Here’s some real food for comfort and self-care

Self-care is more than just pampering oneself — it’s care for the inside and out.
Yesterday during the Lunar Woman series we talked about self care. You may have heard of the saying that the body is a temple. As a temple, it serves as a sanctuary but it is also sensitive and self-repairing. However, with our own disruption, habits of anger, tension and attachment, we set up energy patterns in the body that disrupt the normal flow of vital energy and opens the doors to disease, both physical and mental. So it is important to cleanse the body and recalibrate the flow of energy regularly.

Yogi Bhajan said, “This beautiful body cannot be eaten by anything except your own ego. God doesn’t kill you. There is no death except your own ego, and your own negativity. That reduces the voltage of your life force so your circumvent field becomes weak and death creeps into your body. This body is beautiful. It was made by a very special imagination of the Creator.”

The ancient Yogic wisdom to “You are what you eat,”

The ancient yogi texts say that up to the age of 18, a woman’s body can maintain and recover without taking as much care as needed. Between 18 to 36, she will be running on reserve, and after 36, her reserve is gone.  It is important to your success and longevity to take care of yourself and the first step is good nutrition. Here’s advice on when and how to eat as part of a woman’s beauty and health maintenance routine:

What to Eat:
Eat only what you can digest. Foods that cannot be digested or that contain no nutritional value will require our bodies to use energy to eliminate them with little or no gain. Foods eaten in excess of our needs put additional stress on our digestive system and can cause us to gain weight.  The first and most basic choice is to eat nutritious foods that give the body fuel, energy and strength.  It is recommended to eat plenty of sun foods, ground foods and earth foods.

Sun foods are mostly fruits that grow more than 3 feet above the ground and absorb maximum energy from the sun. Ground foods grow within 3 feet above the ground and are very cleansing because of their fiber content and nutritious value (rice, beans and leafy vegetables).  This help the body and mind feel steady and focused.  Lastly, earth foods grow below the ground and have healing properties. Garlic, onion and ginger trio is referred to as “trinity roots” which is used for their healing properties and can be stimulating and helpful in providing energy and cleansing the body of toxins.

In ayurvedic terms,  good yogic diet would include mostly sattvic foods which are easily digested (fruits, steamed vegetables vegetables, and some legumes such as lentils or mung bean); combined with some rajasic foods, to stimulate your body (trinity roots), to help you meet the challenges of your day.

Limit or avoid tamasic foods that deplete your energy, require prolonged digestion and make you feel heavy. Basically, these are animal protein, deep-fried foods, highly saturated fatty foods.

Potent foods for Women:
Ginger – treats menstrual cramps
Sesame Oil – helps menstruation
Mangoes – corrects cycle irregularities; pickled mango is a powerful sexual tool.
Eggplant – energizes the entire system for irregular menstrual flow – eggplant pakoras.
Raw Almond Oil – after age of 28, it lowers cholesterol, reduces body fat, cleanses toxins, makes skin healthy and lustrous.
Green Chilies – vitamin C, cleanses mouth odor from menstruation and prevents constipation.
Wheat berries – cleanses intestinal tract. It is helpful to fast one day a week on wheat berries for the intestines, the skin, and a beautiful face.
Tumeric – heals internal organs and joints.
Yogurt – heals digestive system.

When to Eat
For the yogis, digestion is most efficient during midday.  Thus, it is recommended not to eat anything solid before 10:00 am and at least three hours before going to bed. If you eat the bulk of your calories from 11am to 2pm, you will have plenty of energy to go through the day and fuel your activities. Eat a snack of raisins and a few nuts or a banana at 4pm to keep your minerals and sugar balanced. As sunset approaches, eat a light meal of easily digested food – steamed vegetables or light salads. It is also recommended to fast at least one day a week for the intestines, the skin, and a beautiful face.

How to Eat
Chewing the food well is a top priority, some say to chew at least 100 times. The best way to know how much to eat is to make two fists of your hands and hold them next to each other in front of your stomach. This is the total amount of food you should have in your stomach at any one time.  Also, avoid watching TV or working while eating.  I am guilty of eating and working.

The all time staple of a yogi’s diet is Yogi Tea. The spices used in Yogi Tea have special healing properties based on the ancient Ayurvedic teachings about the balance between body, mind and soul. The brew acts as a tonic for the entire nervous system, reduces tiredness and restores mental balance. It serves as a homeopathic remedy for colds, flu and sinus problems. I’ve shared the recipe in a previous post.

If you want some recipes for a radiant skin blend, Yogi Mush for Clear Skin, a Drink to Balance Minerals in your body, Colon Cleanser, Golden Milk to keep your joints and bones healthy and a Curry dish to make you youthful looking – message me.

Share in the good viberations – join the last Lunar Woman series class.

The last class of the Lunar Woman series serendipitously falls on the eve of the new moon, solar eclipse. Eclipses are harbinger of change and serve as catalyst for major endings and new beginnings. Normally, eclipses happen in pairs and occur every six months, two weeks apart. This year, we have three in a row – Cancer New Moon Solar Eclipse (July 12), Aquarius Full Moon Lunar Eclipse (July 27) and Leo New Moon Solar Eclipse (August 11).

Keep doing your personal sadhana (meditation) to help you stay steady, to build grit to keep up and to uplift you.

Manifest great health and comfort for the week ahead.

In loving service,

Rosan