Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away!

An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away!
There’s nothing like a crunchy, fresh apple on a crisp fall day - I've been eating at least two a day, really, for the past month! Fall is the perfect time to enjoy apples, either raw or cooked, depending on your dosha. Apples detoxify the body, cleanse the intestines, and alleviate any accumulated pitta from summer, essential for keeping your body balanced as you transition into fall.
Please make sure the apples that you purchase are free of pesticides and preferably organic, as apples can be high in pesticides if not otherwise specified. The local farmer’s markets are a great source for fresh, healthy apples.
If you tend to be more Vata in nature, or are feeling a bit cold and dry, try the below stewed apple recipe for a sweet and healthy treat.
Stewed Apples
(Two servings)
· 2 apples, diced
· 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
· ½ teaspoon powdered cardamom
· ½ teaspoon fresh ginger or ¼ powdered
· 1 teaspoon ghee (you can omit if you'd like and just use a little more water)
· 1/3 cup water
Melt the ghee first, and then place all ingredients in a skillet and cook over a medium to medium-low flame until the apples are soft, about 10 minutes. Enjoy alone, over oatmeal or as dessert. I must say... Yum :)

Have a little more time this summer for reading? There are literally hundreds of Ayurvedic Books available; however here's a list of a few to get you started on your journey towards better health and wellness:

AYURVEDIC BOOK RESOURCES

· The 3-Season Diet, Dr. John Douillard

· Perfect Health, Deepak Chopra

· Ayurveda, The Science of Self-Healing, Dr. Vasant Lad

· Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners, Amadea Morningstar

· Yoga for Your Type, Dr. David Frawley and Sandra Summerfield Kozak

· The Path of Practice, A Woman’s Book of Ayurvedic Healing, Maya Tiwari

Summer Workshop coming up

For all you Pittas out there, or anyone who gets a little "out of sorts" during the summer: I'm offering a class on Ayurvedic Tips to Stay Cool and Calm this summer. It will be at Central Coast Yoga, on Saturday, June 12 for 1-3 p.m. Here's a link to the flyer. Hope to see you there!
http://www.balancedlivingayurveda.com/files/bla_flyer_june12.pdf

The Ayurvedic Cleanse and Yin Yoga retreat is filling up quick, with only a few spaces left! (March 11-14) Click on the retreat button for details...

We've all heard that it is important to drink more water. These tips below bring it to a whole 'nother level! (courtesy of Maharishi Ayurveda)


Healing Waters
Well water, pond water, rain water -- there are many types of water described in ayurvedic texts, and each has a therapeutic value, just as food does.
"Water represents soma, the nourishing, cooling quality that is associated with lunar energy," says The Council of Maharishi Ayurveda Physicians. "It helps with digestion, cools and balances Pitta dosha, supports Kapha, and counteracts the dryness of Vata. It nurtures, lubricates and also detoxifies when it flows out of the body as urine."
Water, when properly absorbed by the body, has several healing qualities:
1. Helps to remove fatigue (Shramnashana)
2. Enhances glow of skin
3. Prevents constipation
4. Increases stamina
5. Provides satisfaction
6. Helps the heart by pacifying Sadhaka Pitta
7. Helps digestion
8. Cooling
9. Always helpful to the body
10. Easy to assimilate
11. Life-giving
12. Antioxidant
Vaidya Mishra explains how the healing effects of water can be enhanced using ayurvedic methods.
Water for Cleansing
"Sometimes people have dry skin and unquenchable thirst even though they drink lots of water," says The Council. "The deeper physiology is not getting enough moisture."
The Council explains that this occurs when the person's agni is low and ama blocks the microchannels (shrotas) which carry water to the cells. In order to cleanse the channels and enhance moisture absorption, ayurvedic texts recommend boiling the water for various lengths of time, creating a therapeutic water called ushnodaka. Another method is to add spices or herbs to the water after boiling.
Why It Works
"When the water boils, it gets charged with heat, becoming sharper in quality (sookshma)," explains The Council. "This sharpness allows it to cleanse the channels and penetrate deeper levels of the physiology."
Spices create an added therapeutic effect by interacting with the water on the molecular level. Spices create different effects on the body through aroma and taste.
"It becomes easier for the body to flush out toxins and impurities because of the sharpness of the agni (heat) in the water and because of the sharpness of the spices," explains Ayurvedic Expert. "Over time, it cleanses the channels so the water is unobstructed as it travels into the body to hydrate the tissues, and travels out carrying waste."
Ancient texts talk about the difference in the rate of absorption of regular water vs. boiled water:
regular water -- takes about 6 hours if every channel is clear
boiled and cooled water -- takes about 3 hours to be absorbed, and helps open the channels
hot herbalized water -- takes about 1 1/2 hours, due to sharpness of agni and herbs and spices

Here's a hand out I give to my clients on Healthy Eating Guidelines. I'll keep sharing!
Guidelines for Healthy Eating

How you eat your food is even more important than what you eat. In fact, Ayurveda
understands that eating is one of the most sacred experiences we have. After all, when we eat our food, we are taking in the atoms and molecules that have been around in different forms since the beginning of time and asking them to become a part of us. If we eat our food properly, with awareness and respect, the food joins well with our bodies. If we do not, the food has difficulty joining with our bodies and causes gas and other digestive disturbances. The end result of poor digestion is ama (toxins formed from poor digestion) and this leads to disease. Hence, in Ayurveda, we try our best to make eating a form of meditation (to eat in peacefulness and with awareness) and sadhana (taking ordinary activity and approaching it with spiritual awareness).

