Ayurveda: The Art of Being

In this amazing documentary. Ayurveda is explored and explained in great detail.

I should warn you, it’s a full length documentary, but it’s sooooo worth the time to watch it.

Enjoy!

Tiffany
Personal Alchemy

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Originally posted 2008-05-16 08:22:21. Republished by Old Post Promoter

What is Panchakarma?

If you’ve read about or studied Ayurveda at all, you’ve no doubt come across the term “Panchakarma”. But unless you’ve read up on Panchakarma specifically, you probably have little idea what it is.

In searching for a good definition, I came across a web site that explained it like this:

“Panchakarma is a Sanskrit word meaning “five actions.” In ancient times these included massage, steam treatments, enema, blood letting, and emesis. In modern times, massage, steam and enema are more commonly used while blood letting and emesis are rarely used. These “actions” were traditionally performed during the transitional seasons of the year, as hot shifts to cool in the fall and as cool shifts to warm in the spring.”

When visiting an Ayurvedic practitioner these days, panchakarma may be prescribed as part of your treatment therapy. The most common “prescriptions” of this nature are massage, steam and enemas. Colonics can also be used in place of enemas. While colonics don’t sound very appealing, I can tell you from personal experience that they are actually quite comfortable, even for the most apprehensive person (me!).

Basically, Panchakarma is a set of five different therapies that purify the body. The idea is to get the body completely cleaned out in every way possible, so that the body can regain it’s own healthy balance.

Well worth the effort.

Namaste,
Tiffany
Personal Alchemy

Originally posted 2008-04-28 15:54:50. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Ayurveda and Herpes

In Ayurvedic belief, disease is not specific to one part of the body or another. Disease affects the entire body, and therefore the entire body must be treated.

Herpes is no exception. It lives in the body, and emerges when your immune system is impared.

While Herpes cannot be cured, it can be managed. Staying healthy and in doshic balance is the key to managing this disease. Caring for yourself and staying in balance will bolster your immune system, which in turn, will help avoid Herpes breakouts.

If you have Herpes, it is vital that your partner be aware of this information, and that proper protection is used and implemented. Herpes is a silent virus. Many people have the virus and don’t even know it. So please use precautions.

Local treatment for affected skin parts:
Along with the process of balancing doshas and rejuvenation of body, the treatment to the particular organ which is mainly affected by the disease should be treated. This is called local treatment (Sthanika chikitsa). In genital herpes this is achieved through local application of herbal paste prepared from powders of sandle wood, rose, amalki,Neem etc.

These preparations rejuvenate the skin and restore the structure of the skin. These preparations also reduce local inflammation of the skin and the skin gets a very good resistance to subsequent attacks. The tenderness of the skin vanishes and skin discoloration fades to get back the natural color.

http://ayurveda-foryou.com/treat/herpes.html

 

 

The main idea is to take proper care of yourself, regardless of where the breakout is, or how severe it may be. Proper body maintanence is vital for managing Herpes.

Namaste,

Tiffany
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Originally posted 2008-07-20 22:15:51. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Ayurveda and Eczema

Eczema has plagued me for many years now.

While it has gotten better over time, it is still a part of my every day life. While I have not seen an Ayurvedic practitioner for the condition (yet), I did manage to take a trip into my local Elephant Pharmacy in Walnut Creek, CA.

There, I spoke with a woman who was their Ayurvedic expert. She gave me some interesting information.

She told me that Eczema typically comes from bad digestion, and encouraged me to try herbs as well as digestive enzymes.

The herbs she sold me were called “Trikatu” and “Triphala”. The Trikatu is to be taken before meals with water, and the Triphala is to be used as a tea in the morning and evening.

I will keep you updated as to wether or not this works for me. For those of you with eczema, I understand your pain, and hope that this information will help.

Please consult a physician before trying any treatment. This post is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition.

Namaste
Tiffany

 

 

 
Find peace and balance. Unveil your bliss with Ayurvedic bath and body products. Personal Alchemy offers botanical bath salts, ritual massage oils, healing balms and body creams.

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Originally posted 2008-06-27 01:20:27. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Just Breathe!

Breath is such a spontaneous thing. When we are breathing well, we are relaxed and take no notice of our breath at all. But when we are winded, suddenly, we realize just how important breath really is. Let’s face it; we won’t live long if we don’t breathe.

But controlling your breath for health and relaxation is far from spontaneous and well worth the small effort involved.

Ever watch a sleeping baby? Now there is perfect breathing at its best! The lower belly rises up and falls without effort. Nice slow, deep breaths.

When we are stressed, however, breathing takes on an entirely new look. We breathe from our chests and shoulders. Our breaths become short and shallow.

So how can we control our breathing in a way that benefits our health? Slow breathing slows a rapid/stressed heart rate. Taking control of your breathing is the fasted and easiest way to calm yourself when stressed. Simply stop, take notice of your breathing and be sure that you are breathing from your lower belly instead of using your chest area. This small thing can lower blood pressure and heart rate, reduced amounts of stress hormones, reduce lactic acid build-up in muscle tissue, balanced levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood, improved immune system functioning, increased physical energy,  and increase feelings of calm and well being. Not bad for something so simple.

The hard part is becoming conscious of your breathing on a regular basis. Leave yourself little reminders, and you’ll be “breathing easy” in no time!

