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Chronic pain is a modern pandemic – in the United States, we are looking at an estimated annual costs of management – including healthcare expenses, lost income, and lost productivity – of more than a $100 billion! Chronic pain interferes with our daily lives and happiness, hampering our productivity. The American Academy of Pain Medicine distinguishes between acute and chronic pain. Acute pain is triggered by a (medical) condition, and once the cause is addressed, the pain subsides. Chronic pain, on the other hand, is difficult to address: “while acute pain is a normal sensation triggered in the nervous system to alert you to possible injury and the need to take care of yourself […] chronic pain persists. Pain signals keep firing in the nervous system for weeks, months, even years.” (http://www.painmed.org/files/facts-and-figures-on-pain.pdf)
Acute pain can originate in an injury — a fall; a sprained back; an infection, etc. Or there may be a medical condition at its origin — arthritis, cancer, an inflammatory or infectuous disease, etc. However, some people suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past injury or evidence of body damage. Some common chronic pain conditions include: headaches, lower back pain, generalized body aches; neurogenic pain (pain resulting from damage to the peripheral nerves or to the central nervous system itself); psychogenic pain (pain not due to past disease or injury or any visible sign of damage inside or outside the nervous system). Our attitude to chronic pain, and how we deal with it, is telling of our cultural customs.
Pain is a signal. It’s a message. It’s your body’s early warning system that something is wrong, so you can take steps to correct the problem. If you couldn’t feel pain, and you had your hand on a hot stove, for example, you wouldn’t know your hand was burning -because of pain, your brain gets the message to get your hand off the stove right away!
But we have been conditioned to think of pain as a nuisance, and to reach out for the strongest painkiller without hesitation. Do you know how painkillers do not “kill” pain? Nor relieve it? They simply stifle the messages our body is giving us. Pain relievers work with your cells, your body’s nerve endings, your nervous system, and your brain to keep you from feeling the pain. When any part of your body is injured or inflammed, special nerve endings in that area instantly send chemical signals/messages to your brain, to alert you of what is going on. Painkilling drugs interfere with these messages, either at the site of the injury, in the spinal cord, or in the brain itself. They keep the message from reaching your brain, or numb the brain centers from hearing the messages. So you don’t feel the pain. Sometimes life is such that we don’t have time to deal with pain, we just need to keep going with work and responsibilities, so swallowing that painkiller is fast and easy. However, we should find the root causes of our chronic pain and address them.
Chronic pain is a modern global epidemic, and a lot of it has to do with how we live and what we eat. But what can we do about that? Drown ourselves in a deluge to start a new world order, start fresh with a clean slate? Or, we could try to usher in some gentle daily routine and lifestyle changes….
The renewed interest in ancient plant-based healing sciences can help us improve our lives by teaching us gentle alternative methods of re-attunining ourselves with our bodies, resetting our rest and activity cycles to be in synch with the rhythms of Mother Nature. In this sense, Ayurveda can be a treasure trove of information. Ayurveda can help us determine the type of pain as well as its origin, offering us a number of gentle alternative and herbal formulations. Understanding pain fully can help us address it fully – keep in mind that when you have pain, it is best to consult with your medical doctor first and foremost. Any alternative modalities, as presented in this article, are only for educational purposes, and should not be perused to self-diagnose or self-treat, and in lieu of proper medical care. However, educating yourself about how your body responds to the environment and to food, and rest and activity routines can prove to be invaluable benefit. I’ve personally helped countless individuals successfully address different types of pain by helping them correct their lifestyle and diets.
Several ancient shastras – ayurvedic texts – categorize pain in different terms based on the type, source, and location of pain.
In general, the texts give two broad categories, nij and agantuj.
1. NIJ: biological or internal pain that originates from within the body. This could be due to doshic imbalances or accumulation, toxic build-up, inflammation, etc. A sedentary lifestyle, ongoing mental stress, a poor diet, etc., can all contribute to bodily imbalances that can result in pain.
2. AGANTUJ: pain that originates from outside the body, for example, xenobiotics as in exposure to toxic chemical fumes found in cleaning household products; external events that cause mental and emotional trauma; EMF or other electromagnetic fields that disrupt the physiology’s subtle flow of prana, as well as clog and damage the physical channels, tissues, and organs; etc.
