Behavioral (achara) rasayanas are behaviors that enhance health, happiness and longevity. Achara rasayanas do more than just tell us how to behave. They provide practical methods — such as eating sattvic foods and practicing meditation — to effortlessly improve our ability to choose positive behaviors and avoid making mistakes that cause ill health and unhappiness.
The winter season is a time of joy, rest, thanksgiving and sharing. One of the greatest gifts you can give to family and co-workers is your own health. The Ayurvedic definition of health is living 24 hours a day with the body, mind and senses full of bliss. This means having balanced doshas, balanced digestion, balanced elimination and a getting a good night's sleep every night!
5 Ayurvedic Strategies for a Healthy Halloween Ah, Halloween: Night of the living sugar zombies! With the onset of the dreaded trick-or-treating just around the corner, you might be wondering how to make this holiday healthy for your children. Dressing up in creative costumes gives children the opportunity to be imaginative, bringing light and fun into a dark season - but all those sweets and chocolate can be a little [...]
According to ancient Indian lore, Chyavanprash - a sweet paste that’s jam-packed with Ayurvedic herbs - was created by twin Vaidyas (Ayurveda experts) to help the great seer Chyawan Rishi restore his vigor. These days, people use it as a daily immunity booster and a helpful respiratory tonic. What is Chyavanprash?
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!
fall approaches, it's a good time to think about strengthening your immunity. According to Maharishi Ayurveda, cold weather doesn't have to bring on the cold and flu. The key is to start now with immunity-enhancing meals.
Would you say you are naturally a happy person? Or do you find people who are merry and happy a little intense or over the top? Modern psychology groups people into two groups optimists or pessimists and say that optimists tend to be happier than pessimists. Maharishi Ayurveda takes it a little deeper and looks towards the doshas and mental qualities of Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas for further understanding of how to increase happiness.
Digestion is the body’s main line of defense; it supports immune function, emotional balance, and overall vitality. It can also be the root cause of many health issues. And what is the best way to know the overall state of your digestive tract? Your poop!
Does your work provide challenges that motivate you into action? Or would you say your work is a source of stress giving rise to overload, feeling out of control or distressed? Let’s deepen our understanding of work stress and what you can do to wind back work stress when you need to.
Once early adulthood is passed we pass seamlessly as it seems, into our 30s and onwards as the process of wear and tear we call aging occurs. The ancient physicians of Ayurveda identified how this process of aging impacts us sequentially. As we traverse the decades there are key functionality that become challenged. This of itself is useful as it highlights the functionality to focus on strengthening during each decade.
Early autumn is a transitional stage, as we move from the height of summer’s ‘ heat’ in the UK to cooler weather. In Ayurveda, the change from summer to fall is known as Ritu Sandhi, the gap between seasons. This gap can present a delicate time for digestion, because the weather fluctuates—along with the doshas and digestive capacity.
Modern research is exploring ‘how’ aging happens with some fascinating research coming out about the ability of DNA to repair itself. Some question if the DNA have the ability to repair itself ad infinitum then why with age is the process of DNA repair less effective? Ayurveda explains that we age because we see others aging. The ancient Ayurvedic texts describe aging as a natural process whose effects can be reduced through the taking of rasayana - special formulas like the powerful Maharishi Amrit Kalash, along with a good daily routine. It surprised me to learn that Ayurveda also suggests a healthy life expectancy for this age to be 120 years!
Dr Nancy Lonsdorf discusses a more natural approach to easing the transition of menopause. With helpful insights from her book the Ageless Woman.
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.”
Women’s bodies are complex - and powerful. From monthly menstrual cycles through pregnancy, early motherhood, and menopause, the female body is constantly changing and adapting to all that life brings. Whether you’re married and raising a family, retired and flying solo, or anything in between, Ayurveda offers a wealth of practical knowledge to help you stay balanced at every age and stage of life.
With more heat waves predicted over the next weeks, it may be helpful to consider how to optimise your food choices to help cool and soothe your mind and body. In addition, let’s consider the Ayurvedic approach to nutrition.
It's the most wonderful time of the year, a magical time of travel, special events, barbecues and holiday gifts. So why do so many people feel stressed when the holidays roll around? The mental pressure of spending too much money, making too many decisions, and having too much to do causes Prana Vata to go out of balance. Prana Vata is the subdosha of Vata that is concerned with mental functioning. Aggravated Prana Vata can cause excessive worry, anxiety and insomnia — thus making it difficult to remain calm and make healthy decisions. It becomes a snowball effect, with the person becoming more and more stressed and enjoying the holidays less and less.
Summer was always Maggie’s favorite time, but with two preschool children, temper tantrums were the order of the day during the hot season. There would be times when Maggie was sure the number of daily tantrums moved in perfect synchrony with the thermometer reading outside. Finally, Maggie discovered if she took her kids swimming once a day, peace was dramatically restored. She made it through the entire summer without a single incidence. Swimming is one of the activities that is very effective at soothing Pitta dosha...
Are you thriving or surviving? "I used to really push myself with 7 day weeks and no real downtime. It wasn't long before the crunch came. I started to experience extreme fatigue, panic attacks, low blood sugar, feeling empty, tearful and depressed. All coping mechanisms gone, I returned to NZ and had to exit the plane in a wheelchair. Learning how to balance my life, body and mind and having fun again have been very important lessons for me. Learning to respect my body's needs helps me to stay well." Louise, 38 years of age. When you read the story of what brought Louise to seek help, did you relate to the story in some way for yourself? Would you say Louise was thriving or surviving?
Has the increased heat at nights caused you to sleep more fitfully? Some people have noticed changes in digestion with occasional heartburn or hyperacidity in the stomach. Others have commented on their skin becoming more parched, or have an increase of acne or skin rashes. What effect has the extreme heat had on you? A heat wave can also effect your mind and emotions causing an increase of fiery or controlling tendencies.
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.
Holidays are a welcome break from the routine of work and daily responsibilities. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi often said that routines, though necessary to create order in life, tend to cramp our creativity. Our innate and infinite capacity for creativity becomes limited and narrowed by the normal routines of work and daily life. We have a deep instinctive longing to break the predictable and mind-narrowing activities we are often involved in, and the idea of travelling to a different place feeds into that instinct. After all, we have the saying that ‘travel broadens the mind’. Yet there is another side of travelling – it can be exhausting and stressful.
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.
These days the emphasis in nutrition has been placed on protein and whether we are getting enough. The truth is that individuals are more likely to suffer from excess of it than the converse... ...So now I will get to the real issue, which seems to have languished somewhat since the food industry has focused on protein. This is the amount of fibre in our western diet, which is sadly lacking.
According to statistics, men live shorter lives and experience more chronic disease - simply because they don’t take care of themselves as well as they could. It doesn’t have to be this way. Maharishi AyurVeda offers simple, time-tested ways to stay fit, balanced, energetic, and healthy at any age. Here are ten easy-to-do Ayurvedic health tips just for men.
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?
By harnessing all the senses, bath time can be used to heal body, mind and spirit. Ayurveda considers bathing more than just a simple cleansing ritual. The therapeutic ayurvedic bath offers a wide range of benefits — it enhances circulation; elevates energy levels; rehydrates the skin; relaxes tense muscles; promotes better sleep; and balances the emotions, the mind and the nervous system.
The "king of fruits" has been around for at least 6,000 years. Native to India and Burma, this sweet fruit was described in the ancient Sanskrit literature — for example, in Valmiki's Ramayana. The mango was also the fruit of the kings in ancient India, where princes used to pride themselves on the possession of large mango gardens.
