How to Build Your Digestive Fire using Ayurvedic Techniques

How does Ayurveda define our body’s digestive fire?

Agni is responsible for the following.

• Skin health
• Digestion
• Temperature
• Vision
• Blood health
• Confidence
• Courage
• Joy
• Laughter
• Cheerfulness
• Mental clarity
• Intellect

Ayurveda advises us that the health of our agni is directly related to the following.

• Overall strength and vitality
• Our disease resistance
• Longevity
• Our very existence of life

Without a balanced agni, how could we possess the vital energy needed to lead a life of purpose?

Increasing Qualities of Agni

• Light
• Hot
• Dry
• Penetrating/Sharp

Decreasing Qualities of Agni

• Heavy
• Cold
• Wet
• Bland/Dull

Simple Ways you can Build your Digestive Fire

How do I know if my digestive fire is functioning well?

How do I regulate and build my digestive fire?

Eat all three meals at the same time each day.

What if I intermittently fast or skip meals?

What can I do to improve my digestive fire?

• You can drink a warm 8 ounce glass of water upon waking up with a squeeze of lemon to activate your digestive system for the day ahead.
• You can also put 1/3 tsp of each seed (cumin, coriander, and fennel) in 8 ounce hot water and drink this tea 30 minutes before each meal to stimulate digestion.
• Eat your food well seasoned with spices like pepper, ginger, cardamom, coriander, fennel, turmeric, nutmeg, clove, celery seed, cumin. These herbs have specific properties that not only increase digestive fire, but also mineral absorption. Using spices also helps stimulate your appetite.

What foods should I be eating to build my digestive fire?

• It is best to stick with easy-to-digest foods that are warm, moist, well-seasoned, freshly prepared, and produce that is in season.
• Raw vegetables are difficult for your body to digest and can actually decrease your digestive fire if eating in excess. According to the Ayurvedic teachings around digestion,  it is often best to eat vegetables that are lightly steamed or sauteed.

What should I avoid eating?

Different foods have different rates of breakdown, and therefore it is not recommended to eat fruits with any other food items. This is also why melons should be eaten solo and not accompanied by even other fruits. Some incompatible foods are dairy with meat, fruits, or sour foods. In fact, meat is best eaten with only steamed or sauteed vegetables, avoid eating with rice, other proteins, and starches as they are difficult to digest.

How should I be eating my food?

• Proper digestion relies on having the space within your stomach to go through the transformation process.
• Eat until you are half full, one quarter filled with room temperature water, and one quarter empty.
• Avoid eating and drinking cold items at meals, as this will reduce the agnis ability to digest your meal.
• About one of your hands made into a fist represents ½ of your stomach size and the approximate amount that will sustain our body.
• Eat your meals in a silent space with no distractions.
• Be sure that you are sitting for the duration of your meal.
• Make your meal time a ritual that gives the highest respect to the foods you are nourishing with and your intention behind eating those foods.
• After meals, avoid immediate activity and create a least 20 minutes of intentional rest so that your body can focus all its energy on digesting the meal you just consumed.

There are endless ways to cultivate, maintain, and embody an optimal internal fire.

When your digestive system is thriving, you will have the power and drive you need to show up as your highest self.

Leading a successful life starts with a strong physical fire.

Embrace your inner fire one meal at a time.

Are you ready to build your internal fire through empowered living?

Shanel Miller

Shanel holds an Ayurvedic Practitioner Certificate from the Southern California University of Health Science with over 2000 hours working in the clinical setting including Pançakarma therapies, mentoring under skilled and experienced Ayurvedic Vaidyas (doctors). She has been serving her community through yoga, Ayurveda, body therapies, and the healing sciences for over 10 years. She is the owner of Cali Veda LLC ayurveda wellness for intentional living and offers coaching, consultation, and educational workshops.

Shanel developed a deeply personal and intimate relationship with yoga ?sana 20 years ago. Being immersed in a culture of “sev?” and community-centered approach  she created an integrative yoga experience for K-12 students. When working with students and the community as a whole, she guides participants to develop their own relationship with their body outside of the “modern” social setting of a yoga studio through simple and approachable movements. Her service is rooted in inclusive opportunities for underserved communities. Shanel has facilitated multiple retreats and out of the country experiences for groups.

www.caliveda.com

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Seasonal Ayurveda: Fall Energetics and Healthy Habits

Did you know that Autumn is a great time of transition? In fact, we move from summer’s expansive energy to winter’s contractile energy without even knowing it. This is the time to incorporate healthy Ayurvedic hacks for seasonal wellness.

From my advanced studies in Ayurveda (the 5,000-year-old ancient holistic science that originated in India) to experience as an Intuitive Health & Life Coach, I incorporate Ayurveda Fall Energetics to better position my clients, and myself, to thrive during seasonal changes.

In Ayurveda, every season is associated with an element. During Autumn, air and ether become the strongest elements in our environment. In principle, air and ether are inherently cold, dry, mobile, and light. Picture the leaves falling in the wind. The autumnal yellows, oranges and reds momentarily painting the crisp blue sky and then settling onto the earth below. Imagine the wind in your hair, blowing across your face and brushing up against your skin.

Ayurvedic Hacks for Autumn Health

From the ancient Ayurveda teachings, we learn that Autumn is the time to reset your body as well as your boundaries. I suggest that clients create a strong and self-loving container for themselves. As you may know, boundaries solidify and strengthen what is within. By setting healthy boundaries and daily structure, we are able to better contain the mobile air and ether energy that otherwise would drive us crazy. Using the following Ayurvedic hacks for better health are key to thriving this season and throughout the year.

7 Ayurveda Tips for the Fall Season

1. Favor Warm Foods

Substantive, oily, nourishing foods that are high in protein, high in fat, brought to life with warming, stimulating spices, and served hot, will go a long way toward maintaining your internal reserves of moisture and keeping you grounded through the season.

Some of the best warming food choices include the following.

• Sweet, sour, and salty tastes.
• Cooked grains, steamed vegetables, hearty grains, soups, and stews are grounding and moisturizing.
• Dairy products and all nuts and seeds are also beneficial for adding healthy fats.

2. Change Your Exercise Routine

While seasonally-appropriate exercise isn’t really a concept in the US, Ayurveda recommends that you adjust your workouts according to nature. In fall, your strength may be a little lower so our capacity to exercise could be decreased. During fall, slower and more gentle exercise is best for the body. Fast and intense workouts or any kind of erratic physical movement could be scaled back at this time. One of the best workouts for this season is yoga, especially a grounding yin yoga or hatha practices.

3. Make Time For Yourself.

While the well-known Italian quote “ Il dolce far nulla” (the art of doing nothing) isn’t really embodied in the American culture, in Ayurveda too much activity or stimulation during fall season can derange the energy known as vata. It is important to slow down and take more time to bask in the sun, meditate, practice pranayama, or take a short walk outside can keep your vata in check.

4. Oil Up

Massage your skin with warm, organic sesame oil or with herbal oil. This will help you calm your nervous system, awaken your tissues, and ground your energy by massaging your skin. Follow this practice with a warm, relaxing shower, leaving a coat of oil on the skin to absorb throughout the day. Steam baths and humidifiers can help preserve internal moisture as well.

5. Dress For The Season

An essential Ayurvedic hack is to dress for the season. Wear autumn colors when appropriate — reds, yellows, oranges, and whites — and wear enough clothes that you stay warm throughout the day. When you step out into the elements, cover your head and ears to protect them from the biting wind and cold.

6. Maintain Consistency

While many of us rebel at the idea of routine, the body craves and needs routine and rhythm. You don’t need to restrict yourself to the same exact pattern day in and day out, but try to do the same things (wake up, exercise, eat meals, go to bed, etc.) at roughly the same times each day. Set the tone for your day by rising early, taking full advantage of the silence, stillness, and peace that are intrinsic to the early morning hours — somewhere along the lines of 10:00 p.m. — 6:00 a.m. This kind of regularity tames vata so that your nervous system is relaxed, your digestion is strong, and your energy is stable.

7. Perform A Cleanse

The transition of the season to fall signals “rejuvenation” in Ayurveda. Not only is rejuvenation beneficial for mitigating current imbalances, it also helps prevent future illness. Ayurvedic rejuvenation involves gentle cleansing and restorative actions, including a combination of dietary guidelines, herbal formulations and supplements.

More Holistic Living Tips

If you want to learn more, find me TikTok, Instagram, or my website,
LoveHolisticLiving.com.

Sara Garofalo

With her deep Italian roots and passion for healthy cooking, Sara Garofalo’s cookbook, Mangia, is being released in January 2023. Sara is the Founder of Love Holistic Living, Intuitive Health and Life Coach, Ayurveda Counselor & Energy Healer. She moved to California from Italy in 2018 and is a mom of 2 young children.

www.loveholisticliving.com/

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Shanti Malibu Brings A Vision of Community to Southern California

Modern science has profoundly altered the course of human life. People are living longer now than during any other time in history, but these same advances have turned the process of aging into a medical experience for which the medical world is unprepared. What if there was another option to living a life of health and wellness? Shanti Malibu’s concept of active adult living will make life more comfortable and enjoyable.

Shanti Malibu is currently a concept for a wellness and active adult community that is seeking input and feedback as they build and create your future home. Please fill out this survey to offer your perspective. And keep reading to learn more.

Take the Shanti Malibu Survey

Everyday Life as Retreat Living

Picture this mood inspired by the Eagles:

On a beautiful highway, cool wind in my hair.
Warm smell of eucalyptus, rising up through the air.
Up ahead in the distance, I saw shimmering light…

• Imagine waking up in an environment where you can relax and be nurtured in a stress-free retreat-like home.
• Imagine that you are listening to the morning sounds of birds singing, with the scent of fresh flowers, as the smell of fresh organic breakfast foods cooking stimulates your appetite?
• All this while living in a private bungalow designed according to the ancient healing concepts of Vastu, with views of a medicinal herb garden.
• This isn’t just an inspiring guided meditation or an image on your vision board.
• This could be your life in an Ayurvedic active adult community of your dreams.

Ayurvedic Wellness for Daily Life

“Feed People, Serve People,” –Neem Karoli Baba

The vision of this community also includes apartment living as well as thoughtfully appointed bungalows available for short-term stays. You can visit loved ones, gather for social events, and be nourished by delicious Ayurvedically-influenced meals from the organic farm-to-table restaurant.

You can enjoy wellness-enhancing Ayurvedic day spa therapies, receive detoxification/pancha karma treatments in the Ayurvedic clinic, and benefit from the vast understanding of rasayana or rejuvenation in Ayurvedic teachings.

One of the most powerful Ayurvedic tenets is that “Food is medicine and medicine is food.” Society at large has yet to recognize the potent role of foods. Like any drug, food has the power to either heal or harm. Living with an organic farm will provide a clean and ongoing source of nutrition, gently informed by Ayurvedic eating principles to encourage balance resulting in better health.

Everything about the environment at Shanti Malibu is envisioned to live in harmony with nature and with the circadian rhythms, the cycles of the day as understood in Ayurveda and in modern medicine.

Surrounded by love and health at Shanti Malibu: The Team

Shanti Malibu is the plan to implement this vision. The growing team and advisory board is being led and managed by Larry Mangel. Larry is a NAMA Board Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner and Vedic Counselor who is formally Cerealart’s product developer and art publisher.

Ayurvedic Practitioner and Shanti Malibu Manager Larry Mangel

Other members of the team include a visionary architect and experienced senior care health professional LVN who has more than 10 years of experience working in diverse healthcare environments, independent living communities, and urgent care and hospital settings.

The experienced staff and advisory board also features a number of noteworthy Ayurvedic experts including: Dr. Ramkumar Kutty, the founder of Vaidygrama, the Ayurvedic center in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India; Vedic author and scholar Dr. David Frawley; and Ayurvedic physician and educator in Long Beach, Dr. Jayagopal Parla.

The Vision of Shanti Malibu

The vision is “a boutique wellness hotel sitting in a huge garden.” It is where the “Golden Door” meets India in Southern California.

Why The Time is Now for Shanti Malibu

At Shanti Malibu, you can live on permanent retreat in an oasis of peace. Work and relax in a beautiful private active adult residence that feels like a lovingly designed paradise with seasonally grown organic food and lots of fresh air.

Activities at Shanti Malibu

While living here, you can ask yourself, “Should I begin the day with a meditation practice, pranayama, or yoga? Or all three? Is there a hike on the agenda today or a walk along beautiful tree-lined connected paths through a safe property?

You can browse the medicinal herb gardens, fruit orchards, or stroll beside the year-round creek. Near oceans and mountains, Malibu is close enough for a day trip to the beach, near town for shopping, and an easy ride to cultural attractions such as the picturesque Getty Museum.

Shanti Malibu’s activities and programming will include lectures and classes by notable experts, cooking classes in the teaching kitchen, swimming in the lap pool, and tennis or basketball on the courts. You can relax and read on your private deck and work in the on-site office center and host meetings in the conference rooms.

Imagine leaving behind your maintenance worries! You no longer have to mow the lawn, plow or snow blow your driveway, paint, call the plumber, or worry about exterior upkeep? You can live on gorgeously maintained grounds without having to be personally responsible for all the upkeep!

The Community at Shanti Malibu

In the active adult community of Shanti Malibu, your neighbors will be your peers, your community of like-minded people that you can relate to and with whom you can share your story. You’re all at similar stages in life with similar interests and lots to teach each other.

Looking for Input

As we progress, we are looking for input from people like you to help us build the best community possible. We’d love your input! Please take our survey. It will only take five minutes!

We are confident that this will have a huge impact on the emotional well-being of our future residents. We’ll thank you with a free 15-minute Ayurvedic consultation.  https://www.shantimalibu.com/landing-page

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

The post Is this the Ayurvedic Retirement Community of Your Dreams? appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

As more people embrace a holistic approach to a healthy, conscious lifestyle, it’s no surprise that ancient Ayurvedic practices are finding their way into our modern lives.  Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine that originated in India over 5000 years ago, translating to “the science of life”. Although Ayurveda is dynamic and complex, you don’t have to know everything about it to reap the benefits. There are many simple practices you can incorporate into your daily routine that can support your physical, mental and spiritual health.

Five Simple Ayurvedic Practices to Incorporate into Your Life

1. Seasonal Cleansing

Many foods that come into season in the Spring are naturally cleansing – often astringent or bitter – think asparagus or leafy greens. Eating seasonally to gently eliminate toxins is a wonderful way to strengthen digestion. Spring is a great time for this! Try a gentle cleansing diet of lighter, seasonal foods for a week to assist the body’s natural process of removing any accumulated toxins that can impede your body’s ability to cope with stressors. For your week of lighter eating, choose easy to digest foods such as cooked, lightly-spiced organic vegetables, whole grains and soups.

2. Dry Brushing

Try this before your next shower – take a few minutes with a natural bristle brush and gently brush your skin in overlapping circles, working your way towards your heart, starting with one leg, then one arm at a time. This invigorating practice not only exfoliates, leaving you with softer skin, it also has the benefit of detoxifying by increasing blood circulation and promoting lymph drainage. Take care not to brush over any irritated or broken skin and use only enough pressure as is comfortable and brush only as often as feels good to your body, generally 2-5 times per week.

3. Drink Tulsi Tea

Consider incorporating functional herbal teas into your daily routine and enjoy benefits beyond taste. Ayurvedic adaptogens like Tulsi, commonly known as Holy Basil, offer benefits such as stress-relief, immune and respiratory support. Adaptogens including Tulsi and Ashwagandha help the body to adapt to physical, mental and environmental stress, something we could all use on a daily basis! For an added bonus, take a few deep breaths while you brew and think of three things you’re grateful for.

4. Spice It Up

There’s a saying that goes, it’s not what you eat, it’s what you digest. Agni, or digestive fire, is the cornerstone of Ayurveda. Lean on the ancient wisdom of plant-based medicine by adding Ayurvedic spices for flavor and nourishment to your meals. Ginger, well known for its stomach soothing qualities, is a spicy, warming herb that helps to stoke the digestive fire and assimilate nutrients. Try sprinkling Turmeric into your food to take advantage of this “pharmacy in an herb”. Enjoy the delicate, mildly sweet flavor of Ceylon Cinnamon, considered “true cinnamon”, and reap the benefits of its antioxidant value along with supporting healthy blood sugar levels.

