Spinach and Yoga

Fighting Off Spring Kapha

There are days, especially in the Spring when you can barely wake up, feel sluggish and puffy, stomach looks bloated and expanded, and your mind is foggy. Heavy, slow, dull Kapha dosha is reigning the weather and our bodies until it gets warm and toasty.

Changes in the nature always lead to the changes in our bodies. Heavy, wet, and cold by its nature Kapha reigns our world from Feb to May (depending on the weather and your location). It influences everything in our daily existence from energy levels to sleep quality, from body weight to mood.

When balanced Kapha creates a sense of security, stability, and internal peace. It makes you feel as if you were under a warm soft blanket with a cup of cocoa even during the most challenging times. It improves your intuition and encourages compassion. But not everything is perfect about Kapha. Once you step off the thin edge of a balanced healthy Kapha, you end up in a depressed moody tired state. Life looses its bright colors, early morning doesn’t inspire you, and a chronic cold seems to follow. Physically, Kapha can show up as frequent colds, allergies, and weight gain. With increased kapha there is a tendency for toxins to gather and be held onto in our tissues.

On days like Kapha is overflowing all you want is to stay at home and feel sorry for yourself. But I know that you are not one of the folks who would want to waste a day on feeling down. You have important and fun things to get done so you need a quick remedy to shake off this grogginess.

I will tell you what to do on a day like this but before let me tell you know not to do for sure:

• Don’t stay in bed all day (the earlier you get up, the better you will feel)
• Don’t eat heavy, creamy, cold things (no avocado, dairy, or nuts on sluggish days)
• Don’t spend your entire day at the tv or computer (that is, get outside!)
• Don’t drink iced drinks

Instead, try these to shake off excess Kapha:

• Keep it moving. Exercise is especially important during Kapha season when all you want is to stay on the couch and eat chips. Do yoga, jump on a trampoline, run, bike, jump, skip and play as much as you can and don’t let slow Kapha get a hold of you.
• Stay dry and warm. Say yes to scarves, hats, and gloves in bright colors such as red, yellow, and orange. Besides keeping you warm, bright colors will prevent the onset of the gloomy depression on the days when the sun is not shining. If you get a chance go to a dry heat sauna; it feels amazing when it’s still chilly outside.
• Keep it fresh and exciting. If you are feeling stuck in a rut, mentally slow, heavy and more tired than usual, now is the time to vary your daily routine, start something new, or go someplace exciting. Seek for adventure, new friends, fun experiences, and set new challenging goals for this Spring. This is the time to take your first Salsa lesson that you were thinking about for the last year, get a new hair style, and go out dancing with your old friends!
• Use a quick lymphatic oil massage or dry brush your entire body to improve lymphatic drainage and circulation
• Take hot/cold shower (alternate between hot and cold water T)
• Eat light and warm foods. I prefer having lots of warm light soups, beans, and roasted veggies while avoiding heavy, cold, and creamy stuff. Sip hot water frequently throughout the day. It is the frequency rather than volume that counts. Try adding spices for more flavor.  Ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves are all great!
• For a light breakfast, eat a stewed apple with cloves, nutmeg, fresh ginger, mint, cardamon and grapefruit

“Wake Me Up” Stewed Apple with Spices and Mint

Ingredients:

• 1 apple
• 1/4 grapefruit or more if you like its slightly bitter flavor
• 1 inch fresh ginger
• 6 mint leaves
• 3 cardamon cloves
• cloves 2 pieces
• nutmeg pinch

• Boil water with sliced ginger.
• When it is boiling add sliced apple and cut up grapefruit pieces and all the spices.
• Cover and let it lightly boil for 5 min
• Pour everything in a pretty bowl.
• Sprinkle with chopped mint leaves.
• Make sure to drink the warm spicy water! It’s the best part! Enjoy!

If you want to learn how to cook balancing ayurvedic meals for yourself and your family, check out Seasonal Ayurvedic Cooking classes with Divya at Bhagavat Life. She is a true magician when it comes to creating the most balancing meals that taste amazing! I am beyond grateful to have met her and enjoy her cooking!

What is your favorite light Spring-inspired meal? Let me know and I’ll choose one recipe to make it more Ayurvedic:) Maybe I’ll ask Divya to help me along on this one!

PS: Don’t forget to register for the upcoming FREE online class on 10 self-care rituals that can help jump start that self-care routine that your body needs to be healthy and vibrant. You can register here

We will talk about 10 self-care rituals that every woman must know about and ways to fit those practices into your day. If you can’t make it to the class live, you will be able to watch the recording any time after.

