Greta Kent-Stoll

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

greta.ayurveda@gmail.com

Good To Come Home

Happy New Year! Though Christmas travels only carried me as far as the well-watered deserts of Palm Springs and the snow-capped mountain hamlet of Idyllwild, this first week of January has truly felt like a process of landing.
New Year’s Day is one of my favorite days of the year because it represents a pause–one year has ended and a new year begins. Yet that new year is suspended in its nascent stages–in a state of peace, nakedness, and innocence. Rather than cluttering 2016 with willful plans and wild ambitions, as this new year commences I invite you to enjoy the spaces between. Come home and witness with amusement your perfect imperfection.
Ayurveda (the traditional medicine of India) teaches that healing wisdom already exists in each of us. We are not to become something or someone else, but rather to be a more clear and pure reflection of our deeper, higher selves. That process of polishing means hard work and austere measures at times. It also requires rest and nourishment, and most importantly sustainable practices. 
 
I am not going to sell you on a New Year’s cleanse or a get fit quick scheme. Instead, I encourage you to engage and delight in the study of that complex animal called YOU. Ayurveda offers a sound and time-tested road map for this process of self-inquiry and self-healing. 
Journey to the center of you! Visit my page “Ayurvedic Medicine Services” for information on Ayurvedic consultations and Abhyanga.

Your Ayurvedic Travel Kit

The holiday season is a popular time for travel. Whether you are jetting off to exotic locales or paying a yearly visit to your Aunt Mildred in Oklahoma, a few simple self-care routines will make the trip a whole lot more pleasant! These are my Ayurvedically informed don’t-leave-home without-it travel essentials!
1. Travel neti pot: A daily practice of Jal Neti (rinsing the nasal passage with salt water) not only helps clear allergens, it also clears the mind and strengthens your nervous system! You can purchase a plastic neti pot for safer travel and be sure to only use purified water.
2. Nasya oil: A lot of people skip this step! After jal neti, follow up by oiling the nostrils and nasal passages. This prevents dryness, which can lead to more irritation. I love Banyan Botanicals Nasya oil http://www.banyanbotanicals.com/info/ayurvedic-living/living-ayurveda/lifestyle/how-to-do-nasya/. It contains herbs to clear and strengthen the nervous system and smells like Eucalyptus. Check out the “how to” video on the link!
3. Triphala: An essential for your herbal pharmacopeia! Taken in the proper doses, Triphala can treat and prevent the range of tummy (and intestinal) troubles. Consult your local Ayurvedic Practitioner to learn the proper dosage for you. I like Organic India’s:
4. Grapefruit seed extract: This is your natural anti-biotic so use sparingly! It has a powerful anti-microbial action, but if you feel like you are coming down with a bug, it will kill what ails you. Wormwood tincture works nicely too!
5. Abhyanga oil: A daily whole-body application of warm oil will give you grounding, nourishment, and subtle protection. Sesame, almond, or coconut oil works nicely depending on your constitutional type. Apply, let is sink in for 20 min, and rinse! Your troubles will roll off like water off a duck’s back!

Herb of the Month: Lemon Balm

Although the coldest winter you ever spent may have been a summer in San Francisco, for the rest of the Northern Hemisphere we are moving into the warmer season, a time ruled by Pitta, the fire dosha. Pitta types run warmer–physically, mentally, and emotionally. Therefore, Pitta season is the summer season. Especially if you have a lot of Pitta in your constitution, it is important to take measures to cool off as the weather heats up. Lemon balm is a pleasant herb for such purposes. It is delightful to smell and taste and though it’s initial flavor is hot, sweet, and distinctively lemony, it’s overall effect on the body is cooling. It is also mildly calming to the nerves, helps settle the stomach, and can help induce sweating (leading to further cooling off). You can take lemon balm as a tincture, but if you pick the leaves fresh it makes a great tea. You can also used dried leaves for a tea. Lemon balm loves the sun, so if you grow it at home, give it as much direct sunlight as possible (up to 5 hrs. a day). For a refreshing summer tea, combine fresh lemon balm leaves with fresh mint leaves, steep for an hour, and enjoy at room temperature.

LemonBalm6:24:15

Herb of the Week: Ashwagandha

For those versed in Ayurveda and herbology, I imagine Ashwagandha would make it on the short list of herbs to take if stranded on a desert island. This warm and nourishing herb has a powerful tonifying effect and is a panacea for Vata disorders. Ashwagandha is a nervine tonic and nervine sedative, a muscle tonic, a respiratory tonic, boosts male libido, and is considered adaptogenic–meaning it helps us resist stress. It is warm and slightly oily, hence its value in balancing Vata. (Vata is aggravated by anything light, dry, cold, and mobile…think salad and air travel in the winter). If you suffer from weakness, anxiety, burnout, or a sleep disorder, Ashwagandha may be a good herb for you. You can take it in tincture form for a faster effect on the nervous system. If you are looking to build or repair tissue, take it in whole powdered form (you can mix it in hot water or warm milk or take as a capsule). Ashwagandha combines nicely with other tonic herbs such as Shatavari and Gotu Kola. If you have a lot of Pitta in your constitution, use caution because this herb does have a heating effect.