mūla — the root

Jyotisha & Ayurveda
Acharya

Ancient wisdom, read at the root. Vedic astrology, Ayurvedic healing, and dharma-rooted counseling — for those ready to work with the cause, not just the symptom.

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the three roots

One Trunk, Three Branches

Jyotisha, Ayurveda, and Dharma counseling are not separate services — they are three views of the same root system. A chart reveals the pattern; the body carries it; the mind makes meaning of it.

nidāna — the origin point

Jyotisha

Jyotisha, the "light of awareness," reads your birth chart as a map of the moment you arrived — the positions of the grahas (planets) at your first breath, fixed permanently in your nature. A reading looks at where each graha sits in relation to the others: which are strong, which are pressured, which periods of your life (dasha) they govern, and what that timing means for decisions you're facing now.

A session typically starts with your birth details — date, time, and place — to construct the chart, then moves through what it reveals: your core nature, the dasha period you're currently living through, and any patterns worth working with consciously rather than being caught by. Where useful, this includes remedial measures — practical steps to support a weak or pressured placement, not superstition, but a way of working with what's already written rather than against it.

  • Natal chart reading
  • Dasha & timing analysis
  • Remedial guidance
€120 1-hour session + written feedback notes
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prakṛti — your nature

Ayurveda

Ayurveda begins from a simple premise: you have a fixed constitution (prakriti) — your natural balance of Vata, Pitta, and Kapha — and a current state (vikriti), which is how far you've drifted from it. Most symptoms are vikriti speaking: not problems in themselves, but signals pointing back toward a root imbalance. A consultation reads those signals rather than treating them in isolation.

Sessions look at digestion (agni), the quality of what's being absorbed versus what's building up as waste (ama), and the daily and seasonal rhythms either supporting or working against your nature. From there, guidance is practical and specific to you: food choices suited to your constitution and the season, daily routine, and lifestyle adjustments — not a generic diet plan, but a path back to balance built around what's actually true for your body.

  • Dosha & constitution assessment
  • Diet & daily rhythm guidance
  • Seasonal & lifestyle protocols
€120 1-hour session + written feedback notes
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dharma — right alignment

Dharma Counseling

Dharma means something closer to "right alignment" than "duty" — the way of acting that fits who you actually are, not a rule imposed from outside. Most of what brings someone to a counseling conversation — a relationship strain, a career decision, a sense of being stuck — sits on top of a deeper question of alignment: am I living in a way that fits my nature, or against it?

These sessions are conversation, not diagnosis. Where it's useful, the framework draws on what a Jyotisha reading or Ayurvedic assessment has already revealed about your nature and current period — but dharma counseling stands on its own too, for anyone working through a transition, a decision, or a question of purpose, with or without a chart in hand.

  • One-on-one counseling
  • Life transition guidance
  • Purpose & dharma clarity work
€120 1-hour session + written feedback notes
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Peter van Schaik

about peter

Trained in the Kitchen, Rooted in the Chart

Peter van Schaik's path to Jyotisha and Ayurveda began, unexpectedly, in professional kitchens.

Trained at the Prue Leith Chef's Academy in South Africa, where he graduated with Merit, Peter spent over fifteen years as a chef — holding Head Chef and Executive Chef positions across boutique hotels, lodges, and fine-dining restaurants, including time at Singita Sabi Sands, one of the world's most celebrated safari lodge groups. For the past seven years he has worked in professional kitchens across Denmark, building a deep understanding of Danish food culture and language alongside his craft.

That training shaped more than technique. Years spent sourcing ingredients with care, reading a kitchen's rhythm, and respecting the process behind every dish gave Peter a discipline he now brings to a very different kind of practice.

Today his focus has shifted to Jyotisha and Ayurveda. His formal Ayurvedic studies began through the American Institute of Vedic Studies under Dr. David Frawley, and his ongoing Jyotisha studies continue under Sandeep Tyagi of Graha Vidya Astrology. His spiritual path follows the Tantric tradition, under the guidance of his Guru, Shree Kumar Ji, through the Karuppan Initiative Foundation.

He is currently writing Moola: Returning to the Root, a book exploring the shared root system beneath Jyotisha, Ayurveda, and the kitchen — the idea that all three are, at heart, the same practice: finding the root cause before treating what's on the surface.

Practice Jyotisha · Ayurveda · Dharma Counseling
Lineage American Institute of Vedic Studies · Graha Vidya Astrology · Karuppan Initiative Foundation

in progress

Moola: The Book

A book about roots — the ones in a birth chart, the ones in the body, and the ones in the kitchen. Moola traces a single thread through Jyotisha, Ayurveda, and the culinary world Peter trained in, arguing that all three are really the same practice: finding the root cause before treating what's on the surface.

Currently being written — updates shared first in the Writings section below.

writings

From the Root

Reflections on Jyotisha, Ayurveda, dharma, and the slow work of writing Moola — added as they're written.

Mars in Aries — molten planetary sphere with Sanskrit verse

June 2026 · Jyotisha · Transit Notes

Mars in Aries — Why All the Cuts, Burns and Injuries?

Mars is strong in his own sign right now — but strength under pressure is rarely gentle. A look at Papa Kartari Yoga, Ketu's influence, and rising Pitta this summer.

Read the full piece →

Coming soon

The next article is being written

New writings will appear here as they're ready. Follow along on Facebook or Instagram for updates between posts.

begin here

Book a Session

Share a little about what you're looking for, and Peter will follow up to confirm details and timing.

Each session is €120 — a 1-hour consultation plus written feedback notes afterward.

  • Jyotisha — chart reading, timing, remedial guidance
  • Ayurveda — constitution assessment, lifestyle protocol
  • Dharma Counseling — one-on-one conversation

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Follow the Work

Updates on Moola, new writings, and the practice — shared first on social.