Based on the hetu of the pain, etiological factors, pain can be located in four possible areas of our bodies:
in the shrotas or physical channel
in the nadi-s vibrational channels
in the angas, organs and organ systems
in the dhatus or tissues
Ayurvedic shastras say that dis-ease goes through distinct periods of development before it reaches its final 6th irreversible stage and fully materializes as an incurable condition. Similarly, unaddressed minor pain travels from one dhatu or tissue to another, diving deeper into the physiology, until it becomes chronic and sometimes impossible to manage without drugs or surgical intervention. The deeper the pain is allowed to travel, the more difficult it becomes to treat. When any pathogenic factor crosses meda dhatu (fat) and reaches the bone marrow, it sets the stage for advanced clinical conditions such as cancer, or auto-immune conditions. Then it becomes very difficult to manage even with the most powerful pain management modalities of modern medicine.
Besides these two broad categories, Ayurveda also classifies pain in terms of its properties. Pain can be one of the following:
1. Vedana: Vedana translates as “unpleasant knowing.”
2. Shoola: Sharp, pulsating, throbbing pain
3. Toda: Deep, dull constant pain
In SV Ayurveda we categorize pain according to the hetu – causative factors:
• Vataja: By vata dosha
• Pittaja: By pitta dosha
• Kaphaja: By kapha dosha
• Dwandaja: By two-dosha combinations – VK, VP, KV, KP
• Tri-doshaja: By all three doshas
• Abhighataja: Trauma or injury to the tissues
• Manas-aja: By psychological factors
• Ama: By channel blocking toxins
• Amavisha: By reactive toxins
• Garvisha: By xenobiotics (environmental toxins from outside body)
• Indravajrabhijanyavisha: By EMF/EMR/RF (disruption of nadis and sandhis by vibrational toxins)
In general, superficial generalized body ache and pain means blockage or inflammation in the rasa (plasma) and rakta (blood) channels or nadi-s, sandhi-s, whereby marma points become compromised. Muscle pain (mamsa) can be more serious, but still quite manageable. Consequently, we limit our discussion of pain to include up to the mamsa dhatu (muscle tissue.)
In all types of pain, SVA first focuses on isolating and identifying the specific hetu (etiological factors) for each individual.
Vata easily becomes aggravated from stress, EMFs, physical fatigue, dehydration, malnutrition, overuse of the senses, dry or drying food, improper daily routine, skipping meals, not sleeping on time, cold windy weather, etc. Vata can also become aggravated if there is a deficiency of a specific nutrient that is required by the body. Vata body types have a tendency toward high vata. Above 50, everyone moves into a vata time of life, causing vata to increase even more easily.
Vata impacts the nadis (vibrational channels) and their coordination with the srotas (physical channels.) In vataja pain – as in all other types of pain – agni is involved in the samprapti (pathogenis.) Vata imbalance causes vishmagni – sometimes low agni, sometimes high agni. When low, ama gets made. When high, amavisha gets made directly. Whatever the adhisthan (prime site of aggravation or deposition) ama and amavisha cause pain. Simple ama causes toda (stiffness,) in the shoulders, for example. Amavisha in the same area, for example, would cause shoola pain (burning and inflammation.)
General management: First, avoid the hetu. Pacify vata with SVA dietary and lifestyle recommendations. Maintain a regular routine. The calming effect of regular routine cannot be over-emphasized. Go to bed early, and never skip or delay meals. Better to eat smaller, more frequent meals. Avoid cold, windy weather conditions. Adequate intake of high-quality protein each day is essential for vata balancing. I recommend daily use of Vegan Protein Powder.
For local pain, there will almost always be a mix of ama and amavisha. We have to pacify vata, burn ama, bind and neutralize amavisha as well as open the nadis and srotas: all this without creating additional inflammation. We have easy steps:
1. Apply DGL Transdermal Cream (or roll-on) on the affected area first
2. Apply Super Sport Transdermal Cream (or roll-on) next
3. Swipe the lower back 7 times with DGL and next Super Sport (opens shushumna nadi for overall pranic flow to all organs and systems.)
