Sex and Your Dosha

As a sexual being, each of us is unique. While our thoughts, emotions, desires, and opinions regarding sex are influenced by our upbringing, culture, and experiences, their distinctive nature is chiefly an expression of  our dosha. An understanding of our dosha and how it affects our sexuality can enhance the role that sex plays in our life and relationships. We should also know and understand our partners’ dosha, as this awareness will help us meet their needs, guide how we stimulate and seduce them, and help us remain patient and empathetic when our sexual encounters don’t live up to our expectations. 

While vata individuals can be creative, responsive, and sensual lovers, they often avoid sex because it can be very destabilizing for them. Yet despite their naturally low sex drive, sex is very important for vata types, but only as an expression of love. Initially, vatas are reluctant to commit to relationships and may come across as cold sexually, but once they meet a person who makes them feel safe and nurtured, they become exceptionally faithful, expressive, and satisfying sexual partners.

Vata types long for romance, beauty, and creative expression. Their partners would be wise to indulge these cravings, because doing so will help relieve the anxiety that inhibits these individuals’ desire for sex. Despite their love of novelty, vatas find comfort in traditional values and routines. They’re likely to find sex more fulfilling when encounters are planned and include old-fashioned courtship rituals and plenty of mental and physical foreplay. 

The vata woman is the type most apt to have difficulty conceiving. The doshic qualities that contribute to her fertility problems include her vulnerability to stress as well as physical tendencies like the dryness of her tissues, low body weight, and disturbed apana vata (the energy that governs outward and downward movement in the pelvic region, such as menstrual flow). These issues may also impair male fertility by interfering with the production and ejaculation of semen.

Traveling, overwork, an erratic schedule, or a worried mind can extinguish the sex drive of vata types. Their partner can help recharge their sexual appetite by appealing to their romantic side and helping them re-establish a calming routine with regular meals and plenty of time to slow down, rest, and nourish themselves. 

Pitta types are fiery, attention seeking, ambitious, and passionate by nature and tend to think of themselves as amazing lovers. However their unreliability and impatience may prove frustrating for their partners. Their tendency to view sex as a competition may prevent them from ever experiencing complete satisfaction. They gravitate toward spontaneous encounters and may seek to dominate their partners. To invigorate, elevate, and lend deeper meaning to their sexual relationships, pitta types should focus on channeling their super-intense energy through the heart, rather than their sex organs or intellect.

Pittas typically indulge in sex more often than a vata person because their natural reserves of energy make it easier for them to regain their stamina after sexual relations. However, they should moderate their sexual activity in the summer to avoid accumulating excess heat in the body. Pitta men may suffer from impotency, due to excess heat burning up reproductive tissues or from upward, rather than downward, energy flow. To return to a balanced state after the sex act, pitta types should engage in cooling, calming, and compassionate actions. 

A kapha person is enduring, nurturing, hardworking, balanced, and determined. The steadfast and deeply sensual nature of kaphas can go a long way toward sustaining a happy marriage and healthy sexual relations. Their downside as partners is that they that may become overly attached, turning into needy, possessive “clingers” with an insatiable hunger for attention. Initially, it may take time to stimulate kaphas or spark their interest in sexual activity, as they’re naturally inclined to conserve their energy. Once they’re aroused, however, kaphas truly relish sex. These individuals really benefit from exercise and can be easily persuaded to regard sex as a highly pleasurable form of exercise that balances their heavy energy  and also satisfies their desire to be nurtured and loved. 

Kapha women are unlikely to suffer from reproductive tissues imbalances and will usually bear many children without complications. If they have any trouble conceiving, they need only to lose a little weight and lighten the body Their strong build and excellent physical and mental stamina enable them to give birth easily and recover quickly afterwards. While the abundance of earth in their elemental makeup supports these qualities, it can also foster tissue buildup that manifests as endometriosis or ovarian cysts. In men, this earth-predominant constitution may contribute to the development of an enlarged prostate. 

For the best possible sex life with your partner, show genuine consideration for their dosha (natural state). Understand that your sexual partner’s physical, mental, and emotional needs may differ from yours. Have patience and compassion in adapting to your partner’s desires, treat your partner with care as the two of you learn about each other’s doshic biorhythms, and then find the balance that works for you both. 

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease.

Unwanted Cellulite?

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Most of us struggle with cellulite but have no idea how to handle it. Ayurveda looks to restore optimal functioning to the systems of the body by balancing the mind, emotions, and physical attributes based on a person’s constitutional makeup. This same model informs Ayurveda’s approach to cellulite.

According to Ayurveda, cellulite results from an imbalance in the body’s ability to metabolize fat. The Ayurvedic term for this metabolic function is meda agni (fat digestion). Cellulite occurs when agni weakens and the metabolism becomes sluggish; the resulting digestive residues interact with our body’s tissues and become the toxic material that’s known in Ayurveda as ama.

When ama accumulates in the lymphatic system, the body experiences a drainage problem. The subsequent buildup of toxins and fluids in the tissues leads to the development of fat pockets in areas of the body that are determined by your constitution. 

To address cellulite, you must first understand that the process that creates it starts in the gut and then spreads through the subtle channels of the body. The best way to circumvent this process is to strengthen digestion in the gut and improve the lymph circulation in areas that are prone to cellulite.

 Since Ayurveda addresses every case differently, it’s best to a consult with an Ayurvedic practitioner to determine which cellulite reduction strategies are best suited to your specific constitution and circumstances. If this is not possible, simply add a few of these general suggestions to your daily routine:

1.     Drink plenty of water. Sipping warm water with fresh-squeezed lemon throughout the day helps stimulate digestion and clear the buildup of toxic residues in your body.

2.     Rev up your diet with a variety of zesty herbs that help reduce ama and promote circulation. Use generous amounts of herbs such as ginger, black pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, fenugreek, and cardamom in your cooking.

3.     Eat two fresh tulsi leaves in the morning and at night. This herb helps to regulate fat metabolism and has both lightening and drying properties.

4.     Eat three meals at the same time every day. Make lunch the largest meal of the day and schedule it no later than 2 p.m. Eat dinner no later than 7:30 p.m. Strict adherence to these practices is by far most the important element of an effective cellulite management program. 

5.     Have a cup of kapha-reducing tea: Use ¼ teaspoon each of dry ginger, dill seed, and fenugreek seed, plus one clove per 1 cup of water. Boil water, add mixture, and steep for 5 minutes before drinking. 

6.     Avoid a high-fat diet, but take a daily dose of good quality oil, such as Ayurvedic ghee or flaxseed oil in a cup of warm water first thing in the morning.

7.     Perform full-body abhyanga (self-massage) with organic almond oil daily. Massage areas where you have cellulite with organic mustard seed oil followed by calamus herb powder. Use rapid long strokes to heat up these congested areas and improve circulation throughout the whole body.

8.     Make sure you get enough exercise. Yoga asanas like Dandayamana Dhanurasana (standing bow pose), Ardha Chandrasana (half-moon pose), Utkatasana (chair pose) , Supta-Vajrasana (reclining thunderbolt pose), Dhanurasana (bow pose), and Salabhasana (locust pose) are highly recommended.

9.     Take 500 mg of turmeric every morning upon waking and 500 mg of Triphala every night before bed. 

10.  Try panchakarma. An annual panchakarma program not only detoxifies many of the body’s channels, including the liver, but also helps your body burn fat more efficiently. Best of all, the benefits of panchakarma go far beyond its visible impact on the appearance of your body. This traditional Ayurvedic method of purification and rejuvenation is a time-tested approach to restoring balance and vitality to your entire being.  

For more information, visit us at our clinics, or book an appointment online! 

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease.

3 Ayurvedic Practices for Longevity

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Longevity is something most humans wish for. Its pursuit involves a constant battle. From the time of birth to the time of death, the body is engaged in a struggle with the aging process. Each day the body breaks down tissues and organs at a cellular level, causing damage and degeneration. Thus our efforts to achieve longevity and rejuvenation must focus on what’s happening in our body at the cellular level.

Each of the three doshas plays an essential role in our health and longevity. Together, they regulate all the functions of the billions of cells that constitute our body. For example, the vata dosha is closely related to pranic life energy and governs the nervous system and all of our body’s movements. Pitta governs digestion, nutrition, and transformation at a cellular level, and kapha maintains the longevity and the structure of the cells. 

To combat aging on a deeper level, it is also necessary to balance the subtle essence of each dosha. The subtle essence of vata is prana, the life force. This energy governs respiration and the physiological functions of the heart, including circulation of the blood and the oxygenation all the dhatus (bodily tissues) and vital organs. As the purest form of the dosha that drives the nervous system and stimulates the intellect, prana also controls all the motor and sensory functions, the natural intelligence of the body, and all the functions of mind, including memory, thoughts, and emotions. In addition, prana regulates the biological functions of the two other subtle essences, ojas and tejas. 

