July 2024 letter - Little bit about Ayurveda
As you all know, I am extremely interested in real food and how food affects our overall health. For some time now, in addition to other food and supplement-related topics, I have also been reading about and studying the basics of ayurveda.
The principle in ayurveda is maintaining the balance between our mind, body and spirit. These are all linked, as we know and so any imbalance affecting one area, will affect the others too. The holistic approach of ayurveda seeks to prevent illness or treat any symptoms by looking into the root cause the imbalance and reversing it.
Ayurveda is ancient, and as more than 5000 years old, one of the oldest holistic health systems in the world, originating from India. It is a sister science to yoga, and a real art of healthy living. Ayurveda in Sanskrit means something like the knowledge of life. The word ‘ayur’ means life whereas ‘veda’ means wisdom/knowledge about humanity, Ayurveda is all about wellbeing, good physical and mental health, nutritious food and a good balance in everything we do.
Ayurveda is a lifestyle that teaches us to nourish and satisfy our mind and body. It looks at the importance of good digestion and gut health and teaches us how and when we eat, in addition to talking about local and season foods. The importance of nature and living in harmony with nature is extremely important and often the concern is that living this modern life, we have gone too far from nature.
This science is likely what has spread all over the world so many people consider this as universal, rather than just Indian tradition.
Yoga and meditation are a big part of my life already, so I feel that the ayurvedic lifestyle resonates with me very well. What I am currently doing, is taking some very good elements from this practice and implement them in my own lifestyle. Living and eating locally and seasonally is obviously important for our mind and so trying to live the ‘Indian way’ would not work here in the north. I then take some elements and advice from Ayurveda and others from our own European culture or my native Finnish culture and mix them all together the way that is best for me.
I have also noticed that many practices and traditions are very similar. For example, exposure to cold or hot steam treatments are very similar to our cold swimming or sauna traditions. Many herbal remedies and food as medicine idea are similar. Then again there are other traditions that are too different to try.
We have beautiful cultures here in the northern Europe, but unfortunately, we don’t really live according to those old beautiful traditions. Saying that, many old traditions seem to be coming back, for example cold exposure and wild swimming are returning, and we have started to remember the benefits of nature again. Many people are finding the joys on growing their own food, trying foraging, cooking with wild herbs and especially eating locally grown, organic, seasonal food as much as possible.
I am no expert in this area, yet anyway, and could not give detailed advice to anyone. However, there are a few fantastic ways to add to your everyday life to improve health and our inner balance.
Pranayama – breath work is closely associated with ayurveda. A regular practice of pranayama has a wide range of positive effects on the body and mind. Breathing exercises affect the nervous system and all body systems and balances the body and mind
Pranayama breathing exercise is based on managing our life energy (prana) by regulating our own breathing. Many of us have a natural tendency to breathe shallow, not very deeply. Through Pranayama practice, we are able to gain inner awareness of our own breathing. Breathing strongly affects our inner and emotional state, and our breathing directly mirrors it For example, fear and anger cause our breathing to be very shallow and irregular. When we feel well and happy or calm, our breathing is deep and regular.
Years of research show that conscious and calm breathing balances the state of mind, lowers our heart rate and helps us feel more energetic. Pranayama exercise also has a very positive effect on sleep and it reduces high blood pressure and it increases feelings of positivity and gratitude. I have talked about the benefits of breath work in my previous monthly letters.
Simple way to bring some Ayurveda to your daily routine
A good planned daily routine is necessary when changing your lifestyle for the better. A routine helps to restore our balance. Stick to the routine you have planned!
1. Go to bed early and wake up early in the morning
2. Practice gratitude before getting up
3. Meditate daily
4. After getting up, drink a glass of warm water with lemon juice or ginger. It stimulates digestion and gets rid of toxins. Depending on your taste, you can also add a little honey. The water acts like a pleasant inner shower and is especially good for the body in the morning!
5. Strengthen and look after your digestive fire – Ayurveda talks a lot about the importance of the health of the digestive system. It is extremely important to eat well-cooked meals prepared with seasonal, local produce and including soups and salads in the diet depending on the season. Cold foods are only meant to be eaten during the warm season whereas in Winter we should be eating warm food. Avoid processed foods. Don’t eat too much.
5. Use a variety of herbs and spices, such as turmeric, coriander, cumin, ginger etc.
6. Look after your body temple by moderate daily exercise, such as yoga and spend as much time in nature as possible.
Stress management
The simplest way of managing stress is to make your life ‘a meditation’. Learn how to exclude things from the life that are of no benefit for you. Start by shutting down your TV. Stop reading or watching upsetting news/programs/films too much. Choose what you want to do in life (your work/studies etc). Choose work that you enjoy and don’t do things that don’t bring you joy. Concentrate and focus on things that bring you joy.
Use yoga and meditation to help change old belief, overcome pass experiences/ trauma etc.
If you are interested in a more thorough guidance on Ayurveda, the best way forward would be to book a consultation with a practitioner.
MUSTARD FISH CURRY WITH BROCCOLi ‘RICE’
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 medium onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped finely
8 fresh or dried curry leaves
1 bay leaf
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 green chilli, slit lengthways
1 tsp ground turmeric
450g firm white fish, such as cod or haddock, cut into chunks
150ml water
Juice of 1/2 lime
100ml coconut cream
Sea salt, to taste
For the broccoli ‘rice’
1 large head of broccoli
1 tsp ghee or coconut oil
50g peas (optional)
2 tbsp water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
Make the broccoli and pea “rice” by removing the tough end of the broccoli stalk and roughly cutting into chunks. Use a food processor or a grater to grate the broccoli into rice-sized pieces.
Melt the ghee in a large frying pan, add the grated broccoli and the peas with the water and stir to mix. Steam over a medium heat, lid on, for 4-5 minutes, until tender but still with a little bite. Season with salt and pepper.
Melt the ghee in a separate heavy-bottomed pan. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds start to pop, add the onion, garlic, curry leaves, bay leaf and chilli. Sweat the ingredients until they are transparent and develop a pale golden colour.
Add the cinnamon and turmeric and cook for a further 30 seconds. Add the fish, water and lime juice, then cover and simmer for about 5 minutes until the fish is cooked through.
When the fish is cooked, add the coconut cream to the curry and cook for another minute. Season with salt and serve with the “rice.”
