Herbs, Spices and Seasonings for the Doshas

The following are lists of the most favourable spices for each of the doshas or doshic combinations:

                               

Vata: almond extract, anise, asafoetida, basil, bay leaf, black cumin, black pepper, caraway, cardamom, chilli pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, curry powder, dill leaves or seed, fennel, garam masala, ginger (dried or fresh), kudzu, mango powder, mustard seeds, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, peppermint, pippali, rosemary, saffron, sage savory, spearmint, tamarind, tarragon, thyme, turmeric, vanilla.

Vata/Pitta: basil (fresh), black cumin, black pepper, caraway, cardamom, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, garam masala, kudzu, mint, orange peel, peppermint, saffron, sandalwood chips, spearmint, tamarind, turmeric, vanilla, wintergreen.

Vata/Kapha: allspice, anise, asafoetida, basil, bay leaf, black cumin, black pepper, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, curry powder, dill leaves, eucalyptus, fennel, garam masala, garlic (cooked), ginger (dried), mace, marjoram, mint, mustard seeds, nutmeg, onion (dried), orange peel oregano, paprika, parsley, peppermint, poppy seeds, rosemary, saffron, sage, savory, spearmint, star anise, tamarind, tarragon, thyme, turmeric, vanilla.

Pitta: black cumin, cilantro, coriander, cumin, curry leaves, dill leaves, fennel, kudzu, mint, peppermint, saffron, spearmint, turmeric, wintergreen.

Pitta/Vata: basil (fresh), black cumin, black pepper, caraway, cardamom, coriander, cumin, dill leaves, fennel, garam masala, kudzu, mint, orange peel, peppermint, saffron, spearmint, tarragon, turmeric, vanilla, wintergreen.

Pitta/Kapha: black cumin, black pepper, coriander, cumin, curry leaves, dill leaves, fennel, garam masala, kudzu, mint, orange peel, parsley, peppermint, rose water, saffron, spearmint, turmeric wintergreen

Kapha: ajwan, allspice, anise, asafoetida, basil, bay leaf, black pepper, caraway, cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, curry leaves, curry powder, dill (leaves or seeds), eucalyptus, ginger (dried), garlic, garam masala, horseradish, hot peppers, marjoram, mustard seeds, neem leaves, nutmeg, onion, orange peel, oregano, paprika parsley, peppermint, pippali, rosemary, saffron, sage, spearmint, star anise, tarragon, thyme, turmeric.

Kapha/Vata: allspice, anise, asafoetida, basil, bay leaf, black cumin, black pepper, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds, cumin, curry powder, dill leaves, eucalyptus, funugree, garam masala, garlic (cooked), ginger (dried or fresh), mace, marjoram, mint, mustard seeds, neem leaves, nutmeg, onion (dried), orange peel, oregano, paprika, parsley, peppermint, rosemary, saffron, sage, savory, spearmint, star anise, tarragon, thyme, turmeric.

Kapha/Pitta: allspice, anise, bay leaf, black cumin, black pepper, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, curry leaves, curry powder, cumin, dill (leaves or seed), garam masala, garlic (cooked), horseradish, mace, marjoram, mint mustard seeds, nutmeg, orange peel, oregano, paprika, parsley, peppermint, pippali, rosemary, saffron, sage, spearmint, star anise, tarragon, thyme, turmeric, vanilla, wintergreen.

Tridosha (VPK=): black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, coconut, coriander, cilantro, cumin, dill (leaves or seeds), fennel, garlic (cooked), ghee, ginger (cooked), ginger (fresh), lemon, mint leaves, mustard, nutmeg, orange peel, parsley, rose water, saffron, sea salt, tamarind, tarragon, turmeric, vanilla, wintergreen.

Contribution from www.satkiana.com
Learn more on practical awakening course www.bhuvaneswari.ca

Do you know your 9 emotions ?

  What are Rasas?

