All healing traditions recognize the crucial role of the heart in sustaining life and energizing the body. We cannot survive long without a properly functioning heart. Cardiovascular health is a key area contributing to overall vitality in many ways. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among men and …
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Playing in the Gunas of Winter
Frigid temperatures are here in the Northern hemisphere. In early January we are in deep winter, well before the transition to spring. The gunas of winter are the dominant qualities of my environment. The gunas of this time of year come from vata dosha: light, cold, dry rough, hard, mobile, …
Read More »Quinoa Salad
Ingredients: 1 ¾ cups water 1 cup quinoa, uncooked ½ cup tomato, coarsely chopped, seeded ½ cup fresh mint or parsley, chopped ¼ cup raisins (optional) ¼ cup chopped cucumber ¼ cup fresh lemon juice 2 tbsp green onions, chopped 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp …
Read More »Kapha Balancing Roasted Chickpeas Mix Recipe
Ingredients: 1 cup roasted chickpeas 1 medium sized onion, cut into small pieces 1 medium sized tomato, cut into small pieces 1 finely chopped green chili (optional) or according to taste 1 tbsp mustard oil, or olive oil (if the aroma of mustard oil is too strong and alien to you) …
Read More »Veggie Kebabs
Ingredients: 2 cups spinach, chopped 2 medium sized potatoes ¾ cup peas, fresh or frozen 1 tsp coriander seed powder 2 tsp ginger ½ tsp black pepper powder 2 ½ tbsp gram flour salt as required 1 or 2 tbsp sesame oil for frying the kebabs Instructions: Blanch the spinach in boiling …
Read More »Date Balls
Ingredients: 1 oz Sunflower seeds 1 oz Coconut 8 (4 oz) Pitted Medjool* dates For Vata dosha and Pitta-Kapha dosha: 1 oz Walnuts For Pitta dosha, Pitta-Vata dosha and Vata-Pitta dosha: 1 oz Pumpkin seeds Recipe: Blend the nuts and seeds in a food processor for about two minutes until they change into …
Read More »Is Ayurveda often misused in the war on weight?
With thanks to contributions by Dr. Yashashree Mannur, BAMS ‘Tis the season to think about dieting. Or is it? Many of us are thinking about New Year’s resolutions that revolve around weight. Thinness is the Holy Grail of our time and there is immense pressure from the medical community, media …
Read More »Karma and the Spiritual Background of Yoga and Ayurveda
“On the completion of his training, the psyche of Brahma or the Sages enter into him (The Vaidya or Ayurvedic Physician) according to knowledge” – Charaka Samhita Chikitsasthana, I.4.53 “Whatever offense we might have given to the divine beings or whatever moral code we in our ignorance might have transgressed, …
Read More »Fight Constipation Ayurvedically
Constipation is often considered the result of low roughage in food. In some individuals, less waste is produced after digestion. This can be increased by consuming sufficient roughage. To counter this issue, consumption of green leafy vegetables is advised by many. However, according to Ayurveda, these vegetables are not Vata-friendly …
Read More »Cozy Vegan Hot Cacao
Like layers, warm sweaters, mittens and simmering stews, a warm mug of hot chocolate is a cozy treat in the dark, cold winter months! Cacao is warming and stimulates energy while also elevating mood. This vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free treat is delicious and comforting in the cold winter months! In small …
Read More »Winter Ayurvedic Remedies
The ancient Indian science of Ayurveda classifies the seasons according to their predominant dosha: Vata, Pitta, or Kapha. Vata season is fall. Pitta season is late spring and summer. Kapha season is winter and early spring. As it’s winter for the Northern hemisphere, there are Ayurvedic winter remedies which can …
Read More »Understanding Ayurvedic Examination: Beyond the “Dosha Quiz”
Many people today taking Ayurvedic constitutional quizzes in books or online and feel that these give an “accurate” model of their so-called “dosha type” and sometimes get confused when going to a Practitioner and it differs. Some practitioners place too much emphasis on temporal rather than life-long traits or on …
Read More »How Ayurveda Inspires Mindful Eating
In a world where women are so often objectified, whether in the workplace, media, on the school bus, or the world wide web, one of the most powerful lessons from the ancient science of Ayurveda for me has been to see my body as my temple. Ayurveda is the sister …
