Resources - Healthy Ayurveda
Resources
Vasant Ritucharya
Vasant Ritucharya Introduction After the chilly winter it’s that time of the year again – Yes, Spring season. Spring is certainly my favourite season of the year. As the spring season sets in, the earth looks lovely and charming. The trees put forth new leaves and the sight of beautiful flowers blooming brings a smile to all our faces. As a matter of fact spring is the season of beautiful flowers. But have we ever wondered what happens to our body in this season ?? During Spring the Climate gets warmer and the heat reduces the digestive power of body, As a result Kapha increases leading to various diseases like Cough, Cold, Allergies, Sinusitis, Indigestion to name a few. It is a known fact that Spring is the time of year for seasonal allergies. As the trees start to bloom and the p...
Seasons in the Light of Ayurveda
The saints of Ayurveda observed how the elements are involved in the different seasons and times of day. They brought to light the importance of understanding this in order for us to prevent imbalance and disease. Summer When the heat escalates and summer comes, the fiery, sharp and light qualities of pitta increase in the body and mind. It may appear that during this time, the digestive fire should be strong; however, due to certain physiological factors, it is not. Hence, it is very important to follow proper discrimination regarding what is good for us and not to indulge in what the mind and senses attract. For example, ice cream is a common food during summer, and while there is nothing wrong with a little ice cream during the heat of summer, we have to resist the desire ...
Preventative Care With Ayurveda ― Prevention Better Than Cure
Ayurveda Is A Preventative Science. The main focus of Ayurveda is on health instead of disease. For this reason, maintaining health and preventing disease takes precedence over cure. Optimum health and vitality are achieved through the most appropriate diet to fit with one’s own individual body-mind constitution. Quite simply, we are formed by the food we eat and the things we do. By determining the best selection of food items and correct activities, it is possible to guarantee a long life with good immunity and strong stamina. Food as Medicine or Poison In Ayurveda, proper diet is regarded as the foundation of good health. However, diet is tricky; food can be medicine for one person but poison for another. The key is to understand one’s own constitution and power of digestion. Then one w...
Maintaining Good Digestion With Ayurveda – A Pillar of Good Health
Maintaining Good Digestion With Ayurveda According to Ayurveda, one of the main causes of all diseases is rooted in the impairment of the body’s main principle called Agni, the fire of digestion. A faulty fire leads to improper functioning of the tissue fires and can lead to poor synthesis of tissues. Visualize your digestion as a fire in the stomach; you need to provide the proper fuel and conditions so that it can burn optimally. If you dampen the fire or do not feed it, it will burn out. If you feed it too much or with the wrong fuel, it will burn too hot and be out of control. When Agni (fire of digestion) is strong, we are free from symptoms such as: Irregular appetite Bloating Loud or smelly gas Constipation Excessive burping Intense and unbearable hunger Abdominal cramping Aci...
Importance of Being Mindful While Eating
Avoid multitasking. We can only focus on one thing at a time. Charak Samhita , the ancient Ayurvedic text containing the conversation between the medical sage Atreya and his disciple Agnivesa, states that there is no multiplicity of the mind. The mind is only one and therefore only one sense faculty is motivated at a time; all sense organs are not active simultaneously. It may appear as if we can taste the food and at the same time watch television, however, this is not correct. In reality the various sense faculties are active in a consecutive order, and can be observed when attending to the subtleties of what happens while taking food. Food for Thought ~We are what we think. The importance of positive thinking is well-known and while eating we should pay attention to what thoughts and fe...
What’s Your Mind?
I don’t have to tell you about the body/mind/spirit connection. YOU KNOW THIS. You know that when your body is not feeling well, your mind is focused on the suffering of the body and your spirit is praying for relief. When your body feels great and your mind is focused on good thoughts, your spirit soars. When your body feels good and the mind is taking in bad images, your spirit has difficulty soaring and eventually the body won’t feel good. There are many combinations in mind body spirit equation. You get the picture, you’ve been there, done that, bought the T-Shirt. “Ayurveda is the complete study and practice of maintaining, restoring and rejuvenating the body/mind complex so that the spirit can soar and uplift you and society as a whole.” Ayurveda is HUGE! There is nothing in thi...
