Let The Sun Shine In; 3 Ways to balance Kapha

     Next week here in the Northern hemisphere is the Spring Equinox. A very welcome thought after a pretty vicious winter for many. Late Winter into Spring is the season of Kapha. The elements of Earth & Water meet here, which manifests often in Spring as mud! Ayurveda sees that opposites cure- if you think about mud, what causes mud to dissipate- heat ( Pitta/Sun)  & wind (Vata/Air). Makes so much sense it is ridiculous!
Kapha has the qualities of coolness, density, dampness, mucous, & at times lethargy. Kapha gets a bad rap. Yet Kapha is the element of stability, youth, and holds things together. In this season you may see it manifest as the dreaminess  & love that comes as the season blossoms, the congestion of allergies, and the mud of the rain soaked Earth.
     All these things are necessary for seasonal change, and we have the need for Kapha in our lives. Kapha balances out Vata by being grounding & stability, & Pitta by cooling & slowing down, and both by the sweetness of love.  For Kapha to stay in balance it needs the lightness & mobility of Vata, and the fire & drive of Pitta. There is an ebb & flow, and balance between all things.
     In order to keep this balance, the trick is to keep things from becoming excessive. This is the time to dispel sluggishness with activity. Look at the birds, as soon as it starts to get lighter they get busy singing, feathering their nest, & attracting love into their lives. Bring the same qualities in to your spring; make some small changes in your living quarters, bring in light, open the windows, add some color. Get outside, walk clean up outdoor areas to clear excess debris.  . Spring cleaning always feels good, even when you have to argue yourself into it....be real -you know you need the kick to start! If you have clothes you no longer wear, donate them. It makes room in the closet, and gladdens the heart. When Kapha is in excess it leads us to have attachment ( you know that piece in your closet you have been holding on to for 10 years???? Just sayin'......)
If you practice yoga, this is the time to be diligent in your practice. Postures that heat & lighten-Sun Salutations, twists,  back bends, inverted postures, Wheel, & bow all are good now. Kapalabhati, breath of fire will bring heat in.
     Cleaning up the diet is also on spot right now. That doesn't mean going for the whole fast or master cleanse. This is harsh to the system, and not everyone responds the same. Instead, a lighter breakfast, your main meal at lunch, and try substituting dinner with a bowl of light broth. Begin to eat more astringent greens-bok choy, arugula, turnip, kale, & collard. Cruciferous vegetables are good. Dandelion makes a great tea & can be added to salads. Step away from sweets, salt,  & dairy. Warming, stimulating, lightening & nourishing foods with warming spices are the way to go. Go nutrient dense....get the biggest nutritional bang for your buck by eating food as close to its natural form as possible.
     Be like the birds-rise before the sun. Stay up a little later. Stay dry & warm, do activities that stimulate you & stay with it. Eat a lighter diet that incorporates pungent, bitter, & astringent tastes.
                                            Let your heart be light, brighten & bloom!
                                                          Let the sunshine !
                                                    

Welcome Winter- 5 Ways to Stay Warm & Well

December is over, and so are the festivities it brings. As we move into the new year most often after holiday excess we make resolutions ....all about what we are NOT going to do. One way to avoid breaking this is not by taking away, but adding to your lifestyle.
According to Ayurveda, we are skiing the slippery slope between the Vata and Kapha seasons. For those unfamiliar, Vata is Autumn into early Winter. It has the attributes of cold, dry, & changeable. In us it shows up as dry skin & hair, achy joints, and the irregularity in routine can wreak digestive havoc. Kapha is  Midwinter into Spring. It has the attributes of cold, wet, & heavy.  It rears it's head when out of balance as sluggishness, as well as winter colds & flus.  Here in the city of Brotherly Love we are experiencing days like today, at a chilly 32 degrees, windy and dry and later this week it will be about 60 and wet. This up and down can wreak havoc on you system and create imbalance.  Ayurveda tells us to prepare the body for the upcoming season so that we can stay balanced. The easy thing is- Vata and Kapha both need some of the same things.
                                                          

1. Get a routine! Vata likes structure, and Kapha needs the motivation to stay in balance. Walk outside in nature & exercise daily. Eat, wake & go to bed at the same time. Be sure to get adequate rest. Stay hydrated. When it is cold we often don't drink enough fluids. Try warm herbal teas, or water with lemon,  and.....NO ice! Like increases like!

