Green tea is known throughout the world for its medicinal properties.  It’s the abundance of antioxidants in the tea leaves that make it so beneficial.  Antioxidants slow or prevent the oxidation of other molecules.  Oxidation reactions in molecules can create free radicals, that can turn into disease.  Antioxidants are also important to overall cell health.  Healthy cells mean less chance of disease.  So antioxidants are an important part of preventative health care.  Green tea is also known to reduce the negative effects of “bad cholesterol”(LDL) by making more “good cholesterol” (HDL).  Tulsi is an adaptogenic herb traditionally used in ayurvedic medicine.  Adaptogens help to reduce the negative effects of daily stress.  Like green tea, Tulsi (also known as Holy Basil) is rich in antioxidants and promotes a healthy metabolism.  Tulsi Green Tea from Organic India is an invigorating blend of two extraordinarily potent, naturally restorative plants.  It’s delicious, toasty flavor makes for an excellent afternoon pick-me-up.

Tulsi Green Tea from Organic India

The Sanskrit word “Ahimsa” means “non-violence.”  Deepak Chopra started The Alliance for a New Humanity based on this principle.  Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”  Taking this to heart, Deepak took a vow of non-violence.  And now he is taking this one step further, asking each of us to do the same thing.  Can you commit, honestly and sincerely, to non-violence in your thoughts, speech and actions?  If so, then take the vow.  And pass it on.  This is a global movement for transformation.  If we can get 100 million people to make the same commitment, then we will have reached a critical mass, and the world will be transformed.  What a wonderful way to start the New Year with love and intention.  Visit the site: itakethevow.com for all the information.

Ghee is clarified butter, and the preferred oil to cook with in Ayurveda.  Ghee is also used in some beauty treatments.  You can buy ghee in most health food stores, and you can also make your own ghee at home.  To make ghee, put one pound of unsalted butter into a saucepan and heat slowly until completely melted.  Turn the heat down to low.  The melted butter appears cloudy, and at first a white foam rises to the top.  The foam then falls to the bottom as the melted butter starts to clear, and the sediment is more visible at the bottom.  Simmer until the sediment becomes golden brown and the rest of the liquid becomes clear and golden.  At this point it kind of smells like popcorn!  Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.  Line a strainer with cheesecloth or muslin and place over a glass jar.  Pour the ghee through the strainer, taking care not to pour in any of the sediment.  As the ghee cools it will solidify.  It does not need to be refrigerated.

Ayurveda has a few recommendations for how to keep ourselves healthy when it comes to the ear, nose and throat.  To clear mucus from the throat, mix a pinch of turmeric and a pinch of salt in a cup of warm water and gargle.  To soothe a sore throat, chew licorice root, or lick a spoon of honey.  For a dry throat, especially good when you have a lot of speaking to do, suck on some cardamom seeds.  For the ears, apply a small amount of sesame oil around the opening of the ear canal with your little finger.  This helps to keep Vata in balance and reduces tension in the jaw.  Massaging the ears with warm sesame oil benefits the whole body.  With the nose, it is also beneficial to apply a little warm sesame oil around the inside of each nostril every morning.  This helps us to have a keen sense of smell and calms the mind by keeping Vata in balance.  When the sinuses are congested or dry, we can do “nasya” or rinse the nostrils with warm salt water. 

Ayurveda explains our thought process by breaking it down like this:

-Manas is the mind.  It senses things outwardly.  It relies on the external to give it an impression to focus on.

-Buddhi is intelligence.  It perceives both inwardly and outwardly.  Buddhi can reason, and put together information based on what we see and what we feel.

-Chitta is consciousness.  It feels internally, instinctively, with its own sense of deep knowing.

In addition, there are collective and cosmic counterparts of the mind.  The collective is the sensory activity of everyone on Earth.  We can sense this, and the media broadcasts some of this.  The cosmic is the sensory activity of all creatures in all worlds over all of time.  We can connect to the cosmic through meditation.

One reason Indian music is so distinct is the instruments that are used.  I got a harmonium for Christmas and I’m learning how to play it!  A harmonium is a keyboard instrument in which the tones are produced by pumping air through metal reeds by means of steadily pushed bellows.  It’s kind of like an accordion, but you sit on the floor to play it, and the sound is really unique.  A Mridanga is a double-sided drum made of clay.  Kartals are hand cymbals.  A vina is a lute-like instrument in the zither family.  It has seven strings and a pear-shaped fretted neck.  This is the instrument that the goddess Saraswati plays.  A tanpura is a stringed instrument similar to a sitar.  It is usually made of dried pumpkin or wood, and it has four to six strings played one after the other.  It is usually background for other instruments.  And of course, Indian music is often accompanied by exuberant singing and dancing.

