This blog post is a Ayurveda advice list from the posts in Instagram. Instead of posting each on in different blog posts, I thought it would be nice to combine a few like a gallery with a description.

When we chew our food properly, it helps the stomach and small intestine to break down food and absorb it properly. The undigested food forms Ama or toxins in the large intestine and over time it accumulates leading to diseases. Ayurveda believes that the GI tract is the starting place of diseases. Taking care of what food we eat and if the food is digested properly is the key to good health over time. Typically food takes 3 hours to digest. Wait till your meal is completely digested before taking more food. Good eating habits can help your body to improve in health.

It’s not just our physical body we have to nourish, astral and spiritual bodies are equally important. Just as what we feed into our physical body as food influences the other two, what we feed into astral through the 5 senses and 5 motor organs influences also. So, the most important nourishment is to the spiritual body as it is the highest in the order. The spiritual practices of any kind allows us to uncover inner peace that flows over to the astral and physical body in the form of immunity from negative energies and immunity from sicknesses. Mind is the key. Mind can make you a slave or a sovereign being. Who do you want to be?

Vata is one of the three doshas of the physical body constitution. To find out if you have a predominant Vata dosha in your body examine if any of the attributes listed applies. Many Vata predominant people tend to be skinny, with a delicate build, with dry skin, easily gassy when certain foods are eaten, tend to be erratic and fickle, and gets cold easily. They also have erratic appetites, eat anytime, eat a lot or little and doesn’t seem to gain weight no matter how they eat. Most of them have nervous mental energy, seems anxious and may suffer emotionally easily. Are you predominantly Vata?

Pitta is the second dosha of the 3 physical body constitutions or biological humors. To find out if you have a predominant Pitta dosha in your body, examine if any of the attributes listed applies. Many individuals with predominant pitta dosha have medium sized body build, reddish complexion and medium weight. They are able to eat a lot of food as their digestive fire is very active and can burn a lot of calories. Their minds are sharp and has a very good perception. Eyes, teeth and nails tend to be yellowish. Their energy is at medium level. They easily get angry. Are you predominantly pitta?

In the ancient cultures, Sun was the original representation of God. Before the rise of patriarchy in society, the sun represented the Mother Goddess. Kundalini energy is the feminine energy that resides at the base of our spine that is represented by a coiled serpent ready to rise. It goes up through the chakras to meet Soma at the head. Soma is the divine masculine energy that resides in the head. Soma means the moon. It represents the state of bliss that we find when we go within to discover Self or Purusha. When both of these meet, the sacred union occurs creating a state of bliss.

The fiat place where the imbalances begin is in the GI tract. Whether it be digestive problems or gas problems, GI tract is the main place of disease formation. When you are stressed or emotionally affected, your eating habits are affected. Eating improper food, not eating on time and improper eating habits all contribute to food not digesting well. The key to health is paying attention if your body has enough Agni or digestive fire. Trikatu formula is perfect to increase that. Triphala formula is perfect for Vata effects and for restoring the right balance to the large intestine and colon.

In case you didn’t catch this on my last post, I’m highlighting the importance and benefits of Tripala formula. It is made out of Haritaki, Bibitaki and Amalaki. Meaning of the word is three fruits and three fruits with amazing benefits there are. One thing common is how many people have constipation problems and they don’t even know it. It is the commonality to perform the great task of no. 2 everyday. If not, you are constipated and keeping the toxins that should be leaving right away. Those gets re-absorbed into the body and causes your skin to look bad for example. Tripala helps with regular bowel movements, digestion, keeping vata dosha under control AND tonifies the peristalsis muscles that helps to move the waste out. Regular laxatives makes those muscles loose so you can’t get your shit out. Literally.

Another reference back to the post about dosha types. The Trikatu formula is made out of three types of spices to kick start the digestive process and to get the juices flowing. Made out of Pippali, Black Pepper and Ginger, this is the perfect herb for those with low Agni or digestive fire. The meaning is the prickly three because of their pungent nature. This powder is taken 30 minutes before meals mixed with water. The main benefit is that this reduces the undigested food mass and gets rid of ama or toxins that are stagnant, helping to clear the GI tract. To get the most benefits from the food we eat, it is important to make sure they are digested enough to allow the body to absorb them.

Pratipaksha Bhavana is a method used in Yoga and Vedic counseling for the clients who are experiencing lower emotions. This allows the cultivation of a Sattava mindset that is needed in the journey towards ascension and liberation towards Moksha. By using Maitri, Karuna, Muditha and Upeksha, the higher emotions branching from the highest emotion of love, the lower emotions are replaced. This is another aspect of paying attention and being in control of your emotions as they fuel your conscious creations and manifestations.

