Meet Madeline
A bit about your Ayurvedic Practitioner
I'm Madeline Armstrong, and I opened Gorge Ayurveda in 2023 after completing my studies at California College of Ayurveda (CCA). I was lucky to learn with wonderful Ayurvedic teachers and practitioners there, and I'm excited to bring my knowledge of healing the body to the Gorge community. I'm also a proud member of NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medical Association).
​
I moved to White Salmon in 2021, after discovering the Gorge by accident on a pandemic road trip and falling in love. I knew immediately that I wanted to live here, and that feeling is reconfirmed every day I get to wake up here. I have been lucky to find a beautiful community here, full of creative, smart, and thoughtful people who teach me so much. This part of the world feels like home to me, with a connection to nature I never knew I was deeply craving.
​
Originally from California, I have lived all over the globe, in places such as Thailand, Peru, Costa Rica, and France. I now hold community and nature as my highest priorities, which is why I intend to stay in the Gorge indefinitely!
My favorite activities all exist here: dancing, swimming, hiking, playing with my dog, and relaxing outdoors with my partner. I feel that my experiences living all over the globe give me a deeper empathy for the varying challenges and joys that different cultures experience; My time spent in Eastern countries has helped shaped my approach for a non-Western lens to health, which I see as essential for Ayurveda. I love the idea of blending Eastern and Western philosophies of health, since we are all living here in the West, and many of those principles are ingrained into our daily lives.
Why I chose Ayurveda
I first found Ayurveda in 2018, when I was experiencing digestive and urinary troubles, and did not feel my Western medicine options were getting to the root of my issues. My love for Ayurveda grew as I realized that I was not only healing my body, but also more deeply understanding it, gaining deep knowledge about my mental and physical tendencies.
​
Ayurveda just makes sense to me. Many of the therapies seem quite simple on the surface but are actually so intricate when put into practice. I believe in the way that Ayurveda slows us down and reconnects us with who we really are, and I love that it is so personal and individualized. Ayurveda is not extreme, harsh, or judgmental, and to me this makes it so approachable and adaptable.
​
One of my favorite quotes often used in Ayurveda is "Nothing is right for everyone, and everything is right for someone." This sums up Ayurveda's highly individualized approach to problems, and highlights how each of us needs something slightly different to match our unique bodies. It has been a huge gift to learn what is right for my body, and now I see it as an even bigger gift to be able to guide others in the same realizations. I am so happy to be offering my knowledge of this ancient healing system to the Gorge community and look forward to working with you on your path to optimum health.
Proud NAMA Member
