Ayurvedic Tips for a Merry Christmas !

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas is a beautiful time for kids to look forward to gifts and a time when all age groups indulge in delicious treats. As much as we want you to enjoy your delicious desserts, wine and meal, our team wants you to be mindful of a few things so you can maintain balance in your body and enjoy the delicious foods!

Here are a few Ayurvedic reminders for you to have a healthy winter and a Merry Christmas :

• Make sure to drink hot water with cardamom pods after eating a heavy dinner and sweets. Sweets are known to block our channels which develops into ama (undigested toxic substance) and is the main factor that causes illnesses. Drinking hot water melts away poorly digested food and cardamom helps open up the channels which lead to good health and vitality.
• After drinking Alcohol, make sure to increase your intake of Turmeric in food or simply mix a pinch or two in warm milk before bed. Turmeric helps recover the liver damage due to alcohol. It also helps with headaches. If you must drink alcohol, drink Draksha or a little red wine only.
• Make sure to include herbs like Pippali, Ginger, Punarnava, Black Pepper and Kutki.( Ask our Ayurvedic Consultants in store if these herbs are compatible with your body constitution. )
• On Christmas, our bodies feel exhausted and tired due to the food and physical activity, in this case, eat your dinner around 7:00 pm and go to bed at 9:00 pm. Especially during winters, our bodies need more sleep than usual and take time digesting food.
• The next morning, drink a warm cup of ginger and lemon tea. The lemon helps to eliminate waste in the system and acts as a liver tonic. Ginger increases agni (digestive fire) and reduce ama.
• Enjoy light meals the next day and remember to go easy on the sweets.
• Do a 3-4 day detox , if possible.

Most of all, enjoy spending time with your loved ones!!!

The Ball Is Always In Your Court

I was walking down the street with a good friend when a lady came up to us and asked if we had service on our phone. A little puzzled and doubtful, we answered yes and slowly started to walk away. 

As we began to leave, she said imagine you have a plate of food, and its filled with fried foods and healthy foods, would you eat it all because its being given to you or would you be selective with what you put into your body because of how it will make you feel and effect your health. 

My friend and I are the type of people that are drawn to positive vibes, the person's soul and the individual's uniqueness sooo we both knew we had to stand around to hear a little more of what she had to say... 

This lady, got into details about me and my friend's life that we hadn't disclosed to anyone. She claimed she wasn't an astrologer but believed strongly in God. Of course the other things she said stuck with me also, but what really stuck was that .. we don't have to eat everything we are given.. We have a choice.

That example forced me to expand my thinking and wonder how we let all the negativity and positivity we are served through out the day effect/feed us to the point where it either makes our day, or ruins it. Why are we not selective about it?

Maybe its because we fail to understand how it is shaping us and our life...

I have a little exercise for you:

Say to yourself with full emotion and character " I realllly realllyy hate my life, nothing ever goes how I want it to " 

Now, notice how you feel. I'm sure you don't feel happy or proud of your life. If anything, your body posture changed in a few seconds, you started breathing deeper, you started to think of all the things that are not in your favor currently.

Now in this second scenario, say to yourself again with full emotion and character: " I realllly realllyy love and enjoy my life!! Everything I truly want is in my favor "

Notice how pumped up you got.. Notice your heartbeat, your breathing, your posture, your thoughts..

Once you get in the habit of being in control of your life, you notice that you are in control of the choices you are making. BE PICKY, BE SELECTVE, BE SELFISH. 

Also along with thoughts, be selective about the foods you consume. This is going to be a gross example but whatever, its the best one I could think of. If you put a hairball in a pipe, every day / week / month / year , eventually the pipe will get clogged. You will then need to call either a plumber to clean out the pipe or throw it away.... Doesn't it sound too familiar to how we treat our body ?

If you eat junk ( fried foods, hard to digest foods , etc. ) your arteries and other areas of your body will eventually get clogged. Then either, you will have to get operated to clean out your arteries (pipes) or you might not even get a second chance. So, BE PICKY , BE SELECTIVE, BE SELFISH while choosing what goes into your body. 

Live in the moment, live in the present but don't forget that your present creates your future.

My Morning Green Juice with Aloe Vera

Happy Saturday!!



I wanted to share my morning drink with everyone. It tastes so good and has such great health benefits that I could not resist but pull out my laptop and begin to type this post. My smoothie with aloe vera juice is so easy to make and is a perfect way to start my day after a glass of warm water.

Firstly, lets understand why Aloe Vera Juice is good and why I love to drink it in the morning before breakfast and workout.

Benefits of Aloe Vera:

1. Excellent for digestion
2. Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar
3. Detoxifying
4. Hair growth
5. Boost vitamin and mineral intake
6. Eliminates bad breath
7. Boosts energy

Why should you drink Aloe Vera Juice on an empty stomach?