Interview with Lisa Munger

With the Happy Sexy Belly program running full course all my thoughts are on digestion and ways to improve it. I do my best to share the most effective tips on improving the feeling of digestive un-ease with my students. I share what worked well for me, what I learned from my teachers, and read in my favorite health books.

I also interview lots of experts to learn new things or to hear a new perspective on things well-known. Today my friend and a great ayurvedic practitioner Lisa Munger shares her wisdom.

According to ayurveda, dis-ease stems from improper digestion. Both mental or physical indigestion cause toxins or ama and eventually lead to maladies that range from anxiety to constipation, from weak immune system to anger.

There many ways to improve both physical and mental digestion to prevent bloating, reduce stress, and stay healthy.

Lisa Munger, an ayurvedic expert answers my questions about:

• The effect of TV on our digestion
• Why it is good to eat with your fingers
• How much food is a perfect amount for your body
• One incredibly versatile and tasty dish to heal your digestion
• How to use essential oils to improve the unpleasant symptoms or indigestion

If you want to experience the healing power of kitchari that we discuss in the video on your tummy, try this recipe:

Quinoa Kitchari (adapted from Dr. Sunil Joshi)

image from http://www.cookingrecipesyard.com

This dish is really easy to digest, healthy, balancing, and tasty.  Make it when you need to detox, let your digestive system rest, get over a virus or sickness faster, and just nourish your system after a stressful event. Traditionally, kitchari is made with rice but quinoa goes great, too! It has more protein (amino acids) and tastes great!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup yellow or green mung dal
• 1/2 quinoa or white basmati rice
• 1-2 tsp. ghee
• 1/4 tsp EACH black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ground cumin, ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 pinch Asafoetida
• 1 inch fresh ginger root, chopped
• 3 cups water
• mineral salt to taste
• Chopped cilantro and a few slices of lime
• Optional 1 small beet, kale, zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, green beans or any other vegetable that you like

What to do:

• Soak dal and grains overnight or at least for a few hours. Rinse well.
• Heat ghee and mustard seeds in a large saucepan on medium heat until seeds begin to pop. Add remaining spices and cook briefly.
• Then add the water before the spices burn.
• Add the rice, dal, and salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add hard vegetables like beets and carrots, cover and simmer until both dal, veggies and rice/quinoa are soft, approx 30 mins.  Add additional water as necessary.
• Add softer vegetables and greens 5 mins before grains and lentils are fully cooked.
• The cilantro leaves and lime juice right before serving.

You can read more about kitchari benefits and get a few different recipes here.

The winner of Gaiam Giveaway

On another note, it is time to announce a lucky winner of Gaiam Giveaway. And the winner is Carrie A Groff! Congratulations Carrie! I will email you personally with all the details.

Ayurveda Practitioner Weighs In

Cleanses are so HOT these days, they’re like a bikram yoga class in the summer. But just like not every yoga class is for every body, not every cleanse is going to benefit every body in the most optimal way. So before diving into the vast juicer-kale-mung bean laden world of cleansing, take a moment and use this guide below so you hit the Ojas-full feelings of detoxification & rejuvenation just right, and skip the fatigue/wrinkles/depression of depletion cleansing.

I realize this post might be a little controversial and I want to start off with the old adage of Ayurveda (the medicine of the Vedas): “Nothing is good. Nothing is bad.” because it’s all about who it’s for, which is why I love Ayurveda so much in the first place. Everything in this world has a way of acting as a medicine and a poison; it all depends on whom it’s for and how it’s used.

So keeping that in mind, one could say that all methods of cleansing could potentially be “good” just so long as they’re used by the right person – and for the appropriate length of time. For clarity, I’m going to go through some of the most common types of cleansing below but first, the basic constitutional types so that you have a frame of reference for the doshas.

Imbalances of the Vata-type Cleanser: very low weight or potentially underweight, weight accumulates around waist/belly, anxiety, worry, feels easily overwhelmed, insomnia (waking in the night), lack of direction, dry skin, constipation (lack of daily bowel movement or small pebble-like poops), abdominal distention, bloating, gas, dislike of wind, often cold, PMS: cramps bloating fatigue, lack of menses. *And if you’ve had an eating disorder in the past, look no further.

Imbalances of the Pitta-type Cleanser: medium body fat, weight accumulates around thighs & hips, stress, perfectionist, critical, anger (repressed or quick to explode), insomnia (can’t settle down at night), inflammatory skin conditions, acne, loose bowels, very smelly gas, generally runs hot, PMS: acne anger.

