Christmas

 Now it's soon Christmas again - a wonderful time for socialising and pleasant company. But it can also be a health challenge with unhealthy foods, irregular habits and perhaps stress, conflicts and disappointments. So to have a healthy, Ayurvedic and Merry Christmas, here are some tips:

• Try to avoid Christmas stress and performance anxiety. Your loved ones probably would rather want you to be rested, happy and pleasant than the home being well-cleaned, perfectly decorated, or all the accessories in the Christmas food are included.

• Feel free to eat good Christmas food and make sure you eat it in peace and quiet and really enjoy it. But do not overeat and above all try to avoid eating between meals but instead eat hearty meals at regular times.

• Many parts of the Christmas food can be really healthy. Gingerbread cookies made from natural, organic products with raw sugar instead of white sugar are not bad. Rice porridge made from organic, non-homogenised milk is also good. Nuts are nutritious and healthy, especially walnuts and peeled almonds. Dates, figs and raisins are also good, at least if they are soaked or fresh. And there is much else as well.

• You can also replace traditional products with healthier ones. For example, fried slices of swede with mustard are delicious as an alternative to ham.

• The traditional Christmas spices ginger, cloves, cinnamon, saffron etc., are not only good in gingerbread. They are also perfect in stews, porridge, soups etc. They help to make food more digestible and strengthen the body's functions.

• Drink warm water between meals; it facilitates digestion.

• Also, try to bring in some spirituality. Originally, Christmas is actually a religious holiday, almost forgotten in commercialism, food and Christmas presents.

• Take care of yourself and your loved ones, spread kindness, joy, peace and light.

Wishing you an absolutely wonderful Christmas

Asthi - bones

 Asthi is the fifth tissue according to Ayurveda. It corresponds to bones, cartilage, hair and nails. Having strong legs is vital for the quality of life, not least in old age. And many, especially women, suffer from osteoporosis, which often leads to bone fractures and reduced mobility. In Ayurvedic terms, above all, excess in vata breaks down the bones. But the bone tissue is a living tissue that is constantly being replaced and built up. Therefore, ama, impurities, are also a threat to bone health, inhibiting the regeneration process. We also need nutrition, especially calcium and vitamin D are essential. Finally, exercise is absolutely crucial for bone health. The tissues that are not used are broken down, so inactivity is the single biggest threat to healthy bones. To get healthy and strong bones, nails and hair, you can think of the following:

• Exercise regularly. Particularly 'bumpy' exercise such as running or aerobics with jumping is good for strengthening the skeleton.

• Make sure you get enough vitamin D. The best source is the sun, but in Sweden, the sun is not high enough to produce vitamin D during the winter. Therefore, it may be helpful to supplement with supplements.

Calcium is also important, so include calcium-rich foods in your diets such as sesame seeds, tahini, broccoli, peeled almonds, fresh asparagus and dairy products.

• Especially for women, it can also be good to include soy products as they contain phytoestrogens which can counteract age-related weakening of the bone tissue.

• Live a regular life, do not skip meals and go to bed early.

• Doing oil massage, abhyanga, is beneficial.

• Do yoga and meditate.

• Try to avoid stress.

Good luck!

Autumn

 Now it's autumn again - whether we like it or not. During the autumn, we enter this year's vata time. It is the time when nature goes to rest to be able to wake up and grow again in the spring. Then it's also time for us to take it a little calmer. Vata is created by the elements space and wind. It is light, cold, mobile and rough. The keywords for balancing vata are therefore rest, warmth and regularity. Here are some tips to get a healthy and comfortable autumn and winter with vata in balance.

• Keep regular times, especially for food and sleep. Go to bed early in the evening and eat your main meal in the middle of the day, do not skip meals.

• Favour hot, well-cooked food. Soups, stews and porridge are good.

• Drink hot drinks - never cold.

• Exercise is good, but during this time, it can be good to take it a little calmer. Feel free to exercise regularly but do not exert yourself and make sure you get enough recovery.

• Try to avoid cold. Avoid drafts indoors and dress warmly when you go out, especially if it is windy. In particular, protect your ears, neck, abdomen and feet.

• Oil massage, abhyanga, is one of the most effective ways to balance vata. Oil (of good quality) is the most vata-suppressing substance, and since vata is related to the touch, massage and touch are very beneficial.

• Vata is also related to hearing, so listening to beautiful (preferably calm) music or Vedic recitation is very good. But avoid noise.

• Stress is not good for vata, so try to take it easy, do not have too great demands on yourself and do not take on too many tasks. Prioritize your well-being. Think about what exactly you feel good about, and make sure to get it in your life.

