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“When diet is right, medicine is of no need; when diet is wrong, medicine is of no use.” -Ayurvedic Proverb According to Ayurveda, the root of good health and longevity is well-functioning digestion known in Ayurvedic terms as strong AGNI. "Agni" means “fire” and in this context, refers to the central bodily Agni, located in the gut. Like the pilot light in your oven, this central agni, called jathara agni, regulates 40 other main agnis in the body, what we would understand

In the northern hemisphere, late Spring and Summer are pitta season, bringing us more fire and heat which elevate those qualities within us. Pitta, one of the three doshas, or body-types, is comprised mainly of fire and a little water. Its qualities are sharp, hot, light, a little oily and spreading. Ayurveda describes three doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha, and we all have all three doshas, in our constitution, it’s just a matter of degree. Dosha literally means ‘a fault’, but

Last week we began our study of digestion in my year-long course. We’ve been looking at the state of our digestive fire--agni--and learning about how to work with imbalances there through practices in how and when we eat. We've been learning about ama--toxicity--and how it is formed through undigested foodstuff, and what we can do to prevent ama formation, or support our bodies to digest it once it forms. This week we'll focus more on what to eat in relation to the seasons an

My Ayurveda teacher, Dr. Lad often reminds us to take care of the small problems when they arise. You know those little annoying problems that don’t go away: minor digestive issues, intermittent sleep disturbance, hemorrhoids, low energy….The idea is simple: small problems left untreated turn into bigger problems. We get used to the problem, learn to cope with it but never actually resolve it, and next thing you know we’re dealing with a major health issue. A friend of mine o

Ayurveda teaches that all imbalance in the body starts in the digestive tract. Those low-level, chronic gut issues undermine our good health and over time, send imbalance into the deep tissues (organs) creating disease. Basically, everything we take into our organism we need to digest Agni, the sanskrit word for “fire,” refers to all of the digestive juices in our stomach as well as the digestive enzymes from the liver and pancreas and the rest of the digestive tract. Accordi

Fall is a time of year when the ether and air elements increase and with them their qualities of mobility, dryness and cold. To balance this increase, we bring in the opposite qualities of stillness, moisture and warmth. It’s the same in the late afternoon. You know that time of day when you start to feel scattered, tired and a little frayed? This is a great time to take 10, and rather than push through to completion, step away from whatever activity you are engaged in and ta

Yoga and Ayurveda are both at essence about expanding awareness and entering more fully into relationship with Reality. Through Hatha Yoga, we relate to our embodiment, not as a mental concept, but as our direct experience or felt-sense that includes layers of mental and emotional tension patterns as well as depths of intuitive knowing and at essence, Being itself, as our very nature. Our physical and mental habits can either free or obscure the flow of prana through our syst

Ayurveda is a 5,000 year old system of natural medicine, originating in the Indus Valley in India, outlining how to live in a way that promotes happiness, peace and health in the body, mind and spirit. Made up of two sanskrit roots: ayuh: LIFE and veda: SCIENCE, Ayurveda describes those things which create health on and those things which destroy it. Ayurveda came into being at the same time as the Vedas, the oldest recorded spiritual teachings on record, that were passed dow

We are in the transition between spring and summer. The days are getting longer, the weather in the Northwest is vacillating between warm-hot days and cooler, cloudy days with rain. Now is a good time to make some shifts in routine to support ourselves in adapting to these changing conditions. DIET: Late spring is a good time to enjoy some fresh salads, ideally at room temperature and especially good at the mid-day meal when digestion is stronger and raw food is easier to dig

Recently I had the privilege of spending time with Amma Karunamayi, an Indian saint who is revered as an incarnation of the Divine Mother. I went out to see her on a Friday afternoon when she was offering blessings. I sat in the chapel and listened as one her attendants explained how to approach her and gave us notecards on which to write a blessing request. When the time arrived, Amma sat on a big chair adorned with silk cloth and flower garlands. When it was my turn I got i

Recently, I spoke with a naturopath/friend of mine about healthy digestion and the word “cleansing” came up. I told her about the gentle way Ayurveda approaches cleansing, and that it looked nothing like the raw food, juice fasting and colonics that I used to associate with a cleanse. My friend said the same thing. We both felt it would be good to clarify what we are talking about when we bring this up to clients, because we both associate cleansing with these other protocols

“It is very easy to look for health outside ourselves, in the form of some miracle supplement or exercise routine or life partner who can provide us with what we are sure we need. What we really need to do, however, is to begin our search for good health by looking within ourselves, into the spaces we so often take for granted because they always reside within us. In the beginning of your inward quest you may see no more than you could if you were to walk from bright sunlight

This week I want to get you thinking about how you can support your digestive fire this season and stay healthy through the holidays and beyond. When we overeat, Nibble at parties all night, eat too late or eat foods our bodies can’t digest, we feel heavy, dull and cloudy the next day. When we eat the right amount of food, and are digesting it well, we feel lighter, energized, relaxed and clear. Elimination happens on schedule, and all is well. Many of us awoke the day after

As yoga practitioners, we know that we are more than just a body, and yet we have to attend to our body. Ayurveda, the science of life, evolved to help us take care of ourselves at all levels so that we could fulfill our purpose (dharma) in life. When we are sick, our physical body has been taken over by some pathogen or another. Yet what is also true is that our energy body is out of balance. We are probably dealing with imbalance in our mental/emotional field, and more deep

Prioritizing our own wellbeing is like putting on our oxygen mask before helping others with theirs. In order to really help another we must first take care of ourselves. This is basic. Still, it can be hard to practice when we are working both outside and inside the home, dealing with deadlines at work, and family members at home who need us. It can seem like there is simply not time for one more thing, even if it is the right thing. I know how this is: I get caught up in th