Staying Healthy Season to Season

We are enjoying a change of seasons

From the long hot summer to a more temperate time of year. It’s harvest time when fresh food is abundant and we get to taste spiced pumpkin and all of the warm comforting flavors that come with fall.

When you look out the window you notice the leaves turning bright hues as they fly through the air on the wind, being released from the trees that they have clung to all summer. This is the season for Vata due to the dry, windy weather we experience during the autumn time depending on the region.  It is a time that we need to watch the Vata Dosha to ensure it does not go beyond its limits.

Autumn is a time of deterioration as we watch the fullness of summer fade into dry leaves and bare trees. Flowers disappear and critters gather food for the long winter ahead. The deterioration is a preparation for the new awakening of nature in the late winter and early spring when crocus pop out of the ground.

Ayurveda says that we are all in charge of our wellbeing

So it is up to us to make sure we are keeping the correct regimen for each season. If care is not taken many signs of Vata vitiation will become apparent.

Because the Vata is dry and cold and the autumn is dry and cold it is important to counteract the effects that the environment have on the Vata dosha.  This information is not just important for the folks that are predominantly Vata Dosha, it’s for everyone because we ALL have Vata dosha in us at varying degrees. Our diet and lifestyle should be designed to balance the Vata energy.

What can you do now?

Your diet is very important because it is what sustains your tissue and gives you the energy you need. If the weather is cold and dry you need to think opposite of that and have warm soups and stews, pasta with light sauce are the right types of foods for the fall time.  Nuts are another great option because they have heavy and oily qualities; pecans and almonds are also good choices.

Read about good Nightly Routines for a Restful Night Sleep Click Here

What should you avoid?

This time of year is cold so raw fruits and vegetables should be avoided and salads should be minimized. Avoid cold and iced drinks and opt for warm teas with cumin, fennel, ginger or mint and have a nice cup of chamomile tea at bedtime to help with a good nights rest.

Because we are coming off the busy season of summer and entering a cooler drier phase it is important to move into the new season with moderation. Changes in your diet should be more gradual and new foods introduced slowly.

This is important because our bodies have become accustomed to the food and activities of the previous season, when we adapt our diet and lifestyle slowly we keep the dosha’s from accumulating or going beyond their limits and creating disease.

Because we are a part of nature and we contain all of the elements we are affected by our changing environment and seasons.  The Earth orbits the sun so the north-south position of the sun changes over the course of the year due to the changing orientation in respect to the sun.

Read about how daily routines can affect your health CLICK HERE

Look outside and know that all of nature you see there is also inside of you. Be conscious of how you feel each day, take time to plan meals and activities that are appropriate seasonally so that you can maintain the balance in your life.

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Blog post by: Shelli Thompson

Ritucharya for Your Ever Changing Life

There is one reality that is shared by all humans;

life is ever changing

We grow from a child to an adult; it’s the changes on the inside that aren’t as visible.

We look outside and we can see the changing weather, feel the change in the temperature and we can smell the change of seasons in the air. Everything in nature is affected by the changes in the seasons. All of what you see out the window affects you as well. You may notice that in late winter and early spring there is more dampness, therefore you may be creating more mucus and phlegm.  This is the season of coughs, colds and allergies.

Ayurveda says that the whole year is divided into two parts by two solstices.
Adana is the accumulation period between December and June.
Visarga is the release period between June and December.

In the Visarga or release period there is a predominance of the qualities of the moon or cooling energy.  At this time the appetite is strong and the strength of all living things beings increase.

In Adana period the qualities of the sun outweigh the cooling effects of the moon, dryness increases along with bitter, pungent and astringent tastes in produce.

When the weather heats up and the temperature increases many people start to sweat, experience heartburn and acid reflux. Emotional people feel irritable and restless and then the season changes again and becomes dry and cold. When this happens we experience dry skin, constipation, arthritis, anxiety and other things of that nature.

We can counteract the affects of the seasons by maintaining a diet and activities with opposite qualities from what we experience seasonally.

In Ayurveda Ritucharya means “seasonal routine”. When we follow Ritucharya we are able to prevent imbalances and maintain stability with the change of the seasons.

When we create more balance in our system we prevent the health problems that the change of seasons can present, “We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sail” for example, Texas has a long hot summer and Oregon has a cooler and shorter summer season.

