Ayurveda

To those of you, who are relatively new to the world of energy, welcome. To those seasoned few I invite you into beginner’s mind.

The holiday season is the time of year for sweets. So many sweets, that by the time the new year rolls around we might be ready for something a little less over the top, but still festive! This is the perfect time for spiced poached apples. Although they have lots of flavor, they won’t send you into a sugar coma, and, they actually come with some nutritious benefits. Plus, they can be served simply and rustically, or dressed up for special occasions.

As fall progresses into winter and the earth cools, we increasingly crave warm, comforting foods. Seasoned with traditional Ayurvedic warming spices, this vegan kitchari has a depth of flavor that will keep you coming back again and again. With the holiday season ramping up, you’ll appreciate that it cooks quickly. Plus, it’s rich in plant-based nutrients that will give you the energy to dance through the holiday festivities with your health intact.

They say pets are like a mirror image of the owner. So a well-balanced pooch means a well-balanced you. Taking care of your dog’s health can be as simple as first getting to know his dosha…

Frankincense (Boswellia) is best known as incense to most folks. It’s been used for thousands of years as a wonderful aid for mood, medication, ritual, and prayer. As such, frankincense was extremely valuable in the ancient world and was a key part of the spice trade 2000 years ago, making the folks who controlled frankincense trees in the Southern Arabian Peninsula and East Africa extremely wealthy (1).

Frankincense is also great support for the digestive tract.  More on this in a moment…

“We can think of food in general, as well as the very act of cooking, in a similar vein. Good, fresh, wholesome ingredients have tremendous capacity to support the body and all its systems. Preparing those foods in ways that bring out their best—that make them more nourishing for the body and a feast for the senses—is a powerful form of medicine that cultivates the health of the body, mind, and spirit.”

—Brittany Wood Nickerson, Recipes from the Herbalist’s Kitchen

Ayurveda is an ancient system for holistic healing. This 5,000-year-old mind-body medicine of India translates to “the science of life.” It is rooted in the laws of nature and so it follows the ebb and flow of change, much like the seasons. There are three primary energies that circulate in the body and the world at large.

Spring is the season to clear out the cobwebs and nurture growth. It’s also the perfect time to check in with your environmental wellness—that is, your health as it relates to your relationship with nature and your environment. Environmental wellness is a holistic approach to maintaining your health, the health of those around you, and the health of our natural world.