Tag Archives: panchakarma

What Is Castor Oil? Castor oil, also known as eranda taila in Sanskrit, is a thick oil made from Ricinus communis, the castor bean. Here, we discuss the benefits of using castor oil along with its Ayurvedic applications. Castor oil has been used therapeutically for centuries. The plant is native …

The word ‘urustambha’ consists of two words ‘uru‘ and ‘stambha‘. Uru means thighs and stambha means cramping or spasticity. This condition causes pain in the thighs or calves among other symptoms. Let’s look at Ayurvedic remedies and treatments for thigh and calf pain (urustambha). In the classical Ayurvedic medical text …

What is Ayurveda? Ayurveda is an ancient system of medicine from India. The name Ayurveda is derived from 2 words – ‘ayu‘ meaning life and ‘veda‘ meaning science. Here, we discuss the definition of Ayurveda, Ayurvedic medicine, and various Ayurvedic therapies. In order to understand this age-old medical science a …

I was a smoker for more than half my life. That is until 298 days ago when I quit smoking and became a non-smoker. My decision to start learning about Ayurveda gave me the push to quit. I knew that smoking wasn’t in line with this life change. I would …

January used to be the hardest month. Back to school, back to work, back to cold, intense urban environments. Now January is this… warm soup on lovely days. Writing. Researching. Planning. Walks on the beach. Morning prayers with the sunrise. Sitting by the fire in the evening. Meals with my beloved. …

Hitāhitam sukham duhkham āyustasya hitāhitam mānam ca tacca yatroktam āyurvedaḥ sa ucyate “That is said to be Ayurveda which measures the beneficial and harmful, the happy and unhappy, the wholesome and unwholesome factors of life and the lifespan.” Caraka Samhita I/41 Although certainly not for the first time in its history, …

Spring is a glorious time. You begin to emerge from your winter hideaway and find joy and ease in nature again. Resurfacing buds, blooms and the gradually increasing warmth of the sun inspires and delights your senses. And at the same time, warmth and dampness alternate in the air. In Ayurveda, spring …

Stress is a normal physical response to events that make us feel threatened or upset our balance in some way. When we sense danger – whether real or imagined – the body’s defenses kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” reaction, or stress response. The …

Ayurveda has been in existence for 5,000 years (give or take) and now is seeing a huge uprise in popularity. Ayurveda is not just in India and Sri Lanka anymore. It’s all around Europe in Portugal, Spain, Germany and Poland. It’s steadily growing in the United States, Canada and South America. So why …

If you are interested in an Ayurvedic program such as Panchakarma, the surroundings will be a vital factor to your experience of Ayurveda. The home of Ayurveda will forever be India. The exotic environment and history completely compliments Ayurveda and its practices. SpaDreams believes the surroundings complement the program itself, …

It may seem that symptoms like gas, acne, skin rashes and indigestion are small annoyances that we have to cope with, but the rishis who wrote the Ayurvedic texts more than 5,000 years ago knew differently. They understood that our bodies naturally want to be in sync with nature, and …

Ayurveda is gently flowering in the wake of the yoga boom and is quickly becoming more and more popular. Seasonal Ayurvedic cleansing or panchakarma is merging into the culture and yogis and yoginis want in and that’s no wonder. Panchakarma just makes sense. There’s no deprivation of food. What you do …

As someone who practices Indian and Mayan medicine, I suppose I have to say that I am in the business of healing.  It’s taken me a long time to become comfortable with using the word ‘healing’ in connection with my work. To me healing implies that there is some sort …

It is Winter now in many parts of the world and according to Ayurveda this is the best season to detoxify the body physically and mentally. This is also the best time to rejuvenate the body. It is important to know the mechanism of Panchakarma, Ayurvedic detoxification. Let’s understand how …

Do you ever feel like you’re walking and thinking in a mud bog? Can you relate to feeling sluggish or stagnant, less vibrant than you know you can be? Maybe you suffer from extra weight or allergies? All of these are symptoms of your system being clogged. Before doing my …

Fall is here and that means it’s Vata season. The weather is cooler, the wind is blowing, the air is dry and all natural life is going dormant for the coming winter. This is the time to adjust to new lifestyle practices to keep the system in balance, and disease …

This five part series explores a ‘Guided Home Cleanse’ with Ayurvedic Lifestyle Counselor and Panchakarma Specialist Allison Bransfield Morse. Allison runs The Ayurvedic Center of Vermont just outside of Burlington, and offers traditional Panchakarma (PK) on site as well as at a distance. This series explores what’s involved with a …

This five part series explores a ‘Guided Home Cleanse’ with Ayurvedic Lifestyle Counselor and Panchakarma Specialist Allison Bransfield Morse. Allison runs The Ayurvedic Center of Vermont just outside of Burlington, and offers traditional Panchakarma (PK) on site as well as at a distance. This series explores what’s involved with a …

This five part series explores a ‘Guided Home Cleanse’ with Ayurvedic Lifestyle Counselor and Panchakarma Specialist Allison Bransfield Morse. Allison runs The Ayurvedic Center of Vermont just outside of Burlington, and offers traditional Panchakarma (PK) on site as well as at a distance. This series explores what’s involved with a …

This DIY home cleanse guide is a five-part series that explores a ‘Guided Home Cleanse’ with Ayurvedic Lifestyle Counselor and Panchakarma Specialist Allison Bransfield Morse. Allison runs The Ayurvedic Center of Vermont just outside of Burlington, and offers traditional Panchakarma (PK) on site as well as at a distance. This …

A kitchadi or khichdi cleanse is a gentle way to cleanse the body and mind of toxins. I suggest this type of cleanse because it is a moderate process with low mental and physical stress. Khichdi is an Indian lentil and rice soup. Kitchadi or kitchari is easily digested and assimilated …