Imbalances of the Kapha-type Cleanser: plentiful body fat (can be overweight but not necessarily), weight accumulates evenly all over body, dullness of mind, lethargic, depressed, over-attachment to belongings/emotions/habits, wakes feeling sluggish even with 8-10 hours sleep, congestion-prone, can have constipation but due to stagnancy so will improve with exercise, PMS: breast tenderness water retention.

So now what’s the right cleanse-medicine for you…

Sunshine & Water Cleanse
This is sometimes recommended in Ayurveda for true Kapha constitution individuals and only for a short amount of time. This is not something I would ever recommend to someone living in a city, who has a job, and/or can’t take absolute rest. Continue to juice cleansing for why…

Juice Cleansing
This is perhaps the most popular type of cleansing at present and for good reason. Juice cleansing can balance Pitta and Kapha all depending on what types of juice you use. Juice cleanses typically use lots of bitter and astringent greens both of which are balancing for Pitta and Kapha. Kapha needs ample spices to be sure its digestive fires stay up like ginger, black pepper, and cinnamon. Pitta can follow a juice cleanse for a day perhaps but without the strong fire of Pitta being fed, it can blow out of proportion even more so than before. Don’t believe me? Find a firey type who is doing a juice cleanse and see how “balanced” they stay before they want to rip someone’s head off. Thinking “oh but that passes”? Scroll down to Signs of good cleansing below.

Now, Vata-types, I know that juice cleansing appeals to you because it just looks so simple. Like you wouldn’t have to think about anything, and you’d feel so “clean” and “clear”. I know, and I hear you. But how about feeling grounded and calm so you can think clearly? How does that sound? “Cleansing” really isn’t what Vata-types really need. In some ways they can cleanse their lives of things that are making their Vata worse like coffee, sugar, alcohol, and eating un-mindfully which for most will feel like a big “cleanse”. What Vatas don’t need is something that’s going to strip them down and make their nervous system even more raw to the elements around them. They need to learn how to build a comforting home in their own bodies through nourishing rituals and meals, so that they feel that they can better weather the storms of life. Vatas, darlings, scroll down to Kitchari Cleanse…

Raw Foods Cleanse
I love me some raw foods. Yes, that was my Pitta talking. Raw foods for a few days can be just what the doctor ordered for someone of strong Pitta constitution. Their blazing digestive fire can happily handle eating raw for a little while and the extra work required to digest raw foods can help bring that excess fire to balance. Kapha folk, meh, you could do this for a little while but ultimately you’ll want to bring back those heating spices I mentioned in the juice cleanse section and hot teas or you’ll never spark that fire that you need to get the spring back in your step and instead the food you eat will just sit in your belly and not feel like it’s going anywhere anytime soon. Vatas, if you want to feel spacey, and more prone to fatigue, bloating, and constipation, give this a try; in other words, please don’t go there with the raw food diet.

Kitchari Cleanse
Ah, Kitchari, the traditional dish of Ayurveda made of mung beans, rice, ghee, and spices. Kitchari is the star of the Pancha Karma diet (if you don’t count ghee). The Ayurvedic Cleansing that you see offered by myself and the majority of Ayurvedic Practitioners here in the west is an incredibly mild version of PK (if we can even say that) as PK should only be done under the keen supervision of a qualified practitioner and away from life (work, family, bad weather etc). Kitchari is balancing to all doshas provided it’s done with appropriate portions/spices and for an appropriate time (not too long for Vata). Kaphas do well with more beans and spices and less ghee and rice. Pittas do well with equal parts beans and rice, lots of cilantro, and some ghee & appropriate spices. Vatas do well with more rice, ghee and spices and less beans. Like the above cleanse methods, a Kitchari cleanse follows the Signs of good/bad cleansing too.

Some of the many great things about Kitchari:

• It’s a complete protein, which means you can eat it and still have energy for a full day of work/life
• It’s incredibly easy to digest. So long as the spices are right, no one has any belly/GI trouble after eating this.
• It soothes the nervous system without bogging it down. Kitchari because it’s so easy to digest remove any stress from digestion allowing the body’s tissues to detox what they don’t need and take the nutrients they do.
• Kitchari heals with its amazing spices like cumin, coriander and fennel.
• Mung beans have been used for centuries to detox the body.

If a Kitchari Cleanse sounds right to you, join the online cleanse I’m leading with the Doctor Blossom Team this fall!

