What is Ayurveda

Ayurveda

“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use.

When diet is right, medicine is of no need.”

Ayurveda is the sister science to yoga and originated over 5,000 years ago in India.  It is the oldest continuously practiced health care system in the world.  Ayurveda draws on the understanding of the natural rhythms of nature and the five elements.  These five elements are in nature and are in each and every one of us.  The elements are ether (space), air, fire, water, and earth.

When we as natural beings who are governed by these laws of nature learn to work with them and their divine consciousness, we can create health and well being in our bodies.  If we choose to ignore these laws then imbalance and “disease” can begin to appear.  These imbalances are the precursor to disharmony and disease in the mind and in the body.  Ayurveda understands our deepest connections with the whole universe and the influences of the energies that make up this universe.

“We are considered a Microcosm of the Macrocosm.”

Each of the five elements has inherent energies that govern their functions.  We are all made up of these energies, but each individual, each person will have slightly different proportions of the individual elements, making everyone unique, making everyone have their own constitutional makeup.

The Ayurvedic approach treats each and every one of us by taking into account unique psychological, emotional and physical conditions.  Any imbalances in the body are then looked at through the system of the elements.  

Ayurvedic medicine concentrates on prevention and understanding one’s own makeup and focuses on how the outer world and environment affect one’s daily life.  

Ayurveda is a system based on natural healing through the strengthening of the body, mind, and spirit, thereby, allowing the body to heal itself to be swastha*  (healthy).  Ayurveda teaches us to attain optimal health through the deeper knowledge and understanding of ourselves and our unique relationship in and to the world we live in.

* Swastha -  a healthy person is someone whose doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha) are all in equilibrium, the digestive fire (agni) is in a balanced state (sama), in addition to the body’s tissues (dhatus) and wastes (malas) also being in balance. The quote also states that the mind (mana) and sensory organs (indriyas) as well as a person’s spirit/soul (atma) must be also in a pleasant state (prasanna). When a person is balanced in all of those areas, he or she is considered healthy by Ayurvedic standards.

The Best Present To Yourself Is Tumeric!

Try this amazing anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-bacterial and antiviral agent drink.  A mouth full of benefits, a mouth full of deliciousness.  A beautiful drink anytime, but a wonderful way to start your day.    Such an easy recipe to make.

Turmeric Drink Recipe

.  1 cup almond, hemp or coconut milk (unsweetened)  I make my own almond milk as the store bought has too many additives.

.  1/2 cup frozen pineapple or mango chunks

.  1 fresh banana

.  1 tablespoon coconut oil

.  1/2 to 1 teaspoon turmeric

.  1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

.  1/2 teaspoon ginger

.  1 teaspoon chia seeds

.  1 teaspoon maca (optional)

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth!

Amazing, give yourself this gift for Christmas.  I promise you will use it all year long. 

Happy Holidays!

Wanna Hear An Ayurvedic Knock Knock Joke? (Oh, and some tips to help slide into the new season with ease)

Knock, Knock

Who's there

Change of Season

Change of Season Who

Change of Season to Vata that is who

As our planet revolves around the sun, we are once more entering the beautiful season of Vata (air & ether) here in the northeast.  The weather will start to cool down as the leaves begin their magnificent descent into all the crimson colors of the season and the days will shorten.

We have been here before and we have the tools to enter the season with ease. You can keep your digestive fires high and enjoy all that this season has to offer.   It is is a splendid time to do a one day cleanse to cool off the digestive system from the heat of the summer (Pitta time).  BUT, I do not recommend a cooling juice cleanse as this is usually reserved for those with a Kapha imbalance and can actually lower your digestive fire and increase the element of Vata.  Instead, why not try a kitchari cleanse or a one fast of drinking clear warm broths only. Check out my latest easy to make kitchari recipt HERE.

Give yourself a checklist to see how you are doing with your dinacharya (daily rituals). Do you have enough sesame oil on hand?  What about your neti pot and tongue scraper?  Maybe you need to add some Triphala (www.banyanbotanicals.com) as an adaptogenic  to your diet. Triphala is composed of three Indian fruits (Amalaki, Bibhitaki, Haritaki) which are excellent in supporting and tonifying the digestive system.  It is balancing for all three doshas and is usually taken daily. Also, begin to adjust your diet. I start to add root vegetables that now grow in the east.  I also make my apple recipe with ghee and warming spices for breakfast or as a treat (See recipe HERE).  Summer is a time we all tend to take a break whether in school or not, so let's sharpen our pencils and get back on board where we might have slacked off a little.

