My story
My name is Pamela. I was born and raised in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. I lived in Spain – mostly Barcelona – for about 15,5 years until I decided to move back to my hometown in March 2018. Having Indian and Chinese roots from Surinamese and Antillean origins – among many others – I grew up with herbal remedies like oils and decoctions that my parents and grandparents prepared for me to keep me healthy or to heal me from my ailments. Spices like ginger, turmeric, cumin and fennel were always part of our kitchen and medicine cabinet.
As a child, playing outside for me meant looking for leaves, seeds, fruits and anything else I could find in the backyard or in the park and by the lake, to then pretend I was a doctor mixing up all these ingredients to make magic potions to heal people, just like my mother and grandmother would prepare remedies to help me overcome the severe form of bronchitis I suffered from.
After having had a career in Marketing and Communications, I never would have thought that at some point in my life I would come back to this ancient form of medicine. It was in Autumn 2011 when I started feeling sick. What started off as simple dizzy spells turned out to be a severe form of anxiety with panic attacks, meaning nausea, severe sweating, vertigo and accelerated heartbeat but above all, the feeling I was dying while no one could help me. As the panic attacks became more and more frequent, I became more desperate on finding a solution: despite blood work and check-ups, doctors couldn’t find anything for what I had not identified with anxiety just yet.
It wasn’t until I walked into the practice of a doctor in Ayurveda that it became clear to me what the reasons of my suffering were… Work-related stress, a difficult childhood, negative surroundings in my recent past and toxic habits to forget about my pain had lead to this.
For nearly three years I worked on healing myself with the help of Ayurveda and Yoga. My own healing process led me to study a Master’s Degree in Ayurvedic Therapy at the University of Barcelona (through the Sant Joan de Déu institute linked to the hospital) from 2014 to 2017. During the Summers of 2016 and 2017 I completed my clinical practice at the Patanjali Ayurved College and Patanjali Ayurved Hospital founded by Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna in Haridwar, India.
I have made it my purpose to help people understand their own health problems so they can learn how to take care of themselves. If you know the root cause of your ailment, only then you can start following the right path to reverse your situation. It doesn’t have to be complicated: you can start with simple lifestyle and dietary changes right for your mind-body type, always staying in harmony with your surroundings and adjusting to the seasonal changes. As an Ayurvedic Practitioner, I work with cleansing techniques, herbs, treatments and give personalized advice on lifestyle habits which range from simple daily routines to yoga postures, pranayama exercises and chanting of mantras.
Would you like to know more about my background and work experience? Click here to check out my profile on LinkedIn.
My trajectory
Higher Education
- 2021: Bachelor’s degree Ayurvedic Practitioner (HBO), European Institute of Studies & Research of Ayurveda (EISRA), The Hague, The Netherlands
- 2014-2017: Master’s degree in Ayurvedic Therapy at the University of Barcelona (through the Sant Joan de Déu institute linked to the hospital).
- 2016-2017: Clinical practice, Patanjali Ayurved College and Patanjali Ayurved Hospital founded by Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna in Haridwar, India.
- 2006-2010: Bachelor’s degree in Advertising & Public Relations, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.
Certificates
- 2023: Renewal European First-Aid Certificate (EHBO), Red Cross, Amsterdam
- 2021: European First-Aid Certificate (EHBO), Red Cross, Amsterdam
- 2020: Western Medicine Fundamentals (HBO Medische Basiskennis), CIVAS, CPION
- 2013-2017: Reiki Master & Practitioner according to the Usui Ryōhō Reiki tradition, Alianza Española de Reiki, Barcelona
- 2015: Karuna Reiki I & II Practitioner, The International Center for Reiki Training, Michigan
- 2014: Hatha Vinyasa Yoga Teacher training (RYT-200), Yogaroom Barcelona
Teachers I have studied with
- Dr. Robert Svoboda, vaidya/doctor in Ayurvedic medicine and surgery
- Dr. Sudhakar Powar, vaidya, Univ. of Barcelona and Patanjali Yogpeeth
- Dr. Ketan Mahajan, vaidya, Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar, India
- Dr. Abishek Sharma, vaidya, Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar, India
- Simon Borg-Olivier, Physiotherapist and founder of Yoga Synergy
- David Swenson, Ashtanga Yoga Productions
- Petri Raïsanen, Ashtanga Yoga Helsinki
- Saraswathi Jois, Ashtanga Yoga, KPJAYI
- Karen Watson, Shadow Yoga, Islington Yoga
- Amelie Strecker, Hatha Vinyasa and Shadow Yoga, Yogaroom Barcelona
- Antonella Accinelli, Barcelona Ashtanga Yoga Nilaya
- Gregor Maehle, yoga teacher and founder of Chintamani Yoga
