Ayurveda is a 5000-year-old ancient healing system that covers aspects of health and well-being from a holistic perspective. It is a personalized approach to health and understanding your mind-body constitution or Dosha type. It allows you to make optimal health choices from diet, to exercise, to use of herbs and supplements and overall lifestyle.

Ayurveda believes the 5 elements (Space, Air, Water, Ether and Earth) and are around us and we are made from these elements. Ayurveda has categorized these elements into 3 DOSHA types for each individual, named Vata , Pitta and Kapha. Each dosha has a specific emotional, psychological and physically characteristics. These make up the 3 vital forces of life and a perfect balance of these doshas bring balance and harmony within you.

We are now moving from a Pitta (Summer) time of year into the dry, cold, windy, damp season of fall. Ayurveda believes depending on your age, time of life, external environment, seasons and other variable factors the doshas have to be in balance to avoid any health issues (physically and mentally). 

So how can we prepare our bodies and minds for the FALL period? 

Lets take a look at few things we can do ahead of time before entering into fall. Just like how we prepare our homes and our outfits based on seasonal change, we have to prepare our mind and body as well. 

Recommendations:

• Eat Chyawanprash 1 TSP every day in the morning. 

It is an ayurvedic jam and has many medicinal herbs, one of them mainly being Amalaki which is an antioxidant and has a high content of vitamin C. It is extremely nourishing and provides a great support to build a strong immunity. It also helps to release any toxins and clears out ama out of the body and overall Rejuvenates all the tissues in the body.

• Start to drink warm water with lemon/lime and some honey in the morning

Depending on your dosha you can choose to add lemon or lime. If you are a Vata/Kapha type the qualities are lemon are nice and warming and if you are a pitta type, you want to add lime into your warm water. But drinking a cup in the morning gets your digestive tract moving and helps in elimination of waste/toxins from the colon. Try not to drink cold water around this time as it lowers your immunity. 

• Drinking Turmeric tea with some ginger and honey

Trying to drink 1 cup of this tea will really help you build immunity to fight the cold/flu season.  The anti inflammatory properties in Turmeric highly assist in fighting with the free radicals and any infections. Ginger helps with digestion, bloating, or gas as well.

• Eating-warming foods and not cold salads and cold soups during this time. Eating seasonal.

Depending on your dosha type and the foods that pacify your body, make sure you are cooking warming and nutritional meals to assist you with feeling grounded and staying warm during this cooler period. Foods such as eggplant, squash, beetroot, carrots, and radish are all warming foods. Spices such turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, mustard seeds are all heating qualities.

• Taking Triphala every night before bed:

Triphala is a combination of three Ayurvedic fruits: Amalaki, Bibhitaki, and Haritaki. It helps in supporting a healthy elimination (it’s a mild laxative) and also helps lubricating intestinal walls. It aids in weight loss and helps in all bodily function and brings balance needed. 

You can get the tablet or pressed form and take 1-2 a day or get the triphala powder/churna and mix ¼ tsp in warm water and drink it before bed.

• Use a NETI POT to cleanse your sinuses. 

In the fall its extremely important to keep your nasal passages clear from any build up of mucous so they don’t get prone to infections or allergies or cold/cough. But using a neti pot at least 3 times a week can ensure that the sinuses are being cleared out. Therefore there are no blockages in the respiratory pathways. Always seal your nostrils with coconut oil/sesame oil by using a cotton swab to apply inside your nostrils on the inner edges to avoid any dryness or crust build up in the morning.

According to the ancient practices of Ayurveda, drinking water from a copper jug or glass has extreme health benefits to us. It’s also known as “Tamara Jal”. Tamara means, “Copper” and Jal means “Water”. Always remembering to drink alkaline liquids in your body, this copper infused water assists with balancing all the 3-dosha types- Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

I remember my grandmother storing water in a big copper container and everyone drank water from there, first thing in the morning. Drinking water at room temperature is extremely important to keep the digestive fire “Agni” going. Hence, try and avoid taking in ice cold during anytime of the day.

Small traces of this trace mineral when kept overnight in a jug for over 8-10 hours has the following benefits:

1. Copper helps to regulate blood pressure, lowers bad cholesterol and helps to maintain a good cardiovascular health.
2. The anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties are effective to fight against E.coli and S.aureus that are known to cause diarrhoea or other infection. 
3. It also helps with assisting the thyroid gland to function properly. One of the reasons for thyroid disorder is, low levels of copper in the body.
4. It’s anti-inflammatory properties assists in reducing the symptoms of arthritis such as aches and pains in the joints due to inflammation.
5. It helps in boosting immunity, conducting spiritual energy, and reducing overall inflammation in the body.
6. Copper is an antioxidant that can improve the condition of your skin. It safeguards the cells from free radicals and helps your skin and joints to produce collagen and elastin. This helps to prevent premature aging and promote skin elasticity.
7. Adding copper to your diet can help you lose weight. Copper helps fine-tune your digestive system, break down fats, and helps you to eliminate more efficiently.

Next time to drink a glass of water- Water has energy and memory as well. Bless your cup and drink from a copper jug and enjoy the sweetness of the taste.

Stay happy and healthy always.

Namaste Life

According to Ayurveda it is important to have a morning schedule. This will bring balance in your mind and body throughout the day.

