Do you struggle with your weight and don’t know why?

 Dosha Quiz

Guest Author; Claudia Richey

This is one of the most common complaints I hear in my practice.

Weight issues and obesity have become an epidemic in our hemisphere. Most weight loss programs are a band aid that delivers a temporary fix with results that won’t last.

Yet your soul already knows there is a better solution to the problem.

Introducing Ayurveda. This ancient healing system from India has identified that there are different body types which react differently to food, lifestyle, and surroundings. Each of these body types, Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, gain weight for different reasons, carry it in different areas of their body, and have different challenges in maintaining a healthy weight.

The Vata type, when unbalanced, tends to carry more weight around the hips, thighs, and lower abs. Pitta puts it on evenly, where as Kapha tends to gain it all round the torso and midsection.

Each of these types responds to different dietary measures, there is no one-fits-all approach.

Someone aiming to achieve a healthy body weight should follow a clean diet of fresh and easy to digest foods, including warm soups, stews and porridges. Avoiding processed food is just as important as getting nutrients from vibrant fresh fruits and vegetables every day.

To activate healthy digestion and a sluggish metabolism, try this tea that’s appropriate for all three Dosha Types:

Boil one liter of water with 1 tsp each crushed Fennel, Cumin and Coriander seed. Add 2-3 pieces of thinly sliced fresh Ginger. Let the tea simmer for ten minutes. Remove from heat and add Green Tea, 1 teabag or 1 tsp lose tea. Let steep for another 5 minutes, then fill your tea into a thermos and sip throughout the day.

Finding and maintaining your ideal body weight doesn’t have to be a struggle. Knowing your body and who you are plays a big role in your success.

Use your challenges and turn them into an enjoyable journey to discovering yourself!

By Claudia Richey, AWC, R.PT., R.AT., NWS, RYT

http://www.doshafit.com

Take the Dosha quiz to begin your path to a new you! 

Dosha Quiz

Refusing to FAIL! Janette's Journey

Janette's Weight Loss Story of Health and Wellness

 “My heaviest weight was 408 pounds. I stayed away from the scale for many years, but I knew I had to find out exactly where I was starting. I believe that my weight gain was related to the many tragic losses I experienced in my life. I lost my older and only sister, little brother, father and mother. I became an emotional eater and I ran to food for comfort. I remember feeling like I was literally going to eat myself to death. I did not have a stop button. I felt this way for many years. I could not distinguish the difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger. My weight at that time represented all the pain I felt internally; in retrospect it was a symptom to deeper issues.

I embarked on this weight loss journey many times before, but after many failures I tried again. A heavier person has a different experience than that of individuals viewed as normal or average weight. And in most cases the feedback from others may lead to overeating, especially for those who are emotional eaters as I once was. I often tell individuals who battle with emotional eating to take it 1 step at a time, 1 healthy choice at a time, and 1 pound at a time. My motivations for losing weight were many. I was tired of merely existing. I wanted to live. I wanted to fit into booths in restaurants. I did not want to worry whether I could fit into a classroom desk or not; nor how far from class I had to walk to my car. I wanted to play with my children without getting winded or saying maybe later. I wanted to walk and not worry about constant back pain. 

 

 

I lost weight by totally changing my eating habits. I started by calorie counted and later began to watch my sugar, carbohydrate and sodium intake. I generally consume lean meats, fruits and veggies. I drastically limited any processed foods. I drink a gallon of water each day and I exercise 4 to 6 times a week; anywhere from 1 to 3 hours a day. I did not have a trainer or surgery. My diet is what I created for myself.

My breaking point was March 2011, when I received a seat belt ticket because I was too large to buckle up. I would not have believed this was possible if I had not done it myself. Today I am 175lbs; that is a 233lb loss. I think it is amazing what the body can do once you believe it is possible; I want to encourage others to not stop. You must keep going, keep trying, and never give up!”

— By Janette Colantonio

Follow Jannette and her story on Facebook.

Janette, thank you for sharing your story with the world. You are truly an inspiration to so many!

 

www.mindfulmag.com

Ancient Healing

Part I

Many ancient cultures have been know to pass down their healing rituals verbally from generation to generation. If there was written knowledge it had been destroyed by the process of nature or the destruction of man. Rarely has there been survival of the ancient secrets of time.  

Ayurveda is one of these ancient methods that has survived many wars and prejudices and natural disasters over thousands and thousands of years. Ayurveda is known as one of the oldest healing methods, if not the oldest know to modern man. Much of it's teachings are of holistic care. The word "Ayurveda" is a Sanskrit word meaning "Knowledge of Life". Ayurveda is an ancient Indian system of holistic medicine that seeks to bring balance specific to each individual, instead of a generic fix. It is a practice of both curative and preventive measures, encouraging optimal physical, mental and spiritual well-being. It aims to prevent unnecessary suffering and encourages us to live a long, healthy lifestyle. Ayurveda ranges in healing philosophies from surgery to energy work and everything in between.

In fact there are eight branches of Ayurveda: 

1. Káyachikitsá ~ Internal Medicine: Focus is on the body, mind and soul connection as a whole. Psychosomatic theory recognizes that the mind can create illness in the body and vice versa.
2. Shálákya Tantra ~ Ears, Nose, and Throat: A study of approximately 72 eye diseases, surgical procedures for all eye disorders such as cataracts and eyelid diseases, and also diseases of the ears, nose, and throat. 
3. Vishagara–Vairodh ~ Tantra Toxicology: Pertains to air and water pollution, toxins in animals, minerals, vegetables, and epidemics, as well as study of their antidotes.
4. Kaumára Bhritya ~ Pediatrics: This branch of medicine focuses on prenatal and postnatal care of the baby and mother. Including the methods of conception, choosing the child’s gender, intelligence, constitution, childhood diseases, and midwifery.
5. Shalyá Tantra ~ Surgery: Yes, surgery has been in practice for thousands of years. It is not a recent practice although many old practices were lost or hidden. Allowing western medical philosophy to rebirth this practice. We are only touching the surface of what is in the ancient Ayurvedic practice.
6. Bhúta Vidyá ~ Psychiatry: This entire philosophy analyses the mind and it's diseases as well as the alterations with herbs, diet, yogic therapies of breathing and mantras, and even demonic possession.
7. Vájikarana ~ Aphrodisiacs: This is the branch of fertility, infertility, sexual energy, spiritual development and their common ground.
8. Rasáyana ~ Rejuvenation: The practice of prevention and longevity. In order to develop longevity, ethics and virtuous living must be embraced.

As you can see Ayurveda is a whole body, mind and soul practice. It is not a religion, although many times confused as such because of the connection with spirituality and medicine. 

Discover more, subscribe to Mindful Magazine!