2. Eat foods that are warming-soups, warm grains , veggie stews.  Foods that are lubricating to the digestive tract and easily digested. Avoid cold raw foods. If you crave salad, try  one with warm, slightly wilted greens and a vinagrette. Add warming spices like pepper, ginger, cinnamon, & cardamom to aid digestion and warm you from the inside out.

3. Practice Abyangha, daily self massage with oil. First dry brush the skin with a loofah to stimulate lymphatic drainage, ( great to dispel Kapha) and then use warm oil to massage the body, paying close attention to the joints, which can be aggravated by the cold, dry air.

4. Utilize the Neti Pot to irrigate the nasal & sinus passages  & apply Nasya oil  to soothe and protect. I do this religiously and can't go without. Dry nasal passages are more prone to congestion and catching a bug.

5. If you feel lethargic, or suffer from seasonal affective symptoms be sure you are getting enough sunlight, and find light hearted things to do. Get some seed catalogues to look towards spring, pick up a hobby, or take that class you have always wanted. Hang out with people that bouy your spirits!

We can't reside in our homes when the furnace is not working properly, the same goes for our bodies. We can't be in balance if we don't keep our internal furnace or fire...Agni in optimal function. Stay warm and in good spirits by trying these suggestions.
                                             BULGUR WHEAT SALAD
1 cup bulgur
2 cups water
bunch of mixed greens-beet, kale, arugala, mustard
1 carrot
1 beet
1 leek
juice of an orange
2 TBL apple cider vinegar
1 TBL honey
2 TBL olive oil
ginger
turmeric


In  small bowl whisk together orange juice, cider vinegar, honey, oil, and add 1/4-1/2 of both ginger & turmeric to taste. Let sit.
In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to boil. Add 3/4 cup bulgur. Turn off and cover.
Slice beets & carrots in thin semi circles, the white part of the leek in slices. Saute in cast iron pan in 1 TBL of ghee until tender. Put aside.
In a cast iron pan, add 2 TBL of ghee & melt. Add greens and lightly stir with wood spoon, remove as soon as they wilt.
Mix veggies and bulgar. Plate greens, add wheat/veggie mixture, & dress. Have some warm herbal tea and enjoy!

                                                                         

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"Food is Medicine,

Medicine is Food"

The 3 Reasons Smoothies Are Not So Smooth

Juice n Glo, Jamba Juice, Sip n Go...there are smoothie places on just about every street corner. Smoothies are all the rage. Easy, nutritionally packed-just look at all the ingredients. The more stuff in my drink, the better, right? Wrong, way, way wrong. That doesn't mean that you can't ever have them, but what goes in and how they are consumed is what determines good for you.
Ayurveda says that foods should be cooked, they are that much easier to digest. The fire of cooking makes the job of our digestive fire, Agni, that much easier. Fact-raw foods are harder to digest.
To add to that, smoothies are cold, and a lot are made with ice. Putting ice on our Agni is like throwing cold water on a fire, it smolders and becomes sludge. And, have you noticed at most smoothie bars you put about a gazillion ingredients in-anything you want. Pack it in, supersize it, anything goes!  The problem here is that many of the ingredients don't digest well together-ever notice a feeling of heaviness after, or even indigestion? Sour fruits and dairy together is a big belly no-no. In fact, fruit is best consumed alone.
Smoothies can increase Vata, the element of air and ether in our bodies because they are raw, rough, and cold. They are also to dense for Vata's delicate and somewhat irregular digestion. Vata needs to have warm, easily digested, nourishing and cooked food and beverages. On the flip side, they can also be increasing to Kapha  (earth & water)because they are often cold and dense, the opposite of what is needed. Unless you have good Pitta digestion and strong Agni,  and perhaps actually need to cool down, they are actually counter productive to the result you think you are getting.
Yet you still want the smoothie, right? They look so inviting. If you make your own, they can be done to balance you seasonally according to your constitution. I like the Nutribullet, or whatever version of it you can get your hands on. It gives you control over what goes in.
First rule of thumb-less is more! Avoid ice, it will put out the fire you are trying to light. Add ginger, lemon, and turmeric. Go more vegetable, less fruit. And don't make it your everyday practice, we all need treats, but try to make it that, maybe once or twice a week. Sluuurp!

