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Getting sober in a pandemic: one year alcohol-free
2020 will be a year that goes down in history, a year that no doubt will be etched (scarred?) into our memories. The things we learned, the things we lost, and the way our lives changed will stay with us forever. But while the coronavirus pandemic took center stage, when I reflect on my own year, there was so much more than that. There were the little wins and losses and the growth spurts that happen in any year. And there was one big change: 2020 was not only the year of the pandemic, but my first year of sobriety. I had my last alcoholic drink on December 22nd, 2019,…
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How to create a personal Winter Solstice ritual
The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of sunlight and longest night in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s also the official beginning of winter! This day and the surrounding days are marked by celebrations around the world, reflected in the traditions of many cultures. Christmas is, of course, just one of the many celebrations that center around honoring light, nourishing ourselves, and being with loved ones. The strings of lights and candles that fill our homes are beautiful reminders that even in the darkest times, we each carry a light within ourselves. From an Ayurvedic perspective, the Winter Solstice is the height of Vata season. Vata energy, which is cold, dry…
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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…
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Ama: how to clear writer’s block the Ayurvedic way
If you’ve ever attempted to write anything, you’ve probably experienced writer’s block at some point. I’m having it right now actually, but I’m going to get through it… And in this piece I’m going to show you how I do it. I was recently listening to an interview with one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Phoebe Bridgers, on the podcast Song Exploder. Host Hrishikesh Hirway asks Phoebe if she’s ever experienced writer’s block. Phoebe laughs before replying, “Yes, I feel like I experience it 100 percent of the time.” Even the most prolific and gifted artists among us seem to suffer from this dreaded syndrome. Where do these blocks come from?…
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Agni: how to stoke the fires of your creativity
Digestion is considered to be a “sacred fire” in Ayurveda. The ancient Ayurvedic texts refer to this fire as agni. Attending to our agni is one of the best things we can do for our health. As my teacher Katie Silcox writes in her book Healthy Happy Sexy, “The best food on the planet can’t help you if you don’t have the digestive fire to transform and assimilate what you are putting in your body.” Addressing digestive issues is traditionally the first place you would start when working with an Ayurvedic practitioner. But be warned; this isn’t your typical article on ways to strengthen your digestion! What made me fall…
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Sleep deeper: 8 Ayurvedic tips for a blissful bedtime routine
There is a heavy emphasis on morning routine in Ayurveda, but having an evening routine is also important. How we spend the last few hours of the day can have a big impact on our sleep, which is our body’s chance to clear toxins, restore and renew. Creating an evening routine shouldn’t be complicated. In fact, you probably have some kind of evening routine already. For example, making dinner, bathing, brushing your teeth or washing your face. If you do these things at a similar time every day, you may notice that your body starts to get sleepy as you go through these evening tasks. A good evening routine is…
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Five simple tips to calm Vata this fall
Vata is the force that governs movement within our bodies. Vata is at play when we take in food, and when we eliminate. It is present in the constant movement of our breath, bringing air in and out of our lungs, and in the synapses of our nervous system moving thoughts, emotions and sensations through our awareness. When Vata is in balance, creativity is flowing and enthusiasm for life is strong. Those with a healthy balance of Vata in their constitution tend to be spiritually-minded, free-spirited, and artistic. When out of balance, excess Vata can cause anxiety, fearfulness and depression. Because Vata is movement, those with excess Vata often have…
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How to come off a cleanse: the next steps for a spectacular seasonal transition
So you’ve finished your Ayurvedic cleanse, you’re feeling great, and you’re ready to eat something other than kitchari – the only question is, what do you eat now? In my own experience, and for many I’ve talked to, coming off a cleanse can be the hardest part. When you’re cleansing, you have rules to follow. You know exactly what you will be eating everyday, and you have a routine. But at the end of your cleanse, if you aren’t prepared, it can be easy to slip into old habits or just feel a little lost. It’s easy to find information on how to do an Ayurvedic cleanse, but it’s harder…
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How to get ready for your Ayurvedic cleanse
The first time I tried an Ayurvedic cleanse (or any kind of cleanse, for that matter) I was 23 and had just come home from spending six months traveling in Europe. My digestion was a wreck from all the travel, and from subsisting mainly off various forms of bread products. When I came home I met with an Ayurvedic doctor for the first time, who suggested a Vata-balancing diet — this means lots of warm, moist, cooked foods! I told her I wanted to do a cleanse, and she handed me a piece of paper with a recipe for kitchari (an Indian porridge made from rice and mung beans), and…
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Less is more: five areas of your life to simplify for greater health and joy
This week I’ve been reading Maya Tiwari’s book A Woman’s Power to Heal and was struck by this sentence: “Using Wise Earth Ayurveda to help thousands of women heal from the ravages of cancer into good health, I can say the single most significant factor in their healing had to do with simplifying their lives.” Now, this is quite a remarkable claim, but it doesn’t surprise me in the least. The more I study and work with Ayurvedic principles, the more I understand how stress and overwork are huge contributing factors in so many ailments. I’m certainly not making any claims about severe diseases such as cancer. (Although I trust…