Should skinny people do a cleanse?

Knowing when to introduce building qualities and when to introduce reducing ones makes all the difference. One must be strong enough to cleanse without creating a deficiency in the tissues. A person with zero body fat should not lose weight in the name of a seasonal health regimen.

For this person, undertaking a cleanse might look like not eating junk food, and eating only foods that nourish the body. This allows a clean-up to go on. But it also requires a focus on nourishment, and preparation of good food, possibly more than three times daily. Cooking, grocery shopping, sitting down, and eating.

To cleanse or not to cleanse?

It’s fall and folks are talking about kitchari cleansing. Just do it?

A big problem I see often: people want to take on a cleansing diet, but keep the same rigorous lifestyle. This is a no-go. Rest is an essential aspect of Ayurvedic cleansing. If the attention and senses are going outward all day, this activity requires nourishment- juice won’t cut it. The inner channels, which may indeed be in need of a sweep-and-mop will not receive the body’s care when the attention is outward most of the time.

It is not a more-cleansing-is-better kind of thing, and there are many individual factors to consider about how best to improve life. Cleansing can also be a clearing of old habits, energy patterns, or messy desk space. The point is to slow down enough to take stock of your daily rhythms, your diet, and your dinacharya practices and see how they are serving you.

OJAS: the Cream of the Body

An insanely interesting and important topic in health and wellness.

Unlike Prana and Tejas, Ojas is a substance. Like cream as the essence of milk, ojas is the end product of digestion, produced once all the dhatus are nourished, and is the stuff of vitality and immunity.

Charaka calls Ojas “the nutrient cream of the body,” and “that which keeps all the living beings refreshed.” Like honey, Ojas is the nectar of nutrition, and it takes volumes of food and days of digesting to produce a small amount.

During the process of digestion and metabolism, a small amount of Ojas is released into each tissue layer before the remaining nutrition is passed onto the next layer. This provides immunity and strength for each tissue. The refined end product, which takes thirty days to produce from food, results in Ojas for the vitality and longevity of the entire body.

OJAS AND AGNI

Ojas building foods are sweet, unctuous, heavy, and cool: such as dates, milk, almonds, avos, ghee. Such foods are always prepared warm, using digestive spices, and maybe enjoyed on an empty stomach, or as an evening tonic, depending on the person’s digestive capacity.

You can find a recipe for Ojas bars on my blog: link to blog here

It’s one thing to know what substances support the body best, and how all that nutrition gets around, but if it’s not being digested well, to begin with, anything that enters the body is potentially more harmful than helpful. Poorly digested food is the beginning of the disease. This is where the concept of Agni comes in, the digestive fire at the center of it all that transforms food into nutrition.

From an Ayurveda point of view, digestion is a key factor in immunity. To be vital and feel juicy requires a body that is getting full power from its food. There is so much more to share about how to use ojas-factor foods in the best way and how to get strong from within.

Why Im Offering The Business and Practice of Ayurveda Professional Program

            Have you spent a ton of money on Ayurvedic education and are looking for how to stay current with the practice in your own life, and to apply the knowledge to help others? I began an Ayurvedic Health Counselor Mentorship program because I graduated from an AHC school in the US ten years ago and felt terribly out-on-my-own immediately. I was teaching public classes and seeing clients and felt very unsure of how to handle some of my cases, how to keep myself organized in terms of booking, finances, and client intake forms and follow-ups. In addition, I observed the difficulty of my fellow students in staying involved with Ayurvedic practice, both personally and professionally, soon after graduating. One is so focused, and has so much support during school, then it’s suddenly over and practice starts getting real, really fast.

            This mentorship program spans 6 months of on-line calls where students can present cases for feedback, and get guidance and support for how to teach Ayurveda principles to the public, to build a client base, how to deal with money, and how to run the back end of an Ayurveda practice. You might present a workshop or training curriculum for review, or propose an idea for an online course and refine your approach with guidance from Kate, with ten years of practice consulting and teaching in a grass-roots style. In addition, you’ll gain a cohort of others building their practices just as you are, like-minded friends and colleagues to keep in touch with and bounce things off of.

            I’d love to support you on your journey, and there’s still room in the 2020 course. You can read more about it here: https://ayurvedicliving.institute/the-business-of-ayurveda

Early bird discount through Sept 15.

OM, Kate

New Podcast out with Spa It Girl from Australia

I loved talking with Yvette, a long-time travel blogger who has turned her attentions to sharing authors and modalities which support mental wellness. She has a great and infectious energy for improving the lives of her listeners. I hope you enjoy this one.

have a listen

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.

Ayurveda Kitchari Recipe

This is a classic Ayurveda recipe that grounds you, calms you, and sustains you all at the same time. I’ve added the healthy bitterness of greens to cooling herbs and spices to mellow the mental heat of a busy day. When you feel like your mind is orbiting a bunch of tasks or appointments, have a leisurely sit-down with a bowl of this, and I guarantee you will feel much calmer.

Cleansing, Calming Ayurveda Kitchari with GINGER AND Greens

Ingredients:

6 cups water

1 cup basmati rice

1/2 cup yellow split mung beans, soaked overnight or at least a few hours

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

pinch of hing

1 inch of fresh ginger, grated

1 carrot, chopped into half inch dice

2 cups kale, Swiss chard, or collards, coarsely chopped into strips

1/2 to 1 tsp salt

for the tempering (optional):

1-2 Tbsp ghee

1/2 tsp cumin seeds, whole

1/2 tsp coriander seeds, whole

1/2 tsp fennel seeds, whole

In a large saucepan, boil 6 cups of the water on high heat.

