Create healthy Agni and avoid Ama

[Lakshmi, Queen of Agni Yoga]

In Ayurveda class last week we talked about the Ayurvedic diet and nutrition and wanted to share a little bit of it with you!

The creative energy of food is Brahma,
The nourishing energy of food is Vishnu,
The transformation of food into pure consciousness is Shiva.
If you know this, then any impurities in the food you eat
will never become a part of you.

*********

To create healthy Agni (healthy digestive fire) and avoid Ama (toxins), Ayurveda has recommended eating behaviors for all doshas (body constitutions)...listed A-Z. I found this list very user-friendly, easy to apply to my own life and just generally helpful in the midst of a ton of very new information coming at me. Hope you enjoy it and find at least a couple that feel right for you to commit to...or at least try out!

A. Eat only when you're hungry

B. Establish a routine in terms of time and place for eating. Always sit down while eating

C. Do not eat as an excuse for social interaction. It is possible to serve guests food without compromising your own discipline

D. Always give thanks. Say some sort of grace before eating a meal or snack (even if it's just, "thanks Universe!"). This will remind your mind that there is an important function of the food you are about to eat. The function is to nourish the body and mind. We are nourished due to our relationship to Nature.

E. Feed someone else-- a pet, a plant, a friend, or make an offering-- before you feed yourself

F. Make eating a singular, conscious activity (aka: try not to read or watch TV while eating. If you are with others, engage in easy, stress-free conversation)

G. Thoroughly chew each bite before moving onto the next. The digestive process starts in the mouth

H. Make a conscious effort to eat slowly. The average time for a meal should be 30 minutes. It takes 20 minutes for the brain to register that you're full. If you eat too fast, your stomach will be full but your brain won't know it and you'll risk overeating

I. Eat an "anjali" of food at each meal, at most. An anjali is the deep cup formed when you join both hands, palms facing the sky...the amount you can fit in two hands, held together and outstretched

J. The stomach should be 50% full with solid/semisolid foods, 1/4 full with liquids that have been sipped throughout the meal, and 1/4 full with air (think of your stomach as a blender...you need that ratio in order for it to function smoothly)

K. Pay attention to what you are eating. Treat the body as a temple and remember that every molecule that you eat becomes a part of your Self. So treat yourself well

L. Do not eat when upset, depressed, or bored

M. Feed all of your senses with food that is colorful, tasty, aromatic, and pleasing in texture

N. Avoid taking a meal before the previous meal has been completely digested (3-6 hours)

O. Cook with love, or be cooked for with love

P. Include all 6 tastes in the daily intake of food-- sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent

Q. Be mindful of food combining

R. Eat as close to nature as possible. Avoid packaged foods. Avoid genetic modification. Use organic, locally-grown produce

S. Cold beverages should not be consumed during or directly after a meal as it reduces agni and digestion. Small sips of warm or tepid water taken during the meal serves to aid digestion

T. Favor flat breads (versus yeasted breads)

U. Food is best if warm ad well-cooked. Avoid over-cooked, under-cooked, or burned foods

V. Avoid stale or leftover foods

W. Eat the biggest meal of the day at noon (or lunch time)

X. Eat the last meal of the day well before bedtime (at least 2 hours)

Y. Avoid intoxicants and stimulants

Z. Vata and Pitta constitutions may finish a meal by drinking a cup of lassi. This can be made by blending four tablespoons of yogurt with pinches of ginger, fennel powder, and cumin powder in 3/4 cup of water

Warsaw at 7am

Floating in slow-motion
through the gate
and onto the damp cobblestones,
still groggy with early morning dew.

The sweet heaviness hanging
in the air is one I haven't tasted
in quite some time. How apropos.

The mist hardly reacts
to me, a seemingly solid form,
cutting through it's cloud-like
presence.

No breeze pushes,
no wind urges me-- or the mist--
to go elsewhere.

I lick my wine-stained lips
and reflect upon the impermanence
of their crimson hue; if it weren't
for that clue, I could have
easily considered last night
a dream.

I reach the intersection
of sleepy streets (I think
this is where I am supposed to catch
the cab...)
and rest upon the curb.

My barely there state of consciousness
invites an unforeseen wave
of deep, potent sentiment.
I let it move through me like
a quiet, determined storm; partly because I don't have
the energy to flick my ego on,
and partly because there's always been a side
of me that revels in such emotional intensity.

No breeze pushes,
no wind urges me
to go elsewhere.

[to be continued...]

Just for the record...

In the midst of making this Banana Rice Pudding, I realized I have quite a variety of milks in my fridge:

almond milk

rice milk

coconut milk

cow's milk (1% and half & half)

sheep's milk

...

Dessert for your ears

Truism #1

MGMT-- Electric Feel

Going to see MGMT perform by the waterfront on Thursday!



Put your circuits in the sea
This is what the world is for
Making electricity
You can feel it in your mind
Oh you can do it all the time
Plug it in and change the world
You are my electric girl.

The Four Agreements

I'm sending The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz, to a friend tomorrow and decided to re-read it myself. This is a book that has been a part of my life for many years and I love sharing it with fellow humans.

Yesterday I sprawled out on a hammock and delved into this Toltec book of wisdom for the 6th, 7th, 8th time? and was reminded, yet again, about the importance of the 4 agreements and just how much more positive one's life can be if these philosophies are woven into quotidian existence.

Here's a quick summary of the powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives into a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love:

1. Be impeccable with your word

Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don't take anything personally

Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and reactions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don't make assumptions

Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness, and drama.

4. Always do your best

Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse, and regret.