Balance Your Agni

Reigate Ayurvedic practitioner Claire Paphitis offers her top tips for boosting immunity and gut health

- Rebecca Younger

Having suffered migraines since she was 12 years old, Reigate mother Claire Paphitis cites the ancient practice of Ayurveda by giving her the health and contentment that she didn’t think she would ever find.

Now an Ayurvedic practitioner, Claire has found people are drawn to the practice, which originated in India and is known as the sister science to yoga, but often don’t know how to apply it to their lives.

In her debut book, Balance Your Agni – An Essential Guide to Ayurveda, she explores the 5,000-year-old medicinal system, and how it can be used to achieve the modern goal of mind/body balance.

“Ayurveda works in the principle that an imbalanced Agni (digestive fire) is the root of all disorders,” she says. “So if we want our bodies to be in good shape we must first look to our digestive health. Balancing digestion and boosting immunity will help you sleep better, reduce stress and anxiety, have more energy, soothe skin conditions, maintain a healthy weight, balance your hormones and even improve the way you understand yourself and your relationships with family and friends.”