Three words
Around 2010 a word came into my life that would not only change my own perspective on how to live but also help explain how my own body changes and responds to different circumstances and practices. I had been studying yoga for several years, then through yoga I also started learning about ayurveda. Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional Indian medicine. Next arrived the word permaculture into my life , a word which would help close a triangle of understanding to find balance in my own life. Through these three practices yoga, ayurveda and permaculture I have been able to focus my thoughts and start to develop a greater appreciation to the nature of things allowing me to become more connected to both myself and that which is around us.
Nature
Of course we can learn so much by listening to nature, for myself it’s the plants that are my main love. Learning about the different plants own stories always astounds me, how they come to be where they are both in the world and in our own lives, it’s truly remarkable. Some years ago I travelled into the Amazon jungle to visit with ayahuasqueros, healers who work with very powerful plants. In ceremony the ayahuasqueros become the connection between our human world and the world of the plants inviting them to enter into us and to offer what they feel we need at that time. From personal experience I feel these ceremonies allow us a small glimpse into the vast knowledge plants are able to teach us. This is perhaps taking a love of the stories of plants to the extreme but it also helps us to understand and to listen to what plants have to share from their stories and how we can improve our own.
Health
Over the years like a lot of people I've had to overcome certain health questions relating to my own body. These questions are also what lead me down into the Peruvian Amazon, I was looking for answers from the plants as well as wishing to meet them in their native habitat. I have also been fortunate to have travelled to India to meet with ayurvedic plants and trees, these played a major role in answering my own health questions. Whilst in India I was also able to visit the very ayurvedic medical company where the raw plant and tree materials were processed into the very medicines that were used in my own treatments. This was a very valuable experience watching the process of turning a raw plant material by hand into what I regard as some of the most effective natural medicine on the planet.
Learning
Life is a constant learning experience, I've changed careers several times over the years starting off working as a gamekeeper and now my current job as an IT techie. This job may be far from the plants I love but it has paid for my trips visiting plants in distant lands and also for all the different courses and workshops I've attended over the years, a few that stand out are an 8 day intensive course on Ayurveda taught by Dr.S.G.Prasanna Aithal Professor of Panchakarma at Moodbidri University India, and Mayuri Patel, Doctor and Director of Mayuveda Ayurvedic Health Clinic Bradford UK. I also really enjoyed a couple of herbalism workshops with Kit Acott and not to forget giving a mention to an Introduction to edible forest gardens with Rachel Benson at Old Sleningford farm North Yorkshire, this was a great experience. Currently I'm learning as much as I can about permaculture and in June 2014 I'll be taking a permaculture design course with Patrick Whitefield at Ragmans Lane Farm Gloucestershire.
Growing
It goes without saying my love of plants has lead me to be constantly growing new and interesting plants. In May 2013 my girlfriend emailed to tell me we now have an allotment, the allotment was on a new project that had been laid out on a field which had stood as paddock for many years. On hearing this news my mind went into overdrive thinking about all we could grow and now writing this in February 2014 my mind is still in the same state. We both have a passion for eating healthy food and for growing something a little different to eat than the usual allotment suspects. As they say “The proof of the pudding is in the eating” through this blog we will be able to share our successes and those moments of questions.
Future
To grow more……
Stephen Andrews.
 |
| Indian jungle |
Nature
 |
| Amazon jungle |
Health
 |
| store room of ayurvedic plants |
Learning
 |
| herbalism workshop |
Growing
 |
| our allotment 2013 |
Future
To grow more……
Stephen Andrews.