Bhugola is the Sanskrit name for Earth in the scriptures and other ancient books. Not only that, the correct measurement of the circumference of Earth, the distance between Earth and moon, distance between Sun and Earth, etc. were also stated correctly long before Galileo discovered earth is not flat. Many ancient civilizations knew the truth. Have you ever wondered what else civilizations such as Mayan, Lemuria, Atlantis, Egypt and Indus Valley knew?

Kapha is the third dosha or constitution of the body. To find out if your body is predominantly Kapha, examine the listed attributes. Those with Kapha qualities are most likely to put on weight, the body is on the heavy side, they love sweets and carbs, tend to be loving and kind, avoid confrontations, peace loving, pale complexion, big and clear eyes and have weak digestion. Negative qualities are that they are hoarders, attached to materialistic things and indulge in food. Are you mostly Kapha dosha?

Bitter and astringent tastes are two of the six tastes or rasas associated with the food that we link. Two tastes are linked to one dosha. The herbs and food are categorized according to the taste by going with the elements that the plant or the food type is made out of. These energetics balances out doshas by using the opposite effects to reduce the aggravated dosha, in this case Pitta or Kapha.

Sour and pungent tastes are the two Pitta tastes. To reduce Kapha and Vata dosha aggravations, combos of sour and pungent herbs and food types are recommended. What it does is, it offsets or reduces the excess Vata and Kapha energetics. Treatments for obesity, releasing stagnant toxins, low digestion, dryness and low blood circulation are some of the primary issues treated with these tastes.

Sweet and salty tastes are associated with the Kapha dosha. Food and medicines that are predominantly these two tastes are recommended for treating high Vata or Pitta issues to bring about balance. Just as these are remedies for high Vata or Pitta, avoiding these two tastes during high Kapha can help regain a doshic balance. Just like water can calm fire down, it can be used in Pitta issues. Just like earth can slow the wind down in the form of mountains, it can calm Vata issues.

Left side is the lunar or Ida nadi is considered the Kapha side. Right side is the solar or Pingala nadi is considered to be the Pitta side. In order to calm the overactive energies in the body breathe in from the left nostril and breathe out from the right nostril. To get out of stagnant or depressive energies do the opposite. Pranayama is a simple yet prolific method of balancing doshas in Yogic practices.

To achieve self realization, we must do a self examination first. That means taking on the attitude of the witness or “Sakshi Bhava”. Being detached and observing your own thought process, where your attention is most of the time and the positive or negative direction of your overall mind can give insight as to what needs to change. You are what you put out into the universe. You are who you choose to be. Nurture and grow the aspects you love about yourself. Change or learn to live with the aspects you dislike about yourself. But remember to be in control of your mind and thoughts at all times.

Tastes or Rasas are important in identifying and recommending treatments as well as picking which type of food to eat. All food types and herbs are also categorized into element types that is associated with one or more elements that are linked to tastes. Each taste and element are also linked to a negative emotion that leads to disease as the root of disease is a mind that has not cultivated the sattva guna. It is equally important to pay attention to the emotions as well as what you put into your body.

In the name of Vata dosha, go get a massage and treat yourself! Use of sesame oil or coconut oil in the massage aids with issues like dry skin, stiff joints and muscle tension that is commonly experienced by Vata types. It helps to keep the joints lubricated and muscles flexible to avoid debilitative conditions such as arthritis in the future!

Medicated sesame oil is widely used in Ayurveda treatments because of its highly Sattvic nature that is tridoshic, balancing to all three doshas. It has tissue building ability and helps to remove toxins from the body. This is best for those with arthritis, joint pain and Vata types who suffer from stiffness and dryness as well. Applying it under the foot before sleeping will help with Vata issues.

Not every health issue comes from typical factors that causes disease. Some are from past life issues etched in your soul memory (soul sometimes doesn’t recognize body of one lifetime from another). Other issues are due to the accumulated negative karma that needs to be balanced through a lesson learned. Other times the soul intentionally chooses a body with a disability for a rapid karma release or a rapid soul evolution. That is because the disabled body teaches many different lessons in one lifetime that would take a person with a normal body many lifetimes to complete.

One of the biggest mistakes is to drink cold water, or worse, cold drinks while eating food. The food can be digested easily when the water is warm. Cold water hardens the food especially the fat making it difficult for the body to digest. Not only that, it lowers the Agni or the digestive fire leaving undigested food that will ferment over time leading to disease.

Guna means quality or attribute. Tamas is the state of inertia and stagnation in the negative state. Positive state it’s stability and groundedness. Rajas is movement and passion in a positive sense. In a negative sense it is aggression and self serving. Sattva in a positive state is harmony and balance. In a negative state it is too much in the head space (head in the clouds) and not connected to the human body or life. Each person is made up of one, two or three of these energies. Sattva is the ideal mental and energetic state to be as it is calmness of the mind and stillness. Too much of tamas causes depression and ignorance. Too much of rajas causes chaos and overwork.