Winter in "The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Chinese Medicine"

To stop for a moment and meditate on the passage of time, to feel time moving inside you, is to practice the value of the winter season, when nature's movements appear underground, when earth's energy has gone downward and inward, the sun too is on holiday low in the horizon, and cool Venus appears triumphant in a dazzling triangle alongside Jupiter and the waxing and waning Moon.

In the Yellow Emperor's Classic or Nei Jing Su Wen, the most ancient classic of the Chinese medical literature, the three months of winter are called "closing and storing." Here closing refers to the "closing" of plant life, in which the sap, or life force of plants goes deep underground. In fact, clinically, we see that in the transition from late autumn to winter, Americans, people ever-on-the-go, complain of being tired, less ambitious than usual. By the end of December many have become internalized, and start to think in terms of reform, of New Year's resolutions.

After winter solstice the break that began in autumn is fully realized. The land turns barren. The trees and bushes, but skeletons of their former selves serve as stark reminders of the greens and yellows and reds that once were. So don't be surprised if you have a little melancholy during this transition. But it is a transition, a movement of forces that passes, and as we reach the longest darkest nights of late December we celebrate festive holidays full of fire and light and gift giving. In fact, this cold dark time is exactly when love between people passes most freely in our society with family visits, gift giving, and acts of charity to the less advantaged.

The Nei Jing goes on to recommend going to bed early in winter, and getting up late. "Everything must be done according to the light of the sun." Just as nights are longer, so commands our own biorhythms.

The text speaks of "exerting the will, as if buried...." This a reference to the Neolithic practice in China of living inside earthen rooms, like the sod huts of the American north mid-west, and restricting bodily movement, by necessity, as if buried, due to cold, due to enclosure, and due to the swaddling in warm clothes and blankets. We even have a phrase in English, about being buried in one's blankets.

Winter was not a time to travel, or even to be outside that much, which is still true in places more North than San Diego, but a time to "store," when everything that was grown in spring and summer and had been collected was used, but wisely and judiciously.

Another idea of "winter storage" is to store our Qi, especially the Qi that is lost by sweating. Contrary to the practice in summer, when our Qi likes to escape outside, when we sweat to cool ourselves, and can do so safely, in winter our Qi is stored beneath the skin, allowing it to be as concentrated as possible, acting as a barrier against infectious attack. There is a reference here to the "Wei Qi" the aspect of the immune system that protects against common cold, bronchitis, and flu.

We mustn't deplete that Qi with excessive sweating, or do so and allow a chill. Once spring returns, the Qi that is controlled tightly within the body will be able, with assistance from loosening practices like Tai Qi and aerobic exercise, to surge out strongly again.

So paying heed to the "correspondences with the winter Qi" ensures we maintain "the storing of life." For, "to go against this will injure the Kidney Qi causing, in spring, impotence and weakness, through insufficient supply for the production of life." If we live in winter as if it were summer, acting as if surrounded by hot centrifugal Yang energies, rather than cold centripetal Yin energies, our Kidney Qi will weaken, year after year, weakening our immune systems and lungs.

In Chinese medicine the Kidney energy is the root of all energies. It is the energy of development, growth, structure and reproduction. The kidneys supply the energy for the bones and teeth, for the hair of the head, for healthy sexual function, for fertility, for the immune system, for the lungs, and for wisdom. And the Kidney energy is associated with the energies of the Water Element, which is dominant in winter.

So if in Winter the Kidney energy loses its support by "countercurrent" living, there will be injury and a cascade of effects. As the Lungs and immune system are taxed already in winter, there the effect will most quickly be seen, especially in folk with a tendency to Asthma, Bronchitis, Allergies, Colds, and Flu. And once you become ill, the body cant store Qi, and in spring there will be a feeble supply for opening and growth.

In fact the cycle of the four seasons in Chinese medicine is really a metaphor for the circadian rhythms we experience on a daily basis. Winter is night, morning is spring, noon summer and evening autumn.

