The holiday season is over and so is the parade of celebrations and get-togethers with their enticing treats. How many New Year’s Resolutions lists have “Weight loss” (or “Improve diet” or “Cut out sugar and carbs”) near the top? Luckily for the diet-inclined, the ancient science of Ayurveda offers some simple tips that can help…

Here’s an easy New Year’s resolution: Drink hot water throughout the day. Ayurveda considers the removal of toxins and impurities from the body — and the prevention of their build-up in the first place — to be a key element in staying healthy. Ayurveda refers to impurities as “ama”.  Ama is considered to be a…

What is “Ama”? “Ama” is the Ayurvedic term for toxins and impurities that build up in the physiology, creating blockages to the flow of nutrients, circulation and biological signals. These impurities are most often attributed to poor digestion, but can also come from environmental pollutants and/or stressful experiences. Essentially, Ama is a form of un-metabolized…

If you are familiar with Ayurveda, you are familiar with the concept that everything in life — including our bodies, the food that we eat, and the environment around us — is composed of the three “doshas”; Vata, Pitta and Kapha.  These qualities, or principles of nature, each have their own fundamental traits. Vata, the…

Regular eating after 8 PM leads to weight gain, according to modern research. Study after study has shown that those who dine late in the evening typically have waistlines two inches larger than those who dine earlier. The results of these kinds of studies underscore the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda. Ayurveda provides the knowledge of…

Ayurveda can give helpful insights into dealing with the common problem of constipation.  It relates constipation to an imbalance in Vata dosha and, more specifically, its sub-dosha, Apana Vata. Apana is downward moving and governs elimination and menses. An imbalance in Apana Vata can cause dryness and a sluggishness of bowel functioning. If you are…

In the United States, the Thanksgiving holiday (the last Thursday of November) marks the beginning of six weeks holiday festivities, family feasts and seasonal treats. The ancient Indian health science of Ayurveda offers helpful tips on how to navigate the holiday season without gaining weight or over-eating. Winter cravings The increasingly colder days of fall bring…

November is the time of year when many are beginning to make travel plans, whether it is for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s, or simply planning a January escape from snow and cold weather. Traveling during the late fall and winter has its challenges. When we travel at any time of the year, Vata dosha can…

As we progress through the cool days of fall and winter, many people find themselves bothered by Vata disorders such as anxiety, tension, insomnia, constipation and aching joints. Vata dosha becomes aggravated during cold, dry, windy weather because the nature of Vata itself is dry, cold, light and active. To keep Vata in check, try these recommendations:…

Most people who lose weight gain it back within a few years – with many regaining even more than they lost. What they may not know is that there may be a number of factors triggering their weight-gain that are beyond their ability to control. We’ll go over some of these factors and give you…