5. Meditation for the Mind

Meditation is the timeless practice of staying present that over time, helps to settle the mind and clarify thoughts. It is thought to clear the Ama, or undigested energies, of the mind and spirit, from which the body springs forth. While meditation is simple in concept, if you have ever tried it, you know it’s not always easy in practice. Set yourself up for success by starting small. Aim for 1-5 minutes and add on one minute a day from there. A little effort can make a big impact!

The vivid uncertainties of the world have had an impact on us mentally and physically. It’s important to put energy into taking care of ourselves so that we can show up in a healthy, conscious way that makes the world a better place. By incorporating a few simple Ayurvedic practices into your life, you can help to promote physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

Staff Writer

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Why Good Living Practices are Important

Notice that everyone wants to be healthy, and there are hundreds of books out there on diet and exercise. Hundreds of books on cultivating positive emotions and several books and programs on overcoming negative emotions. And yet as a society why are we not healthy? Why are we experiencing so many health issues?

Disease, poor health, and suffering primarily arise when the emotions, mind, and body are out of alignment and function independently of one other. In other words, if you only focus on your body—and pay little attention to your mind or emotions, or doing everything correct for the body and mind but emotions are out of control, this is leading a fractionated life. A fractionated life makes you susceptible to ill health and suffering.

Instead of leading a fractionated life, you need to keep the body, mind, and emotions in sync, functioning as one unit. With the right set of tools, including good living practices, you can engage your emotions, mind, and physical body simultaneously to achieve optimal health and wellness throughout your lifetime.

Good Living Practices

Good Living Practices (GLP) are tools that keep these three entities (body, mind, and emotions) in sync. For optimal health and living, GLP should be practiced daily, 24/7.

According to Ayurveda (and Yoga too), we are a combination of (1) a physical body, (2) a mental body, and (3) an emotional body. If we believe this to be true and act accordingly, we have a greater immunity and significantly increased protection from illness and disease.

Here I list out one short prcatice that address all three facets of individuality (body, mind and emotions). This together with social distancing and hand washing will boost and sustain immunity and help ward off any infection.

BODY (Diet & Other activities)

1. Choose a spot to eat your meal where you will be totally undisturbed.

2. If you feel stressed out physically, mentally, or emotionally, let go of your emotions, calm your mind and body to prepare for a stress-free dining experience.

3. After you calm down at all three levels, silently express gratitude for your meal by thanking nature (sun, moon, water, soil), farmers, other food workers (responsible for bringing the food from farm to store) and the person who prepared the food.

4. Bring your attention to the food, notice the colors of the food and pay attention to the aroma.

5. Ensure that you are eating organic, freshly cooked food that has lot of vegetables, spices and whole grains.

6. Chew each bite 25-30 times before swallowing; this count requires you to pay undivided attention to your eating, allowing you to eat mindfully, with a focus.

7. Do not indulge in any other activity while eating your food. Your attention, focus and awareness are on the food alone.

8. After completing your meal provide your thanks again and sit quietly for five additional minutes before you start your daily activity.

Read More Good Living Practices

On Monday, May 18 and Tuesday, May 19, the Kindle version of Good Living Practices is available for only $.99. Buy your copy and start implementing Good Living Practices in your life.

Rammohan Rao

Ram holds a doctorate degree in Neurosciences and was a Research Associate Professor of Neuroscience at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, Novato, CA. His research focus was in the areas of chronic stress, neuronal cell death and mechanisms of age-associated neurodegenerative diseases with special emphasis on Alzheimer’s disease.

Ram has 20+ years of research and teaching experience in Neuroscience and has published more than 50 peer reviewed papers in scientific journals and chapters in a couple of text books. Ram has supervised, trained and mentored several high school students, college interns, research technicians and post-doctoral fellows.

Ram is also a board certified Ayurveda practitioner and a registered yoga teacher. He teaches Ayurveda and Yoga at the California college of Ayurveda.

He is also the author of a recently published book-“Good Living Practices”-The best from Ayurveda, Yoga and Modern Science For Achieving Optimal Health, Happiness and Longevity.

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087TKZ1FF?ref=dbs_p2d_P_R_kindle_available_T2

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Carry-on Compliant Suggestions for Skin Care

Are you a frequent flyer looking to stay as healthy as possible and arrive at your destination with perfect skin and complexion?

Did you know when flying you are exposed to more harmful toxins than most places on land? Between the exposure to cosmic radiation during air travel, recirculated cabin air, passengers carrying viruses, bacteria cycling through aircrafts, and microbes building up on surfaces, our immune systems can be negatively impacted. Are you concerned?

It’s good to know there are some practices to support flying in the most healthy and pleasant ways that strengthen our immune systems, maintain the health and hydration of our skin, and can even help avert major jetlag.

While most people think the solution is to drink more water and stay hydrated when flying, and hydration is a key practice, there is much more to healthy travel than water alone. The main culprit in the air isn’t dehydration—it’s the microbial buildup and recycled polluted air which compromises our immune and nervous systems.

These factors can negatively affect our skin even on short flights, making us look tired and aged as we disembark.

In order to enjoy my flight and support my skin and overall health, I employ the following Ayurvedic techniques.

9 In-Flight Skin Care Practices

Face Mask for the Flight

I always use a face mask when I fly. I started doing this 25 years ago even before it became a trending Instagram practice.

Pro tip: Use a thick cotton reusable mask that you can wash, and change for every five hours of flying.

Spray Essential Oils

Spray disinfectant oils of tee tree or lemongrass on the outside of the mask.

You can use a small mister or even DIY with a few drops of essential oil in water in a carry on-friendly spray bottle. This can reduce the risk of airborne viruses entering the lungs. It also gives you your own personal pleasant aromatherapy experience, rather than breathing in the usual plane smell.

Sip on Tea

Drink herbal teas to support the nervous system.

Bring tea bags with you or fill up a mug of hot water at the airport or on the plane.

Herbs like chamomile and gotu kola help calm your mind and slow your breath.

When your breathing slows down, you’re taking fewer breaths of the plane’s recirculated air.

Strengthen Your Immune System

Drink immune-strengthening herbs such as ashwagandha, turmeric, or shatavari. A strong immune system can prevent or lessen physical and mental fatigue.

Prepare ahead of time by including these herbs in your daily routine to build your immune system for the upcoming flight.

Serums for Soft Skin

Use a few drops of almond oil or facial serum on the face. This will lubricate the skin without clogging the pores.

Lubricate to Protect the Sinuses

Apply two drops of sesame or almond oil in each nostril and gently rub into the sides of the nose. Lubricating the nostrils protects the sinuses and can even help lessen dry eyes since the nose and eyes are connected.

Soothe the Scalp

Rub a few drops of coconut or almond oil into the scalp. This is one of the best practices to stay hydrated and less nervous or tired while flying. A bit of oil on the scalp is calming to the nervous system.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

Drink more liquids. Hydration does matter. Choose filtered water or electrolyte-rich options rather than drinks filled with caffeine, alcohol, or refined sugars or artificial sweeteners.

Eat Less and Eat Well

Choose grounding foods that contain healthy oils and some warmth. Dry foods can be irritating. But if you don’t eat, the excess air element can contribute to feeling ungrounded. Choose wisely, even packing some healthy snacks in your carry-on bag.

Positive Vibrations to Your Final Destination

While there are many other helpful items to bring in your carry-on, these nine Ayurvedic practices can have a positive impact on your complexion—and your overall health—so you arrive at your final destination with vibrant energy. Happy flying.

National Ayurvedic Medical Association

Yogi Cameron will be speaking at the National Ayurvedic Medical Association Conference in April: ayurvedanama.org.

Yogi Cameron

Yogi Cameron studied Ayurveda and Yoga in India. He is the best-selling author of The Yogi Code: Seven Universal Laws of Infinite Success, The One Plan: A Week-by-Week Guide to Restoring Your Natural Health, and The Guru in You: A Personalized Program for Rejuvenating Your Body and Soul. Along with his wife, Yogini Jaima (yoginijaima.com), Yogi Cameron leads programs and retreats. They believe these teachings should be accessible to everyone. Learn more at: YogiCameron.com and InspireLiving.co.

YC@yogicameron.com

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Find Balance in Plant-Based Bowls as Simple Meals

Have you ever walked away from a meal craving something else about an hour later? That’s because you didn’t fulfill the body’s natural desire for all of the six tastes, as they are described in Ayurveda. When you consume a meal that contains the six tastes, you are nourished from a cellular level. Each taste corresponds with different qualities, as well as with macro and micronutrients. Including them all in a meal helps you to feel whole and balanced.

The reason fad diets don’t work is because they often skip out on or reduce the most essential taste, sweet. This can lead you to crave unhealthy sources of sweet after finishing a meal—such as that tempting brownie you see in the case at the coffee shop. By including a healthy source of sweet in a dish, such as quinoa, root vegetables, or healthy fats, you won’t crave desserts after licking your bowl clean.

According to Ayurveda, lunch is the time where your digestive fire, known in Sanskrit as agni, is the highest level of the day. Lunch is the best time to indulge in a Six Taste Plant-Based Bowl.

Customize Your Six Taste Bowl

Customize your Six Taste plant-based bowl by increasing or decreasing portions of the individual tastes. You may want to choose larger portions of the tastes that pacify your primary dosha and smaller portions of the tastes that increase it. All six tastes should still be present, however. If you feel balanced in the moment, just consume the bowls as is according to the recipe.

The six tastes in Ayurveda are as follows: Sweet, Salty, Sour, Pungent, Astringent, and Bitter.

To balance Vata: Include more sweet, sour, and salty tastes.
Decrease bitter, pungent and astringent tastes.

To balance Pitta: Include more sweet, bitter, and astringent tastes.
Decrease sour, salty, and pungent tastes.

To balance Kapha: Include more bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes.
Decrease sweet, sour, and salty tastes.

The Basic Components of a Six Taste Bowl

Hearty Base: Cooked grains and/or roasted starchy vegetables
+
Colorful Veggies: Variety of colors steamed, roasted, or raw
+
Plant Protein: Legumes, nuts, seeds
+
Healthy Fats: Avocado, coconut, nuts/nut cheeses, dressings made with nut butters and plant-based oils
+
Pungent Spices: Turmeric, cumin, and classical Ayurvedic spices; optional onion/garlic
+
Tasteful Garnishes: Fresh herbs + microgreens, sprinkle of sea salt, squeeze of lime

Hearty Base: Sweet

Quinoa
Starchy vegetables: sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, carrot, corn
Brown rice, barley or other grain

Colorful Veggies: Bitter

Leafy greens: spinach, arugula, collard greens
Cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale)
Other vegetables: zucchini, snow peas, bell pepper, cucumber

Plant Protein: Astringent

Legumes: lentils, black beans, chickpeas, adzuki beans, edamame
Nuts and seeds: sesame seeds, tahini, sunflower, chia, flax seeds, walnuts

Healthy Fats: Sweet

Avocado, coconut
Nut cheeses, almonds, cashews
Plant-based oils: sesame, coconut, olive, avocado, grapeseed

Spices: Pungent

Allium vegetables: garlic, onion, leek, scallion, shallot
Spices: Cumin, turmeric, ginger, asafetida, black pepper

Garnishes: Salty and Sour

Salty: Sea salt, coconut aminos, sea vegetables, celery
Sour: Lemon, lime, apple cider or coconut vinegar

Quinoa Gado-Gado Bowl

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the Gado-Gado
½ cup red quinoa, well rinsed and drained
1 cup water
1 cup green beans, washed and trimmed
½ zucchini, thinly sliced
1/8 cup non-gmo corn kernels
1/8 carrot, thinly sliced
¾ cup mung bean sprouts
2/3 cup thinly shredded red cabbage

For the Spicy Sunbutter Sauce
1/3 cup sunflower seed butter
1 tbsp tamari
2 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp chili garlic sauce (remove to calm pitta)
3 tbsp water, to thin

For Serving:
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
1 lemon, cut in wedges

Instructions

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add quinoa. Toast quinoa for three minutes while stirring frequently. Then add water, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender. Fluff with a fork, remove lid, and remove from heat.

Make the sunbutter sauce by adding the sunflower seed butter, tamari, maple syrup, lime juice, and optional chili garlic sauce to a small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Add water 1 tbsp at a time until a semi-thick but pourable sauce is formed.

To serve, divide the quinoa in two bowls, top zucchini, corn, carrot, mung bean sprouts, and red cabbage. Top with sunbutter sauce, cilantro, and lemon.

Read more Ayurvedic Recipes and Suggestions from Sahara Rose.

Sahara Rose

Sahara Rose is an Ayurvedic practitioner, sports nutritionist, holistic health coach, and author of the Idiot’s Guide to Ayurveda, She leads a 12-week program bringing a combination of Eastern and Western health philosophies into busy lives. Sahara offers a free Ayurvedic Mind-Body type quiz at: iamsahararose.com

www.iamsahararose.com

The post Build an Ayurvedic Six-Taste Plant-Based Bowl appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Photo of Ellette Craddock and her happy feet by David Young-Wolff. Rings by Sonja Picard.

Bringing some attention and intention to our daily practices can help us have a better relationship with our feet. After all, for many of us, our feet are our point of contact with the earth. These 5 practices strengthen our ability to maintain balance in our feet—and in all areas of our lives. Healthy feet are happy feet and they keep us connected in all areas of our lives.

Daily Foot Massage for Healthy Feet

For self-massage with oils, Ayurveda recommends sesame oil combined with your essential oil of choice. You can also choose a nurturing herb-infused option such as Bhajan Body and Face Oil from Yogi Bath and Beauty.

Read Sahara Rose’s suggestions on how to choose oils for self-massage. 

How to Give Yourself a Foot Massage

Wiggle each toe. Massage with oil across the ball of the foot. Then massage down the arch of your foot from the ball of big toe to the heel. Next massage down the arch of the foot from the ball of the pinky toe to the heel. Then, massage the heel itself. After this sequence, interlace your fingers with your toes and wiggle the toes back and forth a few times. With the fingers still interlaced between the toes, rotate the ankle about 10 times in each direction. Switch feet and repeat.

Note: Use just enough oil to nourish the skin and make it easy to give yourself a massage. You can put socks on after the massage or do this in bed before you go to sleep. Be careful of slipping and sliding if you walk around after the massage. You can also towel off your feet with a warm damp towel (think at-home spa treatment).

Increase Awareness of Your Feet

Stand in mountain pose with your eyes closed and observe where the effort of your feet is felt. Shift all the effort into the balls of the feet, then back into the heels, then over to the left side of your feet, and over to the right side of your feet. Shift from the inside edges of your feet to the outside edges of the feet and back again. Then, bring your awareness and effort so that it evenly distributed from front to back and side to side of each foot and both feet.

Build Ankle Strength for Healthy Feet

While you are sitting in staff pose (dandasana) or even in a chair, dorsiflex the feet by pulling your toes toward your knees. Then plantarflex the feet by pointing your toes away from the body. Invert the feet by drawing the soles of the feet toward each other. Then evert the feet by pressing the soles of feet away from each other. Do three to five rounds of this practice to build ankle strength for healthy feet.

Boost Your Balance

Any standing balance will do here, but I prefer to stick with a simple tree pose. Shift the effort of the body onto one foot, and create a kickstand with the opposite foot. (Like a tree pose with the toes on the ground). Create a strong foundation by distributing the effort evenly from front to back and side to side in the standing foot. And then begin to lift the opposite foot to a comfortable place on the standing leg (above or below the knee). During this pose, embrace the wobble and the movement from side to side in the ankle! This movement in the joint is actually strengthening the muscles and creating a supple responsiveness. Switch sides.

Increase Your Dexterity

While in mountain pose, establish a strong foundation in your feet. Press your toes strongly into the floor. Then lift all the toes away from the floor, creating a strong arch in the feet.  Relax the toes. Press the big toe and pinky toe into the floor simultaneously while lifting the middle three toes. Switch feet.

