Ayurveda

So I had my first ever Ayurveda consultation and I think it would be really neat to share about it. So here it goes.

Ayurveda is a holistic and ancient way to approach life. I mean really it's a system of healing...but it ends up being a lifestyle in order to balance the elements. In research and discussion with the other girls who are trying out the lifestyle, since we have access to our very own consultant for free, I've really come to see it as a logical approach to self preservation and you don't even have to get all spiritual about it either.

Most likely you'll be asked to fill out a questionnaire about your daily routines and circle from a list of seemingly peculiar options having to do with whether you are Kapha, Vata or Pitta. Mostly folks who are imbalanced are some of all three. One of the first things a consultant will ask (I assume should ask) is, "in your own words describe your goals, health wise". Mine were: manage my digestive system to prevent bloat, irregularity, and to efficiently eliminate toxins that most likely cause my oily skin and migraines. Balance my moods so I am better able to handle stress by checking my anxiety especially around my monthly cycle. Now my answer was made of prior knowledge and my preconceived notion of how the body works. But it could be much simpler. The consultant will take your pulse, examine your finger nails, and ponder your tongue.

My consultant explained to me that my Vata is sort of out of whack. Vata is wind and currently my vata is flowing up when it should be flowing down. This is caused by a lot of diet choices including snacking and drinking cold beverages but also it can just be genetic. I mean yeah that sounds super simple and we shall see how some simple changes may affect the flow of my Vata. In theory drinking water room temperature and/or hot (not tea) will bring the heat down from my head to my belly where it should be. It will relieve my migraine pain and allow my food to digest normally. Now snacking is quite possibly one of the worst things you can do and unfortunately for most people it's practically impossible to avoid. For many of us we've heard that 'eating small meals through out the day is healthier'. When this can't possible be farther from the truth, well according to Ayurveda. Another thing that may be affecting my mood, pms, and migraines is my fluctuating blood sugar levels, which my friends is directly related to a snack riddled daily routine. The idea of snacking is truly a development in the past 20-30 years. I mean did farmers run around with protein bars when they ran their tractors up and down fields all morning and afternoon? No. Protein bars, trail mix and other small intake diets are directly related to people who are body builders in the 80's and/or to treating diabetics. When in reality we're not burning the calories during out resting periods, morning-afternoon-and sleep. In Ayurveda one should rise early and eat breakfast quite soon after eliminating your waste. It should be enough food to last you till lunch so about 5 hours away. Lunch should be your biggest and hardiest meal and should last you through till dinner another 5ish hours away in which you should eat something smaller. The middle of the day is when 'your digestive fire is the most active'. In theory I should be able to get between meals completely energized without small blood sugar crashes after every snack. My body is technically fasting during those breaks and at night when I am sleeping I will be burning calories because I will burning my body fat and the waste will be expelled in the morning. OKAY and JUST so you know I may not be explaining this correctly. BUT however it was explained made sense, anyway! How the hell I am going to give up snacking is beyond me but I am determined to try. I can distinctly remember feeling extremely healthy and energized when I went to summer camp and ate full meals 3 times a day, so something tells me this Ayurveda thing maybe on to something.

The other thing about diet is the importance of how you eat and what you eat. Not just chewing your food slowly but really being conscious of your intake. Mentally telling yourself you're eating a nice meal and really making it almost a 'you and your food' date. Then of course what you eat is incredibly important too. And no you don't have to cut out potato chips, if you want those add them to your mealtimes. If you want a cookie have that at mealtime. It's really more about eating 3 meals and eating seasonally. For example hard cheeses are supposed to be eaten in fall, while ricotta is great for summer. Or Quinoa is great for Spring while barley is perfect in summer. I've believed that for a longtime but it's hard to know what is in season and what is not when we get our food from all over the world. But I've got my shopping list and I am prepared to experiment.

My consultant prescribed some herbs we carry at the shop, so I'm starting on Kapha Digest: Formula known as "trikatu' a combination of herbs enkindles the digestive fire, reduces excess kapha and promotes healthy digestion. It contains a blend of ginger root, black pepper fruit and pippali fruit taken in pill form 15 minutes before meals. I will also start on a blend of herbs for anxiety once our deliveries come in next week. When I bathe I am to use Vata massage oil which is comprised of sesame oil, olive oil, ashwagandha, bala, shatavari, passionflower, bhringaraj, licorice, lemon verbena, tulsi, and valerian. When I am clean I will rub the vata oil (which I added several drops of lemon grass and lavender essential oils to) all over my body minus the face and then rinse, not cleaning it off just rinsing. This should act as my daily moisturizer throughout the day. I am to drink 64 oz of hot or body temp water per day and exercise at least once a day.

I will go back for my official consultation in two weeks. Till then lotsa water, no popsicles, no snacks and more being present during meal times.