The subtle essence of kapha and the seven dhatus, ojas constitutes the vital energy that works with prana to sustain the life-giving functions of the body. It contains all five basic elements (i.e., earth, water, fire, air, and space) and all the vital substances of our bodily tissues. Balanced ojas is necessary for biological strength and immunity. Because ojas and kapha are inextricably linked, an imbalance in one leads to an imbalance in the other, fueling a vicious cycle of waxing kapha and waning ojas that undermines our health and vitality. Ojas is also responsible for our psychological strength. While balanced ojas promotes compassion, love, peace, and creativity, depleted ojas can give rise to negative states such as fear, nervous exhaustion, impaired sensory perception, loss of consciousness, and even death. 

As the purest essence of the pitta dosha and agni (digestive fire), tejas regulates cellular metabolism and drives the transformation of food, thoughts, sensations, and experiences into energy and nourishment for the body and mind. Balanced tejas is necessary for sustaining ojas. When tejas is aggravated, it burns away ojas, reducing immunity and overstimulating pranic activity.

To address the debilitating effects of imbalances in the three doshas and their subtle essences, Ayurvedic sages developed the rejuvenation method known as panchakarma. As a holistic approach to physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual renewal, panchakarma aims to provide a total solution to the systemic degeneration and dysfunction caused by the aging process.  

Ayurveda also offers simple techniques that you can that you can easily integrate into your lifestyle and use daily to support balanced prana, ojas, and tejas. The first step toward optimizing these energies is to avoid smoking, overexertion, cold drinks, most dairy products, and hydrophilic foods (e.g., salty snacks, tuna fish, cucumbers), excess sexual activity, fried foods, red meats, excess alcohol, and too much or too little or sleep. It’s best to eat a nutrient-rich plant-based diet, primarily cooked foods with the balance of sweet, sour, pungent, salty, astringent, and bitter tastes in each meal. Eating three to four small meals a day with lunch being your biggest meal and maintaining a light daily exercise regime are also recommended. 

One of the simplest ways to sustain ojas is to consume ghee, a product made from unsalted cultured butter that stimulates the appetite and the secretion of digestive juices, enkindles agni, and enhances the flavors of foods. It also strengthens intelligence and memory. Unlike many oils, ghee doesn’t increase cholesterol. In addition, it balances all three doshas and rejuvenates all the tissues.

To incorporate ghee into your diet, make it your go-to cooking oil. For a more concentrated daily dose of ghee, take a teaspoon of ghee each morning followed by a cup of warm water on empty stomach or eat a date that has been soaked in ghee. Please make sure you are using organic grass-fed cultured ghee. A lot of the ghee you find in Indian markets is not the medicinal-grade form and will not be effective. 

Prana is best managed by eating a nutrient-dense organic diet of freshly cooked plant-based meals and practicing pranayama, a yogic breathing exercise that promotes healing and balance. Like yoga, pranayama comprises different styles. According to Ayurveda, the style you should adopt depends on your constitution. If you have a pitta constitution, you should perform left nostril breathing. For this exercise, inhale through the left nostril and exhale through the right, using the thumb and middle finger to close and open alternate nostrils. A person of kapha constitution should do right nostril breathing, inhaling through the right nostril and exhaling through the left. Vata types should perform alternate nostril breathing by exhaling out of one nostril and then inhaling with the same nostril, then switching and exhaling and inhaling with the alternate nostril. Practice the appropriate technique for 10 to 20 minutes a day.

Careful management of tejas is equally important to cultivating vitality and long life. Improper diet and lifestyle and overuse of drugs will cause an imbalance in this subtle energy, which, in turn, can cause problems with either prana or ojas. Substances that are hot, sharp, and penetrating directly enhance tejas. A great way to achieve this effect is to start every morning with a glass of warm tea made with a paste of turmeric and honey.  

Use 1/3 cup  or 80 mL premium raw honey and 2 1/2 teaspoons dried turmeric. Work the turmeric into the honey until it forms a paste. You can store this in a jar. For each cup of tea, place a heaping teaspoon of the turmeric paste in the bottom of a mug. Pour hot (not boiling) water into the mug, and stir well to dissolve the turmeric paste. Add a big squeeze of juice from a fresh lemon and a generous amount of black pepper. (Pepper is invigorating and supports the digestion of the turmeric.)

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease.

Essential Oils for Your Dosha

Essential oils are a wonderful means of balancing the doshas that you can use every day. Understanding essential oils from an Ayurvedic perspective can help you customize your approach to integrating them into your daily routine. According to this viewpoint, the particular chemical makeup of every essential oil determines whether it has a warming or a cooling effect on the body. This approach to essential oils places each one on a vertical scale, with the oils that are coolest at the top, the oils that are neutral in the middle, and the oils that are warming at the bottom. All essential oils can be placed somewhere on this scale, according to their properties. For example blue chamomile is a cooling oil, lavender exemplifies neutrality, and thyme is a hot essential oil. 

Try taking a chamomile and peppermint bath and feel the coolness as you emerge from the tub. Rub a drop of thyme or clove oil into the skin on your forearm, and you’ll experience a warm sensation within 15 minutes. The neutral oils in the middle range, such as lavender, are known as balancers, because if you are feverish, they can help cool you down, and if you are feeling very cold, applying a lavender massage oil to the body can warm you up. Lavender is an oil for all seasons. Balancers will always bring you back toward a neutral, normal state. 

In Western chemistry, they scale ranking essential oils according to their thermal impact on the body corresponds to a scale that ranks compounds from high to low in terms of their electronegativity. Electronegativity refers to the relative power of an atom in a molecule to attract electrons from other atoms toward itself. The cooling oils at the top of scale are strongly  electronegative. They have extra electrons and take heat away from the body. The warming essential oils at the bottom of the scale are electropositive. They are missing electrons in their outer rings, and are eager and ready to acquire them, producing heat in the body.

Ayurveda also ranks essential oils on a continuum that runs from wet to dry. Wet oils, such as geranium and rose have an affinity for water. Another term for oils with this property is hydrophilic (“water loving”). Wet oils typically contain high levels of alcohols, which act as an emulsifier when you put them in bathwater, breaking the oil into tiny droplets that disperse  in the water and form an emulsion. Dry oils, such as citrus and pine, consist almost exclusively of terpenes, which are hydrophobic and lipophilic. In other words they  don’t mix with water, but, rather, have an affinity for and the ability to mix with fats. They will float on the surface of the bathwater and form a “ring” around the inside surface of the tub. Neutral oils which include clary sage, Roman chamomile, basil, anise, and tarragon as well as lavender, are neither wet nor dry.

Vata Balancing 
Because the vata dosha is light, dry, mobile, and cold, an imbalance of this energy is treated with oils that are wet, heavy, calming, and warming. Because sweet, sour, and salty tastes can be used to reduce excess vata, oils derived from botanicals with these properties are often a good choice for treating vata disorders. There are two types of vata disorders to consider. One is known as obstructed vata, where an accumulation of vata and toxic residues (ama) due to erratic eating habits, poor diet, and irregular elimination blocks the flow of biological materials and nutrients through the channels of the body. Like kapha excess, obstructed vata is treated for a short period of time to remove the blockages. The other type of imbalance is vata-caused deficiency, which occurs when a vata disturbance leads to dry, atrophied tissues and emaciation. These symptoms of vata-caused deficiency resemble the effects of accelerated aging.

Among the best remedies for both types of vata imbalance are the following botanical oils: ginger, oregano, orange, eucalyptus, cumin, cinnamon, clove, celery seed, black pepper, bergamot, bay, calamus, camphor, marjoram, arnica, ajwain, caraway, thyme, sage, rosewood, lemon, and nutmeg. These oils increase digestive fire, flush out toxins, increase internal heat, and strengthen circulation. They are contraindicated for conditions caused by extreme vata aggravation, such as dehydration or inflamed mucous membranes.

Vata-caused deficiency requires oils derived from nutritive herbs that will build the tissues, such as angelica, clary sage, myrrh, parsley, tarragon, vanilla, rose, and jasmine (avoid overuse of rose and jasmine, which may prove too cooling for vata types). These oils help relieve menstrual cramping, build the blood, moisten and nourish the sexual organs, boost the immune system, strengthen organs weakened by disease, and alleviate the effects of poor nutrition and aging. 

Pitta Balancing 
Because pitta is hot and wet, it is best managed with cooling, drying, nutritive, and calming oils. The tastes for reducing pitta are sweet, astringent, and bitter. Oils extracted from cooling carminatives, such as aromatic spices, help relieve burning diarrhea and digestive complaints caused by accumulations of excess pitta in the small intestine. These oils include chamomile, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, lavender, lemon, lemon balm, lime, neroli, peppermint, spearmint, and wintergreen.

Calendula, carrot seed, lemon, St. John’s wort, turmeric, wintergreen, and yarrow oils are also helpful for managing pitta-related disorders. These astringent oils reduce excess secretions of gastric juices and discharges of tissue fluids without completely drying them up and help tighten and heal tissues and stop bleeding. 

