Tyler V. Wauters

Education and Experience

Education Includes:

• Appalachia School of Holistic Herbalism with Frank Cook, Juliet Blankespoor, and more
• Apprenticeship with Isla Burgess at the International College of Herbal Medicine
• Northeast School of Botanical Medicine with 7song
• The Ayurvedic Institute with Dr. Lad, BAM&S, MASc (both ASP 1 and 2)
• Mentorship with Sonia Masocco
• Attended the International Conference on Ayurveda at Vaidyagrama in 2015, "Where science meets consciousness: Exploring interconnectedness of man and nature"

Professional Experience:

• Faculty member with the Herb Pharm Herbaculture Program from 2008–2019
• Founder of Hawthorn Institute 2013–Present
• Professional Wildcrafter since 2012

Personal Experience:

• Has been foraging, hiking, and adventuring since 2003
• Has been incorporating Ayurvedic lifestyle practices since 2005

Tyler's Point of View

How were you introduced to Ayurveda?

I was first introduced to Ayurveda in 2005 living in Asheville, North Carolina. Through the Appalachia School of Holistic Herbalism, I met Frank Cook, who became my first mentor. Frank recently had trekked through India and he was sharing the wisdom of Ayurveda that had been shared with him as he stopped at each village. It was during this class that I made the commitment to practice Ayurveda and Herbalism together.
 

When are you most likely to go out of balance and how do you bring yourself back in balance using Ayurveda?

My career path and passions are synonymous. Sometimes this leads to exhaustion and over-working. To balance myself, I enjoy tea ceremony with my life partner, sit with trees, and play basketball. To elaborate, tea brings sattvic energy into our relationship. Tree sits initiate a deep sense of awareness and dissolve the ego. And basketball stimulates all of my dhatu agnis.
 

What does the future of Ayurveda look like to you?

My personal translation of Ayurveda is “the practice of awareness.” I hope that Ayurveda can help us naturalize the Self by reconnecting us with the environments we live within. Extending the core frameworks of Ayurveda from the human body to the trees, rivers, mountains, and animals we live with enriches our hearts with a sense of belonging and community. Our future depends on our ability to become more aware to the ways we are all connected.
 

What's one Ayurvedic practice anyone can implement to spur change in their life, right here, right now?

Body scanning with breath. With practice and focus, you can channel your breath anywhere in the body and allow prana to touch every cell. Breath is a great vehicle for messages of love, integration, and connection.