“Appo Deepo Bhava”
“Be a Light unto Yourself” - The Buddha
cultivating a cosmic elegance
Ayurveda offers a spectrum of healthy lifestyle guidelines to help you embody physical strength, mental clarity, and connection to your inner spirit. Through gentle self-exploration, you discover wisdom within. Finding balance amidst life's challenges is where true grace lies, and it's the heart of a well-designed life. By prioritizing your well-being, you invest in your greatest treasure. Weave ancient practices that have stood the test of time into your daily story. Witness the blossoming of contentment, sharper intuition, and joyful experiences as you set the intention to give your health and well-being your warmest embrace.
the 5 Elements
The sanskrit word Panchamahabhuta translates into “the five great elements”- the building blocks that make up all of life:
every individual is born with these 5 ‘Panchamahabhutas’. By observing manifestations of the elements in the body and mind, you can understand more about your inner world, and nourish your individual constitution accordingly.
ether, air, fire, water, and earth.
the 3 physiological forces
Vata, Pitta, Kapha
The sanskrit word Dosa translates into “that which can be imbalanced”. There are 3 dosas, or three energies believed to circulate in the body and govern physiological activity: Vata, ‘that which moves’; Pitta, ‘that which cooks’; Kapha, ‘that which nurtures’
In our consultation we will immediately establish your primary, secondary and tertiary Doshas. it’s imperative to know your bio-energetic balance as we move further ahead with your treatment plan.
Vata dosha is the Ayurvedic mind-body element associated with air and space. It’s light, cool, and dry in nature, and it governs all movement and processes in your mind and body—including processes like blood flow, elimination, breathing, and the movement of thoughts in your mind.
Kapha dosha is the Ayurvedic mind-body element associated with earth and water. It’s heavy, stable, sweet, and slow in nature, and it governs all stabilization nad formation of structures and lubrication in your mind and body—including holding the cells together and forming the muscle, fat, bone, and sinew. The primary function of Kapha is protection.
Pitta dosha is the Ayurvedic mind-body element associated with fire and water. It’s hot, sharp, and transformative in nature, and it governs all digestion, metabolism, and energy production in your mind and body—it controls how to digest foods, how to metabolize sensory perceptions and how to understand the difference between right and wrong. Pitta controls the essential digestive “Agni” or fire of the body in your mind.
gurvadi gunas
The 10 pairs of opposites that represent the qualities in all things around us: hot/cold, wet/dry, heavy/light, gross/subtle, dense/flowing, static/mobile, dull/sharp, soft/hard, smooth/rough, cloudy/clear.
By cultivating awareness of the qualities that are inherent in all life, you can begin to balance your body and mind
agni
Agni is the cornerstone of Ayurvedic healing. One of the many Sanskrit definitions of the word translates to Life or Ayur, and is defined as Agni or “Life-Fire”- the representation of the sacred essence of life which is our inner light that is ultimately immortal.
Ayurveda is a medicine of our inner being and recognizes fire of life, Agni, as the key to healing on a physical, emotional and energetic level. What this means is to achieve ultimate balance, ayurveda strongly suggests to first heal your digestive system before all else, as the gut-mind connection was established as the primary source of overall wellness over 5,000 years ago. (Take that, webMD!)
In our consultation together, we’ll first establish the current state of your digestion and explore the circumstances that lead you here, from the moment of your birth to the present day. As the story unfolds, the keys to your healing journey will be revealed.
sattva, rajas, & tamas
The Mahagunas: 3 energies or qualities (gunas) of mind that encompass all human nature: These three gunas are tamas (darkness & chaos), rajas (activity & passion), and sattva (balance & harmony)
Knowledge of your unique true nature helps you to have a deeper understanding of your psychological tendencies. Self-reflection through meditation and yoga asana stills the mind to allow you to shine your inherent light, gently raising your consciousness and planting seeds of balance.
“Ayurveda gives us the tools to lift the limitations of our minds and enter into the realm of unlimited potential.”
-Dr. Marc Halpern, Founder, California College of Ayurveda
Paths to Successful Health
breathwork
The sanskrit word Pranayama translates into: Prana, 'life force' or 'energy source' and Yama meaning 'control' or 'restraint'.
Slow rhythmic belly breathing, five to seven breaths per minute, activates a healing response in our body that leads to long-term health. One of the greatest benefits to cultivating our breathwork, is to balance the nervous system, which in turn regulates vital functions in our body.
nourishing foods
Enjoy the right foods for your constitution, eaten at the right time. Believe it or not, most people can digest gluten and dairy-but your digestion must first be functioning well. As your digestion is healed and balance is restored, you will be able to digest the foods you thought were off limits. Once you understand your needs, the building blocks of an Ayurvedic daily menu that fulfills your constitution’s requirements will fall into place.
meditation
Practicing daily connection to spirit, and stilling of the mind, is an instrumental part of returning home to yourself.
compassion
“Understanding and compassion are very powerful sources of energy. They are the opposite of stupidity and passivity. If you think that compassion is passive, weak, or cowardly, then you don't know what real understanding or compassion is. If you think you that compassionate people do not resist and challenge injustice, you are wrong. They are warriors, heroes, and heroines who have gained many victories. When you act with compassion, with nonviolence, when you act on the basis of nonduality, you have to be very strong. You no longer act out of anger. You do not punish or blame. Compassion grows constantly inside of you and you can succeed in your fight against injustice.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh
Our True Nature Is Divine
Our True Nature Is Divine
authenticity
Arriving at the understanding of where you stand in our cosmos, be filled with intention to show up as your true self.
fulfilling your dharma
Confusion, instability, and ungroundedness gives way to a erratic path on the journey to become You. Having ayurvedic tools lets you find ways to settle your mind and return to the flow, heading confidently in the direction of your soul’s passion and purpose, or your Dharma.