The best books on Ayurveda for modern women

With the holiday season coming up, I thought it would be fun to share my favorite books related to Ayurveda. If you have someone in your life who is interested in yoga, holistic health, or Ayurveda, these would make great gifts – or perhaps they go on your own wish list!

There are many wonderful classic texts on Ayurveda, but I’ve decided to focus on books that take a more modern approach. The beautiful thing about Ayurveda is that it was always meant to be adapted to the times and situations we find ourselves living in. Many people think of Ayurveda as a strict set of rules, but I see it more as a system of universal truths that can hold true in any circumstance. The authors of these books do a wonderful job of showing us we can apply Ayurvedic wisdom to modern life in a variety of creative ways.

For the foodie:

The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook by Kate O’Donnell

This was my first Ayurvedic cookbook, and is still something that I pick up almost every day! With gorgeous color photos, Ayurvedic theory, and seasonal self-care practices, this is really much more than a cookbook. The book begins with a wonderful introduction to Ayurvedic theory, including the five elements, the three doshas, and the six tastes. I’ve found that once you have a basic understanding of these principles, Ayurvedic cooking becomes a lot more instinctual and a lot more fun!

There is a saying in Ayurveda that how you eat is more important than what you eat. I talk about this with my clients all the time! I love that this book includes a section on Ayurvedic eating principles such as mindful eating, portion sizes, timing of meals, and proper food combining. It may sound like a lot of rules, but O’Donnell breaks it down in a way that is simple and inviting.

My favorite part of this cookbook is how the recipes are organized by season. With color tabs on the side of the pages, it makes it so easy for me to flip to the right section and find a simple, seasonal meal to prepare for myself. Not only that, but within each section the recipes are organized by breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks, and sweet treats. Seasonal cooking is what makes Ayurvedic cooking so fun, in my opinion. Today I made myself the fall digestive tea recipe from this cookbook, and I’ve marked a few pages for healthy holiday cookies that I will definitely be making this month: sesame cookies and almond ginger macaroons – yum!

All of these recipes are simple and fairly quick to throw together. I feel like I’ve learned how to cook Ayurvedically just by following this cookbook for several years! Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be memorizing your favorite recipes and substituting based on what’s in season. Whether you are completely new to Ayurveda or already eat for your dosha, I highly recommend this cookbook!

For the romantic:

What’s Your Dosha Baby? by Lissa Marie Coffey

This fun little book was one of my first introductions to Ayurveda! The first time I heard the word “Ayurveda” was in a workshop during my yoga teacher training when I was 22. I can still remember the face of the woman who gave that workshop, even though it was ten years ago, and I never saw her again – Ayurveda made a strong impression! I was fascinated by the concept of the three doshas, and wanted to learn more. I found What’s Your Dosha Baby? shortly after and my obsession with Ayurveda officially began!

This book takes the wisdom of doshic theory and applies it to relationships! There is a focus on romantic relationships, with chapters devoted to each combination of doshic pairings: for example, “Vata Woman and Kapha Man.” (A note that this book takes a heteronormative appraoch, which I don’t like – but I think it’s still helpful to look at how masculine and feminine energies can combine based on the doshas.) There are also chapters about parenting, friendship, and even home decorating tips for better alignment! Of course, the book begins with a quiz so that you can identify your doshic type, as well as the type of your partner.

I haven’t read this book in years, but the chapter on “Pitta Woman and Kapha Man” is still earmarked from ten years ago, based on the relationship I was in at the time. Reading this gave me a helpful perspective on that relationship. It helped me accept our differences in things like sleep patterns, energy levels, and communication styles. Plus, I came across some advice that I can still use in my marriage today: “The Pitta woman can be critical, and the Kapha man is sensitive and tends to take things personally. She needs to learn to be a little softer around him, and he needs to develop a thicker skin around her.”

This book inspired my understanding of Ayurveda as something that doesn’t just apply to health and diet. Knowing your dosha can help you gain insight into your partnerships, your work, and your creativity. I have Coffey to thank for giving me a broad perspective of Ayurveda from the start. If you’d like to combine your vedic study with some dating advice, this book is for you!

