From the Scarsdale diet to the Beverly Hills diet, to Atkins, South Beach, Low Fat, Raw food and Paleo, women today are confused about what to eat. We’ve been bombarded with enough exercise and food models that just don’t last and also don’t address our individual needs.
When I began practicing yoga thirty years ago, before it was a mainstream word, I had just come off years of following the popular (at the time) low-fat diet, which left me with symptoms like hormonal imbalance, fibroids and irregular menstrual cycles. I was stiff and in pain from the weight training I had been doing and also struggled with mild depression.
After some time practicing yoga and meditation, I was led to Ayurveda as a natural progression of a lifestyle that I was looking for that addressed the whole me: body, mind and spirit. Through having an initial consult with a world renowned Ayurvedic Specialist (who later became my teacher), my tongue and pulse were diagnosed, herbs and oils were recommended and even breathing exercises and specific yoga stretches were offered.
I realized then that I had come across a lifestyle I could implement that was not a fad, it was very doable and also nurturing. My individualized customized program from Ayurveda has been a ‘guide” for my wellness path.
My symptoms and imbalances all disappeared; I have more energy and vitality and even discovered my inner gifts, such as healing and painting. I now share this with other women because it works.
This is the power of Ayurveda!
So what is Ayurveda?
A 5000-year-old preventative and integrative healing system of medicine focusing on the mind-body connection. Ayurveda, meaning “science or knowledge of life,” views health as much more than the absence of disease. From an Ayurvedic perspective, health includes feeling content, joyous, bright and tranquil. Ayurveda aims to minimize today’s stressors, such as anxiety, grief, depression, fatigue, hormonal imbalance, digestive and sleep issues, by moving a person into a natural state of balance.
As I stated earlier, health is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Each person has a unique constitution or mind-body type they are born with, according to Ayurveda, known as doshas. Any movement away from that constitution creates health imbalances. If such imbalances are not addressed, then disease sets in.
When an Ayurvedic specialist looks at the tongue and pulse, these imbalances can be determined and corrected through specific herbs, essential oils, foods, gemstones, and lifestyle.
As health is not a static state, Ayurveda can address the many changes and influences both inside and outside that affect our lives.
The first step on the Ayurvedic road to wellness is strengthening one’s digestive power.
Digestion, as we know today, has a direct effect on our immune health, but Ayurveda has also understood that our digestive health also affects our mind, mood, and way of thinking. At an Ayurvedic consultation, your practitioner will look at many aspects of your life, including digestive issues.
You may be asking yourself, “Do I need more to do in my daily life?”
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Throughout a woman’s physiological and psychological stages, Ayurveda can provide nurturing, earth-based, sustainable gems that you can utilize on your health journey, allowing you to feel in alignment with your own unique nature and nature that surrounds you.
Some favorite practices of clients I work with are using essential oils, daily self massage, deep belly breathing, joyously eating with the seasons and becoming more self aware! I look forward to hearing what yours are.
namaste’
Gedalia Genin
Find our more about Ayurvedic lifestyle through a consultation for nutrition, oils and aromatherapy, or experience an Ayurvedic body treatment in our spa!
