Regardless of whether you live under the sun of San Diego or in the windy city of Chicago, the winter is unavoidable. It will get chilly and really dry. When it gets cold, majority of us suffer from dry skin.

The winter season is the Vata time of the year. Remember that Vata is comprised of air and space and hence tends to be cool, windy, dry and rough. So, if you have a Vata imbalance, you are more likely to be affected by the Vata season. Dry skin is typically a result of a Vata imbalance.

So what is the best way to prevent and heal dry skin? By countering the dryness. First and foremost, avoid all cold foods and drinks, as well as all dry foods. By consuming anything cold, you will be increasing the dryness in your body and of course, eating dry foods will also take away any moisture that is there.

Next, rather than resorting to moisturizers and chemically filled lotions, doing a daily self-massage with natural oils is recommended. If you must use lotions, use natural, organic moisturizers. In Ayurveda, an oil massage is known as Abhyanga. In the mornings about 20 minutes before you shower, give yourself an oil massage. For Vata and Kapha body types, sesame oil is recommended. For Vata, another option is almond oil and for Pitta types, coconut oil is recommended. How do you know which oil to use? Well, if you tend to have a cool and irregular digestion and if you have a tendency to be sensitive to the cold and often feel cold, then its best to use sesame oil. If you tend to have a strong digestion and are feeling hot more often, then to provide some coolness to the body, it is best to use coconut oil. Olive oil can also be used for all body types. Feel free to contact me if you would like more specifics as to which oil to use.

It is ideal if you can leave the oil on for 20 minutes and either meditate or do some other light activity so that your body has the opportunity to absorb the oil and nourish your skin, joints, and tissues. Be sure to massage all areas of your body, and paying especially close attention to your scalp and soles of your feet. Abhyanga is contraindicated for those who are ill, especially with fevers, and during menstruation. You will begin to notice within the first week that your skin is softer, smooth, and nourished. Your skin will also look healthier and daily abhyanga is a great way to keep the skin looking young and vibrant. It’s also a great way to release stress and relax! Besides, who doesn’t enjoy a nice massage?

Health and happiness,

Varsha

As the saying goes, “April showers brings May flowers.” It is a beautiful time of the year with all the flowers growing and the sun shining. However, if you suffer from outdoor spring allergies, you are not able to enjoy the beauty of spring as much as the rest of us. Before I share my secret remedy for prevention, let me briefly explain why allergies occur according to Ayurveda.

It is actually quite simple. Allergies, whether indoor or outdoor, arise due to a weak digestion and diminished Ojas. As you know, Ojas not only represents the finest product of your digestion, but it is also your immune system. Therefore, the key to preventing allergies is keeping your digestion strong and not compromising your immune system.

I haven’t come up with a name for this special mixture of mine…so if any of you come up with name suggestions, please do let me know. The remedy is quite simple. The ingredients are water, lime, lemon, and orange. Take one slice of each of the lime, lemon, and orange and squeeze them into one glass of water. Everything has to be fresh…packaged juices and such will not be as effective. Water should be at least room temperature and the warmer the water is, the better it is for your digestion and for Ojas. Have at least three glasses of this water a day until your preliminary symptoms go away and then continue for at least another three days afterwards.

And of course, on top of that, be sure to get plenty of sleep and maintain a balanced diet and routine. Exercise and happiness, as always, are also key in prevention.

Enjoy the beauty of nature!

Health and happiness,

Varsha

The one plant that you are guaranteed to find in my home is Tulsi, which is Sanskrit for Holy Basil. In fact, you will find the Tulsi plant in many Indian homes, as it is considered to be an auspicious plant that brings health, wealth, and prosperity. I will also let you know that Tulsi is not only my favorite plant, but it is also my favorite herb.

As we all know, plants in general purify the air, so in that sense, its always good to have plants around. Tulsi radiates positive energy and purifies the environment from any negativity that may be around. Beyond that, I love Tulsi because of all of its healing properties.

First of all, one of the easiest home remedies for a cough is Tulsi. For any kind of cough, drink Tulsi tea. Boil one cup of water with about 3 to 4 fresh Tulsi leaves and drink the tea at least 4 times a day and it will cure the worst of coughs. Fresh leaves work best, but dry leaves are fine as well.

