About a year ago I started researching Ayurveda. I can honestly say that it’s changed my life. By adding a few simple steps to my daily routine I’ve noticed a change in the way I feel. What I didn’t realize was I had already incorporated some of these things into my life prior to my research without knowing the roots behind it all. I love looking back and seeing things in my life come full circle! What do I mean by this? Well, to make a long story short, 15 years ago I started taking yoga classes and attended pretty regularly for years. It was a saving grace to my mental health at that time in my life. Fast forward a few years when I learned about Oil pulling and oral health and added this to my daily routine. A little while later I added in meditation, self-massage and recently adjusting my sleep schedule to my natural circadian rhythm. Basically, this is the recipe for a balanced life with a few other things I’ll talk about below.
If you’re not familiar with Ayurveda, it is considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science. The word “Ayurveda” is Sanskrit: आयुर्वेद, Āyurveda, meaning knowledge of life and longevity. Ayurveda also names three elemental bodily humors, the doshas (called Vata, Pitta, and Kapha), and states that a balance of the doshas results in health, while imbalance results in disease. I took Sahara’s discover your Dosha test and found out that my mind Dosha is 71% Vata, 14% Pitta, 14% Kapha. And my body Dosha is 75% Vata, 0% Pitta, 25% Kapha. If you’re curious what yours is I’ll link the quiz here for you. One thing that stuck out to me in my results, was it said that I should reach for root vegetables, which naturally have grounding properties, as they are grown under the ground. I had been craving root veggies for weeks prior to taking that test. Knowing that my body was already craving foods that I should be eating made me feel good about my choices. Isn’t it amazing how our bodies already know what they need? We just need to tap into listening to the signs and signals our bodies are giving us.
According to Ayurveda experts by simply incorporating this short list of things to your daily routine, you too can create a more balanced healthy lifestyle.
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- Oil Pulling
- Tongue Scraping
- Self-massage (Abhyanga)
- Diet
- Yoga
- Meditation
- Routine
I bought a few amazing books that I highly recommend that have really helped me make better food choices for my own body. The Idiots Guide to Ayurveda by Sahara Rose Katabi. If you’re not following her on Instagram you’re missing out! She shares an abundant amount of information on Ayurvedic living. She is a 2x Best-Selling Ayurveda Author and also has a Podcast called The Highest Self which is worth a listen. She is such a beautiful human being and I honestly love learning from her. Personally, I love buying books and having them to read rather than finding all of my information online.
The other book is Practical Ayurveda. I’m a very visual person and totally fell in LOVE with all of the graphics in this book. One thing I love about Ayurveda is that it’s a preventative, I’m all about prevention when it comes to my health. Also being an Herbalist, I love that they use plant-based foods derived from roots, leaves, fruits, bark, or seeds.
DIET
The yogic diet is based on sattvic foods, which means it is lacto-vegetarian. Now I’ve bounced back and forth between being a VEGAN, VEGETARIAN, and in-between. I think that it’s super important to listen to your own body, rather than following certain diets because it’s the trendy thing to do. I think we all need to incorporate more vegetables on to our dinner plates no matter what we identify with. Our western diets have been the typical Meat, Potatoe and Vegetable with meat being the majority of what is on our plates. If you take a look at any Eastern cultures, you’ll see that they not only eat a majority of Vegetables during meals they also have lower rates of Diabetes, Cancers, and Obesity.
Since my test results came back with my Dosha being mostly Vata, I took a look at the foods that would help me bring my Vata down and balanced. In order to do this, I needed to eat a balanced diet containing all six tastes, SWEET, SOUR, SALTY, PUNGENT, BITTER and ASTRINGENT.
SWEET: Grains, Ghee, Pasta, Bread, Sugar, Milk, Cheese, Potatoes, Carrots, Beets, Squash, Parsnips, Cucumber, and most Fruits.
SOUR: Lemon, Curd, Buttermilk, Tomatoes, and Sour Apples.
SALTY: Tamari, Soy sauce, Rock & Sea Salt
PUNGENT: Black pepper, Ginger, Tulsi, Cardamom, Radish, and Chile
BITTER: Turmeric, Fenugreek, Leafy green veggies, Eggplant, and Fresh Herbs.
ASTRINGENT: Pears, Legumes, Tofu, and Beans.
That list is honestly making me hungry just writing this. What I absolutely LOVE about The Practical Ayurveda book is not only is everything laid out in an easy to understand format, but it’s all broken down for each DOSHA. When you flip to the back of the book you’ll find delicious recipes that tell you which ingredients are for each DOSHA along with pictures, which I love. I’m new on this journey, but I can tell you that it’s made a huge difference in how I view my relationship with food and how it affects me.
I’d love to hear from you! We’re you familiar with Ayurveda before reading my posts? How has Ayurveda changed your life?
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The Inquisitive Virgo 