I am really looking forward to sharing more substance, but for now I want to share a short photo montage from my travels and study in India this Feb/March:
Category: ayurveda
I’m off for India…
The countdown has begun…My husband and I head to India at the end of this month, for 6 weeks. I am continuing my studies in Ayurveda with two of my first teachers, Dr. Partap Chauhan and his brother, Satya Narayan Das at Jiva Ayurveda in Faridabad. This trip has truly been years in the making. Over the past few months, once the tickets had been purchased and the VISA received, I have felt, fear, anxiety, and now finally excitement! The practice through all of these feelings has been to be detached, to just be able to see the emotion, and integrate my experiences with relaxation, meditation/yoga.
Recipes for Nourishment in the New Year
Welcome your new year with nourishment…
I’ll admit, partially I just love the alliteration of these words. Yet, it’s not just that they sound nice, it’s truly the right time to heed them. Throughout the Fall I hadn’t noticed many people who had chronic colds, or fevers, or flu, but in just the past week it seems those sicknesses have emerged in lost voices, sinus headaches, and the many-times-overheard mantra of ‘it’s just going around.’
I’ll be the first one to admit, it’s hard to heed our own advice. Pragya paradha, or ignoring our intellect, is one of our greatest challenges to health and happiness. In my latest post, I wrote about some tips for staying healthy during the holidays. I was able to practice most of what I wrote about, and I hope it brings me out clear on the other side. After driving 700 miles through 7 states to visit 4 families over the past week, I know what I need now is nourishment: warm, home-cooked foods filled with good oils and nutrients.
According to Ayurvedic understanding, this deep winter is the time of transition between Vata and Kapha dominance. The elements involved are space, air, water and some earth. Notice what is missing – FIRE. It’s cold, and it’s a deep cold, sinking into our bones. We may notice imbalance in the space and air elements in dryness of our skin and nasal passages (despite a constantly running nose), anxiety, insomnia, and constipation. A Kapha imbalance tends to show up with heavier qualities, mucus, lung congestion, lack of hunger, and sticky, yucky colds. We need warming teas, lightly spiced grains, and healthy soups (keep reading for recipes!)
How I Aim to Stay Healthy through the Holidays – You can, too!
The time is now: the stronger and healthier one feels going into the holidays, the better chance to come out clean on the other side. Vata is quite dominant in my constitution, so it’s easy for me the get carried away in all the travel and excitement this time of year, when Vata qualities dominate our environment. I know I need to get to bed early, stay away from caffeine, and limit my cookie intake. Even knowing this, the holidays provide many an opportunity to test the boundaries. Here’s how I aim to stay healthy, happy and bright over the coming weeks.
Continue reading How I Aim to Stay Healthy through the Holidays – You can, too!