Rinse the rice and mung beans twice or until the water runs clear. Add them to the boiling water along with the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, thing, ginger, and carrot and keep on high heat until the liquid boils again. Immediately turn the heat down and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes without stirring. Remove the lid, place the chopped greens on top to steam. Simmer, partially covered, 10 minutes more.

Meanwhile, to make the tempering, warm the ghee in a small skillet on medium heat. Add the whole cumin, coriander and fennel seeds and cook until the seeds pop, about 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, and pour over the kitchari. Add the salt, stir well, and let stand, covered, for a few minutes.

Kitchari should have a soupy, soft consistency. Serve it in bowls, as you would a stew.

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This recipe is inspired by a kitchari recipe from my second Ayurveda book, Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm, Clear Mind: 100 Simple Sattvic Recipes from Shambhala Publications.

Golden Milk Recipe

This evening tonic is well known in the Yoga and Ayurveda traditions for a long list of benefits, namely as an anti-inflammatory, bone nourisher, and immune booster. This synergistic combination of turmeric, coconut, ginger, and pepper is supported by ancient knowledge and by modern research as well. You will find it not only healing, but comforting. If you think drinking an entire cup of milk, even warm and spiced, is a bit heavy, use half milk and half water.

All-Healing Golden Milk

1 cup whole cow’s milk or almond milk
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp coconut oil
Pinch of black pepper
½–1 tsp raw honey (optional)

In a small saucepan, warm the milk uncovered over medium-high heat for 2–4 minutes, or until you see steam rising out of the pan. Add all the other ingredients, except the honey, and whisk by hand or with an immersion blender until combined.

Pour into a mug, sweeten with honey (if using), and drink immediately.
 
 

-From Everyday Ayurveda Cooking for a Calm Clear Mind by Kate O’Donnell © 2018 by Kate O’Donnell. Photographs © 2018 by Cara Brostrom. R

eprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc. Boulder, CO. www.shambhala.com

Quarantine Notes from Maine

One of the things I’ve been called in the last few years is a “thought leader.” I’m feeling compelled to do something (anything) during this quarantine and it seems appropriate to share some of the Ayurvedic perspective on immunity, community, and what the science might have for us in this time that may be helpful. This comes not from a desire to make money online and keep up my brand (which is a compelling ride I went on for a while let me tell you) but from a desire to offer something, to connect, to be a part of a shared journey where we are all in the same boat.

 I’ve heard from some of you in gratitude for the Ayurveda and Yoga in your lives as these systems offer support, structure, and how-tos for maintaining health in body and mind during a time where many of us have lost our touchstones, our routines, our livelihoods, and perhaps many other things we haven’t seen to yet. I’m not called to wax positive and put up a good front. I’m called to wax philosophical, but I’ll refrain and keep it practical and concise as that is always my promise to my readers and to my students. Let us look to how we can maintain health and avoid disease in this interesting time.

I have been tempted to cope with an excess of three things:

1.     Eating.

2.     Sleeping.

3.     Streaming and screening.

It would be easy to think now is the time to live the monk’s life and read those classical texts, meditate and do yoga for hours, and eat light spring foods. I’m left with my lack of desire for much of that as the weeks march on. That’s the hard part of quarantine! I need a little sensory stimulation over here! I’m reminded of Ayurveda’s general love of “balance”. Finding a balance of indulgence in coping vices, and steady efforts towards truly healthy routines, is what I’m aiming for. So here’s a few ideas from your thought leader here…

Notice how screen time effects you and keep it to x number of hours for A: work and B: TV. Keeping in mind the total number of hours. I’ve been balancing computer time with 30 minute walks in between sessions. Rain or shine. Nothing special just walk the neighborhood loop. Again. On a nice day, maybe drive to an outdoor haven and take an hour or two.

Stay active. Especially in the morning as Ayurveda describes this being the best time of day for detoxification of the body. Then hydrate. Do not start the screen time until after.

Unless you are exhausted and taking this time to recuperate (in which case sleep until you feel better), set an alarm and keep a consistent wake-up time. This will keep you from losing track, staying up too late and sleeping too late. Follow the cycles of the sun and I promise you will be healthier. Its natural.

Balance comfort foods with cleansing foods. If you are feeling anxious, it is common to have weird food cravings. Sweets, heavy meals, snacky things like chips and popcorn. Make an effort to also enjoy foods that cleanse the body such as broccoli, celery, leafy greens, fresh fruits, lemons. I’ve been into the white bean and asparagus soup. Be sure to sit down while eating and favor hot meals.

Ayurveda’s general tenet for avoiding disease lies in the ratio of strength of person (that’s your immunity) to strength of disease. There are a few things we can do to stay strong:

·      Exercise daily, just to 50% capacity. Keep the blood and the mucous moving.

·      Sip hot water and eat hot foods like soup (colds and flus do NOT like this, but they love cold drinks).

·      Get plenty of rest, at the appropriate time of night. Between 10PM-6AM is the magic time. Give or take, no need to be perfect about it.

·      Eat foods that are easy to digest. Meals not snacks, avoid overeating at one sitting. Overwhelming the digestion makes it harder for your body to fight off bugs.

Kind of common sensical I know, but in these strange times it is very easy for the mind to chase its own tail and things can seem confusing. I offer these reminders for myself as much as for you.

Hang in there,

Kate