Originally posted 2008-02-28 06:15:26. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Breakfast for your dosha

One of my challenges when I started trying to follow an eating plan for my dosha, was in knowing what “combination foods” I could eat. It’s fine to say that a Kapha dosha should eat pumpkin seeds, but how do you turn that into a Kapha meal?

Here are some breakfast ideas for each dosha to get your day started right.

Vata – Warm cereals are wonderful for you. Cream of wheat is a great start to your day. Just add milk, and you’re on your way! Warm, sweet and milky is your best bet. You need warmth and comfort in your foods.

Pitta- eat cold cereals, toast and tea. Avoid caffeine such as a morning cup of joe. It’s not good for your doshic balance. Try herbal tea instead.

Kapha- You want to stay away from a fattening breakfast, such as sausages, bacon, etc. You also need to stay away from sugar breakfast items. So what can you eat? My favorite morning breakfast is buckwheat or barley pancakes. You can add fruit to these, in place of sugar. Try fruit butters. They are easy to make at home, and there are a ton of recipes for them on the internet. While most of them call for sugar, you can easily make them without. 

Monday, I will post a pancake recipe for each of the doshas. See you then!

Namaste
Tiffany

 

 
Find peace and balance. Unveil your bliss with Ayurvedic bath and body products. Personal Alchemy offers botanical bath salts, ritual massage oils, healing balms and body creams.

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Originally posted 2008-06-20 07:20:36. Republished by Old Post Promoter

More Ayurvedic Information for Beginners

Once you get past the intro, this video has some good information on what it means to live an Ayurvedic lifestyle.

 

Hope you enjoy it!

Tiffany
Personal Alchemy

Originally posted 2008-05-09 08:18:27. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Dosha Diets (Part 3 – Kapha)

Generally speaking, it is important for all doshas to allow time for each meal. To sit at a table, chew food thoroughly, and relax to allow for good digestion.

While this is obviously not typical of the American lifestyle, the more you can do to achieve this, the better off you’ll be. ________________________

Kapha doshas: here are some guidelines to get you started. Keep in mind, however, that for a true evaluation of what is good for you as an individual, you should see an Ayurvedic practitioner.

• Cook with ghee in very small quantities. Overall, you need to stay far away from most fats. You do need some for general health, but for Kaphas, a little goes a long way         

• Eat broth based foods such as vegetable soups         

• Eat lots of veggies         

• Stay away from all sugars, including indredients ending in “ose” (i.e. sucrose, fructose, etc.). Also avoid corn syrup. The only allowable sweetener for Kaphas is honey. But this should also be used in small quantities         

• Flush toxins from your body by drinking warm water all day long

Food list – This list is a general overview. Some foods listed here may not be appropriate a Kapha dosha simply because of an individual’s current constitution. Please see an Ayurvedic practitioner for an exact list of foods that appropriate just for you. 

Dairy: Margarine, mayo, ghee (in moderations)

Oils: Olive oil (in moderation)

Drinks: coffee, lemonade, mineral water, tea and wine

Meats: Chicken, goose, lamb and pheasant

Again, this is just a loose description of what you should eat. Each person will be different and unique. But it will give you a place to start.

To your health
Tiffany
Personal Alchemy

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Originally posted 2008-05-07 22:59:18. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Yoga for better sex

Yoga is a fantastic form of exercise and tool for health and fitness. But did you know that certain yoga poses can improve you sex life?

Here is an article on just that topic. It discusses specific poses that can be used to improve this area of your life.

Also, here is an article entitled “Your Sexiest Body” by Prevention Magazine. It also goes into some exercises you can do to help you feel more confident about your body.

Namaste,

Tiffany
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Originally posted 2008-07-22 16:32:48. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Panchakarma Explored (Part 5)

There are five basic methods of therapy used in Panchakarma.

Vamana – induced vomiting
Virechen – purgation (therapeutic laxative)
Basti – enema
Nasya – nasal detoxification
Rakta Moksha – blood detoxification

In this blog series, we will explore each method of therapy, and why it is used.

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Rakta Moksha

Blood detoxification, or “Rakta Moksha” in Ayurveda, is imperative therapy in toxemia, infections and hypertension.

Many skin disorders can also occur when the blood is toxic. Conditions such as eczema, herpes and hives. Typically, increased Pitta will cause problems in the blood.

Blood letting is still practiced to relieve this problem. However, it is not the most popular method, especially here in the USA. Typically, the blood will be cleansed through the use of herbs or color and gem therapy.

It should also be mentioned that when the need arises for detoxifying the blood, correct diet is vital, as are the products you put on your skin. Eat organic food whenever available, and use only natural body products, as anything that you put on your skin, will be absorbed into the blood stream.

Have you experienced any panchakarma therapy?  If you have, I encourage you to comment about your experience here. It is my hope that by exposing what panchakarma is, it will seem a little less foreign and disagreeable to people. So please, feel free to share via comments below, or email me any time.

This concludes our series on panchakarma. I hope you have found it to be helpful.

Namaste
Tiffany

 
Find peace and balance. Unveil your bliss with Ayurvedic bath and body products. Personal Alchemy offers botanical bath salts, ritual massage oils, healing balms and body creams.

 ____________________________________________________

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Originally posted 2008-06-18 06:50:40. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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