The Divine Demon Rahu The Divine Demon Rahu was known for his devout spiritual practice, but was rich in desire for both life, and sensory experience. Through his spiritual practice Rahu gained clarity as to where The Gods were drinking Amrit, the immortal nectar or celestial ambrosia, and saw an opportunity to impose as a God In order to drink the divine beverage. Quickly Surya The Sun and Chandra the moon alerted Vishnu the preserver of the universe of Rahu’s convoluted plans. Shortly thereafter Vishnu came down and threw his sharp disc in order to cut Rahu’s head off. At the same time that Rahu’s head was being cut off he tasted the Amrit and was granted Immortal dominion and empowered as two shadow planets, Rahu representing a top half with no body symbolizing Rahu...
The Breath, Poop & Weight Test It’s hard to be sexy when you’re sick. Though our noses are not nearly as sensitive as those of many animals, humans are still wired to sniff out when people are not well… and to avoid them. But the reverse is also true: radiant health is very attractive, to both men and women, and it make sense to cultivate it if for nothing else but to attract a quality partner. There is an aphorism that says: “The root of dharma, prosperity, enjoyment, and freedom is good health. Diseases take this away, as well as goodness and life itself.” This reminder of how important health is not only to love and romance, but practically every area of life comes from the āyurvedic author Charaka. Health stands as an asset and disease is a liability to achieving our goals, ...
Is Health Really Just The Absence Of Disease? The concept of health is so familiar that many of us never really give much thought about what it really means. The most common response to such a question is – “the absence of disease”. Is health really just the absence of disease? The ancient wisdom of Ayurveda sees each person as not being a set of parts, but as a whole and for one to be considered healthy – the body, mind, and consciousness must be balanced. More specifically, Sushruta the father of surgery and teacher of Ayurveda explained health as being when the digestive fire [“agni”] is balanced; the bodily humors [vata-pitta-kapha] are in equilibrium; the three waste products [urine, feces, and sweat] are eliminated properly; the senses function normally; and the bo...
Holistic Ways To Improve Your Relationship Relationships can be challenging — there’s no arguing that one. From minor disagreements to seemingly insurmountable differences, keeping a partnership happy, healthy and mutually fulfilling takes commitment and work, but it’s certainly possible. Knowing your partner’s predominant dosha(s) and tendencies can help take much of the mystery (and dare I say frustration?) out of relationship woes. Knowledge allows for insight, and insight for patience and compassion. Vata Vata-dominant types are quick, creative and expressive. They are quick to learn, quick to forget, and may get cold easily. When in balance, they are stimulating company — they have amazing intellects. Out of balance, they can become stressed out, nervous, worried — a...
7 Healthy Habits To Help Improve Your Life One of the factors on how well we age is not determined by our genes but how well we live. Don’t believe this statement? A study published by the British Medical Journal demonstrates that we can reduce the risk of having a stroke by 50% by doing four simple things – being active for 30 minutes/day, eating 5 servings of fruit and vegetables, and avoiding excess alcohol and cigarettes. Even further, research consistently reveals that keeping unnatural routines can eventually weaken the body’s immune system and general wellbeing. Therefore, one way to promote health is to bring one’s routine into accordance with nature’s rhythm. Nature is characterized by regular cycles and a large part of being healthy is simply learning how to live in accorda...
How To Overcome Fatigue & Tiredness We tend to blame fatigue on a “too-busy lifestyle” and much of the time we’re right. However, if you feel tired all the time, it’s not something to overlook. According to the CDC, chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, is a debilitating and complex disorder characterized by profound fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity. About one million Americans suffer from CFS. The challenge with chronic fatigue and extreme tiredness is that its root cause can often be challenging to trace. Due to its complexity, doctors often recommend a battery of tests to rule out possible causes; i.e. thyroid conditions, sleep disorders, depression, anemia, etc. However, the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda has a practical appr...
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...
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 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 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...
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...
Jyotish – Planetary Blessings & Mantras 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. Vedic astrology is part of a large integrated system of philosophy called the Vedas. The fundamental principles used in Vedic Astrology can also be found linked to its related systems, such as Ayurveda, “the science of life”; and Vastu, “the science of space”. Sun – Sunday Blessed and Holy Sun!! The Sun embodies inspiration, confidence, power, and generosity. May we all come to know the Divine Surya, which bestows light, truth, wisdom, leadership, and vitality. The Sun sules Sunday, ...