Practical Advice for Winter from the Yellow Emperor's Classic

So in winter, get plenty of rest, more than your normal amount. Cast away Puritan guilt and Cowboy pride about getting by on lack of sleep. Leave martyrdom to the religious fanatics.

In Winter cultivate meditative lifestyles, do Tai Qi or Yoga in a warm sunny room, meditate every morning for 15 minutes or more, be kind to your friends and loving to your family. Winter is dominated by the water element, and water is soft.

Conserve your sexual energy a little more in winter, depending on your age and constitution. Sexual energy is a deep energy of the kidneys; semen in men and menstrual fluids and breast milk in women are pure essences manufactured from the energy of the kidneys and blood. If you have excessive monthly bleeding, this is treated with herbals and acupuncture. If you breast feed, make sure you nourish yourself well. If you are male, conserve your semen by transforming sexual energy into love energy, moving the energy from the lower body to the heart. The books by Mantak Chia give more information about that.

Stay warm, obviously. Don't go out into the cold after bathing, and don't go outside with wet hair. Stay in a little after bathing. So rushing out the door right after a morning shower is a really bad idea. I had one asthma patient report great improvement in her symptoms after stopping going out with wet long hair, which her grandmother had always advised against.

Generate heat with thermogenic foods and spices. Slightly heavier foods, like more lentils and oils if you are a vegetarian, and a little more flesh if you eat meat. All the warming spices are good, according to your constitution. Ayush brand Pro Kapha Spice and Pro Kapha tea are delicious and appropriate for this time of year. I like to start my day in winter with hot black tea, mixed with milk boiled with saffron, ginger, clove, cinnamon, and cardamom.

Avoid cold foods, especially in winter, like iced beverages, cold fluids from the frig, salads, raw foods in excess, ice cream, frozen yogurt. Forget the protein shakes and smoothies, but if you have to have them make them room temp, or figure out a hot version. How about hot soy milk, protein powder and banana with flax and a dash of honey or agave nectar?

Hot cereals are great, and hot soups greater--they warm you up and stimulate secretions in the nasal passages and lungs. It is very smart in winter to make soups using sea vegetables, which provide minerals like potassium, calcium, and iron, and iodine, as well as carotene and fiber. Foods from the sea are said to strengthen kidney Qi. Seafood soups in moderation are great, as fish and shellfish have the strong energy of the sea, which re-enforces the kidney energy.

Here is a recipe from my kitchen to yours.

Chick Pea Miso Soup with Celery Root and Scallops

Ingredients

1 cup scallops or other sea food
1 cup chopped celery root
1 cup chopped burdock root
1/2 cup white, brown, or fresh shitake mushrooms
1 cup small broccoli florets
4" piece of kombu sea veggie, cut into pieces with a scissor
4" piece of wakame sea veggie, ditto
1-2 slices ginger root
2-3 chopped scallion
2 quarts water
1 tbsp chick pea miso paste or mellow white if unavailable
1 tbsp sweet white miso paste or more to taste
a dash of white pepper if desired

Directions

Bring water to boil and add the root and sea veggies. Cook on a medium high boil until the roots are soft and the wakame has dissolved into beautiful dark pieces. Now add the sea food and mushrooms and cook on a low boil for around 10 minutes depending on the sea food. Cook until almost all done and turn flame down to simmer. Meanwhile, add the miso paste to 4 oz. of water in a cup and stir to make a liquid. Add the broccoli florets, scallion, and miso paste, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with Buckwheat Soba noodles or just by itself for a low carb alternative.

Comments

Miso is like wine. Or more closely like beer or yoghurt. It is a fermented product with lots of health attributes, that originates in Japan, the land of longevity, and is made from rice or other grains or beans. It is only as good as the producer who makes it. Fine miso, which is not that expensive relative to other things, can be had at the health food coop or Whole Foods Market. Oddly, its hard to find good miso at the Japanese market in San Diego.

Simply think of miso as a vegeterian soup base. Different types of miso, depending on the artisan and the grains or legumes used in production produce varying tastes. Someday, try them all!