Read More »Six Tasting Your Way to Wellness
A truly elegant taste is generally accompanied with excellency of heart. – Henry Fielding Our food brings us the intelligence of the sun through the six rays of taste. Nature’s evolutionary, self-regulating, nourishing, harmonizing intelligence is conveyed to us through her foods. Each flavor of nature’s bounty expresses a different …
Read More »Live in Harmony with Nature: 3 Practical Tips from Ayurveda
Republished with permission from Elephant Journal. ‘Live in harmony with nature.’ We hear this expression all the time in the world of health and wellness. But, what does this expression really mean, and importantly, how can we actually start to do it on a daily basis? Ayurveda, the sister science …
Read More »Sense Therapy: More than Meets the Eye
In the Ancient Tradition of Ayurveda, it is said that “the Primordial Cause of Disease is Forgetting your True Nature as Spirit”. Over my years of practice and self-discovering, this complicated term has become my teaching mantra. I have begun to see vast transformations in both my own life and …
Read More »A Review of Low Fat Diets
The Low-Fat Diet is the mother of all fad diets. In many ways, other diets have emerged out of necessity, as a response to the epic failure of the Low-Fat approach. But it has also been the most societally-pervasive dietary tenet of all time. The tenuous link between dietary fat, …
Read More »Spark Your Agni! 12 Practical Tips For Improved Digestion
Agni is an Ayurvedic term meaning “digestive fire.” When Agni is in good supply, you feel well and your digestion is strong. For improved digestion and to increase Agni, it is best to eat meals at the same time every day. Breakfast should be light, lunch fairly substantial, and dinner …
Read More »Case Study: Healing Hashimoto’s Thyroid Disease with Ayurveda
I would like to present a case of a patient with this condition to illustrate my approach. Rhonda was a fifty-four-year-old female who was struggling with obesity, fatigue, and a sluggish thyroid. Her TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) had been hovering just outside the optimal range for many years, and she …
Read More »These 10 Things You’re Doing Are Causing Your Skin Problems
Ayurveda has a unique understanding of skin care. Though the overall function of the skin remains the same, different body types have inherent characteristics of their skin. Characteristics like color, thickness, texture, hydration, moisture, suppleness, and temperature all vary according to dosha type. The concurrent conditions of these doshas and …
Read More »What’s Your Skin Dosha? This is How Ayurveda Differentiates Skin Types
VATA SKIN Care for your skin: warm, nourish, hydrate, tone PITTA SKIN Care for your skin: cool, soothe, cleanse, relax KAPHA SKIN Care for your skin: stimulate, warm, cleanse, invigorate DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this document may be viewed as the diagnosis or treatment of any medical disease whatsoever. The contents …
Read More »10 Easy Ways To Get Rid of Pitta Skin Problems And Their Root Causes
Pitta skins are oilier, prone to blemishes, acne, blackheads and sunburn. Excessive sweating can also be a problem in some individuals. Use these easy tricks to combat your Pitta skin problems: Aloe vera is good for Pitta skin as it is cooling & healing. Cucumber juice and rose water are …
Read More »Herbal Ways of Fighting that Infuriating Sinusitis
As per the ‘American college of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology’, sinusitis is a major health problem. It afflicts 31 million people in the United States and makes Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on over-the-counter medications and another $150 million on prescription medicines. Sinusitis is also responsible for …
Read More »Instant Vegan Oats Pancake
Ingredients ¼ cup oats, ground into a fine powder ⅛ cup rice flour ⅛ cup semolina 1 tbsp all purpose flour 1 tbsp flax seed powder (optional) ¼ tsp red chili powder ½ tsp garam masala powder ¼ tsp black salt ½ cup water As per taste salt As required oil Instructions …
Read More »Baked Cauliflower with Mushroom
Ingredients For the whole wheat flour white sauce: 500 ml skimmed milk 50 gm low cal butter 50 gm whole-wheat flour 1 onion, small 2-3 cloves garlic Salt & pepper to taste For the cauliflower with mushroom: 2 tsp low cal butter 1 cup onions, finely chopped …
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