Whole Foods “Cleanse”
For some this is perfect. This diet will suit all doshas though might not be the best medicine for Pitta and Kapha. Giving your body a break from all processed or refined foods, stimulants, and depressants can be huge! The better your digestion can function, the better your body can eliminate the toxins you naturally come into contact with. If your week typically includes more days with than without coffee, alcohol, refined sugar, baked goods, or processed meats then this could be the perfect place for you to start. If you’re considering one of the other cleanses it’s wise to include a few days of this Whole Foods diet on the start and end to avoid any boomerang-effect that brings you back into your old less healthy habits/crutches.

What To Look For While Cleansing

Signs of good cleansing:

• Improved sleep
• Improved energy (after the initial rest period that your body has been craving)
• Feeling less sluggish in the morning
• Clear lustrous skin
• Improved digestion (happy belly)
• Sattvic (peaceful) mind
• Grounded clear thinking
• Increased comfort in your body

Signs that it’s not the right cleanse for you or that you were doing the right one but for too long: Excessive cleansing leads to depletion of Ojas and increase of Vata so you’ll start looking more like the Vata-type Cleanser if you cleanse for too long or too strongly.

Signs of not-so-good cleansing:

• Increased aggression, anxiety, lethargy
• Feeling “spacey”
• Feeling cold, especially hands and feet
• Waking in the night
• Bloating
• Constipation
• Loss of appetite
• Deep fatigue
• Sustained achiness and/or popping joints

If you’re giving up the famous dietary crutches (caffeine, alcohol, sugar, meat) there are often a few days of the less fun detox with some headaches, body aches etc. It varies completely from person to person often having little correlation with how much of the crutch foods they were using. If in two or three days these detox symptoms haven’t cleared up and you’re not feeling more of the good cleansing signs, then adjustments need to be made.

I hope this article helps shed some light on what method of cleansing would best suit your current state of health. If you’re looking to learn more about what fits you, you can always book a consultation with an Ayurvedic Practitioner (like me!).

If you’re considering a cleanse of any kind it is always a good idea to consult your health practitioner first.

Join Kate in the Doctor Blossom Online Fall Cleanse where you’ll receive a cleanse catered to your unique constitution and current imbalances!

Kate Lumsden, a San Francisco-based Ayurvedic Practitioner & Yoga Teacher, spreads her love for these healing practices in her home city and beyond (via phone & skype) through her recipe blog, group cleanses, yoga classes and wellness coaching practice. Catch her on Facebook or Twitter where she posts regularly on how to weave Ayurveda into everyday life in fun, juicy ways.

Guest Post from Ashley Pitman, the founder of the virtual ashram Vixi

There are a few blog that I read on a regular basis and a few people in the holistic wellness and ayurveda field that inspire me. Ashley is one of them. Her website is full of ayurvedically-inspired recipes, seasonal detox tips, and effective health strategies. Ashley herself is a picture of health! In today’s guest post, Ashley shares her tips on staying balanced in the Spring and shedding off Winter pounds that some of us might still be dragging along from the holidays. Read and Learn!

Spring – The Natural Detox Season

Ashley's Ayurvedic recipes

If you’re feeling an urge to detox and get rid of any heaviness and stagnation from winter, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re on the right track according to Ayurveda.

Spring is Mother Nature’s detox season. You’ll notice that bitter roots, sprouts, greens and berries come into abundance. These pungent (spicy), bitter and astringent foods help us naturally detox any excess fats and proteins out of our system.

This is really important for obvious reasons like disease prevention and immunity boosting. But it’s even more important for subtle reasons like being able to listen to your body, following your intuition and your ability to show up fully in life.

Seasonal foods + our bodies create quite a magical combination because they need each other to thrive. Our bodies, by themselves, have an innate intelligence that enables health. BUT, when our diet and lifestyles are impeded by things like overeating, processed foods, foods out of sync with the season, stress, pharmaceutical drug toxicity, etc., the body suffers. Likewise, plant food has an innate intelligence that enables health, but when it’s put into a poorly functioning body it can’t do it’s thing either. The truth is we need to collaborate with nature in order to live into our full, vibrant capacity.

