Ayurveda
How To Reduce Stress & Improve The Sense Of Wellbeing
How To Reduce Stress There is no event in life which is intrinsically stressful. However, stress by which we mean psychological stress may not be any more “real” than any other thought within the mind. Likewise, not all stress is considered equal and not all stress need be harmful. For example, it’s only natural to feel the excitement about an upcoming event [i.e. your wedding] while at the same time feel nervous. Interestingly, this motivated yet stressful state of the mind is sometimes referred to as eustress, or “good stress” which may be beneficial for meaningful and purposeful action. However, if this state of stress or heightened state of arousal goes unchecked – we often can feel stressed out! “Wherever a thought goes, a chemical goes with it.” – Deepak Chopra Tu...
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10 Health Benefits Of Tulsi [“Holy Basil”] – The Holiest Of All Plants!!
Health Benefits Of Tulsi Tulsi or “Holy Basil” is revered as the holiest of all plants and is considered a manifestation of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. According to legend, “All-Pervading” Vishnu comforted Lakshmi that she will be born on earth as Tulsi, but only part of her will stay there as a plant as she will eventually return to him as his wife. Tulsi which means “the incomparable one” is originally from India and is used in Ayurvedic medicine as an “adaptogen” to help counter life’s stresses. Medicine is made from the leaves, stems, and seeds of Tulsi and shown to possess healing benefits for a wide rage of health conditions such as the common cold, fevers, diabetes, asthma, bronchitis, heart disease and so much more. Even more impressive, research is beginning to suggest...
5 Simple Ways To Balance Kapha Dosha – Ancient Wisdom For Balance & Stability
5 Simple Ways To Balance Kapha Dosha According to Ayurveda, there are three doshas called vata, pitta, and kapha. We can think of these three doshas as the guiding principles that keep all our bodily functions balanced and healthy. “Health results from the natural, balanced state of the doshas. Therefore, the wise try to keep them in their balanced state.” – Charak Samhita What Is Kapha Dosha? Kapha, made up of the properties of earth and water, embodies structure and stability. Earth and water … slow, stable, down to earth, slow to anger, and easygoing! The Kapha-dominant take their sweet time, too. If you’ve heard the expression, “Slow and steady wins the race,” that’s a good example of Kapha. Kaphas may be slow to get going, but they are dependable and dedicated. At their health...
5 Health Tips For Winter Season – Balancing Vata Dosha
5 Health Tips For Winter Season Winter is the season when the earth’s energy withdrawls back into herself as nature slows down with cold, damp, and heavy qualities. Because of these cold qualities – many people experience signs and symptoms of vata aggravation [anxiety, insomnia, etc] especially during the early part of winter season. Here are some simple ways to remain cozy and healthy during winter season while balancing vata dosha. Vata Dosha – Flow & Motion Vata dosha governs flow and motion in the mind and body — the movement of thoughts across our minds; memory; food moving through our digestive tract; elimination of wastes; the flow of our blood; and our breath. For the movement of all three doshas — Vata makes it happen; it’s the leader! Since the oth...
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Gut Health & “Ama” [Toxins]
Gut Health & “Ama” Over the course of a lifetime, we ingest roughly 50 tons of nutrients and our ability to properly digest these nutrients determines to a large extent the state of our health. “Ama” is a concept of Ayurveda which can be best understood as the accumulation of toxic metabolic by-products at various levels of physiology. More simply, ama is the by-product of poor digestion and according to the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda – ama is the root cause of nearly all diseases. Ayurveda states that proper diet and optimal digestion are the major pillars of good health. Similarly, optimal function of the GI tract requires proper mucosal integrity and a balanced microbial ecosystem in the gut. In essence, “gut health” relies on “good bacteria”. Any compromise...
Nature’s Greatest Antioxidant
Nature’s Greatest Antioxidant The continuous production of free radicals in the body is inescapable and living in the modern world is a recipe for free radicals. Free radicals are molecules [i.e. oxygen] that have lost an electron and therefore become very reactive, unstable, and damaging. Being reactive and unstable, free radicals attempt to steal electrons from neighboring cells which can disrupt normal cellular activity. For example, if free radicals attack the cell membrane, enzymes, or even DNA this can produce a chain reaction of cellular destruction. Even worse, if DNA is altered this can lead to cellular dysfunction, mutations, and even cancer. Antioxidants – Your Defense Against Free Radicals According to the NIH [National Institute Of Health], antioxidants are substa...