The 9 Rasas are the essential aspects or energies that define a set of emotions or moods that belong to the same “family”.  The resulting emotions (Bhavas) manifest in many varieties and their understanding is affected by personal and cultural backgrounds.  When a rasa is present for some time, its energy affects the body and mind in such a way that one of the  members of its family of emotions is manifested.  The tantric tradition recognizes 9 Rasas that relate to quite clearly defined basic moods or emotions.

The 9 Rasas

Sanskrit	Principal Meaning	Further Meanings and Related Emotions
Shingara Hasya Adbhuta Shanta Raudra Veerya Karuna Bhayanaka Vibhatsa	Love Joy Wonder Calmness Anger Courage Sadness Fear Disgust	Beauty, Aesthetic sentiment, Devotion Humour, Laughter, Sarcasm Curiousity, Astonishment, Mystery Peace, Relaxation, Rest Violence, Irritation, Stress Heroism, Determination, Confidence Compassion, Pity, Sympathy Terror, Anxiety, Nervousness, Worry Depression, Dissatisfaction, Self-Pity

Growing into infinity

I had never noticed the background voices  still actively present in my mind of my biological parents until I had children. I found myself repeating the same sentences and patterns  that my parents used in dealing with  me. Luckily enough I had a lovely relationship with them and did not feel that passing it on to my own children would be detrimental to them. However, it was not me, my role as a mother was somehow cluttered by a previous point of reference leaving me with less room to explore my identity as a mother.

Later on I started noticing that the voices where interfering in other areas of my relationships and choices I made in life. It did not matter that I  lived away from them or even that one of them had passed away The truth was that they were still living with me and acting through my mind.

As the process of energetic disengagement starts to be conscious and supported by specific meditations, this voice begins to be more distant They took a position of a background giving a certain flavor to the mind, but not directing my choices or my right to explore my own identity.

The magic however of this work, is that as the influence of the biological voices which were debilitating my actions was removed a more wide awareness entered into my path. Using my daily practice as a vehicle I got more and more in contact with my spiritual parents. It was at first not a concept, but the feeling and knowing that I was carried, protected and loved with the same dedication compassion and forgiveness that my biological parents had with me. However something was different, something was wider, something put me in a plane of expansion.

The sky became the roof of my home .outside in nature ,my living room.

I slowly realized that  I was becoming a citizen of the world, that I was safe, and that everything was supplied to me in the moment that I needed it. I felt embraced and contained enough to explore my life choices and to learn step by step it”s lessons.

I also realized that this conscious ceremony to disengage from our biological parents is a practice that has being lost in our culture. From primitive times  young boys and girls had a ceremony of passage which took them from childhood into young adulthood. They were celebrated, honored and given different responsibilities in their community.   This ceremony of acknowledgement  gave them the inner pride to be initiated into their own life.

RA ceremony gives us a perspective of the contract which we have made with your biological parents, some experiences may be painful, some satisfying but both offer an attachment that we sooner or later have to deal with .

RA offers a universal perspective that we as individuals have guides and support systems. Just to know I had been unconditionaly mothered on a bigger level relaxed my whole being.

I usually invite teens to do this ceremony, however it is open to any one interested in exploring their own identity as well as experiencing the bigger picture of being a child of the universal community. I also invite to this ceremony people that are dealing with feelings of being unsupported ,abandoned, and not being grounded. People with strong attachment to parents or insecurities to be living on earth can also benefit from this simple, powerful and beautiful full day ceremony.

May your soul stand in it own brilliance, power and beauty. And may you be a source of awareness that we are not alone in this universe, that we are loved passionately, compassionately and constantly.

Turmeric and Honey Immune Booster

This is very popular paste in the Bioenergetics community. Not only because of it's medicinal properties or it's taste but for the quick preparation. Children love it too ! Thank you Satkiana for your contribution.

1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp honey
put turmeric in a small bowl and add honey.  Chant OM, or something that invokes healing for you, while you mix this healing combination into a paste.  Mix in a counter clock-wise direction.  Put mixture onto your tongue and swallow with a glass of warm, pure water.

