Chala Kala · studio for Ayurveda (2025)

01/12/2023

my ayurvedic practice sits inside my art studio in what feels like a hidden corner on the east side of the city center. In a crowded city like Amsterdam, i feel blessed with this quiet nook.

05/10/2023

I’ve been seeing quite some exhausted people these days. Seasonal changes and especially autumn can be challenging for our physical and mental well being. If you can, take some extra care to rest, nourish yourself with simple cooked foods and slow down a little. 🧡 You’d aim to counterbalance the restlessness of the wind (air and space element).

Chala kala’s studio and shop will be closed from Oct. 13 till 30. I’ll be in the US for my art. If you’d like to make an appointment for November or December just get in touch.

If you’ve been wanting to order some herbal oils. I have a discount of 10% till the end of this weekend. I’ll be able to send out your orders before I leave.

30/09/2023

Autumn ~ oleation

It is this season of increased wind and dryness, we benefit the most from oleating our skin.

All the botanical body oils I make are now back in stock (see discount 🔻). I hope these may support you in moments of care through touch, warmth, plant medicine and the nourishing character of oil.

If you order through DM or e-mail before October 8, you’ll get a 10% discount, or 3x 100ml bottles for €65,-
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St. Johns wort oil is here to give gentle warmth to the muscles and nerves.

Breast&Belly oil is here to help you care for the tender tissues of the breast and belly, moving stagnation and supporting lymph flow.

Rose oil is here for the face and our heart. For those who can use the gentlest embrace.

Calm oil is here to take off the rough edges.

Calendula oil is a close skin companion and for those who take care of children, as this oil is most suitable for them.

Head&Feet oil for those much needed foot rubs and head massages. Bringing relaxation and circulation to those areas.

Lavender is here for big sighs. A solid all rounder which provides relaxation, and support in case of minor burns, cuts, scratches.

See for longer descriptions chala-kala.com

20/09/2023

After a beautiful summer break, the past few weeks I was happy to see some new and familiar faces for treatments and consultations at the studio.

I’ve made new batches of fresh botanical body oils. Right in time for autumn, the season we need them the most, the season of wind and space, of shedding and beautiful colours.

🧡

28/06/2023

💛 st.john’s wort 💛

Once a year, around midsummer day I harvest this lovely plant and make an oil which brings us a hint of summer warmth all year round.

It’s the plant my botanical oil making started with four years ago, the oil I got introduced to as a young child.

It will take another two months, before the oil is ready and potent. Till that time there is still a little bit left of last years’ best. 😊

28/05/2023

This morning I woke up to thes shadow play of the old grape vine and flowers I received yesterday at my graduation, making be feel very blessed.

Starting a studies in Ayurveda five years ago felt like a deep unexpected dive. But very soon I felt how much joy these studies brought me, curiosity kept growing while the content became more and more layered, and pathologies more complex. It has taught me tremendous empathy, and it has lid a fire within me to be there for others and search with them for keys and tools for their health. With every person I meet through this practice I learn, and grow. Thank you for being part of that, near or far. ☺️

07/04/2023

Being able to hold space for people, listening to their stories, looking at their health together, giving them treatments… is such a beautiful experience after all these years of study.

I’m thankful for those who already found their way to me, and for their trust.

One more month and I’ll finish my five year bachelor of Ayurvedic studies. This final year I’ve enjoyed writing a research paper and doing an internship, now I’m ready for the last step at the end of this month… the final exam.

Image: client in steam tent after massage, with her lovely daughter relaxing on the floor. 🧡

03/01/2023

To move with the currents, to move with the challenges,

instead of muscle tensioning, forceful forward movement or stagnation. (There is nothing as tiring as moving against the currents)

The water caries, and transforms the rocks it passes.

This movement is not quite a surrender, it is form of intentional movement. (I think)

Seaweed once remembered me of this… what if I moved like seaweed. Physically, mentally…?

