Ayurveda Holiday Survival Guide

[Guest guest]

I found this on Dr. Walt Stoll's bb... Can you really have enough

advice on how to survive the holidays?

Enjoy-

Misty.

http://www..com

 

 

Posted by Brown Babe on December 22, 2002 at 06:00:24:

 

The Ayurveda Holiday Survival Guide

 

It's the most wonderful time of the year, a magical time of parties,

feasts and generous gifts. So why do so many people feel stressed

when the holidays roll around?

 

" The mental pressure of spending too much money, making too many

decisions, and having too much to do causes Prana Vata to go out of

balance, " says Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra, Ayurvedic expert at

Maharishi Ayurveda. " Prana Vata is the subdosha of Vata that is

concerned with mental functioning. Aggravated Prana Vata can cause

excessive worry, anxiety and insomnia--thus making it difficult to

remain calm and make healthy decisions. It becomes a snowball

effect, with the person becoming more and more stressed and enjoying

the holidays less and less. "

 

Fortunately, Vaidya Mishra draws on the wisdom of Ayurveda to guide

us through this holiday season stress-free.

 

The Purpose of Holidays

 

Don't forget the true purpose of holidays, advises Vaidya Mishra. In

Sanskrit the word for holiday is " utsava, " which means jubilee,

festival day, opening, blossoming, joy, gladness, preparing to go to

a higher life, and the arising of a wish.

 

" Every holiday has a tradition, a history that explains the reason

for celebrating it, " says Vaidya Mishra. " Holidays are a

psychological tonic for the whole nation or region. " Christmas and

New Year should be a time of celebration, joy and renewal. As

another example, Vaidya Mishra remembers a story from the Ramayana,

one of the great epics of the Vedic literature. When Lord Rama

triumphantly returned to Ayodhya after vanquishing the demon Ravana,

he was immediately made king. He became so busy in his duties that

he and the citizens spent every day working to develop the kingdom.

One day his chief minister advised Lord Rama that he must not forget

the value of utsava to bring more happiness, joy, and renewal in the

life of his citizens. Taking this advice, Lord Rama organized a

special celebration to bring joy to the people.

 

" In daily life people are busy working and dealing with pressures, "

says Vaidya Mishra. " That's why in every culture, holidays provide a

necessary break. It's also the best time to enjoy your family and

friends, and to pray for those who are no longer with us. "

 

Set Priorities

 

The main solution to holiday stress is to pacify Prana

Vata. " Getting enough rest is the key to keeping your mind calm and

clear, " says Vaidya Mishra. " If you start losing sleep over holiday

pressures, it's time to stop and reassess your priorities. "

 

Going to bed well before 10:00 at night and rising early, by 6:00

a.m., goes a long way toward soothing Vata dosha. If you go to bed

on time but can't sleep because your mind is busy making gift lists.

Don't try to do everything. If your mind is calm, you're more likely

to make creative choices that favor keeping your family happy rather

than exhausted. Young children, for instance, might enjoy stringing

popcorn more than a long trip downtown to see the Nutcracker. Light

daily exercise is important for soothing Vata, so taking the family

on a hike or ice skating instead of a movie might be a better

choice. The less late-night events you schedule, the healthier your

holiday.

 

Don't skip your daily practice of Meditation® --you'll feel more

rested and think more clearly if you stick to your normal routine.

Worry Free tablets and Worry Free tea are targeted to calm Prana

Vata and settle your mind. Listening to the soothing rhythms and

melodies of Gandharva music can also help quiet and rejuvenate your

mind.

 

Try to plan ahead. Nothing can make you more frazzled than having to

buy last-minute gifts the day before guests arrive.

 

" Usually just making a gift list exhausts me, and so I put it all

off to the last minute, " says Jill, a tax consultant.

 

Prevent a Holiday Cold

 

" When Prana Vata goes out of balance it quickly affects other

subdoshas such as Samana Vata, which supports digestion, and Apana

Vata, which governs elimination, " says Vaidya Mishra. " If compounded

by eating too many sweets, skipping meals or eating late at night

during the holidays, the result can be the accumulation of ama, the

sticky waste-product of digestion. "

 

Ama can cause constipation, weight gain, and even a holiday cold or

flu. So how do you eat healthy and avoid getting sick or gaining

unwanted pounds?

 

" Eat at your normal time each day, " advises Vaidya Mishra. " Try to

plan your big holiday meals at noon. If you eat a feast at night,

you won't digest it properly and it will only create ama. "

 

Some people think if they skip lunch in order to go shopping,

they'll cut down on calories and avoid gaining extra holiday pounds.

Yet the opposite is true. " Skipping meals causes the digestive fire

to become irregular, and is a direct cause of ama and therefore

weight gain, " says Vaidya Mishra. " It's better to follow your normal

eating habits to keep your digestion regular. "

 

Eating a salad for lunch to cut calories is also not a good idea.

Vata dosha is light and cold by nature, so if you eat light, cold,

raw foods like salads and ice-cold beverages, you will only disrupt

your digestion and set the vicious cycle of more worry, indecision

and anxiety in motion for the holidays. When your digestion is

disrupted, you can become more susceptible to colds and flu as well.

