🐜!!! While we tend to overdo it, and sugar has made a lot of problems for modern bodies, it isn't all bad.

Sweet taste, which is present in root veggies, grains, and fruits, is the primary building taste which nourishes the body. In balance with the lighter tastes, sweet provides fuel and building blocks for the tissues.

I love to bring my own favorites when I’m not hosting.

Kale salad, a thermos of hot tea, rice crackers instead of the oily wheaty ones, chevre instead of cow cheese. This doesn't mean I don’t eat some of the other stuff too, but I’ve got my mainstays and can enjoy smaller amounts of the other treats which may be hard for me to digest. What do you bring???

Embodying Ayurveda is step one to sharing it.

Come together in this community of Ayurveda professionals for six months of case studies, business direction, motivation, and clinical skills. There are just a few spots left for this 15-person cohort in the first half of 2022.

Gain access to resources on use of herbs and spices, lectures on all sorts of topics, marketing and business recommendations, two 1:1s with me, and the opportunity to offer community consultations for my peeps if you need clients. Consulting practice has always been my deepest place of learning and keeps the living science dynamic.

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you celebrating!

I am whipping up my Wild Rice Kitchari in anticipation of fall feasting. It helps the gut a lot to eat lighter on the day before and after a feast.

For the holiday I’ll be making wild rice stuffing (can you I tell I love the stuff), baked tofu, and whipped butternut. I add chopped parsley on top for the greenery.

What are you making??? Any of my recipes on your holiday table?? 

Ah, that’s what Ayurveda living is about. Awareness.

The thing about this review of our days and nights and our choices, is to keep it fun! Self-transformation can easily get heavy. Living well is not only about adopting the “right” way, but also about enjoyment. Sometimes the “right way” is to have a bit of fun. After some years of renunciation, I find myself deeply in love with the experiences of Life in this decade. Even grief and sorrow are a marvel, in their own way, and make the good stuff so precious.

Do you agree?

Do you have a story about choosing fun? Tell me.

Don’t forget the tahini!

Combining 5 of the six tastes, tahini is a powerhouse warming, building treat. I make a dip for roasted veggies, drizzle it on cooked greens, and even make SESAME COOKIES, using tahini instead of peanut butter!

Peanuts, also known as ground nuts, are a certain kind of hot and oily mixture that really aggravates Pitta, and are not helpful for skin stuff. I think you’ll find sesame butter works great in place of peanut all over the place!

Find the scoop on how to roast and grind your own in Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm, Clear Mind- staples section. 🤗

What are you doing with tahini this fall?

One of my favorite slokas! Not much more to say here, other than, let us meditate upon this truth.

The Power of Observation

It’s easy to get so busy that external changes go by without notice. One of the ancient messages of Ayurveda that can help us greatly now is the practice of observing seasonal changes. Observation will naturally illuminate the wisdom of living in relationship to nature.

The aspects of our world which are true and undeniable: change, age, hunger, thirst, sleeping, and waking, will speak to us as soon as we start listening. Ritucharya is the science and art of listening and responding to the changes around us. The right thing to do at any given time becomes clear through presence as well as practice.

How to Make Ayurvedic Oil

A DIY Ayurveda Oil Recipe, with Herbs for Stress Relief

Brahmi’s affinity for the brain and nervous system mean it shows up in a lot of medicines for the mind. A Brahmi oil massage can cool and calm the body, nourish the nerves, and slow down an overactive mind. Use a sesame oil base if you run cold, have dry skin, or experience anxiety and fear due to stress. Use coconut oil if you run hot, or get inflamed and irritated by stress. Be sure to include oiling of the head, ears, and nose when you use this herbal oil.

Makes 16 oz.

Ingredients:

¾ cup Brahmi powder

2 quarts water

16 oz coconut or sesame oil

Make the decoction

In a wide saucepan, combine the Brahmi and water and boil the mixture slowly, uncovered over medium/low heat until the water is reduced to ¼ (16 ounces). Do not use high heat as it can burn the herbs. This may take an hour or two. Strain the herb out using a triple layer of cheesecloth inside a large metal strainer to hold the shape. Discard the herbs.

Infuse the oil

Add the oil and decoction to a large, wide pan. Bring to a boil over low heat.

Simmer until all the water has evaporated. You will be able to see and hear (like popcorn) the water bubbles disappearing. When it is finished, there will be no water bubbles and no popping sounds. Stir to be sure. This may take 2 hours.

Allow to cool completely and transfer to a sterile glass jar with tight lid.

Roasted Cauliflower & Kale Salad

The creation of this warm salad at home will transport you to a bistro, much like the one in New York City that inspired this recipe. That one had cheese and garlic on it, which I have replaced with tahini and hemp seeds, for a rajas-relieving version. What a nice way to eat cauliflower and kale!

Roasted Cauliflower & Kale Salad

1 small head cauliflower, chopped into small florets (about 5 cups)

1 tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp ghee, melted
1 bunch kale, destemmed and chopped into small pieces (about 4 cups)
2 Tbsp olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
1 Tbsp hemp seeds
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp tahini

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the cauliflower in a mixing bowl, sprinkle with the turmeric and the salt, then toss with melted ghee. Transfer to a baking dish and roast for 25–30 minutes, tossing once after about 12 minutes. Remove from the oven when the florets are lightly browned.

Place the kale in the same mixing bowl, and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Massage the oil and juice into the kale until coated; the leaves should begin to soften. Let stand for 10 minutes or longer to soften to taste. If in doubt, massage the oil more vigorously into the kale, and let stand for a full 30 minutes.

Add the warm cauliflower, hemp seeds, and pepper to the kale. Toss. Transfer the mixture to serving bowls, and drizzle each bowl with tahini. Serve warm.

Kale Notes: Substitute baby kale if you’d like to cut out the massaging step and eat sooner.

Recipe excerpt from Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm Clear Mind by Kate O’Donnell © 2018 by Kate O’Donnell. Photographs © 2018 by Cara Brostrom. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO. www.shambhala.com