Living Ayurveda: Nourishing Body and Mind through Seasonal Recipes, Rituals, and Yoga Hardcover – November 24, 2020

Interpreting the Language of Ayurveda

Ayurveda is the indigenous medical system of India that views health through an all-encompassing lens, looking at the body-mind-spirit in relationship to nature. Become fluent in the language of Ayurveda and engage in self-enquiry to determine how to cultivate harmony between the body, mind, senses, and soul.

Balancing the Body & Mind

Now that you know the language of the elements, the doshas, and the gunas, you can start to identify imbalances as they arise. Changes of environment, whether the natural shifting of the seasons or long-distance travel; changes to our routine; improper diet; stress; and overstimulation of our senses can all affect the balance of the doshas.

Seasonal, Lunar & Daily Cycles

Nature has rhythms and cycles influenced by the earth, sun, moon, and stars. These laws of nature impact our own internal rhythms. In our modern world today, we need extra support in this regard. Stimulated by artificial light, electronic devices, and almost instant access to anything and everything we desire, urban living has nearly disconnected us from our innate wisdom of nature.

The Ayurveda & Yoga Connection

Yoga is considered to be Ayurveda’s sister science, with a similar timeline of development. Many know yoga in the modern West as a physical practice, a workout for staying in shape. However, until recently, yoga was primarily a practice for spiritual liberation, only outlining a handful of postures for meditation. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that yoga became a more embodied practice and started to merge with Ayurveda as a means of supporting the body, mind, and spirit as an interconnected whole.

How to Use This Book

This book is your companion to living a vibrantly rich and well-nourished life. Guiding you through an arc of a year, you’ll learn you how to stay in harmony with the different cycles of the day, the moon, and the seasons. Within each seasonal chapter, you’ll explore different yoga practices, rituals, and recipes that support the dominant dosha of the season.

Recipe for a Daily Practice

Setting the tone for your personal practice starts with creating a sacred space that you will nourish and, in turn, nourish you. One of Ayurveda’s most powerful tools is dinacharya, the outline for a daily self-care routine. This daily routine gives you tools for caring for your body and mind.

Kitchen Wisdom

How do you eat well when you have a busy schedule? The simple answer: be prepared and organized. It makes all the difference to have the right tools and ingredients ready to use in your kitchen. Here, I share my favorite cooking tools, pantry essentials, and prep tips to set you up for a year of joyful home cooking.

All-Season Recipe Staples

Find recipes for pantry essentials like Ghee, Mantra Milk, and Nut & Seed Butters. Instant Chai Powder, CCF Tea, and Digestive Lassi aid in proper year long digestive health while favorite foods like Basic Kitchari, Dosa, and Chapati are appropriate year round.

Spring

To move out of winter’s sleepy hibernation, your spring practice might include more active movement; breathing practices that bring heat and boost circulation; and lighter foods to energize the body and mind:

• Energizing Spring Asana
• Spring Equinox Cleanse
• Women's Lunar Ritual
• Cleansing Burdock Tea
• Spiced Amaranth Porridge with Warm Fruit Compote
• Lemon Ginger Dal
• Spring Barley Risotto

Summer

As you move through summer, try these soothing yoga and pranayama sequences, rituals that get you under the cool moonlight and enjoying the outdoors, and recipes that work with nature’s juicy flavors.

• Soothing Summer Asana
• Summer Pranayama
• Lunar Bathing
• Hibiscus Sun Tea
• Coconut Chia Breakfast Bowl
• Shaved Fennel Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
• Creamy Coconut Curry Bowl
• Rustic Fig Galette

Fall

Explore these restorative yoga practices, warming, recipes and grounding rituals that celebrate the abundance of fall’s harvests with more soups, stews, and roasted vegetables.

• Grounding Fall Asana
• Fall Equinox Cleanse
• Warm Cinnamon Date Shake
• Butternut Buckwheat Porridge
• Delicata, Wild Rice & Pomegranate Salad
• Pumpkin Empanadas with Cashew Crema
• Fall Harvest Muffins with Whipped Cinnamon Butter

Winter

In this section, you’ll find warming, grounding, and richer foods to stay balanced in the coldest months and rituals to offer a time for quiet inward reflection.

• Nourishing Winter Asana
• Bhramari Winter Pranayama
• Solstice Silent Retreat
• Black Sesame Latte
• Golden Milk Oats
• Braised Winter Greens
• Savory Beet Tartlets
• Mushroom & Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Chocolate Date Scone with Maple Tahini Drizzle