In Ayurveda, Ritu Sandhi means the "joining" of seasons. You say it like this: RIH-doo-SAHN-dee.

When the seasons change, there's a period of transition. Think of it like a gap or a joint between the seasons.

When the seasons change, we are susceptible to sickness because the doshas that rule the season are also changing. Therefore we have to adjust our eating and lifestyle routines from one season to the other as a transition. Our bodies have been used to the routine, food, and lifestyle of the last season and without some prep work, switching to a new season immediately is a shock to the system which affects our immunity.

Let me break it down for you so you can see how all this works.

In Ayurveda, the three doshas govern specific seasons. 

Pitta governs: Summer
Vata governs: Fall thru Early Winter
Kapha governs: Late Winter thru Spring

Knowledge of what dosha rules which season is super valuable information because we can (and must) adjust our diet and lifestyles...

Listen to the mp3/audio HERE. 
Find the video here on my YouTube channel.

 Alrighty. Let's talk about the Ayurvedic daily routine! We know doshas rule our bodies, but they also rule nature and the universe in the way of time and space. We are tiny bits of this big nature that surrounds us, so when we go in accordance with nature, we will function at our best. This daily routine will help guide you as to which energies (doshas) govern which times of day.

Doshas rule certain times of day, seasons, and stages of life, so once we know what energies are strongest at specific times, we can go with the flow of those energies to achieve overall balance.

See the chart below. Study it for a sec. Ok, now I'll go into detail about the Ayurvedic daily routine.

Let's start at 2 a.m. - Sunrise Vata Time: The body prepares itself to wake and start moving. Dreams start happening, there is movement in the bowels preparing for elimination, and the mind is closest...

The basic Ayurvedic nutrition guidelines below have a lot to do with how we eat, not just what we eat.

If you are unfamiliar, Ayurveda sees nutrition in a very different, refreshing way!

How we eat is just as important as what we eat.

Based on the 'one size does not fit all' principle in Ayurveda, nutrition is not generalized, it is personalized. So while it might feel confusing, "Just tell me what to eat!" food is totally not totally black and white. And honestly, who wants to eat black and white food anyway?! ;) 

Food should be full of rainbow colors, varied tastes, made from high quality foods, and most of all it is to be enjoyed!

So while there are foods that are "better" for you based on your dosha, don't let that confuse or frustrate you, especially if you are new to this perspective on nutrition.

Just try eating according to the guidelines below first and see if the process of eating is more fun. See if...

The body's internal digestive fire is called our agni. When agni funtions properly, whatever we have eaten gets digested and absorbed by the body's tissues. Then the body eliminates waste. Pretty simple.

However, when doshas or tissues are imbalanced due to lifestyle, diet, negative emotions, etc., agni becomes weakened or disturbed and therefore cannot digest food properly.

In Ayurveda, "You are what you digest." If you can't digest it, you'll get imbalanced!

This undigested food (and emotions) turns into ama, which is a toxic, sticky, cloudy, smelly substance that can spread from the digestive tract to other parts of the body. From there it can lodge itself into crevices (sometimes large crevices) causing clogs in channels, blood vessels and cell membranes. Yeah, eu. It's gross.

It sounds complicated and difficult to get ama, but it's kind of easy if you're not paying attention.

How many times have you eaten on the go, while working, during an intense conversation or while...

Learn more on optimizing your digestive fire, what food is best for your dosha and so much more in my book In Your Elements on Amazon.

Agni, our digestive fire, is responsible for processing and absorbing the foods we eat. The function of agni is the main contributor to our physical and mental health and when agni functions properly, we thrive. But when agni malfunctions, we get sick and we can accumulate ama (toxins). 

MOST (like 90%) disease and imbalance is caused by malfunctioning agni.

Visualize agni as a little fire burning behind our belly button, responsible for digesting and assimilating our foods. But, agni needs to function properly or there will be problems. Let's think about real fire for a sec: Fire functions properly by burning and transforming substances. Or, fire can go wild and crazy if there's too much wind (think, heartburn). Or, fire can get snuffed out by too much wetness or heaviness (think, weight gain). Or, fire can have a slow low...

Welcome to Ayurveda! 