Agni: The Fire of Digestion
Agni: The Fire of Digestion In Ayurveda we place a strong emphasis on digestion. In fact, when treating illness, correcting the digestion is almost always the first line of treatment. Digestion is said to be the work of fire element in the body (called agni in Sanskrit). It is this fire that digests our food, provides us with warmth and produces the glow of good health. A properly nourished body with a balanced digestive fire aligns itself with nature and self-adjusts to weather the small shifts and ups and downs of daily life. In fact, sometimes just by improving digestion we can clear up stubborn health problems without any further treatment. On a bigger scale though, agni is the agent of all transformation. Agni provides our actual capacity to transform the food—and situations, thoughts...
Kapha ~ Basic Management
THE BASICS FOR MANAGING KAPHA TYPES: When we think of kapha types we often think of loyal and compassionate individuals with a stable quality about them. This unique stability of kapha arises from the predominant elements of both water and earth which can also make kapha types vulnerable to cold, moist, slow and heavy characteristics. Therefore, management for kapha types is centered around: Warming Drying Lightening TASTES TO PACIFY KAPHA: Ayurveda describes an interesting relationship of taste and its influence upon the body. According to this philosophy, kapha types often are most balanced by pungent, bitter, and astringent tastes as these tastes are considered to be drying and lightening in nature with catabolic actions. KAPHA IN A NUTSHELL: slow digestion, weight gain, congestion, ede...
The Fundamental Question ~ What is Ayurveda?
THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION ~ WHAT IS AYURVEDA? Today we explore the fundamental question, what is Ayurveda? Perhaps many people would initially respond by saying Ayurveda is an ancient science of life. Others may stress the importance that Ayurveda is an eloquent way of explaining the natural qualities of nature and because these qualities of nature naturally do not change, the science of Ayurveda then is a science of antiquity; timeless. This post is designed simply to introduce the concept of Ayurveda to the general public. Many of us have never heard about Ayurveda and if so, may have only just recently heard of it. I open this discussion so that leading experts in the field of Ayurveda can expand and inform us of the importance and necessity for imbibing the wisdom of Ayurveda. INQUIRY: ...
Pitta ~ Basic Management
THE BASICS FOR MANAGING PITTA TYPES: The very first thing which should come to mind when thinking of pitta is the brilliant blaze of fire. Pitta types are hot, fiery, oily, and intense. Therefore, management for pitta types is centered around: Cooling Calming and Moderation HEALTHY DOSE OF LOVING COMPASSION: Since pitta types also have an inflammatory component, which is inherent to the element of fire, make sure to address pitta types with an extra dose of loving compassion. TASTES TO PACIFY PITTA: Ayurveda describes an interesting relationship of taste and its influence upon the body. According to this philosophy, pitta types often are most balanced by sweet, bitter and astringent tastes as these are considered to be cooling and pacifying. PITTA IN A NUTSHELL: intense, acidity, irritabil...
VATA ~ Basic Management
THE BASICS FOR MANAGING VATA TYPES: The management of vata types can be explained in just one word, “relax”. Vata individuals are made primarily of the air element and therefore, just like the wind, are always moving. Due to the ‘air’ element, vata types often experience cold, dry, light, and mobile qualities. Therefore, from a simple perspective, management for vata types is centered around principles of: – Warming – Moistening and – Weight promoting Ayurveda describes an interesting relationship of taste and its influence upon the body. According to this philosophy, vata types often are most balanced by sweet, sour and salty tastes. Interestingly, these tastes [sweet, sour and salty] are considered to be moistening and nutritive in action; the very management goals for ...