Cooling essential oils that purify the blood, fight infections, reduce fevers, and promote healing include aloe vera, coriander, cumin, dill, jasmine, neem, sandalwood, spearmint, tagetes, turmeric, yarrow, and blue chamomile. To nourish the tissues of the body, reduce inflammation, restore secretions that have dried up from pitta’s excessive heat, and build the blood and lymph system, choose oils made from angelica, carrot seed, cedar wood, neem, neroli, and spikenard. When pitta aggravation leads to energy burnout, angelica, brahmi, carrot seed, cedar wood, rose, and jatamansi oils help rejuvenate the body and mind, increasing awareness and promoting behavioral changes and more dynamic and expansive thinking.

To reduce pitta’s heat and cool the liver, use oils from diuretic herbs such as coriander, fennel, lavender, lemongrass, sandalwood, and spearmint. Antipyretic oils that help pacify pitta’s fire include jasmine, lime, neem, tagetes, vetiver, and neroli.

Kapha Balancing
Composed of earth and water, kapha is predominantly cold, moist, slow, and heavy in nature and can be balanced with substances that are warming, drying, lightening, and stimulating, such as oils made from plants that taste pungent, bitter, and astringent. The most important of these properties is pungency because its light, hot, dry nature is diametrically opposed to kapha’s defining characteristics. 

By strengthening digestive fire, stimulant and carminative essential oils help reverse the mental and physical sluggishness associated with a kapha imbalance. These oils include ajwain, anise, basil, bay, black pepper, calamus, cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, ginger, juniper berry, mustard, nutmeg, orange peel, oregano, parsley, pennyroyal, saffron, thyme, turmeric, and valerian.

To reduce the fluid buildup associated with kapha aggravation, use oils from diuretic herbs, such ajwain, cinnamon, coriander, fennel, garlic, juniper berry, lemongrass, parsley, and spearmint. Diaphoretic oils, which induce sweating—such as ajwain, angelica, basil, camphor, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, eucalyptus, ginger, juniper berry, lemongrass, mugwort, oregano, sage, and thyme—are good for this purpose, too. These oils also help cleanse the blood and lymph.

Kapha imbalances often manifest in the accumulation of excess mucus in the lungs and stomach. Emetic oils can help expel this buildup but should be only administered by a trained panchakarma therapist.

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease.

An Ayurvedic Perspective on Healthy Elimination

For many of us, unhealthy elimination is a somewhat routine occurrence. If we are completely honest, most of us have suffered from constipation, diarrhea, or some other symptom of a bowel imbalance. Yet, generally, we are embarrassed to talk about our elimination patterns. Fortunately, Ayurvedic experts are very comfortable with this aspect of our health and have a lot to say about it. The truth is, our bowel habits and stools show us a great deal about whatever problems our bodies may be going through and what we need to do to return them to balanced functioning.

Ayurveda recognizes that the digestive tract is the very first place imbalances arise in the body. According to Ayurveda a malfunctioning digestive system is the root of all disease. Ayurveda places great importance on the digestive system and its ability to transform foods into energy and nourishment. Without the proper digestion, foods cannot be broken down and absorbed in the body to fuel tissue renewal; instead, excessive waste is created, leading to a buildup of toxic sludge (ama) and eventually disease. Thus, bowel imbalances tend to function as early warning signals that something is amiss in our physiology. 

If an emerging imbalance is not properly addressed, it will either take root in the digestive tract and become a more serious condition or spread to other tissues and create imbalances there. If we can learn to understand the early indications of disharmony in our bodies and respond appropriately, our bodies can self-correct and heal. Ayurveda’s teachings on elimination serve as a valuable tool for maintaining overall health and wellness. 

According to Ayurveda, healthy elimination occurs one to two times every day. Generally, the first bowel movement should happen in the morning, within a few minutes of waking up, and should not be stimulated by food intake. Stools should be well formed, have the consistency of a ripe banana, and maintain their shape after being eliminated. They should be light brownish-yellow, should float, and should be oily enough to keep from sticking to the sides of the toilet bowl. Their odor should be mild, not strong or pungent. 

Most people’s stools fall short of this ideal. Modern lifestyles make it difficult to maintain perfect digestive health—that’s why talking about elimination is so important, so we can foster balance in our bodies, in our stools, and in our lives as a whole. 

In Ayurveda, physiological systems such as the reproductive, digestive, and urinary systems are called channels. All channels perform various functions that are vital to sustaining our overall health. Ayurveda accentuates the importance of proper movement in all the channels to maintain a disease-free body. The regular movement of the bowels plays a fundamental role in ensuring the proper flow of biological materials, nutrients, and waste though the digestive channels. 

The foods we ingest undergo the process of digestion and absorption through the action of agni, or digestive fire. An individual’s agni largely determines how well food is digested and eliminated. When agni is in balance, it supports strong immunity and a long, healthy life. Balanced agni also supports emotional health and makes life more enjoyable. The strength of agni is inevitably diminished by a poor diet, improper food combinations, an unhealthy lifestyle, emotional disturbances, and even damp, rainy weather. When agni weakens, so does our body’s resistance to disease. Strengthening agni and understanding the particular needs of your doshic constitution are key to finding a truly balanced diet.

In general, the qualities of foods are similar to the qualities of the doshas. The intake of food that has the same quality of a dosha will tend to aggravate that dosha. For instance, when a vata (dry) person eats popcorn (dry), that person’s tissues will become even drier. Opposite qualities tend to be balancing, such as when a pitta (hot) person drinks mint tea (cooling). This fundamental principle can help you select foods that are balancing to your own unique constitution. While there are certainly many things we can do to generally foster healthy elimination, identifying which doshas are involved in a specific imbalance enables us to pursue harmony on a deeper level and to create a more focused therapeutic strategy. 

Sometimes it is very easy to identify personal bowel movement tendencies at a glance—if so, you can find  dosha-specific support in Ayurvedic teachings to help you restore balance. If you remain uncertain, please see a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner for a more personalized assessment of your needs. It is also important to know that long-standing imbalances in the elimination channel often involve more than one dosha and can easily lead to more complex disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These conditions are more serious and should be treated by a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner. 

Vata Elimination 

In vata elimination imbalances, the excess vata that accumulates in the digestive channel tends to cause dry, hard, scanty stools that can be painful or difficult to pass. Vata buildup can also cause gas, bloating, colicky pain, gurgling in the intestines, irregularity, and constipation. Some vata types tend to alternate between constipation and diarrhea. The symptoms are usually accompanied by an irregular appetite and variable digestion. Other related ailments caused by excess vata include low back pain, sciatica, non-bleeding hemorrhoids, a prolapsed rectum, and fissures or fistulas.

When vata is too predominant, you must balance its cold and dry qualities with warmth and a lot of fluids, along with healthy oils. It’s also important to slow the pace of life, keep warm, and stay hydrated. Support your digestion and elimination with Triphala or Hiṅgvāṣṭaka or consider taking haritaki instead of Triphala if you’re sure that excess vata is the root cause of your problem. You should also adopt the following diet and lifestyle practices.

Diet

• Focus on eating vata-pacifying foods in which sweet, sour, and salty tastes predominate.

• Eat three solid, freshly cooked meals a day, ideally at about the same time each day; vata types need consistency. This practice increases the digestive fire and helps with weight control and detoxification of the body.

• Enrich your diet with multiple sources of fiber, such as oatmeal, wheat bran, oat bran, and other whole cooked grains and cooked vegetables.

• Increase your dietary quotient of high-quality oils, such as ghee, sesame oil, and olive oil.

•  Eat more fruit. Consume it at least one hour before and after other foods, and do not eat it cold. Room temperature fruit is the best choice.

• Drink at least 60–80 ounces of fluid each day. Warm or hot water and warm herbal teas are the most beneficial. Stay away from iced and cold liquids. 

• Chew on a slice of fresh ginger about the size of a nickel with a pinch of sea salt, a few drops of lime juice, and ¼ teaspoon of honey 30 minutes before lunch and dinner. 

Lifestyle

• Focus on establishing a vata-pacifying daily routine; consistency in the structure of the day is especially balancing for vata types. Focus on calming the mood and energy and nurturing the body.

• Get plenty of vata-pacifying exercise: Make sure that your exercise routine is not overstimulating; instead favor gentle and grounding activities like walking, hiking, light jogging, swimming, or gentle cycling.

• Practice vata-pacifying yoga or a handful of slow and purposeful sun salutations each morning.

• Practice 5–15 minutes of alternate nostril breathing every day on an empty stomach.

• Give yourself a daily massage with sesame oil after warm shower or bath. 

Pitta Elimination

Excess pitta in the elimination channel tends to cause frequent, urgent bowel movements, with stools that are soft, loose, liquid, or oily. The stools may fall apart of after being evacuated. They are also often hot, causing burning pain when eliminated, and have a strong and frequently offensive sour or acidic odor. If left unaddressed, this type of imbalance can develop into chronic diarrhea. Excess pitta in the digestive tract can also cause heartburn, blood in stool, bleeding hemorrhoids, and acid indigestion as well as an insatiable appetite. 

