Holiday digestion and alcohol

Holiday Digestion and Alcohol Don’t worry, don’t hurry, take it easy. That’s already one good formula for an Ayurvedic holiday. Ayurveda focuses on keeping good digestion going and nothing helps gut function better than relaxing. Many tend to relax around a glass of cocktail under the sun. (That’s what I’ve been doing daily for the…

Ayurvedic First Aid Kit

Ayurvedic First Aid Kit Bloating must be the most annoying consequence of eating. Instead of remaining blissfully calm and sharp, you feel heavy and you can’t focus. The result of your food should be energy. If this is not the case, even if you eat plenty and healthily, you need to get the ayurvedic First…

Fasting under the Hunger Moon

Let’s talk about fasting since ‘tis the time! Many indigenous cultures described February, the late winter moon cycle, the toughest month of the year in terms of food supply, as Hunger Moon. Very little grows in nature right. Millions of years of foraging life on Earth in cyclic seasonal harvest rotation has made our genes…

Why is gut health good for the brain?

Why is gut health good for the brain? Ayurveda, backed up by the most recent scientific research (such as microbiology) regards the gut as the prime initiator of bodymind’s imbalances and disease. The ancient practices addressing gut health in order to reverse degenerative brain diseases and psychological imbalances are proving to be the winning deal…

Reset for Long Covid

Reset for Long Covid and Other Post Viral Conditions The most extraordinary health event in human history has left its mark in our society in many forms we still cannot even comprehend. One of them, however, is well known to many of us and at least we know someone who has it: the long covid….

Placebo: Ayurveda’s big guns – the science behind it

Placebo: Ayurveda’s big guns – the science behind it The word placebo has gained some bad rap in the past years and to some extent it is understandable because it is hard to measure. What cannot be measured does not exist – or is it so? Before I continue explaining how placebo is something more…

You can’t eat yourself healthy

The fact of the matter is: you can eat yourself sick but can’t eat yourself back in health. Once unhealthy, there is no way you can keep eating and hoping to get healthy, no matter what you eat. That’s a bit thick coming from me, you might say. I am, after all, claimed to teach people…

Drink your food, Eat your water

Drink your food, eat your water What kind of advice is that? That does not sound right! But it is and I will explain why and how. I heard this statement for the first time from one of my biggest influencers, Dr Vasant Lad, who’s life work consist of translating and diffusing ayurvedic knowledge to…

HUNGER

Hunger… is not pain it comes in waves is a sign of increasing digestive power, or agni One of the biggest achievements in my life, as a survivor of bulimia, has been to become comfortable with a feeling of hunger. Having spent my early adulthood surrounded by a media that promotes constant snacking to avoid…

How to be in the “Now”…. and then what happens?

Yoga and Ayurveda complement each other perfectly, but have you asked why? There are a couple of points to make but one of the main commonalities is that they both aim at helping us acting in the present. In the now we make better decisions and are able to judge the situation for what it…

Seasonal cravings

Roughage for Lady Gaga? Seasonal cravings You must be wondering why Lady Gaga likes it rough? Well, of course, Ayurveda has the answer: Lady Gaga has seasonal cravings! In spring, roughage is essential in our diet because of the tough insoluble fibres, which clean the gut and help pull out all of the old fat…

Ayurvedic Diet: The Truth

Ayurvedic Diet: The truth I think we really need some reality checks on Ayurvedic Diets! So here is the run down on Ayurvedic Diets: The truth. I wanted to get one thing straight about the Ayurvedic diet: There are no natural food items that are not allowed in this diet! I often hear you should…

Hello Vata my old friend

Vata My Friend Oh boy, we are getting closer and closer to the climax of vata! As we know, every season during the year is related to a specific dosha. By the end of that season or time period, the characteristics of the associated dosha increase. So, for example, summer, the pitta period, is at…

Satmya: The concept of suitability

Stay Inside Your Comfort Zone. Satmya: The concept of suitability We are all unique beings and as such we all have individual requirements. Whilst seasonal cleansing is important, it is best to design a programme that suits your individual needs and is appropriate to you. Your family, work, activities, stamina, beliefs and ethical issues are…

HELLO AUTUMN!

HELLO AUTUMN! We are now entering the third part of the annual life cycle, so I’d like to share some Autumn Ayurveda advice. It is the last part of the vegetation’s growth cycle when growth and reproduction are over and it’s time to start withdrawal ahead of the winter. Many instinctively feel the need to…

Dharmic Syncing

DHARMIC SYNCING I saw a young actor recently. Back home, lounging on the couch watching telly I told my partner about this exciting sighting. Somehow, I couldn’t for the world remember his name but, as if by magic, there he was on the TV screen, right at the moment I needed to know his name….

Ayurvedic Match Making

Ayurvedic Match Making Have you ever wondered which body types go together well in a relationship? Match making is quite an intriguing topic when you consider all the qualities that are at play between the dosha types. Infinite scenarios pop into my imagination of opposites attracting or repulsing and similarities nourishing or consuming each…

Detox Basics – Considerations before starting

Detox Basics No time like spring time to be on a detox. If you are considering doing it you are timing it right because, right now, the body is keen on loosing releasing the extra pounds we’ve piled on. That fat is also the storage of toxins. Season appropriate weight loss diet is always the…

Our Eating Habits: Amorous or Amoral?

Our Eating Habits: Amorous or Amoral? Remember the film Amelie? One of my all time favourites, filled with endearing characters, particularly the rude shopkeeper’s one armed assistant. His deep affection for the vegetables he sells struck a chord with me. Watching him lovingly caress his little endives is a reminder of the amorous relationship that…

Autumnal Cravings and Aversions

Autumnal Cravings and Aversions Last night it rained heavily. The sun showed his face in the morning but, nevertheless, it was cold and damp. Autumn has broken the summer’s neck. It felt like on Tuesday we enjoyed our last summery day in Kensal; a heavy damp heat which, for certain, is over now and…