Cultivating Balance
I just returned from a rather brief stint in Germany. Typically more on the modest side when it comes to consuming and buying, I got a bit on a shopping spree. 6:00am has probably been the earliest I ever put my credit card to use for shoes and pullovers (admittedly, I was at an airport!).
Nevertheless, the most important purchase I made was Jasmine Hemsley's East by West Ayurvedic cookbook. I've been drawn to the gentle and deeply intelligent philosophy and spirit of Ayurveda for a while. But between this purchase and my very first encounter with Ayurveda, 7 years have passed.
Now, I'm hooked. Two things help: (1) I understand medicine holistically, i.e. if I have an ailment, I look at the bigger picture of internal and external circumstances. But preferably I examine and investigate myself proactively and on an ongoing basis so it won't be only the physical pain that activates me to do something (otherwise known as prevention :); (2) I love to cook and I'm concerned with my nutrition. (Funnily, I experience quite a few people that help others to work through their issues, i.e. conflicts, that don't pay a lot of attention to their own health and holistic well-being. It strikes me as odd to care for others' integration but not for one's own.)
There is a lot of beauty, kindness and intuition in Ayurveda and I think these soothing qualities are what appeals to me the most. It is not about the strong tastes, the extremes of doing too much or too little, and the cookie-cutter solution to everything. This approach to routines, world view and nutrition requires some determination, openness, and care for oneself and as in everything else I believe these are the most vital premises for lasting success.
Ayurveda is a lot about balancing and surprisingly it often times seems counterintuitive. Such as: "My body really craves spices, so I'm (rightly?) assuming that I should eat them.", whereas truly the build-up heat (through stress, hard work, upcoming menstruation) is actually speaking to you and like a little devil fooling you in getting more of what you have enough of already. Being aware of these little "egotistical" moods is key and so setting some clear boundaries for yourself is the healthy exercise here as well as in other parts of your life.
The most fascinating part for me probably is that I already knew so many things reg. beneficial food, beneficial exercise, beneficial conditions but doubted them because they are a bit astray from the norm. For instance, tomatoes, onions, and garlic are actually not healthy but are too heating...anyone ever experienced some heat in the cheecks and the belly after eating them? (yes, sorry to all Italians); strenuous exercise like America's number one, the gym, challenges the body too much in just two areas (burning fat and building muscles) and it's benefits are too one-sided, and often times not for the ones that are actually doing it (in terms of their constitutions); going to bed surrounded by technology is an absolute no go; and dieting on proteins only is not providing deeper balance and permanent wellbeing (Here is where a couple of my frustrations with US lifestyle came out...forgive me).
The lifestyle connotation, easy explanation and splendid recipes that Jasmine offers in her book are truly inspiring so I would encourage everyone seeking a bit more balance and daring to get closer to intuition to start with her book. There is still surprisingly little out there in terms of a really cool Ayurvedic recipe blog, app, or even cafes or restaurants but I guess there is a limit to mainstream. If it is really concerned with the individual in its complexity and in healing from the inside out, it can never become the next big trend if it didn't want to loose its essence.