Meda - Fat

 Meda is the fourth tissue according to Ayurveda. It corresponds mainly to the adipose tissue but also to the endocrine system - i.e. our hormones. Fat is essential as an energy reserve, insulation, shock absorption and for hormones. In addition, the brain consists mainly of fat as well as the membranes around all our cells. Thus, we need fat, but today there is something of an obesity epidemic, and more and more people around the world (even in developing countries) are today overweight. The reason is partly poor diet and lack of exercise but also other factors especially stress are an important cause. The stress hormones cause the digestion to shut down, and when it does not work, slag products are formed, and the body encapsulates them in fat to protect itself. To keep your balance, you should therefore:

Of course, think about what you eat and do not eat too much fatty foods and avoid white sugar as much as possible.

• But at least as important is how you eat. Always eat in peace and quiet, sitting, alone or with people you like. Focus on the food and enjoy it. Avoid mobile phones, computers, reading and talking too much when eating.

• Use spices in food. Cardamom is especially good for meda.

• Eat until you are properly satiated - do not overeat. And do not eat between meals.

• Reduce or avoid meat. It contains saturated fat, largely consisting of long, complex fatty acids that are difficult for the body to handle. Dairy products are better in this respect because they contain a more significant proportion of shorter saturated fatty acids, which can be beneficial for health.

Use only pure fats such as olive oil, rapeseed oil, coconut oil and ghee. Avoid margarine and lard.

• Eat the food hot, then digestion works better and above all, never drink cold drinks with the food.

• Feel free to eat a lot of vegetables and fruit.

• Exercise regularly in any way you like so that it gets done.

• Avoid sitting still for long periods during the day.

• Meditate and do yoga to deal with stress.

• Try to live in a relaxed way overall and do what you enjoy. When you are happy and feel good, digestion also works better; you become less stressed and therefore get less excess fat.

Good luck!

Mamsa - muscles

 Mamsa is the third tissue in the body, according to Ayurveda. It corresponds to the muscle tissue in the body. This includes the entire skeletal muscle system but also the heart and the organs that contain smooth muscle such as intestines, blood vessels, bladder and uterus. In a healthy body, up to half (depending on age and gender) of the body mass consists of muscle tissue, so keeping it fresh and healthy is important. Mamsa is most damaged by inactivity and improper diet that creates sticky ama and clogs. To keep mamsa healthy and strong, here is some advice.

• Exercise! Unused muscles wither. Especially when we start to get older, we must keep exercising because otherwise, the muscles will gradually break down. It is important to practice traditional strength training. Proper training, mainly with free weights, in a proper gym according to a training program designed by a knowledgeable trainer is best. Basic exercises that engage the major muscle groups should be the core of the program. But it is also important to train fitness, especially for the heart, which is also a muscle. Running, cycling, and skiing are good options here. The main part of the cardio training should take place at a leisurely pace, but it should also include some tougher workouts where you really get your heart rate up. Then it is also important with recovery, so you should not train hard too often. 

• Do not eat too much hard-digested food; it easily leads to the formation of impurities that clog the body's channels, which means that the muscles are not nourished and, thus, broken down. Many people who exercise eat a lot of meat because they believe that meat, which is the animals' muscle mass, will help them build muscle. It is, in fact, the opposite. A lot of meat interferes with digestion and causes the body to put on fat and not absorb the nutrients in a good way. However, it is important to eat enough protein (even if you do not need as copious amounts as some people think). But it is better to get it from vegetarian sources (such as beans, lentils and quinoa), dairy products and possibly fish. At least red and processed meat is good to avoid.

• Amla berries stimulate the muscles. Maharishi Ayurveda produces special amla tablets that are concentrated and refined according to careful methods and are particularly good. Fresh dates are also said to be good for the muscles.

• Sleep is also vital. It is mainly during sleep that the muscles are built up while they are broken down during the day. Deep sleep, in particular at the beginning of the night, is important since it is then that growth hormone is secreted. So be sure to get to bed early.

• The stress hormone cortisol has a destructive effect on muscles. Therefore, try to avoid stress. Yoga and meditation are brilliant help for that. Live in a way that you enjoy doing things that you enjoy, hang out with people you like and do not care so much about performance requirements and what others think. It is good for the muscles and for everything else in life

Good luck!

