Ayurveda
How to make ayurvedic water - ideal remedy for body detoxification
According to ayurveda, water has a cooling effect on the human organism and is connected to the Moon's energy.
Water gives life and is indispensable for physical, mental and spiritual health.
It balances pitta dosha, supports kapha, suppresses dryness with vata dosha and helps the vital energy of the body flow smoothly and without obstructions.
Warm water is a healing nectar. That's why ayurveda advises you should always drink boiled and hot water.
People often have dry skin although they drink plenty of water.
Despite a high water intake, the organism does not get enough moisture on the inside.
Shatavari - the most important female medicine
Shatavari (Latin name Asparagus racemosus) is a climbing plant, up to two meters in height, which grows on sandy and rocky forested areas of higher altitudes.
Due to its medicinal properties it has been harvested for thousands of years across Sri Lanka, India and the Himalayas.
In Ayurvedic texts this valuable plant is recommended for the treatment of gastric, intestinal and nervous diseases, and numerous women's ailments.
In various languages this plant bears different names, but the most famously it is called shatavari, which in the ancient Sanskrit means medicine for hundreds of diseases.
It is often poetically described as a plant with a hundred husbands, thus referring to the rejuvenating effects on the female reproductive organs.
Although its beneficial effects on all women's problems are well-known and documented, shatavari actually helps with a wide range of diseases and may be useful to men too.
5 Healthy Snacks for Every Occasion
Is it difficult for you to resist the urge of nibbling something during the day or while watching your favorite television series?
You don’t have to resist this urge if you replace unhealthy and nutrient-poor products with healthy snacks.
Besides, these healthy snacks will provide you with enough energy so that you will successfully meet all your needs for daily snacks.
Popcorns are the only snacks that contain 100% of raw whole grains.
Thus, only one popcorn portion can fulfill even 70% of daily human needs for whole grains.
Unlike popcorns prepared in the microwave with added margarine, the only popcorns that are considered healthy and in which you can carelessly enjoy are the ones fried in a pan with few drops of oil or ghee.
Golden Milk – A Potion That Heals and Rejuvenates
Ayurvedic warm drinks are beneficial for the body and soul.
They nurture, heal, calm emotions, stimulate natural immunity, and provide you with the feeling of peace, mental calmness and pleasure.
One glass of “golden milk” has that effect.
Mixed with honey and spices, this milk is precious because it preserves your health and helps in fighting many diseases.
Healing properties of this beverage are many due to its main ingredients – honey, turmeric and milk.
Combination of these ingredients increases their individual healing benefits.
Gee is also an important ingredient that is valued in Ayurvedic medicine.
Gee helps to remove the toxins from the body and increases the mobility of wrists and gives strength to the vital organs.
Vishesh – Ayurvedic Sport Massage to Start Your Day Right
My next journey through the world of Ayurveda leads us to Germany, to a small village Pocking which is located only 10 minutes’ drive from Munich.
In Pocking there is a small private clinic which is known by its charm, elegance and nobility.
Clients and guests are offered the best things one ayurvedic clinic can offer.
Ayurveda teaches how to perfectly balance your life.
The first step is to discover your unique physical, mental and emotional nature and also to discover any imbalance in your body.
Pinda Sweda – An ancient Healing Massage for Pain Relief
Modern lifestyle is not in accordance with the natural way of living and that usually has a negative effect on your health.
One of the most common problems is unnatural sitting posture.
It causes lower back pain, stiff neck, shoulder pain, muscle contraction and reduced joint mobility.
Pina Sweda, an ancient ayurvedic massage, is effective in treating this problem.
Abhyanga, a relaxing massage with warm oil is performed before performing Pina Sweda.
After Abhyanga, body is massaged by using hot linen pads that are filled with rice, milk and herbs.
The warmth of linen pads opens the body’s channels and boost circulation, allowing healing milk and rice to penetrate deep into the tissue.
This treatment renews and revitalizes the whole body.
Himalayan Salt – The Healthiest Salt in the World
Probably, many times you have heard that salt is not healthy.
