Roses have always been associated with love and romance, so it’s no surprise that Ayurveda uses roses as a remedy for the heart.  Roses balance Pitta, and particularly Sadhaka Pitta, which is the subdosha of Pitta that governs the emotions and their effect on the heart.  In the summer time, Pitta can easily go out of balance, so it’s a good time to break out the roses!  Roses are cooling, and yet they enhance agni, the digestive fire.  This quality makes roses balancing for all three doshas.  Rose water is used to cool, moisturize and tone the skin.  And the fragrance of the rose enlivens inner beauty as well.  If you feel your anger rising, or your Pitta getting out of control, sniff some rose petals and watch the heat of the moment subside.  Roses also intensify the experience of happiness and bliss!  You can use dried rose petals to make a tea, or put rose petals in your bath water to help distribute the essence of rose to your mind and body.

Aromatherapy is an important tool in Ayurveda, for maintaining wellness and for healing.  It can be used to protect prana, regulate digestion and metabolism, and to boost immunity.  Aromas have a subtle, yet extremely powerful influence on our mind and body.  There are lots of ways that aromatherapy can be implemented.  Burning incense sticks during meditation is one way.  We can also add rose petals or basil leaves into our bath water.  Essential oils make using aromatherapy easy.  The vapor of essential oils stimulates our olfactory nerve, which goes directly to the brain.  The olfactory nerve stimulates the limbic system, which connects to the areas of the brain that process emotions, desires, appetites and memories.  It also stimulates the endocrine glands, which regulate hormone levels.  We can use a diffuser, or an aroma locket, or an aromatic candle to produce aromas in our environment.  Essential oils can also be used in massage, in the bath, and in our skin and hair care products.

Chetana is a Sanskrit word meaning “nature’s intelligence.” Food that is fresh and wholesome is abundant with chetana, so it can provide us with the nutrients that our bodies need in an efficient manner.  Once food has been processed, frozen, chemically enhanced, or microwaved it loses some of its chetana.  Foods that are alive with chetana are more easily digested and assimilated into our bodies.  Foods that lack chetana are more difficult to digest and can leave us feeling sluggish.  When choosing which foods to eat, reach for foods that are as fresh, and freshly prepared as possible. 

There is a movie out now called “Water” which is about the plight of widowed women in India.  I have only seen the previews so far, but my heart goes out to these women and the circumstances in which they must live.  I was thinking about how I could help, when a friend sent me an e-mail about this man who is doing just that.  Joe Curiale was watching a segment on CNN about the farmers in India who are so desperate and in debt that they are committing suicide, and leaving their families behind.  Joe then went to India and met some of these families in person, and donated his own money to pay off their debts and essentially free them.  Once their debts are paid, these women can use their income to learn job skills so that they can support their children.  A little bit goes a long way in India, and although the need is great, Joe is doing what he can by helping one family at a time.  To learn more about his story, and how you can get involved with this cause, visit Joe’s website:

http://www.s91680232.onlinehome.us/curiale/index.html

or http://www.josephcuriale.com

A yantra is a geometric figure from the Vedic tradition.  It is a visual expression of a mantra, or sacred sound.  The Shri Yantra represents the mantra “OM”which loosely translated means All, or the Universal.  This yantra is composed of many triangles, some of which pass through each other to form new triangles.  The triangles that point upward represent masculine energy, or Shiva.  The downward pointing triangles represent feminine energy, or Shakti.  Creation comes from the combination of male and female energy.  Vedic tradition says that life is the co-existence of opposites, and this is just one example.

By meditating on the Shri Yantra we bring balance to our lives.  We can create peace and harmony recognizing the balance of masculine and feminine in our world and in ourselves.

To see an illustration of the Shri Yantra, visit psmeditation.com and scroll down to click on“Visual Meditations.”