In order to balance pitta, one must balance pitta’s hot, sharp, light, and liquid qualities with food, herbs, and experiences that are nutritive, heavy, cooling, and dense. It is important to keep the mind and body cool and avoid heavy exercise and exercising at midday. Support your digestion with amalaki or with Avipattikar. Triphala is also an option. Focus on the diet and lifestyle suggestions outlined below.

Diet

•  Eat a pitta-pacifying diet that favors sweet, astringent, and bitter tastes. 

• Consume cooling foods—not cold but, rather, foods that have a cooling effect, such as cilantro, coconut water, peppermint tea, coriander, fennel, mint, and cucumber.

• Drink moderate amounts of fluid, mainly at room temperature and avoid iced and sour drinks as well as sodas.

• Take a few tablespoons of aloe vera juice or gel two to three times per day to cool and soothe the channels of digestion.

•  Include moderate amount of good-quality cooling oils such as ghee, sunflower oil, or coconut oil in your diet.

Lifestyle

• Focus on pitta-pacifying routines to ground and cool the fiery intensity of pitta.

•  Practice sheetali pranayama every day on an empty stomach for 5–10 minutes. A few minutes of alternate nostril breathing will also help balance pitta.

• Perform pitta-pacifying yoga at a gentle and purposeful pace. Do not make yoga a competition against yourself or others. Moon salutations are useful in balancing pitta. 

• Daily exercise is important, but it should not be overly intense; relax your efforts. Walking, swimming, cycling, light jogging, and hiking are best for pitta types. These individuals should exercise when the day is the coolest, in morning or evening, and breathe through their nose the entire time.

Kapha Elimination 
Counteracting kapha’s heavy, slow, cool, oily, smooth, and sticky qualities requires foods, herbs, and experiences that are light, sharp, hot, dry, rough, and clarifying. In general, when kapha is aggravated, it is important to keep warm and dry, to avoid daytime napping, and to stay active. Trikatu is helpful for stimulating the sluggish digestion of kapha types. Bibhitaki is better than Triphala, but Triphala can also be used. The following diet, lifestyle recommendations will help restore balanced functioning to a kapha-dominant digestive system.

Diet

• Adopt a kapha-pacifying diet.

• Minimize the presence of oil and fat in your diet (the best oils for kapha types are sunflower oil and olive oil).

• Reduce intake of processed foods and sugars.

•  Favor warm and hot beverages, and be careful not to overhydrate. Hot water and herbal teas like ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, or clove can help to liquefy and remove excess kapha and ama.

• Eat three square meals each day (at about the same time each day), and try not to snack between meals.

• Focus on making lunch the main meal and eating smaller quantities of food at breakfast and dinner.

•  Incorporate a wide variety of spices into your cooking.

• Stoke the digestive fire about 30 minutes before lunch and dinner by chewing a slice of fresh ginger (about the size of a nickel) with a pinch of sea salt, a few drops of lime juice, and about ¼ teaspoon honey.

 
Lifestyle

• Focus on establishing a kapha-pacifying daily routine.

• Get plenty of kapha-pacifying exercise: Make sure that your exercise routine is fun, vigorous, and stimulating. Kapha individuals thrive on activities like walking, hiking, running, cycling, and high-intensity interval training.

• Practice kapha-pacifying yoga or a handful of invigorating sun salutations each morning.

Perform bhastrika pranayama every day on an empty stomach. You can start with just one or two rounds of 10 breaths and slowly build up to five rounds of 10 breaths. A few minutes of alternate nostril breathing can serve as a wonderful complement to this practice

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease.

The Amazing Healing Properties of Turmeric

Turmeric comes from the rhizome (a root-like structure) of a plant closely related to ginger. Commonly used in curries, turmeric has a warm, slightly bitter taste that’s used for coloring or enhancing the flavor of curry powders, cheeses, mustard, and other foods and condiments. Many of my Ayurvedic teachers have stated that turmeric is a natural solution to most common ailments, including stomachaches, sore throats, cuts, infections, and skin problems.

According to WebMD, the list of health-related uses for turmeric is long. It has been ingested for stomach problems, such as gas, bloating, or diarrhea; arthritis; menstrual pain; fever; and other ailments for thousands of years in some areas of the world. A juice version is used as a topical agent, and a turmeric paste (warm milk mixed with turmeric powder) is employed as an antiseptic for treating wounds.

Countless studies have shown the healing powers of turmeric’s chemical constituents. Recent research on the effect of aromatic turmerone, a bioactive compound extracted from turmeric, shows that it may help regenerate damaged neurons after  brain traumas such as a stroke. Many studies on curcumin, another active ingredient in turmeric, confirm its anti-inflammatory properties. In one study, curcumin worked about as well as ibuprofen for reducing arthritis pain. There have also been clinical studies on its benefits in diabetes and prediabetes and as a cancer treatment, particularly for prostate cancer. Many other studies have shown that it aids in weight management, liver detoxification, and digestive diseases, such as Crohn’s disease.

Turmeric can easily be incorporated in to your daily life. It contains many essential nutrients, including pyridoxine, choline, niacin, and riboflavin as well as calcium, potassium, copper, iron, manganese, magnesium, and zinc. Turmeric in the diet increases the production of enzymes that digest fats and sugars, and it helps prevent cholesterol from forming gallstones. It is an immune support as well as an antiseptic that kills yeast and parasites when used internally. It is also helpful for easing headaches, bronchitis, colds, lung infections, fibromyalgia, leprosy, fever, and menstrual problems. Other uses include the management of depression, Alzheimer’s disease, water retention, and kidney problems.

You can take turmeric as a daily supplement and incorporate it into your cooking. It is delicious in soups, stir fries, and curries and as a daily tea. The Ayurvedic recipe for this tea is made from a paste of 2 ½ teaspoons dried turmeric and 80 mL of good-quality raw honey. Work the turmeric into the honey until it forms a paste. The paste stores well in a jar so you can keep it on hand for whenever you’d like a cup of revitalizing turmeric tea. 

Ayurvedic Daily Turmeric Tea Recipe 

• Heaping teaspoon of turmeric paste

• 1 cup of hot water

• Squeeze of fresh lemon

•  Lots of freshly ground black pepper

For each cup of tea, place a heaping teaspoon of the turmeric paste in the bottom of a mug. Pour hot (but not boiling water) into the mug, and stir well to dissolve the turmeric paste. Add a big squeeze of juice from a lemon, and a generous amount of black pepper (pepper is invigorating and helps support the digestion of the turmeric). 

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure or prevention of any disease.  

Tips for Vata Yoga

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People whose constitutions are dominated by vata tend to move quickly without paying sufficient attention to what they’re doing and often push their body beyond its natural limits. The  hallmarks of this dosha are coldness, mobility, lightness, and expansiveness. The best type of yoga practice for these individuals is one that generates warmth, serenity, and nourishment. Vatas can cultivate these qualities by following some basic guidelines:

• Move through your practice at a slow, smooth, steady pace.

• Aim for fluidity in your poses. Focus on gentle movements, such as spinal and pelvic undulation, rotation in the joints, counter-poses, and flexion and extension.

• Hold each posture briefly, but do multiple repetitions.

• Draw into and move from your hara. In Eastern philosophies, the hara is the body’s internal energy center, located below the navel and above the pubic bone.

•  Cultivate stability by concentrating on the foundation of the pose.

• Rotate the femurs and press them into the outer sides of your legs.

• Picture yourself moving through warm water or warm mud as you execute the poses.

•  Focus on prolonging your inhalation.

• Stay grounded by pressing your big toes into the floor.

• Fix your gaze below or at the horizon.

• Engage your entire body in the poses by holding your muscles tightly against the bones.

• Avoid overexerting yourself. Aim to build stamina without draining your energy. In cases of severely aggravated vata, adopt a restorative practice.

• Be fully present in your practice.

• Stay warm.

• Follow the active portion of your practice with a long period of relaxation.

A vata imbalance arises when an overabundance of air accumulates in the mind, body, and environment. The result is a sense of instability. The best way to balance excess vata is to integrate the stable qualities of the earth into your physiology and focus on relaxing.

• Go to bed and awaken at the same time every day.

•  Meditate twice a day to quiet the mind.

• Practice yoga to connect with your body.

• Wear fragrances that evoke a sense of tranquility.

• Eat three meals per day, and favor, sweet, sour, and salty tastes.

• Perform a slow daily self-massage with warm herbal oils.

• Drink soothing herbal teas.

• Look for opportunities to incorporate rhythm and routine into your life.

• Finish things once you start them.