Now you might be curious about what to specifically eat during the spring, so here’s a quick rundown:

• Eat more foods that are Pungent (Spicy), Bitter, Astringent / Light, Dry, Warm
• Eat less foods that are Sweet, Sour, Salty / Heavy, Cold, Oily
• Schedule a deeper cleanse to fully detox, like a juice cleanse or a plant-based cleanse

One of my favorite morning rituals this time of year is the Spring Detox Smoothie. Here’s my recipe:

Sweet and Spicy Kapha-Balancing Detox Smoothie

Ingredients

Spring Detox Smoothie

• 1⁄2 cup spicy sprouts
• 1 tbsp ginger root
• 1 cup turnip greens (or arugula or dandelion greens)
• 2 lacinato kale leaves
• 1 pear
• 1 apple
• 1/2 lemon (juice from)
• 2 pinches of cayenne
• 1 tsp raw honey (optional for extra sweetness)
• 1 1⁄2 – 4 cups filtered water

Directions

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Here’s a quick rundown of why these ingredients are excellent choices for detoxing your body during the spring:

• DARK LEAFY GREENS like kale, collards, nettles, dandelion greens and turnip greens have a bitter and astringent taste. This stimulates the action of scraping and squeezing, respectively. Used to scrape excess waste and toxins on a cellular level, greens create lightness with their high nutrient portfolio. Greens are rich in chlorophyll which oxygenates and alkalizes your blood. Greens detox your lymph, blood and fat cells.
• LEMONS + LIMES have sour taste, which gently stimulates digestion. They stimulate the release of enzymes and help convert toxins into a water-soluble form that can be easily excreted from the body. Lemons and limes also detox your liver. Funny enough, even though these fruits are acidic outside of the body, on the inside they’re extremely alkaline-forming (this is why drinking warm lemon water first thing in the morning is important). 
• SPROUTS are a super potent phase of plant growth because more nutrients are packed into a smaller space. They help build muscle tissue and contribute to sustained energy levels.
• SPICES  such as turmeric, ginger, cayenne, cinnamon and fennel improve circulation, aid detoxification, and stimulate the digestion of toxins both in the digestive tract and on a cellular level. Spices detoxify your lymph, blood, kidneys and bowels.
• SWEET FRUITS are high in fiber, and some, like apples, are high in pectin, which serves an intestinal broom to clear out the toxins. Juicy fruits contain the purest, most absorbable form of water for our cells, giving your body energy to detox in pace with modern life.

And guys, I just want to forewarn you that this smoothie is a little intense, but for good reason. Choosing meals that help you live into a higher vibration isn’t always easy, but it’s worth it!

Do you feel better when you eat with the seasons? Do you have a favorite spring smoothie recipe that you’d like to share?

Bio: As a Wellness Educator, Cleanse Specialist + crusader for whole-body nourishment, Ashley Pitman supports thousands of people in achieving a hot body and radiant beauty with a blend of raw food education, Ayurvedic inspiration, guided detoxes + courses, and lots of loving encouragement. All the action takes place at Vixi.com, a digital ashram for wellness-inspired people looking to use food as medicine and health as a spiritual practice. Stay devoted to your radiance and well-being by joining the free weekly newsletter with health and lifestyle tips that work. Click here to join & claim your free gift.

Twitter: @ashleylpitman Facebook: Vixi’s Page

Hello Wellness Warriors,

Hope you are hungry! I have a new yummy recipe for you today. Before we get to the recipe, I would like to share some thoughts on improving Spinach and Yoga . If you have some ideas or thoughts, too, please share! I would love to hear your feedback!

A friend of mine who is passionate about health and trying new recipes, asked me to add more ayurvedic recipes to Spinach and Yoga. Your wish is my command. Well, not really, but I do listen to the suggestions For Katerina and everyone else, who wants to add more ayurvedic recipes to the daily menu, I will post one recipe every Thursday!

Besides that I was thinking about introducing some weekly themes:

Tuesday - Food For Thought articles. Something along these lines: 10 Interesting Facts About Food Combining or Change Your Life With Positive Affirmations
Thursday – Ayurvedic Eats with recipes like today or like this one – Kelp Noodles with Edamame in a Creamy Butternut Squash Sauce
Saturday – Inspiration and Information with links from my fellow bloggers, inspirational quotes, cool workouts and yoga routines, movies, or lectures and other things that grabbed my attention during the past week.

What do you think of the planned changes?

It seems that Spring flowers, sun, and warmer weather inspire people to cleanse and detox. Or maybe it is just the thought of the beach and a bikini that re-awakens long forgotten New Year’s resolutions… On the big scale of things it doesn’t matter what motivates you to lighten up your plate and include more veggies in the diet, as long as you do it!

Vegetables are great for alkalizing the body, cleansing the pipes with fiber, and, of course, stimulating weight loss. The good thing is that cooking vegetables is easy and quick! This recipe is simple and easy to make. (It basically made itself in the oven while I was jumping around to Insanity with my boyfriend.) Goat cheese adds rich creaminess to fibrous veggies, and sweet potato add notes of sweet softness. Spices give the dish a kick and help to digestion. (ayurvedic tricks!)