Jenn Tarrant

Jenn Tarrant is a Phoenix-based C-IAYT Yoga Therapist, Senior Master Trainer for YogaFit Training Systems, and an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Coach. She enjoys guiding students through deeply transformative experiences with the simplicity and ease of yoga. Jenn is available for private consultations locally and virtually. You can contact her directly: jenn@jenntarrant.com or visit her website: jenntarrant.com for more information.

www.jenntarrant.com

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Rebirth of the Light: Tending the Inner Fire at the Winter Solstice – New Year

Inside the fertile darkness the light emerges…

The Winter Solstice on December 21 is the darkest point of the year. At this time, ritual and celebratory fires are lit across the Earth. This includes Yule logs in Northern Europe and the five-day fasting and fire ceremonies of the local Chumash in Malibu. There are more cross-cultural rituals, celebrations and festivals around the Winter Solstice than any other time of the year.

It was just a generation or two ago in the United States that the solar-lunar light and a living flame was replaced by an electric switch. We cannot just erase the memory of the fire we have been tending for over two million years. We have a biological, cultural, and spiritual connection to this turning point.  The changing sunlight we receive through our eyes reaches our pineal gland to harmonize our biorhythms with the increasing light. We are born from a primordial fire some 13.7 billion years ago and the elementary molecules of our body are still alive with this original creative explosion.

Fire is center of our origins, our extraordinary solar system, and in our ancestral fire-keeping.  At the point of greatest darkness, the living flame speaks to our cellular memory.

Winter Solstice Practices and the Sacred Fire

Agni is the Sanskrit name for the sacred fire. Within the roots of yoga in Tantric and Vedic culture, it symbolically has two faces. One is creative, the other destructive. Agni ignites both cellular metabolism and mental, emotional and spiritual regeneration. This brings inspiration, passion, and new life to every aspect of our being. Agni is also the force of purification. Through purification, it is the dissolution of old cells and old ideas to make room for the new.

In the unbroken continuity of yagna (the Vedic and Tantric fire ritual that has been offered for at least 3,500 years) we find the connection of our microcosm to the macrocosm. The fire altar is in the shape of the vastu purusha or cosmic soul envisioned as a human body with the central fire as the heart and all of the planets and elements as the limbs. Fire is  at the center of the altar and of our journey around the extraordinary fireball of our solar star that has been circling for over 4.5 billion years.

Sandhya Tandava – Connecting with the Cosmic Rhythm

Arising from the Winter solstice in the heart, the breath circulates in the bodies of all beings through 12 months before returning to the heart.

—Svacchanda Tantra VII.119ii (Christopher Tompkins, translator)

The Winter Solstice – New Year time is a special sandhya or sacred juncture allowing us to link our bodies with cosmic rhythms. In the mythology of Siva and Shakti, this universe flows from their “sandhya tandava” This is the cosmic dance (tandava) of the sacred junctures of time (sandhya). It creates the rhythm from the quantum pulse, our breath through the lunar and planetary cycles and solar seasons.

Rtucharya (from the Vedic rtam, meaning “cosmic rhythm”) is the knowledge of how to live in rhythm with the changing seasons of the solar year. Like our inhale and exhale, the year is seen as two major movements that connect with the Solstices.

The Cycle of Growth and Manifestation Begins with the Winter Solstice throughout the Spring

The uttarayana cycle follows the time from the greatest darkness to the peak of light, This auspicious solar cycle when the plant world grows from seed to fullness with the waxing light is the optimum time for creative manifestation.

The Cycle of Reflection and Regeneration is from the Summer to the Winter Solstice

During the six-month dakshinayana cycle, after the Summer peak, the Sun’s energy wanes and the Moon’s energy increases, as the lunar period bringing cooling energy back to the Earth towards the Winter Solstice and a natural time for going inward, reflection, and regeneration.

The waxing and waning lunar energy as well as the flow of the day mirrors this same cycle of fullness to release to igniting again on a microcosmic level.

Tending the Inner Fire—The Cosmic Vinyasa

The One who impels the universe is the Source of Consciousness
to be discovered within the flow of one’s own vital breath.
O Beloved One, Shiva gives rise to the year, the month, the half-month, and the day.
Find Siva within time through Shakti, who is the cyclical flow of breath-time in the body

– Svacchanda Tantra

It is important to know as modern yoga practitioners that vinyasa within the Tantra was connected a way of the realizing and embodying the cosmic rhythm as the vinyasa or “sequence of consciousness.” In the early Tantric tradition, every breath is an experience of the waxing and waning, solar-lunar micro-cycle flowing from the sacred juncture within the heart. The oscillation from dawn to dusk, New Moon to Full Moon, from Winter to Summer Solstices and Equinoxes are the way the vinyasa of our breath in connection with the cosmic rhythm.

The Solstices and the Breath

The Winter Solstice is experienced in the body as the peak of the inhale, the kumbhaka moment where mantra is offered to the fire of the heart in the tantric practice of Ucchara. The Winter Solstice in our body as well as our outer world is a moment of great intensity to transform the old into the new.

The peak of the Winter Solstice is when the breath resides in the heart – the moment of internal fire offering. We can ignite our inner heart fire (known in Sanskrit as atma jyotir) with the same intensity of devotion and love.

Whatever offering is made at this sacred juncture is an extraordinary time to resynch your body and soul to the increasing light – the birth of the Sun.

At this time, we are given a cosmic jumpstart as we synch with the macro support of the increasing light of the waxing next six months of the year.

Lighting the Solstice Fire

For many world cultures, the Winter Solstice is the macro new year as the ritual marker to truly let go, honor, and bring closure to the past year and ignite our deepest visions and intentions for the coming year with the living flame From your own home altar, fireplace, bonfire or ritual “kund” or “fire altar womb,” you can have one central fire that connects you to your Solstice-New Year fire.

Winter Solstice Practices for Igniting a Living Flame

• Clear your inner and outer spaces.  Release the clutter, stagnant, or unfinished energy of the year.
• Create an altar space for the Winter Solstice-Christmas-New Year with your own connection to a sacred fire in the form of a oil lamp or candle.
• Reflect in the days before the solstice on your dedication and prayers writing on a piece of paper or papers your offerings for dissolution (to give to the fire the night before) and igniting for the Winter Solstice-New Year.
• Unplug and live only with candlelight on the eve or the evening of the Winter Solstice.
• Ignite your fire with your living dedication and prayer in your own authentic ritual way.
• Enjoy creating your own candle yourself from beeswax (easy to roll with beeswax sheets). Or use any other non-polluting substance like soy or hemp. Imbue it with scent and natural color.  Tie your prayers to the candle.
• Link the Winter Solstice – Christmas – New Year (which falls on a new moon this year) by keeping a continuous votive candle burning or light with your mediations.
• Learn the simple form of Vedic fire ceremony (homa or agni hotra) to be able to offer mantra to a living flame. agni (www.agnihotra.org).
• Learn the ucchara sadhana connecting to the inner fire altar that my friend and scholar Christopher Tompkins has been dedicated to teaching this meditation (shaivayoga.com).
• Tending our heartfire is staying connected through all the cycles of our life. This is true through the shadow and fertile darkenss to the fires of renewal and organic process of manifestation.

Live the Cycles of the Solstice-New Year

As you ignite the Solstice-New Year, be open to consciously living the vinyasa of the over 800 million breaths, 365 sunrise and sunsets, 26 New and Full Moons and eight solar junctures that form the vinyasa of the year. While the outer world moves in a holiday flurry, dive into the deeper rhythm of inner renewal and feel the extraordinary legacy of our inner fire. Swaha!

Shiva Rea

Shiva Rea is a shaktidasi—servant of the life-force. She is the dedicated founder of Prana Flow—Energetic Vinyasa and Samudra Global School for Living Yoga offering pilgrimage and yogadventure retreats, teacher trainings, and online programs in collaboration with teachers, artists, and activists around the world: pranaflowyoga.com.

www.pranaflowyoga.com

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Boost Energy and Reduce Fatigue Using Your Body’s Clock

How many times a day do you hear someone complain of being exhausted or stressed? Maybe when a friend asks you how you’ve been, your standard reply is “busy” or even “tired.” It’s a common complaint. This is particularly true at the end of the year when people are racing around like crazy, trying to get everything done before the holiday break or the start of the new year. When you can live in harmony with your body’s circadian rhythm, your use of energy can be more effective and you can reduce fatigue.

Fatigue is disruptive; it can make you feel less productive at work and less able to socialize and pursue your personal goals. The good news is that by making a few changes in your daily schedule, you can reduce fatigue and access nearly unlimited energy to power your way through the dark winter months.

Understand Your Body’s Circadian Rhythm

The first thing you have to know is that your body has a circadian rhythm, which means that your cells and systems function differently at different times of the day. This rhythm operates on a nearly 24-hour cycle and resets itself every morning when you first experience daylight. This rhythm helps regulate everything in your body including blood pressure, metabolism, hormone production, body temperature, and cellular repair. Even the microbes in your gut operate on a cycle, with some types of bacteria active at night while others are more predominant in the daytime. This is one reason why your body gets so confused when you cross time zones. When your schedule changes, every system in your body has to adjust. If you have recently experienced travel-related jet lag, you know that the symptoms go beyond difficulty sleeping. They include mental fogginess and irritability and digestive issues as well.

Are you living in a state of permanent jet lag?

Many people operate in a kind of permanent jet lag in which they have one schedule during the week and another schedule on the weekend. You may do this too, staying up late and sleeping in on the weekends, and even eating your meals later or at different times during your days off. Scientists call this “social jet lag” and it is a trigger for obesity and increased fatigue.

When you stay up late on the weekends, you teach your body that it doesn’t need sleep until after midnight, so you’ll have residual insomnia and digestive trouble during the first half of the work week. People often find that when they short-change themselves on sleep, they are less productive in their work, which makes them feel even more busy. When they feel overwhelmed, they are more likely to stay up late again. Getting to bed at the right time is the first step toward getting more energy.

By paying attention to your schedule, you can make simple changes that will drastically improve your focus at work, reduce fatigue, and give you more energy during the day. You won’t need coffee or sweets to push you through your day if you follow some of these recommendations.

1. Create a bedtime routine.

Lack of sleep is the number one cause of fatigue, and most people don’t get enough sleep during the winter months. The shortest days of the year tend to be a time to engage in passive entertainment. We watch too much TV or rely on social media in the hours after sunset. You might think that this is helping you to relax after a long day at work. Instead, screen time often triggers insomnia. It delays the brain’s production of melatonin, which is a natural hormone that helps you fall asleep. The blue light emitted from screens tricks the brain into thinking it’s still daytime, and you are likely to stay awake until midnight or later, then have trouble falling sleep after you do shut out the lights.

Choose a bedtime that will give you seven hours of sleep before the alarm goes off in the morning. Institute a screen curfew – no TV, computer, smartphone or e-reader in the 90 minutes before bedtime. You can read a print book, practice some meditation, do light chores around the house, or take a bath. Within a few days, you will find yourself becoming naturally sleepy at the right time, and this will make getting out of bed in the morning much easier. You will wake up refreshed and ready to start a new day.

2. Eat your largest meal at noon.

The digestive tract also has its own circadian rhythm. You have more glucose tolerance in the first half of the day than in the hours after noon. At night, your body becomes more insulin resistant and your digestion slows to a crawl. Unfortunately, many people skip breakfast, and sometimes eat just a small salad or protein shake at noon. If you do this, you might be reaching for snacks or sweetened coffee to get through the afternoon. You may be famished and shaky when you get home from work and then start eating anything and everything.

This partial fasting is contributing to your fatigue. The first six hours of the day is the time to eat the whole foods that will power your system and give your body the nutrients it needs to form hormones and enzymes overnight. Eat lightly for the evening meal and avoid snacking after dinner. A large meal in the evening will burden your digestive tract. It may interrupt your sleep and leave you groggy and bloated the next morning.

3. Move your body every day.

It’s easy to think about exercise as a means to get fit or to trim a few pounds, but it is also a key method of insomnia prevention. The body uses your behavior to help identify the time of day. By moving your body in the first half of the day, you reinforce the internal cues that it is daytime.

Exercise also increases energy if you do it daily. A growing body of scientific evidence confirms that regular exercise reduces fatigue and increases energy. For example, a 2006 study published in Psychological Bulletin by authors Puetz, O’Conner, and Dishman looked at sedentary people who suffered from consistent fatigue and found that regular, low-intensity workouts reduced their feelings of fatigue by more than 60% and made them feel more energized throughout the day.

A good time to engage in this moderate, daily exercise is first thing in the morning. Take a brisk 10 to 15 minute walk, or take a short turn on that unused treadmill sitting in the corner. Do a few yoga poses if you like. Just get yourself moving and breathing. Many people tell me that this wakes them up better than a cup of coffee. Get your blood moving first thing every day and you will have more energy all day.

4. Implement 15-second smart phone breaks.

Every day I see people staring at their smart phones in public. Are they receiving urgent texts or messages? Far from it. They are checking headlines and social media or they are playing games. We have taught ourselves to reach for our phones for a reliable shot of emotion, adrenaline, or dopamine when we are bored. And yet, these texts and games and emails often make us feel more overwhelmed and less centered.

5. Take Three Deep Breaths.

Whenever you have the urge to check your phone, take three deep breaths. Feel the breath in your body, and feel yourself relax. In Ayurveda, we say that prana builds energy. Prana means the breath, but it also refers to the vital life force. It creates the union between body and mind. After your three breaths, you can still reach for your phone, but you will have created a small buffer between the urge to distract yourself and the act itself. This is the beginning of mindfulness and it will keep you from overstimulating yourself during the day and will help you reduce fatigue.

Mental overstimulation is a major cause for winter stress and fatigue. At this time of year, your mind and body both need activity to stay healthy. But at the same time, they also need reflection and rest.

Learn more about the book Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life: Harness the Power of Clock Genes to Lose Weight, Optimize Your Workout, and Finally Get a Good Night’s Sleep.

Suhas Kshirsagar

Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar is the director of Ayurvedic Healing in Santa Cruz, California. A regular speaker at the Chopra Center, he serves on the Board of Directors of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association, and is the author of a number of books including Change Your Schedule, Change Your Life: Harness the Power of Clock Genes to Lose Weight, Optimize Your Workout, and Finally Get a Good Night’s Sleep. For more information, visit: drsuhas.com.

www.ayurvedichealing.net

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The cold and flu are both viruses (small infectious agents that can replicate inside the cells of another organism). While some strains of the flu (influenza) can possibly be prevented by a vaccination, there is no vaccine for the common cold. The World Health Organization recommends having a yearly flu shot which can be effective but also has much controversy with some.

Colds vs Flus

The symptoms of colds compared to flus can seem similar on the surface. People may experience a sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, headache, and possibly a fever. What distinguishes the flu are its more pronounced symptoms. The flu affects the joints, and can cause respiratory complications, diarrhea, and vomiting, and even death. It is important to note that there are many different strains of the influenza virus (as discussed again in this article).

When it comes to the common cold, this is also the case. The common cold can stem from as many as 200 different viruses. Colds are spread through the air during close contact with infected people and indirectly through contact with objects in the environment. The primary methods of prevention include: hand washing; keeping the hands away from touching the eyes, nose or mouth and staying away from other sick people. Although there is no cure for the common cold, symptoms can be treated with a variety of remedies. These include pharmaceutical remedies such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen is one) as well as cough medicines.

The traditional theory is that a cold can occur from exposure to cold weather, which is how it got its name. Some cold viruses are seasonal, occurring more frequently during the winter. During this season, viral transmission rates can increase. Seasonality also includes social factors, such as spending more time indoors near infected people.

More about the Flu

Influenza, commonly known as “the flu,” is an infectious disease caused by one of the many varieties of the influenza virus. It can be spread by direct transmission from the aerosols from an infected person coughing, sneezing, or spitting and through hand-to-eye, hand-to-nose, or hand-to-mouth transmission, either from contaminated surfaces or from direct personal contact such as a handshake.

