Menstruation Guidelines

In today's world, women curse to the knowledge of having their period.  But according to Ayurveda, having your period is a blessing and not a curse.  Apart from preparing the body for conception and pregnancy, the body is being cleared of all toxins.  Every month we get to clean out our system and we don't even have to do anything!  Nature does it for us!  Our bodies are being renewed.  We are born again!  What a beautiful support from the laws of nature.

Constipation, diarrhea, irritability, mood swings, bloating, upset stomach, cravings, fatigue, breast tenderness, breakouts, sadness, anger, sensitivity - just to mention the very few variety of symptoms we might experience.

Here are some guidelines that will help during our menstruation -

• the body needs to be free of ama - this means no fast food, junk food, leftovers, alcohol and drugs.  Best to favor vegetables, grains, fruits, milk.  These fresh foods will keep your body clean and be easy on your digestive system.
• favor light and warm foods - the ones that will pacify your Vata.
• take it easy!  Don't engage in certain activities or people that will get you moody.  Best to be more inwards.
• light to moderate exercise is recommended; walks in particular
• avoid daily massages during menstruation 
• definitely follow a routine when menstruating as this will help in regulating your menstruation 
• use the following spice mix when cooking to help balance your cycle - 
• 6 parts fennel
• 1 part black cumin
• 1 part cumin
• 6 parts coriander 
• 1 part turmeric 
• 1 part black pepper 
• sauté this mix in ghee and add to your meals 

Pitta & Coconut Oil

Greetings.

It's almost the month of October and the summer is coming to an end.
I hope you all had a great summer.

Since the weather is transitioning to be a little cooler than the earlier months of summer, we all can still benefit from adapting to our routine to the seasons and following specific guidelines that will help us balance our bodies.

Pitta season is the summer season July - October.  And a lot of us can become aggravated, in the body and or the mind because of the fire and heat from the universe.  Pitta type physical imbalances can occur such as inflammation, skin irritations, heat rashes, diarrhea, etc.  I noticed a rash on my right arm.  It first started out as a minor itch, which later escalated to tiny white bumps and with all the scratching I was doing made it red in color, which in turn aggravated my Pitta.  And since it's the summer time and I needed to cool the Pitta in me, I started to apply coconut oil.  Coconut oil has a cooling effect and improves many skin disorders such as - eczema, fungal infections, heat rashes and acne to name a few.  I'm getting great relief with minor itching and the redness is gong down.  So the next time you have an itch or irritation on the skin, apply some coconut oil and massage for about 10 minutes and let the oil just soak in your skin.  It will definitely cool you down.

Healthy Fun Facts 3 - Bananas

Benefiting from Bananas - 

• promotes bulk
• good for eyes
• contains potassium, sugar, glucose, Vitamins B-complex and C
• reduces bleeding tendencies
• good for IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
• diarrhea
• increases strength in babies
• increases blood hemoglobin levels