Summer

 Now that summer is here, it is pitta-dosha that dominates in nature. Pitta is the only hot dosha. It is related to the elements fire and water. In the body, it corresponds to all transformation and conversion processes, for example, in the digestion, in the muscles and in the mitochondria. It is also connected to the visual sense. Pitta gives energy, sharpness and focus. But in imbalance, it can make us overheated - both mentally and physically. In addition to heat, pitta is sensitive to stress and impurities of various kinds. To keep pitta in balance, keep the following in mind, especially now during the summer or if you have a lot of pitta in your basic constitution or imbalances in pitta:

• Live regularly, especially when it comes to food. Do not skip meals!

• Do not use too strong spices, but preferably mild spices such as cardamom, coriander and mint.

• Avoid red meat and alcohol.

• Eat juicy, sweet fruits such as pears, melons and grapes. Coconut is also good.

• Drink plenty of water, warm or at room temperature, not cold.

• Eat organic as much as possible.

• Roses are good for pitta; enjoy their beauty and scent - and feel free to eat (organic) rose petal paste.

• Do yoga and meditate.

• Everything does not have to be perfect - neither you nor your fellow human beings. Be understanding and forgiving - towards others and towards yourself.

• Avoid stress. Try to relax now during the summer. Do not sit too much in front of screens, instead be out in the beautiful nature - laugh and play.

Have a wonderful summer!

Rakta

 Rakta is the second tissue, according to Ayurveda. It corresponds to the blood - especially the red blood cells - and the bile. The blood carries nutrients and oxygen to all parts of the body, and a rich blood flow is among the most important things that exist for good health. Rakta is affected by our lifestyle, food, and, to a large extent, our emotions. To keep rakta and thus the blood healthy, you can think of the following:

• Do not eat too much strong, acidic or salty foods.

• Do not skip meals.

• Eat sweet, juicy fruits such as pears, apples, grapes and melons.

• Juicy vegetables such as squash and cucumber are also good.

• Use turmeric in cooking.

• Avoid alcohol, tobacco, drugs and synthetic additives in food.

• Drink plenty of water, make sure it is clean and fresh and not cold.

• Roses are good for our emotions, enjoy their beauty and feel free to eat (organic) rose petal pasta.

• Go to bed early.

• Do not expose yourself to negative emotional impressions in the form of violent films or other media.

• Meditate and do yoga regularly.

• Avoid conflicts and negative people, be forgiving and compassionate and enjoy loving fellowship with those you love.

Good luck!

Rasa

 Rasa is the first of the seven tissues that Ayurveda describes. Rasa is usually translated as plasma, and it mainly corresponds to the blood plasma and the nutrients and the enzymes that are transported by it. Problems with rasa can cause both overweight and underweight as well as fatigue, wrinkles, nausea and aches. The problems are usually caused by digestion not working so well. This may be because you eat too much or too little or skip meals and eat at irregular times. It is especially harmful to eat before you have had time to digest the previous meal. Stress is also an influencing factor. To keep rasa in good shape,  keep the following in mind:

• Eat only when you are hungry and not more than until you are comfortably satisfied. Then wait to eat until you are hungry again. At the same time, you should have regular times for your meals and not skip any of them. It may sound contradictory, but if you maintain a good regularity and eat suitable amounts, the body will adjust so that you are hungry just when it is time for food.

• Eat juicy fruits and vegetables.

• Drink plenty of water - hot or at room temperature, never cold.

• Do not stress too much, avoid too much mental work, meditate and do yoga regularly.

• Try to do oil massage, abhyanga, regularly.

Good luck!

 According to Ayurveda, in addition to the three doshas,  our bodies are made up of seven tissues - dhatus. These are (simply put):

1. Rasa - plasma

2. Straight - blood

3. Mamsa - muscles

4. Meda - fat

5. Asthi - bone tissue

6. Majja - bone marrow

7. Sukra - reproductive tissues.

They are formed sequentially, so f we have blockages in one of the tissues and it will also lead to problems in the tissues that are further down the list. Therefore, digestion is absolutely central to the formation and maintenance of healthy tissues. For digestion, it is important to eat warm, well-cooked food that is not too hard to digest and eat in peace and quiet - sit down, do nothing else in the meantime and chew properly. One should eat the main meal in the middle of the day, never eat at night, never drink cold drinks with food and really enjoy the food. I will return with a little more detailed advice on how to keep each of the tissues healthy and strong.