The symptoms of the flu include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pains, headache, coughing, and fatigue. Nausea and vomiting occur more commonly in unrelated infections like gastroenteritis, which is sometimes referred to as “stomach flu” or “24-hour flu.” Possible complications or co-infections include viral or bacterial pneumonia and sinus infections.

There are three main categories of influenza viruses. Influenza A is referred to as bird flu because birds are the natural hosts for these strains. This virus can be transmitted to domestic poultry giving rise to human influenza. Influenza B almost exclusively infects humans and is less common than influenza A. Another set of strains are the Influenza C viruses which infect humans, dogs, and pigs but are the least common. Each year, influenza spreads around the world,  resulting in about 3-5 million cases. Outbreaks occur predominantly in the winter.

Larger outbreaks (known as pandemics) are less frequent. In the 20th century, four primary pandemics have occurred: Spanish in 1918 (50 million deaths), Asian in 1957 (2 million deaths), and Hong Kong in 1968 (1 million deaths). In 2009, the A/H1N1 pandemic resulted in 200-500,000 deaths.

The Ayurvedic View of Cold and Flu Season

From an Ayurvedic perspective, the cold and flu season begins as we start to transition from the hot, bright and intense summer (governed by pitta) months of June through September into the fall (vata) season of October through January.

In the fall, the qualities in and around us become cooler, drier, lighter, and windier. This transition can weaken our immunity and make us more susceptible to illness. When the winter (kapha) season (February-May) arrives with its qualities of cold, wet and damp, heaviness and stagnation—the onset of illness can increase.

According to Ayurveda, the Vata dosha is responsible for regulating the immune system and Kapha dosha is responsible for regulating the respiratory and nasal systems as well as the stomach.

In Ayurvedic theory; like increases like and an energetic quality is brought into balance with the opposite qualities. A preventative program that takes these energetics into account is the best way to be proactive during the cold and flu season.

The first step to staying healthy is to balance and strengthen the vata dosha during the fall season. We do this by favoring vata’s opposite actions of warmth, wetness, heaviness, and stability. Doing so grounds the body, mind, and spirit and strengthens the immune system for winter. When winter arrives, you could introduce some of kapha’s opposite actions which are: warmth, dryness, lightness, and mobility.

Daily Routine Practices (Dinacharya) to Build Resilience During Cold and Flu Season

Lifestyle Remedies

• Rest is probably the most important consideration for supporting our immune system.
• Wash your hands often; soap inactivates viruses.
• Regular elimination is essential for maintaining vitality. Drink two cups of warm water each morning after brushing your teeth. This informs the body it is time to go and helps to maintain regularity.
• Stay hydrated. Drink half your body weight in ounces of either room temperature, warm water or herbal teas throughout the day for optimum digestion.
• Use a Neti Pot, the mild salt water solution supports nasal tissues and can prevent sinus infections.
• Gargling with salt water loosens excess mucus, removes bacteria, and relieves sore throats.

Functional Food

• Do not skip meals or overeat.
• Find regularity in your meal schedule. (All regularity helps to balance the energy of Vata).
• Choose to eat your largest meal at lunch when the digestive fire is strongest.
• Stay away from processed, frozen, canned, and microwavable foods.
• Limit or stay away from cold, heavy, and acidic foods like meats, nuts, ice cream, yogurt, nightshade vegetables, and sour and green fruits. These foods can slow down digestion and cause buildup of undigested material (known as ama, or a type of toxin). Choose lighter and simpler foods like soups and broths, white rice, cooked vegetables, and whole grain cereals.
• Use warm spices and herbs like ginger, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, cardamom, basil, rosemary, and coriander, which stimulate digestion and warm the body.

Herbal Remedies

• Tulsi tea is specific for its adaptogenic effects for colds and flu and other respiratory imbalances.
• Chewing a small piece of fresh ginger relieves the symptoms of nausea and vomiting.
• Triphala churna helps to balance and strengthen digestion, immunity, and elimination.
• Chyawanprash is an Ayurvedic herbal jam. Its base is amla fruit, which contains one of the most concentrated and bioavailable sources of Vitamin C in the plant kingdom. Amla and the other herbs in the formula have rejuvenating and revitalizing properties.

Ayurvedic Techniques for Rejuvenation and Bliss

• Before bed, massage the feet with sesame oil, put socks on, and enjoy a good night sleep.
• Daily Ayurvedic self-massage will benefit the skin increasing calm and overall vitality and stability.
• Oiling the ears lubricates the upper eustachian tubes and the cervical lymph nodes benefiting the lymphatic and glandular system. This practice helps us to build immunity.
• Oil pulling or swishing is a powerful defense against a cold, removing bad bacteria, and boosts the good immune-boosting bacteria in your mouth.
• Use Nasya Oil to lubricate nasal passages and open up sinuses.

Three Seasons Ayurveda Herbal Remedies

Turmeric Nectar is a powerful anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antibiotic, antioxidant, antibacterial, and alterative. This nectar regulates the immune response and aids in digestion.

Jeff’s Cough Drops are delicious natural pain relievers made with fresh ginger, clove and licorice, with antiseptic, antimicrobial, expectorant and demulcent qualities.

Ginger Turmeric Lemonade can break up mucus and reduce respiratory inflammation.

Soothing and Relaxing Good Night Drink

This delicious drink soothes the nerves. In addition, it benefits digestion and removes toxins from the deep tissues.

Ingredients
8 ounces (1 cup) almond milk
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon of fresh ginger (grated) or 1/8 teaspoon powdered ginger
¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of cardamom
Pinch of pepper (preferably pippali or long pepper)
½-1 teaspoon raw honey

Instructions
Bring the almond milk to a boil, turn off and whisk/stir in the turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom.
Let steep for around two minutes and then add the honey.

Note: Fresh ginger is preferred because it has the energetics of being warming and balancing for all the doshas, while ground ginger is considered to be heating and can increase Pitta dosha.

Detoxifying and Stimulating Ginger Bath

This invigorating and rejuvenating bath will sweat out toxins and relax the muscles. The addition of essential oils will benefit the respiratory system.

Ingredients
1/3 cup dried ginger powder
1/3 cup baking soda

Instructions
Whisk the ginger and baking soda into your bath. Relax for 15 minutes until you start to sweat.

Optional Essential Oil Additions

(add up to 12 drops of the following)
Upper Respiratory Relief: Add eucalyptus, peppermint or sweet orange.
Fever and Flu Symptoms: Add tulsi, bergamot, or rosemary.

Jeff Perlman

Jeff Perlman is a Clinical Ayurvedic & Pancha Karma Specialist, Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor, Certified Massage and Marma Therapist, a professional member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and a Cordon Bleu Chef.  He is available for private consultations. He leads annual trips to India. You can contact him at jeff@tsayurveda.com or visit his website: threeseasonsayurveda.com

www.threeseasonsayurveda.com

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For as long as I can remember, the forest has been a place of healing for me. As a child I would gravitate to the woods for hours. As an adult in this modern multi-tasking world, it has been harder to keep up the habit regularly. I mean, really – if you go outside, you should be exercising and checking your watch to hit that magic number of 10,000 steps. Right?

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.
—John Muir

Wrong. Finally, I have discovered some real science about the positive effects of being in the woods – the practice known in Japanese as Shinrin-Yoku; (English translation, ‘forest bathing.’) In 1982, the Forest Agency of Japan spearheaded Shinrin-Yoku encouraging people to walk outside to reduce stress.

Because of this movement and the subsequent research studies, I now have 21st-century clinical data telling me to go chill out in the woods! As of 2017, more than 127 research papers about Shinrin-Yoku have been published in the scientific literature.

For example, this mindfulness-based method is medically proven to reduce blood pressure and stress hormone levels, increase the NK cell count in the immune system, and even decrease blood glucose levels in diabetics — just to name a few superlative benefits.

How Shinrin-Yoku Works

Here’s how it works. You’re not hiking, or even walking. Shinrin-Yoku is more like wandering. You walk for two hours and go….maybe a mile? It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you put your phone on airplane mode, and open up all eight of your senses to your surroundings.

(Yeah, eight, did you know that? I didn’t. I’m assuming you can get to five on your own, then there is proprioception, interoception, and the vestibular system. For the purposes of brevity, I have to leave it at that, but I highly recommend you explore on your own.)

So, you spend time ambling in silence and seeing what draws your focus. What kind of focus. Sound? A movement in your peripheral vision? Or if you open up all eight senses to on tree or view – what do you experience?

It’s that same mindful, magical feeling we all seek; that space where the monkey mind falls into the background and you begin to feel, dare I say it? At peace. Inside and out. At one, with it all, dropped away from the trick of duality that our ginormous, ego-driven, prefrontal cortex sometimes plays on us. Then, we can build on that feeling through a myriad of methods; we can store it up so it sustains us long after we’ve left the woods.

Nature is alive, and talking to us. This is not a metaphor.
—Terence McKenna

Discoveries of Shinrin-Yoku

One of my favorite things I discovered about the science of Shinrin-Yoku is the extra benefits of bathing in a coniferous, or evergreen, forests. This explains my compulsion to run up to the Sequoia National Forest whenever I can and hug a Redwood sequoiacum.

The bark of these particular trees contains a compound called phytoncides. While this phytochemical protects the tree bark from insects, it also raises our immune system’s NK or killer cells.

Get this: in one study, subjects stayed in a hotel room for three consecutive nights with Hinoki Cypress oil diffusing in a humidifier. The subjects had remarkably heightened levels of these immune boosting suckers in their systems, even up to seven days later. They also reported whiter teeth and fresher breath. (Not really, I wanted to make sure you were still with me.)

The methods I’ve been using in my practice of forest bathing are based on a book by M. Amos Clifford, A Little Handbook of Shinrin-Yoku. I concur with his underlying premise that our personal and societal healing is a two-way street with our planet.

Shinrin-Yoku: The Takeaway

Mother Earth does take care of us, but we must also take care of her. Forest bathing is not only about taking in the healing effects of our environment, but participating reciprocally in methods such as place tending.

Do you wander around the same places? Engage in this practice of place tending or taking care of the environment by bringing a bag for trash. Collect on the way back, so as to not interfere with the forest bathing experience.

These principles can also work in our urban, everyday lives. While writing this, I am sitting in my back garden and I can hear someone playing the electric guitar…I notice sounds of a soccer game…but also I can hear birds.

Some are close, some far away. I can hear the wind in the trees, and align my breathing with that rhythm. I can look around and see bird feeders, little potted seedlings just starting, a happy cat and dog here, too. All this I offer back to Mother Gaia.

The Earth Has a Soul.
— Carl Jung

Forest Photo by Kyle Wolfe

Julie Hale

Julie Devi Hale, MFT, eRYT is a psychotherapist, yoga and meditation teacher who attends to private clients in Los Angeles as well as runs retreats regularly in her home away-from-home; the Sequoia National Forest: juliehale.net

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When you want a quick and easy way to feel like you’re at a spa every day without leaving your home, schedule an appointment for an Ayurvedic self-massage.

Abhyanga is the Sanskrit term for this ancient Ayurvedic practice that nurtures the body, softens, smoothes and hydrates the skin, stimulates the lymphatic system, lubricates joints, increase circulation, enhances sleep, and calms nerves.

Self-Massage = Love

According to the teachings of Ayurveda, the practice of oiling the body for abhyanga is a powerful act of self-love. In fact, one of translations of the Sanskrit word for oil, sneha, literally means love. When you oil yourself, you love yourself.

Benefits and History

The Charaka Samhita (one of the traditional Ayurvedic textbooks) says,“The body of one who uses oil massage regularly does not become affected much even if subjected to accidental injuries, or strenuous work.

By using oil massage daily, a person is endowed with pleasant touch, trimmed body parts and becomes strong, charming and least affected by old age.” Think about it; massage improves recovery time, increases strength, has anti-aging properties, and can even improve fitness. So if you’re a yogi, you’ll want to include this practice in your daily routine.

Choosing an Oil

According to Ayurveda, different oils have different energetic properties.

• Sesame Oil: Beloved in Ayurvedic tradition, this nourishing oil has powerful effects to hydrate dry skin. It calms the airy vata dosha.
• Coconut Oil: This cooling oil is recommended for people whose skin tends to be sensitive or even acne-prone. It cools the fiery pitta dosha.
• Jojoba Oil: Easily absorbed by the skin, jojoba is naturally anti-inflammatory. It is also recommended to calm the pitta dosha.
• Almond Oil: This light and fragrant oil is useful for people with damp, moist skin or to bring balance to the heavy and wet kapha dosha.

Need help choosing the right oil for your self-massage? Read this.

The Three Doshas

• Vata: Comprised of the elements of air and space, vata is characterized by the qualities of being dry, irregular, rough, and cold.
• Pitta: Comprised of the element of fire (with a little water), pitta is characterized by the qualities of being intense, penetrating, oily, and hot.
• Kapha: Comprised of the elements of elements of water and earth, kapha is characterized by the qualities of being damp, dense, sluggish, and cold.

Steps for Self-Massage

1. Warm the Oil

First warm the oil so it is better absorbed by the skin. Pour the amount of oil you want to use into a glass bottle (about ¼ to ½ cup depending on the dryness of your skin).

Heat a pot of water on the stove and submerge the glass bottle into the water for several minutes. Warm oil and no mess!

2. Develop Technique

When it comes to technique, adjust the the pressure and rhythm for what you need.

• Calm the hyperactive energy of the vata dosha with long, slow, steady strokes, moving to the heart to ease anxiety.
• Reduce the stress and burnout experienced by an excess of fiery pitta with light, soothing strokes to relax the adrenals.
• Stimulate the lymphatic system and reduce the stagnation experienced by the dense and heavy energy of kapha with firm, deep strokes.

3. Massage Abdominals

After oiling up your arms, legs and back, pay particular attention to abdominal area, which houses the organs that are central to your digestion.

According to Ayurveda, healthy digestion is the cornerstone of a healthy life. Massaging the abdominal area helps to enhance digestion.

Use circular motions in a counterclockwise direction; move your hands up the right side of your abdomen, across the top and down on your the left. This follows the direction of muscular movement in the colon, supporting the contractions of peristalsis.

4. Focus on Where You Hold Stress

Pay particular attention to areas where you hold stress. This may include your shoulders, low back, or even the sternum above your physical heart or heart chakra. Combine the massage with attention on your breath to encourage relaxation.

5. Massage Your Scalp

Massage some oil into your scalp (if you didn’t just get a blow-dry!). This soothing practice can relieve tension and even ease headaches. It is said in Ayurveda that scalp massage enhances hair growth.

6. Include your Feet

Reflexology points on the soles of the feet correspond to the rest of the body. The feet also contain a number of important marma points (the Ayurvedic equivalent of acupuncture or acupressure points).

After massaging the oil into your feet, carefully put on a pair of socks to encourage the oil to penetrate the skin (and to keep your feet from sliding on the floor).

7. Don’t Wash Off Oil Immediately

For the full benefit of the practice, keep the oil on your skin for as long as possible.

I usually recommend self-massage before bed both to help you relax and because that way you can fall asleep and allow the oil to soak in. But if that doesn’t sound enjoyable, wait at least 10 minutes before bathing or showering.

8. Add a Steam Room

For the ultimate spa experience, enter a hot steam room or sauna after the massage so you can absorb the oil into your tissues.

9. Enjoy!

Enjoy this sacred time with sneha—oil—to give yourself some sneha—love.

Sahara Rose

Sahara Rose is an Ayurvedic practitioner, sports nutritionist, holistic health coach, and author of the Idiot’s Guide to Ayurveda, She leads a 12-week program bringing a combination of Eastern and Western health philosophies into busy lives. Sahara offers a free Ayurvedic Mind-Body type quiz at: iamsahararose.com

www.iamsahararose.com

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Mushrooms, including reishi, are also known to affect the psyche and perception in ways that aren’t yet fully documented or understood scientifically. Reishi does not induce psychotropic experiences, but it appears to expand perception. Let me attempt to explain some possibilities for this potential, as well as delve into many mysteries around the origins of life on Earth and the role advanced fungi (including reishi) may play in consciousness.