15 Reasons Why You Should Take Triphala Daily

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One of Ayurveda’s most frequently used herbal formulation, triphala is made from the dried fruits of the haritaki, bibhitaki, and amalaki trees. The three dried fruits are ground into powder and blended in equal parts to maximize the formulation’s efficiency. Its popularity as a digestive aid, bowel cleanser, and wellness support derives from the Ayurvedic teachings that suggest a healthy digestive system leads to a healthier life. 

According to some Ayurvedic teachings, triphala’s power to optimize digestive health and promote wellness lies mainly in its gentle, effective laxative action. Unlike many other laxatives, triphala doesn’t stress the digestive system by forcing the liver and gall bladder to secrete digestive juices. Instead, it works like a sponge that helps not only clean out the intestinal tract but also detoxify the liver and blood. Many Ayurvedic experts hold a broader view of triphala, arguing that its many health diverse benefits stem from its rich store of potent nutrients.

Top 15 Benefits of Triphala

1.     Normalizes and improves digestive functioning.

2.     Alleviates constipation.

3.     Tones the gastrointestinal tract.

4.     Cleanses the bowels.

5.     Purifies the blood.

6.     Removes excess fats from of the body.

7.     Cleanses the liver. 

8.     Builds immunity and contains high levels of vitamin C

9.     Maintains good male and female reproductive health. 

10.  Nourishes and strengthens the respiratory tract. 

11.  Improves eyesight.

12.  Boosts voice quality. 

13.  Enhances hair color and strengthens hair roots.

14.  Provides polyphenols and other powerful antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress on the body.

15.  Contains anthraquinone, which helps stimulate peristalsis.

For optimal results, take no more than 1 ½ teaspoons of triphala 45 minutes after having dinner or just before bed. It’s best to boil the powder for 5 minutes in 1 cup of water, but it also can be taken with a spoonful of honey or in milk. Boiling the herbs helps break down the molecules, allowing for better absorption. Triphala is also available in tablet form. Consult an Ayurvedic practitioner for more detailed advice on how to use triphala to support optimal health.

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. 

Nighty Night Cap

For those who suffer from insomnia, a cup of warm spiced milk at bedtime is a gentle, effective alternative to a sleeping pill or a glass of wine. The traditional recipe for this Ayurvedic sleep aid uses raw cow’s milk, but almond milk is a suitable a replacement for individuals with lactose intolerance or milk sensitivities. The cardamom in the recipe helps counteract the tendency of the milk to promote mucus formation. Sip this soothing night cap just before turning in, and you’ll fall easily and deeply asleep in no time. You can also add cumin and coriander for a more cooling effect. If pitta is irritated, use maple syrup or Sucanat instead of honey for sweetening. Add a pinch of fresh vanilla bean to enhance the drink’s flavor and grounding effect. 

½–1 cup whole milk
½ tsp ghee
½–1 tsp cardamom powder
½–1 tsp cinnamon powder
1–2 tsp honey
pinch fresh ground nutmeg

Warm the milk and ghee with the cardamom and cinnamon. Place honey in bottom of drinking cup. Add the warm milk mixture to it. Do not use the same amount of honey and ghee by volume as this ratio of ingredients disturbs digestion. Add fresh ground nutmeg (its sedative quality supports peaceful sleep).

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. 

5 Easy Ayurvedic New Years Resolutions

We all have health goals that we would like to achieve in the coming year. To set ourselves up for success, we must first resolve to remain realistic about what we can change and stay focused on easy, practical approaches to improving our health and well-being. Ayurveda is a great source of simple, natural health tips that fit into your daily routine without requiring major sacrifices or massive effort, yet can totally change your life.  

1. Start your day with the right breakfast. What you eat first thing in the morning sets the stage for your entire day. Your digestion can either be boosted or totally extinguished depending on what you eat or don’t eat in the morning. Ayurveda teaches that the root cause of all disease is improper digestion. A hot whole-grain porridge, such as congee, is the ideal breakfast to kindle your digestive fire, improve nutrient absorption, and balance your metabolism. It’s easy to cook overnight in a crockpot so that when you wake up, your wholesome breakfast is ready to eat! 

2. Sip warm water with meals. You’ve heard how important it is to drink plenty of water. But maybe you haven’t heard that you should avoid iced water and drink warm water instead. Ayurveda teaches that iced or refrigerated drinks actually inhibit digestion and that warm water improves it. It is especially helpful to the digestive process to drink warm water  while you’re eating a meal—as long as you don’t overdo it. Drinking too much water during a meal dilutes the enzymes necessary to fully break down food, so sipping it is considered healthier than gulping big glassfuls. Gulping can be done in between meals! It may take a little time to get used to asking your waiter for water with no ice, or better yet, a mug of hot water with lemon, but the payoff is worth it. You will notice that you are digesting your meals much more efficiently and without suffering any gas or bloating.

3. Soothe your sinuses daily. Ayurveda teaches that it is extremely important to keep all of your internal cavities well oiled to prevent illness and support a long, healthy life. Many people can relate to having sinus problems, whether they manifest as seasonal allergies, chronic congestion, sinus infections, or headaches. Given that the mucous membranes in the sinuses are the first line of defense when air-borne impurities and irritants enter our body, we want to make sure that they stay in good working order. Dryness and inflammation of these tissues are major contributors to congestion and allergy symptoms. Neti pots are getting a lot of press these days as a great way to keep our sinuses clean. Less well known is the value of inserting a few drops of herbal oils into the nose each day to keep the sinus tissues healthy and supple. If done daily, even twice a day, you will avoid many of the colds, coughs, and headaches that keep you from enjoying consistent good health during the year.

4. Extend the benefits of lubrication to all the tissues of the body by giving yourself a warm oil massage. In Ayurveda, this restorative practice is known as abhyanga. It’s best to apply the warm oil all over your body right before a hot bath or shower so that the oil can easily penetrate into the deeper tissues and joints. Abhyanga serves to calm the nervous system, strengthen the joints and connective tissue, and stimulate the internal organs. It’s best to choose the type of oil that is appropriate for your Ayurvedic constitution, or you can simply use raw sesame oil, which is good for all types. One of the best things about abhyanga is that by doing this healing practice several times a week, you are paying close attention to your physical body in a loving and attentive way. We all could benefit from more self-love, and self-massage is an excellent way to practice this and reap some serious health benefits as well.

5. Daily detox. If you never did anything else for your health besides taking Triphala, you’d still be better off than most people. Triphala is one of the most important Ayurvedic herbal formulas because it serves as a powerful detoxifier for the digestive tract while at the same time rejuvenating the entire body. A clean internal environment is necessary for all our bodily systems to function well. Composed of three herbs, Triphala is extremely high in vitamin C and is balancing for all constitutional types. Triphala is unique in its ability to scrape accumulated toxins out of the intestinal tract so that nutrients can be properly absorbed and waste can be regularly eliminated. It cleanses the liver and the blood and benefits the eyes as well. There is a saying in India that goes something like this: “No mother? Do not worry if you have Triphala.” Triphala provides such a breadth of nourishment and protection that it has earned this comparison to the ultimate nurturer. It’s best to take Triphala one hour before bed so that its cleansing action can occur while no food is being eaten.

After sticking with these easy Ayurvedic New Year’s resolutions for even just a few weeks, you will notice such incredible improvements in your overall health that you won’t have to worry about falling off the wagon. A new sense of well-being comes from making these small but profoundly effective changes. Adopting these practices does require some discipline, but when the benefits become obvious with so little effort, they soon become a part of your normal routine.

Congee Recipe 
How do I prepare congee?
Congee is easily prepared overnight in a crockpot. If you do not have a crockpot, the grain mixture can be simmered on the stove over very low heat. It is important to cook the congee in pots made of clay, enamel, glass, or stainless steel. Do not use pots made of aluminum or iron, as chemicals from these materials can leach into your food.

Suggested cooking ingredients for 1 serving:
1 part grain (¼ cup)
5 parts water (1 ¼ cup)

Combine the ingredients in crockpot and cook on low overnight (8 hours). You should adjust the proportions of grain to water until the consistency of the congee appeals to you. Increase serving size as desired. To maximize the health benefits while enhancing the flavor, add spices that are appropriate for your condition (see suggestions below). Your health care practitioner may suggest adding specific flavorings or nuts, fruits, vegetables, or herbs that would be most beneficial to you.

Suggested congee grain combinations:
To reduce excess water weight, try brown rice/barley, cinnamon, and ginger. To strengthen the adrenals and stimulate digestion, combine millet/buckwheat/rye, allspice, and cinnamon.

Some options:
GRAINS: rice, millet, barley, rye, oat groats, spelt, quinoa, amaranth, wheat berries
SPICES: cinnamon, bay leaf, allspice, ginger, nutmeg, cloves
NUTS/FRUITS: jujube, lyceum berries, walnuts, dried cherries, almonds, pumpkin seeds
VEGGIES: sweet potato, carrots, pumpkin, spinach, squash
FLAVORINGS: molasses, honey, maple syrup, rice milk

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. 