The easiest miso soup? Boil water; add miso. Life should be so simple.


copyright eyton j. shalom, december 2008 san diego, ca, all rights reserved use with permission

Living Healthfully with the Vata Dosha in Autumn

If I wanted to sum up the wisdom of Ayurvedic natural medicine while standing on one foot, I would choose the Sanskrit aphorism from Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, namely, Heyam Dukham Anagatam, or Avert the Danger That Has Not Yet Come.

The concept is simple. What you do now affects what will happen tomorrow. As in other aspects of our lives, so too in health. One of the ways we prevent disease, or "avert danger," is by living in tune with the seasons. Another is through knowledge of our particular body-mind tendencies, called dosha in Ayurveda.

In Ayurveda we use nature as our guide. It’s only reasonable to consider that we humans are affected by natural forces of dark and light, cold and heat, dry wind and moist rain just like the rest of the natural world. This includes both daily (circadian) as well as seasonal biorhythms.
Autumn: Days of Awe

Literature and poetry are replete with images from the seasons and reflect their obvious effects on our moods. Autumn is generally suggestive of a downward movement (we do call it Fall!), an in-gathering, a taking stock, a natural "deflation" of the wild blooms of summer.

Ezra Pound refers to the "sweet sadness" of autumn; sweet because Autumn has its own beauty, sad, because it is the end of something else that was wondrous, rich, and gay.

Autumn is a natural time for taking stock of the fruits of Spring and Summer, examining their results and making the adjustments necessary for a better quality harvest next year, while expressing gratitude for the successes you have had that will take you through Winter.

Autumn is a time of special awe. We know what is in store. We know Winter is ahead; there is change in the air, the light softens, the shadows lengthen, the air smells different, and at the same time the memory of Summer lives fresh in our senses.

It’s interesting that in the cycle of Jewish holidays that occurs in Autumn, the 10 days between the anniversary of the creation of the world Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement for mistakes committed against our fellow human beings and God) are called the Days of Awe.

In Judaism this is a very special time for reviewing your actions of the past year, and making amends and asking forgiveness from those you have injured or transgressed upon. It is a time for deep assessment. Only after this meditative retreat, culminating in the fast of Yom Kippur, does the wonderful harvest festival Succoth, the Feast of Booths, arrives.

And among Hindus in South India this time of year features the Navarathri, or Nine Nights of the Goddesses, during which time craftsmen and women honor the tools of their trades, students and musicians honor their textbooks and musical instruments, accountants open up new books for the year, and everyone honors their parents and teachers and favorite deities. This is followed by Deepavali, the Festival of 1008 Oil Lamps. After this the Sun-god goes to sleep until mid-January.

By the time we reach the end of September the accumulated heat of summer has had a drying affect on nature, on our bodies, and on our beings. Dryness and a gradual cooling are in the world around us. Winds often pick up and days become blustery, further increasing dryness. Of course even the leaves wither and drop from the trees, but in a final burst of color, the last gift of Summer. True. It’s not yet Winter when things go underground.

General Guidelines for Autumn

This cold, dryness, and movement (wind) of Autumn, especially late Autumn, are exactly what characterizes the Vata dosha. And when a particular dosha increases in the environment, it will tend to increase in our body as well. For example, spending prolonged time in a very dry and cold environment tends to make our skin and body dry and cold, which are the qualities of Vata dosha. This is precisely what happens in the late Autumn/early Winter.

In a way this is the most important time of year, since Vata is the force that moves the other doshas. If Vata goes out of balance, the other doshas are more likely to go out of balance as well.

It is wise to keep your Vata dosha balanced in Autumn. Here are general guidelines you can follow in late Autumn and early Winter, and more closely if you are Vata predominant. (There are exceptions for other doshas.)

* To bring balance to dryness, apply moisture. Moisture here means oil, not water.
* To balance cold, apply heat. This means warming foods and warm clothing.
* To balance excessive movement or quickness, calm down and slow down.

