It’s the #1 question I get...

Let me guess, you’re trying to be a good Ayurvedic student and make the right choices for your health, but your progress is stuck because now that you have begun learning, you realize you have no idea what dosha to balance! “How do I balance my natural dosha if the imbalanced one is opposite qualities? And what if I’m two doshas? And what about the seasons?” Sound familiar? I’ve totally been in your shoes! And I can help.

So, first. You don’t have to know your dosha, exactly.

When I first started learning Ayurveda in 2007, it took me 1 1/2 years to figure out my prakruti (natural balance of doshas), because my vata was so high, I acted and felt like a true vata. However, after some time, introspection, observation and practice I’m 90% sure I’m vata-pitta even split. See!? I’m still not exactly sure what my prakruti is! But I’m okay with that.

I share with with you because, even by...

*raise your hands if you're a vata*
Or
*raise your hands if you get anxious from time to time*

If you have your hand up, this is lesson is for you! We live in a vata-increasing world and often struggle to calm our racing or anxious mind. If you feel a bit anxious, here are 5 things to avoid (and I've included the fixes too). 

Note: Vata is the energy of movement in our bodies and minds. So when we feel a racing or anxious mind, we want to decrease the energy of vata in our bodies and minds.

So let's dive into these five things that create anxiety, or vata increase. 

1) Overwhelm.

Yes, overwhelm, it means that vata-type people like to accept all the projects from all the people all the time, they love to say yes, they love to be creative, they love to think they can do it all, and they quickly get overwhelmed because...they can't do it all! They pile more on their plate which creates more worry and anxiety.

The fix for overwhelm: Choose...

Many people choose January 1 as the day to turn over a new leaf and rework their life habits. I don't think that's a bad plan. The only bad thing is punishing yourself or quitting all together if you get off kilter. If you made a resolution already, remember to have forgiveness and tenacity. Meaning, don't beat yourself up for not adhering to perfection (psshhht...who's perfect afterall) but at the same time, don't throw your hands up and quit if it's not easy.

There is a fine line. Two steps forward, one step back is still one step forward. Right? Cool.

I put together some DOSHA-lutions that you might like if you are having trouble deciding what to work on. These are suggestions based on your dosha! So, more than a resolution, this is a dosha-lution which is based solely on what will benefit your life and body-mind.

The goal is to build upon your dosha-lutions over time so you build yourself new habits and a better way of living healthy! Remember to pick just one thing to work on....

Grab a copy of my book In Your Elements on Amazon!

Interacting positively with each other is what makes life AWEsome so we should know what the doshas need emotionally to feel supported and loved in their relationships.

Use the insights in this video to start reshaping and invigorating your LIFE with the people who surround you.

I swear, when you have amazing relationships, life gets RICHER! All great relationships begin with you, so this is all about self-awareness, expression and showing our appreciation for those we care about.

In summary, here's what they need.

What vatas need in a relationship

Freedom of expression. Give them space to freely sing, dance, emote, play, whatever. They will get sad if they feel they don't have the allowance or the space to express themselves

Confidence builders. We all know confidence comes from the inside but vatas are emotionally sensitive and tend to be self-doubters. So while they work on building their confidence from the inside,...

Bringing Ayurveda to Life podcast episode #17

We all have certain things that drive us bonkers! You know, like the tumbling pile of shoes at the door entry, the residual toothpaste spit trail in the sink, or when someone places the wire veggie strainer in the soaking gooey mac n' cheese pot and you're like, "Dude, that was clean. Now there is melty, gooey cheese stuck in these mesh wires." Yep, certain things just drive us nuts.

Ayurvedically speaking, the doshas have certain preferences and tendencies. Some are more vocal about their dislike while others bite their tongue. 

We can use the doshas to strengthen our relationships when we find out what the other person needs, how they work best, how they like to be approached, etc,. Once you find that out, your relationships will be GOLDEN.

Before we jump into crazy-making there are 2 things to think about:

Our tendencies are not excuses. They are things to be...

Raise your hands if it's HOT outside! Maybe the weather is sticky humidity or maybe it's hot n' dry — feeling like you're walking in a blow dryer (Vegas, anyone?).

Or maybe you've got a perfectly sunny 75 degree day with a light breeze. *exhale, wiggle toes* The sun is out much longer this time of year, creating more heat and longer days, but that can feel kinda like we're "on" all day long. While we are excited to play in our day a bit longer, which can make us a bit more tired. 

When the seasons change, we need to transition properly so that we practice the right diet and lifestyle regimens in the correct season. 

How (and why) to transition properly from spring into summer.

Spring is kapha season, which is ruled by the elements water and earth. In spring we love to have light, spicy, dry foods to balance the dampness and chilliness in the environment.

Summer is pitta season, which is ruled by the elements fire and water....

If you like these, join me Live on Fridays at 11 am PST.

What does Ayurveda say about hunger?

Ever wonder if we are supposed to feel hungry? Like what if you feel hungry all the time? Or what if you never feel hungry at all? How hungry should we feel?

Sometimes we're taught that we're actually not ever supposed to feel hunger so we should eat five to six meals a day to avoid getting hungry.

Years back I saw a nutritionist and was told to eat five or six meals a day to never get hungry. And what happened? I gained some pounds within two weeks! My pants were tight and everything was tight. I felt heavy. I felt just really overall kind of awful. I knew it wasn't working for me.

It wasn't until I discovered Ayurveda that I figured out why eating all those small meals left me feeling so terrible.

So, what does Ayurveda say about hunger? It is good to feel hungry! Yay!

There are three guidelines about hunger.

1. It is a signal from our digestive...

photo credit: This is my daughter Alella when she was teeny. We stuck a mustachio on her and...photoshoot! We were sleep deprived and slap happy. She has a pitta tongue with a wee bit of milk on it :) 

Below is an excerpt from my book In Your Elements. Get your copy on Amazon! 

Our entire digestive system is reflected on the tongue.

If you didn't know what your tongue says about you, well, I'm gonna share! Our tongue tells us a nifty story, we just have to know what to look for. 

A simple practice: Every morning, first thing, check your tongue. It will most likely have a little coating on it, so if you have a tongue scraper, scrape it a few times. Look again. If it is pink, that's a great sign. If it is white you may have ama, which is toxins or undigested food stuffs. 

Come along and let's learn what other things Ayurveda says about our tongue!

Besides a white coating, there are other things we can look for on our tongue. If there is redness, it can...

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Grab the kapha seasonal quick guide!

Quick lesson on kapha dosha: Kapha is the energy of lubrication and structure. Kapha type people will have a very well-built structure in their body and are very steady in their mind. They don't get really stressed out or angry like a pitta and they don't get anxious or worried as much like a vata. They're pretty steady, easy-going, peaceful, and happy.

But when their food is too heavy, kaphas can feel very heavy in their body, and in their mind — because kaphas already have a well-built nature.

Because of that risk of getting overly heavy or overly built, a vegetarian diet is the most balancing for kapha.

Why? Because vegetables light, astringent, and bitter — which are all the qualities and tastes that balance kapha.

The bitter and astringent tastes are foods that "break the body down" which are balancing for kapha. These tastes...

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...