Sweet Potato, Broccolini and Fennel Baked in Goat Cheese Sauce

Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Fennel with Goat Cheese

• 1 Large sweet potato
• 1 small bunch of young broccolini
• 1 Large fennel bulb
• 1 small container or roll of fresh organic goat cheese. I get mine from Star of Patches goat farm on Union Square and love it!!!
• 1 red pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 ½ cup water
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil or several fresh leaves
• salt to taste or dulse flakes

Slice up sweet potato and cover the bottom of a glass or ceramic baking dish. Cut up fennel in pieces and cover sweet potato. Next put broccolini on top.
Mix all the spices, garlic, salt or dulse flakes, water, goat cheese, and red bell pepper and blend on high speed until smooth.
Pour the sauce over vegetables, cover with a lid and bake at 350 for 30-40 mins (until vegetables are done).
Serve with quinoa, as I did, or as a side dish

Vegetables with Goat Cheese Sauce over Quinoa

What are you eating this Spring? Are you doing any kind of detox to lighten up?

Don’t forget to subscribe on the right side bar to receive an email with a Saturday Information and Inspiration post with a whole bunch of interesting links!

Nadya

How My Body Forced Me To Listen (The Hard Way) 

Image Courtesy: http://www.alldeaf.com/jokes-funny-stories/

A few days ago I wrote about listening to your body when it comes to finding a perfect personalized diet. Today I want to share my story about finding a perfect personalized workout method using your body’s feedback and some common sense.

After moving to New York 7 years ago, I got addicted to working out. Six days a week of hard core cardio, boot camps, body pump, kick boxing, you name it, I did it all! More always seemed better. If I skipped a day, I felt guilty and failed! While working out at the gym, I did yoga every day, too. An hour long yoga routine was my restoration time, not a workout, like it would be for normal people.

I felt proud that I could push myself to workout even on a 4-5 hours of sleep, that I never gave in to excuses, and that no matter where I went I always found a way to exercise. Social life, my personal relationships, sleep, all were secondary to a good workout…

After 5 years of 90min+ of daily workouts, my body started requesting rest. When I didn’t listen, it started to break down. My periods stopped, I was constantly tired, and always hungry. Ignoring my body, I kept pushing through, thinking that if I stop, I will turn into a fat lazy lady.

The worst thing was that exercise didn’t make me that happy anymore, it turned into a chore, something that I had to do before moving on with my day. One of the reasons I was afraid to workout less is a widely accepted concept that “you get what you work for”, and that the more you workout the better shape you are in. What I didn’t understand is that having a fit body that is tired all the time is not any better than having an unfit body.

Another thing that I didn’t understand is that exercise is a tool not a goal of its own, unless you are a professional. Exercise as a tool that helps to create an optimal, healthy body that allows to enjoy life and never feel constricted by the physical discomforts.

After a few conversations with my ayurvedic doctor, Vasudha, and an enlightening book by Claudia Welch “Balance Your Hormone, Balance Your Life” I slowly started to warm up to the notion of nourishing exercise. As all things in Ayurveda, fitness in Ayurveda is personalized and based on your body type. We all are unique and our bodies have different needs for exercise. Daily activity level, stress, type of food, and health condition will also play a role when creating a personalized fitness program.

Sport By Body Type

John Douillard describes fitness preferences by body type really well:

• Vata types will  typically excel in sports requiring quick, short bursts of speed and agility. They love fast, vigorous activity but can’t handle too much of it if they are going to stay in balance. If anything, Vatas need to slow down and nature often forces them to, since their endurance is not great and they tire quite easily.
• Pitta types excel in individual competition requiring strength, speed and stamina. They are fiery both in personality and desire to win. They are highly motivated and driven and are often not satisfied unless they have won. They are natural leaders and are attracted to individual sports because of their strong ego and natural competence in most sports. Pitta types must be careful not to get overheated and must learn how to enjoy themselves regardless of the final score.
• Kapha types excel in endurance and mind-body coordinated  skills. They are great under pressure and are naturally calm, stable and easy-going. Because of their hypometabolic nature, they will tend to be more lazy and need motivation when exercising. They love team sports but must be sure to get plenty of stimulating and vigorous exercise as well.

Nourishing and Depleting Exercise

Most of us do not realize that high intensity exercise can be a stressor. Our body responds to exercise as an emergency. The fight or flight nervous system gets activated and this emergency  response during each workout not only produces stress fighting degenerative hormones. Considering that most of the big city dwellers have drained adrenal glands and don’t have time to stretch after a workout to calm down the nervous system, extreme workouts over time can do more harm than good. This is even more true for women.

