance. We recommend all of wonderful Satish Kumar’s books – and with a smile, also nod to Paul’s words in this episode – reminding all that while these books and gifts are wonderful, kind and joyous, ultimately, we do not NEED them. All that we need, we have within. These, then – as in this simplest of episodes – is just a reminder of those things we already know. May we forget it less and less, until, we never forget again.

In this episode, Eminé takes a deep dive into summer – a time of heightened pitta – and through her own experience of struggling with symptoms of excess pitta, such as skin upset, hormonal imbalance, heat rashes and a hot temper (among many other typically pitta symptoms), she learned the crucial importance of working to better balance her own body, mind and spirit, in this season of heat and fire. Looking at how we can gently adapt every part of our lives to bring in calmer, slower, cooler energy, which naturally balances the freneticsm and heightened energy of summer.

In Ayurveda, our menstrual cycle provides us with a uniquely valuable insight into the workings of our female body. In this episode, Eminé Rushton takes a look at how each part of our menstrual cycle is defined by a different dosha – which gives each part its own natural characteristics and sensations – and how each dosha type presents with a different set of pre- post- and menstrual symptoms and experiences. By looking to balance the body with diet, lifestyle and spiritual practices, we can look to create a truly gentle period, and a harmonised menstrual cycle. I mention shatavari, brahmi (gotu kola or bacopa) and tulsi (holy basil) in this podcast too – they are wonderful adaptogenic herbs, which are useful for bringing balance to our bodies. Always seek out a reputable organic supplier – I like Pukka, Organic India and Ayurveda Pura. It is always a good idea to have a full Ayurvedic consultation with a doctor or practitioner – the APA UK (Ayurvedic Practitioner’s Association) are a wonderful resource for this.   Some fantastic books, a few of which I mention in this podcast, which help us better understand our bodies and cycles: Women’s Bodies and Cycles Wild Power, Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Wurlitzer Love Your Lady Landscape, Lisa Lister Code Red, Lisa Lister and Megan Watterson Yoni Shakti, Uma Dinsmore Tuli Period Power, Nadya Okamato Womancode, Alisa Vitti Our Bodies Our Selves, Boston Women’s Health Book Collective Women’s Bodies Women’s Wisdom, Dr Christiane Northrup Moon Time, Lucy H. Pearce You can purchase our book, Sattva: The Ayurvedic Way to Live, here — https://amzn.to/2XQJQM7

In this episode, host and Ayurvedic Consultant, Eminé Rushton, introduces us to Sebastian Pole – co-founder of Pukka. Sebastian is incomparably knowledgeable about plants – and is a trained practitioner in Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Herbalism, and to this day, still runs a herbal clinic in his hometown of Bath. Meeting in Sebastian’s lush and fascinating herb garden, Sebastian shares his own story – how he became interested in herbs, his years of travel and study in India, how he came to create Pukka, and his life-long devotion to the growing, sharing and education around herbs. Discussing everything from herbs to help women with menstruation and beyond, to herbs that help keep us grounded, healthy and focused, this episode is a wonderful exploration and celebration of nature’s wisdom – accompanied by the birdsong and bee hum of Sebastian’s productive, paradisal garden. Learn more about herbs at Pukka – pukkaherbs.com and through Sebastian’s wonderful books, A Pukka Life; Ayurvedic Medicine: The Principles of Traditional Practice and Pukka Tea: Make Your Own Healthy Herbal Infusions, are fantastic reads, and highly recommended to those who would like to learn more about Ayurveda, herbalism & holism. For more information on Eminé, you can follow her at @thisconsciousbeing on Instagram, or via her website, www.thisconsciouslife.co

In this episode, our host, Ayurvedic Consultant and author, Eminé Rushton, introduces us to the paradigm-shifting book she has written with her husband Paul – Sattva: The Ayurvedic Way to Live Well: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sattva-Ayurvedic-Way-Live-Well/dp/1788172248 Sat means truth in Sanskrit – and Sattva is purest truth, and purest consciousness. It is a primal universal energy that guides us to kindness, goodness, gentleness, harmony, bliss, purity and clarity. When we live Sattva, we find that our lives flow, that we trust our feelings more, that we stop fighting and playing the pre-conditioned game: that we align with universal natural laws, truth and Mother Nature’s wisdom. In this episode, we learn to embody the essence of purest Sattva – and restore the natural balance that we are craving more than ever in our hectic daily lives.   For more information on Eminé, you can follow her at @thisconsciousbeing on Instagram, or via her website, www.thisconsciouslife.co ; you can also follow This Conscious Life at @thisconsiouslife.co In this episode I share the words of wisdom that Dr Suraj Dubey shared with me, when I met him many many years ago, with my youngest (then a baby) –  he is based in India but also visits Rosa Alpina in the Dolomites to run Ayurvedic retreats. I would also like to thank the wonderful Indian doctors whom I have met in the last ten years, whose words of wisdom guide me every day. Dr. Shylesh Subramanya who is based in Maldives and Vaidya Kumaran Rajsekhar, who is based at Graeflicher Park in Germany. I am also often asked about referring people to Ayurvedic doctors in the UK – the UK-based Dr Deepa Apte, who runs Ayurveda Pura in Greenwich, is wonderful and wise, and Geeta Vara, a fantastic Ayurvedic practitioner, based in London and the South-East. They both have my highest recommendation. And if seeking an Ayurvedic practitioner close to you, the APA, or Ayurvedic Practitioner’s Association is a wonderful resource.