Conscious Eating, Seasonal Reset, & Daily Routine
Deepening Our Connection Through Dinacharya (Daily Routine)
The ungrounded modern lifestyle of rushing around and doing too much: wake up at the last possible moment, have a quick shower and coffee, run out the door, maybe a rushed breakfast while driving or walking, lunch at the work desk, then back home to veg out in front of the tv or on social media. This is an example of what happens when we let the day take us over.
It is in times like these that we must return to our roots and turn to the wisdom of the generations before us, for our ancient texts are truly an exemplification of a balanced, holistic life. Dinacharya or the Ayurvedic concept of the daily routine is one such ideal that is not only relevant today, but it is the need of the hour. Having a routine helps us be more efficient and positive, ensuring that the mind, body and spirit remain in balance.
Service & Support
I will provide you with guidance on establishing a daily routine that is unique to you. Through direct experience, you will witness, notice, and feel the power and impact of dinacharya and come to understand how important it is to take responsibility for how you conduct your life. Then life doesn't ever have to feel"overwhelming" as so many describe it today.
The role of a sound and grounded routine in daily living plays a large part in keeping vata calm, which will support the other doshas to stay balanced. Having a stable and grounded daily routine also supports agni in digesting life as well as food. Dinacharya entails following routine practices such as eating, sleeping, rising, and waking at appropriate times, proper exercise, avoiding daytime sleep, and avoiding late-night awakenings. Essentially, you’re recalibrating your nervous system to be connected with the natural rhythms of nature.
Looking for support with your daily routine? Learn how to structure your daily yoga practice according to your unique constitution and wellness needs. I will provide you with suggested breathwork (pranayama), postures (asana), cleansing techniques (kriyas), meditation, mudras, and mantras to start and end your day in a calm and relaxed way that is both personal and manageable.
Conscious Eating: Food As Medicine
Food and eating is how we connect to nature every day. Food is our main medicine. This is not just physical food, but anything we take in through the indriyas (five sense organs), including what we watch, listen to, smell, put on our skin and put in our mouth. The ahar, or diet, suggestions I will provide to you are the simplest, most powerful but sometimes the most challenging to execute. The attachments of the mind can have many layers of feelings and emotions around food and eating. The change from old ways offers an opportunity for growth. A gradual approach is very important!
The Sacred Act Of Eating: Healing Our Relationship To Food
. Connecting with the cycles and rhythm of nature is what supports us to feel good. Without that connection, we do not feel well. There are several health problems directly connected to our forgetting the sacred nature of eating. Eating mechanically and with disrespect and lack of reverence is not our natural state and creates cycles that inhibit vibrant health.
Imbalanced dosha(s) caused by poor diet bring imbalance to the mind, which then exacerbates problems with food and digestion. A regular eating schedule supports the body’s natural responses. Over time, following ahar and vihar and having meals that are reverent, regular and balanced for agni and our doshas will move us beyond compulsions and disease to freedom.
Food and eating are opportunities to honor the body which is our gift. Three components make up healthy digestive function, which is a significant part of ahar (diet). They are deepan (good appetite through strong agni), pachan (smooth digestion and elimination which assures proper nourishment of the bodily tissues) and anuloman (proper elimination first thing in the morning and two to four times daily with ease, depending on one’s constitution.
Service & Support
Home cooking doesn’t need to be complicated or stressful. I will introduce you to a simple framework to plan everyday meals so that you can stop wondering what to eat to stay healthy. You’ll feel empowered to cook nourishing meals that won’t cause imbalance in your body and mind.
You will learn & receive the following:
How to prepare/cook nourishing meals Ayurvedically using spices/herbs
How to stock your pantry & proper storage/cookware
A grocery list of spices, ingredients & more
How to eat consciously from beginning to end
A guidebook and recipes for you & the whole family
Useful tips & tricks for busy days and lunch preparations
A complimentary meal served fresh, organically, & in season
Seasonal “Reset”
Cleansing is ideally something to be done on a daily basis with balanced eating rather than waiting for a buildup. When balanced eating is taking place daily there is little, if any, accumulation of toxins and cleansing on a deeper level appropriate for the individual is done once or twice a year.