Ayurvedic Exercise Solution

It all comes down to what makes you feel healthy and vibrant. Here are some ways that I used to find what works for me.

BREATHE – To reap all the wonderful benefits from working out without harming your body and your nervous system, one has to be very mindful and listen to body’s feedback. It might mean turning off the loud pumping music or the news while you are on the elliptical and instead listening to your breath. If you breath is shallow and incomplete, slow down and bring it back to slow deep breathing. It doesn’t mean that you have to go at a snail’s pace. You can still run 10 miles and hour sprints and breathe deeply! Getting to that point might take some time though, so start easy.

BE MINDFUL - Pay attention to how you feel after a workout. If you are exhausted for 2 days after, ask yourself if it is worth it. I strive to feel energized, alive, and light in my body after a workout. If you are a data junkie, create a workout log and write down how you feel before and after. This way you will be able to observe trends.

STRETCH – I can’t stress this one enough! Stretching is good for your muscles but it is also very calming to the entire nervous system. Do it slowly, mindfully, and regularly!

What I Do Now

After quitting Body Pump classes, cutting down on Bootcamps, and limiting High Intensity Interval Training, my body didn’t turn into a pumpkin, instead, it feel healthy and energized.

gym rat - 2010

yoga, running on the beach, and hiking - happy and relaxed 2012

My periods are back to normal and my constant hunger is gone. I still love a good workout but I became a lot more mindful of my body’s signals and don’t feel guilty taking breaks. My yoga practice is more active since I have more energy and don’t need to spend an entire hour in restorative asanas, even though I still do it sometimes:). Sometimes I still err on the intensity side and push past my comfort level but my body reminds me quite quickly to stretch, rest, and restore.

Questions to YOU: What type of workout makes your body feel alive and healthy? How do you know when you are pushing too much or not challenging yourself enough?

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Stay mindful and breathe whether you are at the gym, a yoga studio, and walking on the street!

Nadya

Hello wellness warriors,

Today, I am very excited to to share something very special! A new friend of mine and an amazing ayurvedic practitioner, Dr Helen Thomas, shares some of her wisdom with us! Dr Helen studied with Deepak Chopra and Vasant Lad and now has a thriving practice in CA. She is the author of multiple book of health and ayurveda. Recently, she expanded her private practice to offer an online course called Colon Karma Cure. Isn’t it a cool name?! She calls herself and Indigestion Guru! I love it! The program offers weekly newsletter with tips and audio files with lectures on how to Cure Bad Colon Karma or basically, how to make your belly happy and healthy.

We had so much to discuss in our interview that I broke it down in several parts. Mind Body Green published a big piece of the interview, Modern Hippie Mag will cover individualized diets and the effects of stress on digestion, and I kept Dr Helen’s view of Raw Food Movement, her advice on using spices, and a glimpse of her daily diet for Spinach and Yoga. Here we go:

Nadya: Ayurveda is heavy on using spices that are specific to body types. In ayurveda spices are used for flavor and their healing properties. There’s a movement of people that advise against the use of spices as it may stimulate overeating. Their reasoning is that spices make the food taste different from what the nature intended and we don’t taste the plain ingredients as a result it is easy to eat more than the body requires. They also say that in the ancient times when our ancestors were mainly gathering and hunting, that they didn’t use spices. What do you think is the right answer? Should one use spices?

Dr Helen: I can only answer from an Ayurvedic perspective. In Ayurveda, we believe that spices improve digestion by stimulating the production of enzymes and improving circulation. Adding a little bit of spice in your food is similar to taking the popular nowadays digestive enzymes.

Another important aspect of using spices in cooking is the understanding of food and emotion connection. Ayurveda considers an emotional component of eating to be very important. Food should smell good and taste good to fulfill an emotional need. If you don’t have time to cook and enjoy your meal, you are not cultivating an emotional satiation in relationship to your whole experience as being a human being. That’s why people eat on the go, while driving or walking, will never feel completely satisfied and will always crave more.

Spices can be used for taste but they have powerful healing properties and it is important to use them according to dosha.  If you’re a Kapha type struggling with weight issues, than you need to use pungent, bitter, and astringent spices to stimulate metabolism. Spices that are sweet, sour and salty are contraindicated as they will lead to water retention and overeating. That’s just one example of why you have to use spices according to your body type.

Nadya: What do you think about a recent trend of juicing and raw foods? Is it healthy?

