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Six years ago, I went to visit a friend from college who was teaching English in Kyoto, Japan.
A day or so after I arrived, she took me to an outdoor market in the city. Wandering together through stalls of artwork, antiques, handicrafts and food, I was drawn to a table where a woman was selling daifuku, sweet rice cakes filled with red bean paste.
As my friend spoke Japanese and I did not, she kindly did the work of ordering one for me.
Used as an herbal pharmaceutical for centuries, this aromatic, green (and brown) spice turns your coffee into a medicinal treat to counter negative effects of caffeine, while boosting digestion, increasing energy, and reducing pain. It brings light, dry, clear and pungent qualities to life.
A member of the Ginger family, Cardamom has been used in Ayurveda for over 5,00 years – the ancient texts laud its ability to break down difficult-to-digest foods, and enhance taste, turning ordinary into exceptional.
Ayurveda doesn’t say ‘no’, it says when and how. Local yogi Katherine Clapner uses asafoetida, black cardamom, apricot and rose hips in her recipe for Soraya 3.0 – The Soft Butter Toffee. What does Ayurveda say?
I love spring for many reasons—two of them are asparagus and arugula. When I was a child, my parents would take my brothers and I asparagus hunting, and then we would enjoy the bounty.
Each spring, arugula (or Eruca sativa, also known as rocket, rucola, and rucoli rugula) pops up everywhere in my garden, like a weed. My favorite kind of weed. I anxiously await its arrival to toss onto every meal I make, with a touch of olive oil and lemon.
The life science of Ayurveda explains that we are born perfect creations, with a unique balance of space, air, fire, water, and earth – the 5 basic elements of all things. This is our Prakruti. Then life happens, - the food we eat, coupled with our activities and environment skew that perfect balance. This is our Vikruti. Imbalance leads to illness, and when we can’t curb the illness, it can lead to chronic disease that we are taught to live with, such as arthritis, allergies, thyroid problems and inflammation.
The Bhagavad Gita tells us that humans, as well as all other things in Nature, have a mixture of Sattwa, and its companions, Rajas and Tamas. These three Maha Gunas (qualities) determine our behavior, actions, thoughts and emotions.
Sattwa is clarity, light, purity and wakefulness. It is stability, essence, compassion and love. Sattwa is required for our mental and physical health, and is the path to personal evolution and spiritual maturity.
Ojas is our "inner sap", our vitality, consciousness and immunity. It is the basis for physical and mental endurance, the internalized essence of digested food and thought.
Ojas is responsible for protecting the body from physical harm and provides emotional stability. It grounds us and supports our mental, physical and spiritual growth. It protects us against high levels of stress and provides mental stability and peace.
There's nothing more soothing than a warm drink after a long, tiring day. Not only does it make you feel good inside but it also helps get rid of any physical pain you might be having. Besides, it is also good for de-stressing.
Braised Fennel, Brocolini & Tofu
Description
Fennel, ginger, and yogurt sauce give this a juicy and flavorful recipe you'll enjoy over and over again!
Ingredients
Ojas is our "inner sap", our vitality, consciousness and immunity. It is the basis for physical and mental endurance, the internalized essence of digested food and thought.
Ojas is responsible for protecting the body from physical harm and provides emotional stability. It grounds us and supports our mental, physical and spiritual growth. It protects us against high levels of stress and provides mental stability and peace.
