THE SEASONAL BLOG
The Seasonal blog is a collection of articles and musings from Ayurvedic Practitioner, Kate O’Donnell.
Here you’ll find a sanctuary of Ayurvedic recipes, lifestyle insights, and self-care rituals designed to nurture your entire being.
Happy reading!
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?
The Srotamsi system, my FAVORITE topic in Ayurveda.
We know that in the workings of the body, there is a lot of stuff getting moved around. Fluids, wastes, nutritive materials, and energy, to name a few, are constantly being transported throughout the body by an intricate system of tubes. These “tubes” are called srotamsi in Ayurveda, and a single tube is called a srotas. The word suggests the activity of flowing, and this channel system is constantly in a state of flow.
Which is infinitely cool! We are such dynamic beings!
A lot of the self-care practices, bodywork, and dietary wisdom of Ayurveda are working behind the scenes to maintain healthy channels. Many yoga postures, breathing techniques, and visualizations are also designed to increase circulation and break up pranic blockages.
Baked Apple Madness!
OMG, this is such a favorite, people show up at my house with bags of apples and hopeful smiles. It comes together quickly and is a balanced meal unto itself while following the “rules” about combining fruit with food. Believe me, you, if I eat baked apples with nuts and oats and all kinds of crazy fillings, I will be a hot air balloon. Thus, I made this recipe. Personally, I eat them alone and not as a dessert (again- the wind!) Fruits and fruits alone. Let me know if you make these and please give me a story about sharing it!
4 large apples, cored
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
4 dried figs, finely chopped
2 dried apricots or dates, finely chopped
3 tsp sweet spice mix
1 cup apple juice, cider, or water
16 whole cloves, for decorating the apples
4 tsp honey, optional for garnish
Preheat oven to 350.
Mix all the filling ingredients together in a bowl and let them soak while you core the apples.
Pierce each apple with four cloves (for flavor and decoration). Place the apples side by side in an 8x8 baking dish.
Spoon the filling into the cored apples, letting some sit on top of apples. Pour remaining juices over top and into the pan.
Bake for 25 minutes or until very tender. For added flavor, you can “baste” the apples by spooning some of the liquid from the bottom of the pan over the apples part way through cooking.
Note to self: if you don’t get bloated when you mix fruits and foods, don’t worry about it. Just don’t do it every day. Questions? I’ll bet you do. Post ‘em in the comments.
Pat is on the back for healthy habits this fall!
Habits hinge on each other, as a daily routine winds along a path of interdependent activities. The time you get hungry for lunch depends on when you had breakfast. The time you fall asleep depends on the time you woke up that day. Adding even one of these routines is a big deal. Go ahead, pick an easy one, and see how it changes you. I’ll bet you come back for more.
And remember, bodies want to be healthy- it’s their job. Helping them out a bit with wise choices is a great practice that adds up to a longer, happier life.
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.
