Ayurveda explains that our bodies have certain natural urges that are necessary for our good health.  When we suppress these urges we can create health problems.  For example, when we feel thirsty, we need to drink.  If we don’t drink, we can get a headache, fatigue, bladder pain, and more.  If we don’t eat when we’re hungry we can get low blood sugar, light-headedness, and put out our digestive fire.  If we don’t cry when we feel the need to cry, those suppressed emotions can lead to heart disease.  Suppressing our yawns can harm the nervous system.  Suppressing a burp can result in hiccups, or even difficulty breathing.  So the advice that Ayurveda gives us is to heed nature’s call.  Let the body function the way it needs to function.  Of course, when we do burp, it is proper to excuse ourselves if we are in someone’s company!

Samadhi is a Sanskrit word meaning “divine peace.” It’s something we all aspire to, that calm, clear peace of mind with which we can make the best decisions for ourselves.  The first step in attaining samadhi is to develop a sattvic, or pure, mind.  We do this by following a sattvic lifestyle.  When we meditate regularly, show compassion for others, behave ethically, eat healthy and organic foods and live in harmony with nature, it shows in our body, mind and spirit.  We start to see the good in all things, and we become both healthy and happy, as is our true nature. 

Ayurveda explains that we are our own best healers.  We know ourselves best, after all!  We can educate ourselves and take control of and responsibility for our own health.  How do we do this?  First of all, we tune in to our bodies.  We start paying attention to the signals that it gives us.  Our own intuition is an amazing tool to discern subtle health imbalances.  We need to start trusting ourselves more.  We can also follow nutritional and lifestyle guidelines to keep ourselves healthy and to develop longevity.  When we start to see all the good that we can do for ourselves and our own health, we develop confidence in our self-healing abilities.  The positive results that we experience for ourselves shows us that we are strong, and capable.  The Vedic scriptures outline the three legs of truth: 1. What the scriptures say, 2. What the guru (or spiritual guide) says, and 3. What we experience for ourselves.  When all three of these sources say the same thing, then it is accepted as truth.  This applies to our health, too.  It’s what research says, what the doctor says, and what we experience for ourselves.  We can take an active role in our own health care.

According to Ayurveda, good health is present when we have good, healthy functioning in four areas of our life.  First, we need to be physically and mentally healthy so that we can work and play.  Second, we need to have something purposeful to do as work to support ourselves financially.  This work involves our talents, and when we love our work, it cultivates our spirituality.  Third, our relationships are important to our health.  These relationships, with our loved ones, our co-workers, and ourselves, help us to learn and grow and to understand our foremost relationship, which is with the Divine.  This leads us to the fourth area of health, spiritual health.  As we learn and grow we are compelled to spend more time in pursuit of personal spiritual development.  We begin to see the Divinity within ourselves and within others.  To treat an imbalance, Ayurveda looks at the cause, not just the symptoms, and seeks to cultivate wellness in each of these four areas of life.

Just as the seasons contain elements of the doshas, so do the hours of the day.  6 am to 10 am is Kapha time.  On awakening for the day, you probably feel slow, relaxed, and calm, all Kapha attributes.  10 am to 2 pm is Pitta time.  This is when we are at our most active and efficient.  Our digestion is strongest between noon and 1 pm, so we can take advantage of that by making lunch our largest meal of the day.  Pitta time is most productive for learning.  From 2 pm to 6 pm it is Vata time, when we are at our most creative.  The cycle repeats again in the evening hours.  Kapha time is 6 pm to 10 pm, when we slow down for rest.  Pitta time is 10 pm to 2 am when Pitta keeps our body warm, and we use this heat to digest food and rebuild body tissues.  And then Vata time is from 2 am to 6 am, when our creativity is expressed in the form of active dreams.

In Vedanta, which comes from the same roots as Ayurveda, there are four “yogas” or paths, through which to pursue our spirituality. The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means “to yoke,” or “to unite.” The practice of yoga helps us to unite with body, mind, and spirit. For the month of May have looked at each of the four different yogas. This is the fourth:

Bhakti Yoga is the path of love. “Bhakti” means devotion. It is said that through love and devotion, we discover who we truly are. This is love of all creation. When we love without expectation, we experience the greatest feeling there is. Love is pure awareness. Love is available to all of us, and it is an irresistible force!

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

In Vedanta, which comes from the same roots as Ayurveda, there are four “yogas,” or paths, through which to pursue our spirituality. The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means“to yoke,” or “to unite.”   The practice of yoga helps us to unite with body, mind, and spirit.  For the month of May we are looking at each of the four different yogas.  This is the third:

Raja Yoga is known as the path of meditation.  The idea is that by stilling the mind through meditation, we can experience more of our true selves.  It explains that we need to settle the mind, which is constantly stirred up with thoughts just as a lake is muddied through activity.  When the lake settles down, the water becomes clear; so it goes with our mind.  This tranquil state of mind lets us think clearly and see what is important in life.  Kaphas, who like to be still and quiet, may be attracted to Raja Yoga.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

In Vedanta, which comes from the same roots as Ayurveda, there are four “yogas” or paths, through which to pursue our spirituality. The word “yoga”comes from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means “to yoke” or “to unite.”  The practice of yoga helps us to unite with body, mind, and spirit.  For the month of May we are looking at each of the four different yogas.  This is the second:

Karma Yoga is the path of work.  But it is work without attachment to the end result.  Rather than working for a paycheck, it is working as a spiritual offering.  You could also call this the path of service.  The path of Karma Yoga explains that working for external “things” leads us to disappointment, because we can never meet all of our expectations, it is never “enough.”   Instead, when we work as a service to ourselves and to others, we can experience spirit in everything we do.  Vatas, who are so active, and not usually motivated by money, may be drawn to Karma Yoga.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

In Vedanta, which comes from the same roots as Ayurveda, there are four “yogas,” or paths, through which to pursue our spirituality. The word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit word “yuj” which means “to yoke” or “to unite.”   The practice of yoga helps us to unite with body, mind, and spirit.  For the month of May we will look at each of the four different yogas.

Jnana Yoga is the path of knowledge.  This is the path that is directed by the mind.  To follow this path, we use affirmations to remind ourselves about what is real, what is true.  This “right thinking” helps us to shed the veil of illusion and see ourselves as we truly are: pure, perfect, and free.  Jnana Yoga takes reasoning, and Pittas, who are so good at intellectualizing, may be drawn to this path.

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)

Ayurveda is “The Science of Life.” And life is all about relationships. It’s about our relationship with our selves, our environment and all the people in our lives. Ayurveda can teach us how to get along with anyone, anytime, anywhere, because when we understand the principles behind this science, we are more understanding and accepting of a person’s nature. We become better people because we learn to love “what is”, rather than what we think “should be.” This whole concept is what led me to write “What’s Your Dosha, Baby?” In it you’ll find lots of information to improve your love life, but also ways for you to better work with people, parent your children, and be a friend. Today is my birthday. I would love it if you would help me celebrate by buying yourself a gift, my book! Amazon has it for just $9.72 now, that’s 35% off the cover price. It is my dharma to bring Ayurveda to the western world, and you can help me do that. If you already have the book, consider getting another one and donating it to your local library so that we can help others to learn about this beautiful science. Thank you!

Lissa Coffey’s online newsletters and article content may be reprinted provided the following credit line is included:

Lissa Coffey is an author, media personality, and the founder of CoffeyTalk.com (Reprinted with permission Copyright © Bamboo Entertainment, Inc.)