But the fact is that we cannot live without salt, so the question is which salt should we use and in what amount?
Salt or sodium chloride (NaCl) has an important role in physiological processes and is essential for life and health.
All body liquids such as blood, sweat, saliva and tears contain salt.
Salt cannot be produced by our body therefore we get it from the food we eat.
Ayurvedic blend of three spices - rids the body of excess fat, cholesterol and toxins
Trikatu is an Ayurvedic herbal preparation which consists of black pepper, long pepper (pippali) and ginger.
Ayurvedic medicine has been using Trikatu for thousands of years to cleanse the body of toxins, excess kapha (phlegm) in the body, for weight loss and enhancing digestion.
Ayurveda claims that the poor quality of food and inadequate diet damages the digestive system.
Undigested food creates ama - excess toxins in the body - which ultimately negatively affects overall health.
Of all ayurvedic formulas, Trikatu is particularly effective for reducing ama and establishing the proper functioning of digestion.
Heat Your Body From The Inside!
According to Ayurveda regular consumption of hot boiled water boosts immunity, gives strength and energy.
In our western part of the world, same as at the East, drinking hot water is a common thing.
In Russia, Ukraine and similar countries “kipjatok” is being kept in tea urns and drank regularly instead of cold water.
In countries such as India, China and Japan drinking hot water and hot beverages is a common thing. It has been the part of the thousand year’s tradition.
If people are using something for thousands of years, from generation to generation, there has to be some benefit in it.
Rejuvenate your Eyes with Ayurvedic Therapy – Netra Tarpana
Did you know that people and places can give you positive energy but they can also steal your life energy and leave you exhausted?
This especially happens if you are into healing business or if you are often in contact with many people.
You have to protect yourself and recognize when some place or a person is stealing your positive energy.
Many diseases occur when your life energy is low because your immunity is weak as well.
All situations and people that make you stressed can be dangerous for your health.
I advise you to take this very seriously.
Take a Journey to a Magical World of Ayurveda
When I first encountered with Ayurveda I did not realize that not only will it deepen my perception of humans as energetic, emotional, physical and mental beings, but that it will take me on a new journey from Europe to America.
My first journey started in Netherlands where I came to get my degree as an Ayurvedic therapist.
As a nurse I had a stable job but still I decided to take the risk that changed my life completely.
Why did I make such a decision at the beginning of my career?
The reason is very simple.
While I was working at the hospital, I observed new patients who came to the hospital for medical treatment. Their hearts were full of hope and trust in the western medicine, therapy and doctors.
Discover the Advantages of Abhyanga - Ayurvedic Self-Massage
For thousands of years people have been practicing Abhyanga, a healing self-massage, part of the ancient Indian medicine of Ayurveda.
Abhyanga is a traditional treatment where the whole body is massaged in rhythmic, gentle moves using essential oils.
The advantage of this treatment is that you can do it by yourself and that is why it became so popular throughout the world.
It is believed that by practicing Abhyanga massage daily one can live to see 100 years and improve his or hers general health.
Gotu Kola - the Fountaine of Youth and the Protector of Healthy Mind
Gotu Kola (lat. Centella asiatica) is so powerful that it has been named "the fountain of youth" in Chinese medicine.
Gotu Kola prolongs life. This was confirmed by the life of a famous herbalist Li Ching Yun who lived to see 256 birthdays.
Gotu Kola grows mostly in the Himalayans. Yogis use it as food during their meditation because it activates the crown chakra and helps in balancing the left and right brain hemisphere.
Apart from China, Gotu Kola is known in India, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Middle and South Africa.
How sour taste affects our health
Sour taste arises from the combination of the elements of air and earth, and it is by its very nature it is dry, cold and light.
Sour taste is the least present taste in our diet.
You can find it in:
- legumes (beans, lentils)
- fruit (pears, pomegranates, dried fruits, cranberries, khaki apples khaki)
- vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, asparagus and beets)
- cereals (buckwheat, rye, quinoa)
- spices (turmeric, oregano)
- coffee and tea
Amazing health benefits of bitterness
Have you ever wondered why almost all healing herbs and spices have a bitter taste?
