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 Doshas Diet Lifestyle Daily regime Yoga Body work

Pitta Foods Spicy food Peanut butter Sour fruits Bananas Pineapples Dairy products These foods increase pitta Increase PittaDecrease Pitta BananasMango’s Spicy FoodOranges DairyPears TomatoesGreen Salad GarlicMushrooms

VATA INCREASE VATA AsparagusBroccoli OnionsTomatoes AvocadosApples BananasPears DairyRed Meat OatmealCorn DECREASE VATA

KAPHA INCREASE KAPHA DECREASE KAPHA Bananas Melon Coconut Pineapples Dairy products Dry fruits Pomegranate Basmati Rice Sprouts Chicken IncreaseDecrease BananasDry fruits MelonsPomegranates CoconutsCranberries DatesBasmati Rice PineappleSprouts DairyChicken

Food Combining Fish and milk Meat and milk Yogurt and beef Sour fruits and milk *Melons- clog and prevent absorption of intestines

Seasons Pitta- 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 Eat Don’t eat unless you feel hungry, same for thirst Sit straight and avoid distractions Focus on the taste and smell Chew 32 times Stomach- 1/3 water, 1/3 food, 1/3 air Two 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 Together You 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

Fasting Vata- 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 sciences Open and move energies Release Tension Concentration Increase O2 in blood Self healing

Pitta- no headstand posture= mental disorientation Vata- no shoulder stand= Shift spinal column Kapha- no hidden lotus posture= pressure on adrenal glands

Bodywork MassageShirodara 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 breathing Kapha- right nostril breathing Vata- alternate nostril breathing

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 Hygiene Fear and nervousness aggravate vata Worry weakens the heart Hate and anger create toxins in the body Excessive talking dissipates energy

Convince the Sceptics Meditation- “How to Get Smarter One Breath at A Time” –Time Magazine Yoga Iran Journal of Nursing Digestive Individuality- “Eat Right For Your Blood Type”

Citations Led, Vasant. Ayurveda: The Science of Self Healing. Twin Lakes: Lotus, Print. "Ayurveda." University of Maryland Medical Center. Web. 10 Apr The History of Medicine and Surgery. Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 23, p Print The Basic Principles of Ayurveda." The National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine. Web. 10 Apr