It is better to stick with warm drinks and meals to balance the cool

Vata. Use Vata Churna and Vata Tea to provide the Vata-balancing

sweet, sour and salty tastes. Other Vata-pacifying foods for the

holiday season include sweet vegetables such as squashes; organic

milk products such as hot milk with cardamom or sweet lassi (a

yogurt drink); sweet grains such as pasta, cous cous and rice; and

healthy proteins such as panir (fresh cheese) and split-bean soups.

 

" If you put more attention on feeding your family wholesome,

nourishing, cooked meals, there will be less of a tendency to load

up on candy and sweets, " says Vaidya Mishra.

 

Amla-Berry and Maharishi Amrit Kalash are excellent immune-enhancing

elixirs to take throughout the year to boost natural immunity and

ward off colds, flu and other illnesses.

 

Prevent Family Conflict

 

Digestive problems and Prana Vata imbalance can also lead to

emotional strain. " During holidays, many people feel stressed

because ojas, which is the product of good digestion and is

associated with happy emotions and health, gets diminished, " says

Vaidya Mishra. " The coordination of mind, body and senses is

disturbed when ojas is low, and emotional stress can be the result.

So eating right and going to bed early are important for avoiding

emotional stress as well. "

 

Emotional strain often affects the quality of family relationships

during the holidays. Right when many extended families reunite, the

stress of traveling long distances, preparing elaborate meals and

lack of sleep make us less able to handle complex family

interactions.

 

One solution is to simplify. When it comes to the holidays, most

people try to do too much. According to a report by the Harvard

Medical School, 23% of people surveyed report being overly concerned

with holiday details, such as food, entertaining, and gift-buying.

 

Yet, when you think about it, your family probably won't even notice

the details you're fussing over. What they really enjoy, more than

an elaborate meal, is spending a relaxing time with you.

 

" Parents should set the tone for the holidays, " says Vaidya

Mishra. " If you stay calm and rested, family relationships will be

more joyful. "

 

Beat the Holiday Blues

 

Sometimes people feel depressed during the holidays due to an

imbalance in Sadhaka Pitta, the subdosha of Pitta that governs

emotions and the heart. This comes into play if you have sad

memories of lost loved ones or family problems, which seem to loom

larger during the holidays.

 

In an attempt to deal with sadness you may find yourself heading for

the dessert table. But eating heavy sweets, chocolate and junk food

will only increase digestive impurities and intensify depression.

 

Vaidya Mishra explains, " In this type of emotion-driven eating, the

more reactive, Pitta-based toxin called amavisha gets formed. The

heart and mind stop communicating and the person becomes even more

depressed. "

 

To break this unhappy cycle, Vaidya Mishra recommends a Pitta-

pacifying diet, with more vegetables, healthy sweet foods like rice,

wheat and milk, and proteins like split-bean soups. Avoid spicy

foods, chocolate, caffeine, and alcohol as these are all Pitta-

aggravating. Rose Petal Preserve, Blissful Joy tablets and Blissful

Joy aroma and Pitta Tea are extremely effective in restoring balance

to Sadhaka Pitta and relieving emotional turmoil and depression.

 

Look Your Holiday Best

 

" Bliss is best for making your skin glow, " says Vaidya Mishra. " And

bliss results from a balanced ayurvedic diet and routine. Bliss

brings out prabha, or inner beauty. "

 

One of the most effective ways to relieve holiday stress and

rejuvenate your skin is a daily oil massage followed by a warm bath.

Because the skin is the seat of Vata, Ayurvedic massage is

especially helpful for balancing Prana Vata, calming your mind and

removing fatigue. Vaidya Mishra recommends a mixture of 50% Youthful

Skin Massage Oil for Men or Women, and 50% Relaxation Massage

Oil. " These oils are ideal for relieving stress because they contain

Sensitive Plant and Shankapushpi, " says Vaidya Mishra. " Sensitive

plant provides support to the tactile nerves to help cope with

stress, and Shankapushpi creates joyful relaxation. "

 

Avoid Post-Holiday Fatigue

 

Keeping your doshas in balance during the holidays is important for

your long-term health as well, because in some cases the anxiety and

emotional can turn into a more permanent problem. " If Prana Vata and

Sadhaka Pitta are disturbed throughout the holidays, and if at the

same time the person has a Vata or Pitta body type or is in the Vata

or Pitta time of life-then these imbalances might last long after

the holidays are over, " says Vaidya Mishra.

 

The reason is that two subdoshas of KaphaTarpaka Kapha and

Avalambhaka Kapha-are the balancing factors for Prana Vata and

Sadhaka Pitta. " If mental pressures and emotional distress continue

throughout the holiday season without being addressed, that can

affect these two balancing factors, the subdoshas of Kapha. Once the

balancing factors don't function properly, then the original

imbalance becomes difficult to remove. "

 

The result might be serious anxiety, insomnia or emotional

disturbance, or some form of post-holiday fatigue or depression. " If

you have a history of holiday anxiety or emotional stress, then you

should be especially careful to follow these recommendations and see

an expert in Maharishi Ayurveda, " says Vaidya Mishra. " With Kapha

season coming soon after the holidays, it's the ideal time to

detoxify and bring your body back into balance after the winter

holidays. "

 

Stress-free Shopping

 

According to one survey, 36% cited shopping for gifts as their

biggest holiday stress. Not knowing what to buy or where to buy was

the major source of shopping anxiety; while others said fighting the

crowds in malls or not having enough time to shop created the most

pressure.