Balancing Moisture

To balance moisture in late Autumn and early Winter, apply oil to your body. Ayurveda recommends regular oil massages during all the warm months, but never more than in Autumn.

On your day off, massage your body from head to toe, including the scalp, with warm sesame oil. (If you have a current Pitta imbalance, you may need to use coconut.) Then take a nap on a beach towel and wash off the oil in the shower with a mild soap or herbal cleaning powder. In many ways losing moisture defines the aging process, and our senior years are governed by Vata. The oil bath is one prevention for aging.

Application of oil to the skin replenishes, nourishes, moistens, and heals Vata of the body and mind.

Applying Heat

Here are some methods for applying heat in late Autumn and early Winter:

* Eat heavier nourishing foods. See the recipe below for an example. (This does not mean lasagna.) I recommend parsnips and kale sauteed in sesame oil with onions, cumin, black pepper, salt with some lemon added.
* Choose moistening and warming foods, such as cereal cooked with cinnamon and pears versus dry cereal, and cold milk and cooked veggies with protein and rice versus a cheese sandwich.
* Avoid old food, frozen food, processed food, as they all damage Vata.
* Lightly cook your vegetables with warming spices like ginger, Cumin, Coriander, Asafoetida, Turmeric and black pepper.
* Drink lots of soup and Vata tea, which is both warming and seasonally regulating.
* Have warm cooked food for lunch, or at least have some soup.
* Avoid raw food, especially salads, which are by nature cold, light, and drying and only increase the cold dry qualities of Vata, when what you need is warming, grounding nourishment.
* Be careful not to have too much bitter or hot spicy (chilis and cayenne pepper) food this time of year.
* In the evening before bed put a drop of warm sesame oil or ghee in the nasal passages. I use a medicated version from oilbath.com.
* Keep yourself comfortably warm; avoiding getting chilled, especially on the head and back of the neck where the wind can attack.

Calming Down and Slowing Down

Here are some methods for calming down and slowing down in late Autumn and early Winter:

* Go to sleep by 10 pm and get up early.
* Don't skip meals.
* Choose slower forms of exercise, such as slow, grounding yoga poses or Yang Family Style Tai Qi.
* Do not exercise to exhaustion. This is "too much movement." Sports and exercise that leave you feeling over stimulated or exhausted often are depleting you of all your vital energies and are not recommended, especially during the Vata time of year.
* This is a bad time to run a marathon, but if you must, make sure you really recuperate with food and rest.
* Number one way to slow down is to have a regular meditation practice.
* There is no one who can't meditate, just people who have tried and failed, or not had good instructors. I can teach even a goat. Try it. Meditation is nourishing as well as calming.
* Do a 10 minute meditation or pranayama (breath work) before going to sleep, rather than reading or watching TV, which re-stimulates your mind.
* Make sure you get your quiet time in. Take a cat-nap.
* Try not to rush, or at least rush calmly!
* Face your fears, rather than bury them.

How Vata Manifests in the Human Body

Vata in nature is cold, dry, light, and windy. Vata is the aspect of intelligence that governs all movement in the body, including in the following areas:

* Digestive tract
* Nervous system
* Mind
* Communication, including speech
* Activity of the joints

Imbalanced Vata can lead to excessive nervous system activation and excessive mental activity, causing things such as:

* Insomnia (mind can’t slow down)
* Anxiety (heart can’t calm down)
* Hyperactivity
* Mania
* Weight loss
* Fatigue
* Weakened immunity
* Arrhythmia
* High blood pressure

As Vata governs the joints and bowels, imbalance can lead to the following:

* Joint pain, such as arthritis and stiffness
* Any kind of pain
* Chronic constipation
* Bloating
* Gas
* PMS
* Uro-genital problems such as Interstitial Cystitis

A Balanced Vata tends to be creative, vibrant, lively, enthusiastic, clear, alert, flexible, sensitive, talkative, and quick to respond.

What Does It Look Like Physically to be Vata Predominant?