Reishi Mushrooms and Astrobiology

Some revelations may exist in the study of Astrobiology. Many mycologists believe that mushrooms are extraterrestrial life forms, due in part to their taxonomic sovereignty and because fungal spores are capable of surviving space travel. Mushroom spores are microscopic and light enough to drift out of our atmosphere and into space (gravitropism), potentially making Earth a cosmic fungal sporulation lab. The spores are initially launched from the fruiting body cells through ballasting processes that may involve diamagnetic electrostatic repulsion, propelling them high enough into the air to be caught in wind currents. (1)

Astrobiologists proposed that basic archaea and much of Earth’s prokaryotic (single-celled) life is extraterrestrial

Beginning in the 1970s, Astrobiologists proposed that basic archaea and much of Earth’s prokaryotic (single-celled) life is extraterrestrial, having originally blown into our atmosphere or arrived in blocks of ice and on meteorites. (2) In the case of the mysterious red rain of Kerala, scientists discovered the tinting was caused by moisture capturing an extraterrestrial algae that was drifting into Earth’s atmosphere. The event was preceded by a sonic boom that may have been from a meteorite that entered our outer atmosphere and exploded, dispersing the algae.3 Such microbes are called extremophiles, due to their resilience under heat, cold and pressure. Extremophilic organisms are now thought to be responsible for seeding planets with biologically active life.

Origination of the Reishi Mushroom

During Earth’s early stages, it is thought that bacteria sought refuge from solar radiation inside the permeable fat-filled membranes of algae cells, this forming colonies that eventually created cooperative intercellular organelles and mitochondria, leading to the rise of complex multi-cellular (Eukaryotic) life. (4) I discussed in my book Threshold to the 4th Chakra that it is unlikely that bacteria alone created these cellular components. Bacteria remain in their own kingdom and perform many symbiotic actions within their milieu, but they do not become functioning DNA of larger organisms. These scientists overlook another important kingdom responsible for the rise of complex life; fungi may have supported the development of microtubules of cellular cytoplasm, which serves as the information transport system of the cell. By this, I believe that bacteria, algae and fungi combine to create higher life forms.

Fossils reveal that Earth’s earliest masses of carbon material, called stromatolites, were composed of lasagna-like layers of algae and bacteria, enabling nitrogen fixing, molybdenum oxidation and other important components for life. As this material decomposed, carbon substrates formed, creating a medium conducive to fungal sporulation, and tiny filaments of mycelia permeated the substrates, creating nutrient-delivery systems that were remote, thus introducing the conscious transfer of information. I believe that without fungal mycelia, life would merely be composed of tiny organisms living and dying to create sandwiched mounds of matter. While bacteria and algae do function consciously, they would have continued within this cooperative environment into perpetuity. It wasn’t until mycelinating fungi created neurologic systems that symbiotic multicellular life with higher consciousness evolved.

A Higher Conscious Life

The cytoplasm found in eukaryotic cells has no physical similarities to colonized bacteria, but it does resemble fungal mycelia in structure and function. And now, for the mystery question: If fungi, bacteria and algae combined to create higher conscious life, when and where did this original evolution take place? If these microbes, archaea, diatoms, and spores have been transported to Earth over potentially vast distances and over spans of time (or even through time travel), then where did they come from? The only answer we can assume is: everywhere.

Earth’s oldest rock samples (approx. 3.5 billion years before present) contain fossilized cyanobacteria (algae-mimicking bacteria that can engage in photosynthesis). (5 ) This indicates that they evolved somewhere long before Earth’s atmosphere was established. These considerations imply that Earthly life follows a pre-established order that is symbiotic with all life in the cosmos, and indicates a universal blueprint. Every celestial body in the universe may be dusted with bacteria, algae and spores, and, depending on a planet’s proximity to a star, they will begin a long process of creating and regulating an atmosphere that is conducive for life, where evolutionary patterns will progress to create environments and organisms that share common biology with our planet.

A Mystery Unsolved

Then again, we must ask, where did all this begin? We can only humble ourselves in the face of this mystery, but we can also know that there are worlds beyond ~ before and after, for, if these lifeforms arrived on early Earth, they must have evolved on planets identical to ours. As mentioned, bacteria are functional symbionts of biological activity; algae create oxygen atmospheres, which, along with bacteria can congeal to create carbon substrates, but the advanced fungi appear to be the harbingers of consciousness, allowing organisms to cooperate and contemplate life, and by which Humans might even someday discover and communicate with life on other worlds.

Where did all this begin? We can only humble ourselves in the face of this mystery.

We have long known that mushrooms benevolently affect consciousness. Reishi is not psychotropic and does not alter perception, but benefits mental clarity and helps instill a reverent attitude. Reishi enhances spiritual enlightenment, and seems to “weave us into the mycelial web of life.”

Read more about reishi and consciousness in Rehmannia Dean Thomas’ article here.

References
1. Trail, F. Fungal cannons: explosive spore discharge in the Ascomycota. FEMS
Microbiology Letters 276.1 (2007): 12-18

2.  Gibson, C., Schild, R., Wickranmanasinghe, C., The Origin of Life from Primordial planets. Int. Journal of Astrobiology (no date), UK

3. Louis, G., Kumar, S., The red rain of Kerala and its possible extraterrestrial origin. M. Gandhi Univ. press 2006.

4. Margulis, L., Symbiosis in cell evolution. New York: W.H. Freeman. 1981.

5. Schirrmeister, B., Gugger, M., Donologue, P., Cyanobacteria and the Great Oxidation Event: evidence from genes and fossils. Palaeontology, Vol. 58, issue 5, 2015 pg.769- 785.

Rehmannia Dean Thomas

Rehmannia Dean Thomas is President of Shaman Shack Herbs (shamanshackherbs.com) and creator of the online course on Tonic Herbalism (GateofLife.org). His books include Raw Chi, Shilajit; The Resin of Life, and Healing Thresholds.

www.shamanshackherbs.com

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Top 10 travel tips to enrich the traveling experience:

1. Give yourself time.

When booking a flight or trip allow extra time for travel issues, physical movement, and bathroom breaks. For layovers, keep a window of time open (one to one-and-a-half hours) to cushion those pesky delays that can produce anxiety and emotional upheaval.
 

2. Hydrate.

Drink plenty before, during, and after a flight. Hydrate well when driving long distances. Pre-game hydration plus being aware of liquid intake during the first day of travel are crucial practices to keep the dry-mobile qualities of travel at bay.
 
Bring portable drinks in the car. (I love coconut water and turmeric drinks.) Dehydration can accelerate and exacerbate the vata dosha and can increase constipation. Sip warm water with lemon as often as possible, drink fresh veggie juices, and eat soup to restore water levels.
 

3. Balance your doshas.

The Ayurvedic herbal combination triphala is a mainstay that balances all of the doshas or energies of the body. If you know you are prone to travel-related constipation, add some psyllium seeds to your routine a couple days before you get on the road.
 

4. Use the bathroom when needed.

If you’re tempted to refrain from drinking to avoid pit stops, well, this isn’t helpful for maintaining balance. According to Ayurveda, don’t hold any outflowing “movement” … in.
 

5. Wear soft, comfortable, non-synthetic clothing.

This allows your skin to breathe and is easy to sit in for long periods of time. Vata likes to feel just right. When flying, pack your carry-on with comfortable goodies. Some of my favorites include: two to three ounces of sesame oil, lavender essential oil, a scarf, extra socks, a blanket-type wrap or soft coat to keep warm, eye shield or cover, and/or headphones.
 

6. Abstain on the plane.

Drinking alcohol when traveling can increase dehydration and further disturb the already erratic energy of the vata dosha. I know the free booze on some flights is tempting or you may want a drink to fall asleep, but it can wreak havoc on your system and can set off insomnia or 2am wake-ups.
 

7. Live in the zone.

Plan your life based on the time zone you are in rather than continually comparing the present moment from your time zone back home. Be in the HERE and NOW. (Whatever happens in this time zone stays in this time zone too!).
 

8. Settle in.

When you arrive to your destination, settle in, unpack, organize, and adjust to new surroundings. Connect with a short walk.
 

9. Practice pranayama.

Pranayama, or breathing practices (some of the classic practices include bhastrika, kapalabhati, or annulovilloma) in the morning or gentle or yin yoga before bed counterpose the sedentary sitting and nervous system stimulating nature of traveling.
 

10. Take a bath!

A relaxing hot epsom salt bath relieves muscular aches. Combine this with a bit of self-massage (abhyanga) with warm oils for a nourishing spa treatment on the go to promote a restful night and welcome the new time zone.
 

Happy Travels!

When you incorporate any of these simple travel tips on the go, they can set the tone for the entire trip so you enjoy ease in movement and be refreshed whether you are traveling for work, for fun, or both.
 

Helena Zera

Helena Zera RN, E-RYT 500 is a nurse, Ayurvoga Consultant, and Polarity Therapist who teaches workshops in Embodying the Female Pelvis and trainings using her invention, the HastaPada strap.

www.vyanayoga.com

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As the cold and wet winter transitions to the lighter, warmer, and drier spring we experience a time of rebirth and growth as nature comes back to life. This season can also inspire us to think about physical detoxification, ridding ourselves of the excess heaviness and sluggishness that might have accumulated since the holidays.

The words detoxification, cleansing, and purification have similar meanings. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines them as, “The removal or extraction of contaminants or impurities, ridding dependencies or addiction, purifying morally or spiritually, and promoting health.”

In today’s fast-paced world, many unhealthy physical, mental, and emotional toxins, impurities, and energies can build up in and around us. Toxins are any substance that can be poisonous or cause negative health effects. Toxins can include food, drugs, alcohol, metals, chemicals, pollutants, food ingredients, and pesticides, or even emotional trauma.

Toxicity may depend on the dosage, frequency, or potency of a substance. Some of the immediate symptoms of toxicity can include constipation, weight gain, sluggishness, sneezing, swelling, or itchy eyes. Buildup of toxicity can contribute to and even be a cause of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, and arthritis. There is no practical way to protect yourself from all the toxins in the environment, but you can counteract many with self-education, awareness, and the practice of being present, along with positive lifestyle choices.

On an ongoing basis, the body naturally detoxifies itself physically through the excretory system (skin, liver, lungs, large intestine, and kidneys). We also detoxify ourselves mentally, emotionally, and spiritually with practices that support the mind and spirit (such as meditation or other techniques).

According to Ayurveda (the Indian holistic medical system), one of the places where toxins are stored is in the fatty tissues of body, so the goal of any effective detoxification is to convince the body and cells to burn stored fat and release impurities naturally.

During the initial stages of purification it is not uncommon to experience some withdrawal symptoms, especially from alcohol, drugs, caffeine or sugar. It is therefore important to prepare yourself for possible side effects as you start reducing and eliminating toxins from your daily life. For most people, these symptoms are minimal, but it is recommended to consult or work with a healthcare provider, doctor, or qualified practitioner to achieve your goals with balance and harmony.

When you start looking around to see the many cleanses available, it can seem both overwhelming and confusing. We may be influenced by the suggestions of our friends and family, what we read in the media, what we hear from celebrity endorsements, or the idea of a quick and easy avenue to achieve our goals. It is important to understand and to take into account our individual natures to recognize how the process of detoxification itself can affect both our short- and long-term health.

Many short-term cleanses can deplete the body, mind, and spirit—especially with practices like starvation, laxatives, enemas, colonics, diuretics, and over-exercising. This can over-purify the body, reducing your intake and absorption of essential nutrients. Depletion can even lead to spikes in blood sugar levels, which can leave you feeling lightheaded, tired, anxious, short-tempered, angry, and possibly depressed.

It is important to choose a cleanse program that is supportive; allowing the release of toxins without overly depleting the body. In addition, you want to choose a program that includes a transition to a healthy routine, because without a realistic long-term plan in place, you might fall back into old habits and tendencies.

Ayurveda believes that the ultimate goal in life is balance and harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. The system of Ayurveda is based in an understanding of the flow of the five elements (ether, air, fire, water, and earth), which are found in the universe. We each have a unique, inherent combination of these elements, defined by the three doshas: vata (air and ether/space), pitta (fire and water), and kapha (water and earth). These three doshas are found in our bodies and make up our inherent and individual constitutions (known as our prakruti). Ayurveda understands there are many factors that can cause imbalance, including the change of seasons and weather, the environment where we live, specific locations, what we ingest, and our mental, emotional, and spiritual input.

From an Ayurvedic point of view, the ingestion of food and positive information builds our ojas (defined as our “life sap” or a component of our vitality). But as we encounter and accumulate toxins, the body can create ama (toxins, metabolic wastes, and emotional heaviness), which stores in our cells and ultimately can create disease.

We keep our bodily processes healthy when we have proper agni (digestive fires), which includes the digestive processes in the small intestine, liver, and gallbladder, along with the perception and digestion of mental, emotional, and spiritual information. Ayurveda believes that healthy agni in all areas is one of the most important aspects of maintaining overall balance.

One of the techniques that Ayurveda uses for detoxification and rejuvenation is panchakarma (meaning five actions). Panchakarma has been practiced for thousands of years and incorporates purification (reducing) therapies as well as tonification (rebuilding) practices. This combination can safely detoxify the body, strengthen the immune system, remove build-up, and then restore balance and well-being. This practice is a cornerstone of the Ayurvedic lifestyle and is recommended on a seasonal basis, as well as when an individual feels out of balance or is experiencing illness.

The full panchakarma process begins with a preparatory diet, designed to reduce the ingestion of heavy and toxic substances. This is followed by internal oileation using ghee or other specialty oils, which directs the body into a mode of increased fat metabolism pulling toxins from deep within the tissues. During this stage you eat a mono diet based around kitchari (a mung bean and rice dish—like Indian risotto). Kitchari is a complete protein that balances blood sugar levels and ensures proper digestion as the body goes through its purification. Each day you receive body treatments specially designed for your specific concerns and constitution—including oil-based massages, medicated muds, dry rubs and powders, warm rice and milk poultices, shirodhara (warm oil streamed over the third eye or ajna chakra, quieting the mind), nasal treatment, and steam therapy, all of which assist in drawing toxins from the body and moving them toward the colon for the elimination process. Finally you receive basti (medicated oil enemas), which rehydrate, rejuvenate, and nourish the tissues.

My experiences with cleansing before finding Ayurveda were varied, inconsistent, and not very successful because of imbalances from drastic measures that I could not sustain. The first time I did a full Ayurvedic cleanse was at the Ayurvedic Institute in New Mexico and it was truly a life-changing experience.

Since that time I have included detoxification into my own yearly practice, and I offer full panchakarma services as well as a seven-day home guide cleanse that is designed to be done while following a regular work and family schedule.

If you are unsure how to proceed you can speak with your medical doctor, holistic practitioner, professionals at your local health food store, or homeopathic pharmacy. Also, many Ayurvedic, Chinese, Homeopathic and Nutritional holistic schools have practitioners they will refer to you. If I can be of any assistance with your planning process please feel free to contact me and I will happily direct you to appropriate channels.

Jeff Perlman

Jeff Perlman is a Clinical Ayurvedic & Pancha Karma Specialist, Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor, Certified Massage and Marma Therapist, a professional member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and a Cordon Bleu Chef.  He is available for private consultations. He leads annual trips to India. You can contact him at jeff@tsayurveda.com or visit his website: threeseasonsayurveda.com

www.threeseasonsayurveda.com

The post An Introduction to Ayurvedic Detoxification appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Shilajit (pronounced shee-lah-jeet) is a nutrient-dense humic resin derived from the high Himalayan Mountains of India and Nepal. It is famous throughout Indian history as a rasayana. This is a Sanskrit term for substances and herbs that enhance overall health, such as superfoods and adaptogens. (Adaptogens are stabilizers of homeostasis that increase resistance to stress.)

Outside of the Indian and Nepali Himalayas, many variations of shilajit are sourced from Mongolia as well as the Caucasus and Altai Mountains of Russia where it is called mumio, from the Greek meaning “saving the body.” Native Americans used similar humic substances called medicine rock, sourced from the Grand Tetons in Wyoming.