Dhanwantharam Oil

In Ayurveda, application of herbal oils by means of massage is equivalent to injecting medicines into the body. Rubbing and kneading the surface the body helps send the herbal extracts that are infused in these oils into the circulatory system, extending their healing effects to all the organs and tissues. Massage also stimulates blood flow and releases tension from the muscles and the joints, improving flexibility, and speeding recovery from sports injuries. However, only a qualified person is permitted to perform such a massage, as there are specific methods of applying pressure in each part of the body, and a wrong method can worsen the injury or illness.

One of the most popular massage oils, Dhanwantharam, combines the extracts of 28 rare herbs, most of which are native to the Indian subcontinent. Dhanwantharam is recommended for all body types, particularly the vata and pitta types. Due to its rich supply of antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and vital nutrients, this herbal blend rejuvenates the body and skin and increases immunity. It is used to treat rheumatic and neurological diseases and chronic vata conditions and for prenatal and postnatal care. The oil also promotes regeneration of skin cells; improves skin texture; relieves stiffness, pain, and numbness; boosts blood circulation; and helps the skin get rid of toxins.

Another Ayurvedic technique that uses this lukewarm medicated oil to help manage the symptoms of several health conditions, including arthritis, spondylitis, nervous disorders, hemiplegia, and sexual weakness, is pizhichil. This procedure requires two to four Ayurvedic therapists who share the tasks of  rhythmically streaming the oil onto the client’s body and performing a gentle massage for 45 to 60 minutes. The therapy can be administered in a single day or over the course of 7 to 21 days, depending on the client’s health condition and constitution. This method is also recommended for healthy persons as a time-tested approach to rejuvenation and disease prevention.

When using Dhanwantharam oil as part of your daily routine (rather than as a treatment for a medical condition), pour a small amount into a container and heat it to 36–40 degree Celsius. Gently massage the oil into skin and let it soak in for an hour. Then remove the remaining oil with a clean washcloth or by rinsing off in a lukewarm shower. Never apply the oil directly to freshly injured skin, and be sure to store it someplace out of reach of children.

Ingredients in Dhanwantharam Oil

Some of the main ingredients in Dhanwantharam oil are cow’s milk, wild mallow, black sesame oil, Madras gram, Indian jujube, barley, wild asparagus, Spanish woodbine, ashwagandha, bael tree, snapdragon tree, Indian madder, headache tree, Indian trumpet flower, Pseudarthria viscida, Desmodium gangeticum, pink jacaranda, Indian sarsaparilla, Himalayan cedar, puncturevine, Aerva lanata, Solanum species, stone flower, fenugreek, sweet flag, rock salt, chebulic myrobalan, Indian gooseberry, beleric myrobalan, myrrh, golden gram, cinnamon, Vigna species, licorice, cardamom, and Indian dill.

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. 

How and Why Essential Oils Affect the Body

Essential oils consist of volatile, aromatic chemical compounds extracted from plants. The diverse compounds that make up these plant extracts—alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, phenols, terpenes, sesquiterpenes, ethers, and esters—exert multiple physiological effects, ranging from antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activity to immune system regulation and central nervous system stimulation and sedation. The power of essential oils to balance so many biological processes may’ve inspired the belief of some aromatherapists that the extracts embody the life force of plants. 

The routes through which essential oils react with the body and its metabolic processes are called pathways. The most important pathway, in terms of its impact on the body, is our sense of smell. When we smell essential oils, their vapors stimulate small hair-like extensions of our olfactory nerve. The olfactory nerve is the only nerve in the body that directly connects stimuli from our external environment with the surface of the brain. All of our other senses (touch, hearing, sight, and taste) interact with several nerves and synaptic junctions before the information they carry reaches the brain. The olfactory nerve stimulates the most primitive part of the brain known as the limbic system, also called the reptilian brain. This part of the brain plays a central role in our emotional responses and in the emotional content attached to our memories. 

Essential oils also interact with the body through the epithelial tissues; these include the skin and the mucous membranes lining the nasal passages, bronchioles, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. The oils will have a strong effect on these primary contact tissues and pathways. Once absorbed into the surface layer of these tissues, essential oils quickly enter the circulatory and lymphatic systems.  The lymphatic  system can either carry the oils directly to the liver or feed them into the bloodstream. As the blood circulates the oil throughout the body, our tissues and organs absorb the constituents they require to optimize their metabolic processes and balance their functioning.

Our elimination processes serve as the third pathway for essential oils. Some of the oil’s components are picked up by the surface of the lungs and released as a vapor when we exhale. For example, when eucalyptol (an alcohol in eucalyptus oil) travels to the lungs surfaces via the bloodstream, it exits the respiratory system as a vapor that calms the mucous membranes. Other components, such as the terpenes in juniper berry oil, are filtered out by the kidneys and serve to stimulate  the renal tissue, ureters, bladder, and urethra as they exit. Some constituents of essential oils are extracted by the liver, held briefly in the gall bladder, and dumped into the GI tract, significantly affecting the functioning of these organ systems as they pass through. For example rose oil can stimulate bile production as it is processed by the liver. Compounds that migrate toward the skin exit via the sebaceous glands and become part of the skin’s protective acid mantle. Components of yarrow can increase perspiration as they are excreted. 

These direct connections between essential oils and the organ systems that mediate our health and well-being explain why they can have such a profound and immediate effects on some of the deepest aspects of the self. Research indicates that only tiny, almost homeopathic quantities of these oils are needed to achieve meaningful results. Larger doses do not increase the response appreciably.

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. 

4 Ways to Maintain Healthy Joints

Few of us ever stop to appreciate just how vital our joints are for moving our bodies and navigating life as we know it. Healthy joints play a huge role in determining how comfortable we feel in our bodies. That’s why you need to listen to your joints when they talk to you. Do they complain at certain times of year or after specific types of activities? Or are they persistently disgruntled? Whatever the case, the following strategies will  help keep your joints happy and healthy.
 

1.     Practice Joint Rotations: Performing a series of gentle joint rotations every day helps nourish and protect the joints by improving blood circulation and increasing the flow of a lubricant called synovial fluid that cushions the joints. The following rotations should be repeated about 10 times in each direction for each joint. Begin by rotating your wrists slowly in each direction. Next, lay your right hand on your right shoulder and your left hand on your left shoulder and circle the shoulder joints with your elbows—first rotating backward and then forward. Then, with your arms hanging loosely at your sides, circle your shoulders backward and then forward. If you can gently circle your neck without discomfort, do a few repetitions in each direction. Now focus on your leg joints. Begin by folding one ankle over the opposite knee, and use one hand to gently turn your foot in circles around the ankle joint—first in one direction and then the other. Next stand up, bend your knees, and place your hands on your thighs (just above the knees). Circle your knees to the right and then to the left. Now, standing with your feet apart and your hands on your hips, trace wide circles with your hips—going clockwise first, then counterclockwise. To shorten this routine, concentrate your efforts on the joints that need the most help or reduce the number of repetitions you perform. And don’t forget to show a little love to your finger and toe joints by massaging them individually with gentle circular motions.

2.     Get Regular and Appropriate Exercise: To stay healthy and functional, your joints need to move. But keep in mind that moving them in the proper way is essential. Some activities involve movements that can damage your joints. The type of movement that is right for you depends on your constitution, your overall health, and any injuries, imbalances, or vulnerabilities you may have. In general, though, low-impact activities are best for your joints. 

3.     Practice Yoga Regularly: Yoga nourishes healthy joint cartilage by increasing blood flow and improves range of motion by circulating synovial fluid around the moveable joints. Yoga also infuses our bodies with prana, the life force. Practicing cat-cow pose is particularly beneficial for the vertebral joints along the spine. 

4.     Eat a Balanced Diet with Sufficient High-Quality Fats: Healthy joint tissue also requires proper nutritional support. Eat a diet that consists of a variety of foods, including high-quality fats, that are compatible with your constitution and that help keep your doshas in balance. Cultivating efficient agni (digestive fire) is also crucial. 

Source: Banyan Botanicals, An Ayurvedic Guide to Joint Health at https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/ayurvedic-living/living-ayurveda/health-guides/an-ayurvedic-guide-to-joint-health/.

To Supplement or Not to Supplement?

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Ayurveda teaches that you should get your daily nutrients from food as much as possible and that you can do this by eating plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, grains, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, healthy meats, and seaweed. That said, there are cases in which it makes sense to take vitamin supplements. Vegetarians should take vitamin B12 and possibly vitamin D, since they are missing out on these nutrients by not eating meat. Pregnant women should take extra folic acid. Those with osteoporosis will need to take calcium, magnesium, trace minerals like boron, and other supplements that support bone health. People recovering from a long illness may need to take certain immune-boosting supplements.

