by Peter and Guru Darshan Wilson
Feel Good – Look Good
Ayurveda teaches that the skin reflects all 7 layers of tissue (plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, nerves, and reproductive) precisely.
How you take care of your self – body/mind/spirit – is reflected in your skin.
It is important to get small amounts of the proper oils, such as ghee (clarified butter) and extra-virgin olive oil, into your diet.
Omega-3 oils are important to fight inflammation. Find them in ghee, oilve oil, chia and flax seeds and oils.
Consciously reduce the stress in your life.
Summer Tips
To balance your self as you experience summer heat, hydrate with plenty of water, include more raw organic fruits and vegetables, and think green. Eat lots of green foods, including fresh green salads, steamed veggies with a squeeze of lemon, and green veggie juice drinks. To cool down, sprinkle cilantro on your food or blend it in your juices. You can even make a cup of cilantro juice. Have a refreshing drink of mint or fennel herb tea rather than iced drinks which disrupt digestion.
Avoid fried, processed and denatured food, and limit fast food – as always. Make your own snacks of celery and carrot sticks or fruit slices.
FIRE BALANCING HERB: Try Amla, an Ayurvedic herb that balances Pitta, the fiery metabolic dosha that can most easily go out of balance in the summer. Amla is actually a dried fruit, very high in natural vitamin C.
Instead of ice cream, freeze bananas, berries and other favorite fruits and blend them in a food processor or Vitamix to make a tasty summer dessert. Eat this as a snack apart from other foods to treat your digestion gently.
ALKALIZING BATH: Put one or two cups of baking soda in your bath. It helps alkalize the whole body. Do this two or three times a week. Your body can become more acidic in the summer, as this is associated with the fire element. Acidity can lead to many unhealthy conditions.
POLARITY DRINK: Try this cleansing Polarity Drink from Dr. Linda Lancaster as featured in “The Aquarian Times” Volume 8 number 1, February/March 2009. This detoxifies the liver, which is the main organ responsible for the detoxification of the whole body. The liver can be deranged with too much heat in your environment, as it is a seat of Pitta (metabolic fire):
1 whole orange or grapefruit (remove the peel and chop)
1 whole lemon (remove the peel and chop)
1-2 Tbsp cold pressed olive oil
1 slice of ginger
1-2 cloves of fresh garlic or use deodorized capsules
1-2 tsps. ground flax seed
1 pinch cayenne
Place all ingredients in a blender, cover with water, and liquefy. Drink very slowly, thoroughly mixing the drink with your saliva before swallowing.
Drink this on an empty stomach in the morning. Continue daily for two to three weeks at a time.
Cool Down with Conscious Breathing
Breathing through the left nostril cools you. The yoga breath known as Seetali Pranayam is excellent to cool the liver.
Seetali Pranayam: Curl the sides of the tongue up, breath in through the curled tongue and exhale through the nose. Repeat for twenty six breaths. If your tongue doesn’t curl up, breathe through your teeth.
Take a moonlight walk and stay out of the noonday sun. After all, that is only for mad dogs and English men.
More after Summer Solstice – God bless you – Sat Nam