What is Shilajit

Shilajit is a black or dark brown resinous material resembling tar that exudes from high rock strata in spring and summer. A significant portion of the composition of shilajit is derived from long-term humification of plant and animal matter, possibly containing the condensation of entire ancient ecosystems, including plants, animals, and their byproducts, along with microbial metabolites, lichen, and mineral extracts.

Shilajit contains complexes of phenols, lignoids, sugars, lipids, amino acids, mineral oxides, and salts that affected by biochemical, microbial and enzymatic processes under conditions of geothermal pressure. Its resinous texture is from the breakdown of latex-bearing plants, including the succulent Euphorbia royleana.

In the formation of this remarkable medicinal substance, we go back in time to when the Himalayas were an inland sea. As tectonic plates collided, the land rose, exposing the seabed with its rich collection of shells and marine ammonites. This exposed land subsequently became a tropical forest. By twenty million years (BP) before present, the forests had produced rich and diverse soils. As the land rose into mountains, seashells were fossilized by volcanic activity and the forest biomass was enveloped in pockets of rock strata. When warmer spring and summer temperatures cause rock expansion, the shilajit now exudes out of cracks, where it is eaten by animals and collected by humans.

Conqueror of Mountains

Shilajit is said to have been discovered when Bhutanese jungle monkeys were observed climbing into the high crags of the Himalayas to eat the black substance seeping from the rocks. These monkeys were known for their cunning and swift agility. Human consumption followed and shilajit came to be called “Conqueror of Mountains, Destroyer of Weakness,” due to the significant health benefits it apparently bestowed. Princes, Sultans, Yogis, Sufis and the historical elite used shilajit daily to enhance their overall health. Many Indian mystics have attributed their super-human powers to the strengthening effect of shilajit.

In addition to its use in Ayurveda, shilajit was the drug in ancient China known as Wujinsan. In the ancient Western world, Aristotle even wrote of the health benefits of taking mumia, as did writers including Paracelsus and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Shilajit in Vedic Writings

The ancient Vedic writings ascribe a divine nature to shilajit; they state that Brahma (the Creator) created Vishnu (the Preserver) to reinstate Earth’s equilibrium during unstable periods. Brahma places Vishnu in the rocks, awaiting his time. When called, Vishnu perspires out of the rocks. Vishnu is often depicted with the black hue of shilajit and he sometimes holds a black seashell, possibly indicating that ancient people knew that seashells were involved in the unique formation of shilajit. Vishnu’s first incarnation was even in the form of Meen Avtar (a fish).

Another story involving shilajit is found in the sacred writings known as the Puranas, which states that Mahayana (known as the supreme God) lived in water and wished to rise out of it—so he became a boar and dug the bottom of the ocean into a mountain of dry land. He then imbued Vishnu in the rock, where varajeet (possibly meaning microorganisms) attacked him, and he sweated down the rocks to become a source of nutrients for other organisms.

Biochemistry of Shilajit

Biochemically, shilajit is high in humic and fulvic acids, which are concentrated molecules that are food for other organisms. Humic acids are formed as the result of long-term breakdown of carbon matter from soil, rocks, plants, lichen, mosses, fungi, and animals and found in peat bogs, riverbeds, and layers of ancient soil strata. Humic acids are believed to contain a spectrum of chemical components that vary with the environment. Composition of humic acids may include lattices that trap and preserve other organic compounds, which could explain why shilajit remains biologically catalytic for thousands of years.

Most humic materials from sources like peat bogs contain recent plant and animal detritus. Shilajit, having been entombed inside rock strata for millennia, is more concentrated than soil-derived humic substances; true shilajit is only found in rock strata above 10,000 feet.

Many humic components of shilajit are not yet fully scientifically understood. They display different characteristics than other organic substances, which hinders definitive examinations.

In an attempt to standardize shilajit, renowned product chemist Dr. Shibnath Goshal analyzed samples collected from varying regions, including a variety from Antarctica. His research revealed the presence of the common component Dibenzo-alpha pyrone (DBP). This chromoprotein is traced to the orange and purple pigments in Pre-Cambrian sea mollusks. Fossilized sea shells were found in the rock strata at all source sites of Dr. Goshal’s samples, representing the one common denominator in all varieties. The presence of this phytochemical in shilajit demonstrates how shilajit is unique when compared to soil-based humic substances, and that it is derived through tectonic pressure. DBP may represent a thread that connects early biology to currently living organisms. It is currently being studied for its immunomodulating and adaptogenic properties.

Ayurveda, Shilajit, and the Doshas

Ayurvedic practitioners believe shilajit supports the overall balance of all three doshas. (The three doshas are the categories of energy: vata, pitta, and kapha). Used in excess, shilajit does have a tendency to be heating, which can increase the fiery pitta dosha. I

n Ayurveda, shilajit is traditionally powdered and mixed with triphala, which may buffer and balance its powerful energies. Ayurvedic writings describe shilajit’s ability to help treat a range of disorders. These include: diabetes, anemia, ulcers, wound healing, bronchial asthma and other allergic conditions, hemorrhoids, enlargement of spleen, liver diseases, epilepsy, kidney support, gastro-intestinal infections, sexual dysfunction, prostate health, genito-urinary disorders, and geriatric problems.

Modern research has also found an impressive spectrum of benefits. Some researchers claim that pure shilajit may contain balanced ratios of all elements found in nature as well as a vast profile of components that are beneficial for human health.

Quality of Shilajit

Due to the fact that shilajit is rare and difficult to acquire, additives are sometimes used by processors. Shilajit is a mostly unregulated substance. Some additives could include soil-based humus, dirt, sawdust, mineral dusts, and resins. Many inferior shilajit products may even include traces of cow’s urine and animal feces. This underscores the importance of doing thorough research before buying or using a shilajit product. Research and standardization of shilajit has not completely determined which origins and varieties are pure and clean.

High-quality shilajit has been heated and filtered to remove rock and plant detritus. It can be purchased as a pure resin ~ there are good ones on the market, as well as some clever fakes.

A few reputable American companies supply high-quality resin and powdered shilajit. But, as mentioned, thorough research is important to verify a trustworthy supplier. I advise contacting a company representative for detailed information on sourcing and production before buying any shilajit product. Ask them to supply a certificate of analysis (COA) before purchasing.

Dosage of Shilajit

As shilajit gains in popularity, demand could outweigh supply. Very little true shilajit is available to us, as the perimeters of its development are very narrow and precise. Those fortunate enough to attain some quality resin should use it sparingly as it is a very concentrated substance. For the triphala-blended powder, take half a teaspoon diluted in water, once or twice daily.

Use Shilajit with Respect

Shilajit is a potent substance that can help imbue powerful health. It should be used with reverence and respect. And it should be used in moderation so that more people can enjoy its broad-spectrum health benefits.

**Shilajit has not been evaluated by the FDA, and this information is not intended to cure, diagnose or prevent disease.

Rehmannia Dean Thomas

Rehmannia Dean Thomas is President of Shaman Shack Herbs (shamanshackherbs.com) and creator of the online course on Tonic Herbalism (GateofLife.org). His books include Raw Chi, Shilajit; The Resin of Life, and Healing Thresholds.

www.shamanshackherbs.com

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Ayurveda is translated as the “knowledge of life” (ayus: life, veda: knowledge). The Indian holistic medical system first mentioned Ayurveda with yoga in the Vedas around 3,500 years ago. It is considered the healing side of yoga, and the practice of yoga is the spiritual side of Ayurveda. Both strive to help us stay connected to our true natures.

Ayurveda draws on all six of India’s classical schools of philosophy: Samkhya, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Yoga, Mimamsa and Vedanta, but is mainly rooted in Samkhya, namely that everything stems from purusa (self/soul) and prakruti (matter/energy).

Samkhya means “system of enumeration” and consists of 24 principles, tattvas, which explain all of creation. These principles include the five elements, panchamahabhutas (ether, air, fire, water and earth). The elements relate to the five senses, tanmatras (sound, touch, sight, taste and smell), which Ayurveda uses to treat disharmony and disease.

Both Ayurveda and yoga share the philosophy that the state of our intelligence and consciousness is governed by three subtle qualities of nature, the universal gunas known as sattva, rajas and tamas. Sattva is the nature of our existence, bringing spiritual purpose, right actions, purity, illumination and balance. Rajas is the nature of activity, change, motion, energy and movement. Tamas is the nature of stability, darkness, dullness and inertia.

According to Ayurveda, creation expresses itself through the five elements. These manifest in our bodies as governing energies called doshas. The three doshas, Vata, Pitta and Kapha define our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual states. Each of us has a unique proportion of all three doshas, established at conception, which creates our constitution, prakruti.

The five element theory is based on 10 opposite qualities found in our environment. These are known as the physical gunas: hot/cold, wet/dry, heavy/light, mobile/stable, clear/cloudy, gross/subtle, dense/flowing, dull/sharp, soft/hard, smooth/rough.

Ayurveda understands the doshas in relation to these physical gunas, but it also considers our mental health and well-being in relation to the three universal gunas. The Caraka Samhita (an ancient Ayurvedic text) explains that Vata, as air and ether elements, is mainly associated with rajas and sattva, with the qualities of movement, clarity, creativity and expansiveness. Pitta, as fire and water elements, is mainly associated with sattva and rajas, with the qualities of transformation, focus and energy. Kapha, as water and earth elements, is mainly associated with tamas and sattva, with the qualities of heaviness, dullness and stability.

Ayurveda believes that our true nature is spirit, and that when we lose our presence and connection we create a state of imbalance, vikruti, which is understood by its short-term symptoms, tendencies and characteristics.

There are many factors that can cause imbalance, including change of season, our physical location, what we ingest, and the mental/emotional influences in our lives. Ayurveda treats imbalance by employing the opposite qualities of the physical gunas. For example, if the air element is too high in the body, we might experience constipation, dryness, and swirling thoughts and emotions. To bring balance we would incorporate the opposite physical qualities of warmth (fire), wetness (water), heaviness and stability (earth).

Ayurveda uses lifestyle changes and the five sense (tanmatras) therapies to treat imbalance and disharmony. These include: mantras, kirtan and music (sound – ether element); massage, Asana, Pranayama, nasya and marma therapy (touch – air element); color therapy and gemology (sight – fire element); food, spices, herbs and beverages (taste – water element); and essential oils, aromatherapy, spices and herbology (smell – earth element).

Below is a summary of each dosha, with its physical and mental qualities, and an example of how to bring balance, bearing in mind that we each have a unique proportion of all three doshas.

Vata dosha (air and ether) has the qualities of being cold, dry, light, and mobile. The air quality contributes to overall dryness, with a lot of of mobility. People with a predominance of this physical nature are mentally creative, artistic and spiritual. When out of balance they can be mentally scattered, overwhelmed, have difficulty sleeping, and change their minds often. The Vata dosha is balanced by incorporating the qualities of: warmth (fire), moisture (water), and heaviness and stability (earth). A Vata Asana and Pranayama practice should be warming, systematic and introspective, to bring presence and focus. Yoga poses that compress the pelvis and engage the lower back and thighs are beneficial, because the seat of Vata is in the colon, which needs warmth. Ayurveda recommends “So Hum” meditation, which incorporates a pointed focus, bringing presence to a busy mind.

Pitta dosha (fire and water) has the qualities of being hot, wet, light, and mobile. The fire quality relates to transformation, metabolism, and digestion. These qualities govern physical digestion but also control transformation and assimilation of the five senses. People with a predominance of this physical nature are mentally focused, passionate and intense. When out of balance, they can have acid reflux, indigestion and diarrhea and can be short-tempered, impatient and angry. The Pitta dosha is balanced by incorporating the qualities of: coolness (earth and water), dryness (air), and heaviness and stability (earth). A Pitta Asana and Pranayama practice should promote coolness and openness while releasing heat in the small intestine, liver and the mind. All standing and seated twists and cooling inversions are beneficial. Ayurveda recommends “Empty Bowl” meditation, which is unstructured and promotes openness and coolness.

Kapha dosha (water and earth) has the qualities of being cool, wet, moist, and stable. It is responsible for structure and lubrication of the body, providing stability, stamina, and strength. People with a predominance of this physical nature often move, think and speak slowly. Their mental natures are unconditionally loving, calm, consistent and dependable. When out of balance, they are prone to upper respiratory illness, obesity, diabetes, and they can be lethargic, depressed and over-attached. The Kapha dosha is balanced by incorporating the qualities of: warmth (fire), dryness (air), and lightness and mobility (air). A Kapha Asana and Pranayama practice should be energetic, stimulating and warming. All standing poses, inversions and backbends are beneficial, and repeating and holding poses with conscious breathing is helpful. Ayurveda recommends Tartaka (to look, or to gaze) meditation, using a warming visual image, like a candle flame or ghee lamp, which is warming and energizing.

We all have many choices each day that can affect our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual states. Once we understand our constitution (prakruti), and the state of our imbalance (vikruti), we can make healthy and logical choices to bring harmony to body, mind and spirit.

According to Ayurveda, we create and recreate our state of health each day based on how we interact with the world in terms of our beliefs, perceptions, thoughts and feelings, which ultimately determines our actions. Disharmonious actions create a state of dis-ease and dis-harmony. Actions performed with awareness, discernment and intelligence that are in harmony with our true inner nature, our spirit, create a balanced state of health.

Jeff Perlman

Jeff Perlman is a Clinical Ayurvedic & Pancha Karma Specialist, Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor, Certified Massage and Marma Therapist, a professional member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and a Cordon Bleu Chef.  He is available for private consultations. He leads annual trips to India. You can contact him at jeff@tsayurveda.com or visit his website: threeseasonsayurveda.com

www.threeseasonsayurveda.com

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Cinnamon Tea is a powerful Ayurvedic remedy for traveling.

When we’re flying through the air (sometimes literally) one of our greatest challenges is to keep our feet firmly planted on the ground. Fortunately, there are a number of techniques from Ayurveda for travelers.

The teachings of Ayurveda tell us that the fall season is the time of year characterized by the energy of the vata dosha, or the qualities of air and space elements. This time of transition – of leaves falling from trees, of increased wind – can be a time of greater expansiveness and simultaneously greater vulnerability. Travel—even for fun—also increases the energy of the vata dosha. The vata dosha is characterized by being light, airy, or dry. When these qualities are in excess or out of balance, we may experience dehydration, weak digestion, insomnia, and/or restlessness. Practices to stay balanced at home or while we are traveling help us manage this energy and maintain our health and strength.

Here are four of my favorite tips to stay grounded while on the go:

1. Drink Hot Cinnamon Water

It’s easy to not drink enough water while traveling. The mini cups the airlines hand out are barely enough to qualify for a sip. While in the airport, before boarding the plane, one of the first things I do is to get a cup (I bring my own mug) of hot water from the nearest coffee shop and add some cinnamon. It’s a free Ayurvedic drink on-the-go! Adding spices speeds up absorption of water by the body. Warm water is more hydrating; this enhances digestion and elimination, two things that suffer during travel (especially during the fall vata season).

Cinnamon has warming, grounding properties, stimulating the digestive fire and counter-balancing the cold, dry energy of vata. All it takes is regular sips of hot cinnamon water to improve hydration on a cellular level.

2. Pack your Meals

If you depend on whatever the airport or gas station has available, you may be susceptible to making poor choices based on hunger and desperation. Travel with prepared, simple, nourishing meals such as a Buddha Bowl comprised of quinoa, roasted veggies, lentils, sweet potato, and a tahini/lemon/garlic sauce.

One-bowl recipes with a variety of veggies and a spiced sauce allow you to incorporate the six tastes of Ayurveda (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent) in one meal. This can satisfy, and prevent cravings that might lead down the slippery slope to overdoing the airplane snacks.

3. Oil Yourself

According to Ayurveda, sesame is the one of the most warming and grounding of all oils, making it a perfect antidote for cold, dry vata energy. Bring a small (less than four ounces!) container of sesame oil with you wherever you go and massage your hands and feet while on the plane to soothe and calm. (Find a private space and a warm fuzzy pair of socks to put on your feet post-massage.) A quick sesame oil self-massage is especially important while flying because your physical body is moving extremely fast—even though you don’t notice it—which can lead to vata-related imbalances in the days following your flight.

