Ayurvedic Awakening
Ayurveda is known as yoga’s “sister science”. It’s a 5000 year old system of wellness that can help you understand your body’s seasonal needs, complement your regular yoga practice and achieve true union (yoga) of mind and body.
Before discovering Ayurveda, i used to think salads and smoothies were the healthiest foods you could eat. But overdoing them eventually left my body cold, dry and depleted. My digestion suffered and my mind was always scattered. Later, it did not come as a surprise for me that my body reacted in such a manner as i learned from Master Sree that that i am a “Vatta”.
Vata, one of the three doshas or mind body types (the others being pitta and Kapha) is related to air in the body. An excess can manifest as bloating, gas, constipation, low hormone levels, compromised digestion, anxiety and insomnia. The moment i learned about this type of doshic imbalance, i felt like i was reading my own autobiography. For the first time, i realized all of my health issues were interconnected – something no doctor has ever suggested. Thus began my inquisition and thirst for knowledge on this topic. I dove in deep and started reading about all things Ayurveda. Being somewhat of an aspiring chef i’ve always experimented on my cooking and it is not until recently that i thought to question about what are the best food items for my body type. I mean, yes, I have always been eating healthy but surely i feel there isn’t a cookie cutter healthy recipe that fits all body constitutions. After reading about the benefits that it could bring, i experimented with it for a week. Not only did some of my physical problems dissipate once i embraced a mini-Ayurvedic lifestyle, but i experienced a slight shift in my mental clarity. I thought to myself, if this is what it could do for me after just one week, imagine the amazing positive changes it could do for me if i kept on with a full ayurvedic lifestyle!
I now get my veggies mostly from warm soothing soups which nourish my body on a cellular level. In Ayurveda, it’s not what you eat, but rather, you are what you digest. Warm, blended soups require very little energy for digestion, allowing your body to focus on healing.
It is important to bring your chakras into balance with ingredients and hues that relate to each of the seven major energy centres. When our chakras are imbalanced we may experience disease in that area of the body, plus related psychosomatic symptoms such as hormonal imbalances, digestive issues, heart conditions, headaches or brain fog.
Having done some self reflection, i realized that my Anahata chakra (heart chakra) is blocked. And so i went on to whip up some ingredients together that would hopefully satiate the nutritional and vibrational thirst of this energy centre. It amazed me how Master Sree was able to detect that my heart chakra was imbalanced when he had only just met me. I feel this was true as i had been carrying a lot of grievances and anger from all the bad experiences, betrayals and abuse throughout my life. The heart chakra is located at the centre of the spine, at the heart level. It acts as the individual’s centre for compassion, empathy, love and forgiveness. It corresponds to the colour green and its element is air.
We can use foods along with lifestyle practices to bring our chakras back into balance. As such, i have whipped up a recipe that is inspired by these qualities.
I certainly hope you would benefit from this as much as i did.
Raw Green Mint Soup
-Anahata Heart Chakra
Ingredients:
2 cups baby spinach
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
1/2 english cucumber, roughly chopped
1 small zucchini chopped
1/2 cup mint leaves
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight (optional)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove
Method:
In a blender, combine all ingredients with 2 1/2 cups water, and blend on high until smooth and creamy, 30-60 seconds.
Heat up a saucespan with a teaspoon of olive oil. Add in the blended items and keep stirring as it bubbles.
Add more mint, lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. garnished with cucumber zest.
Chakra meditation
Don’t forget to finish off your meal with gratitude. Connect to your inner divinity by doing a chakra meditation so that you can integrate some mindfulness and infuse the vibrational energies of the meal with the corresponding chakra in mind – in this case, the Anahata.
Sit in a comfortable seated pose. Bring your attention to the base of your spine, and imagine the colour red. Move your attention to the base of your spine, and imagine the colour red. Move your attention to your lower belly and envision the colour orange. Bring your attention to your stomach and picture the colour yellow. Bring your attention to your heart and visualize the colour green. Bring your attention to your throat and envision the colour blue. Bring your attention to the space between your eyebrows and think of the colour indigo. Lastly, bring your attention to the top of your head and surround yourself with the colour violet. Linger on any areas that feel blocked to reconnect with that chakra.