1. It reduces the heat in the body, especially in the summer
2. Speeds up the digestion

My smoothies consist of :

1. 1 green ( handful of kale or collared green or celery )
2. 1 fruit
3. 1/3 of water or coconut water
4. 30 ml of Aloe Vera Juice

I have noticed improvements in my skin, level of energy and digestion!! 

If you too would like to purchase the Aloe Vera Juice, click this link -- > Buy Aloe Vera Juice Here  or if you are in NJ or NY in USA, stop by their store - The Vedic Store 

Ten things I learned from Ten days of Meditation

So, about two weeks ago I started to realize I was getting severe headaches due to work , I wasn’t able to sleep right and was continuously breathing heavy as if someone had placed a mountain on my chest. I felt as if I was giving too much of my energy away and by the time I would get home, I was drained. I wanted to do so much in my day, but I was lacking positivity around me, but mainly inside me. 

Now that I look back, I realize that miracles happen at the most unexpected times but at the right time. The reason I mention miracles is because I came across an application on my phone called ‘Headspace” . Headspace is a ten day , ten minute guided meditation , in which Andy ( mindfulness expert ) guides you to a place of pure serenity. 

Today, I want to share with you the ten things I learned from the ten day meditation:

1) Clearing the mind - When I opened my eyes after the first day of meditation, I literally felt like I had washed my brain and eyes clean. I was instantly addicted to this feeling of freshness and wanted to do it everyday.

2) Sharpened Focus - I began to realize I was able to focus on a task for much longer without being distracted. I would notice my distraction but felt in control to bring back my focus to the task that needed to be completed.

3) Learned about myself - During the meditation, there is a part where you watch your thoughts pass by as if they are cars on the road. It was such a beautiful experience because I learned the type of thoughts I was having and how they made me feel.

4) Awareness - I started to become more aware of my surroundings and started to notice the people and the things that make me feel some type of way.

5) Now - I began to find beauty in the present. I stopped feeling anxious or uncertain. I took full ownership of the present because I realized future is unstoppable, past in uncontrollable and all I have is this moment to enjoy.

6) Surrender attachments - As crazy as this will sound, while I was meditating, I did not define myself by my name. I was me and thats why we hear a lot of mindfulness experts define themselves as “ I am ”.

7) Kind - I learned to be kind with myself. Prior to this experience, I was always striving to be better and beating myself over little mistakes I made. I still want to be the best version of myself but I am no more competing with others but rather creating my own path.

8) Accept - I began to accept others for who they are and their actions. The behaviors that used to irritate or frustrate me no more have control over me. I notice other’s behaviors and accept it for what it is. 

9) Stress - Because I live in the moment, nothing of the past or future stresses me out anymore. I have developed a strong faith in my inner universe that I accept things to happen at their own time as long as I am taking the steps towards my goal. 

10) Lifestyle - Because of meditation, I noticed what I was eating everyday, how it was making me feel and if I wanted to feel that way. I started to manage my time better and my relations with other better. I looked forward to exercising with weights at the gym and exercising my mind with meditation at home. 

All this has happened in ten days but mostly because I was vulnerable to the change and needed a place to escape to when I was stressed out. I am beginning to walk and talk in a state of meditation and I am realizing that I am a body having a spiritual experience. Famous actors/actresses/singers/entrepreneurs/athletes, like Katy Perry, Ellen Degeneres , Oprah Winfrey , Eckhart Tolle , Warren Buffet , Lebron James , all meditate. For the longest time I had a fear that if i meditate, I would lose the fire in me to achieve the most in life but meditation has given me even more of a reason for why I should make an effort to be the best version of myself. I would encourage everyone to download the app Headspace and try it out for yourself. Don’t judge whether it will work or not. You might learn things through the experience that I have not yet learned. I am looking forward to meditating and learning about myself everyday.

Looking for a healthy snack? or a dessert?

Try this delicious recipe. It satisfies sugar craving and leaves you feeling healthy and happy :)

Makes 14 to 16 bites

Ingredients:

15 small carrots cut into coins
1⁄2 cup raisins
1⁄2 cup walnuts
1⁄4 cup plus 2 tablespoons quick cooking oats
1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄16 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 cup shredded coconut or 1 ½ spoon of coconut oil

Preparation:

1. Combine all ingredients in a high-quality food processor and process very well.

2. Transfer the mixture to a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag and smush into a ball. Open the bag and shape the dough into about 15 balls, using your hands or a cookie scoop.

3. Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Enjoy!

Healthy Winter/Fall Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup almond flour
1/8 tsp himalayan salt (or sea salt)
1/8 tsp baking soda
2 tsp fresh ground ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cardamon
¼ tsp cloves
¼ tsp anise seeds (or extract)
1/8 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp coconut oil
1.5 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 tbsp molasses
1.5 tsp vanilla powder (or vanilla extract)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the ingredients, roll the dough into little balls and place them on a foil or in a baking tray. Bake 10 to 11 minutes. Let them sit for 10 minutes before removing.