While doshas generally occur in combinations, a text-book Vata dominant would have some of the following unique characteristics:

* Thin
* Slender and hard muscles
* Large prominent joints (relative to rest of limb)
* Irregular features, such as ears too small or too large for the head, crooked nose or large shoulders and hips on a fine boned frame
* Dry, rough skin
* Dry hair, like straw
* Small crooked teeth
* Dull or washed out small eyes
* Inconsistent, not hearty appetite
* Little sweat
* Light sleeper, tending to insomnia
* Tendency to bowel problems, constipation, or diarrhea
* Weak or inconsistent libido
* Forgetfulness
* Restlessness, excitability, nervousness, anxiety
* Moodiness
* Quick walk and talk, even manically
* Easily chilled so dislikes cold weather

Dietary Guidelines for Vata Types

While dealing with Vata's tendency to a restless excitable nervous system at the level of the mind is critical, diet is also very important.

If you notice yourself worrying or obsessing about your diet, that in itself may be a symptom of Vata imbalance in the former, or Pitta in the latter. Take it easy. There are no evil foods, only evil diets, and a diet occurs over a lengthy course of time. Have some sinful food on your birthday and holidays; it’s okay.

Below are general guidelines for the hypothetical pure Vata. That means you really need to modify these with an Ayurvedic counselor to fine tune what is right for your exact body-mind type.

* Dairy products: All dairy products pacify Vata. Heat milk with Ginger or Cardomom, and don't drink with a full meal. With grains alone is ok. Cheese should be soft and fresh, like cottage cheese, not aged, like cheddar.
* Fruits: Favour sweet, heavy fruits, such as avocados, grapes, cherries, peaches, melons, berries, plums, bananas, sweet oranges, pineapples, mangoes and papayas. Avoid or reduce dry light fruits such as apples, pears, pomegranates, cranberries and dried fruits. (Dried fruit can be taken first soaked in hot water. Dates are best taken with ghee). Apples and pears are ok if cooked.
* Sweeteners: All unrefined sweeteners are good for Vata (but definitely not in excess). (Sweeteners are warming and moistening.)
* Beans: Avoid all beans, except for tofu (soybean curd) and mung dhal (split mung beans). (Beans are considered "astringent," which dries Vata.)
* Nuts: All nuts are good (warming, moistening).
* Grains: Rice is and wheat are very good, but beware of wheat if you are allergic to it or gluten intolerant. Barley, corn, millet, buckwheat, rye, and oats in moderation and well cooked.
* Oils: All oils pacify Vata. Warming ones are best: sesame and olive
* Spices: Cardamom, Cumin, Ginger, Cinnamon, salt, Cloves, mustard seed, and small quantities of black pepper pacify Vata. Avoid chilis or even too much black pepper. An excellent Churna spice mix for Vata is two teaspoons each Cumin, Ginger, 1 teaspoon each Fenugreek, Turmeric, Turbinado Sugar, salt, and Asafoetida.
* Vegetables: Beets, carrots, asparagus, cucumber, and sweet potatoes are good, but they should be cooked and not raw. The following vegetables can be eaten in moderate quantities, cooked and especially cooked with Vata reducing spices: peas, green leafy vegetables, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, zucchini and spinach. Avoid sprouts and cabbage.

Activities that Aggravate Vata

Late nights, overwork, dealing with anxiety and worry, over-stimulation by media, especially fast media like television, and video games, stimulating drugs, air travel, excessive travel.
Activities that Regulate Vata

Breathing, gentle exercise, meditation, adequate rest, good friendships, warmth from color and light.
Warmth through Color

Color is another source of balance for doshas. Since Vata is cold, like the color blue, if you have a Vata constitution, you might do well to surround yourself with some warm colors like gold, orange, or red, whether in your choice of clothing, art works, or even choice of paint color. Vata is comprised of air, and Vata imbalance causes a lack of groundedness. (Thus an Oriental carpet on the floor with rich deep maroons and reds can be grounding.)
Warmth through Light

When I was a boy in New York City my mother would embarrass me by stopping in the middle of the sidewalk if the sun came out suddenly on cloudy cold days. She would tip her head back, close her eyes, and let the sunbeams wash her face and let the golden heat penetrate her eyelids for a minute or two.