1. WAKEUP BEFORE SUNRISE or 5:45-6:00 AM:
2. Waking up with the natural rhythm of your body and being in tune with the elements of nature, is extremely healthy and will give you the energy throughout the day.
3. DRINK A CUP OF WARM WATER TO HELP WITH BOWEL MOVEMENTS
4. This helps to get the digestive system moving so elimination can happen smoothly. 
5. BRUSH YOUR TEETH AND SCRAPE YOUR TONGUE TO GET RID OF TOXINS
6. By scraping your tongue you are getting rid of AMA or toxins from your body that would have accumulated throughout the night. It is the body’s nature way of detoxifying.
7. DRY BRUSH YOUR BODY 
8. By dry brushing you are allowing the lymphatic system to start moving and assisting with the drainage of toxins. Move in circular motion on the joints and dry brush in an upward motion always towards your heart.
9. MASSAGE YOUR BODY (ABHAYANGA) 
10. Using the right choice of oils as per your Dosha type and massaging it deeply into your skin and organs. Use coconut oil for Pitta type, Sesame oil for Vata type and Olive oil for Kapha type.
11. YOUR MEDITATION AND YOGA PRACTICE
12. This is your time when you can do your meditation for 10 min and your yoga practice or workout. 

Remember this is your time for self-care, personal development and filling your cup before you begin your day.  It might seem a lot of things to do in the early morning hours, but developing a morning ritual can be extremely nurturing and healing on many levels.

• Do you feel stressed and anxious these days?
• Are you trying to multi-task various things in a day? 
• Do you find yourself rushing in the morning to get to work? 
• Feeling the pressure to keep up with the emails, calls, and meetings? 
• Do you catch yourself worrying about missing your train back home or not picking your children from school on time? 

In today’s busy work life schedule, everyone is trying their best to keep a cool mind and perform their daily tasks to the best of their capacity. However, there will always be things to do and places to go. How long will you keep up with this sort of pressure to balance it all perfectly?

Do you think you can give yourself 10 min in a day to manage your internal self and bring some equanimity in your mind and body? 

If you allow yourself this time and space, you will still get most of the things done, but with more patience, ease and less stress.  You will feel less tired and exhausted by the end of the day.

When you take the time to start your day and set aside 10 min in the morning to fill your own cup. It truly sets the tone for the rest of your day. If we can manage to do so many things in a day, then why can’t we prioritize ourselves first?

YOU DESERVE 10 MIN FOR YOURSELF TO ALLOW YOURSELF TO TUNE INWARD.

1. Wake up 10 min early everyday. 
2. Begin with bringing your attention to your breathing.
3. Notice the sensations in your body as you scan your body internally.
4. Begin to observe your thoughts and emotions in the moment.
5. Be kind to yourself and do not judge yourself.

You don’t have to force yourself to meditate. By just being and allowing yourself to rest in existence, you will notice the following benefits in few days:

1. Restless mind and thoughts will begin to calm down 
2. You will have the ability to respond to situations that happen in your day instead of reacting.
3. You will begin to become more mindful of your words, actions and choices as your awareness heightens. 
4. You become more patient and kind. You will also be able to manage your anger and frustration better.
5. You will begin to have more clarity and sharper focus.
6. You will begin to notice less anxiety and fear and so you will be able to make life decisions from your true authentic self.

Give your self-permission to let go of things that don’t serve you. Accept yourself and when you begin to listen to the whispers of your mind and body, you slowly start raising your awareness and a huge internal shift happens. Meditation is a practice and not a destination. Just like how yoga is. There is no right or wrong way. 

But allowing yourself permission and giving yourself 10 min everyday will get you to a place of balance and harmony in your mind and body.

According to Ayurveda, Ghee also known as “Clarified Butter” is considered extremely Satvic in nature. Satvic or Pure foods promote good health and positivity in our minds and bodies. Since the milk content has been removed from the butter during the cooking process, it is safe to be consumed even for individuals who are lactose intolerant. In an Ayurvedic diet, ghee is used as it has the following benefits:

1. Ghee is extremely high in Vitamin A content, which helps to prevent degeneration in the cataract development. 
2. Ghee has a high smoke point and so it doesn’t break down hence eliminating free radicals during the cooking process. 
3. Ghee helps with increasing the digestive fire and improves absorption of nutrients and assimilation. It also assists in removing toxins from the body.
4. Ghee has a content called Butyric acid that is proven to help in the prevention of colon cancer. Since it assists with the elimination process, it also helps to regulate the growth of healthy bacteria in the colon.
5. Ghee also helps to lubricate the joints and connective tissues promoting flexibility. 
6. It is also used in various Ayurvedic treatments to cure dry skin and combined with medicinal herbs can cure many aliments.
7. If consumed with warm water in the morning, it helps the respiratory pathways by lubricating the bronchioles, which help with enhanced breathing, and reduces/cures dry cough. 
8. It can also be administered as a process of “Nasya” to prevent allergies, dust and throat and chest infections.

However if you have the following symptoms or conditions, you might want to monitor the intake of Ghee content in your diet. 

1. High cholesterol and triglycerides
2. Overweight and obesity
3. Excess Kapha in the system can cause mucous development
4. High Ama (Toxins) in the body.

To cook the Ghee follow the steps below:

1. In a heavy bottom pan on medium heat and cook the unsalted butter until it boils. 
2. Make sure you stir continuously until the water content separates from the solids. 
3. You will begin to notice a whitish layer of curd forming on top. You want to take a dry wooden ladle and remove it under you see the ghee is clear. 
4. You will notice the ghee will be ready when it turns a nice golden color. Make sure you do not burn the bottom at this stage.

Hope you can start adding Ghee into your cooking on a daily basis and begin to notice the nourishment in provides to your tissues, bones, skin, hair and overall wellbeing.