Category Archives: Ayurveda

The Healing Temple has moved to the bay area in beautiful Menlo Park, CA!

It is with much joy and gratitude that I made this recent move to CA in order to be closer to the Kerala Academy of Ayurveda where I have just embarked on a new journey of going through the Doctor of Ayurveda Program. It will take two and a half years of phenomenal teachings, internships in the US and India, consultations, hands on work and preparing the final dissertation.

Along with studying, I will continue to serve my new community being in private practice at The Healing Temple. I feel so lucky and grateful to Dr. Bill Tarr and his team at Peak Performance Chiropractic here in Menlo Park, CA, as they received me with open arms and are giving me a chance to establish my practice within theirs.

There is a lot to look forward to and to be grateful for!

On this note, I am sharing with you a recipe for a very yummy desert/snack from the vast Ayurvedic Healing Cuisine. So, here it is, the very basic Ojas Balls

Ingredients:

5 large Majool dates, pitted

2-3 Tbs almond butter

3 tsp cultured ghee

1 handful of any of the following: cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans or roasted sunflower seeds

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 cup granola ( please use a low sugar one with very few ingredients)

Directions:

Blend the granola, spices, extracts and the nuts until the granola is almost like flour and the nuts are chunky.

Chop the dates in small pieces. Add the almond butter and the ghee to the granola mixture. Using your hands, combine all ingredients as if kneading cookie dough.

If the mixture is too dry, add more ghee. If it is too wet, add more granola.

Turn the mix into individual balls. Place them in a glass container/jar and chill for 1 hour.

Before serving, let them get to room temperature and enjoy with your favorite tea or as a snack!

The intricate nature of the seasons is given by the course of the earth, sun and moon, while the human vitality is determined by the resulting variations.

The two most important transitional periods are between November 22nd to December 9th and again June 8th to 24th. During these times, there is a tendency toward physio-psychological vulnerabilities and stress. To restore balance in the mind and body, it is advised to observe fasting, meditation and prayers.

Early winter started around November 15th and lasts till January 15th. This is followed by the late winter which takes us to about March 15th.

Each season brings with it a predominant taste in the atmosphere, and each taste is made up of two elements in nature.

Early winter is marked by the prevalence of the sweet taste, and in order to maintain balance it is recommended during this time that we eat salty, bitter, astringent foods; moderate sour, warm, moderate unctuous foods in moderate quantities. The tastes  to avoid are sweet, excess sour, along with excess cold, dry or raw foods, also excess foods.

In the late winter it is recommended to consume substantial quantities of food, unctuous with the tastes sour, salty, moderate sweet. To be avoided are excess sweet, pungent, bitter, dry, cold, raw foods, and meager quantity of foods.

Due to planetary movements it looks like in the Northern Hemisphere we are strongest by nature in the period of January 10th to the 24th. 

Here is a recipe for a nutritious winter salad:

Millet and Quinoa Salad (serves 2 to 4, depending if side or main dish)

1/2 c millet

1/2 c quinoa

21/1 c boiling water

1 bay leaf

4 stalks celery

1 red bell pepper

1/4 c celery water

1 tsp sunflower oil

1 tsp lime juice

1/2 tbs minced fresh rosemary 

Wash grains and combine. Add to boiling water with the bay leaf. Cover and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes. Cut celery into 1/2″ pieces and boil in 1 c of water for 3 minutes; reserve water. Thinly slice bell pepper and marinate in 1/4 c celery water, oil, lime juice, and rosemary leaves for 30 min. In a large bowl, toss grains, celery, and marinated pepper mixture. Serve warm.

Herbs and spices are the main medicinal agents in Ayurveda. Many health issues can be alleviated by adjusting the balance of diet. Recent studies suggest that spices can be effective health remedies just like cinnamon being effective against diabetes and in improving lipid metabolism; turmeric fights against cancer; ginger is effective in the treatment of arthritis.

Below are a few home remedies with spices from your kitchen shelf.

