Bodhimed

According to Ayurveda, the root cause of all disease is improper digestion. Why exactly? Because when we don't fully break down food and assimilate nutrients, we accumulate this undigested, toxic material that in Sanskrit is called ama.  When we have ama, our pipes get clogged.  All kinds of pipes. Physical and mental.  This is a big deal, because any number of bodily functions may be compromised. The bad news is there are many, many causes of ama.  The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do about it.  Here we go.

Let me start out by saying to all of you long-time spiritual veterans out there that we are talking physical plane here.  On a spiritual level, the root cause of all disease is believing in the illusion that we are separate -- from the universe, from one another, from our divine nature.  Ok, moving on.

The ancient Ayurvedic text, Charaka Samhita, lists the reasons why we accumulate ama (toxins). Don't get freaked out, just consider this:

• eating too much or too little
• eating too early or too late in the day
• eating inappropriate food for your constitution
• eating while afflicted with extreme emotion (like stress))
• incompatible food combining
• eating before your previous meal is digested
• eating in the wrong season or location (eat locally and seasonally!)
• unclean preparation of food (includes modern day chemicals and toxins, parasites, worms, etc)

As you an see, it's very easy to have congested, clogged channels. If you have any of the following symptoms, it's likely that you do have ama:

• heaviness
• fatigue
• weakness
• headaches
• body aches
• foul breath
• bloating
• constipation or diarrhea
• low appetite or lack of taste in the mouth
• mental confusion
• feeling of stagnation or uncleanliness
• craving foods that make you feel sick
• a thick coating on your tongue

One of the beautiful things about Ayurveda is that it always offers a solution to the problem.  It requires self-responsibilty and a detachment from your previous habits, but that's what life is about anyway. So let's move on with things and get on the right track. We are preventing and reversing disease by adopting the folowing changes!  If you have any questions about whether these steps are right for you, please consult your health care practitioner or schedule a phone consult with me here.  If you are pregnant or nursing, also do not do these things.

• The very best way is to do a deep cleanse based on the traditional Ayurvedic Pancha Karma process. 
• Drink how water with lemon first thing in the morning and throughout the day. No ice water ever.
• Unless you are underweight or debilitated, try fasting one day per week or just eat kitchari.
• Burn up that ama with Dr. Vasant Lad's Agni Tea: Boil 1/8 tsp cayenne, 1/2 handful minced ginger, 2 tbs. sucanat, 1/8 tsp rock salt in 1 quart of water for 20 minutes. Cool and then add juice of half a lime. 
• Take 1/2 tsp castor oil in ginger tea before bed.
• Take Triphala every night for safe daily detoxing and digestive tract rejuvenation
• Learn about your Ayurvedic constitution and eat appropriately for your type.

Are you setting New Year's resolutions that are more dream than reality? We all have health goals we'd like to achieve, and it's important to be realistic about what we can change that's practical and easy!  There are simple Ayurvedic ways we can improve our health that don't require massive sacrifice. Ayurveda is full of natural health tips that are actually very easy to integrate and that will totally change your life.  Here's my top 5 Ayurvedic New Year's resolutions that will guarantee you a new level of natural health with very little effort.

1.  Start your day with the right breakfast.

What you eat first thing in the morning sets the tone of your entire day.  Your digestion can either be boosted or totally extinguished depending on what you eat or don't eat in the morning. A hot, whole grain porridge (congee) is the ideal breakfast to kindle your digestive fire, improve absorption, and balance your metabolism.  It's easy to cook in a crock pot overnight so that when you wake up, it's all ready to go! No need to wait on a pot of brown rice and oat groats when you're in a hurry to get out the door.  Congee is easy to prepare and is very inexpensive.  Ayurveda teaches that one of the root causes of all disease is improper digestion, so starting your day with congee will help to heal all types of health imbalances and weight issues.

While stress gets a lot of press because of its harmful effects on your health, guilt is usually overlooked as being equally destructive.  Whether someone tries to make you feel guilty or you succumb to it yourself, what good comes from feeling guilty?  Remorse for hurting somebody is one thing, but oftentimes we feel guilty because we ate cake, or because we think we're not doing something well enough.  What if we turned guilt around and practiced loving kindness toward ourselves, accepting that we are good enough and that we're all doing the best we can?  We might finally experience a new level of well-being and breathe a huge sigh of relief.

Guilt-Free Eating

One of the worst things we can do during a meal is to feel guilty about what we're eating.  Think of the mental stress we create if we're not enjoying our food, but rather feeling stressed about it?  I'm not advocating that you eat junk food and feel good about it, but that you choose food consciously and then savor it.  One of the explanations I like regarding why French people are generally thin is that they take time to really enjoy their food. In my blog post about learning this lesson with donuts, I share how I had to confront my desire for donuts so I could then let go of it and move beyond the guilt I had created around it.

One of the most beautiful things about Ayurveda is the way spices are used not only to make food more delicious, but also to heal and balance your body.  Autumn is the season dominated by Vata, otherwise known as Wind. You can easily keep your body, mind, and spirit in balance with the Vata season by including Ayurvedic spices in your cooking. Here's a recipe for a Vata spice mixture that you can carry with you when you eat out, or add to your meals at home.  You can also take 1/2 tsp. of this mixture with warm water in between meals any time you're experiencing gas and bloating.

Vata Digestive Spice Powder

Grind the following spices and combine in decreasing quantities:

Cardamom seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, dry ginger powder, turmeric, sucanat, mineral salt, hing (aka asafoetida). 

Benefits of Vata Spices

Vata is cold and dry.  In autumn when it's also cold and dry, it's important to keep your body warm with good circulation.  Warming, pungent spices accomplish this by keeping your digestive fire stoked.  Ayurveda also teaches that for optimal digestion, all 6 tastes (sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter, and astringent) should be present in a meal. This spice mixture has all tastes except sour, so just squirt a little lemon or lime on your meal to round it out.

What is the ultimate purpose of good nutrition?  Is it just to stay alive? Is it to avoid disease?  We have so many food choices in our modern society, yet diet and nutrition are controversial and confusing subjects for most Westerners.  Ayurveda, the traditional healing science of India, offers us a profound understanding of the ultimate purpose of good nutrition.  Coming from the ancient Vedic tradition that valued spiritual enlightenment above all else, it's no surprise that Ayurvedic nutrition serves to further that same goal.

In the 2500 year old Ayurvedic text, Caraka Samhita, it is stated:

When diseases cropped up creating impediments in penance, abstinence, study, celibacy, religious observances and life-span of living beings, the holy great sages, out of sympathy on creatures, assembled on one of the auspicious sides of the Himalayas.