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 Yoga Sutra of pantajali. BookI.2 "Yoga is the stilling of the changing states of mind." Mind is like the weather. One day stormy...next day sunny! By observing nature around us we often can understand nature inside of us. 
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 Ghee for the holiday season!
“Fool” proof recipe Place 1 or 2 pound butter in a Dutch oven and cook, uncovered, on lower- middle rack at 250° oven for 2-3 hrs, or until all water evaporates and solids are golden brown. Let cool slightly and strain ghee through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Pour into a clean jar, let cool completely and seal. Ghee can be kept sealed, in a cool place for 3 month or refrigerated for up to one year. This is a recipe from Cook’s illustrated. In Ayurveda the health benefits of ghee are many…..ghee is clarified butter with the water totally evaporated. High smoking temperature around 400°F. In winter it is dry so we need unctuous food…fat….to keep us warm and from drying. Ghee nourishes us in the deep tissues….bones, brain….According to the ayurvedic ancient text, ghee is good for inflammation, memory, digestion ….. We just need fat but of course in moderation. Vata constitution or aggravation need it the most, no moderation for them! Pitta in moderation because pita naturally has oil. Kapha is the most unctuous so in greater moderation. If ghee is consumed at a level of 10% or less of total calories and the other fats consumed are plant based ghee is beneficial. In average 1-2 Tblsp/day. :) Enjoy! For vata and Pitta cayenne can be omitted or in moderation.
Kapha needs more heat! water water sacred water!
The Art of Drinking Water: 10 Ayurvedic Tips for a Happily Hydrated Body. ~ Julie Bernier Via Julie Bernieron Oct 30, 2013 For more: 5 Myths about Drinking Water (NPR) Again Ayurveda brings us indispensable guidelines for something we thought had no method: drinking water. Just like the rules for eating there’s a way to drink that helps your physical body thrive. It’s more than just glass to lips and chug. With a teensy bit more awareness, the way in which you drink water can seriously be a life-changer. For me, it meant not having to race to pee all the time. For a friend who also heeded the advice it meant no more massive and uncomfortable post-meal burps. For another friend, drinking water the right way meant no longer feeling painfully full after eating a normal amount of food. And this all came with such simple, minor changes. So, the Ayurvedic way to drink water: 1. First off, sit down to drink (just as you should sit down to eat). 2. Take sips, not full-glass chugs. Small sip, swallow, breathe. Repeat. 3. Sip water throughout the day. If you chug too much water at once your body doesn’t actually absorb all of it. Most of it will run right through you. 4. Drink at least room temperature water. Warm is even better. Cold and iced water literally douse the digestive fire. 5. Only sip a small amount of water with your meals. If you drink too much while you eat, your belly won’t have enough room for digestive action. Remember this rule: fill your stomach 50% with food, 25% with water, and leave 25% empty for the digestive juices and process. 6. For the same reason, don’t drink loads of water before or after your meals. Fill 50% with food, 25% with water, and leave 25% empty. 7. Drink when you’re thirsty. Thirst is a natural urge that should be heeded. It means your body needs water. 8. As far as how much, we’re all different sizes with varied diets and lifestyles. One set rule of eight glasses a day simply can not apply to everyone. Naturally, the miraculous human body has it’s own built-in measuring system: thirst. If you’re thirsty, drink water. When you listen to thirst cues and sip water throughout the day you’ll be drinking the right amount. 9. Your urine is a secondary confirmation to know if you’re amply hydrated. It should be fairly clear and straw colored. If it’s dark yellow you need to drink more. 10. Your lips are yet another indicator. If they’re dry you might be dehydrated. The rules are so straightforward, perhaps even obvious or intuitive. But they might make a serious difference in the way you feel on a daily basis. Whether it’s how to eat, how to drink, how to bathe, or the myriad of other natural behaviors that we’ve never given a second thought, the beautiful science of Ayurveda teaches us the ideal way to do each to feel our absolute best. Cinnamon is a great spice!
It smells good and it taste good! Which makes it an unusual medicine! Cinnamon is warming and stimulating. It improves digestion, activates circulation and is also an expectorant for colds and flus. It helps relieve pain due to muscle tension and tooth aches. It also can help relieve nausea and abdominal pain. No studies show that it lowers blood sugar but it certainly helps assimilate sugars and this is probably why originally it is sprinkled on sweet food. Cinnamon can be used as a supplement to decrease insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. • great as an infusion on its own or in chai tea. I love using it in soups and my favorite recipe is Tunisian pumpkin soup!!!!! After dinner treat! Tulsi tea from the summer garden ! Remembering those lovely warm days... I can let the tulsi infuse me with the summer delight, when the kapha dosha is at its best....let tulsi do it's lovely magic for the immune system and strengthening the lungs.... Feeling down, tired....have some tulsi tea! 
Black pepper is a spice and has medicinal values. • it removes toxins. • stimulates organs. Particularly the digestive system. Black pepper is particularly good for stimulating digestion when used with pippali and ginger in equal amount. This is called trikatu, or the three pungent in Ayurvedic medicine. Recommended for the vata and kapha dosha. Black pepper in excess can aggravate pitta.  1 cup yellow mung dal 1 cup basmati rice 1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped fine 2 Tblsp unsweetened, shredded coconut 1 small handful cilantro leaves, chopped 1/2 cup water 3 Tblsp ghee 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/4 tsp salt 6 cups water Wash the mung dal and rice two times. Soak the mung dal for a few hours, if you have the time or over night, then drain. Put the ginger and coconut, cilantro and the 1/2 cup water into a blender and blend until liquefied. Heat the ghee on medium in a large saucepan and add the blended items, turmeric, and salt. Stir well. Next mix in the rice, mung dal and the 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Boil, uncovered for 5 minutes. Then cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, turn down the heat to simmer and cook for 25 minutes until the dal and rice are tender. Cilantro and coconut are particularly good and cooling for the pitta dosha. This recipe is from the Ayurvedic cooking book from Usha Lad and Dr.Vasant Lad. My favorite! Enjoy!  There is two path suggest Krishna in chapter 16 of the Bhagavad Gita. " The divine qualities lead to freedom; the demonic, to bondage. It seems to be a simple choice....why anyone would want the demonic path? This is how Krishna defines the demonic path: "The demonic do things they should avoid and avoid the things they should do. They have no sense of uprightness, purity, or truth. "Hypocritical, proud, and arrogant, living in delusion and clinging to deluded ideas, insatiable in their desires, they pursue their unclean ends. "Bound on all sides by scheming and anxiety, driven by anger and greed, they amass by any means they can a hoard of money for the satisfaction of their cravings. Driven by selfish desire, they miss the goal of life, miss even happiness and success. I love to open the Bhagavad Gita randomly and read a chapter.... This is were it opened today. It struck me and how relevant it still is in our present world, 5000 years after the Bhagavad Gita. We are still having difficulties to choose what road to take.... I guess the less travelled one is a must for our society today....  |
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