AYURVEDA

What is Ayurveda?Humoral medicine

Knowledge of longevity

Lifestyle , diet and herbal remedies

Practiced in India for over 5000 years

Personalized for optimum health

The East Vs. The West

“Western medicine and thinking tend to generalize and to categorize individuality”

“Ayurveda holds that normality must be evaluated individually, because every human

constitution manifests its own particular spontaneous temperament and functioning”

Earth, Fire, Water, Space

Your Dosha

Vata- Space and Air

Pitta- Fire and Water

Kapha- Water and Earth

Vata Pitta

Generally physically lean and small

Disturbed sleep

Cold hands and feet

Curly hair, thin eyelashes, rough, brittle nails

Crave sweet, sour and salty and like hot drinks

Medium height, average body frame

Many moles and freckles

Hair is thin, silky, red or brown and soft nails

Uninterrupted sleep

Strong metabolism, good digestion and strong appetites

Kapha

•Larger builds, can carry excess weight

•Move slowly

•Hair is thick, dark, soft and wavy

•Sound sleepers

•Crave pungent, bitter and stringent foods

How to Balance your DoshasDiet

Lifestyle

Daily regime

Yoga

Body work

Pitta FoodsSpicy food

Peanut butterSour fruitsBananas

PineapplesDairy products

These foods increase pitta

Increase Pitta Decrease Pitta

Bananas Mango’s

Spicy Food Oranges

Dairy Pears

Tomatoes Green Salad

Garlic Mushrooms

VATA INCREASE VATA

Asparagus Broccoli

Onions Tomatoes

Avocados Apples

Bananas Pears

Dairy Red Meat

Oatmeal Corn

DECREASE VATA

KAPHAINCREASE KAPHA DECREASE KAPHA

BananasMelonCoconutPineapplesDairy products

Dry fruitsPomegranateBasmati RiceSproutsChicken

Increase DecreaseBananas Dry fruitsMelons Pomegranates

Coconuts CranberriesDates Basmati Rice

Pineapple SproutsDairy Chicken

Food Combining• Fish and milk

•Meat and milk

• Yogurt and beef

• Sour fruits and milk

*Melons- clog and prevent absorption of

intestines

SeasonsPitta- Summer-

don’t eat hot and spicy foods

Vata- Autumn- avoid dry fruits and protein rich foods

Kapha- Winter- avoid cold drinks, ice cream, cheese and yogurt

How to EatDon’t eat unless you feel hungry, same for

thirstSit straight and avoid distractionsFocus on the taste and smellChew 32 timesStomach- 1/3 water, 1/3 food, 1/3 airTwo handfuls of food total“Eat and drink with discipline and regularity for

eating is meditation, which will nourish the body, mind, and consciousness and enhance longevity”

Bring It All TogetherYou are a Kapha individual. Kapha is heavy, dense, wet, cold and static. If you eat a large

bowl of ice cream (heavy, dense wet and cold,) at night (cold) in winter in Vermont (cold, wet), you can be

sure that Kapha will increase in your system. The next morning

you may find yourself with a cold, having gained a pound or two (the increase of heavy and dense) and less

likely to move than ever (static).

“Water is the driving force of all

nature.”-Leonardo da Vinci

FastingVata- no more than three days=could

cause fear, anxiety, nervousness and weakness

Pitta- no more than four days= psycho/physical reactions of anger, hate

and dizziness

Kapha- may do prolonged fasts= pleasant lightness, awareness and opening of consciousness, improved clarity and

understanding

Yoga

Sister sciencesOpen and move energies

Release TensionConcentration

Increase O2 in bloodSelf healing

http://www.pdnphotooftheday.com/2011/03/8918

Pitta- no headstand posture= mental

disorientationVata- no shoulder stand=

Shift spinal columnKapha- no hidden lotus

posture= pressure on adrenal glands

Bodywork

Massage Shirodara

Nasya

Netra Basti

Meditation

“A life without attachment and stress is the happiest, healthiest and most peaceful one. Such a life creates

natural longevity”

Breathing“Pranayama”- Breathing exercises

Pitta- left nostril breathingKapha- right nostril breathing

Vata- alternate nostril breathing

Daily Regime

Medicinals

ASHWAGANDHA

TRANQUIL MIND

BACOPA

Gaze at rays of sun at dawn for five minutes daily to improve

eyesight

Do not repress natural urges of body i.e. defecation, urination, coughing, sneezing, yawning,

belching and passing gas

Rubbing the soles of the feet with sesame oil before bedtime

produces a calm quiet sleep

Lying on back for fifteen minutes calms the mind and relaxes the

body

Mental HygieneFear and nervousness aggravate vata

Worry weakens the heart

Hate and anger create toxins in the body

Excessive talking dissipates energy

Convince the ScepticsMeditation-

“How to Get Smarter One Breath at A Time” –Time Magazine

<http://psyphz.psych.wisc.edu/web/News/Time_Jan06.html>

YogaIran Journal of Nursing

Digestive Individuality- “Eat Right For Your Blood Type”

CitationsLed, Vasant. Ayurveda: The Science of Self Healing. Twin Lakes: Lotus, 1990. Print.

"Ayurveda." University of Maryland Medical Center. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. <http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/ayurveda-000348.htm>.

The History of Medicine and Surgery. Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 23, p. 886. Print

The Basic Principles of Ayurveda." The National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.<Http://nian.com/corp-web/index.htm. Web.>