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?