Tulsi is pungent and bitter in taste; therefore, it decreases Vata and Kapha and slightly increases Pitta. However, because the quality of Tulsi is light and dry, it can actually balance Pitta as well. Tulsi has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. It can be applied topically for skin lesions and fungal infections. It decreases pain and swelling and is recommended for fevers. It is excellent for all respiratory related imbalances, such as coughing, asthma, and pulmonary tuberculosis. Tulsi improves digestion and is especially good for the colon. It is also an excellent herb for the nervous system and all autoimmune diseases, as Tulsi promotes and enhances the functioning of Ojas. And the list continues. Depending on the condition, the leaf, root, or seeds are used. Tulsi is one of the most potent, sattwic (pure) herbs.

If I ever feel a cough or cold coming on, and even for family and friends, I simply boil a cup of water with Tulsi and fresh ginger and I am able to prevent an illness from coming forth. Doesn’t that sound rather simple? I would also like to add that drinking Tulsi tea with ginger will also prevent your chances of catching the swine flu, as it does increase Ojas, your immunity.

The entire science and knowledge of Ayurveda is actually quite simple with a simple approach to health. There is a science behind the combination of spices and when you combine various spices and herbs, you can heal just about any imbalance.

Health and happiness,

Varsha

Here are the three most commonly asked questions I get about milk:
1) Why is it important to continue to drink milk throughout our life?
2) Why do we switch to another type of milk after infancy?
3) What is the difference between the various types of milk?

And here are the answers:
1) Almost all forms of nature stop drinking mother’s milk after infancy. So the question here is why do we, as humans, continue to drink milk? We continue to drink milk for its nourishment on all levels…from mental to physical to emotional to spiritual. Milk alone has countless benefits and a strong healing power. Milk promotes Ojas, your strength, immunity, and intellect. Ultimately, milk provides us with those benefits and nutrition that is pretty much hard to find anywhere else. To simply phrase it, we are supposed to drink milk throughout our lives for its nutritional values that nourishes and enhances our quality of life by increasing the strength within our inner core and supports our immunity.

2) From birth till about two years of age, human’s milk is best. As we all know, babies, especially newborns, are very delicate and require a lot of nutrition and nurturing. Human’s milk is light and easy to digest. It is a blood purifier and contains all the nutrition that a baby needs to grow and develop…especially in the most critical years. The first two years pave the way for the rest of your life.

Human’s milk only has nutritional value up until about the age of 2. After that, mother’s milk will be Kapha aggravating, which means that both Kapha and Ojas will become imbalanced. Mother’s milk is easy to digest for a delicate newborn and best for newborns and infants to build strong immune systems. But as you get older, you require more fat and more nutrition and that is why most people typically switch to cow’s milk.

3) There are many types of milk, but I am going to cover the most common ones that can be found in most grocery stores. They are cow’s milk, goat’s milk and soy milk.

First of all, I do not consider soy milk to be real milk. For those that are lactose intolerant, its fine to drink, but personally, I do not advocate soy milk as being the same nutritionally or healthier than cow’s or goat’s milk. Real milk comes from the mammary glands and soy milk is processed through machines and various chemicals and therefore isn’t naturally produced milk.

With that said, goat’s milk is more suitable for those who are weak and ill. It helps with nourishing the Dhatus, or tissues that have become weak. It is easily digestible and is excellent for fevers, bleeding disorders, and diarrhea. Goat’s milk is more recommended when there is an imbalance and the digestion is weak.

Cow’s milk is what majority of the population drinks. As mentioned earlier, cow’s milk promotes Ojas, promotes a longer life span, increases intelligences, improves strength, and the list continues. There are only benefits after benefits from drinking milk. If you pay close attention, those children who grow up drinking lots of milk, have a tendency to be healthier and have stronger immune systems. Milk is an excellent source for calcium, phosphorous, iron, carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins A, B12, and C.

Also, intuitively, for centuries, the human race has been drinking milk. Just like we eat our vegetables, we should drink our milk. Our ancestors drank their milk and it’s pretty much a tradition that has been passed down from one generation to the next.

Health and happiness,

Varsha