The season of mellow fruitfulness is almost with us. Time to anticipate your holiday by the sea, to change to lighter, cooler foods, to plan to catch a music festival and a garden show. How different we feel from just a few months ago when the cold, damp days and short night were with us. Ayurveda is the most ancient health tradition on earth. It explains the change of mood [...]
by Mrs Suneeta Lakshmi Lies The Sanskrit word Ritu means season and Sandhi means junction so Ritu Sandhi is a transitional junction or an interseasonal period of 7 days culminating the current season and the 7 days commencing the following season: Thursday 25 August to Wednesday 7 September, 2022. The classical Ayurveda text Ashtanga Hridaya states that: “During this period, the regimen of the preceding season should be discontinued gradually [...]
by Varsha Khatri, MA, SYT, MCMA Travelling comes with excitement, but can also be met with stress. There is change to sleep, diet, routine, and even hydration. When away from home, habits change and this inevitably impacts the digestion. Staying away from home whether it is at a hotel, a resort, on a cruise, or anywhere that is not home, you are likely to imbalance your doshas. Especially Vata. The [...]
The Importance of Balance: Life is uncertain. The only certainty is that everything changes. The secret of good health and happiness according to Maharishi Ayurveda is to remain balanced amidst the change. Balance is an individual thing because everyone is unique. The beauty of Ayurveda is that it helps everyone to find their own balance. A little pressure or demand on us is good for us. Otherwise, life becomes a [...]
by Mrs Suneeta Lakshmi Lies Summer solstice was officially June 21 which marked the brightest and longest day of the year. The weather is heating up and the summery clothing is coming out as this is the season when Pitta Dosha, (the bodily process and bio-energetic force composed of predominately fire and water elements), is increasing internally in our bodies and our external environments. When Pitta dosha is balanced positive [...]
by Varsha Khatri, MA, SYT, MCMA, MFNTP Through the knowledge of the doshas, it is known that there are many causes of imbalance but there are equally numerous ways to create greater balance when it comes to health and wellbeing. Oftentimes, it is easier said than done to ensure a regular routine to pacify Vata, avoiding direct sunlight to pacify Pitta, or engaging in daily vigorous exercise to pacify Kapha. [...]
Have you noticed a mental health hangover from the pandemic with people around you quietly worried about what the future will bring, feeling anxious, alone or isolated? Even though easing of restrictions has allowed us to reconnect with the people and things we love, the pace of change is challenging, especially with the current conflict in Eastern Europe. A mental health hangover occurs when the demands posed by the environment [...]
Back to school, we go! As parents and children alike prepare to return to the previous ‘norm’ of the busy morning routine on a ‘school day’, do you sigh with relief or feel an unexpected sadness? As Scotland leads the way, schools are now getting ready to receive their charges as children and teachers once again prepare to be together. As the heatwaves currently being experienced leave their impact, you may also have noticed a tendency for your child to be more reactive, expressing frustration and anger more easily. If so, the increased external heat has caused an imbalance of Pitta dosha within leading to signs of Pitta imbalance. There are other signs of Pitta imbalance that you may not be aware of that indicate a need to balance Pitta in the mind-body and your environment. Let’s consider them below.
Even Temper • Healthy Hair • Decreased Acid Pitta governs all heat, metabolism and transformation in the mind and body. It controls how we digest foods, how we metabolize our sensory perceptions, and how we discriminate between right and wrong. Pitta governs the important digestive "agnis" or fires of the body.
Vata governs all movement in the mind and body. It controls blood flow, elimination of wastes, breathing and the movement of thoughts across the mind. Since Pitta and Kapha cannot move without it, Vata is considered the leader of the three Ayurvedic Principles in the body. It's very important to keep Vata in good balance.
Kapha governs all structure and lubrication in the mind and body. It controls weight, growth, lubrication for the joints and lungs, and formation of all the seven tissues - nutritive fluids, blood, fat, muscles, bones, marrow and reproductive tissues.
DISCLAIMER: The information in this document is presented for the sole purpose of imparting education on Maharishi AyurVeda and neither the information nor the products are intended to diagnose, treat, mitigate, cure or prevent any disease. If you have a medical condition or are pregnant or lactating, please consult a health professional and it is recommended that you speak with your physician before making significant changes to your diet or routine. Chances are you barely notice your body going about its quiet work of inhaling and exhaling, yet your life depends upon it. The 25,000 breaths you take each day supply life-giving oxygen to your brain, your heart, and every cell in your body. And to perform at their best your respiratory system’s airways - comprised of your nose, mouth, throat, bronchial tubes, diaphragm, lungs, and capillaries —need to be supple, flexible, and free of obstruction and irritation.
Ayurveda is clear on this: all health - let’s repeat this - ALL good health starts with digestion; with the proper metabolism of food. Accordingly, one of the most important things we can do for our health every day of the year is to eat wisely.
