During the summer we’re spending more time outdoors, and cooking on the grill.  There’s no reason why we can’t cook up a lovely dessert out there, too!  Grilling fresh seasonal fruit brings out the sweetness, the sugars in the fruit caramelize over the fire into pure yumminess!  Make sure the grill is well-oiled so the fruit doesn’t stick.  It takes just a few minutes and your fruit dessert is ready to eat.  Top it off with a scoop of ice cream (or the soy version, for us vegans!) and you’ve got a fancy and delicious presentation!  Here are some ideas to get you started:

-Honeydew or cantaloupe melon.  Cut into long spears so you get pretty grill marks.  Brush with a little lemon juice and ginger.

-Pears.  Cut in half and scoop out the core.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar.  Serve with chopped hazelnuts.

-Bananas.  Make your own version of bananas foster with a little brown sugar, and optional banana liquor!

-Apricots and Nectarines.  These fruits taste great brushed with a little honey and served with sugar cookies.

-Pineapple skewers.  Perfect just on their own, a tropical treat!

-Fruit Kabobs!  Skewer your favorite fruits together and grill.  Colorful and tasty, too!

Lomi Lomi is a traditional Hawaiian massage.  In fact, Lomi Lomi means massage, or loving hands.  It comes from the ancient Hawaiian philosophy of Huna.  Huna essentially says that everything seeks harmony and everything seeks love.  Lomi Lomi works getly and deeply into the muscles with continuous, flowing strokes that focus on giving love through the hands and the heart.  It nurtures the body so that you feel completely relaxed.  When we feel this relaxed, we can let go of old beliefs and behaviors that are stored in the cells of our body.  Lomi Lomi helps us to release blockages, while also giving energy a new direction.  It’s not just a physical experience, it helps with healing on mental, emotional, and spiritual levels also.

Huna says that when harmony is lacking the effect is pain.  Pain leads to tension, and illness, which blocks energy.  Lomi Lomi releases energy, promotes harmony and facilitates healing.  The healing effects of the massage continue long after the massage is over.

I volunteer at a local group foster home.  One of our teen girls is overweight and at risk for diabetes.  Because the meals are made for all the kids there, it is difficult for her to figure out just what she can eat.  I did some research online and came up with a plan to make it simple.  It’s all about keeping blood sugar steady, and being aware of how this works so that we can make good choices.  When I was looking into all this, I realized what a good plan this really is for everyone!  So now we’ve got most of the other girls she lives with supporting her, and helping themselves to be more healthy by following the plan, too.  Here is it, if you want to check it out for yourself!

GOOD DIETARY CHOICES:

-Whole grains (brown rice, whole grain pasta, unprocessed oatmeal, legumes (peas, beans), vegetables, fruits (not too many bananas)

-Olive oil, Salmon, Tuna, Flax seed oil

-Lean chicken breast, tofu, whey protein powder

-Green tea, cinnamon, turmeric

-LOTS of water!

POOR DIETARY CHOICES (AVOID):

-JUNK food (no chips, no crackers, no cake, no chocolate, no candy, no soda, no cookies)

-White flour or white rice (no bread, no pasta, no pastry)

-Saturated or hydrogenated fats: NO red meat, no cheese, no ice cream or high-fat dairy, no pie, no peanut butter

-Fruit juice (too much sugar causes blood sugar to spike)

EXERCISE 20-30 MINUTES DAILY!

Love comes easily, and often it comes abundantly! 
Ayurveda teaches us to love what is, rather than what we think should be.  Keeping that in mind, here are some reasons to love people dominant in each of the doshas:

5 Reasons to Love a Vata:

*Cool hands, warm heart.

*Always lots to talk about.

*Fun, fun, fun!

*A flair for fantasy.

*Vatas are amazing!

5 Reasons to Love a Pitta:

*Can talk you into anything

*A predictable stomach clock.

*Passion, passion, passion!

*Great at problem-solving.

*Pittas are HOT!

5 Reasons to Love a Kapha:

*Who could resist those eyes?

*One word: Stamina.

*Hugs, hugs, hugs!

*Your best friend.

*Kaphas are lovable!

Check out our T-shirts, mugs, etc with these lists on them in the Dosha Shop.