In your yoga practice it is beneficial to start adding some more grounding asanas if you have not already done so.  Standing in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) is a great place to start as you ground your feet into the earth and become aware of the bones in your body that support you.  Start including some chair poses to your practice as well.  When you are in your poses see if you can hold them for a longer period of time as you breathe, allowing your bones to sink in and ground gently. Only do so if you can breathe as forcing the pose can cause injury and just create more of a Vata imbalance in your body.

In your pranayama practice work with lengthening your exhales as well as adding Ujjayi breath.

In your meditation, just be a witness to your breath as it enters and exits the nostrils.  Think of slowing down, non attachment, just being the conscious witness.

I like to add the sound of LAM, which is associated with the root chakra to my meditation practice especially at this time of the year.

I invite you to look back at my blogs and recipes on my website for more information.

Remember, if you start to feel jittery, anxious, scattered, constipated, it could be because the elements of air and ether are increasing in your body, but also remember that you have the knowledge and information to bring them back into balance.

Milk, Sleep, & Ojas (Immunity)- What do they have in common Ayurvedically

Ayurveda considers milk to be an ojas (immunity) building food.   However, in today’s day and age milk has become somewhat of an enemy to many, and at the very least is a controversial subject.  So what is the problem with many of the milks we purchase in the supermarket today that makes it hard for us to digest?  The main problems stem from the fact that today’s milk is overly processed: Hormones, chemicals and antibiotics are often added, it undergoes unnecessary homogenization and the wrong type of pasteurization is done.  We need to look for milk that is vat pasteurized as this type of pasteurization doesn’t damage the milk proteins because it is a slow, safe heating process of the milk at temperatures of 135 degrees for 20 minutes.

I always recommend that you check out the milk at your health food stores and look for milk that is organic, with no added hormones, chemicals and antibiotics and that is non homogenized.  Today most of our milk will also go through an ultra homogenization process that renders it impossible for our bodies to break down.

So milk is an ojas building food and we just have to be sure that we purchase the best milk we can if we don’t have access to a trusted farm.  For more information on milk and the detrimental effects of homogenization, check out my blog from April of last year HERE.

The last component above is sleep and you might ask what does sleep have to do with milk and ojas.   When ojas is depleted because of stress, lack of sleep, and poor digestion amongst other things, our body breaks down and our ojas (immunity) will suffer.  This might show up in our systems as exhaustion, insomnia, stiff joints,  and a reduced ability to fight off colds.

We often find in modern medicine that the traditions our families have espoused have true quantitative value. It should be no surprise then that for thousands of years, milk before bed has been used to aid in sleep so that we may get the rest necessary to enhance our immune system by building our ojas.  Another example of how milk and sleep can work together harmoniously to help build ojas and heal from the inside. Look under the recipes section of my blog for a wonderful Bedtime Tumeric Milk to try before bed or click HERE.

All Juiced Up

As many of you know, I am not a big fan of smoothies and juice cleanses.  I think once in awhile sure it is ok to have either but for days on end, I don't recommend bypassing our first part of digestion which is rasa, taste and chewing.  And no one needs 1 apple, 1 banana, 1 pear and one whatever all at once.

Attached please find a great article by one of my teachers Dr. Douillard on sugar:

http://lifespa.com/can-fruit-make-you-fat/

Juice For Thought: Ayurveda and Juice Cleansing

I get asked this question a lot.  What is Ayurveda’s take on juice cleansing?  My answer:  it depends.

It depends on your dosha (constitution) and what might be out of balance.  Ayurveda looks at the qualities in our environment, in our bodies and in our minds.  The key principle to remember when looking at these qualities is “like increases like.”  Juice cleanses by their very nature are cold, light and dry.  With this in mind, let’s briefly look at the three doshas of Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

Vata – comprises air and ether.  Qualities of air and ether are light, dry, mobile, cold.  In the mind when out of balance it can show up as anxiety, jitters, nervousness, inability to focus.  In the environment it can show up much like what we are experiencing now.  The weather on the east coast is currently cold, windy, changeable, dry.  So if your constitution is mainly Vata and any of the above is happening for you, then no, I would not recommend a juice cleanse for you. 

Pitta – comprises fire and water.  Qualities of fire and water are light, dry, hot, oily.  In the mind when out of balance it can show up as aggressive, anger, irritability.  In the environment it can show up as hot and dry as in a mid summer day.  So if your constitution is Pitta I might suggest substituting one or two meals a day for a juice and then having the last meal as a fresh, wholesome meal. 

Kapha – comprises earth and water.  Qualities of earth and water are cold, heavy, dull, soft, sticky.  In the mind when out of balance it can show up as possessiveness, greed, lethargy.  In the environment think of spring, wet, cold, damp.  So if your constitution is Kapha then yes for you I might recommend a juice cleanse for a few days, as you would be applying the opposite qualities to those that you are experiencing.