Ayurveda, the ancient system of holistic healing from India, is justly enjoying a widespread resurgence in popularity today. Savvy, health-conscious individuals all over the world are taking more responsibility for their own health and well-being. The story of Ayurveda
As we transition into the Autumn season, the season of Vata, we can empower ourselves by bringing as much energy and happiness as possible into our everyday life with these simple ayurvedic tips. With a few easy changes in our routine, it may surprise you how easily we can transition from one season into the next!
In this article, we’ll focus on the subdoshas of Pitta. “Pitta dosha itself is all about transformation, heat, and energy,” explains Dinesh Gyawali, PhD, a classically trained Ayurvedic Vaidya (Ayurvedic expert) and Assistant Professor at Maharishi University of Management. “Pitta represents all forms of metabolic activities that generate energy. It’s primarily composed of agni (fire) and jala (water) elements. Pitta represents that ever-changing and evolutionary quality of our physiology which may seem static at times but is going through transformation each and every second.”
Feeling the heat this summer? When the Northern Hemisphere tips toward the fiery sun, you may start noticing signs of increasing Pitta dosha in your mind, body, and emotions—especially if you have a Pitta-dominant constitution type. Excess hunger, irritability, impatience, desire to control situations and people, ruddy skin, acid stomach, loose bowel movements, and feeling overheated in general are all signs that Pitta may be out of balance in your body. Fortunately, with a little Ayurvedic TLC, you can stay cool as a cucumber this summer. Here are 7 of our favourite ways to alleviate a backlog of excess Pitta.
Aromatherapy, in the form of floral and herbal extracts and incense, has always been an integral aspect of ayurvedic healing. From sandalwood incense to enhance the benefits of meditation to water infused with holy basil for purifying the environment, aromas have been a pleasant way to infuse the human psycho-physiology with the healing wisdom of plants. Although single-aroma incense and floral waters are not uncommon in Ayurveda, it is more typical to see blends or combinations of several different aromas.
Have you noticed that as the weather warms up you naturally desire different food and drink than you did during winter? You may like to try the Cooling Cucumber juice or Tropical Sensation recipes below. The change in your appetite and food choices during summer is guided by the increase of heat within you causing an increase of the qualities of Pitta dosha.
As the days get longer and warmer, do you find quite naturally the desire to be more physically active arises? Physical activity is a great way for the body to burn off the richer diet of winter, to celebrate the energy that comes with Summer providing increased vigour and to protect your health and wellbeing. Exercise helps to clear congestion and strengthen the metabolic channels (srotas) in the body while providing ‘sthiratva’, or stability to the body, mind, emotions and intellect.
Summer Solstice Great! Summer the warmer time of the year when Pitta the fiery dosha is strongest, is just around the corner. If you follow the guidance of a Meteorologist the hottest months of the year in Great Britain are June, July, and August. Some like to follow the movement of the sun through the sky and say Summer really begins when the sun is at its highest point in the sky on Friday, June 21st this year at the Summer solstice. How Does Ayurveda Mark the Change of Season?
According to Ayurvedic wisdom, our body and its functions are governed by a unique blend of the three doshas, or mind-body principles: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. “Kapha is that quality of our physiology which increases with close contact of water,” says Dinesh Gyawali, PhD. Generally speaking, Kapha has a binding quality in the body and governs structure, lubrication, and nutrition. It moderates things like weight, growth, lubrication of the lungs, and formation of the seven tissues: blood, fat, muscle, bone, marrow, nutritive fluids, and reproductive tissue. It also has a cooling influence, according to Gyawali. “Ayurveda compares Kapha with the Moon. It keeps our body nourished and cools it down just like the moon.”
One of the fundamental principles of Ayurveda is that there are three different dosha (mind-body) characteristics and that you are a unique combination of each: breezy, enthusiastic Vata; fiery, impassioned Pitta; and earthy, easygoing Kapha. But did you know that each dosha contains five distinct subdoshas that govern specific parts of the body and their functioning? In this article, we’ll focus on the subdoshas of Vata.
No longer just a frilly garnish, kale is taking the culinary world by storm. Along with it, leafy greens like spinach, chard, and even collards and turnip greens are gracing plates everywhere from fine dining hotspots to fast food restaurants across the country. These nutrient-packed veggies have long played a starring role in Ayurvedic cooking, and with good reason. They’re hydrating, nutrient-rich, and when prepared while fresh, they contain prana, or life-supporting energy. Below, we’ll share both Ayurvedic and nutritional insights on leafy greens, along with tasty ways to incorporate them into your daily diet.
Happy Ayurvedic Valentine's Year. With just a few simple guidelines from Maharishi AyurVeda, you can celebrate Valentine's Day every single day of the year. The Council of Maharishi AyurVeda Physicians says that the key to happy relationships lies in an in-depth understanding of one of the sub-doshas of Pitta, called Sadhaka Pitta.
The caveman diet. Going keto. Eating raw foods and juicing. Does it seem like there’s a trendy new diet cropping up every time you turn around? If so, you might be wondering how to keep up—which one to choose and whether you can still follow your Ayurvedic diet.