Dried fruit

 Dried fruit is a good way to add nutritious nutrients, according to Ayurveda. But you should not eat them "raw" because then they absorb fluids and cause obstructions in the digestive system. Instead, you should either soak them, for example, overnight or boil them. Cooking dried fruit together with fresh fruit, nuts and spices creates a tasty and healthy dessert :)

 All the food we eat affects the different doshas in one way or another. But it can be difficult to keep track of what effects everything has. The taste can be a clue. The different flavours affect the doshas as follows:

• Sweet (not only what we usually think of as sweet but also rice, cereals, milk, etc.) raises kapha but lowers vata and pitta

• Sour raises pitta and kapha but lowers vata

• Salt raises pitta and kapha but lowers vata

• Hot (spicy) raises vata and pitta but lowers kapha

• Bitter (eg leafy vegetables) raises vata but lowers pitta and kapha

• Astringent (e.g. some nuts and beans and not fully ripe bananas) raises vata but lowers pitta and kapha

The taste does not give the whole picture because there is also the aftertaste that can be different and other qualities such as the heaviness of the food, oiliness etc. But it can be a good start.

 Now the wonderful spring is here and for me, it means that the running season begins. This year I have the ambition to focus more on yogic running. I should do that as an Ayurveda consultant and yoga teacher, shouldn't I :) What does that mean then? There does not seem to be any unambiguous definition or generally accepted knowledge about it. But based on my experience of yoga, I think like this:

• It must be comfortable. In Maharishi Yoga, the concept of pleasant steadiness is used as a prerequisite for a position to be a yoga asana. Thus, yogic running should be a state of pleasant dynamics.

• Awareness is probably important. In Maharishi Yoga, attention is allowed to rest easily on the parts of the body that are stretched. Similarly, attention should probably rest on the dynamic activity that the body performs.

• In Bhagavad-Gita, we are advised to "established in yoga, perform action", ie. established in the silent pure consciousness which is the basis of everything, one performs actions which then automatically become right. In the same way, I think of yogic running as an activity where the body is dynamically active while the mind is established in silence - a bit like the eye of the storm which is the still point around which all activity revolves. The activity comes from silence.

• To be able to achieve this, it is of course important to supplement with yoga and meditation.

This is how far I have come so far. What do you think?

 Now that spring is in full swing, we have entered the period dominated by kapha-dosha. Therefore, balancing kapha is vital, especially if you have a lot of kapha in your basic constitution or an imbalance in kapha. Kapha is heavy, cold and sluggish. In balance, it gives strength, perseverance and affection. In imbalance, it can lead to inertia, lethargy, greed and ailments such as colds, allergies, obesity, diabetes and more. Some keywords to balance kapha are activity, warmth and stimulation. Here are some tips:

• Exercise. This is the part of the year when we can exercise the hardest. Exercise is one of the most effective ways to keep kapha in balance. Modern research also shows that spring is when we can most easily strengthen ourselves and build our muscles - it is also the time when children grow the fastest. Do something that you think is fun and that feels good but do not be afraid to make some effort.

• Be active in other respects as well. Engage in things that you enjoy.

• Stay warm. Avoid particularly humid cold.

• Food and drink should also be hot. Avoid cold foods and beverages. Drinking hot water during the day and at meals is a great habit.

• The food should not be too heavy.

• Use spices in food. All spices except salt are balancing for kapha. They also make the food tastier, and you should enjoy the food and eat in peace and quiet so that you feel when you are full and satisfied.

• Get up early in the morning, preferably before six o'clock. This also means that you have to go to bed early.

• Take the opportunity to enjoy the wonderful spring. Especially the scents of nature are beneficial for kapha, which is related to the sense of smell.

Have a wonderful spring :)

 Spices play a vital role in Ayurvedic medicine. They contain different types of intelligence that can balance imbalances and help us stay healthy. But it can be difficult to keep track of which spices help against what and how to use them. Therefore, the ready-made spice mixtures, so-called churnas, from Maharishi Ayurveda are a good help. They are ready-made
for all three doshas and are easy to use, either in cooking or as a table spice.

 Valentine's Day <3 Feel free to send some hearts to your loved ones - it may be extra needed this year. But also make sure to take care of your own heart, this great organ that throughout your long life pumps around about 10,000 litres of blood - every day! According to Ayurveda, the heart is not just a physical organ but the centre of our emotions and the seat of our self. The heart is related to pitta and especially the sub dosha sadhaka pitta. In my consultations, it is not uncommon for me to see imbalances there. They are often caused by sorrows and disappointments earlier in life. To keep your heart healthy and strong, here are some tips:

• Exercise - it is the one measure that most effectively prevents cardiovascular disease. Do something you like and enjoy. But make sure to get your heart rate up so that the heart can sense its power.

• Avoid stress. I know - it's easier said than done in today's society. But stress is one of the biggest threats to our heart. And sometimes we probably stress about things that may not really be that important - at least not more important than our heart.

