Keesha's Blog
December 2007

Dear Friends,

As we enter the holiday season and approach a new year, we want to take a moment to express our appreciation for all of your support this year. It has been an exciting period for us as we continue to grow and expand at Fern Life Center. We have been blessed with the presence of our Ayurvedic chef, Venny. Those of you who have received PK (Pancha Karma) in the last month are even having her cook for you post treatment weeks and we can’t say we blame you! Her amazingly delicate spicing and combinations of foods have our mouths watering here in the center all day long. Your appreciation for all the healthful benefits Ayurveda has to offer has been overwhelming. Ayurveda is one of the greatest healing arts known to man and we are grateful to be able to play a small part in bringing that art to you. It is our honor and privilege. Our goal is as always to aid in your transformation and to help you find balance in your life through wellness.

We hope that you stay with us during the coming year as we continue to explore the incredible world of Ayurveda. We have many new and exciting products and services planned for you next year. We are excited to welcome a new Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) to our team; Jane Scarff. We are also bringing in another mental health counselor, Nicole Laurent; as well as an Angel Therapist, Ostara Stroud. All of these beautiful women will start in January. Check out our website soon for their bios and for more information.

You will notice a new face greeting you when you arrive. Theresa has joined us as our medical billing specialist and is helping at the front desk to take some load off of Misty so she can manage some of our bigger projects. So, our sincere wishes to you and your family during this holiday season. We wish you a healthy and joyful new year.

Maintaining a healthy Digestive Process Throughout the Winter

As you move past the holiday season please remember to detox your body if you have strayed from a healthy diet! Pancha Karma and a cleanse will help to reset your healthy digestion and allow for better nutrient absorption. Ayurveda teaches that cultivating strong agni, or digestive fire, is an essential key to preventing illness. Understanding and supporting digestion with diet, lifestyle, herbs, meditation and yoga creates a strong body-consciousness allowing a person to live in harmony through daily and seasonal changes.

Each of the three doshas can predominate in a person's digestive system. Vata-type digestion is delicate and variable. The individual is prone to loss of appetite, irregular bowel movements and constipation. A pitta-type typically has robust agni and a good metabolism, allowing the person to have an excellent appetite and consume large quantities of food. Pitta rules all the digestive enzymes and secretion of acids in the gastrointestinal tract used in the transformation of food into energy. Kapha-type individuals tend to have slow and steady digestion, generally good agni, though a tendency towards overeating and excess weight gain.

The winter is upon us and vata dosha is naturally provoked through the increase of cold, dry, windy weather. Vata relates to wind, the principle of movement governed by the elements of ether and air. It is the energy of vata that governs all movements of digestion including peristalsis and excretion of waste products. Just as the wind is subtle and changeable, the energy of vata dosha in the body is variable and strongly influenced by changes in the environment, diet and lifestyle choices.

When vata dosha predominates, there is an increase in the dry, rough and cool qualities of our external and internal environments. In excess, dryness can begin to disturb various tissues and organs. Most noticeably, dry skin and lips are examples of this excess. An internal drying can also be occurring particularly in the colon or large intestine, where vata is prone to first accumulate. Though we all notice the seasonal effects of autumn, people whose constitutions are vata-predominant and the elderly who are in the vata stage of life are most susceptible to this change.

Symptoms of vata-aggravated digestion are:

irregularity in bowel movements
constipation
gas
bloating
little or low appetite
hiccups
diarrhea, can alternate with constipation

Diet

Foods that are in season such as root vegetables and winter squash will help nourish and balance the body. Try carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, acorn, butternut, delicata and buttercup squashes. These have the qualities of sweet, heavy, smooth, dense and moist and are most balancing for vata. Favor the tastes of sweet, sour, salty in your diet, while limiting bitter and astringent tastes, to help pacify vata dosha.

Some sweet grains to include this season are basmati rice, wheat berries, brown rice and sushi rice. Also, whole wheat pasta and or buckwheat udon noodles can be especially grounding for vata. Include ghee and other healthful oils such as almond, sesame or sunflower for internal oleation, kindling agni and increasing absorption.

When preparing food, use warming spices such as black pepper, dry ginger, cinnamon and asafoetida to help to stoke the digestive fire. Casseroles, soups and stews are easily digested and can be very nourishing for vata, warming the body from the inside out.

