Those over-filled closets, basements, garages and storage spaces need attention! It's kapha season, which means now's the time to clear the clutter!

Kaphas, one of the best things for you is to clear the clutter.

You see, kaphas are the glue emotionally, physically and...materialistically. They like to keep stuff, like, forever if they could. However, this clingy energy bogs them down which is the last thing kapha needs.

Kapha needs more space, lightness, and flow. When we have possessions that are all piled up, we can't even see what we own, much less enjoy what we have.

A good bi-yearly cleanse of nooks, crannies and closets followed by a trip to the donation station will bring joy and lightness to their lives. For any kaphas having a hard time parting with “stuff” it might be easier to swallow when you know you’ll be giving it to someone else who will love it. Kaphas are very generous and will gladly help those in need, so this could be an easy sell to tell yourself ;)

Detachin...

Who just got back from spring break or is going on spring break soon? *raising my own hand!*

We did an impromptu quick trip down to LA for a few days to reset and it was awesome! Warm weather, our favorite foods, flip flops, no real agenda except to enjoy ourselves as much as possible (and avoid rush hour).

It's always hard for me to leave LA and as we were heading out I said to my husband, "How can we feel like this all the time?"

And isn't it true? We get back from a wonderful vacation and after 2 days back in daily life, we've already lost our bliss and relaxation. What the Fruit?!

But WAIT! How sad is that?! LIFE is WAY longer than vacation! So, let's learn how to bring joyful aspects of vacation to our every day — daily enjoyment is what life is all about.

While taking time to luxuriate daily might seem impossible (or makes you roll your eyes), it's not. It just requires a little prioritization and focus. We work hard — we all deserve to take an every day vacation.

Let's r...

Lassi is a yogurt drink made especially to enhance digestion. Please note that while made from yogurt, lassi is not yogurt.

In fact, they have completely opposite qualities. Yogurt is a channel clogger and not good for any dosha — it can really screw up peoples' digestion. It starts out too cold and damp, but then digests very hot. It dampens digestive fire and when combined with fruit, it becomes a double whammy Ayurvedic no-no because fruit + diary are considered a wrong food combination.

If you have any problems with allergies, slow metabolism, cloudy mind, lethargy, tendency toward being cold, heartburn, acid reflux, burping up food, sinus problems and/or chest congestion, try stopping the yogurt. Just try it for two weeks and see how you feel. You can always go back to yogurt if you want, but my guess is that you will feel better.

BUT! We're not talking about yogurt, we are talking about lassi! Beautiful channel opening, digestion enhancing lassi!!

Lassi is made from yogurt, b...

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This question is stemming from several of you!

"What balances vatas and pittas in kapha season?"

Overall, vatas and pittas are going to be balanced by kapha season. Happy day!

I quickly made this crude little chart (it shows up reversed in the video), but in very simple terms, these are how the qualities shake out in kapha season.

In general vatas and pittas will be balanced by kapha season. In Ayurveda we talk a lot about the qualities — we use the opposite qualities to bring balance.

Kapha qualities are: cold, wet, heavy, static (non-moving) and dull.
Vata qualities are: cold, dry, light, mobile, and rough.

Vata qualities: all except COLD are opposite of kapha which means, kapha will balance vata for the most part. However, vatas need to stay warm in their environment, body and diet in spring.

Pitta qualities are: hot, slightly-oily (a little wet), light, smooth, mobile and sh...

Oh man, our clocks changed! Just as we got used to the glow of the sun waking us, it's pitch black again when the alarm goes off. The reward is a longer day, which, "Hooray for extra daylight!" but the time change can still throw us off

Time change in Ayurveda affects vata because, well, we've made a fast change. *Poof* just like that, we "lost" an hour. It can take some of us weeks to adjust but hopefully the tips below will help you slide back nicely into nature's rhythm quickly.

6 Ayurvedic tips to balance the time change

1. Wake up before sunrise. Ha! Easy enough to do now, 'cause you kind of have no choice. My point is, just because it's dark at 6:00 a.m., don't go hittin' the snooze until the sun comes up. We already know waking up during vata time (before sunrise) gives us a daily boost because as we rise in the energy of movement. So keep doing that! Yes it's dark, but you'll have more energy than if you pull the covers over your head until sunrise. Not only is sunrise ka...