In a shiatsu course I followed some years ago, we practiced moving like seaweed. Perhaps you want to give it a try… stand on both feet, relax the knees, the shoulders, the jaws… take your time to be present, imagine being in water, warm, comfortable, your body gently being moved, caressed, rocked by the water. These movements may be very small. Are your arms soft… how are the currents?

[Image 1: picture of D.H. Lawrence quote in a paper ‘Shifting perspective on Symmetry’ written by dear friend Maartje Blans. Image 2: January 1, 2023 making cards with rabbit cut-outs at other dear friends]

19/12/2022

Thank you for all your orders. It’s heartwarming you are using and gifting the 🌿 oils I make, that they may help you feel nourished and may soften the rough edges.

I’m honored some of you have ordered from abroad, or brought them to family and friends in Japan and Argentina 🧡

In case you’re still looking for a herbal, handmade gift, I have some more in stock which can be picked up at my studio on Thursday. also has some in stock and are open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. ⭐️

18/12/2022

• the waking hours •

“During the waking period, when the whole world alights with mobility and transformation, we are cautioned by the sages to remain especially alert in terms of activities, diet and other aspects of daily life.

In the light face of day, ideas are created, decisions are progressed, relationships fostered, and ambition promoted. Therefor, it becomes imperative to beckon our cognitive nature and keep it close by so that we may be continuously guided in our efforts to live harmoniously and progressively, both as an individual and as a species.”

~ Maya Tiwari

[image: painted wood stele of Lady Taperet, 22nd dynasty, 1070-712 BCE, Egypt; sun-god Harokhti’s sunrays directed at worshipping Taperet, evoke when light first emerged in the world]

16/12/2022

• the sleeping hours •

“As night approaches, the physical organism requires rest.

In preparation for total rest, the seers urge us to dissolve completely the activities of the waking hours. In this way all perceptions and experiences, finished or unfinished, come to a full stop. The mind is persuaded into detaching itself from the sensory organs and leaving behind the ongoing agenda.”

~ Maya Tiwari

[images: drawings of night skies and stars by Vija Celmins)

01/12/2022

~ D I S C O U N T ~

These are my three favorite oils, i simply use them the most;
• st.john’s wort for painful shoulders and neck, or on the entire body, such a warm joy
• breast&belly for checking in and to take care of this vulnerable part of the body, keeping it soft, I love its beautiful smell
• rosemary on the scalp & hair, and for circulation on my feet, or in the bath which helps taking deep breaths too

Pick your own favorite 3, or gift them to loved ones.

3x 100ml 65 euro (normally 72)
You can order through dm or through the website.
🧡

09/11/2022

Autumn is well on its way 🍁

I hope you’re are enjoying its fruits, like apples and pears and quince. Each has their own particular flavor, structure and scent.

In vata season (autumn) and especially if you experience dryness in some way. It is beneficial to cook apples. But here’s another reason you may want to do that…

Cooked apples are delicious with some cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Just cut them in 4, add a little water (half a cup) in a pot and boil shortly, 5 minutes, with 2 cloves and some cinnamon. You can drain or drink the liquid.

If you eat this before breakfast, you have an excellent pre-biotic, which helps the good bacteria in the gut.

⭐️

Image: holding quince in ourgarden, photo taken by

07/11/2022

Now 30ml dropper bottles available for the 3 oils which are mainly used on smaller areas, like the face, head and feet.

It’s an experiment to see if this smaller quantity is useful for you.

R O S E ~ oil for moisturising & tending emotions

Rose is perhaps one of the most ancient medicinal plants known to humans. Rose infused oil is moisturizing, anti-inflammatory and relieving stress. It’s wonderful on the face. According to Ayurveda, rose primarily balances sadhaka pitta, that governs the emotions and how they impact our heart.

Rose gives a sense of security. It keeps your heart open and connected to all things, and it reduces anger.

C A L M ~ with Chamomile and Rose. A gentle oil with a sweet comforting scent to help you settle down.