It is important that we are conscious of the way we feel, that we check in with ourselves and pay attention to small changes that we detect.  The small changes that we feel when left unaddressed can lead to bigger issues and end up in disease.

Remember it is not the calendar that we go by when we plan our Ritucharya; it is nature that tells us when to make changes. Ritucharya also depends on the region you live in.

Sudden changes shock the system, make sure your change in Ritucharya is gradual, adding and subtracting foods and activities one at a time to make the change more gradual so the change in the season is less likely to make imbalance in your system.

blog post by Shelli Thompson

Fremont Wellness Center, A Center for Inspiration

Kerala Ayurveda Academy opened the doors to its first wellness center in Fremont CA in September 2013.

The inauguration was held during the Grand Opening weekend where Dr. Frawley led the ribbon cutting ceremony along with Shambhavi, esteemed Ayurvedic doctors, the CEO, scientists, practitioners, alumni and students.

Many events were held to celebrate The Grand Opening weekend beginning with the first student and Alumni reunion.   An auspicious ceremony of lighting the lamp, chanting mantras and sharing with friends, teachers, and well-wishers was the highlight of the event captured in many hearts and photo sessions.  All those who attended came from many different locations, near and far to proudly support and celebrate this groundbreaking event.

We enjoyed the evening touring the facility and feeling inspired!  Kerala Ayurveda Academy’s vision was to establish a center for Inspiration for the community, students and practitioners to offer the best possible care and to empower individuals where their wellbeing is concerned.  We were truly inspired as we shared in a delicious meal and each other’s company.  We also reveled in the positive energy flowing through the new Wellness Center.

The inauguration led to a planned workshop on Soma and Shakti.  Dr David Frawley, now an advisor with Kerala Ayurveda Academy, discussed how Ayurveda and Rasayana therapies enhance the wellbeing of everyone.  We discussed how Prana is the subtle food or energy for the mind and senses, and its ultimate power of rejuvenation.  He further emphasized the importance of yoga in the modern world and the play of agni and soma.  His talk also went into the essence of balance, purification and revitalization, and also the four light centers in the human body.   He finally conducted an interesting question and answer segment.

Then the beautiful Shambhavi taught us about Shakti and about the 4 “A’s”

• ·      Attention
• ·      Affection
• ·      Appreciation
• ·      Acceptance

And how emotion derives from need. Throughout the weekend she taught us mantras of protection and healing, spoke of Sthira Shakti or the power of stillness, about composure and consistency and depending on the person’s conviction, Compassion and Responsibility.

When Soma is born of Shakti and that soma is held, it makes the person receptive to the grace of the cosmic universe. Receptivity allows us to perceive grace and the bliss of divinity.

In the afternoon of the first day we heard from Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar as he spoke about “Achara Rasayana” (behavioral medicine) and it’s unique concept in Ayurveda. There are certain behaviors that bring about Rasayana in the human body such as truth, nonviolence, personal and public cleanliness, mental and personal hygiene and many more behaviors that are of the same nature. He also discussed Rasayana foods, herbs and herbal preparations.  This information was especially helpful when it was combined with the information of the morning sessions.

The first day of the workshop was exhilarating. Many of us dined together and discussed the presentations and the anticipation and excitement we all felt about the following day.

The final day continued with Dr. David Frawley again as we discussed more Rasayana in connection with Pranayama.  As always the discussion was interactive and interesting. We learned more mantras and enjoyed them together with Shambhavi.  Many of us felt our legs tingling as the energy rose in the room.

The afternoon was a change of direction from what was originally planned. During lunch we had a meeting with the participants of the workshop to find out how KAA can support them in their practice of Ayurveda.  Many topics were discussed and noted.  It is so important to support one another; meetings like this are crucial for the growth of practitioners and their practices as well as KAA in order to improve the curriculum and the experience of the student participating.

Finally, Dr. Jayarajan gave a presentation on his expertise, clinical application of Rasayana for prevention and management of disease.

The workshop covered everything about wellbeing.  All of us came away with a better understanding of Soma and Shakti and it relationship to health.  We learned about the connectivity of our actions, herbs, sounds and techniques that can be used and combined with different methods for a holistic and individualized approach to health and wellbeing.

Blog Post by Shelli Thompson