About This Session

Yoga and Ayurveda require discipline and strength. These ancient traditions ask us to acknowledge that we must take care of ourselves. Patanjali offers the wise teachings of the Niyamas to guide us back home to ourselves; it is this journey to nowhere that transforms us and all those with whom we come into contact. This is the final commitment and the very heart of the teachings of yoga. Thousands of years before modern medicine provided scientific evidence for the mind-body connection, the sages of India developed Ayurveda, which continues to be one of the world’s most sophisticated and powerful mind-body health systems. More than a mere system of treating illness, Ayurveda is a science of life (Ayur = life, Veda = science or knowledge). It offers a body of wisdom designed to help people stay vibrant and healthy while realizing their full human potential. The two main guiding principles of Ayurveda - The mind and the body are inextricably connected, nothing has more power to heal and transform the body than the mind. Freedom from illness depends upon expanding our own awareness, bringing it into balance, and then extending that balance to the body. This process isn’t as complicated as it may sound. Here are a few of the most important aspects of the Ayurvedic approach and suggestions for applying them to create perfect health in your own life: • Eat a colorful, flavorful diet. • Strengthen your digestive power. Here are a few Ayurvedic practices to strengthen your digestive fire: • Always sit down to eat (don’t eat in front of your computer or TV or while you’re driving). • Eat in a settled atmosphere and not when you’re upset. • Don’t eat until you’re definitely hungry. • Dine at a moderate pace. Don’t gulp down your food or eat too slowly. • Minimize raw foods, which are much harder to digest than cooked ones. • Include all six tastes at each meal. • Drink hot water with ginger throughout the day. • Practice some form of moderate exercise on a regular basis. • Perform a daily oil massage with herbalized oil that balances your mind-body type. • Spend time in the quiet of meditation every day. • Use detoxifying herbs such as triphala, ashwagandha, guggulu, brahmi, ginger, turmeric and neem. Get abundant restful sleep. Live in tune with nature. Exercise: Tune in to your body. Take it easy. Discover Your Dosha.