Once you reach your destination, make the time to oil your entire body head-to-toe and allow the oils to settle into your skin overnight. Our skin absorbs whatever we apply, so the sesame oil will soothe your body from within.

4. Maintain your Routine

Keeping your home routines and rhythms can be challenging, but routine is important for well-being on the road, especially if you are changing time zones. Maintaining as much of the regular routine as possible cultivates stability allowing you to thrive. When we do things like sleep at a similar hour every night, we naturally become tired at that time. The same goes with eating; when we eat a meal at approximately the same time each day, our bodies prepare with adequate digestive enzymes to break down food at that time of day. When we travel, this home rhythm may go out the window. Try syncing yourself with the rhythm of the sun as soon as you can. Our bodies are always picking up on the Earth’s natural clock through receptors in our eyes. If you find yourself in a new part of the world, try to acclimate to your destination’s circadian rhythm as soon as possible in every way; your body will quickly adjust to the cycle and know when it’s time to eat and sleep, giving you the best quality of both. Using Ayurveda for travelers can help us maintain a healthy and joyous routine on the road or on the go.

Sahara Rose

Sahara Rose is an Ayurvedic practitioner, sports nutritionist, holistic health coach, and author of the Idiot’s Guide to Ayurveda, She leads a 12-week program bringing a combination of Eastern and Western health philosophies into busy lives. Sahara offers a free Ayurvedic Mind-Body type quiz at: iamsahararose.com

www.iamsahararose.com

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Tongue Scraping

How often do we really observe our tongues?  This may not be a common habit for most people but Ayurveda believes that the tongue reveals information about our internal health; and in the daily practice called Dinacharya, the observation of and scraping of the tongue is as important as brushing our teeth.

Although tongue scraping (described in the Ayurvedic texts by the Sanskrit term Jihwa Prakshalana) has recently become a hot topic in the West, it has been practiced for thousands of years in Ayurveda and was first mentioned in the ancient texts Charaka Samhita and Bhvaprakasa.  

In Ayurveda, the accumulation of toxins in the body is called ama. It builds up as a result of the contaminants in our environment, improper eating habits, poor digestion, and/or a reflection of an imbalance in the gastrointestinal system.  When these toxins are not properly digested and eliminated, they stagnate and can begin to compromise our health. Signs of this build-up include a coating on the tongue, foul-smelling breath or body odor, mental fog or confusion, weakness, body aches, diminished appetite, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, fatigue, lethargy, and overall heaviness—physically, mentally, and spiritually.

The practice of using a tongue scraper not only helps to removes metabolic waste and bacterial contamination that can accumulate on the tongue but also gives you the opportunity to be more present with the state of your health.  

In Ayurveda, the tongue is a road map to your internal organs and its examination can offer insight to digestive, assimilation and elimination disharmony as well as potential disease patterns of the lungs, heart, stomach, liver, spleen kidneys and intestines.

This should be done daily to insure the stimulation of the internal organs, improve digestion, strengthen appetite and enhance the taste of food while increasing clarity of the mind and your spiritual awakening by reducing ama.

Dental research has also concluded that a tongue scraper is more effective at removing toxins and bacteria from the tongue than brushing the tongue with toothbrush.  Although brushing and flossing will loosen and move debris, they do not actually remove decay-causing bacteria from the mouth. Most of our oral bacteria live on and in the deep crevices of our tongue and scraping the tongue collects this bacteria and other toxic so you can remove it from the body.

Tongue scrapers are made from many types of materials, such as gold, silver, copper, stainless steel, and plastic. The neutral choice I recommend is stainless steel, which is inexpensive, durable and easy to clean by rinsing it off and drying it after use.

The procedure for scraping your tongue is to hold either end of the tongue scraper in each hand. Touch the round middle of the tongue scraper to the back of the tongue and firmly scrape from the back of the tongue to the front. Repeat this across the entire surface 8-12 times. Avoid rubbing back and forth or using such a heavy hand that you create irritation.

Photo by David Young-Wolff of Kumi Yogini, the owner of Veda Yoga in Culver City: vedayogacenter.com. She is wearing sports bra by Cozy Orange (cozyorange.com), tank by Chakras by Didi (chakrasbydidi.com), earrings by Gogh Jewelry Design (goghjewelrydesign.com) Kumi’s hair and makeup by J.J. Jeffries jj@couturebeautyteam.com

The Neti Pot

After scraping your tongue, the next ritual in a supportive Dinacharya practice is nasal irrigation, commonly known as neti, often done with a neti pot. The yogis call this practice Jala Net or Net Kriya; the word Kriya means cleansing practice.

Neti rinses away buildup from the nasal passages and sinuses, including pollen, dust, germs, and other airborne contaminants and removes excess mucus.  At the same time that it clears away these physical contaminates it can also help clear away the fog from the mind thereby increasing spiritual awareness.

Each day we take upwards of 17,000 inhalations and our nasal passages serve as an important filter between the atmosphere and our internal bodies, cleaning, heating and moisturizing the air as it enters the respiratory system.  

The moist membranes of the nasal passages secrete mucus which traps dust, dirt, and other airborne contaminants. This epithelial tissue also contains antibodies which is part of the body’s defense systems and with each breath the body’s natural defense system is active, collecting contaminants and protecting our lungs.  Cleansing the nasal passages with a net pot helps to maintain the protective function of these tissues while clearing away dried mucus and stimulating fresh mucus.

The nose is divided into two passages separated by a septum; when you pour the salted water in one nostril, it goes around the back of the septum, and gravity helps it flow out the other side.

The practice of using saline water in the nasal passages flushes out sinus fluids because the salt creates a higher osmotic pressure than water alone. The salt content of the water prevents the body from absorbing it, so it flushes easily for a cleansing effect.

According to Ayurvedic teachings a regular neti practice can have a positive effect creating overall balance to the entire central nervous, respiratory, circulatory, digestive and excretory systems. Yogis love neti for its ability to improve mental clarity, enhancing pranayama and meditation, and facilitating higher states of consciousness.  

Anyone can benefit from this practice, although it is especially recommended for people with chronic respiratory congestion, frequent colds, and sinus headaches but the practice is not recommend if you experience chronic nosebleeds, nasal polyps, or a deviated nasal septum.

When preforming neti it is recommend using distilled, purified or sterile water, which can be bought at the store, or use boiled water. Cleaning the neti pot is very easy by rinsing it with one of the waters above and let air dry.

When choosing a salt for your neti pot it is important to use a pure salt without caking additives, added chlorine, minerals, or flavorings.  You can purchase specific neti salts or use food grade salt, including pure table, Kosher, Himalayan or Celtic salts. It is best to use a finely processed salt which will dissolve easily.

After neti, you can use a nasya oil. It is important to note that the use of nasya oil should be done only after the nostrils are totally dry. (Read more about nasya in Jeff’s LA YOGA article: https://layoga.com/life-and-style/ayurveda/the-magic-of-nasya)

Benefits of Neti

Heightens and improves the sense of smell.

Relives respiratory conditions such as bronchitis, asthma, allergies, hay fever, colds, and postnasal drip.

Flushes out buildup from the nasal passages, including excess mucus, bacteria, dirt, and allergens.

Improves concentration and focus, visualization, and mediation.

Purifies the nadis (internal channels), which promotes awareness of the energetic system of the subtle body, facilitating the flow of prana (vital life force).

Moistens the nasal passages, reducing dryness.

How to use the Neti Pot

*Place 1 cup of lukewarm water into your neti pot.

*Add ½ teaspoon of pure salt and allow to dissolve.

*Lean your head forward over the basin, gently place the spout of the neti pot inside your right nostril, forming a seal to avoid any leakage, and turn your head so your left nostril is pointed over the sink.

*Open your mouth slightly and breathe continuously through your open mouth.

*Slowly pour the solution into your right nostril and exhale through your mouth.  The solution will flow through the nasal passage and out your left nostril and exit into the sink.

*Repeat with the neti pot inside your left nostril.  When the neti pot is empty, remove the spout from your nostril and exhale through both nostrils.

*Gently blow your nose into a tissue a few times to expel all the water.

Photo by David Young-Wolff of Kumi Yogini, the owner of Veda Yoga in Culver City: vedayogacenter.com. She is wearing sports bra by Cozy Orange (cozyorange.com), tank by Chakras by Didi (chakrasbydidi.com), earrings by Gogh Jewelry Design (goghjewelrydesign.com)

Kumi’s hair and makeup by J.J. Jeffries jj@couturebeautyteam.com

Jeff Perlman

Jeff Perlman is a Clinical Ayurvedic & Pancha Karma Specialist, Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor, Certified Massage and Marma Therapist, a professional member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and a Cordon Bleu Chef.  He is available for private consultations. He leads annual trips to India. You can contact him at jeff@tsayurveda.com or visit his website: threeseasonsayurveda.com

www.threeseasonsayurveda.com

The post Demystifying Tongue Scraping and Neti Pots appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

In 1990, I was a culinary student at the Cordon Bleu in San Francisco and worked for Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. My goal was to study and work in France and ultimately I spent a year-and-a-half honing my craft in Paris and Provence. With all my formal education I must admit that the six tastes described in Ayurveda (sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent) found in the foods, spices, herbs and beverages we ingest were never explained nor understood from a medicinal or biological perspective—except in relation to how certain combinations of foods enhanced flavors and textures.

Fifteen years later, while attending the BKS Iyengar Yoga teacher training program, I was amazed to learn that these six tastes are directly connected to our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual balance, and they have shaped culinary traditions in India for hundreds of years.

Taste is one of the five senses – (Sight, Hearing, Smell, Touch and Taste) and in Ayurvedic philosophy taste is directly associated with the organs of perception and the five elements found in our universe.
The five elements are understood metaphorically as: Ether (Space), Air (Movement), Fire (Metabolism), Water (Fluidity), and Earth (Stability) and are further understood by 10 pairs of opposing qualities known as the Physical Gunas: hot/cold, wet/dry, heavy/light, mobile/stable, gross/subtle, solid/liquid, dull/sharp, soft/hard, smooth/rough and cloudy/clear.

For the sake of simplicity in this article we will address the relationships between tastes with the first four gunas: hot/cold, wet/dry, heavy/light and mobile/stable.

According to the teachings of Ayurveda, the body is made up of three basic energies known as the doshas (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) that govern our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual nature.

The Vata dosha is a combination of the elements of ether and air with the qualities of cold, dry, light and mobile.
Pitta is a combination of the elements fire and water with the qualities of hot, slightly wet, light, and mobile.
Kapha is a combination of water and earth with the qualities of cold, wet, heavy, and stable.

All of us have an inherent balance of these doshas, known as our constitution (Prakruti), which does not change. When the body is out of balance, we create our current state of health (Vikruti).

Imbalances can be associated with factors that include the change of seasons, our physical locations, what we ingest, and emotional and mental challenges. When out of balance, Ayurveda suggests the use of opposite actions with the five sense therapies to create harmony. For instance, if a person is feeling excess heat, coolness is introduced; and visa versa—when a person is feeling an excess of cold you would use warmth to cultivate balance.

The six tastes also play important roles in our digestion, assimilation, and elimination processes by helping to break down proteins, fats, carbohydrates, et cetera, as what we ingest moves through our systems. Long before the USDA established guidelines for a balanced diet, Ayurveda was using the Six Tastes to ensure overall balance in the meals a person consumes. Indian restaurants typically offer such a meal, known as a Thali, a large, round, metal plate with several smaller bowls in which all six tastes are served.

Here is a breakdown of each taste, it qualities and in which food groups they can be found.

Vata is cold, dry, light and mobile, so foods that are Sweet (heavy and wet), Sour (warm, moist, and heavy) and Salty (warm, moist, and heavy) are the best choices to cultivate balance. This includes supportive food choices such as grains, rice, sweet fruits, most nuts, dairy products and warmer spices like cardamom, fenugreek, and ginger.

Pitta is hot, wet, light and mobile, so foods that are Sweet (cool and heavy), Bitter (cool and dry) and Astringent (cool and dry) are recommended for quickly facilitating balance. Food choices that calm the hot pitta energy are cooler in nature such as rice, moong (or mung) beans, sweet fruits, cucumber, lettuce, bitter greens, melons, cottage cheese, peppermint, and cumin.

Kapha is cold, wet, heavy and stable, so foods with that opposite qualities that help reduce stagnation are found in the following tastes: Pungent (hot, dry, light), Bitter (dry, light) and Astringent (dry, light). Kapha-reducing food choices are low in fat and include pungent greens and warmer spices like cloves, cinnamon, and ginger.

At this point, you may be thinking that all of this information is is way too complicated, but once you understand your constitution and current state of health you can use these energetics to bring balance. The easiest way to get started is to have an Ayurvedic practitioner help you establish your constitution.

It also may seem that you might have to limit yourself to very specific foods, and while this may be true in some cases, you can also combine foods with different energetics to cultivate an overall experience of balance within a meal. For example, if you have a predominately Pitta constitution but love spicy food, balance that heat with tastes or energetics that are cool by adding a condiment like raita (a yogurt-based sauce.) People with an abundance of Vata energy who love popcorn, which is naturally dry, light, and mobile, find that they can balance its dryness and lightness with warm ghee and salt to add warmth, heaviness, and moisture.

It is optimal to choose foods and combinations that balance your constitution, but the use of spices are also supportive. One simple way to insure proper digestion, assimilation, and elimination is to incorporate culinary spices into a meal. Spice blends can be made for specific constitutions. Through Three Seasons Ayurveda I offer a Tri-doshic blend that includes all six tastes.

Turmeric is one of the beloved spices in Ayurveda

Another way to ensure proper digestion is to have a spoonful of what I call the “Six Taste Appetizer,” before each meal which allows you to ingest all six tastes in one delicious bite.

When you are getting started in your personal relationship with the six tastes, you can begin by simply noticing the different tastes as well as their effect on how you feel, all of which cultivates awareness. Try experimenting with taste and try adding some portion of all six tastes to your food. The exploration of Ayurveda is a lifelong journey. Savor it.

To help develop your sense of taste, practices in Ayurveda that can be helpful include nasya as well as tongue scraping and neti.

Jeff Perlman

Jeff Perlman is a Clinical Ayurvedic & Pancha Karma Specialist, Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor, Certified Massage and Marma Therapist, a professional member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and a Cordon Bleu Chef.  He is available for private consultations. He leads annual trips to India. You can contact him at jeff@tsayurveda.com or visit his website: threeseasonsayurveda.com

www.threeseasonsayurveda.com

The post Six Tastes in Ayurveda appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

The Wheel of Wellbeing is our internal navigational device. Learning how to steer it confidently to our intended destination ensures security, accomplishment, and happiness for ourselves as well as for those who rely on us. This wheel consists of eight integrated spokes that are interdependently connected to each other. Energy flows from each of the spokes, bearing equal strengths to create and connect at the central hub. An unbalanced wheel is neither useful nor productive; a balanced wheel allows for the flow of life’s fullest potential by linking us to our highest awareness, which optimizes our performance and productivity.

The central hub is the most balanced point. It distributes and integrates all spokes, beginning with our biomechanical capabilities (the first spoke: Physical) under the instructions of our intelligence (the second spoke: Mental). Knowledge, attention, and awareness serve as tools that facilitate the connection between the spokes and the different components of our lives. While the body and mind try to overcome the internal and external challenges of life, emotions arise (the third spoke: Emotional). Emotional reactions like sadness, anger, compassion, anxiety, pleasure, and other feelings are the by-products of our challenges in dealing with circumstances. Feelings are the building blocks of emotions and can be signposts offering us information for making adjustments and moving toward greater balance.

A healthy and harmonious mind-body-emotion connection is at the core of mindfulness, which allows us to experience relationships with others in peace and equanimity (the fourth spoke: Relational). It takes two or more assertive individuals to create a successful relationship. Every successful and caring relationship requires connectedness, playfulness, and active engagement that is recreationally rejuvenating (the fifth spoke: Recreational). As with children, happiness is supported by having fun.