Dr Helen: Not all raw food is equal, some of it is easier to digest than other.  If you include soaked grains, ground up soaked seeds and a little bit of nuts, then it should be okay. However, Vata types would not feel well after eating a raw salad made with coarse hard vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower. Some might even develop a stomachache. I think the raw foods movement is bringing a lot of good things to the table and everyone should try experimenting with making some raw dishes at home. The key is to add a little bit of healthy oils and grains even if it’s raw. But I do not recommend just plain hard raw vegetables for Vata types or people with a weak stomach.

Nadya: As an Ayurvedic doctor, do you live by what you preach? What do you usually eat on a day to day basis?

Dr Helen Thomas: Kitchari is my go-to breakfast. The recipe is very simple: ½ cup rice and ½ cup moong dal; boiled in water with a teaspoon of turmeric and a little salt. At lunch I usually have a grain-based dish like quinoa with veggies. For dinner, I can have chicken soup or fish. I also like boiled milk, dates, figs, almonds, and pine nuts when I need a boost of energy.

Nadya: For people who sign up for the Colon Karma Cure program, how long does it take for a sensitive stomach to heal and for digestion to become stronger if a person is following general Ayurvedic guidelines?

Dr Helen:  About six weeks. We have many testimonials from people who have taken the Colon Karma Cure raving about the program and how it significantly improved their digestion.

The Colon Karma Cure is a wonderful program that offers a wealth of knowledge on Ayurveda and digestion. Dr Helen makes the sometimes confusing ancient ayurvedic wisdom accessible and easy to apply in your own kitchen.

Your turn to be interviewed! Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

1. Do you use spices? How do you decide which ones to use?

2. Have you tried juicing and raw food? How did your belly react?

Would love to hear from you!

PS: If you want some help creating your Personal Wellness Vision and finding strategies that will work for you to reach it, check out my Services page and email me at nadyaand @ gmail dot com

PPS: We still have a few spots left for the India Adventure. Join me! It will be so much fun and it will change your life!!!

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Candy, chocolate, cookies, and cupcakes… Cacao, spiced apple cider, and pumpkin spice lattes… Mmm… Halloween weekend is here along with its colorful multitude of sugary treats and fall-inspired drinks. While ghouls and goblins might be scared away by half-naked girls running around the Halloween party circuit here in New York City, us yogis are probably scared of falling out of sync with our wellness routines — which is, unfortunately, often a consequence of the upcoming holidays.

Halloween is just the beginning of a two month holiday parade with endless parties, dinners, and cocktail hours. It’s the time when staying true to clean eating can become challenging to say the least. One of the reasons is the constant availability of sugary treats. At the office, at home, at your relatives… everywhere you go there will be piles, baskets, and mounds of sweet — where can a poor girl find enough willpower to not overindulge in sugar?! … read more here

My friend and a talented ayurvedic practitioner, Vasudha Gupta, is hosting her first public ayurvedic cooking workshop on Fri, July 28th 5-8PM.

Vasudha is the woman behind www.americanayurveda.com and specialises in women’s health and wellness. She is an amazing healer and very fun to be around:)! She will host the workshop at Jena Wellness on Broabway Ave and 25th st near Flatiron Building.

Every student will have an opportunity to cook, stand by the stove, and experiment. All the cooking will be done by you, the students. She provides all the ingredients, spices, dishware, recipes, and guidance. You get to eat what you make and take everything home. It’s a 7 course meal from an appetiser to dessert with additional fixings and traditional digestion-stimulating accompaniments. All the recipes are focused on staying balanced during the hot season and are cooling and grounding in nature.

The price is $100 and includes all the food. It is an amazing deal considering that all the food and spices are included. You pay at the workshop but need to let me know if you are coming asap because the space is limited to 8 people so everyone has a chance to cook.

Let me know if you have any questions and would like to sign up

A Legend of Ayurveda

A couple of months ago I went to the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, NM to take a workshop with the super-star of modern-day ayurveda Dr Vasant Lad. I learned for much that I couldn’t wait to share some of the knowledge with you, my dear readers! After a few weeks of persistent emails Dr Lad agrees to do a phone interview with me and share some of his precious knowledge.

In this interview we talked about:

• Ayurvedic Energy Drink
• Treating ADHD naturally
• Yoga From an Ayurvedic Perspective
• Digestion and its Connection to Disease
• Snacking and Cravings
• Dr Lad’s Secret to Longevity and Energy
• Happiness
• And Summer Wellness Tips

You can read the interview here. Share it with your healthy or not-so-healthy friends! Spread the wisdom!

Be well,

Nadya

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