Aloe vera, neem, garlic, goldenseal, ginger, wormwood, milk thistle, turmeric and many, many others.
Is it a coincidence that the bitter taste is present in all of them?
Ayurveda explains that this is not a coincidence and that the bitter taste is the most healing of all tastes – more healthy than salty, spicy, sweet, salty and sour.
In Ayurveda, bitter taste is used for treating many types of physical and mental illness.
Arjuna protects your heart
Arjuna (lat. Terminalia Arjuna) is a plant which ayurvedic doctors have been using to treat heart disease. This is why it is also known as the "protector of the heart".
In Sanskrit arjuna means "silver" or "shiny".
It received the name after a homonymous hero from the epic of Mahabharata, due to its protective function.
Arjuna is an evergreen tree from Combretaceae family which grows by the rivers of the western Bengal and dry river beds of the central and southern India.
Once a year arjuna's bark peels off on its own, which encouraged people 3000 years ago to gather it, process it and dry it, making it one of the most well-known ayurvedic remedies.
Its taste is bitter and acrid. Ayurveda defines it as a holy plant balancing all the three doshas.
Hot taste according to Ayurveda
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Hot taste (katu rata) consists of the elements of fire and air and has warming properties.
It increases vata and pita doshas and reduces kapha. Hot taste can have beneficial effects on the body, but do not overdo it. Excess hot taste may cause certain health problems in your body.
Triphala - a cornerstone of Ayurvedic medicine
Triphala (meaning "three fruits") is an ancient nutrient blend of three types of super-fruits from India.
It consists of equal ratio of dried fruit of plants amalaki (Emblica officinalis), haritaki (Terminalia chebula) and bibhitaki (Terminalia bellirica).
It is said that triphala has the power to protect and treat internal organs just like a mother that cares for her children.
Each of the three herbal fruits in the composition of this mixture nourishes, cleans, strengthens, deeply renews and rejuvenates the entire body.
In the history of Ayurvedic literature, triphala is highly praised. It is believed that if someone uses this product for a period of one year, he will be free from all diseases and will have an extremely long life.
Therefore, it is marked by the term rasajana, which is the Sanskrit term for all drugs that rejuvenate the body.
Ghee - Ayurvedic healing butter
Why use plain butter, when you can enjoy the benefits of ghee, which is its purified form?
Yoga teachers say that ghee protects joints, and Ayurvedic doctors recommend it for a variety of diseases - from indigestion to memory loss.
But what exactly is the golden liquid and how it differs from regular butter?
Ghee (rhymes with "see") is purified butter. It is produced by cooking butter at a low temperature. During cooking the water from the butter evaporates, while milk solids are separated and removed with a spoon.
Why Ayurvedic physicians do not eat tomatoes
One famous Ayurvedic physician said: "If people stopped eating tomatoes, I would lose my job”!
Shocking! What has poor tomato ever done wrong?
According to modern nutritionists, tomato is a very healthy food. It is a rich source of vitamins A, B6, C, E, K, thiamin, niacin, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus and dietary fiber.
The tomato is also known as a food that contains lots of lycopene - antioxidant which prevents cancer.
But according to Ayurveda, tomato is a food which causes disease. How is this possible?
Amalaki - ayurvedic fruit for rejuvenating and strengthening your organism
Amalaki, amla or the Indian gooseberry (lat. Emblica officinalis) is one of the most well-known plants of traditional ayurvedi medicine.
The yellow-green fruits of the trees which can grow as tall as 18 meters have been used by peoples in India for over 5000 years as one of the most powerful natural medicines for strengthening the immune system and rejuvenating the body.
According to Ayurveda, amalaki contains five of the six basic flavors: sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and astringent. These characteristics make it a unique ingredient, the only such one in the world.
Mudras - ancient hand positions for healing and spiritual balance
Mudras are special positions of the fingers and hands, which are used to establish inner balance and healing.
The word Mudra is translated from Sanskrit as a gift of joy (mud - joy and ra - present).