The Sanskrit word for oil is “snigdha.”  Sanskrit has many layers of meaning, and translated, snigdha means oil, fat and also, love!  Oil creates smoothness, lubrication, and vigor.  It is nourishing, like love.  When we use oil in a massage, we are taking care of ourselves, and coating ourselves with love.  The opposite of oily is dry, or “ruksha.”  Dryness creates dehydration.  Dry weather aggravates vata, and causes dry skin.  Fear, nervousness, anxiety and loneliness are also dry.  Love is the antidote!  So to balance ruksha, coat the skin with oil, or love.  Then take a warm shower after the application of oil, and the skin, kidneys and colon are also nourished.

As the weather warms up, we’ll be spending more time outdoors in the sun.  If you’re feeling hot, sweaty, irritable, or angry, that may be a sign that your Pitta dosha is aggravated.  Pitta is more prevalent in the summer, so we can accumulate it more easily.  Other signs of a Pitta imbalance include ulcers, acne, and stomach acidity.  Ayurveda says that by balancing Pitta, we can help to clear up all of these very different, yet completely related, conditions.  Spend some time near the water, walking in the moonlight, or swimming.  These are wonderful Pitta-pacifying activities.  Food is another way we can balance Pitta.  Avoid hot or spicy foods, and foods that are salty or sour.  This can be a challenge in the summer when pool parties tend to serve chips and dip, or spicy salsa, and soda pop, which is high in sodium and full of chemicals.  Instead, choose foods with a cooling quality: sweet fruits such as melons, cherries and grapes – and vegetables like asparagus, cucumber, broccoli, and zucchini.  And for a refreshing beverage, fruit teas are delicious! Organic India just came out with a new set of Fruity Tulsi Teas,  perfect  for Iced tea.Pour 2 cups of boiling water over 8 teabags and steep for 20 minutes.Remove teabags and add 2 cups of cold water. Refrigerate  to cool and pour over ice. Makes 1 quart.   Sweeten to taste. Keep a pitcher in the refrigerator so that it is easily available whenever you need a cool, refreshing drink. 

Fruity Tulsi Teas from Organic India

Ayurveda dates back more than 5,000 years.  The first written records of Ayurveda are found in the Vedas, the oldest and largest body of knowledge in history.  But Ayurveda is even older than this, because it started as an oral tradition, with the knowledge being passed down by the rishis, who studied nature and its laws and how these laws relate to human beings.  Another text came out called the “Charaka-Samhita.”  Samhita means “compendium” and Charaka refers to the author’s name.  This book explained everything about Ayurveda, from the theory and philosophy to the cellular structure of the body and more.  Other books came out later, including one on Ayurvedic surgery.  Ayurvedic knowledge spread into other parts of the world as time went on.  Eventually, it made its way to Greece, where it had a profound influence on the development of medicine there.  During the 15^th century, when India was under the influence of European colonization and eventually British rule, Ayurveda all but disappeared.  In 1835 the British banned Ayurveda in favor of European medicine.  But at the beginning of the 20^th century, the Indian independence began, and India fought for the renewed recognition of Ayurveda.  Now Ayurveda is once again prominent in India, and its coursework is found at major schools and universities.  Here in the west, we have started to learn about Ayurveda from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Deepak Chopra and other scholars.  We are lucky to have many fine schools of Ayurveda in the U.S., including the California College of Ayurveda and the Ayurvedic Institute.  Since yoga and meditation have become so popular, Ayurveda is growing trend.

Jesus taught a philosophy very similar to that of the Bhakti Yoga (Devotion) movement in India.  Many say that the messages are so aligned that there may have been a direct connection between Jesus and India.  Ancient Pali manuscripts refer to “Saint Issa,” and the name Issa is the Indic form of Jesus.  The texts mention his journey in the land of the Ganges.  Many writers, such as Edgar Cayce and Andreas Faber-Kaiser, say that Jesus traveled through India from age 13 through 30.  The Bible talks of Jesus’s life from birth through age twelve, and then of his ministry from age 30 until his death at age 33.  While there is no concrete proof that these stories of Jesus in India are true, it would certainly explain a lot.  I understand that there is a movie in the works that speculates about this time period in Jesus’s life and I look forward to seeing it!