With our western penchant for busy-ness many of us skip breakfast, thinking we don’t have time as we’re rushing around in the morning.  According to Ayurveda, we’re doing ourselves a disservice.  Fasting irritates all of the doshas, and missing breakfast is particularly bad for Pitta, making us irritable and unsettled as we start our day.  What to do?  Eat something!  Blended fresh fruit and/or vegetable juice is a great way to rehydrate the body after the night’s fast.  Citrus is too acidic for an empty stomach, so try alternatives like apple, pear, or grape.  Fresh juice is best, and it should be served at room temperature or slightly cooled.  Cooked apples are another wonderful way to start your day the ayurvedic way.  Morning is the perfect time to get the maximum benefit from fruit.  It helps with our digestion and overall well-being.

Here in the northern hemisphere it’s getting hot, which signals the official start of Pitta season.  Whether or not you are dominant in Pitta dosha, it is important to keep cool during this time to balance out all the excessive fire that is around us.  Too much Pitta can mean heartburn, ulcers, acid indigestion, acne, or skin rashes. It can also exhibit itself as irritability or anger.  To pacify Pitta there are a few simple things we all can do.  Cool, but not ice cold, drinks help a lot.  Avoid carbonated drinks which tend to disrupt digestion.  Choose sweet fruit juices and pure water to stay hydrated.  Pitta tea is delicious chilled!  The Pitta diet calls for more sweet, bitter and astringent tastes.  Salads with leafy greens are a great way to get these tastes in.  Cooling spices, such as mint, fennel, and anise can be added to foods.  Swimming and other water-based sports are ideal for balancing Pitta.  Moonlight is especially soothing, so take that evening stroll after dinner.  Pitta skin is especially sensitive to the sun, so make sure to wear sunscreen when you’re out during the day.

The peacock is the national bird of India.  The peacock’s tail, with its iridescent “eyed,” feathers designed to attract the hen, gives this bird a grandeur that is associated with royalty.  In ancient India, the tail motif was a symbol of the all-seeing sun and the eternal cosmic cycle.  The peacock is the sacred animal associated with Saraswati, the goddess of education and the arts.  In Buddhism, the peacock represents compassionate watchfulness.  The peacock is one of the images on our Dosha Screensaver, and we have it as a wallpaper, too all free!

Hanuman, the monkey god, is celebrated at this time of year because his birthday is December 20.  Hanuman is known for his intelligence, and for his strength.  He is loyal, and he represents justice and commitment.  We can learn from some of the qualities that Hanuman embodies.  He is a gentleman, very respectful towards everyone.  Hanuman is considered to be a symbol of diplomacy and tact, so it is useful for us to think about him as an example when we need to negotiate, and resolve conflicts.  Hanuman is also the embodiment of humility and devotion, or Bhakti.  He represents the unlimited power within each one of us to heal, to create, and to serve.

Mudras are kind of like yoga for the hands.  Mudras are hand positions, or exercises, used to balance various energies in the body.  We use different mudras for each dosha in the Dosha Yoga DVD.  In Ayurveda, there are five elements, and each corresponds with one of the fingers.  The thumb represents fire.  The second finger represents air.  The third finger represents space.  The fourth finger, or ring finger, represents earth, and the little finger represents water.  Mudras can have positive effects on our physiology.  And we can get some of the same benefits by working with our hands, playing an instrument, washing our hands, and massaging our hands.  The next time you wash your hands, try consciously massaging them at the same time.  Spend time on each finger, and then rub both palms together vigorously.  While you’re sitting at your desk, use the thumb and index finger to gently massage the “web” between each of your fingers.  Place one hand on your desk, and use the second, third, and fourth fingers of the other hand to gently massage between the long bones on the back of the hand.

In Hindu philosophy, there are several forms of the Mother goddess, each with her own personality and purpose.  Durga is a fierce form of the Mother goddess. She is known as “The Invincible One.” She exudes strength, and she destroys ignorance and the world of illusion.  Durga opens us up to the power of self-realization. The lion or tiger she rides upon depicts courage.

The health of our mouths is an important factor to our overall physical health.  In Ayurveda, brushing and flossing the teeth twice a day is an essential part of the daily routine.  Tongue scraping is also recommended.  Tongue scrapers, or cleaners, are typically made out of stainless steel.  It takes only a moment to clean the tongue with this tool, and it helps to remove decay causing bacteria as well as encourage the removal of toxins from the digestive tract.  The Sanskrit word for these toxins is “ama” and research shows that tongue cleaning is the best way remove bacteria that cause bad breath.  It also helps to remove the coating on the tongue, leaving us with improved taste, and slowing the growth of plaque.

Ayurveda teaches us that there is a connection between our behavior and our health.  Positive behaviors have a positive impact on our relationships, and also on our physical health and peace of mind.  The ayurvedic texts list some “Behavior Rasayanas” or guidelines that help us to cultivate natural, healthy behaviors.  These include being truthful, calm, and free from anger.  In Ayurveda, we are taught that love is unconditional.  We are meant to love what is, not what we think “should be.” Love comes from the heart.  The mind is always trying to impose its conditions, yet we are happiest when we surrender to our heart and allow ourselves to feel the love that is always there.  Love is free, and giving.  Our relationships are blissful when we honor our commitments and give love without reservation.  We can nurture the health of our relationships by practicing acceptance, thinking before we speak or act, and spending time with nature.

In the northern hemisphere we’re right in the thick of Vata season, when the weather is cold and dry.  There is a change in the external environment, and our internal one, as well.  It’s times like these when our immunity is compromised, and we’re more susceptible to illness.  To boost our natural immunity, and stay in balance, it is a good idea to favor Vata pacifying foods at this time of year.  The basic rule for the Vata diet is to eat warm, cooked foods.  Warm drinks such as cider or Vata tea are also very soothing.  Try to avoid cold sandwiches and salads, or cold cereal.  Instead, have some oatmeal and a baked apple or pear for breakfast, and some pasta or stir-fry for lunch.  Caffeine is a notorious Vata aggravator so avoid it at all costs.  Hearty soups make a delicious dinner served with some warm bread.  In addition to paying attention to their diets, Vata types need to remember to stay warm, get enough sleep, and keep their ears covered when they go outside.

Stress.  We can’t seem to get away from it with the busy lives we lead.  It can come from work, relationship issues, money issues, or environmental stressors such as insufficient natural light, chemicals in food, or stimulants such as caffeine, tobacco or alcohol.  Ayurveda says that stress affects us more when we are out of balance, when our mind is agitated.  When we are in balance, we can handle stressful situations more gracefully and remain generally healthier in both mind and body.  How can we put ourselves in a balanced state to better handle stress?  Ayurveda has these recommendations:
-Food: Food is like medicine for our mind and body.  Choose fresh fruits, juices, vegetables, sprouts, nuts, and honey.  Avoid frozen or canned foods.  Eliminate caffeine and cut down on fried foods and white flour and sugar products.
-Breathing: When we are stressed our breath becomes shallow.  To be relaxed, breath slowly and deeply.  
-Exercise: Daily exercise is good for both mind and body.  A morning walk is a great way to start the day.  Yoga is good exercise for all the doshas.
-Meditation: Time spent in silence is relaxing and physically beneficially.  It helps to normalize blood pressure, and relieves anxiety.
-Massage:  Abhyanga, ayurvedic self massage, soothes the nervous system.