Ayurveda for Springtime – Balancing Kapha Dosha

Ayurveda for Springtime – Balancing Kapha Dosha

by | Mar 1, 2023 | yoga

A Time Of Renewal

Spring is a time of renewal, growth, and rejuvenation. It is also the season of Kapha dosha, according to Ayurveda, the traditional system of medicine from India. Kapha is one of the three doshas, or energy forces, that are present in all living beings. In Ayurveda, each dosha is associated with certain qualities and characteristics, and understanding these can help us maintain balance and optimal health. In this post, we will explore Kapha dosha and how to stay in balance during the spring season.

Kapha Dosha: An Ayurvedic Explanation

Kapha is the dosha that is associated with water and earth elements. It is responsible for lubrication, stability, and nourishment in the body. When Kapha is in balance, it promotes a sense of calmness, groundedness, and stability. People with a dominant Kapha constitution tend to have a sturdy build, smooth skin, and a calm, compassionate nature. They are often steady, patient, and loyal.

However, when Kapha is out of balance, it can manifest as excess heaviness, lethargy, and congestion. This can lead to a feeling of sluggishness, dullness, and lack of motivation. People with excess Kapha may also experience weight gain, water retention, allergies, and respiratory problems.

Seasonal Lifestyle Changes

As the season of Kapha, springtime requires us to pay extra attention to balancing this dosha. Here are some lifestyle changes that can help us stay in balance during the spring season:

  1. Get moving: Kapha tends to be heavy and sluggish, so it’s important to stay active and get moving. Engage in daily exercise or yoga to boost circulation and energy levels.
  2. Wake up early: Kapha is most prevalent in the early morning hours, so waking up early can help to balance this dosha. Try to wake up before sunrise and start your day with some energizing activities.
  3. Stay warm and dry: Kapha is aggravated by cold, damp weather, so it’s important to stay warm and dry during the spring season. Wear layers, stay out of the rain, and keep your living space warm and cozy.
  4. Cultivate joy: Kapha can lead to a feeling of dullness and lack of motivation, so it’s important to cultivate joy and positivity. Spend time with loved ones, engage in activities that bring you joy, and practice gratitude.

Food Suggestions

Food is a powerful tool for balancing Kapha dosha. During the spring season, it’s important to focus on foods that are light, warm, and spicy. Here are some food suggestions for staying in balance:

  1. Spices: Add warming spices such as ginger, black pepper, and cinnamon to your meals to boost digestion and metabolism.
  2. Vegetables: Focus on light, bitter, and astringent vegetables such as asparagus, kale, and spinach to help detoxify the body.
  3. Grains: Choose light grains such as quinoa, millet, and barley over heavier grains such as wheat and rice.
  4. Fruits: Stick to seasonal fruits such as berries, cherries, and apricots, which are light and easy to digest.

Staying in Balance

Staying in balance during the spring season requires a holistic approach that includes lifestyle changes, food choices, and self-care practices. Here are some additional tips for staying in balance:

  1. Stay hydrated: Drink warm water with lemon or ginger throughout the day to keep the body hydrated and support digestion.
  2. Practice self-massage: Use warm sesame oil to massage the body before showering to promote circulation and balance Kapha.
  3. Practice pranayama: Breathing exercises such as kapalabhati and bhastrika can help to stimulate the body and clear any excess Kapha from the respiratory system.
  4. Get enough sleep: Kapha tends to be heavy and lethargic, so it’s important to get enough sleep to balance this dosha. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night, and try to establish a consistent sleep routine.

    Rasayana Therapy

    Another of the key concepts in Ayurveda is the idea of Rasayana therapy – rejuvenation processes that aim to restore vitality and balance to the body, mind, and spirit. During the spring season, we are encouraged to focus on gentle detoxification, warmth, and the consumption of bitter and astringent foods. These practices can help to support the body’s natural detoxification processes and promote overall health and well-being.

    In addition to dietary changes, it is also important to incorporate light, movement, and sweat into our daily routines. This can include activities such as yoga, walking, or jogging, as well as spending time in a sauna or steam room to promote the release of toxins and support healthy circulation.

    Massage is also an excellent way to support the body’s natural healing processes during this time of year. Ayurvedic massage techniques can help to stimulate the lymphatic system and promote the release of toxins, while also supporting relaxation and reducing stress.
    However, it is important to be aware of the potential for Kapha imbalances during the spring season. Kapha is one of the three doshas in Ayurveda and is associated with the earth and water elements. When Kapha is out of balance, it can lead to symptoms such as congestion, lethargy, and weight gain. By paying attention to the qualities of Kapha and making appropriate lifestyle choices, we can support the body’s natural balance and avoid these potential imbalances.