Other important dietary guidelines for balancing the body:

Eat at routine times, using Hingvastak to stimulate appetite.
Take time to lovingly prepare and enjoy nutritious meals.
Avoid ice cold drinks, particularly taken with meals or immediately after.
Limit raw, cold foods such as salads and raw vegetables.
Minimize caffeinated beverages and other stimulants. These increase vata, aggravating the nervous system.
Include warm milk spiced with a pinch of ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. This is a nutritious way to soothe the nerves and, when taken before bed, will promote sound sleep.
Eat meals at regular times each day, making lunch the largest meal of the day.

Lifestyle

Daily activities have a profound effect on our health. A routine, practiced daily, is stronger medicine than an occasional remedy. Consistency is of particular importance as we enter into vata season. When the cool, fall weather arrives and the holiday season is upon us, it can sometimes be difficult to maintain a peaceful, grounded state of being. Having a routine to follow restores balance throughout the day, every day, safeguarding against the anxiety and stress associated with increased vata.

According to Ayurveda, abhyanga, or oil massage is an essential component to a daily routine. This practice nourishes and strengthens the body, encourages regular sleep patterns, stimulates internal organs, enhances blood circulation and can significantly reduce vata. For more information on abhyanga, please visit www.FernLifeCenter.com.

Additional lifestyle tips for balancing vata and improving digestion:

Stay warm and avoid drafts.
Avoid excessive exercise or physical movement.
Eliminate sources of emotional stress.
Get enough restful sleep each night. Most people require 6-8 hours.

Herbs

Herbs can offer great support to vata’s delicate digestive system. Try herbal teas of peppermint, ginger, fennel or licorice. Simply chewing a few fennel seeds after a meal can help promote proper digestion. Banyan Botanicals Hingvastak herbal tablets are specially formulated for alleviating indigestion due to high vata conditions. Containing a synergistic blend of cumin seeds, ajamoda, black pepper, pippali, black cumin, ginger root, mineral salt and asafoetida, it is based on a traditional Ayurvedic formula to ease common symptoms of indigestion including flatulence, constipation, hiccups, loss of appetite and malabsorption.

Ayurveda considers Haritaki to be one of the best herbs for balancing vata dosha. As a natural laxative and purgative, it removes undigested food and accumulated toxins from the gastrointestinal tract. It strengthens and nourishes the tissues and supports proper function of the colon, lungs, liver and spleen. Haritaki is traditionally used as a remedy for all vata disturbances, including constipation, emaciation, flatulence and indigestion.

Meditation

When vata is in excess, psychological symptoms such as insecurity, fear, anxiety and confusion can arise. Invite calm and relaxation into the body for a few minutes each day. Be still. Direct your attention inward. Notice your breath. Allow this practice to act as a protective shield to the destabilizing influences of the external environment

Yoga

Pawanmuktasana, the wind relieving or knees-to-chest pose helps to expel air collected in the colon, aid constipation, relieve tension in the lower back, tone the spine and massage the stomach and intestines.

Lie on the back with bent knees and feet hip width apart on the floor.
Allow the chin to be slightly tucked to maintain length in the spine and back of the neck.
Raise knees and draw them in towards the chest.
Wrap arms around shins, interlacing hands or crossing forearms.
Breathe normally, noticing the belly fill and gently press against the tops of the thighs on the inhalation. On exhalation, the belly sinks back towards the spine and the knees effortlessly draw in closer.

Pranayama

When we are feeling swept up in the fast pace of life, slowing down and taking a few deep belly breaths will do wonders to help relax the nervous system and calm vata dosha. Allow the belly to fill like a balloon upon inhalation and then allow the belly to naturally sink in towards the spine with the exhalation. Mental counting can be a guide to help slow the rate of respiration. To increase the relaxation response in the body, allow the exhalation to be double the length of time of the inhalation. For example, try inhaling for the count of four and then exhaling to the count of eight.

Ayurvedic Recipe: Spicy Oatmeal

2/3 c. dry oats, rolled or instant
2 c. water
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. raisins
1 cardamom pod (about 3-4 seeds)
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. ginger

Put oats, raisins, salt, and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add the rest of the ingredients, breaking open cardamom pod to put whole seeds in the cooking cereal. Cover and cook on low until done, 2 to 10 minutes, depending on type of oats used.

Comments: Can be served with ghee, maple syrup, and/or coconut. Good warming meal on a cold winter morning.

Keesha's Blog December 2007