Inspirational Insights from a Bestselling Author
Susan Weis-Bohlen shares her Ayurvedic journey, writing process, and transformative wellness tips, blending personal experience with ancient wisdom to inspire and empower modern readers.
Susan Weis-Bohlen is a beacon of wisdom in the world of holistic health, infusing ancient Ayurvedic principles with an approachable, modern sensibility. A celebrated author, teacher, and practitioner, Susan has made Ayurvedic healing accessible to a global audience through her best-selling books and inspirational workshops. From her transformative journey through Panchakarma to her vibrant reflections on the art of writing, Susan’s life is a testament to the power of balancing body, mind, and spirit. In our exclusive interview for Reader’s House Magazine, she shares her insights on Ayurveda’s timeless relevance, practical home remedies, and how storytelling has become a vital thread in the fabric of her life. Whether you’re new to holistic practices or a long-time advocate, Susan’s guidance offers both inspiration and actionable wisdom.
What initially drew you to Ayurveda, and how has it transformed your personal and professional life?
When I was 41 years old, in 2004, I opened a new-age bookstore in Baltimore, Maryland called Breathe Books. I had a small Ayurvedic section, but I didn’t know much about it beyond what I had read a decade earlier in Deepak Chopra’s book Ageless Body, Timeless Mind. I was drawn to this 5000-year-old Indian science of health and wellbeing because I wanted to lose weight. It turns out, it wasn’t about weight, it was about finding balance in my mind, body and spirit.
I discovered there are three doshas – Vata which is air and space, and Pitta, which is fire and water, and Kapha, water and earth. At 230 pounds (16.5 stone), I had excess Kapha. I began studying how to reduce Kapha through food, lifestyle, and more, which led me to the Chopra Center in California for a 10-day program called Panchakarma (PK). The protocol includes oil massages, herbal treatments, and classes in Ayurveda, yoga, and meditation and eating a diet to balance your dosha.
I rapidly dropped 60 pounds (4.2 stone) – never to be seen again, and totally embraced the lifestyle, so much so that I became a certified practitioner through The Chopra Center. I also studied with The Ayurvedic Institute in the US and India for clinical knowledge and with Amadea Morningstar for cooking. From 2019-2023, I was on the board of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA).
After running my bookstore for 10 years (and adding an Ayurvedic café), I decided to close shop and become a full-time practitioner, teacher, speaker, and author.
Can you share some simple Ayurvedic home remedies that beginners can incorporate into their daily routines?
Eat three meals a day, each meal consisting of about two handfuls of food. Avoid snacks. Have a light dinner, at least three hours before bed. Get to bed around 10 pm so that your body can go through the metabolic process that happens between 10 pm and 2 am (waste is separated from nutrients). This ensures that your body eliminates toxins, rebuilds tissue, cleanses blood and clears the mind. One should wake up around 6 or 7 (depending on the season, your dosha, state of health) feeling rested and ready to go.
Boost your immune system when needed with herbs such as the adaptogen ashwagadha (one or two tablets in the morning for energy OR at night for relaxation.) Keep your colon toned and bowel movements regular with triphala (one or two tablets before bed). The daily oil application called abhyanga keeps the skin supple and blocks environmental toxins.
How did your experience with Panchakarma influence your approach to wellness and self-care?
PK cleanses you inside and out, requires you to rest and allow yourself to be taken care of. In India, I went to Vaidyagrama, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, for a three-week PK. I took time to journal, meditate, do some chanting, and listen to nourishing music and podcasts. My husband and I did this together, and it brought us even closer. I try to carry on some techniques at home.
What challenges did you face while writing your books, and how did you overcome them?
I love writing. I’ve been writing since I was a kid, and I was a journalist in Israel for many years. I didn’t set out to write books, but I was contacted by a publisher and decided to go for it. The challenge was that I couldn’t see the big picture and would get stuck trying to figure out the structure, the flow, and the end game. I learned from my editors that I didn’t need to know everything from the get-go. A table of contents could help guide me, and my natural voice was key.
At first, I thought I should be more clinical, just the facts kind of thing. However, an editor at Simon & Schuster told me that the text “sang” when I included personal stories and asked me for more of that. People can relate to my experiences, see themselves, and connect. I love that. That led to studying creative writing. Currently, I’m working on a memoir, and I lead workshops and trips where we incorporate writing.
I also learned – and this is super important – to read your work out loud. When you hear how it sounds, it begins to make much more sense, and corrections are evident. You can read it to a person, to your dogs, or into a voice recorder and listen back – but you MUST include this step in the writing process.
And revise, revise, revise. First, I just have to get the story out onto the page. Then, I let it sit and marinate, return to it a few days or weeks later, and begin the layering process. Who was I then? Who am I now? What did I learn? Am I using all my senses to tell the story? What did I see? What did it smell like, the colors, foods, weather, etc. I steep myself in the story and try to bring it to life, moment by moment, so that the reader can experience it too.
What was the most surprising discovery you made during your studies of Ayurveda?
It’s a rare thing for someone to lose as much weight as I did and never gain it back, but I learned from Ayurveda that I wasn’t fat just because I ate too much. I was fat because it was in my natural doshic makeup to hold on – emotional baggage, people, things, routines. As I became more balanced, physically and emotionally, the weight fell off. I didn’t need it anymore. My new book will go into this in detail, but it was fascinating.
How do you balance your writing, teaching, and personal life while staying true to your Ayurvedic practices?
After nearly 20 years of practice, the benefits are so clear, and our lives are so rich because of it. Our entire lifestyle is Ayurvedic, which can be flexible and forgiving. Do we take pharmaceuticals from time to time? Yes, when necessary. Do we eat ice cream in winter sometimes? Yes – I call it vitamin H – Vitamin Happy. And as I’ve gone through menopause, I could not mitigate some of my symptoms Ayurvedically (although some people are able to) and I began using estrogen and progesterone and I’m cool with that.
My writing practice is truly Ayurvedic. I wish I was one of those people who write at 5 in the morning, when the world is still and the house quiet, but as a true Kapha, I’m asleep at 5 and you literally couldn’t pay me to write then! I discovered that my best work happens between 2 pm and 6 pm, which is Vata time day. Vata dosha is highly creative, so there ya go! Creativity flows for me in the afternoon, so that’s my process. My writing space and the direction my desk faces are based on Vastu Shastra, which is Vedic Feng Shui. Our entire house is Vastu’ed which helps to keep us balanced and healthy.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to write about holistic health and wellness?
You must be authentic and, ideally, have healed yourself through the practice you are writing about. Come from a place of vulnerability, not victimhood. Show your weaknesses and how they became your strengths. Give credit to your teachers. Be open and honest, warm and encouraging. And read. You must be a reader to be a writer. Notice how the books you love are structured. Go to events or retreats with your favorite teachers and listen closely to them. Be discerning. And be original. We all have a story to tell.