• Do yoga and meditate. In particular, Transcendental Meditation, TM, has been shown to be effective in preventing cardiovascular disease.

• Avoid eating too heavy and indigestible food. And always eat in peace and quiet to digest the food properly, otherwise slag products are formed that contribute to atherosclerosis.

• Pineapple, lemon, lime, cardamom and black pepper are good for the heart. Include them in your diet.

• Roses are also perfect for the heart. Enjoy their beauty, their scent (e.g. in the form of aroma oils when you do not have fresh roses) and eat rose petal paste (organic).

• Sunlight also lights up the heart, especially the early morning sun. Sunshine on bare skin on the chest fills the heart with light. Maybe not so easy right now - but there will be a summer eventually.

• Be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to enjoy life - you deserve it, and that's really why we're here.

• Also spread love around you. Loving unselfishly is the best thing we can do for our emotional heart.

Happy Valentine <3

The pandemic and the immune system

 The second wave continues. What to do? First and foremost, you should, of course, follow the authorities’ advice: wash your hands, keep social distance, work from home if you can, etc. But what is also essential - especially in the long run - is to strengthen the immune system. The immune system determines the effects of the coronavirus (and all other pathogens) on us. Important things in this regard are:

• Sleep. Sleep is perhaps the single most important influencing factor on our immune system. So be sure to go to bed early and sleep in a dark, quiet room without screens.

• Exercise (when you are healthy). Do it in any way you like, but try to activate yourself aerobically (through, for example, running or cycling) as well as challenging the muscles through some form of strength training. Outdoor exercise can be nice, especially if the sun is shining.

• Food is, of course, important. The colon is one of the most critical parts of the immune system with all its good bacteria that protect us. Eat fresh, well-cooked food and make sure to eat in peace and calm and enjoy the food so that it is properly digested. Eat at regular times, and adjust the amount according to your hunger. Avoid cold foods and beverages.

• Some Ayurvedic herbal remedies strengthen the immune system, especially those containing amla, ashwagandha, brahmi and shatavari - and turmeric is always good to use in food.

• Vitamin D is vital for the immune system, and in Northern Europe, we often suffer from a lack of it because the sun is not strong enough to generate vitamin D during the winter. Therefore, it is good to supplement with supplements.

• Doing oil massage, abhyanga, on yourself is useful, but not if you are ill.

• Do not worry! Anxiety is in itself, damaging to the immune system. It’s a tough time we go through, but everything has a meaning, and everything will be fine in the end - I promise (and even if it doesn’t, worry does not help).

• Instead, make sure to pay attention to all the beauty in nature and in the world and appreciate the small pleasures of everyday life.

• Take the opportunity to do a lot of yoga and meditation. Now that we cannot go outwards, we can take the opportunity to go inwards instead and develop ourselves.

• In general, it can be good - now that we have to stop and cannot rush on as usual - to think about what is important in life - really.

Have a good time and take care of yourself!

Marma-points

 Your body is basically an intelligent system. The intelligence flows in energy channels called nadis in Ayurveda. They have certain central energy centres called marma points that are very important for our health. Many yoga exercises have the advantage of stimulating these marma points. This is why even seemingly simple practices can have very beneficial effects. For example, vajr asana (pictured) effectively stimulates several of the marma points found in the legs and feet.

Consciousness

 An important insight in Maharishi Ayurveda is that consciousness is primary, and matter is secondary. We are not chemical machines that have somehow learned to think, and consciousness has thus arisen. Instead, what basically exists is a field of consciousness, and it is from there that matter is created - including our bodies. Therefore, the most important thing for all health, happiness and success is to develop consciousness, both our individual consciousness and the collective consciousness - for example through meditation (TM in my case) and yoga.

Engelska

 Jag kommer i fortsättningen att gå över till att skriva på engelska i den här bloggen. Anledningen är att det jag skriver om är oftast av internationellt intresse (hoppas jag) och det vore kul att nå ut lite längre ut i världen. Hoppas att du vill fortsätta att följa mig. Om du vill läsa poster av mig på svenska så rekommenderar jag min facebook-sida https://www.facebook.com/ayurvedastefan där fortsätter jag att skriva på svenska :)

Kosttillskott

 Om du använder ayurvediska kosttillskott så var uppmärksam på deras kvalitet. Själv använder jag bara produkter från Maharishi Ayurveda. De är strikt kontrollerade. Forskning visar annars att många ayurvediska preparat år förorenade med tungmetaller. Speciellt preparat som köps i eller direkt från Asien där kontrollerna är mycket mindre finns det anledning att vara försiktig med.