For the modern goddess:

Healthy Happy Sexy by Katie Silcox

The ultimate how-to guide on Ayurvedic wisdom for modern women, this book breaks things down into three areas of life. “Healthy” focuses on diet, digestion and cooking; “Happy” goes into daily routines, beauty tips, movement and meditation practices; and “Sexy” goes into female sexuality, tantric sex, and practices to connect to your womb.

I have a special connection to this book, as it’s part of the reason I became an Ayurveda coach. After reading this book I joined Katie Silcox’s Shakti School program, where I’ve been studying with Katie and other teachers for the past two years. I love Katie’s teaching style, and even just from reading this book you will get a strong sense of her personality, humor and wisdom.

This book is a wonderful combination of theory, deep spirituality, as well as very practical changes you can make in your daily life. With seasonal recipes, healing herbal tonics, DIY beauty potions, and guided meditations, this book really gives you everything you need to start living the life of a sexy, modern Ayurveda witch (and who doesn’t want that?)!

For the practical health-seeker:

Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life by Dr. Claudia Welch

This book is definitely a denser read than the others, but I found it just as enjoyable. If you’re a woman struggling with any type of hormonal imbalance, it is indispensable! Dr. Welch combines Ayurvedic tradition, Chinese Medicine, as well as modern western science to look at all the most common women’s health issues: PMS, infertility, menopause, heart health and Alzheimer’s are some of the many topics she covers. She also includes a very helpful chapter on birth control, the history of western approaches, the risks involved in hormonal birth control, and some approaches from the Eastern perspective.

I love the way this book breaks down all these seemingly complicated issues into a simple framework. Dr. Welch begins the book by explaining the qualities of yin and yang, and how our hormones create a balance of these qualities in our bodies. She desribes how our sex hormones have more yin qualities, while our stress hormones are more yang. Finding a healthy balance between the two is the key to virtually all major health issues that women face!

But don’t take my word for it — Dr. Welch offers plenty of studies to back up her claims, so if you’re someone who loves to do your research, you’ll appreciate this book. This is the closest thing I can think of to having your own personal Ayurvedic health coach in a book. Of course, making the changes is the hard part, but Dr. Welch does a wonderful job of breaking down how to make adjustments to your diet and lifestyle to address specific conditions. Personally, I find that I am so much more motivated to make changes to my lifestyle when I understand the why behind how my choices are impacting my health. That’s why I return to this book again and again.

For the spiritual seeker:

Women’s Power to Heal Through Inner Medicine by Maya Tawari

If you’re looking for a more traditional approach to Ayurvedic healing, Maya Tiwari embodies a true spiritual healer from the Ayurvedic traditions of India. Tiwari grew up in India living a life that was rooted in tradition and connected to the land. She moved to New York to become a fashion designer when she was 18, but her life was changed when she received a “terminal” cancer diagnosis. She was able to heal using the practices of Ayurveda and returning to a lifestyle that was more in line with her ancestors’ ways of living.

In this book, Tiwari offers her own story as well as anecdotes from many people she has worked with over the years as a healer, teacher and activist. The basis of her approach is returning to a more simple way of being – but if this sounds overwhelming, I want to assure you that it’s not an all or nothing approach. You don’t have to completely change your lifestyle to incorporate some of Maya’s wisdom. This book is packed with herbal remedies, mudras, mediation practices, and rituals that can all be incorporated into modern life.

My favorite chapter in this book is the one on healing PMS. Tiwari explains how to identify which dosha is driving your PMS symptoms, and then gives wonderful herbal remedies for each dosha! As someone who has struggled with mood swings and very painful menstrual cramps all my life, this chapter was empowering for me. I now have an herbal remedy tailored just for my needs that I make every month, as well as some delicious tea blends that help calm my mood during my premenstrual phase.

The basis of much of this book is learning to align your cycles with the lunar cycles. There are wonderful practices for each phase of the lunar cycle, as well as tips on how to sync up your menstrual cycle with the moon. If this stuff intrigues you, you know who you are… and you’ve probably already clicked away from this article to go order the book! Maya Tiwari is a wealth of wisdom. I feel myself filling with light and healing energy every time I read from this book.

Every book is a journey; but I think that these books in particular have the potential to open you to a new way of life and will take you down a path of healing and greater connection to your body. Does one spark your interest? If so, I’d love to hear what you think!