About Ayurveda

In a nutshell, Ayurveda is the science of life (Ayur = life, veda = science, knowledge), originating in India thousands of years ago. It is the original study of healing and has been used to help countless people, along with its sister science, Yoga. Ultimately, Ayurveda purifies the body for the practice of yoga, which liberates our true consciousness from the suffering of the body and mind.

Please see my Resources page for many books and websites on the topic of Ayurveda if you want to know more. Banyan Botanicals has a wonderfully clear description of how Ayurveda goes about purifying the body, through the balancing of the elements, which constitute our true bodily nature: https://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/ayurvedic-living/learning-ayurveda/intro-to-ayurveda/. The site also has a dosha test if you’d like to know more about your own constitution.

For those who may not want to get into the thick of doshas, dhatus, gunas and Samkhya, a few general Ayurvedic guidelines, which I will highlight in my maps every month, are listed below. These practices aid your body in digesting more efficiently, which in turn translates into better health. Our bodies are designed to heal themselves, however, they need to be properly balanced with the elements to do so. That said, here are some things you can do on a daily basis to feel better, per Ayurveda:

  1. Eat whole, organic, unprocessed foods that are in season. Prepare and cook as much of your own food as possible.

  2. Try to eat a small breakfast in the morning (the size of one cupped hand), your largest meal around noontime (two cupped hands together), and a small meal no later than 6:30 p.m. (soup or roasted vegetables).

  3. Eat everything warm or at minimum room temperature.

  4. Cook and eat in as peaceful a state as possible, with minimal distraction. Really pay attention to your food and express gratitude for it.

  5. Make sure all six tastes are in your meal: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. Here is a wonderful rundown in Banyan Botanicals.

  6. Rise by 6 a.m. and sleep at 10 p.m. Sleep time = healing time for the body.

  7. Sip warm water with lemon throughout the day.

  8. Do not mix your proteins and preferably minimize animal proteins. Dairy is a protein, as are beans.

  9. Melons should not be mixed with any other food. Same with fruit, unless it is a small amount cooked.

The things I will be focusing on in the monthly maps are:

  1. Practices that align with the seasons to minimize seasonal doshic imbalance that can lead to malaise.

  2. Yummy food that is easy to prepare and healing for your body.

  3. Reduction of ama (toxins).

  4. Igniting agni (digestive fire).

My ultimate goal is to help you feel better this year, which all starts with getting to know yourself again, which is what Ayurveda helps you to do. Ayurveda’s focus is the individual, not the affliction the individual is suffering from. Every body is different, so in Ayurveda, there are as many solutions as there are people in the world.

In today’s society we lose that relationship with ourselves. We are rushing from here to there and don’t even remember what we ate for breakfast yesterday (but we sure can remember every song lyric from the 80’s … curious). I believe I’m here to be that reminder to slow down, find stillness and in that stillness get to know yourself again. Through that relationship, you will find that you can take control back of your life and body and heal from the inside with Ayurveda.