Is anyone feeling lethargic, a little sad, unmotivated, heavy with maybe some sinus congestion? *raise your hands* Well if your hand is up, I have good news.

It's not you!! You're NOT crazy. It's just the start of spring, or kapha season! I think you'll enjoy the simple Ayurvedic tips to transition into spring below.

Get the Free Kapha Quick Guide! Diet & Lifestyle practices for kapha.

Before the buds sprout lime leaves, before flowers peek above the grass (or snow) and before we get all springy and happy, kapha season is cold, wet, cloudy and heavy.

Kapha season dampens our agni, which can give rise to disease.

The biggest difference between vata season (fall and winter) and kapha season is the wetness, the damp quality. The coolness/cold will still be there since the "cold" quality is common for both vata and kapha doshas, but it will become more damp, wet, humid vs. the dry cold. 

This wet heaviness can make us feel a little "blah" at first. So what do we do when we feel "bl...

For much more on Ayurvedic nutrition, grab a copy of my book In Your Elements on Amazon!

Ayurvedic nutrition has such a different and refreshing lens!

Is there such a thing as "Ayurvedic food"? No. Food is food.

So don't stress about whether food is "Ayurvedic" because there is no such thing. Yay!

What matters is a) the quality of food — is it high quality or low quality and b) are the "tastes" of the food — and whether those tastes balance your dosha. 

In Ayurveda, foods consist of the 6 tastes. The 6 tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter astringent.

Having a balance of the six tastes in our diet creates harmony in the body and mind. Each taste contains certain elements (space, air, fire, water, earth), so depending your dosha, there are tastes that will be more balancing for you than others.

The tastes that balance vata are: sweet, sour, salty.

The tastes that balance pitta are: sweet, bitter, astringent.

The tastes that balance kapha are: pungent, bitter, astringen...

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Some of the biggest challenges my clients and students have is figuring out their food.

I know that a lot of you get confused. "Should I be eating this? What's good for me?" We go looking for online articles for answers. We go looking for online videos. We try and make all the cool recipes that people are making and sometimes our digestion ends up funky. Sometimes our minds end up feeling funky about that too because we're like, "What the heck? I don't even really know what I should be eating for me." 

I'm going to give you three ways to not overthink your food so that you can feel a little bit more empowered in this area.

3 ways to simplify your food.

The first thing is so simple. You're going to be like, "Duh," but it really is. 

1) Eat what works for you.

Write down, grab a piece of paper and a pen if you have it handy or just think in your mind. What foods feel really good in...

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Food is the basic building blocks for our physical bodies. Depending on who we are as a unique person, or, our balance of doshas, we might need different types of foods.

Vatas are very light and airy. They will need foods that are grounding, stabilizing and warm. Since vatas don't have a lot of structure, their food needs to have more structure or they will get weak and their tissues will break down. They need to eat what I call "building" foods.

Pittas are slightly oily, hot and sharp. They will also need foods that are cooling, fresh, and mild. They will also need grounding foods but for a different reason — pittas will burn through food quickly, so if it's not substantial enough, they will be hungry (and cranky!) often. Pittas have medium structure and also need "building" foods so their naturally strong digestive fire stays strong, without burning up the tissues.

Kaphas are already quite built! They need light, warm, spicy fo...

One of you wrote to me and said: I had a couple discouraging weight loss setbacks early on that stopped me in my tracks for a couple weeks...

And I responded: OK!!! May I? Weight loss. Weight is a number. Focus more on your a) overall energy b) how you feel in your body c) how your clothes fit d) knowing that no matter what the results now, you are doing the RIGHT thing and that transformation takes time.

Sometimes numbers can bum us out and suck away our motivation! Don't let them tap your spirit, they are just numbers.

A story: 10 years ago, I was a personal trainer and taught an outdoor women's bootcamp at the crack of dawn in San Francisco right near the water (view of the Golden Gate bridge!). We had a BLAST each morning!! Everybody worked hard, had fun, told stories, made friends.

When the 8-week session was over, us coaches had to do a health assessment including weigh-in, fat check, and measurements for each woman. Some gals were happy with their results and some were broug...