A person who is in a meaningful relationship with the self and others sets the tone to pay full attention to the surrounding environment (the sixth spoke: Environmental). Creating safety, sustenance, sustainability, and organization in our homes, offices, neighborhoods, countries, and on earth is a vital part of our ability to stay connected and fulfilled individually and in communities.

Once our inner circle of wellbeing is anchored in the first six foundations of an earthly being, we can ascend to our spiritual existence that vibrates at a higher frequency, the frequency of oneness and unity (the seventh spoke: Spiritual). This elevated sense of self is aligned with the field of universal creativity; it is connected with our original source of joy, where we come from and return to. This is the window to worthiness, productivity, and continuity, which encapsulates our values and financial wellbeing (the eighth spoke: Financial).

When we embody this fully integrated value system, we inhabit a state of appreciation and awe. It is a meditative state, yet one characterized by subtle forward motion of the internal wheel. We balance like a pendulum swinging between the physical responsibilities of earthly life and the universal or spiritual energies of oneness. Reaching and then maintaining this position requires deliberate action and continuous attention to specific requirements of each spoke.

The Eight Spokes of the Wheel of Wellbeing

PHYSICAL

Our vessel is a materialistic body that holds all elements of nature in its DNA. Although we inhabit bodies of different shapes, height, weight, color, and other attributes, each body follows similar paths at its essence, and keeping optimum health is our responsibility. The most basic needs of our physical being include a variety of rituals and techniques including relaxation exercises like belly breathing, fitness practices at least three times a week, seven to eight hours of sleep per night, eating light portions of nutritious food on a schedule that works for us, intimacy and sexual performance on a sustainable schedule for our needs, plus finding balance between rest and work time. Pain and suffering are signs of stress on this spoke and act as an alarm waking us up to pay attention to deterioration and weaknesses.

MENTAL

The intelligent development of the brain and nervous system and attention to integrating all of its components requires education, practical engagement, focus, and concentration. Playing games like chess, solving puzzles, or using brain training programs are some effective ways to increase our ability to protect against unknown, dangerous, degrading, or catastrophic circumstances. Our mental health starts and continues with having good teachers and mentors.

EMOTIONAL

Emotional sensitivities are the reason for reactions as well as the outcome of experiencing life in our own unique conditions. Ruminating over past experiences and worrying about the future affect the psychological and behavioral responses we experience today. Traumas, abuses, hardships, catastrophes, and losses create emotional scars that can be healed through unlearning our childlike defensive positions. Through interventions such as talk therapy, EMDR, CBT, Somatic experiencing, and others, we can develop a greater awareness of feelings and name words to identify our feelings so we experience healthy emotional connections.

RELATIONAL

Adhering to appropriate boundaries, learning effective communication techniques, and working on individuation and differentiation are necessary for experiencing healthy relationships. Our connectedness with others and desire for intimacy must be demonstrated through mature respect for self and others in our pursuit of self-realization and the forming of mutual agreements. Some options for creating more effective dialogue with others include couples counseling, attending workshops, and working through our personal emotions.

RECREATIONAL

Playful learning, joyful action, and leisurely relaxation contribute to our happiness and growth. Finding time to let go of other concerns to be in a safe environment conducive to authentic childlike play is an essential part of our journey to creating a fully balanced life. Some powerful options for recreational activities include dancing, listening to or creating music, spending time in nature and enjoying outdoor games or sports.

ENVIRONMENTAL

We are fully affected by our surroundings. Living and working in different climates, elevations, cultures, conditions, or organizations plays an important role in both our performance and quality of life. A crowded or an isolating environment can create anxiety or depression, so it is best to be mindful of our surroundings at every given time. A chaotic setting creates more chaos; organizing your surrounding environment allows for less challenge in pursuit of a balanced lifestyle.

SPIRITUAL

We live in fields of energies that organize universal conditions. Belief in a unifying system that empowers every aspect of life with intention and governs in a wholesome and balanced manner is only possible when we experience this universal power without fanaticism or rigidity. Although religion can be a spiritual pursuit, when systems are not inclusive or are violent in reaction to nonbelievers they can become a dividing factor blocking the spiritual intentions of the path. Uplifting and empowering spiritual practices include meditation, acts of kindness, prayer, spreading love, empathy, and charitable commitments.

FINANCIAL

Applying the value systems and integrating the lessons of all of the previous seven spokes allows us to achieve productivity and worthiness. Earning, accumulating, saving, and spreading wealth are possible when we express our full creativity as connected to our eternal universal source and live in abundance. Once at this level of wellbeing, we can let go of our fears and insecurities and anchor ourselves in the body allowing the force of our higher power to flow and connect us to the unifying oneness. Financial freedom and prosperity are the results of productivity and performance.
When we are out of balance, we might experience unease, pressure, anxiety, depression, stress, or other feelings that do not allow us to embody peace and joy. Attending to all of the spokes on the Wheel of Wellbeing is a measurable method for making necessary adjustments to live a life of balance. Balance is a daily practice where we inhale strength and exhale performance. The balanced position of the Wheel of Wellbeing is a gateway to joy. As you embark on life’s journey of your own personal wheel of wellbeing, may every breath be one of creativity, perseverance, and abundance.

If you want to learn more about how to implement the Wheel of Wellbeing, take the Wheel Test at: wheelofwellbeing.com/test

Daniel Sadigh

Dr. Daniel Sadigh PsyD LMFT is a psychotherapist who uses a variety of techniques in his practice. He is the clinical director of the Wheel of Wellbeing, an integrative clinic in Los Angeles, and is also the host of a number of radio broadcasts focused on health and wellbeing.
Dr. Sadigh created the nonprofit All-In Health Foundation (allinhealthfoundation.org) to pioneer preventative holistic care, train counseling interns, and place them with people in need: wheelofwellbeing.com and www.DrSadigh.com

The post The Wheel of Wellbeing: 8 Spokes appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

We are creatures of habit and our habits then perpetuate everything about us as a creature. For example, our relationship with our taste buds is in some ways a habit. We become habituated to taste and this affects how we we then make choices about what we eat based in part on what we are accustomed to having or experiencing.

Retraining our taste buds to appreciate real food can help support us in the process of making choices that support our health, wellness, and balance.

I was reminded of this recently in a conversation about the merits of drinking water. Particularly when it comes to drinking water as compared to drinking sweet beverages. If we’re always drinking something that is sweet—particularly if we’re drinking something artificially sweet or with additives or flavorings, then we become familiar with that level or type of flavor and everything else can seem, well, off. Think about always eating apples in the form of an apple pie or apple candy. Then an actual apple might not taste very sweet. It might taste bland, we might not even enjoy it because the overly sweet version has become our habit. Whether it is water or an apple, it might take some retraining of our taste buds to enjoy a glass of water or a bite of an apple. When we take the time to do this, it can help us to enjoy food. More importantly, retraining our taste buds to appreciate real food can help support us in the process of making choices that support our health, wellness, and balance.

Steps for Retraining Your Taste Buds

1. Eat slowly. First and foremost, taste whatever it is that you are eating rather than eating so quickly that you don’t have the opportunity to taste your food. When you slow down, you can experience the sensory aspect of your food or drink.
2. Practice mindfulness while eating. This takes the practice of eating slowly another step further. When we are eating slowly, we have the time to pay attention. When we eat mindfully, we absorb ourselves in the process of noticing what we are eating and training ourselves to experience the nuances of taste.
3. Eat when you are eating. If you simply eat when you are eating as opposed to eating in front of the television or Facebook, you may not notice what you are eating. Eating when we’re eating is part of the training program of attention and awareness.
4. Take time between meals. Depending on our needs and constitution, we may need to eat more small meals or fewer meals, but even if we need to eat several snacks throughout the day, try setting discrete times that are meal or snack times rather than eating continuously.
5. Drink more water. Drinking water cleanses our palate and allows us to habituate to the taste of water by itself. It allows us to distinguish between different flavors and to reduce our dependence on strong taste sensations like those that are overly sweet and overly salty.
6. Set down the salt shaker, cut back on sugar, and just say no to processed foods. When we eat a lot of sugar and salt, our taste buds think that this is how food is supposed to taste. If we shift ourselves away from the sugary and salty, then we have the opportunity to experience foods as they are meant to be tasted and we can enjoy them as they are.
7. Try an occasional mono diet. In Ayurveda, kitcheree is a traditional mono diet or fasting food. Kitcheree is a mix of mung beans and rice, cooked together with spices, until soupy. This complete protein is easy to digest and helps to reset the digestive system. The process of simplification can also help us to reset our taste buds.

Enjoying an apple or feeling refreshed after drinking a glass of plain water can help us on the path to everyday wellness.

Felicia M. Tomasko

Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.

www.blissnetwork.com

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For any operating system, regular maintenance is key to optimal performance and longevity. For our human operating system maintenance includes regular self-care in order to experience a finely tuned physical body, healthy state of mind, a well-balanced emotional operating system, and a daily dose of self-love.

Ayurveda tells us how to monitor and maintain our own operating systems with the concept of dinacharya, daily rhythms of loving self-nurturing. There are self-care practices galore in Ayurveda, and a few have gained popularity with the rise of yoga culture such as oil massage, kitchardi fasting, dry-brushing, neti potting, and even oil-pulling.

Our entire day could be spent in self-care, but that just isn’t possible for most modern lives. I recommend choosing realistic morning and bedtime rituals. Perhaps one is more robust than the other, and that’s okay. Having some measure of both strongly anchors your internal daily rhythm.

Create a ritual that attends to your body, your mind/emotions, and feeds your soul. For example, not everyone feels nurtured using a neti pot and others struggle with meditation. Find practices that make you feel good about how you are taking care of yourself rather than being just another should on your to-do list.

Ayurvedic self-care practices often seem geared to the physical body, like dry brushing your skin or tongue scraping. The subtle body effects of these practices are not always taught and may go unnoticed. Yet when we pay attention, we can feel their potency. Here are four major psychospiritual components of regular dinacharya.

Regular Time and Space with Yourself

Clients often ask me if working out at the gym or attending a yoga class can count as their self-care time. This is the case if we fully engage with self-care during the activity. While the answer is different for each of us, a silent run in nature or a deep restorative class can be opportunities for a good emotional check-in. If we’re checking our email while on the bike, listening to our BFF dish about their latest relationship drama, or speeding our way through a weight-training circuit, then we may not be fully present. Being present lets you explore what you are feeling and why. This is the time when you can consider how you want to approach whatever is happening in your day and how congruent you are with your decisions.

Nurturing your Best Self

In Ayurveda, we honor that we are dynamic, changing beings. For example, I understand that I am more likely to be reactive, quick-tempered, or closed-minded when I’m short on sleep, not feeling well, and/or starving. When I feel well taken care of and well supported, I’m able to receive and respond to life in a way that is more aligned with my ideal version of me.

I can aspire to be calm, empathetic, helpful, nurturing, flowing, and growing when I am in a state of wellness, so it doesn’t make sense to expect that I can be any of those qualities from a place of deep depletion. If I force myself, then I’m either becoming further depleted and further away from my personal sustainability or I’m building resentment and bitterness toward the things that take my energy, time, and resources away from healing myself.

Greater sense of Integrity

An important facet of health from an Ayurvedic perspective is having clarity and flow in all of the physical and subtle body channels. From the digestive tube to the invisible channels of energy in your mind, your being is one massive waterpark of moving flowing energy, blood, lymph, hormones, et cetera.  When channels are obstructed, their contents accumulate and decay, with eventual loss of functionality in the related tissue systems.  

Our sense of integrity could be viewed as a clear channel of flow from intention to words to actions to manifestation. When our words and actions do not echo the sentiment of our intentions, we block our ability to manifest our desired experience of life. Self-doubt, fear, and lethargy ensue, and the emotional ama (toxic buildup) of unfulfilled intentions accumulates, often leading to depressive phases.

This comes up often in the topic of self-care. Many of us have the intention to feel well and be healthy, but don’t match our words and actions with that intention. Instead, we feel overwhelmed or intimidated and choose easier old patterns, then judge ourselves for doing so.

When I put off my dental cleanings, skip the gym, binge on chocolate, or keep forgetting to make that eye doctor appointment, my actions all say that my health is not important to me, even though I may profess otherwise. My integrity is obstructed and I will have trouble manifesting and sustaining my desired level of health. When I prioritize daily time to attend to myself, I know that I’m showing up for my intention consistently, and this allows me to respect myself more and cultivate a greater sense of integrity and trust in myself. Of course, this also leads to reduction in internal conflict, removing further obstruction from the state of flow.

Attracting what you are embodying

During my morning ritual, I feel cared for, even if it’s by me. I feel more nurtured. I feel more heard. It doesn’t matter that I’m nurturing and hearing myself because I am embodying those states more with my daily ritual. I’m able to allow my feelings to guide me in decisions, and I’m making more decisions that are in alignment. This means I’m embodying and attracting the guided, clear, decisive state of being with my feelings attended to. Through self-care, we attract more experiences, situations, and people that allow us to feel well cared for, valued, and supported.

When you’ve attended to our feelings, shown up with your best self more regularly, prioritized your mind-body practices, and embodied being well, you will love yourself and your life experience more. It’s just that simple (and amazing).

Daily self care offers a time for reflection and spiritual nourishment.

How to Set up Daily Self-Care

Do you! A morning ritual is varied and individual. For example, mine includes a hot cup of chai, watching the sunrise, taking customized herbs, intention-setting at my altar, chanting, meditation, and sometimes a morning stretch. That’s a lot for some and an easy routine for others. What matters is that it’s my best fit now.

As long as your self-care ritual cultivates pleasant feelings and includes an opportunity to examine your thoughts, decisions and feelings, you’re golden. This could look like journaling, sun salutes, staring at the clouds over a hot tea, or an austere ashtanga practice; it just has to feel nourishing to you, on that morning or evening.

SET ASIDE AT LEAST 30 MINUTES A DAY 

I’d recommend setting aside 30 minutes at minimum, for at least one of your morning or evening self-care times. An hour is best to not feel rushed. Morning is the most fertile time of day for all spiritual and subtle energetic body shifts. Your morning routine allows you to set the tone of the day, as opposed to the day’s events setting your tone.

HAVE A PLAN B

We all have variations in our day-to-day lives necessitate adjustments. However, when you get out of your routine, it’s easy to landslide into not showing up for it. I have a five-minute version of my morning routine (chai, altar) that allows me to be flexible but still feel like I showed up, allowing me to anchor my rhythms.

19 Ideas for Self-Care Practices

• Yoga Asana (including digestive series, sun salutes, restorative sequences or other practices)
• Stretching
• Self massage and oiling (whole body or just a focus area)
• Exercise/ Activity
• Communing with nature (such as sitting outside while drinking tea and listening to the birds)
• Journaling
• Taking daily herbs
• Using a Neti Pot
• Meditating
• Visioning
• Reading that builds awareness of self
• Pranayama
• Upashaya (drinking hot water with lemon and honey)
• Sipping on Herbal Tea
• Chanting
• Gratitude exercises
• Oracle cards
• Listening to guided meditation
• Sitting in silence and reflecting

This is not an all-inclusive list, but a good starting place. Simply choose one or two from the list for each morning and evening self care time. I recommend trying the same practice for a two week period to really feel the effects of that practice for you and to connect with it. Once you’ve connected to a few practices and know how each one feels for you, you can customize and choose your daily blend of practices based on what you feel is a best fit for that day.

Any of these ideas could be appropriate for the morning, or evening; however the quality of your practice would need to match what is balancing for you at that time of day. For example, I may choose a more invigorating pranayama or yoga practice in the morning, but would choose a more calming, grounding and relaxing practice in the evening. In general, evening is the time to prepare the body for good sleep and relaxing, while the morning is a great time to stimulate, activate, and do spiritual practices. In the morning, our practices help us to set a tone for our day, while evening practices are more about recovery, and coming back to homeostasis.

Dr. Siva Mohan

Dr. Siva Mohan integrates Ayurveda with modern medicine in her Ayurvedic wellness practice and educational programs to define and achieve whole-being wellness. Dr. Mohan specializes in addressing the psychospiritual basis of healing. svasthahealth.com.

www.svasthahealth.com

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