Now I know what she was intuitively doing. Mom had a Vata imbalance. Just as someone with excess heat or Pitta should avoid the noon sun in summer, if you are a cold Vata or Kapha, then maximize your sun exposure (within the realm of skin safety) in late Autumn, Winter, and early Spring when cold Vata and Kapha predominate. If you work 8 to 5 make sure you get out at least a little bit during the day to "feel" the sun with your pineal gland.

The following is a wonderful recipe for the Autumn.

Autumn Baked Root Squash Stew

Ingredients:

* Butternut Squash, 1 small
* Parsnip, 1
* Sweet Potato, 1
* Kidney beans, cooked, 4 ounces
* Ground beef or Lamb or cubed Tofu or Tempeh, 8 ounces
* Yellow raisins, 2 tablespoons
* Turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon
* Allspice, 2 tablespoons
* Bay leaves, 5
* White pepper, 1/2 teaspoon
* Salt, 1 tablespoon or to taste
* 1 medium to large brown onion, sliced
* Prune juice, 3 oz or 4 to 5 prunes
* Olive oil for sauteeing onions, 3-4 tablespoons
* Water, 3/5 cup

Directions:

1. Peel and chop Squash, Parsnip, and Sweet Potato into large chunks and set aside.
2. Saute onions in oil until slightly brown.
3. Add crushed Tofu, Tempeh, or ground beef.
4. Saute until meat or tofu is browned.
5. Add powdered spices and salt and keep stirring for 3 minutes on very low heat to bring out the fragrance of the spices.
6. Add chopped vegetables, prunes or prune juice, raisins, and water, and stir for a few minutes.
7. Place in covered baking dish, and place in pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, or cook on stove top on simmer in heavy pan with lid for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

Serve with a cooked grain such as rice.

Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac., has been in private practice in San Diego since 1992. A Magna Cum Laude graduate of UCSD, he began his study of Natural Medicine in 1972. The next 12 years involved intensive Yogic practice, including three years in India and Sri Lanka, where he also began his study of Ayurveda. Eyton became licensed in the practice of Chinese Medicine in 1992, and has been the owner of the Body-Mind Wellness Center in San Diego since 1997. Eyton offers individual and group instruction in both meditation and progressive relaxation. He can be reached by email or at 619.296.7591.

Ayurvedic Oil Bath: A Foundation of Health

An Ayurvedic Oil Bath is one of the best ways to maintain health and prevent disease. A once weekly oil bath strongly pacifies Vata, nourishes the skin and tissues (dhatus), and dissolves toxins (Ama), leading them back to the center of the body, where they can be expunged from the internal organs by a dosha appropriate diet, lifestyle, and occasional Panchakarma therapies. An oil bath will leave you feeling profoundly relaxed, mentally and physically.

Vata is directly aggravated by wind, cold, dryness, exhaustion, over-stimulation, insufficient time spent alone or in meditation, excessive sexual indulgence, a diet full of cold, dry or stimulating foods or drugs (whether medicinal or "recreational"); overindulgence in raw vegetables, a surfeit of cold, dry, exhausting or over-stimulating experiences, a lack of warm emotional and physical connections, an excess of emotionally charged relationships, an absence of routine; and old age.

Vata is indirectly aggravated by things that aggravate Pitta-- because when Pitta is aggravated, it creates heat in the body, which in turn aggravates Vata--think of how wind is created by a raging fire. One translation of Vata is Wind.

Vatta is considered the source of all pain, and also the cause of the greatest number of diseases. When Vata is damaged one becomes dry and brittle-- one's nervous system and joints become disease prone-- we see the hand of damaged Vata in any kind of joint stiffness, irregularity, or pain, in insomnia, anxiety, in attention deficit. Unbalanced Vata is considered the cause of the greatest number of diseases; it is also a vehicle that other diseases move on.