Most grocery stores now have an organic section in their produce departments.  The term “organic” means that this is food that has been cultivated and processed without any chemicals.  Since there is nothing to kill the bugs, and no wax on the apples, the fruits and vegetables might not look as picture perfect as we have become used to, but they actually taste wonderful!  Organic farming is better for the land as well, as the runoff from fertilized fields feeds into rivers and oceans, potentially polluting the water and posing hazards to life in and around it.  Organic methods are really getting back to basics, the way we farmed back before any of these chemicals were created.  Organic methods build up the soil, creating stronger, more disease-free plants.  Going organic is a great choice, both
nutritionally and ecologically.

I love my afternoon tea.  However, as I am very opposed to caffeine, I always have herbal tea, which isn’t really tea in the true sense of the word.  Herb tea is an infusion made of herbs, greens, flowers or roots.  They have been used as medicines for centuries.  Here are some of the most popular
herbal teas and their uses:

-Angelica Tea helps with both cough and colic.

-Chamomile Tea soothes the stomach and aids in relaxation.

-Ginseng Tea helps reduce fatigue, stress, and high blood pressure.

-Lemon Verbena Tea helps to bring down a fever, and also induces a restful sleep.

-Peppermint tea works wonders for nausea.

-Rose Hips tea is high in vitamin C and is good for fighting colds.

Tea

“Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood: A Twentieth-Century Classic for Those Seeking Serenity and Strength” was originally published as a book in 1948.  Before then, the various letters were printed in a weekly newsletter for the fourteen years prior.  The letters were written by different people, of different religions and from different cultures, then compiled and edited by Mary Strong.  She has also included quotations (you know how I love quotations!) which she says are “evidence of the timelessness of the idea of inner spiritual illumination and of the great company scattered the world over without regard to space, time, age or creed.”  I like to keep this book nearby, and when I need guidance, flip it open randomly to a page.  There is always some wisdom and comfort to be garnered wherever I happen to land.

Robert Kiyosaki is well known for his “Rich Dad” series of best-selling books.  Robert is an expert in money and finance, and his sister, Emi, is a Buddhist nun, the Venerable Tenzin Kacho ordained by the Dalai Lama.  The two grew up in Hawaii with their family, and their lives took very different turns when Robert went off to the Vietnam War, and Emi went to study Buddhism in India.  Together they have written a wonderful book that looks as the spiritual side of wealth.  What makes us rich, and what makes life meaningful?  How do we define “work?”  Simplicity, and the “want not/stress not” philosophy are very important in this discussion.  We need to develop healthy habits in every area of our lives.  We need
to understand that change comes from within.  The Buddha said: “Be a light unto yourself.”  Rich Brother, Rich Sister: Two Different Paths to God, Money and Happiness is a wonderful book.

Kaizen is the Japanese word for “improvement.”  It is a philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life.  Kaizen emphasizes small steps – it is a gradual, and continuous, way to reach a goal.  It is also a daily activity, the purpose of which goes beyond simple productivity improvement.  When done correctly, kaizen humanizes the workplace and eliminates overly hard work – it teaches us how to perform scientifically, systematically, and to learn to spot and eliminate waste in the
process.  The culture of continual, aligned small improvements and standardizations yields large results in the
form of compound productivity.  The kaizen methodology includes setting standards, then making changes and
monitoring results, and then making adjustments.  This is a system that can be used individually, for self-improvement, or on a large scale in an environment such as a corporation.

One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way

What is Watsu?  It’s a form of water therapy originated by Harold Dull.  Watsu is effective
with chronic pain and a wide range of conditions.  People who have used Watsu say that they have a greater sense of unity between different parts of their being.  In addition to the physical benefits derived from the movements and stretches warm water facilitates, Watsu’s power to reduce stress underlies both its effectiveness and those conditions in which stress is implicated.  Watsu’s popularity is growing among the general public, and it is welcomed as a primary modality in rehabilitation by Aquatic Therapists.  With Watsu, a therapist holds someone in the water level with the heart.  If you don’t have access to a pool, you can explore Tantsu.  Tantsu brings Watsu’s nurturing holding, connection to inner movement and stretching back on land.  Tantsu is whole body movement and stretching.  It is a new way to access and share our creative joy in the interplay of breath, movement and stillness.

Watsu: Freeing the Body in Water