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Food is Medicine, Medicine is Food.

Blessings

Change is Good

My last post talked about seasonal change, and how nature shows us the signs....the clues are there. Change , after all is good. Sometimes hard....but good, repeat.....good. Right now in the Philly area, change is happening. A cold front is coming through as we speak, thunder rolls, and tomorrow we will wake up to different weather. This mobile change is a Vata quality. Fall is a Vata season.
For those of you that don't really have a handle on this Dosha stuff, there are 3. Kapha, Pitta, and Vata. They manifest in our bodies, in the seasons, hours of the day, times of our lives.
The characteristics of Vata are mobile, light, cold, subtle & dry. The elements of Air and Ether. Vata in balance  manifests in us  as creativity, quick thinking, buoyant attitude, and a general lightness of being. Beautiful stuff. When out of balance it shows up as irregular appetite & digestion, nervousness, erratic moods & behaviours, dry skin &  brittle nails. This shows up in nature during Autumn as well...on a good weather day the sky is light & sparkling, the colors are poetic, and we feel buoyant. As the weather  changes we can become cold, dry, and feel out of balance, especially if there is already Vata in your makeup.
Even though it is still officially summer here, the Equinox is 2 weeks off, and it is time to get ready so that you can handle change with grace. It is time to prepare and cleanse the body of excess summer heat, and after the days of the beach, pool, & BBQ, time to ground and get into a routine. If we don't remove excess heat, or the fiery Pitta from the body, the winds of Vata can blow us Iinto a raging brushfire inside and set us up for imbalance. This is a great time for a mini retreat for yourself. Cleanse the liver, aid overworked adrenals, and reduce accumulated toxins from the colon. Ama is the buildup of dietary sludge in the colon that will leach toxins into the body, and eventually cause dis-ease. The colon is the house of Vata in our body, and, after all-don't you like a clean house? Let's be real, how many people do you know that get sick as soon as the winds of change blow their way?
 For the next 7 days, try to follow a cleanse, using a Kitcharee fast. In the last blog, I included a recipe.( 2 meals of this daily) Start the day by rising at 6, in the soft hours of the morning.  Enjoy a cup of warm ginger tea or soothing chai to stimulate digestion. Take the time for yourself to sit quietly, meditate, go for a walk, or practice some gentle yoga. Tree, forward fold, seated forward fold, gentle joint freeing movements, and legs up the wall are great. Spending time sitting and breathing deeply into the abdomen, draw up roots from the earth. Try to stay away from stimulants; avoid the coffee and the news! Take time for self care, daily abyhanga massage. Using warmed sesame oil massage the joints and skin and luxuriate as long as modern life allows before you shower off. If you are familiar with the Neti pot, use it....don't be a slacker! It will help wash away the germs that all the others are sneezing your way and aid with seasonal allergies. Try Nasya, medicated oil applied to the nasal and ear cavities to moisten and make it easier for Prana to come in. Listen to music that is soothing, use fabrics that are soft, and find beauty in the subtle change that is manifesting all around. Drink warm herbal tea throughout  the day...chamomile is lovely! Consider a journal to write your ideas of where you want to plant the seeds of change for yourself, so that it will manifest in a brilliantly vibrant, healthy new you!

SOOTHING CHAI

2 cups water
1 tbl fresh peppermint or 2 of dried, or 3 tea bags full
1 qt milk of your choice
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 tsp dried ginger
3/4 tsp ground cardomon
1 tsp peppercorns

To boiling water add mint in a teaball, and then remove from heat and steep about 20 minutes. Remove. Add milk, spices, and steep another 30 minutes. Strain, add honey to taste,  & enjoy.

Make drinking this beautiful brew a soothing ritual for yourself.
Namaste!

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**These statements are not intended to cure, treat, diagnose or prevent any disease. Nor are they regulated by the FDA. They are not meant to supercede the orders of a qualified physician and are at the discretion of the reader.