Kitchari “cleanses” have become trendy these days, but it is important not to view eating kitchari for several days as a temporary, quick-fix approach to health. When viewed in its original essence, Ayurveda provides a lifelong journey of balance, nourishment, and self-discovery that may include periods of detoxification. As I learned from my teacher with Hale Pule I like to introduce cleansing as a "reset" instead of “cleanse” to emphasize the transformational nature of a week of kitchari, which may or may not include detoxification depending on the person and their cellular environment.
The reset supports the alignment and recalibration of the entire being. Over the 5 years of practising Ayurveda, I have found benefit in the Āyurvedic approach of using food as medicine and gentle cleansing to help restore my digestion and get back on track to healthy habits. The change of season is a perfect time to commit to health, self-care, and feeling well.
Does a reset towards health and good habits sound like something you need too?
Āyurvedic cleanses have been used in India for many centuries to restore balance in the body and mind. It’s a way to improve your digestion and boost your immunity. When we don’t properly digest our foods, thoughts, or experiences—when we have poor digestion all around—it can lead to anxiety, foggy thinking, and lack of energy. Āyurvedic cleansing is more about nourishment than deprivation. The cleanse is detoxifying and rebalancing physically as well as emotionally and spiritually.
THE DETAILS
You will receive the information and guidance you need to partake in a whole-food, plant-based seasonal cleanse from the comfort of your own home. There is no fasting or expensive treatments, supplements, or shakes. You will be eating three nourishing meals a day.
SCHEDULE
We will have you choose a time that fits easily into your life. It’s designed for you, so will determine a date that works best. Here’s what the schedule looks like:
PRE-CLEANSE: PREPARE
Review the cleanse guide. Purchase supplies and prepare your kitchen. Set your intentions.
MAIN CLEANSE
Phase 1 Simplify (days 1-4): Enjoy three seasonally aligned plant-based meals per day. Incorporate daily self-care practices and relax into your routine.
Phase 2 Purify (days 5-7): Enjoy three meals per day of Ayurveda’s purifying and healing kitchari. If needed, you can shorten this phase to 1 day or lengthen it to 5 days.
Phase 3 Restore (days 8-10): Is for restoring and returning to the seasonally aligned meals of the first phase.
POST-CLEANSE: REINTEGRATE
Begin reintegrating a balanced diet step-by-step as you return to your daily activities with increased vitality.
One week before the start of the cleanse you’ll have access to all the materials you need to have a successful cleanse.
OTHER THINGS TO EXPECT
The first four days of the cleanse are about eliminating and avoiding hard-to-digest foods—including caffeine, alcohol, sugar, raw foods, and flesh foods— and upgrading to more health-giving foods, like maple syrup instead of white sugar. You’ll also set intentions, and learn Āyurvedic self-care rituals, as well as how to set up a sacred kitchen.
During phase two, the main cleanse, you’ll eat purifying meals with seasonal vegetables and continue with your Āyurvedic self-care rituals. Reducing sensory stimulus and slowing down so you can proceed with a lot of intentionality is recommended.
Finally, during phase three you’ll follow a step-by-step protocol for introducing foods back into your diet. You’ll have worked hard to reduce and eliminate certain foods, which you may decide not to reintroduce.
Please note, many people feel that they cannot give up coffee. You’ll still benefit from the cleanse without giving it up, but it’s recommended that you try. To wean yourself, you may consider reducing your coffee by one tablespoon a day.
Please also note that there are times when a cleanse is not suitable. If you have an acute illness (flu, cancer, etc.) it will be too taxing for your system. If you’re pregnant or nursing you won’t want toxins excreted via your breast milk. If you have questions about whether this cleanse is appropriate for you, email me and consult with your primary care provider.
See price details on the service page***
If you want more connectedness with your eating and daily living practices, please reach out. I offer a free 15-minute consultation so we can discuss your needs and can answer any questions you may have about teen counselling services.