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I'm writing from Sunny California while on the Women's Health course with Vaidya Mishra. I thought I would talk about ghee today and the proper way of making it so that it does not elevate cholesterol. Ghee has incredible nourishing qualities for the brain. Vaidya said that if people ate this cultured Ghee from Yogurt it would prevent Alzheimers. That was enough to encourage me to take the time to make the yogurt ghee. We start with organic whipping cream from which we make yogurt, just like making any other yogurt. Once the yogurt is ready you then whip it. I use my Cuisinart. When whipping the yogurt-cream, the friction increases the temperature and I find that dropping an icecube into the whirling yogurt-cream keeps it cool and helps the yogurt cream to turn into butter more quickly. Once the butter separates from the buttermilk, we squeeze the buttermilk out through a cheesecloth and seive. We keep this wonderful buttermilk, called tarka in Sanskrit, which has wonderful pro

With the changing of the seasons come the challenges to the body/mind. This is a time to be easy and make sure the organs of elimination are getting the support they need. A friend called me in a panic saying that she normally has very regualer bowel movements and now they are not. One ayurvedic traditional therapy is Triphala. Usually taken at bedtime with warm water. However I find that herbs works best when they are infused, so if you crush the tablet(s) and add 1 cup hot water and let them sit for about 2 hours or even do this in the morning and let them sit all day and drink in the evening before bed this usually gives very good results. We have to think of the lining of the digestive tract as a very intelligent and vital organ. It is not just a rubber hose - where things come in one end and go out the other. All the vital good bacteria are doing their excellent job. The lining of the intestines and bowels need to coordinate with all the other functions in the body to know what ne

Energy healing is coming more into the forefront of alternative healing. I was recently at Banyan book. It's one of my favorite places to go and browse and see where my nose leads me. What caught my eye was "The Encyclopedia of Energy Healing" which decribed the various cultures in the world and their subtle perception of the energy body: everything from auras, chakras, meridians and more. When I got to the section on Ayurved there was no mentoin of marmas which is the term Ayurved uses for the bioenergetic points in the body where prana or life force flows into the body. Maybe a good place to start with this subject is describe a dream of a friend of mine who came to the class on Marmas taught by Vaidya Mishra. In the dream he saw a person stretched out and all over his body were little lights. Shortly after that dream he was guided to the marma seminar. So marmas are points in the body where Prana or Chi flows into the physical body. They are like light switches. The

The midday meals needs to include the 6 taste. Sour sweet and salty are easy to find in the western culinary world. However bitter astringent and pungent are not as common. Remember this is your biggest meal of the day. Not just a sandwich with one hand on the wheel of your four wheel drive. An easy way to introduce the astringent taste into your diet is to cook lentils. When cooked with a bit of turmeric you have both the bitter of the turmeric and the astringent of the lentils. Add a bit of grated ginger root and you have the pungent taste. Some bitter steamed greens and a grain which is considered sweet in the culinary terminology of Ayurved and your getting close to all 6 tastes. Some salt and a squeeze of lemon or lime over your veggies and there you are - all 6 tastes - Rice, wheat, spelt are sweet, lemon and salt are obviously sour and salty, lentils (red, french and mung are considered the best ones) are astringent and turmeric and greens are bitter, pungent ginger, black pep

Ayurved is the oldest system of healing and prevention known to man. It has survived many invasions of India and one of the ways was preservation by the mothers in the kitchens of India. Many of the culinary herbs are medicinal. We are now seeing a great deal of scientific research of the antiinflammatory effects of turmeric and it anticarcinogenic properties. Holy Basil recently hit the news because of its ability to prevent Swine Flu. Cumin helps the absorbtion of nutrients. Coriander is a great kidney tonic. Cinnamon helps to balance blood sugar. The list goes on. AT the corner stone of all Ayurvedic healing is the understanding of the importance of the digestive process. Food needs to be fresh and vital, full of prana and properly prepared, delicious, nutritious, and suitable for the person's dosha ( more on doshas later) and the time of day and the season. Lets start with time of day. Breakfast needs to be light as we are just waking up the digestive process. A good way to sto

When the student is ready the teacher will come. When we are ready to let go of those blocks that prevent the healing energy of the divine to flow through us then the healing starts. Ayurved is an ancient system of healing that has been available to the human race for more than 5000 years. It is the manual that Nature provided for us humans to keep this machine finctioning at its optimum level while we walk this earth. Just as you got a manual when you bought your car that tells you when to change the oil Ayurved provides us with simple methods of maintaining our nervous system in its totality in optimum functioning order.