Juicing by its very nature is lightening, cooling, and energizing, which is why so many people say, "but I feel energized at first when cleansing."  It is creating a lightening effect in the body and mind, however, if you are not careful you could also be putting out your digestive fires (agni) and setting yourself up for a slow metabolism, weight gain, and unstable blood sugar.

I like to ask clients first why they feel they need to “cleanse”.  Then see if based on their dosha as well as what is out of balance if it is an appropriate time to cleanse.   When the seasons change such as summer into fall and winter into spring Ayurveda finds these the best times to cleanse to help with the changes going on in the environment. 

There is a wonderful cleanse that is easy to digest and offers a complete protein called Kitchari.  Along with the Kitchari, certain spices would be recommended for you to use to help make the cleanse more efficient.  I have attached a link at the end of this blog by Dr. John Douillard that will give you excellent information on Kitchari. 

More then anything else, I also ask clients to keep a tab on how they feel when cleansing.  If you are feeling cold on a juice cleanse then your body is speaking to you and you might be overriding the message because of Pragya Paradha – mistake of the intellect.  For example, we know we are cold but we continue to do the same thing that is making us cold.

The important thing to remember is that juice cleansing, like most cleanses, will lower your digestive fire.  If your body feels it is starving it will hold onto the fats and toxins.  Try sipping on ginger tea to keep your agni sustained.  If you are feeling really hungry maybe adding a teaspoon of coconut oil to the cleanse might help or maybe you have been cleansing for too many days or maybe this cleanse is not good for you now. Remember, it all depends.  Try to drink your juices at room temperature not cold.  Use low sugar fruits such as apples and lots of greens.  If you are a Vata or Pitta then I suggest waiting until the weather gets warm.

 If you decide that you want to juice cleanse anyway then maybe the above guidelines will help you in making the best decision for your body, mind and spirit.

Whether you are cleansing or eating, always give thanks and eat mindfully.  Turn off all electronics and eat as close to nature’s source as is possible for you.  Drink warm water and herbal teas throughout the day.  Remember that your body is an amazing vehicle taking you through this journey of life.  Treat it like the treasure it is.  We have been given organs that do an outstanding job of cleansing all the time.  Say hello to your liver, pancreas and gallbladder, just to name a few cleansing organs.  Let’s help them by eating properly in order to keep our digestive fires optimal.

Above all, know thyself, and think twice before jumping on the latest craze.  Perhaps just paying more attention to how, what, where and when you eat will make all the difference in creating a balance in your body that will be long term. 

It really does depend!

If you are interested in a Kitchari cleanse let me know.  Please click HERE below for more information.

Maha Bhutas

Akasha    Vayu    Tejas     Apas     Prithvi

Space        Air        Fire      Water   Earth

The season is changing, just look to nature to remind you.  If I can borrow the words of Ram Dass, “Be Here Now”. 

This tree is present in the now.  It is not worried if it is an oak or an elm, if it is day or night.   It is fulfilling its dharma and because of that it can share its magnificence; sometimes quietly with no leaves and sometimes majestically as now.

But always, always perfectly for this tree.

Akasha holds this tree gently for the story to take place.  Vayu begins to shake its leaves in a slightly different pattern that signals a change is about to come.  Tejas takes that friction that Vayu can create because of Akasha and cooks up a perfect stew of leaf colors from greens to yellows, oranges and reds.  Apas gives the correct amount of nourishment for life to continue through this signal of change.  Prithvi then takes all these elements and makes a beautiful bed of rich soil and leaves upon which to rest the roots of the tree until it is time to awaken again.

In gratitude to the Maha Bhutas and this tree on Kripalu soil for its gentle reminder of how to exhale with grace.

Food For Thought This Fall: Food Combining & Ayurveda

To start let me explain briefly how foods are viewed in Ayurveda.  Each food has its own taste (rasa) which can be heating or cooling, then it has its own energy (virya) which is heating or cooling and lastly it has a post digestive effect (vipak).  If two or more different foods are eaten of different tastes, energies or post digestive qualities the combination can weaken our digestive fires causing the food not to be digested and eliminated properly resulting in the production of toxins in our bodies causing many problems especially when done repeatedly over time. 

