Greta Kent-Stoll

Ayurveda and Iyengar Yoga with Greta—Ancient Wisdom for Modern Maladies

greta.ayurveda@gmail.com

Your Guide to an Ayurvedic Spring Cleanse

Spring is often linked to a sense of renewal. As the daylight hours stretch out longer, temperatures become warmer, and blossoms emerge, you may find yourself with a desire to engage in a spring cleanse or another ritual of renewal. Ayurveda offers gentle and time-tested methods for cleansing and resetting. An ayurvedic spring cleanse can be a fitting way to practice self-care and refresh your body and mind in preparation for the warmer months.

Ayurveda teaches that seasonal changeovers are the ideal time to cleanse, as your body is already in a transitional mode during those times. Early spring and early autumn are traditionally regarded as key times for purification practices. However, this depends a bit on the climate where you live. It is best not to cleanse in the middle of winter or during very cold times of the year, as the body is already weakened by the cold and needs extra reserves to stay healthy and strong.

However, when the season changes from winter to spring and there is a natural inclination to spend more time outdoors, eat lighter foods, and perhaps shed some of the excesses accumulated during winter, this is an ideal time to try an ayurvedic spring cleanse. Read the full article HERE!

Two Easy Chutney Recipes: Red and Green

Chutney…you can make it!! Spices, pickles, chutneys, and condiments certainly make food more flavorful and fun. Homemade chutneys are a great way to provide a flavor accent to your everyday dishes. Also, there are a plethora of easy chutney recipes that utilize a host of beneficial herbs, veggies, fruits, and spices. Every time I make chutney I remember how fun and simple it is and wonder why I don’t do it all the time. Here are two easy and delicious chutney recipes that are especially fitting for late winter and spring. Check out the full post on the Herbal Academy blog HERE!

Ayurvedic Diet: Four Foods To Eat In The Fall

Again and again, I am drawn back to the wisdom of Ayurveda. This is for many reasons, one being that Ayurveda has helped me to become more aware of, and in tune with, the seasons. The transition from summer to fall marks the changeover from pitta season to vata season. Fall is the time of year in which vata dosha, with its cool, light, dry, mobile nature is dominant. Summer, on the other hand, is dominated by pitta dosha. This change in season is the perfect time to adapt food and lifestyle choices to fit the climate. In this post I will outline some fall ayurvedic diet basics and I will discuss four delicious and fitting foods to enjoy at this time of year. So get cozy and dig in—it’s time to celebrate autumn! Read the full post HERE.

Balance Your Holiday Menu With Ayurvedic Six Tastes

Ayurveda teaches that all things in nature are made up of some combination of the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. This means that our bodies, the food we eat, the herbs that we benefit from, and even colors and aromas—are made of some combination of the five elements. This five-element paradigm is essential for understanding the three doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha). Also, Ayurveda has a unique way of looking at food, defining a balanced diet a bit differently than the Western model. In Ayurveda, all food is classified as having one or more of the six tastes: sweet, salty, sour, astringent, bitter, and pungent. We need all six tastes, but depending on one’s constitution, the current balance of the doshas, and the time of year, it is advisable to emphasize certain tastes and downplay others. 

Rather than approaching the use of tastes from a clinical angle, in this post I will take a festive and light-hearted approach and explore how to balance your holiday menu with the ayurvedic six tastes. Things can get fairly complex and heady when you start to examine how to classify foods by taste, the elements, and their impact on one’s constitution. So, for our purposes here, let’s keep it simple and light. (You probably don’t need more stress when it comes to planning a holiday menu!)

Read the full post HERE.