It’s important to keep in mind that decades of industrial farming practices have significantly depleted the nutrient content of the soil in which most of our food is grown. Consequently, our food is not as nutritious as it once was. With that in mind, you might be inclined to question the common wisdom that a varied diet fulfills all of our nutritional requirements. If so, you may want to consider taking a broad-spectrum mineral supplement or daily multivitamin. Whenever possible, ingest supplements that are extracted from whole food sources like fruits, vegetables, and grains. These nutrients are more bioavailable than synthetic versions, meaning they are more easily absorbed by your digestive system. The best ways to take vitamins and minerals in are in powdered form, as a liquid concentrate, or as an oil. Avoid taking megadoses or doses larger than recommended dietary reference intakes, no matter how good you think a particular nutrient is for your health. 

Supplementing your diet with vitamins should be the exception, not the rule; they are, after all, called supplements. Nutrients are much more accessible and easily processed by your body when they are consumed via food rather than supplements. Also, a person taking vitamins may mistakenly believe that eating a balanced diet is unnecessary. Remember, no supplement is a magic bullet that does as good a job of meeting your nutritional needs as a diet of healthy whole foods. 

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. 

Healing, Anti-aging Foods

For thousands of years, humans treated their bodies as personal laboratories for discovering which foods are therapeutic and which are poisonous. Prehistoric humans evaluated healthy and unhealthy foods based on their reactions to what they put in their mouths. Occasionally, eating a certain food, herb, or plant would bring relief from a particular ailment, and that food would be noted as possessing healing qualities. Over time, patterns emerged that evolved into long-standing principles governing healthy diet and nutrition. Based on thousands of years of experimentation and documentation, as well as the consensus of modern scientific research, it’s widely agreed that fresh fruits and vegetables should be humans' primary foods. Fruits and vegetables are low in fat and sodium, high in fiber, and, best of all, packed with powerful antioxidants crucial for maintaining your health. 

All whole, unprocessed foods from the earth—fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, and legumes, nuts, seeds—possess abundant healing properties. Take just one example: cranberries. Cranberries are antioxidant-rich and have been traditionally used in the prevention and treatment of urinary tract issues. While perceptive and health-conscious humans have recognized this truth for centuries, studies now show that cranberries contain hippuric acid, which inhibits the growth and attachment of various strains of bacteria, such as E. coli, to the bladder. Studies have also proved that cranberries improve dental health and help heal stomach ulcers by inhibiting the growth of H. pylori. Cranberries are merely one healing food in your arsenal of natural medicines that foster good health and longevity. As Hippocrates says, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”

In many studies of centenarians, the same ten foods have emerged again and again as common elements in the diets of long-lived individuals:

1.Sweet potatoes
2. Corn
3. Peanuts
4. Pumpkin
5. Walnuts
6. Black beans
7. Sesame seeds
8. Shiitake mushrooms
9. Green tea
10. Seaweed

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. 

Connecting Yoga through Breath

A proper understanding of the connections between yoga and Ayurveda is essential for the effective treatment of illness. Classical texts on yoga such as the Hatha Yoga Pradipika describe several asanas (body postures) and enumerate their benefits based on Ayurvedic principles. Ayurvedic practitioners developed yoga as a form of physical exercise that would support the recovery of diseased internal organs and help alleviate structural imbalances. By applying Ayurveda’s concept of the doshas and its understanding of disease and body qualities and functions to a daily physical routine, these practitioners extended Ayurveda’s healing powers to the asanas.

Most yoga practitioner restrict themselves by stating that an asana can help restore balance among the three doshas or address certain diseases that are explained in Ayurveda. Ayurveda mentions that all forms of therapy can be classified under two broad categories: Those that nourish the body, brmhaṇa, and those that remove imbalances from the body, langhana. Most methods of therapy suggested in Ayurveda fall under langhana, including both palliative and eliminative methods, because, in both, we are primarily reducing some body quality that is aggravated or present in excess. 

One reason that most Ayurvedic treatments start with the reduction or removal of imbalances is that a balanced state of being is a natural consequence of these therapies. Another reason is that treatment is basically dependent on the status of agni, or digestive fire. The central role of agni in maintaining balanced health is acknowledged in both yoga and Ayurveda. The primary purpose of all treatment and an important goal of practicing asanas is to keep the agni functioning well. 

Though both body positioning and breathing are integral to the practice of asanas, breathing is of greater importance in addressing many disorders of the body such as hypertension or diabetes, as well as in managing psychological disorders, such as depression and anxiety. Therefore, we need to choose a body position in which the person is able to breathe freely, emphasizing the appropriate component of the breathing cycle.  

For instance, inhalation helps to increase agni and activates metabolism, similar to the effect of  fanning flames. As a natural process of elimination, exhalation helps remove toxins and waste that dull the agni, enabling agni to function more efficiently. In many functional disorders, it is important to ensure that exhalation is performed correctly, even if inhalation is the component of breathing to be emphasized.

For brmhaṇa, the nourishing aspect of Ayurvedic therapy, to be effective, the agni has to be functioning properly. Otherwise, even if we consume nourishing foods and herbs, they will not be of use to our body, because agni is what allows our body tissues to assimilate nutrients. In many disease states, langhana is usually required first to remove the blockages in digestive energy. Only then will brmhaṇa be possible at all. This is why Ayurvedic texts suggest that even in a situation where brmhaṇa is necessary, it may be good to start with mild langhana first. However the converse of this principle does not apply: brmhaṇa is not to be done for a person who requires langhana.

Classical yoga texts explain the connection between the various types of pranayama (breathing exercises) and the three doshas and various other body qualities and functions. Specific types of pranayama can be used in decreasing the qualities of particular doshas when they are out of balance. Also, these texts relate breathing to the qualities of heat and cold in the body. They classify the types of pranayama as heating and cooling and also suggest that inhalation through the right nostril is heating, while inhalation through the left nostril is cooling. These specific connections between breathing and body qualities are one of the most important reasons that breath is more important to the management of health than asanas. 

Whatever style of yoga we adopt, a clear understanding of the relationship between body and mind and their relationship with breathing and food is essential in order to apply yoga and Ayurveda effectively in the treatment of illness. 

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. 

Ojas, the Pure Essence of all Bodily Tissues

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In yoga and Ayurveda we speak a lot of ojas; most people do not understand this term, nor do they recognize the importance of ojas. In Ayurveda, we believe ojas to be the pure essence of all bodily tissues. Ojas is the essence related to vitality and immunity in an individual. It is like honey. Just as the essence of hundreds of flowers is collected and distributed throughout the honeycomb by honeybees for the survival of the hive, ojas is circulated via the heart throughout all our tissues to maintain the body’s natural resistance to degeneration and illness.

In short, ojas can be described as our immune system. Ojas fights against aging, decay, and disease. It is a superfine biological substance that gives strength to all the body’s tissues. Although it may sound like an abstract concept, ojas is a protoplasmic, biological substance that includes albumin, globulin, and other proteins, as well many hormones. It is formed during biosynthesis of the bodily tissues. Modern medicine talks about ojas in terms of the immune system, which includes the hematopoietic, endocrine, nervous, and digestive systems. The Ayurvedic concept of ojas corresponds to substances recognized by modern medical science, including gamma globulin, which supports the immune function of the liver.

Immunity depends on the quality of the digestion, liver function, and the integrated functioning of all hormones in the endocrine system. It also involves the nervous, skeletal, and muscular systems. All these systems must perform their physiological functions harmoniously to maintain ojas. As the manifestation of this balanced state of health, ojas is our key source of strength and power and natural resistance to illness—in other words, our natural immunity. While we also have acquired immunity, which develops as a result of exposure to pathogens, our natural immunity—ojas—is our first line of defense against infection.  

Ojas has the power to counteract the etiological factors or cause of disease. Ojas is influenced directly by agni, or digestive fire, which determines the quality of assimilation and nutrition. These qualities of ojas also depend on our lifestyle, our exposure to stress and trauma, and the qualities of our relationships. If, for example, our relationships are unhealthy or damaged our ojas will be weak.

So how do we support our ojas? Building ojas is an art. Perhaps one of the best ways to consistently build ojas is to eat a diet of fresh, unprocessed whole foods in the appropriate season. Through the process of healthy digestion, microscopic amounts of the essence of these foods accumulate over time and become ojas. Ghee is an effective ojas-building substance that can be added to your daily diet. 

Ayurveda also prizes certain herbs, including ashwagandha and shatavari, as great ojas builders. Traditionally, a concoction of these herbs was blended with ojas-building foods like dates, almonds, coconut, saffron, ghee, honey, and cardamom in a milk base. This mixture was warmed and taken before bed as a sleep aid and an ojas builder to boot.

Other effective ways of building ojas include healthy lifestyle routines, such as good sleeping habits (early to bed, early to rise and not sleeping excessively), yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, walking in nature, laughing, expressing and showing love and affection, creativity, taking time and not rushing, doing things that make you happy,  giving to others, daily self-massage with oil, and daily self-love.
 

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. 

