Happy, Healthy, Active New Year!
While New Year’s Eve brought the second snow storm to the greater-Boston area, the energy is invigorating – the smell of winter is crisp and clean, the white fallen snow so innocent and pure.
Even if you have no snow, winter is here and it’s cold. With a back splash of blue white beauty, we seek cozy fires, warm throws and hot cocoa!
Naturally inclined to move inside, we bundle up with extra layers to keep heating costs down, jog on a treadmill instead of the great outdoors, and enjoy our home’s winter fragrance of a bubbling stew on the stove.
In this issue, you’ll find lots of warming tips – from acupuncture and exercise to spice tea and warming recipes.
Namaste,
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Namaste means “I bow to the Light within you” and is a sign of deep respect to those to whom it is offered. Given this, we honor the spark of divinity in ourselves and others, to remind us of the basic spiritual truth common to many doctrines – We are all one.
Ayurveda and Your Dosha
Ayurveda is the centuries old science of life – it offers vitality and healing through an understanding of the five elements of Nature. Earth, water, fire, air and ether join together in forming our constitution – our characteristics, or nature – and are called doshas. We each usually have a dominance of one or two of these doshas – Vata (mobile quality of air), Pitta (transforming quality of fire + water) and Kapha (structural quality of earth + water).
Vata dominance shows itself as a slight and flexible body with an excitable, enthusiastic, and changeable mind. A Vata type is constantly on the go – physically and in thought – and is very creative.
Pitta is fiery – this constitution enjoys a healthy appetite that cannot be ignored, a muscular body, and deep level of understanding and knowledge. Pitta types make excellent leaders and enjoy structure and discipline.
The Kapha dosha demonstrates easy-going, compassionate and solid qualities. Bodies tend toward heaviness and they have a calm and steady mind. Kaphas are peace-seekers.
We can maintain a healthy balance in mind, body and spirit by following simple nutritional and environmental guidelines unique to our dosha.
*Not sure of your dosha? Take a body type quiz at http://www.lifespa.com/body_type_quiz.aspx