How To Manage IBS Naturally
How To Manage IBS Naturally For many people, the symptoms of IBS are so severe that they can’t even leave their home or have to plan their day-to-day activities around trips to the bathroom. There are nearly 60 million Americans who have disabling symptoms of IBS such as bloating, cramps, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain only to have it dismissed as a “functional” or “psychosomatic” disease; disease caused by the mind. According to Ayurveda, the symptoms of IBS resemble most of what was described many thousand of years ago – a condition called “grahani”. “Grahani” is considered the seat of digestive enzymes [“Agni”] and if impaired, can lead to altered intestinal motility. The predominant symptoms of IBS are alternating diarrhea and constipation accompanied by abdomi...
Is Arthritis Due To Gut Disturbance?
Is Arthritis Due To Gut Disturbance? Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, is the most common form of arthritis and according to the CDC, over 52 million Americans have been told by a doctor that they have some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, or fibromyalgia. Interestingly, the ancient science of Ayurveda has long described three basic types of musculoskeletal joint diseases, namely sandhivata [osteoarthritis], amavata [rheumatoid arthritis], and vata rakta [gout], that are characterized by pain and swelling of the joints. Management for each type of arthritis is unique, as we shall discuss below, but for nearly all cases, it’s important to acknowledge that arthritis begins in the colon. “All disease begins in the gut.” – Hippocrates Accordin...
Natural Ways To Manage Stress + Herbs To Enhance The Mind
Healthy & Natural Ways To Manage Stress Stress is inevitable and we all respond to stress differently as there’s no “one size fits all” solution to managing stress. It’s as if stress walks in and out of our lives on a regular basis and at times – walks all over us. Fortunately, the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda identifies three important pillars of good health which are needed in order to achieve a state of wholeness and balance. Diet Sleep Lifestyle Healthy Diet According to Ayurveda, perfect health begins with perfect digestion. Ayurveda speaks of the digestive fire (“Agni“), located in the stomach, as being the primary location where either health or disease begins. According to Ayurveda mostly all diseases start in the digestive system; this also includes the ...
Becoming Whole, Complete, & Perfect
Becoming Whole, Complete, & Perfect Ayurveda is based on the concept of balance. The primary goal of Ayurveda is to identify each person’s state of balance, determine where one may be imbalanced and ultimately provide the most personalized care one needs to experience perfect health; Body-Mind-Soul. Knowing nature to be whole, complete, and perfect – good health implies restoring health naturally to a state of balance. The first step in correcting any imbalance is becoming more aware of the underlying cause. According to Ayurveda, disease is caused by the overuse or misuse of the body, mind, and emotions. Essentially, misuse is doing anything against your personal nature and the ancient Ayurveda recognizes the unique needs of each individual. “Any treatment that attends only to t...
Vedic Astrology – A Quick Guide To Vedic Astrology
A Quick Guide To Vedic Astrology Jyotisha is derived from the Sanskrit language and means “light, heavenly body”. Therefore, jyotish [Vedic Astrology] is ‘the science of light’ and is a sophisticated science originating from the ancient Vedic traditions of India. Jyotish [Vedic Astrology] is distinctly different from what we consider astrology in the west. The main difference is that Jyotish relies on sidereal zodiac which is based on the fixed, observable positions of the constellation as we them in the sky. On the other hand, western astrology uses tropical zodiac which relies on the relative and changeable positions of the sun. Aries Ascendant Mars is the ascendant Lord for Aries and Ayurveda looks upon mars as being a pitta planet. Aries individuals have a moderate b...
5 Natural Ways To A Healthy Heart
5 Natural Ways To A Healthy Heart Heart disease is a complex disease process and it’s hard to overstate the impact that cardiovascular disease (CVD) has in the world. The likelihood that we will develop heart disease depends on numerous factors, including genetics, diet, lifestyle, and environment. Unfortunately, heart disease is one of the most misdiagnosed and mistreated health condition in medicine. To gain perspective, consider for the moment, the following: – Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the U.S. – Every 20 seconds, someone in the United States has a heart attack. – One in four Americans has some form of heart disease. – Every 34 seconds someone in the United States dies of heart disease. – Heart disease takes more lives...