Chai Hour
Weekly on Fridays
You are invited to gather with Eriel to learn and explore the ancient system of Ayurveda from where we now know as India and parts of Pakistan. Ayurveda’s singular goal has always been to “reduce suffering.” Our gatherings have two main goals: release and fortify, in order to reduce suffering.
How to register: No registration needed. Drop-in
Cost: Purchase of food/beverage OR 5.00 donation to teahouse nonprofit encouraged.
Location: Japanese Seating, 2nd floor
Organizer Contact: eriel.starre@gmail.com
In our gatherings, Eriel will help guide the group in releasing the week’s tensions
through conversation over a cup of tea and then moving through Ayurvedic practices to help regulate nerves and moods so we can go on to enjoy our weekend in a more gentler way.
With these two goals in mind, Eriel aims to teach the basics of Ayurveda through an understanding and dialogue about the energetics that make-up we as individuals and all of humanity. Ayurveda is a complex system, but at its most basic level it makes meaning from the more challenging parts of being human; Ayurveda looks to energetics to find the way to understand how we may reduce human suffering. The first concept that most students learn about today is that of the Doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha), three energetics that make up all things, including each person.
During our gatherings, we will focus heavily on these energetic qualities and how to recognize the ratios we may be experiencing of each Dosha, both when they are in and out of balance. Understanding the Dosha make-up of ourselves in real time informs us how to bring ourselves back into balance to fortify ourselves in times of challenge or irritation.
The specific day’s group dynamic will inform which pieces of Ayurvedic advice that Eriel will teach and then discuss with participants. The aim is to explore which Ayurvedic suggestions are most helpful in real time: tea and food, physical movement, sensory support like using essential oils and dry brushing, and even breathing techniques. Self-care and Ayurveda go beautifully hand in hand, which we will discuss in each gathering.
Ayurveda is an ancient system and a lifestyle that aids modern people through our specific challenges. Eriel is an independent scholar, herbalist-in-training, facilitator, and comparative researching astrologer. She is also a student in Yoga Veda Institute’s Ayurvedic Practitioner program and has plans to sit for the board exam for Ayurveda practitioners by 2030. Yoga Veda Institute is currently in the accreditation process with the National Ayurvedic Medical Association Certification Board.