Yogi Tea

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When Yogi Bhajan was a military commander in India there was an epidemic among the troops. He ordered all of his men to fill their canteens with yogi tea and drink nothing else, not even water. His battalion was the only unit that didn’t get sick! Yogi tea purifies the blood, lungs, and circulatory system. It cleans the liver and has many more unseen benefits. It’s good to drink this tea every day.

• 1 gallon water

• 30 cloves

• 30 whole green cardamom pods

• 30 whole black peppercorns

• 1 finger of fresh ginger, thinly sliced

• 5 sticks cinnamon

• 1 teabag, black tea

• *Milk and honey to taste (*optional)

Instructions:

1. Bring water to boil.

2. Add all spices (but leave out the black tea bag). Boil 30–45 min. Longer is stronger.

3. Finally, add black tea bag and boil another 5 minutes. The black tea is added last because it amalgamates the spices and seals in their flavor. Also the tannins make it easier for the body to assimilate the spices.

4. If adding milk and honey, do so after adding the tea bag and letting it steep—or add milk and honey to individual cup or a small batch. That way you can store the raw tea in the fridge and prepare with milk and honey as you go.

5. If you go cup by cup, you can leave the raw tea on the stove on the lowest flame to enjoy all day.

Milk helps to ease the shock of the spiciness on the stomach and intestines, so drink with milk if you’re prone to digestive upsets. You use rice or almond milk if you’re sensitive to dairy. 

Note: For a stronger tea you can let the spices sit and sink to the bottom. If the tea gets really strong, you can add milk or dilute it with a little water.

Ayurvedic Fasting

"The greatest discovery by modern man is the power to rejuvenate himself physically, mentally , and spiritually with rational fasting." 

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Fasting is considered an important medicine in Ayurveda, as long as it is not a long-term fast that would deplete the individual. It’s nature’s ancient, universal remedy for numerous ailments. By expelling ama (toxic buildup) from our digestive system, fasting frees up energy for healing and  strengthens the immune system. 

In modern life, we are bombarded with many new fads in fasting, juice cleansing, lemon fasts, water fasts—the list goes on. It’s hard to know which are helpful and which are harmful. In Ayurveda, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to fasting. Furthermore, some of these popular fasts can actually be detrimental if they’re incompatible with an individual’s unique constitution. A fast that may be good for one person isn’t necessarily good for another. It is important to take your constitution into consideration when choosing a fast. 

Fasting in a larger context means to abstain from that which is toxic to the mind, body, and soul. One way to approach fasting is to think of it as the elimination of physical, emotional, and mental toxins from our being, rather than simply cutting down or stopping food intake. Fasting for spiritual purposes usually involves some degree of removal of oneself from worldly responsibilities. It can mean complete silence and social isolation during the fast, which can be immensely restorative to those of us who have been directing our energy outward. When fasting with a spiritual intent, one withdraws from everything that is toxic to the mind, body, and spirit. This allows the mind to become freer, to achieve higher states of spiritual communion, and to release ama from the mind and the body. 

Ayurvedic fasting is an effective way to kindle the digestive fire and burn away accumulated toxins from the body and mind. It also eliminates gas, makes the body light, improves mental clarity, and preserves overall health. Ayurveda favors regular, short-term fasting over infrequent, long-term fasting. Short-term fasting could entail fasting on the same day each week or setting a few days aside each month to fast, depending on your constitution and cleansing requirements. Ayurveda suggests that  a more extended fasting is best at the change of each season. According to Ayurveda, fasting for up to a week can cause metabolic imbalances that can take months to rectify. 

In determining the appropriate type and length of a fast, it’s important to take into account your constitution, digestive strength, level of ama, and overall vitality. It’s never advisable to deplete your energy during a fast. If you’re new to fasting or have a chronic illness, we recommend consulting an Ayurvedic practitioner for specifically tailored guidance.

If you are of vata constitution you should never fast on water or undertake any other severely restricted diet, nor should you fast for more than two days at a time. Consuming light foods, such as kitchari and conjee, is a good option for the vata constitution. Vata individuals can fast once a month or at the change of seasons. 

Pitta individuals can fast on liquids, such as, fruit or vegetable juices and broths or on lightly cooked vegetables, but never on water alone. Pitta should never skip on quantity. Ideally they should consume diluted fruit juices, like prune, grape, or pomegranate. Cucumber juice, which is both astringent and bitter in taste, is another good choice, and they should avoid strong, sour-tasting juices. Fasts can last two to three days, and it is suggested that pitta types fast only four times a year, at the change of the seasons. If you are of vata-pitta constitution please add kitchari to your fast, or focus on grounding vegetable broths. 

Kapha individuals can easily do prolonged water fasts if they so choose. Otherwise, they many use raw juices or warm vegetable broths. For kapha people to maintain good, strong digestion, they should do weekly fasts, picking one day each week to fast. Kapha types should avoid strong-tasting sweet and sour juices.  

Sipping warm teas throughout the day is also a highly effective way to flush out accumulated toxins from the body. Simply place the ingredients in a medium saucepan with 4 cups filtered water, bring the water to a boil for 5 minutes, and then steep for 2 to 5 minutes. Always add the lemon while the tea is steeping. Strain into a teapot or thermos.

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

• ½ teaspoon coriander seeds

• 1 cinnamon or licorice stick 

• 10 fresh basil leaves 

• Squeeze of lemon juice

Simple fresh ginger tea and a squeeze of lemon is a good option as well. 

Note: In juicing, please do not combine fruit and vegetables juices, and be sure to use no more than two different fruits or vegetables at a time. Otherwise slow digestion and bloating could result, and you could reverse the beneficial effects of fasting. It’s best to choose a fasting period in which you’ll be able to follow a peaceful, nonstressful routine. We recommend following daily and nightly routines based on Ayurvedic principles. It’s also important always to break your fasts properly. The most important rule to remember is to begin eating again gradually, slowly working your way up to solid foods.

Disclaimer
The sole purpose of these articles is to provide information about the tradition of Ayurveda. This information is not intended for use in the diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. 

Mung Dal Soup: Highly Nutritious and Detoxifying

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This highly nutritious Ayurvedic recipe detoxifies the body, kindles agni (digestive fire), and sharpens the mind. It promotes weight loss, reducing swelling and water retention. Mung beans are available from health food shops, Indian grocers, and some supermarkets. They come in green or yellow varieties. Green is more detoxifying. To relieve symptoms of toxic buildup and sluggish digestion, eat only mung bean soup for three to seven days and nothing else! You can eat as much as you need to satisfy your appetite, once the previous meal has digested (leave three to four hours  between each meal). Make up a fresh batch for each day, reheating only as much as you need for each meal so the meal is as full of prana (energy) as possible. A food thermos will keep the soup from losing its nutritional punch if you don’t have a kitchen for preparing a fresh batch at work. Try not to use a microwave!

Less gas producing and easier to digest than other legumes, mung beans help remove toxins from the body (including heavy metals!) and boost gut health. The following nutrient-rich mung bean soup recipe will balance all three doshas and detoxify your body by cleansing the liver, gall bladder, and vascular system of any ama (undigested toxins).

• 400 grams mung beans (whole green or split green or yellow

• Ghee or olive oil for sautéing

• ½ tsp. turmeric powder
  2 pinches asafoetida

• 2 liters water; fresh ginger root
  2–3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 inch of fresh root ginger, chopped
  1 tsp cumin seeds 
  1 tsp coriander seeds 

• Rock salt or herb salt

• Choice of spices

• Lime or lemon juice
  

Makes 5 generous portions

Wash the mung beans and soak for at least four hours or overnight. Heat ghee or olive oil in a pan, and add teaspoon of turmeric and 2 pinches asafoetida (to prevent gas). Sauté for a few seconds and then add the beans, fresh water, and fresh root ginger root. For one part soaked mung beans, you need about four parts of water. Simmer for 30–40 minutes, adding more water if necessary, until beans are soft. In  a pressure cooker, this takes 8 minutes once the desired pressure is reached. You can then turn off the heat and leave the pot to cool for an additional 10 minutes before opening it. Once the beans are cooked, heat ghee or olive oil in another pan, add 2–3 cloves chopped garlic (if you wish), and sauté lightly for a minute until soft. Add chopped fresh ginger root, then one teaspoon of cumin and coriander seeds plus any other herbs or spices (except chilies)—e.g., cardamom, black pepper, cumin seeds—and briefly sauté. Add these sautéed spices plus some rock salt to the beans, and simmer for a few more minutes. Serve soup warm with a squeeze of lime juice and some fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped. You can also add green leafy vegetables, pumpkin, leeks,  courgette, fennel, parsley, mint, coriander, or basil, as well as yams, carrots, and other seasonal veggies. The addition of 1 teaspoon of ghee, or—if you are vegan or do not like the taste of ghee—1 teaspoon of an omega 3/6/9 oil, will enrich the soup with beneficial fats. Omega oils should be added to food after it has cooled down a bit to prevent them from breaking down into harmful compounds. These oils are not heat stable, which also makes them unsuitable for cooking.