The Healing Power of Sleep and Dreams

  We spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping

Most people don’t pay much attention to this nightly activity, other then realizing it is necessary for functioning well in your waking life.  You may shrug-off your dreams as just peculiar movie scenes presented to you during sleep.  The reality is, we spend 1/3 of our lives sleeping.  Do you want to ignore 1/3 of your life?

Are you sleeping?

Many people lie in bed at night, wide awake and frustrated at their inability to fall asleep.  They feel tired, perhaps irritable and have difficulty thinking clearly the next day.  There are many reasons for insomnia, including the following:

·      Stress

·      Worry

·      Over-stimulated nervous system

·      Consuming stimulants, like caffeine

·      High Vata (too much air element makes us spacey

·      Exercising before bed

There are also many natural and nurturing remedies for insomnia, taken from the ancient Ayurvedic texts.  A few of these peaceful slumber rituals are as follows:

·      Wash your feet with warm water and rub them with warm sesame oil before bed.  If sesame oil is too heating, you can use coconut oil, which is more cooling, (for those hot-blooded Pitta types).

·      Sleep with your head facing east and toes facing west.  This provides a restful meditative sleep, as the head is pointing in the sun’s direction

·      Sleep on your right side.  This blocks off your right nostril, so that you can breathe in the lunar energy through your left nostril.  The lunar energy is calming and peaceful to the mind and body.

·      No intense mental activities for 2 hours prior to sleeping.

·      Sleep in a dark, clean and well-ventilated room.

·      Meditate before bed.  This quiets your mind and prepares you for a more restful sleep.

Dreams are the language of the subconscious mind

The subconscious mind records the imprints of all of the days' activity.  The subconscious mind speaks to us in our dreams through iconography.  In dream time, the subconscious mind has the opportunity to release some of its accumulated load.  Have you ever noticed that you might see something during your day, like a pair of blue glasses, left on the table in the lunch room at work, and then in your dream that night, the blue glasses show-up?  This happens all of the time.  Our subconscious mind takes in the imprint of the blue glasses and discharges this in our dream state. 

The dreamer is the dream

Dreams are created by our subconscious mind and are for us to see ourselves more clearly.  Everything in the dream is a reflection of our selves.  Even the blue glasses!  Each icon has a personal meaning for us.  Blue glasses might mean “cool, clear vision” to me and to you something entirely different.  So, I could ask myself, “What am I getting a cool clear vision of in my life?”  Exploring the language of our dreams can help us to learn the art of self-inquiry.  This is the self-questioning process that enables us to go deep inside ourselves to decipher more clearly who and what we are not.  It brings us closer to the truth of who we really are, our divine nature.

Sleep is for healing

Dreams are an interesting exploration and there is an excellent method for self-inquiry into our dreams that is taught as part of the Sleep and Dreams course.  The true importance of sleeping is not dreaming though. 

Sleep is meant as an opportunity for deep healing.  Dreamless sleep is the ultimate state.  Dreams can take a lot of our energy.  Have you had the experience of waking-up from an intense dream, feeling emotional and exhausted?  Excessive dreaming depletes our energy, both mentally and physically.   When our mind is more meditative and silent during sleep, the body has the opportunity to regenerate cells and relax deeply.  That is why the last thoughts we have before we go to bed are so important.  We carry them into our sleep.  So, meditate, read a beautiful text, such as the poet Rumi or chant a mantra before drifting into slumber. 

Further examination of 1/3 of your life

Bhuvanewari and Satkiana have devoted an entire book and course to the study and experiential exploration of dreams.  You will explore sleep and dreams through the science of Ayurveda, Yoga, Shamanism and Bioenergetics.  This course is a must for the spiritual seeker who sleeps.  Advanced yogis who do not sleep are exempt!

Dream iconography course starts Tuesday Nov 2 in Ottawa.

www.bhuvaneswari.ca

www.satkiana.com