October, 2010

This past weekend I had a wonderful appointment with one of my clients who looked me in the eye and said, "I'm following every bit of my Ayurvedic health plan." Wow! The symptoms that she had in her initial appointment have improved significantly and even some of the health issues that she did not come to Ayurveda for are resolving themselves. I love being an Ayurvedic practitioner! I do not mention this to lay guilt on those of you who follow only portions of your plan or who have fallen off the wagon entirely. I write about this because my client's discipline and determination inspires and impresses me! I know that the plans that I design for people are not easy fixes to your health questions--they take time, effort, money and planning on your part. For some of you, it requires that you make new friends--with your kitchen and all of the appliances, dishes, utensils, tables and chairs in them. Others may find it a challenge to give up iced drinks, diet soda, coffee or candy. Maybe you have to overcome the obstacle of shifting relationship dynamics as you modify your diet and lifestyle. To live Ayurvedically is to go against the grain of American food habits and resist the strong tide of grab-and-go eating and living. It's worth it! A new report from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention predicts that by 2050 one in three U.S. citizens will have diabetes. Get on an Ayurvedic health plan and prove this study wrong!

One of the nice aspects of Ayurveda is that when you do away with one option, there are ten or more other things that you can have in its place. When you get out of your habitual eating and lifestyle ruts, it opens your life to greater creativity and diversity. When my Ayurvedic practitioner taught me that tomato sauce provokes the pitta dosha and I wanted to overcome my pitta-type headaches, I realized just how much I was cooking with tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Between the pizza, spaghetti, salsa, tortilla soup and chili, our family was consuming large amounts of foods that were low on the pH scale. Once I reduced the tomatoes, I realized that there was a whole world of taste bud-pleasing recipes that did not provoke pitta: quinoa and vegetable pilaf, kitchari, chicken soup, 20-minute curry anyone? And yes, the frequency and intensity of my headaches are greatly reduced.

If coffee is the item that is holding you back from enjoying greater health, you can replace it with an array of tantalizing aromatic herbal tea blends that promote supple colons, strong bones, beautiful skin, even-keel days and sweet dreams at night (adios to arthritis, irritated/dry skin, anxiety and insomnia!). I've also been having fun making caffeine-free chai blends for my clients who absolutely need a thick, dark, comforting substance to drink every day. Maybe you have to give up eating your dinner in front of the T.V., but that means that you can sit at a nicely set table and have eye contact and conversation with your loved ones (I have not yet mastered the silent eating that Vaidya Mishra endorses so I do not ask it of my clients). Some of you eat your meals alone so turning off the T.V. means that you can spend your eating time deciding what you want to be going through your mind as you eat instead of letting the T.V. decide for you. The great news about Ayurveda is that when you follow your program, it produces results. It's one of those rare things in life that gives back more rewards than the effort you apply.

If you already have an Ayurvedic health plan, schedule a follow-up visit today so you can have a "tune-up." If you are not yet on a plan, today is the day for you to invest some time and money in yourself and be a proactive health and happiness seeker!

May you all be blessed with happiness, wholeness, peace of mind, joy and prosperity and thank you for your continued interest in Radiant Living!

Love,
Patricia