The Autumn Moon Lights My Way

Namaste Folks! This is the first entry of a blog designed to help  us be free of dis-ease, connect to natural health and balance through education and information of Ayurveda. You will find tips on self care, recipe suggestions, ways to find balance, and I hope some humor.
 In our modern world, we have been conditioned to look for the quick fix, the panacea ( dear Goddess, wouldn't it be lovely) ....all the while compromising the wisdom of the healing process within. Ayurveda connects is to the wisdom of the ancients, and the wisdom of our Mother-The Earth. Listening to the natural rhythm of the Elements and how they manifest in us can truly bring balance.

                                          Food is medicine, and medicine is food.....
                                                               
                                          Farm-acopia     vs      Pharmacopia
                  
                                Ayurveda teaches us Truth. Very simple Truth.........
               
                                      Like Increases Like.....Opposites Cure

Pretty easy, huh?  It really is , if you want to just.... be Still.....and just .....Listen.
                 Listen to the Seasons,  Listen to your Body, Listen to your Heart.
                                                       We know the Answers.

First check in, here goes.....Have your ever heard the song...The Autumn Moon Lights My Way?
According to the calendar it is Summer; Pitta Season, full of Fire & Water. Humid, hot, .....frikkin  downright Pungent. ( Or it should be. There are weather extremes everywhere.)  But if you pay attention, we are getting signs of change here in the Mid Atlantic area of the U. S. It is cooler by far, windier....leaves are drying and yellowing. Spiders spin,  and the  angle of the sun is changing. Just take the time to listen and it is obvious.....don't be oblivious. The one certain is that change is certain, and it tells us to go with it.
You know how stores always have sales a season ahead? Seems smart to prepare, right? Bargain for sure!!
In terms of our health, applying Ayurveda,  we can prepare  ahead seasonally and  be ready instead of finding a storeroom depleted.....seems like a real bargain to me. There are 3 big red tags..
Vata,( Air Element) Pitta, (Fire Element) & Kapha. ( Water Element).
We are moving from Fire to Air. Remember how it feels to have those few hot days in an unexpected time...it feels even more intense because you weren't ready for it. And really, you WEREN'T.
It takes about 2 WEEKS for the body to become accustomed to change. We are moving into a season that already is changeable....Autumn. Cooler, drier, erratic in nature. If we want to be out of balance, and especially if we already are a Fall Nature ( drier, lighter, cooler) we need to just keep on truckin' along just as we are. Last rose of summer! Then  we get frostbite....
 The  Gardener has to prepare to plant the fall crops,  and we have to prepare for seasonal change.
Time to perhaps cleanse the digestion, tweek the routine, and clean the pantry...of the kitchen and the life. Let go of things beyond the expiration date.
As we move towards Autumn, here is a recipe for a Kitcharee Fast. Basic dietary wardrobe.  Radical cleanses can be harsh to the body, instead try something to nourish, clear, and sustain. It feels amazing to look back at a clear closet, even sweeter to feel clean & clear,

RECIPE
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp  hingastok
2 tsp coriander cumin mixed
2 tsp cardamom seed
2 tsp peppercorn
2 bay leaves
1 stick cinnamon
several cloves
2 tsp turmeric
3-4 cloves garlic(lessen for excess Fire)
2 TBL grated fresh ginger


Saute in 2 TBL of Ghee(or if you remember The Galloping Gourmet---Clarified Butter...now available at Trader Joe)
While this is occurring have water boiling for 1 cup Basmati Rice and 1/2 cup of Yellow Mung Dal beans to be boiling.
1 cup basmati rice
1/2 cup yellow mung dal
8 cups water
To boiling water add the above, turn to simmer. Cook up to 30 minutes, adding more water if needed.
Into the ghee, add spice....when spice is hot and sauteeing, add 2 cups mixed vegetables of choice, carrot, squash, green bean....
Cook down til tender and then add strained rice/dal mixture and add water as you continue to stir and soften. When ready, this healing goulash will have a beautiful color, great soft texture, and you can enjoy it 3 times daily.  Basics, remember. Stimulates digestion, warms body and enhances circulation.
The amount in recipe should yield about 6 servings. ( A serving is about the amount you can hold in cupped hands) You can make this a staple . For a cleansing and healing fast it this alone for several days. You will notice you feel better! Warming and easily digested......great deal.

If you enjoy the info, try the suggestion, look forward to more,  or just enjoy the sass..

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**Any dietary recommendations are made at the discretion of the individual, and are not meant to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent illness. Nor has the FDA regulated these statements