Tag Archives: naturally diy

The three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha

elementsWhat is a dosha? Ayurveda groups the five elements (ether, air, fire, water and earth) into three basic types of energy, collectively called Tridosha. These elements make up everything around us. The Sanskrit word, dosha, literally means fault, impurity or mistake. This sounds a bit harsh, but dosha can simply be a way to organize things. When the doshas are in balance, there is no impurity or mistake, it’s just a way to describe one’s nature. When the doshas are out of balance, we would then use it to mean fault. The following are the Tridosha types:

  • Vata– ether and air
  • Pitta-fire and water
  • Kapha-water and earth

Everyone is born with a specific ratio of all five elements, this is known as prakruti. Prakruti is organized by the doshas. The ratio of the doshas you were born with will be balanced for you. Everyone has a difference combination of doshas, which is why one diet will not work for all people. Continue reading →

The bee’s knees for your face

honeyHoney. Put it on your face. Like right now.

I’ve been reading up on mead lately. It’s got me thinking about how awesome bees are and how I used to use honey on my face. Somehow, during the move to Okinawa, I forgot how great honey was as a cleanser and moisturizer. I’m bringing that back this week!

I used local unfiltered wildflower honey. It gave my face a very gentle scrub since it still had propolis and other hive particles in it. Honey has anti-bacterial properties as well as antioxidants. It smells nice. Oh, and my favorite part is that it’s FOOD, so it’s nourishing for your skin. It makes my skin feel dewy. Continue reading →

Cardamom Saffron Rice Dessert Soup

cardamom saffron rice soupI love this pretty, buttery-yellow dessert. I feel deeply content and nourished while eating this. Cardamom and saffron have stress reducing benefits, so that makes sense. It’s a simple, no frills, no fuss kinda dessert. Continue reading →

Ayurveda Overview

temple flowersAyurveda is the science of life. This comprehensive system includes all aspects of our lives: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. It’s a system of natural health that’s roughly 5,000 years old! Known as the “mother of all healing,” it’s regarded as the oldest healthcare system in the world. Are you wondering why you haven’t heard much about it? Well, it’s going through a revival now. The British colonization of India resulted in a massive decline of ayurveda. Western invasion invited allopathic medicine and left India’s native medicine behind. It wasn’t until Mahatma Gandhi came along that ayurveda really took off again. Continue reading →

Chickpea, Tomato and Coconut Curry

cooking in indiaI rarely use a recipe. I don’t use measurements. It’s actually really hard for me to write recipes. Sometimes I just make up rough amounts of ingredients (shhh, don’t tell!) to share with people. It’s more like a guideline to avoid disaster. I taste as I go. You should too. Every now and again, my brilliant husband, who knows me well, tells me to write one down. I never do because I always think that I’ll remember what I’ve made. It’s. Never. Happened. I decided to listen to him this time, and I’m so glad I did. I’ll get better at the picture-taking, too… Continue reading →

Mint Chutney

 

  • 2 cups mint leaves
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves
  • 1 small piece ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup milk kefir or yogurt
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Salt to taste

Blend all ingredients into a paste, except the kefir/yogurt and salt. Pour the paste into a serving bowl then mix kefir/yogurt and salt. This will keep for 1 week in a glass container in the fridge. If you’d like this chutney to be a bit thicker, you can strain the kefir or yogurt for a few hours to drain the whey a bit.

Chickpea Curry with Coconut-Cilantro Chutney

chickpea coconut cilantro curryThis is one of the first dishes I made when I returned from India. And I made it nearly every other day for two weeks. Yum! I learned to make a variation of this chutney while in Kerala, but had to make some substitutions based on what I could find here when I got home. I also made it friendly for people with pitta constitutions (like me!). Continue reading →

DIY Deodorant

Deodorant

Deodorant

Deodorant. Why make it yourself? Well, have you looked at the ingredients on your deodorant label? Even the natural stuff has some funky ingredients. You wouldn’t put these in your mouth, why put it on your body? Consider the amount of time you wear deodorant. 8, 10, 12 hours a day? That adds up to a lot of exposure time to toxic chemicals over the span of a week. Plus, it’s cheap. I like that.

Sweating is a necessary function of the body. Sealing that off that by applying anti-perspirant doesn’t make the body happy. You want a happy body, don’t you? This deodorant soaks up a modest amount of sweat. I’ve found that I’ve stayed pretty dry even in the high humidity of Okinawa. And, my pits smell awesome! So, there’s that. Continue reading →