ayurveda – Adena Rose Ayurveda

Posted on August 9, 2017August 18, 2017 by Adena Rose

Here’s how I use Ayurveda Everyday

There are Ayurvedic doctors who specialize in working with patients with advanced diseases. Ayurveda can certainly be utilized to heal.

I use Ayurveda, and I teach my clients to use it, everyday. It’s how I feel what’s happening in my body, and see the patterns in what’s going on around me. It’s how I integrate body, mind, and soul in day to day life. It’s how I stay sane, stay connected to what’s true, as things shift around me (because you know what they say, the only thing constant is change.)

I am an action taker. A fixer. I want to know what I can do. So Ayurveda is helpful for me, because it’s so logical. And there are plenty of action steps.

Here is how I used Ayurveda, in the last few days:

When I woke up with a tummy ache, and realize it’s gas, I make ginger tea and I feel better. Because I know that it is now the Vata time of year, and that gas is excess of Vata. So instead of choosing cold granola and milk, I choose ginger tea and eggs for breakfast. I am soothed. I feel better.

When I wake up at 2:30am and feel clear and wide awake, I make a mental note that I will do more abhyanga this week. Because I know that in the rhythm of the day, that is Vata time of day. And again, it’s Vata time of year. And abhyanga (self massage) will calm down that excess Vata. The next night, after doing self massage that day, I sleep through the night.

I feel the cravings for salty and sour foods. I buy pickles and stock up on my Himalaya salt. I crave meat, and buy a whole chicken from the farm, making soup and bone broth. I remember, that the qualities of heaviness and oiliness in meat balance Vata dosha, And that my craving for pickles in the craving for sour, which also brings balance to Vata dosha. And it’s that time of year, again. I listen to my cravings, because I know the helpful from the ‘unhelpful’ from practice over the years. And I trust that what my body says I need, I do.

I feel the spacey feelings I felt over the weekend settling, and I feel truly stable. I feel so satisfied by the meals I prepare from these ingredients.

For most of us, it feels good to know ‘why’ we are doing something. And it’s easy to have faith in something when you have the experience that it works. Like, I feel better, either pretty immediately, or I see results within the next day or two. That’s going to help Ayurveda’s patterns hit home. Going to help the language land in the tangible, from the cerebral.

One of my most influential teachers always reminds me “Ayurveda takes time.” I understand this on multiple levels now. Ayurveda takes time to learn because it is a vast science, ranging from astrology to pathology. It takes time because I live in a body, and it’s learning the language of the body. It takes time, because the self healing is done so in line with the seasons, it can’t all be done or known at once, or even in one year. It takes time to travel through different stages of life, where there are different needs, where the body and mind go through different challenges, to learn how Ayurveda fits in.

I started studying yoga 10 years ago. I started studying Ayurveda 3 years after that. Sometimes I truly feel like I can see two paths that branch off from those starting points – and the one without the tools I’ve learned is truly scary to me.

Without yoga to help me stay present in my mind and body, I might have gotten caught up in alcohol and depression after a bad breakup years ago.
Without Ayurveda I might have severe eczema up and down my arms
Without Ayurveda I may not have found the work and job I love
Without Ayurveda my pregnancy and post partum might have been full of a hellish depression
Without Ayurveda and yoga my fear and anger might have taken over my body and mind
Without Ayurveda I might have severe constipation and digestive distress
Without Ayurveda I might have severe seasonal allergies, joint pain, etc, etc…

Do you see that there are two paths ahead of you? Do you feel like you’re at a crossroads, and it’s time to make a choice? I totally recommend deepening your study of Ayurveda. Study with me starting September 30th, 2017.

Do you have question about your “two paths”? Email me (adena at adenaroseayurveda dot com), or Apply for this Fall’s course today.

Love,

Adena

Posted on June 25, 2014June 25, 2014 by Adena Rose

Finding your rhythm and balance

Once I heard this word – Ayurveda – it seemed to pop up everywhere I looked.

The Yoga Journal article in which I found the story of the sage (I shared in my last newsletter, ‘What I did when I was down‘) also had articles about food as medicine. About this idea that we could heal ourselves by knowing what to eat.

This was a whole new level of eating well, and this was the level I wanted to know about.<<tweet if you do, too

I had always loved to cook, so I wanted to truly know if I was eating right for me.

So I started school for Ayurveda, it was a cascade of self-exploration. We can never really guess what’s going to be behind any new door we open. After the first class, I decided to dive into the whole shebang, the practitioner’s program, and dedicate my life to this stuff. Most people who start learning about Ayurveda fall in love, and think that’s what they want to do, too. But I will go ahead and say it’s a challenging path career-wise.

And, really – though it sounds so cheesy – the best part about studying Ayurveda is and using it for yourself and your family. Whether when health concerns arise, or where Ayurveda is at it’s best, as preventative medicine and living mindfully for the rest of your life.

When I was contemplating taking on another large load of debt to study (and be unsure of a career path on the other side), one of my classmates said, “think about it, if nothing else, it’s like investing in health insurance for the rest of your life.” This was all I needed to hear – and this was before all this Obama-care stuff. I could get behind this kind of plan.

—

It’s been 5 years since that journey officially began. The door that was opened led to another – the realization that there is no going back – you can ‘unsee’ what you’ve seen. That’s the beauty of ayurveda and yoga – there’s no end to the journey once you begin, and the effort you give is always returned.

Thanks for listening and learning about my story. Perhaps it reflects yours somehow.

