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Ayurveda:Timeless Wisdom to Restore Balance to Your Life

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by Patrizia Faggi

To all you Beautiful Divas, Buongiorno!!

It is a damp, misty Autumn day here in NYC. The sky is grey, the air is damp and cool. We are in the so called Vata-Kapha season in Ayurveda.

meditate_smallAs we will explore the timeless Wisdom of Ayurveda, we’ll learn new ways to keep balanced throughout the year, restoring Harmony in our Lives by being more in tune with Mother Nature and Her Cycles.

Let me start by saying that I feel grateful, fortunate and honored to be part of this amazing Adventure, with a group of Inspired/ing, Gorgeous, Powerful, Courageous Women. I’ll spend a few words on myself, my work and then you may want to read more on my web-site BloomingLotusWellness.com.

I’d like to start introducing how you can support your lifestyle better, knowing your unique constitution/body type, through the most Ancient form of Holistic Medicine so far practiced: Ayurveda – the Science of Life (Ayur / LIFE and Veda / KNOWLEDGE-SCIENCE)
I have been studying an array of holistic techniques since I was in my teens, that includes Nutrition, Supplementation/Vitamins, Detoxification, Bodywork, Dance, Yoga, Martial Arts etc. What did start as a personal interest, has developed in my passion for educating others to live their lives at their full potential.
earthinhandsI have been studying under the guidance of world reknowned teachers, although I consider Mother Maya (Swamini Mayatitananda of Wise Earth Ayurveda) the Warrior Goddess and most Beloved Guide.

I have no interest in promoting one system over another, since at any point in life things may shift and change and you may find yourSelf on a different Path. My interest is in helping you find and/or keep your Balance. I  will support you on your Quest in bringing mindful Health in your lives and those of your loved ones.

After all these years, I have found that Ayurveda, with its tools and Infinite Wisdom, can help individuals achieve their needs in life, which are always unique (and no matter what diet they choose too:) Ayurved teaches that when we eat accordingly to the seasons, our age, our job requirements etc, you can magnify your Life / Health big time!!
This means that there is no One Diet for everyone, as well as no one diet for all Seasons, no one diet for all stages of Life. It all depend on your “make-up” and where you are in Life.

I will be dividing my newsletters so that you can easily learn and digest the basics of this Wise Science, which is based on a non-aggressive way to restore balance. Nature is the Mother in Ayurved and as you return to a more Natural Way of living and caring for yourself and family, you are returning to the Mother. Ayurveda uses the system of the (Doshas) – this is a pretty straight forward way to figure out your constitution and/or your current condition. It is based on the of the 5 Main Elements, how they combine and interact to create You and the world around you.

They are: Space, Air, Fire, Water, Earth. The predominance and proportion of each element in the body/mind gives raise to your unique body type. There are 3 main body types: VATA / PITTA / KAPHA. Knowing this is crucial, since it’ll give you the tools to succeed on your LIVING FOOD Lifestyle too. What balances one’s body type, may throw off another one. This is why those who are doing very very well on a 100% have pretty much the same elements in common (FIRE being the first) while others fall off track very quickly.

Take a little quiz to figure out your body constitution at:
Indus Valley Ayurvedic Centre

Below is a quick sum up of  the body/mental features for each dosha (more to come on the next newsletters)

VATA: Space/Air

Body/mental features: Thin / Dry / dark hair-skin / Small eyes / Cold / Loses weight quickly (hard to gain weight) / quickly moving (fast) / energy comes in bursts / addictive / indesicive / erratic / creative / playful / talkative – need to focus on calming exercises and needs more attention to proper eating and carefully choosing foods to be successful on a raw food diet.

PITTA: Fire/Water

Body/mental features: Moderate constitution / pale skin-freckles / blond-red-mohagan hair / almond shaped eyes / Hot / very good appetite / looses weight quickly and easy to stay in shape / determined / fiery /passionate / angry / workaholic/ leader / good stamina / suffers from inflammation and stomach problems (i.e. Ulcers) – does very well on a Living food diet (avoid strong spices)

KAPHA: Water/Earth

Body/mental features: Heavier constitution – strong – gain weight very easily and hard to loose it / dark thick hair / oily clear complexion / big round dark eyes / Cool-Damp / good appetite / slow / excellent stamina /patient / nurturing (especially to others) / common imbalances are diabetes, overweight, depression – Can do well on a light raw food diet (need to keep dry and warm – less sweet taste)

Once you have done your test, see if you can recognize which of the three doshas is the closest to your constitution. Generally, people are bi-doshic (meaning a combination of two main doshas: i.e. Pitta/Vata, Kapha/Vata…)

In my next newsletters, I’ll talk more about balancing each constitution …we’ll take one at a time and the importance of being in tune with the Seasons for optimal Health.

Until then, enjoy your ride. Stay warm – this is especially true for those like me who live in a colder climate…this is the time to enjoy some warming herbal teas and spices (Autumn tip: If you feel/are more Vata or/and Kapha enjoy ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice…. – Pitta: gentle with ginger / use more coriander, fennel, peppermint, turmeric…).

Gingerly Love,

Patrizia