Cinnamon

Halitosis and Toothache – mouth gargle with  hot infusion of cinnamon twice daily

Diabetes – cinnamon tea twice daily

Cold and Cough – 1 cup hot cinnamon infusion mixed with 1 tsp ginger juice 3 to 4 times per day

Nausea and Vomiting – chew a small piece of cinnamon bark

Saffron

Painful menses and PMS – 5 to 8 strands can be taken with water on an empty stomach or before food 

Nutmeg

Pimples and cracks in the feet – apply a paste of nutmeg and milk on the affected area

Insomnia –  1/4 tsp nutmeg powder is taken with warm milk at night

Clove

Urinary tract infection – cold infusion of clove 5-10 ml is ingested every 15 min

Anorexia and Vomiting during pregnancy – hot clove infusion is given every few hours

Cardamom

Low energy – cardamom milk or cardamom tea

Halitosis –  chew a few cardamom deeds after each meal

Fresh Ginger

Anorexia, Indigestion – 1 tsp ginger juice mixed with salt taken before meals

Productive Cough – 1 tsp ginger juice with  pinch of turmeric taken 3-4 times a day

Nausea, Vomiting, Gastritis – 1 tsp ginger uce with a pinch of rock salt and asafetida (hing)

Dry Ginger Powder

Acute stomachache – drink  1/2 tsp dry ginger mixed in warm water

Fenugreek

Post partum period – 1 tsp fenugreek powder mixed with jaggery is taken to cleanse the uterus and to enhance lactation

Spasmodic pain due to indigestion – 1 tsp fenugreek powder mixed with curd

Leucorrhoea – fenugreek seeds are boiled in water, filtered , and used as vaginal wash

Localized edema and pain – topical application with a mix of fenugreek powder and mustard oil

Coriander Seeds

Burning micturition – frequent intake of small quantities of  cold infusion of coriander and cumin seeds

Swollen feet – hot infusion of coriander seeds taken 2-3 times per day

Ajwain

Bronchitis – ajwain added to steam inhalation enhances breathing

Recurrent cold – 1 tsp toasted ajwain seeds taken with warm water twic daily

Cumin

Indigestion, Abdominal distention – boil water with cumin, filter and drink 3-4 times daily

Anorexia – drink 1 glass buttermilk mixed with 1 tsp crushed cumin seeds or powder and a pinch of rock salt

Turmeric

External wounds and insect bites – apply a paste of turmeric powder and water on affected areas

Cold and Cough – 1/4 tsp turmeric powder in a glass of warm milk

Black Pepper

Cough and asthma – black pepper is taken with honey

Sore throat – gargling with warm water which was boiled with black pepper corns and rock salt
 

Fennel

Diarrhea – take 1 tsp fennel seed and 1/2 tsp ginger powder taken with warm water 2-3 times a day

Abdominal distention in infants –  5-6 drops of cold infusion of fennel seeds should be given before nursing to prevent abdominal distention and loose motions

Burning sensation and dryness in the throat, excessive thirst – fennel and coriander decoctin to be consumed 2-3 times a da

Hello from Jaipur, India! I am here through early December for a 6 week internship program in Ayurvedic Medicine. Continuing education is a very important aspect of my career. The internship is designed to deepen my diagnostic and treatment skills in order to better serve my patients in the future. 

I am indeed enjoying this internship at the Chakrapani Ayurveda Clinic in Jaipur. It feels like a very gratifying experience to be able to deepen my knowledge in this field right here in Ayurveda’s country of birth.

Although Ayurveda is an ancient science of health and healing, it is as relevant today as when it was first described in writing more than 5,000 years ago. It was revealed for the purposes of preventing disease in those who are healthy and curing disease in those who are sick. The fundamental principles of healing  are still the same to this day, and as valid as ever.  The early Ayurvedic physicians have taught us the proper use of our five senses and the importance of adequate lifestyle in the healing process. Remarkably, these physicians described the same diseases people suffer from today including diabetes, obesity, heart diseases, cancer, digestive disease, and much more. They have given us detailed instructions regarding how to maximize the potential of the body to heal from each of these conditions.

Ayurveda is a complete health care science. In modern India, there are Ayurvedic hospitals along with Western hospitals, and practitioners of Ayurveda are fully licensed physicians. In the United States, the practice of Ayurveda is relatively new, gaining though more and more recognition, as more people are receiving the wonderful benefits of implementing Ayurveda into their lives.