Self-sabotage shows up a lot in my Ayurvedic consultations. “I know what to do, I just don’t do it”. This is often followed up with some self-criticism about failing to have self-discipline. I see this pattern in myself too, in many areas, one current example being “I want to go Read more…
Thankfully the menopause is getting a lot of airtime now, and so it should. It has been a source of shame and misunderstanding for too long. How do we view the menopause in Ayurveda? Menopause essentials Let’s first recap the menopause essentials. The accepted definition of the menopause is the Read more…
Fire up your digestion and help joint pain with this wonderfully warming ginger tea.
I’m feeling these symptoms, what do they mean? Do I have a dosha imbalance? Or do I feel pretty balanced? Each dosha has its qualities so the simplest way to gauge a dosha imbalance is to see which of these qualities is getting increased for you. For example, your skin Read more…
Our bodies want to stay alive. We have many amazing ways to self-regulate bodily processes to remain stable and continue to live. Much of this goes on without our awareness; tiny adjustments occurring on a minute-by-minute basis. But what happens when things start to go awry? The body goes through Read more…
Some things are easy to digest and some things are difficult. And then there are some which are very difficult (abhishyandi). Knowledge of these makes a huge difference to how well you digest, absorb and assimilate nutrients and thus how healthy you are. Foods that are heavy to digest are Read more…
Chronic inflammation, skin diseases, digestive and liver disorders, arthritis, long term poisoning[1]. Stubborn conditions for which there is often no conventional cure. For these, Ayurveda offers the highly effective virechana (medicated purging) and its speedier relative, the quick purge. Medicated purging is one of the 5 panchakarma procedures, which together Read more…
Kichari, rice-mung stew (or porridge), is wonderfully light on digestion yet tasty and satisfying. It is often given to people who are ill or recovering from illness, like an Ayurvedic ‘chicken-soup’. If you’d like a follow along video to make this, here is me demonstrating how to make it at Read more…
Anyone vaguely interested in Ayurveda will know that digestion is key to health. Modern medical practitioners are also now realising this, with a widening range of health issues being attributed to an faulty gut microbiome (which is a major player in digestion). We know that it is not just what Read more…
I love the summer. Being a vata-predominant, not-well-covered body type, I find myself cold for 90% of the year in the UK. So come summer, my whole body relaxes and I feel like a basking lizard absorbing all the warmth and sunlight to keep me going for the rest of Read more…