    Spring Wellness

    Additionally, if you’re looking to kickstart your spring wellness routine, I invite you to join our Ayurvedic Life deep dive this March. This course is designed to help you understand Ayurvedic principles for living healthfully, happily and full of vitality. You will also receive access to our Ayurvedic spring cleanse and rejuvenation where you will learn to gently release toxins, boost digestion, and balance Kapha dosha. Through the use of Ayurvedic herbs, spices, and cleansing practices, you’ll nourish your body and mind and feel revitalized for the season ahead.

    This is a transformative journey designed to help you tap into the natural wisdom of spring and emerge as your best self, ready to bloom and blossom. Cultivate a deeper connection between your body, mind, and spirit. This training will help you to access your inner wisdom and intuition, empowering you to make positive changes in your life and bring this wisdom to those you serve.

    We invite you to join us on this journey of self-discovery and transformation, as you embrace the inherent wisdom of spring and step into your full potential.

     

Ayurvedic Life with Nidhi Pandya
Sign Up Today
Ayurvedic Tips for Increasing Ojas – The Key to Immunity and Longevity

Ayurvedic Tips for Increasing Ojas – The Key to Immunity and Longevity

by | Oct 19, 2022 | Ayurveda

My first Ayurvedic teacher, Larissa Carlson, called herself an Ojas dealer. We were at a sweet winter retreat at Kripalu and spent 5 days diving into restorative Yoga, Ayurvedic living, and deeper nourishment. It was my first experience with building ojas and woe – what an experience it was!

What Is Ojas?

 

Ojas is the superfine essence of Kapha. It is described as a milky white fluid – there’s a drop of it in every cell and eight drops in your heart. You are born with a certain amount and it becomes depleted over time. Ojas is responsible for your vitality, immunity, strength, and vigor. Healthy ojas allows for enthusiasm, longevity, and a sense of being stable and grounded.

Ojas comes to us mostly through food. It is the substance that’s built after all seven dhatus layers of tissues are nourished. That which is left over build ojas. It takes 28-30 days to create ojas from the foods we eat.

In Balance – Compassion, contentment, all cellular immunity, capacity for bliss.

Out of Balance (too little) – weakened immune system, complacent, discontent

Things That Build Ojas

 

— Proper Rest – Yoga Nidra, Restorative Yoga, and healthy sleep hygiene are all key for building ojas

— Proper Diet – foods rich in life force, close to the earth, and unprocessed. Cooked fresh organic foods, adequately spiced. Dates, fresh-made almond milk, ghee, honey (do not heat), and my favorite – chyavanprash all increase Ojas.

— Proper Activity – spending time in nature, performing Yoga asana, meditation and pranayama, not having too much sexual activity, cuddling with pets, family or friends.

Things That Deplete Ojas

 

— The biggest thing that depletes Ojas is stress. We know stress wears the body down. Modern science explains how an overactive sympathetic nervous system and increased cortisol levels are the root cause of many disease processes. Check out this documentary from National Geographic on the science of stress.

— Negative emotions – Traumatic experiences, excessive worry, or anger take us away from a sattvic, or peaceful state of mind thereby depleting ojas.

—  Excessive fasting –  is difficult for the nervous system and depletes the bodily tissues.

— Staying up late – past the hours where the body is spending time in repair and rejuvenation. Try to be in bed by 10pm.

— Too much sexual activity – depletes the sukra- the male and female reproductive tissues. Excessive loss of shukra (reproductive tissue) directly correlates with decreased ojas.

— Continuously being in a hurry – creates excess Rajas which slowly depletes Ojas.

— Exercise – that is too hard, too intense, or overly heated depletes the body.

— Excessive alcohol – creates inflammation and dryness depleting Ojas as a result.

When looking at the things in your life that deplete Ojas, I find the most important thing is to cultivate self-compassion. Try being gentle with yourself, and tender…maintain openness and a sense of curiosity as you decide what to let go of and what to develop more of. 

Want To Know More?

The knowledge of Ayurveda can help us understand how to take care of our bodies every season. By making simple lifestyle changes, we can invest in our health and well-being. Join us for our ayurvedic fall cleanse to learn more about how you can nourish your body and mind this season.

Join Our Ayurvedic Fall Cleanse
Agni and Soma – The primordial cosmic consorts

Agni and Soma – The primordial cosmic consorts

by | Aug 9, 2022 | yoga

Night to the Soma-drinker come, for his enjoyment, these pure drops,

The Somas mingled with the curd.

Thou, grown at once to perfect strength, wast born to drink the Soma juice, Strong Indra, for preeminence.

O Indra, lover of the song, may these quick Somas enter thee:

May they bring bliss to thee the Sage.

 

— Rig Veda, HYMN V. to Indra

Shiva

Agni and Soma are two primordial cosmic forces of the universe that are integral to all of life. They are deities in the Vedic tradition and consorts. Agni is the god of the sun and Soma (also known as Chandra) is the god of the moon. Soma is represented as the most powerful deity in the Vedic tradition – the healer of diseases, bestower of riches, and lord of all other gods. Soma is a nectar that exists within and also a drink that was made likened to ambrosia. Shiva and Indra are said to have drunk from this elixir.