Use it on your neck and temples, to make it easier to get to sleep, or calm a chattering mind. Also great for red, irritated skin.

H E A D & F E E T - A relaxing formulation, combining the calming effect of Lavender and Chamomile with Rosemary which enhance circulation.

Apply the oil on your neck, upper back, or feet. Use it at the first sign of neck or shoulder tension that can trigger headaches.
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30ml glass dropper bottle with botanical oil €10,- each. DM to order

03/10/2022

After 12 weeks of infusion this years st. john’s wort oil is ready for you. 🧡

"St. John’s Wort is likely one of our most important topical remedies in the western materia medica. One of the most classic uses of St. John’s Wort is for traumas involving the nerves. Anytime there is sharp shooting inflamed nerve pain, always consider St. John’s Wort as it is highly unique in this way and one of our only remedies with this specific an action on nerve related pain. […] Here we see it being applied for sciatica, neuralgia, pinched nerves, shingles, spinal cord injuries, and tooth pain, as well as other rheumatic pains, arthritis, gout, muscular spasm, cramping, and stiffness, sprains, strains, and bruising."

But it can also be used for wounds that are prone to infection. From a client I heard midwifes use it for wound healing after delivery. St.John’s wort oil is just… 👌🏽

This bright red oil, with its beautiful smell will always have a special place in my practise.

available in 100 or 200ml glass bottles. Dm to order or look at my website for this or other handmade botanical oils.

21/09/2022

The last eightteen years I have been (and still am) working as a visual artist exhibiting my work internationally. Close awareness of the body
and its perception are key to anything I’ve made. My process always includes studying, learning new skills and going back to a beginning.

When I became the mother of our son in 2012 years I felt pulled back towards the garden, to nature and to finding a new kind of self-reliance which includes working with people, with other minds and bodies. I looked for a philosophy which was whole and adresses us humans (our physiology and mind) within the systems of the natural world. There was this unconscious drive to point attention to the praxis of healing.

In 2018 I’ve started a Bachelor in Ayurveda next to my art practise. Completely intrigued by this ancient vast science and its relevance today. I’ve been learning about life – health and disease – and the medicine of nutrition, herbology and massage. Ayurveda touches on my ever present fascination with the human body and its response-ability.

The coming months I will finish my studies formally (it’s a studies for life though) with the writing of a research paper and an internship. I’m very excited about this!

took this picture of me in our garden

15/09/2022

It is taking me some time to get back in to the rhythm. (have not been here much either) After the summer time seems to tick differently and while summer remnants & souvenirs are pilling up in the corners of my sight, I tend to the tasks that lie in front. Perhaps you can relate…

Thinking about soft mullein in the high desert, the taste of tacos with chipotles and grilled corn, river trips and the howling wolves we heard at night.

In the image some plant souvenirs we brought home.

20/07/2022

* S U M M E R ~ travel *

When we travel, we are on the move and if we travel by airplane we’re exposed to much air en space element; together these may increase feelings of ungroundedness, dryness and roughness in the body (e.g. dry skin and mucus membranes, constipation and/or bloating, sleeplessness, anxiety). With some simple Ayurvedic remedies we can prepare for travel and counterbalance these.

For example by oiling the body before you travel, with a special focus on the head and ears. The oil will lubricate and protect the body and calm Vata dosha.

Now in summer, I use a medicinal Ayurvedic oil for the head with cooling and calming properties. But you could also use melted coconut oil or my calendula or rose infused oils if you have these.

Then you can make sure you eat and drink moist and easily digestible foods and no dry crackers, soft drinks (with bubbles), ice cold drinks/food. If you need cooling down rather think of rose-hibiscus tea, coriander seed tea or mint tea at room temperature, coconut water and foods like cucumber, melon.

The chala kala shop and studio are closed till August 19 for a much needed summer break. Looking forward to seeing you after.

Wishing you a beautiful summer!

Chala Kala · studio for Ayurveda