Additional symptoms and signs to look for to identify abnormal Vatta are cracking of the nails or feet, dry mouth or eyes or scalp, dandruff, ear ringing, tremors, seizures, constipation, flatulence, and some diarrheas.

Oil applied to the skin is warming, moistening, nourishing, and soothing--everything that Vata needs to be balanced. Sesame oil is particularly warming which makes it ideal for Vata pacification. (Coconut oil is one of the few that is cooling, making it ideal for Pitta pacification)

Oil for self-massage (called oil "bath" in India) should be "cured." This means heating the oil for 15 minutes on a pilot light or on simmer. This makes the oil really silky, and much more easily absorbed by the skin. Typically oil is cured with herbs, to enhance its medical value. Many different combinations of herbs are cured in oil. Some popular ones are Maha -Narayan oil, used to pacify Vata and especially for muscle and joint pain, and Brahmi oil, used to pacify Pitta and promote good sleep and mental acuity.

How to take an "Oil Bath"

On a relaxed day when you have plenty of time, in either the morning or at noon, on an empty stomach, take a cup of your oil of choice and heat it slightly. I like to place a glass bottle of oil into some hot water for a few minutes. You want the oil pleasantly warm. Now pour a generous amount of oil on the crown of your head and massage it deep into your scalp with a shampooing action. Now massage your feet with a liberal quantity of oil. Take your time and really rub it in well. And now massage everywhere in-between, using circular movements at the joints, and long movements on the rest of you.

This will be a bit messy. I have some old towels I use to protect the bathroom floor. In India the bathroom floors are traditionally made of stone, are slightly sloped, and have a drain at one end, to facilitate easy washing. Here we have to improvise.

When you are finished with your oil massage, which should take from 15 to 30 minutes, wash the excess oil off (much will have been absorbed into your skin) using either a very mild shampoo, or even better a powdered Ayurvedic herbal mix called a Churna, and warm, but not very hot water.

Dry off as you normally would, dress in comfortable loose cotton clothing, and lie down for a little while; even take a nap if you like, followed by a light vegetarian meal. Please plan your oil bath for when you can spend the rest of the day in easy relaxation, or better yet, quiet meditation. Vatta benefits from slowing down! Stay indoors if it is at all windy, rainy, or cold, as your pores will now be very, very open and you will be susceptible to the elements. Exposing yourself thus will further damage Vata. Pitta types should avoid the sun.

For a Pitta imbalance, do all the above with coconut or Brahmi oil. For a mixed pattern of Vata Pitta, massage the body with Sesame based oil, and the scalp with a coconut based one. For Kapha imbalance a mustard oil is normally used.

Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac. ---Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine
619/296.7591 www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com
copyright Eyton Shalom 2008 all rights reserved

Stimulating Agni: Silence and Fasting

Spring is a traditional time for light fasting in Ayurveda. Light fasting healthfully stimulates the digestive fire, called Agni in Sanskrit, which in turn more efficiently burns your body’s fuel, producing less toxic waste, called Ama. Light fasting can also be done other times of the year, depending on your constitutional type (Dosha) and current state of health.


Fundamentals of Health in Ayurveda: Physical and Mental

Good sleep, good digestion, good elimination, good breathing, and good thinking are the fundamentals of good health.

Sleep is essential for restoration and repair of tissues and the mind. Digestion is how we extract nutrients from food. Elimination is vital for clearing the body of toxins. Breathing is how we take in oxygen, a vital building block and source of energy. Thinking and feeling are the basis for the quality of our nervous system and all-important hormonal secretions.

Good thinking is a very large topic, with many different threads; but in essence we know that a genuinely positive mental attitude aids health. It’s sufficient here to say that there is nothing as toxic as our own thoughts! And some times people overdo realistic concerns about toxins in their bodies from food, and miss this part of health. Some people get so anxious or obsessive about bad food or toxins they make themselves sick with tension and worry.

Further, Ayurveda and Asian Philosophy observes hour our minds can create illness or imbalance by producing unnecessary physical tension. People’s bodies never fully relax and their minds never become still. The wheels of thought keep spinning even when neither useful, nor necessary.

