Jody Vassallo is a cookbook author, publisher, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Counsellor, Yoga Teacher, Cleaner and Tilba Chai maker.
Jody lives in dreamy Tilba, home of River Cottage on the Far South Coast of NSW. Jody has spent a large chunk of her career as a cookbook author and food stylist and once owned her own publishing company which failed and left her in heap on the floor but led her to discovering Ayurveda.
Jody helps women of ages rekindle their passion for food and themselves through nourishing recipes, yoga, honest conversation, vulnerability and laughter. Jody is passionate about sharing the healing power of ghee, routine, rest and living a life that changes with the seasons with the world.
Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts,Spotify, Google Podcast and more.
Broadcast: November 11, 2022
Duration: 48:28
Here is a snippet of our conversation…
The imbalance of the Western world:
So most people living in the western world who are on a telephone every day, who sit in front of a computer, who exercise, who don't really stop, have some type of vata imbalance and as women age, we see so much vata imbalance because they think they can go into their aging years living like they did in their pita years.
The natural inclination for women as they enter menopause..
..we've actually crossed the bridge as we come from peri menopause into menopause according to Ayurveda into the forest, so there's a natural inclination for most women who are menopausal to be less social. There's a natural inclination for them to be less driven when it comes to work. They don't want to do things they don't want to do, and there's this real coming home to oneself - what really brings sweetness and lights you up, and allows you to feel like you are creating the softest, sweetest home inside of yourself, for yourself.
What do we need to do?
We have to listen to when we are tired and put our feet up, we have to know where the sweetness in our life comes from and it's not from purchasing another piece of clothing. It's not from putting another sugary treat into our mouths. It's what are those really true female-knowing things that we actually know inside of ourselves. We don't need to read another book... It's just like, what are the things that we know as women that actually light us up in the most subtle ways that no one watching except another menopausal woman will actually understand.
The importance of rest, and space..
Vata is air and space and the space and what you put in your space is your choice. It's your God given right to make choices that make you feel good. And I think what we've been encouraged in our lives these days is to make education the most important thing in our space. And if you are driven and if you are passionate about what you do, it’s very tempting to always be improving yourself, but this space is allowed to have things that you enjoy and that bring sweetness to you, and vata needs this sometimes one pointed focus. So that is why being creative is incredibly enriching.