 

Agni is the first word in the Rig Veda, the oldest of the Vedas or books of knowledge. It is the sacred fire which represents heat and light. Agni is the inner fire that governs transformation, alchemy, and metabolism. There are many types of agni and depending on which texts your read, they number anywhere from 3-13. Agni exists in the five primordial elements (air, fire, earth, water, space), all of the tissues of the body, and in the digestive tract.  We want to think of kindling agni with care – as we would tend a fire. The goal is to have a steadily burning flame that doesn’t go out or diminish, nor does it combist or get out of control. One can support healthy agni through diet, herbs and lifestyle choices. There is said to be a type of soma for each type of agni and today we are going to focus on soma. In the summer months, times of intense heat, stress, or outward focused action – turning our awareness inward to the quiet and rejuvenative practices can be deeply therapeutic. 

 

The word Soma comes from the root su, which means to swell, to make ready, or to prepare. The earliest mention of Soma is also traced to the Rigveda.  Soma relates to water, ojas, ambrosia, the inner power of endurance, and becomes that which provides the fuel for our perceptions. Soma connects us to Ananda (bliss), peace, contentment, and love. It is the sustainer of all and when soma flows we are in a state of pure comfort or bliss.

 

If Agni is the fiery Kundalini force that dwells in the root or earth chakra below, Soma is the watery nectar that dwells in the crown of the head above. The oily drops of Soma nourish the central channel and provide the fuel for Agni, aiding in its upward movement. Agni is connected with the fiery kundalini shakti — as Agni rises, Soma descends. We need the nourishment of soma along the central channel before awakening kundalini. According to the Vedas, Soma flows in a thousand streams to Indra’s special place. These are the thousand currents of the sahasrara chakra or the crown where there lies the thousand-petalled lotus. 

 

Remember, over-activity and excess stimulation of agni leads to depletion, burnout, and disease. It is vitally important to cultivate soma in order to enhance longevity. 

 

Ways of cultivating soma flow include diet, lifestyle, herbs, pranayama, and meditation. I will share a few suggestions for each.

 

Diet:

Honey

Ghee

Spiced Milk Tonic

I adore Divya’s Kitchen and often order my Ayurvedic meals and pantry items from them. For developing soma, I highly suggest their ghee, soma salt, split mung bean soup. I am an affiliate so if you use this link to order and code Jeanette15 you’ll receive 15% off

 

Lifestyle:

Moon Bathing

Abhyanga warm oil massage – check out my Youtube video

Marma Chikitsa – marma point therapy

Pratyahara – turning awareness inward and cultivating steadiness and quiet

 

Herbs (Stanya Rasayanas):

Chyvanaprash

Gotu Kola (Brahmi) 

Shatavari

 

Asana and Pranayama:

Sitali and Sitkari Pranayama

Restorative, Yin and Slow Flow Yoga

Brhamari Pranayama – I have a guided practice on Insight Timer 

 

Meditation:

Metta Meditation

Mantra/ Mudra

Kechari or Shambavi mudra

We are exploring these themes all summer long in my live classes and online membership. Sign up today for just $0.99. Cancel anytime.

 

Join Now

Ayurvedic Herbs for Summer

Ayurvedic Herbs for Summer

by | Jun 16, 2022 | yoga

Ayurvedic Herbs For Summer

Ayurvedic herbs rose, shatavari, cumin, coriander, fennel

 

Brahmi – Brahmi is a nervine that soothes, relaxes, and balances the doshas. It eases anxiety and stress, reduces inflammation, helps lower blood pressure, and has anti-cancer benefits. Combined with chamomile, cumin, coriander, and fennel, this tea will keep you cool and collected all summer long.

Manjistha – I love this Pitta massage oil from Banyan Botanicals. It’s my favorite to use during the summer months for the practice of Abhyanga. If you haven’t tried abhyanga, check out my Youtube video here.

Neem – I particularly love adding Neem to my ghee. Ghee is the optimal delivery system for herbs according to Ayurveda. This ghee is fantastic for your skin, it’s purifying and cooling in nature, helps keep blood sugar in the healthy range, improves metabolism, and benefits gut health. Order your small-batch hand-crafted organic cultured neem ghee and enjoy this summer.

Rose – ahh rose. The sacred, high-vibration plant ally is a favorite during summer. It’s a heart tonic and is loaded with polyphenols or antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits. Rose helps you feel serene and brings the energy of love to your world. Mountain Rose has some of my favorite hydrosols and essential oils.

Shatavari – Shatavari is a nourishing tonic for all genders but is especially supportive for the female reproductive system during all phases of life. It calms the mind, builds ojas or the nectar of vitality and immunity, and is amazing for the skin. This is my favorite beauty balm which combines shatavari and rose geranium.

Want to Know More?

Download our beautiful 20-page guide and masterclass to access the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda this summer.

Yes! Sign Me Up