The Five Major Rules
· Begin meals with grace or by simply taking 3-5 slow breaths with eyes closed. This prepares the body to receive the food.
· Eat in a calm environment where there is little distraction. It is best to avoid having the television or the radio on. Avoid excessive conversation and all conversation about emotionally intense issues. Avoid reading.
· Chew your food until it is an even consistency. This requires your attention to be on the food in your mouth. There is no magic number of times to chew food. Chewing properly improves digestion and absorption of the food.
· Eat at a moderate pace and until you are 75% full. Overeating is one of the major causes of disease in our society. When we eat too much, digestion becomes difficult. When we finish eating, we should not feel heavy and we should not feel hungry. We want to feel satisfied. This is what is meant by 75% full.
· Following your meal let your food digest some before going on to the next activity. It is best to wait 15-20 minutes for food to digest. During this time engage in light conversation or read a light book. You can also go for a slow walk. If you are rushed, take at least 3-5 slow breaths to close the door on this sacred experience.

Additional Tips
· It is best to drink only a little bit of liquid with meals. One-half cup of room-temperature water is average. Dry meals may require more. Moist meals, like soup, require none at all.
· Take all water and drinks at room temperature or warm. Cold drinks destroy the digestive fire and decrease digestion. This is true not only at mealtime, but also throughout the day.
· The body’s rhythms mirror those of the universe and digestion is strongest around noon when the sun is at its peak. Therefore, it is best to eat a larger meal around noon and have a lighter meal in the morning and the evening.
· Allow three hours between meals for food to digest. This allows most people 3-5 meals per day. Those with a vata nature or imbalance should eat 4-5 times per day.
· Eat food prepared with love. The energy of the cook is always in the food. Avoid eating food prepared with resentment. We eat not only the food but also the emotions of the cook.

Recipe!

Everyone loves recipes! As promised, here's one of my favorites...


Red Lentil Soup (courtesy of Melanie Sachs)


1 onion chopped finely
Carrots – two or tree, chopped small (same amount as onion)
Celery – 2 stalks chopped
One cup red lentils, rinsed well
½ teaspoon tumeric
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 ½ teaspoonds coriander powder

Saute onions in ghee or oil (olive or another vegetable oil) then add the tumeric, cumin and coriander. Add the carrots and celery next.
Add the lentils and 4 cups of vegetable broth, or 4 cups of water and a vegetable stock cube instead of the veggie broth.

In a pressure cooker, bring to pressure, then simmer for 20 minutes.
If you don’t have a pressure cooker, probably cook for about 45 minutes (however long it takes for red lentils to become tender.

Blend until smooth (with blender or hand puree tool) and squeeze in a bit of lemon or lime juice.

Enjoy!

Delicious J

My friend Jean and I will be holding a workshop on Ayurveda for "Women of a Certain Age." Ayurveda really helps with the symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause. If you are in your late thirties, a women, and starting to feel a little off balance, you may be experiencing menopausal symptoms. Come join us and learn some tips on handling this transitional time! Here's a link to the flyer and details:
http://www.balancedlivingayurveda.com/6-0-events--classes.html

Whole Food Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals Nutritional Supplement

Whole Food Multivitamin +Plus Vital Minerals Nutritional Supplement

kichadi recipe

Here's a recipe for kichadi that I use all the time. Whenever I feel out of balance or don't know what else to cook, this is my standby meal!

Great for balancing all three doshas!

1/3 C white basmati rice
½ C split mung beans (available at the Natural Foods Coop in San Luis Obispo)
5 C water, or use a veggie stock
1 tsp to 2 T fresh grated ginger root, less with high Pitta
¼ tsp. cumin seeds or ½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. mustard seeds (can omit if high pitta)
½-1 tsp coriander seeds or 1 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1 clove garlic (omit if Pitta)

Heat up spices on the bottom of the pot, stirring constantly for about 1 or 2 minutes, until aromatic. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes, and then reduce heat to medium-low. As rice and beans are cooking, chop and add vegetables such as:
Carrots
Zucchini
Broccoli

After bringing water to a boil, simmer for approximately 30 minutes – until most of the liquid is absorbed, but the consistency is smooth, not mushy and sticky.

When done, take the pot off the heat and add ghee or salt/braggs liquid amino acids to taste!

It is better for your digestion to use split mung beans. However, you can use whole mung beans; however you will need to adjust the cooking time to about 45 minutes. Split mung beans are easier on the digestion and very healing in nature.

Ayurveda for the winter

A few quick tips:

- Eat warm, cooked foods;
Examples: Oatmeal, stir-fried veggies, squash, sweet potatoes
- Drink warming liquids, including warm water

Dress warmly
Stay in a routine
Take regular baths
Give yourself an oil massage several times a week

Herbs:
Ashwaganda, especially for Vata
-