Where are you on your journey right now? Do you feel like you’re on the right path? Or totally off balance? Write me about it, I love to hear from you.

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Are you with me? Do you wish you had meal plan tailored to what you need?

Create one.

I’m looking for 15 like-minded people who want to keep conversations like this rolling and find their path to true well-being. We’ll learn how to create our own meal plan, based on Ayurvedic principles.

Those who want to feel light, happy and energetic because they choose the right foods. Those who want to feel peaceful, happy and balanced because they have a supportive morning routine.

Apply for the pilot program of The Healing Diet, starts in September 1, 2014.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: I’m hosting a free call on Monday June 30th at 7 p.m. Come listen in, or get your questions asked. Either way you’ll leave with 3 practical tools you can to start shifting into a healing diet the very next day. Register here now, it’s quick and easy.

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Adena Rose

En-lighten Up: Spring Cleanse

Do you want to get a handle on Spring allergies? Know you need to get out of your cycle of stress, but not sure how to break free?

5 discount coupons available
for my 7-Day Online Cleanse CourseThe first 5 people to use the code SPRINGCLEANING14
get 30% off the full price.

This cleanse is full of

practical tools for balancing mind, body and spirit not only for the week, but for your whole life. There are only 5 coupons available.

Questions about the course?
Simply reply to this email with your questions.

Love, Adena

“Thank you so much for your beautiful seven day ayurvedic cleanse. I loved every bit of it. I have never enjoyed a cleanse before, but every aspect of your program was gentle, flexible, yummy, and inspiring. The morning routines easily fit my schedule and the self massage and yoga were delightfully nurturing.The food was delicious, filling, and restorative as well as cleansing. I have even more energy, more peace, and more inspiration than before! I can’t thank you enough for sharing your wisdom and experience to help create what felt, to me, much more like a home spa week, than any cleanse I have ever experienced in the past.” — Ann Albers, Author, Spiritual Instructor

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Adena Rose — 2 Comments

How to Make Raw Milk Yogurt: Clay Cookware

I am very lucky to be able to get milk straight from the farm. According to Ayurveda, cow’s milk is considered to be one of the most sattvic, most harmonizing foods on the planet. It is considered to be one of the most nourishing gifts from the mother cow, and the products made from this source are given this same reverence (yogurt and ghee, mainly.)

This has been found not to be many people’s experiences with our modern dairy. The manipulation of the product, as well as the poor treatment of the animals involved, translates into poor quality stuff. I plan to write more about my understanding of raw milk soon, but for now, I’d like to just share my gratitude for this food, and this recipe for making yogurt at home.

Fresh Yogurt with Cinnamon and Ginger. Made in Miriam's Earthen Cookware — Made in Miriam’s Earthen Cookware

What you will need:

1/2 Gallon of whole milk (raw if possible)
2 or 3 T of yogurt ‘starter’ (aka plain yogurt with live cultures from the store is perfect)
A glass thermometer
A tall sauce pan
A container with a lid (Miriam’s Earthen Cookware was PERFECT – I have dedicated my 1 pot to yogurt making. I have also just used a clean dry 1/2 gal mason jar with lid successfully.)
A heating paid with a low setting, or a hot water bottle
A big blanket or towel
Ice and a bigger pot of water, or a sink of water
A clean spoon and/or a whisk for stirring

Directions:

Heat the milk in your sauce pan, over medium/low heat. Stir the milk gently as it heats to make sure the bottom doesn’t scorch and the milk doesn’t boil over. You will bring the milk to 185°F. Turn the heat down when it reaches temp, and try to keep it there for 5 minutes or a bit less. Heating the raw milk does not kill the valuable enzymes, but it does change the protein structure, so the milk can become more solid when the culture is added. I hear that the long you keep the milk right at 185, it sets more thickly, like greek yogurt.

Create an ice bath on your sink, with water and ice. Place your sauce pan in there to let the milk cool to 110°F. Gentle stir.

Remove the milk from the ice bath at 110, and whisk in the 3 T of yogurt.

Incubate the yogurt in order to set it – pour it into the clean mason jar, or Earthenware pot (this is what they use in India, and there is nothing better for taste and texture!) and cover. I set the pot right on the hot water bottle (or a heating pad set veeery low) and then wrap it up in a big blanket, careful that it will not spill. Then I place it in a quiet dark place, like a closet, and let it sit overnight, or all day if I made this in the morning.

Check your yogurt. It should be relatively jiggly and yogurt-like after about 7 or 8 hours. Place it in the refrigerator, and it will get an even thicker consistency. This will also help it to keep for about 10 days to 2 weeks.

I prefer my yogurt to completely cool before enjoying it. Home made yogurt is a bit tang. My favorite ways to use it are alongside curries or recipes like Aloo Gobi for a natural pro-biotic action, or with ginger, cinnamon and honey, alone or with hot cereal.

Yogurt has very similar qualities to Kapha dosha – white, sticky, heavy and cold. It is considered a very nourishing and building food, not to be eaten for those who already have excess mucus in the body, or who are trying to lose weight (exception perhaps in very small amount after meals with digestive spices, called ‘Takram.’) It is best eaten in small amounts for Pitta and Vata, again with digestive spices.

Yogurt and fresh fruit is a poor food combination according to Ayurvedic principles, meaning that it is very hard to digest and can cause ama, or toxin to be formed. If you commonly do this, notice if you have gas or bloating afterward – we only really learn through experience!

Love, Adena