Here is a list of some of the foods that Ayurveda recommends that you DO NOT mix:

•  Fruit with milk

• Cheese and fruit (I know there goes those platters that you see served at almost every party)

• Meat and milk

• Fish and milk

• Milk and salt

The following is a list of foods NOT recommended in excess:

• fermented foods such as pickles

• milk and yogurt

• wrong diet for the season you are in

• cold foods at night such as ice cream or ices

• leftovers

The first question I am usually asked about mixing milk and fruit (especially for smoothie lovers) is: Why!?!?!  Simple answer is milk is a laxative and fruit is mostly a diuretic. The qualities of milk (best taken warm) in Ayurveda are sweet, heavy, and cool.  Fruits eaten alone are digested quickly and foods such as milk take a longer time to be processed.  Therefore, fruit will curdle the milk which can create acidity in the stomach, giving you that sour feeling. Also while many fruits like bananas are sweet, the post digestive effect of a banana is actually sour. The post digestive effect of milk, on the other hand, is sweet, causing indigestion when mixed together creating toxins and changing the intestinal flora.

Taking milk with fish again creates an incompatibility in the stomach.  Milk has a cold quality and fish as well as meats have a heating quality.  Ayurveda tells us that this combination can cause the channels in our bodies to become blocked over time.  The same holds true with salt and milk - heating and cooling.

The one season that Ayurveda, according to the classics, tells us to eat yogurt and cheeses is winter, but they should not be eaten at night.  They are best eaten during the lunch hours of 10am-2pm when your digestion is the strongest.

We want to work at keeping our digestive fires high.  In Ayurveda, the definition of health is not simply to be free of disease but as stated in the Sushruta Samhita is:

“He/she in whom, the dosas (body humour),agni (digestive powers), dhatus (tissues), malas (waste product) and their activities are normal, his/her soul, sense organs and mind are calm and clear, is called ‘Svastha’ (healthy person)”.

Keep Calm And Breathe On

"How many breaths do you take in a day?" was recently asked of a group of meditation students.

This is not a pop quiz so let me give you the answer, which is 15-20 breaths per minute.  If we use the number 15 then in 60 minutes we would take 900 breaths. Multiply 900 by 24 and that means we take 21,600 breaths in one day or 24 hour period.

I know how many times I do things in a day such as brush my teeth, wash my face, eat, run, yoga, sleep etc but I couldn't tell you how many times I take a breath.  OK, so it is part of the autonomic nervous system and we don't have to think about it.  But imagine if we did. I bet we wouldn't have to worry about over populating the planet :)   But seriously, take a moment and think about that. If our breath didn't happen unless we had to pay attention to it, maybe we would all be advanced yogis and put an intention toward every breath we take.  We have been given instead an amazing earthly body that handles this function from the moment we leave our mother's womb until the time of our death.  This blog is an invitation to sit for 3 minutes sometime today and pay attention to each inhale and exhale you take.  One technique I find helpful is to say the word Ohm. With each inhale mentally say Oh and each exhale mentally say mmmm.

Perhaps try this for the next 30 days and see what develops for you.

We cannot breathe for yesterday, we cannot breathe for tomorrow, we can only breathe now.  

In awe and gratitude for my breath, this gift of life.

Namaste

Pitta Season Survival Guide

"When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use.  

When diet is correct, medicine is of no need."

-Ancient Ayurvedic Proverb"

Do you have a happy tummy?

We are in the height of Pitta (fire&water) season. Pitta regulates our digestion, metabolism, appetite, and works our brain, and intellect.  As the season heats up, do you notice yourself "cooking" more as well?  What I mean is perhaps you find yourself becoming impatient, angry, intolerant or arguing more.  Those feelings can also be happening inside your stomach, causing it to become easily irritated and inflamed.

What is a Pitta to do you ask?  First, find your breath.  Allow some of your exhales to release through your mouth to release excess heat.  If you have not been practicing your Nadi Shodhana now is a perfect time to begin again as this breath balances the nervous system.  

Find yoga poses that create and instill coolness and a sense of calming in the body and mind. Strike a forward folding asana such as uttanasana to come into yourself.  These forward folds can be standing or sitting.  Bring in more gentle twists to release heat in the abdomen and the liver.  Try a few cobra poses too.  Think of the moon and the calming affects that it brings to the earth.  Remember that the five elements that are in nature (ether, air, fire, water, earth) are in each and every one of us.

Most importantly pay attention to the signals your body is giving you.  Are you having problems with your digestion and elimination  because you are eating too many spicy foods and at the same time attending more hot yoga classes?  Come back to the basic Ayurvedic principle that "like increases like".  To find balance think cooling and slowing down.  This would be a great time to add some restorative classes and/or slow flow practices.  As always look to your local farmer's market for the fruits and veggies growing in the Pitta season.  Nature is beautiful and smart and provides us with what we need, we just need to pay attention.  Besides who doesn't like watermelon - even the word is cooling :)

City Watermelon on a stick! Genius!