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!