before we had language, we had touch.
It is the first sense to develop in the womb and the last to leave us. Ayurveda recognised this long ago, naming touch, “Sparsha Indriya“, as the king of all senses. Unlike any other sense, touch pervades everything. It is permanently woven into the mind itself. You cannot truly see, hear, taste or smell without, at some level, touching.
Massage is the greatest expression of this. It is not just physical therapy, it is the most direct way to pacify the nervous system, calm the mind and remind the body of its own healing intelligence. And yet most people have never been taught to give this fundamental gift to themselves.
In this half-day workshop, Dylan and Sole put that wisdom directly into your hands: teaching you two of the most empowering ways Ayurveda enlivens the sense of touch:
Self-Abhyanga - the classical Ayurveda self-oil massage. Daily, meditative, deeply protective. For the nervous system, lymphatic drainage, circulation, musculo-skeletal structure, skin and to enhance the memory and the vitality of every tissue in your body.
Self-Pulse - the art of feeling your own pulse. A self-referral mechanism, a simple and quick tool for immediate balance, and a window into what your body is quietly asking for.
You will leave with practical skills you can use every day, tools for self-healing, self-pacification and a relationship with your own body that goes far deeper than most people ever find.
Length: 3 hours
Cost: $108 Adult / $54 Student
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Dylan Smith is an Ayurvedic Practitioner, holistic health educator and, depending on what time of day you catch him, a man covered in oil worshiping the sun at the beach at sunrise.
If you ever walk or drive anywhere with Dylan, budget extra time. He will stop to examine the plants. He brings that same quality of unhurried attention to his patients and students - a genuine interest in getting beneath the surface, uncovering what is actually going on, and revealing the full potential blueprinted into each person's biology.
Dylan founded Vital Veda in 2014. The living of it started well before that.
He consults with patients, runs immersive training programs, forages in the bush to make food and herbal preparations, travels around the world to teach and consults,, and hosts a widely loved podcast that has introduced thousands of people to this tradition.
He works closely with women, alongside his wife and fellow practitioner Sole Del Riccio Smith, supporting fertility, pre-conception, pregnancy and the postpartum period with a particular dedication to optimising health for future generations. Tell Dylan you are pregnant or just had a baby and he will likely show up at your door with the most prana-rich food you have ever tasted.
What people most often say about Dylan is that he tells it straight: no ambiguity, no sitting on the fence, just honest and direct. Sometimes if there is conflicting advice or too much information, he distils it to what actually matters and makes it immediately practical. Do less, achieve more. Ayurveda, integrated effortlessly.
He regularly travels to India to train with one of the world's most respected Ayurvedic lineages and has studied Sanskrit to be as intimate with the source as possible. The tradition is timeless. His enthusiasm for it, shows no signs of catching up.
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Sole Del Riccio Smith is an Ayurveda therapist, birth and postpartum doula, and manager of Vital Veda - an Ayurveda clinic, education platform and apothecary based in Byron Bay Shire, Australia.
With a profound commitment to honouring and nurturing women through significant life transitions and diverse health circumstances, Sole brings deep passion, intuition and clinical skill to her work. Her training includes doula education under Anna Watts, founder of the Celebration of Birth Doula Academy, and Daniela Ekman of Soma Shakti, alongside specialised Ayurveda training with the Raju Family Vaidyas of South India, one of the most respected Ayurvedic lineages in the world.
Sole works with women through the full arc of reproductive life. Preconception. Fertility. Pregnancy. Birth. The sacred 42-day postpartum window. Each stage distinct, each one deserving of real knowledge and genuine care.
Her work extends to children's health, supporting families to understand their child's unique situation and how to nourish their immunity, digestion, sleep and emotional wellbeing from the earliest days.
Grounded in classical Ayurveda wisdom and a deep reverence for the body's innate intelligence, Sole dedicates her life to this meaningful work, striving to honour and enliven the divine within each individual and every aspect of life.with one of the world's most respected Ayurvedic lineages and has studied Sanskrit to be as intimate with the source as possible. The tradition is timeless. His enthusiasm for it, shows no signs of catching up.