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December 14, 2008

Simplicity

Of course things are always a bit hectic at this time of year. I'm struggling to get to my blog for the first time. I am very happy to be home, spending lots of time with my family and friends, and at the beach and the river. It's such a beautiful part of the world. I feel very blessed to have been born here.

I thought I would take a moment to pay homage to the simple things. Last week someone made the best comment I have ever recieved on my blog. They wrote that after years of constipation the simple Ayurvedic recommendation to drink warm water first thing in the morning has changed their life. The constipation is gone.

Another example of the simple but powerful nature of Ayurveda is a friend who has hiccoughs every day. He has attacks that last hours and finds it very upsetting. I advised him to add a pinch of asafoetida to every meal and for a week now he hasn't even hiccoughed once!

I shouldn't really be surprised by these events anymore, but even after experiencing the power of Ayurveda time and time again I am surprised all over again every time.

I just feel so blessed to have access to this knowledge, and so priviledged to be able to share it with other people. So in the silly season, take a second out for the simple things. They really are the best! And, in keeping with the season, give thanks for what we have.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

So true Julia...
We always think about bigger things in life and forget to cherish smaller things in life.

I never knew asafoetida could help with hiccups..Thanks for the info
-Swapna

The Taste Tinkerer said...

beautifully put, Julia! Love your blog!

Julia said...

Thanks!

Charaka says Asafoetida is the best herb for pulling down Apana Vata. That is why it corrects hiccoughs, by moving things in the right direction.

TNL said...

I've learned so much from your blog.
I wish you all the best this holiday season!


cheers, trupti

Julia said...

Thanks Trupti! Hope you have a safe and wonderful Christmas and new year too.

Unknown said...

Hi JJ

How can i ask a question not directly relevant to one of the postings?

My friend from work wants to know about Ayurveda. Do you know a good basic introduction? I tried talking about the doshas and stuff but couldn't explain it and I think just giving her your website would be hard to approach as an introduction.

Thanks old girl

Geordie

Julia said...

Hey G! Nice to see you around here.

Yes, an introduction is hard. The problem is Ayurveda requires a complete paradigm shift. People often ask me what Ayurveda has to say about saturated fats or omega three fatty acids or vitamin C... the answer is absolutely nothing; these concepts don't exist in Ayurveda. Likewise ojas and dosha and guna don't exist in the modern medicine framework.

I can recommend a beginners book called "Essential Ayurveda" by Shubhra Krishan. Dr Lad with his wife Usha have written "Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing" which has an introduction to Ayurveda and a huge number of recipes for those who want to learn about Ayurveda from the kitchen (a very good place to start!). These books may only be available in specialty book stores or on-line. I've got copies if you'd like to borrow them.

Most of all tell them to try and approach Ayurveda as a blank canvas-forget everything modern medicine says about health, it's completely different. I don't mean to say it is wrong, but it's a different way of looking at the world.

Unknown said...

Thanks Jules, I'll track down those books as it might be a while before I see you and I want to give her something soon...

Julia said...

Bagchee Books (link to the right) or South India Ink (ebay) might have them. Usually pretty cheap and come quickly in the post. Good luck!