Abhyanga (Ayurvedic warm-oil massage) is not a luxury, it’s essential. That’s not from me, it’s from the ancient Ayurvedic texts: ‘Abhyanga should be resorted to daily. It wards of old age, exertion and aggravation of vata. It bestows good vision, nourishment to the body, long life, good sleep, good and Read more…
Most of us know that this creation is made up of fundamental elements – 118 at the last count. Some we’ve heard of – oxygen, gold, silver – and some most of us haven’t – number 118 is Ununoctium. Knowledge of this doesn’t help us very much with our day Read more…
They’re here again. They’re back with a vengeance. The school term begins and bang, everyone starts ailing with colds, flu’s and stomach bugs. Is it the weather? Is it the gathering of vast hoards of small, inhibition-less children in small buildings? What happens at this time of year to make Read more…
Why my obsession with spelt? What is wrong with wheat? Nothing. The ancient texts of Ayurveda extol the virtues of wheat, as a nourishing, strengthening food. Its properties are heavy, oily, sweet and cooling. As it is fairly heavy to digest, it is best not to over consume. Looking at wheat from a Read more…
Fermentation has been used worldwide for thousands of years to produce foods and drinks of different flavours, textures and longevity. An example of this is alcohol, and less obviously bread and soy sauce. In Ayurveda, there are various slow-fermenting vinegars and medicinal ‘wines’ which have documented therapeutic uses. This natural, Read more…
At the end of winter and beginning of spring, we often feel sluggish and heavy like we are coming out of hibernation. Kapha in our bodies is at its peak. It’s good to know this so you can ward against the problems that can come with it such as allergies Read more…
Oils and fats are a much misunderstood area of our modern diet. We moved away from cooking with saturated fats (e.g. meat fats, dairy fats) as we were told they were causing us too many problems. We jumped straight from the sizzling frying pan into the fire… Types of oils Read more…