The doshas are 3 energies that are made from 5 great elements: space, air, fire, water, earth. We have all three of the doshas in us, but one or two will be most dominant. When we understand which dosha governs our body-minds the most, we can craft our diet & lifestyle to suit our individual needs. When our doshas are balanced for who we are as unique individuals, we will enjoy optimal health!

For more on what doshas are, I briefly explain them in this video.

Take the test below to determine your balance of dosha(s).

Questions should be answered based on authentic, pure you and not what happens to be true recently. Afterall, life habits can imbalance us over time.  If it's very hard to choose between two answers, pick both, but for the most part try to pick only one that feels most true to you.

Add up the totals for each v, p, and k at the end. Which ever number is the highest, that is your dosha....

Here we go! Kapha's vices!

If you haven't read about vata's vices or pitta's vices, I recommend doing so.

Unless of course, you are a kapha. Then you can skip those and read on because the spotlight is on you, baby. By vices, I mean stuff that you reach for that is opposite of what you need for optimal health.

You see, when a dosha is increased (imbalanced), the person will crave the foods and habits that keep increasing that dosha! Meaning, they will crave the completely wrong things.

When we analyze our sweet kapha friends they are happy-go-lucky, inviting, generous, the best listeners (and huggers!), able to handle a lot of work with grace, peaceful minded, and rock a curvy goddess-like physique. Kaphas can also be stubborn and impossible to move, can gain weight easily, have depression (though you probably wouldn't be able to tell), tend toward emotional eating, and if pushed too far they will hold a grudge.

When I see a kapha person who's skin looks dull/gray, their...

 Ok guys, let's talk about pitta's vices, which stems from the previous post on vata's vices.

Remember, when a dosha is increased (imbalanced), the person will crave the foods and habits that keep increasing that dosha! Meaning, they will crave the completely wrong things.

Taking a look at pitta, we know pitta people are sharp-minded and sharp-tongued. They are direct, focused, witty with a great sense of humor, hyper-organized, detailed, play by the rules, ask a ton of questions, and are usually found in leadership roles.

So when I see a pitta person with a big burger on their plate, copious glasses of wine or cocktails, pouring extra Tabasco sauce on their nachos with jalapenos, and following it all up with a piece of chocolate lava cake (with ice cream), I know they have a pitta imbalance. Why? Because a balanced pitta would not eat that much or crave those things. By the way, that there pitta would be running for the heartburn medicines to calm that craziness down! ;)...

Sometimes people think I have magical powers because I can often predict peoples' diet and lifestyle habits even if I don't know them very well. The way someone behaves (and eats!) gives me a lot of insight into their doshic make up. And not only that, but also gives glaring information about the dosha that is imbalanced.

In Ayurveda, when a dosha is increased (imbalanced), the person will crave foods and habits that will keep increasing that dosha. Meaning, they will crave the completely wrong things!

Let's take vata for example. Vata people talk a lot, move a lot, do a lot, lose focus, forget things, skip details, are creative, are dramatic/moody, love to be spontaneous, and are naturally bubbly. My brain automatically says, "Vata." Now, when I observe one of these vata people drinking a lot of coffee, skipping meals yet eating candy as a food group, drinking lots of diet Coke or carbonated beverages with ice, I say to myself, "Vata imbalance." Why? Because a balanced vata would...

As you are learning more about the doshas, it’s super fun to watch them in action.

People-watching is one of the most fascinating things in life, so toss in some Ayurvedic knowledge and you’ve got entertainment for years.

Ayurveda touches every part of our lives including, shopping! Is that the best news you’ve heard all day? Ayurvedic shopping! Permission to shop. Healthy, personalized shopping?! You betcha.

You remember our doshas right? Vata, pitta, and kapha are the three doshas that govern our personalities, physical builds, emotional tendencies, and the nature around us. Let’s take a peek into the shopping world of the doshas.

How the doshas spend money

Vata shopping: Vatas will spend money as fast as they make it. Like the windy beings they are—*whoosh*—cash goes flying out of their fingers as soon as they walk out the door. Vatas are most prone to impulse buys, which may result in buyers remorse, because they didn’t think...