Mudra in Sanskrit also means 'blend' and 'flow', which refers to the free flow of energy necessary for inner balance and health.
Speaking of mudras, we are really talking about a series of symbols or positions that serve to restore the body's energy, and achieve optimum health.
Ama - when toxins cause disease
A disease may have several causes.
Some blame the foreign invaders - viruses, bacteria and parasites.
Others argue that the diseases are coming from the "inside", that we are affected when the balance in our body is disturbed.
Our health can be ruined by stress, unhealthy lifestyle, toxins in our environment, and unbalanced diet.
Six flavors - six principles that affect our life and health
According to ayurveda, food consists of six tastes - salty, sweet, hot, sour, bitter and pungent.
Each flavor has its own specific characteristics and different effects on our health.
The word "race", which in Sanskrit means the flavor has many meanings. Ethnicity is a sense of satisfaction, and the essence of things, its substance, essence.
Both the sense of satisfaction and the properties of the flavor contribute to healing.
Agni - our digestive fire
According to Ayurveda, if we have good health, our dosha and agni (digestive fire) should be harmonized.
In Sanskrit, agni means fire. In the outside world, fire is responsible for the heat and the growth of all living organisms.
In our body, agni maintains vitality, growth and strength.
Agni digests food, feed tissue and separates waste products. It is responsible for our life expectancy and health.
How to cleanse your body with a spoon of oil
Very simple and effective method of prevention and treatment using oil sparked the interest of experts and the public after thousands of years.
This method is based on Ayurvedic medicine described in ancient Indian texts.
Sanskrit word ayurveda is translated as “science of life and longevity”.
This 5000-year-old traditional Indian healing system has been proven in practice many times and there is no doubt that Ayurvedic medicine deserves our attention.
Cooking according to seasons
Seasonal diets, apart from being tastier and richer in nutrients, are cheaper.
It is best to use food items produced by local manufacturers since such products are often fresher, especially fruits and vegetables.
Although we know that seasonal diets are the healthiest ones, we often forget that when it is time to eat.
The reason for that are modern diets and world’s food distribution system which makes all food items available throughout the entire year.
Autumn diet according to ayurveda and macrobiotics
Eating seasonal food items is an excellent way of maintaining health and vitality of our organism, but also for achieving harmony with the nature. See what ayurveda and macrobiotics recommend for an autumn menu.
In a modern world, almost all food items are at our disposal almost throughout the entire year.
We grew accustomed to buying imported food items, even though many of them are not suitable to the season or the climate we live in.
In many parts of the world, people have a different approach.
They carefully chose food items according to the season.
How to combine food properly (Ayurveda style)
How to preserve health; prevent numerous illnesses and strengthen the resistance of our organism with the help of food?
The answer to this question, asked today by a growing number of people, is in choosing healthy food.
But that is not all. It is not enough just to choose healthy food; we have to combine them properly.
Due to various processes and duration of digestion of certain nutrients, experts recommend that we should not combine certain foods.
We are all familiar with certain principles in food combining (separation of carbohydrates from proteins, fruit consumption separated from other food classes etc.).
Black salt as a spice and medicine
Black salt, also known as Kala Namak and Sanchal, is a special type of Indian volcanic rock salt.
Despite of its name, black salt is not really black. It has purple colour and a characteristic odor of sulfur, which is very similar to the smell of cooked eggs.
Black salt is obtained from the volcanic areas of Pakistan and India.
It is used in Indian cuisine as a spice that gives a specific flavor to salads, snacks and other Indian dishes.
Yogic cleansing of nose and sinuses
There is a technique so effective that it can solve many problems linked to ear, nose and throat in just a few days.
Yogic methods called Jala and Sutra Neti, allow to easy cleanse your nose and sinuses.
Jala Neti is an ancient technique of cleansing the nose with salty water.
This method has been practiced in yoga for thousands of years for the sake of the spiritual and physical health.
Sutra Neti is an efficient method of purifying the nose. It opens the channels so you can breathe with full capacity.