Mind here includes feelings and the way our nervous system responds to both things we are averse to and things we are attracted to. So while over-thinking, tension, fear, worry, desire, anger can bound up our energy, causing the imbalance that becomes disease, meditation and awareness can undo this somaticisation process. We can use our minds consciously to relax so that all our organs are nourished and work harmoniously. Meditation and progressive relaxation is to your mind what bathing is to your skin.

Observing Silence

An easy way to cultivate mental stillness is to observe silence.

Try not speaking for 12 hours. 24 are even better. See how you feel. For Yogis this is a regular practice, called Mowna. When practiced regularly,you will see the mental chatter slowly dissipate, your power of hearing and sight, both external and internal, will improve. Silence is fasting for the brain, it has a profoundly restful, cleansing effect, and rekindles mental Agni, the fire of insight and thought. This is especially valuable for Vata types with a lot of nervous energy, Pitta types that are always seeking control, or Kapha types that suffer from sloth.

Fasting in Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine

What kind of food fast should I do people often ask me. Asian medicine does not support extremes. In fact, there appears to be no support for complete fasting at all in Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine sees cleansing the body of toxins as a function of vegetable consumption. The Chinese classics say, “Grains are for energy, meats for strength, and vegetables for keeping the body clean.” So if you want to cleanse yourself of toxins, pushing vegetables is a middle way.

For a week in spring try having your protein at breakfast and lunch, and for dinner having a large plate of mixed steamed veggies. Include various greens–kale, dandelion; some cruciferous veggies–broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage; and something starchy like acorn or butternut squash.

From an Ayurvedic perspective, one should at a minimum modify the above like this: Vata types can add some warming spices and a little oil or avocado, and less bitter and more starchy veggies. Kapha types can add warm spices, but no oil, and have less starch. Pitta types can add some cooling cilantro or coconut with lime juice.

Ayurveda on Fasting: The Mono-diet Cleanse

Fasting is part of Ayurveda. However, Ayurveda prescribes fasting according to one’s Body Mind type, or Dosha. This is a key point. Different constitutional types have different needs.

Vata types, for example, who are naturally thin, dry and cold, don’t usually do well with total fasting. They have lots of air element, and will become too spaced out and weak. A Pitta-Kapha, however, with large bones and flesh, good stamina, and a tendency to weight gain could really tolerate and benefit by aggressive fasting.

Ayurveda in general does not believe in complete fasting for more than a couple of days, except in rare cases. What it does support is regular, brief, partial fasting, even once a week, in which one drinks plenty of salt-free liquids like fresh vegetable juice, water, yogurt mixed with water ginger and cumin powder, raw milk boiled with ginger, and then takes a single light meal, at noon or early evening, of either fruits and boiled raw milk, or rice and yogurt, or rice, veggies and mung dal (lentils) cooked with cumin, ginger, and black pepper. This is referred to as a mono-diet cleanse. It cleanses the digestive tract and rekindles the digestive fire (agni) so that toxins (ama) are consumed.

Besides once-a-week fasting, at the change of seasons or anytime purification is desired, try one of the above mono-diets for 2 to 3 days, even a week if you are strong. Drink lots of room temperature water during this time, too.

One way to think of food is as information for the body. Actually it really is. Food, like all matter, is comprised of atomic particles, organized in a particular pattern. When we eat we take these in, break them down with our agni digestive fire(enzymes, hydrochloric acid, etc), and reassemble them into new cellular structures.

Fasting is reducing the amount of input your digestive system needs to break down and reassemble. The stomach, pancreas, gall bladder, liver, small and large intestines get to rest. A Sabbath for your insides. And rest is restorative. The digestive system becomes stronger. The trick in Ayurveda is to do it right, matched to your unique type.

copyright 2008 eyton shalom, all rights reserved

Eyton J. Shalom, M.S., L.Ac.
Ayurvedic Practitioner and Licensed Acupuncturist
619-296-7591 or www.bodymindwellnesscenter.com