4. Self-massage with SVA Vata Abhyanga Oil with Magnesium and Vit D
SVA clients love Super Sport and have given many testimonials on how effectively it handles aches and pains, for example:
The Super Sport product is magical – it is great at relieving pain and providing increased flexibility in joints, muscles, and other body parts. I have offered it to others who have likewise been amazed at how well it works. A golfing friend used it on his knees and had his first pain-free round in 20 years (and he always medicates with ibuprofen or other drugs before playing). Needless to say, he has ordered his own Super Sport container. More Super-Sport Testimonials on www.chandika.com
Pitta easily becomes aggravated by stress, spicy foods, skipping or delaying meals, hot weather, excess sour & salty tastes, trying to meet deadlines, anger, hot baths, staying up late, alcohol, etc. Pitta time of life (mid-life) also contributes to increase of pitta.
The teekshnagni (sharp agni) of pitta creates amavisha and inflammation in the channels and organs. In this situation, the pranic flow of nadis gets disturbed due to agneya (full of agni) nature of amavisha. The result is shoola, burning, throbbing, and radiating pain.
General management: Follow pitta pacifying diet and behavior. Favor cooling, soothing foods, cooked only with mild non-pungent spices. Go to bed on time – no later 9:45pm. Watch any tendency to overwork yourself. Avoid too much sun and hot weather. Be moderate in all you do. Transdermally, first apply DGL TD, then Flex ’n Flow Cream or Body Mist on affected muscles. (Avoid the face and other sensitive areas.) DGL will cool the inflammation and balance the thermogenic energy of Flex ’n Flow. Flex ’n Flow will further relief pain by unclogging and supporting the flow of prana in the nadis and srotas. Moreover, it will support and enhance the interaction between the physical and vibrational channels. Self-massage with Pitta Massage Oil with Magnesium
Kapha becomes aggravated by heavy foods/oily foods; too much sweet and salty foods; cold, damp weather; sedentary lifestyle; over eating; and too much sleep. Kapha time of life, childhood to early adulthood, is also a factor.
Kapha creates manda (dull agni) in early stages with toda (dull, constant pain.) (Long standing ama eventually becomes amavisha.) Kapha, and ama, clog the srotas in different organs and systems, particularly the lungs, brain, kidneys, and throat. Kapha and ama may also affect the muscles and joints.
General management: Avoid those foods mentioned in excess; get adequate exercise, stay warm in cold weather, watch your sugar and fat consumption. No sleep during the daytime. If you are feeling inordinately tired, sit up in a comfortable position and meditate for 20 minutes. For pain, we base our management on the adhisthan – the source. Cough and Cold Transdermal Cream for example helps to clear away the ama of throat and upper lungs. We can also use Tribindu by inhaling in the air or sprayed on a piece of tissue. Tribindu can also be sprayed on the hands and swiped down the lower spine to unclog the spinal energy flow. Tribindu is thermogenic. Be careful: if you tend to have white/caucasian skin, even with high kapha, you have more pitta in the skin and therefore tendency to pitta imbalance – use even Tribindu with caution: do a test on a small patch of skin to see if you react to it or not. Although kapha needs agneya products, we cannot always use them. If Tribindu irritates your skin in any way, first apply DGL and then Tribindu. Flex ’n Flow swiped down the spine also works very well to uncloud kapha. Self-massage with either Turmeric & Magnesium Massage Oil or with Magnesium Body Massage Oil with Ashwagandha
Dual dosha pain is more complex. When any two symptoms are present, then you have to address one at a time. Again, avoid the hetus aggravating those doshas. Focus on your predominant symptom at a given time. For example, let’s consider VK (Vata and Kapha) pain. Early to mid-morning (6-10am) kapha predominates. You may want to add some ginger, and/or black pepper to your early morning tea at that time to balance kapha. In the afternoon, a nice self-massage with Vata Massage Oil with Magnesium and Vit D might be called for. For all types of dwandaja you can help by following a balanced SVA diet cooked with one of my spice mixes according to the predominate imbalances. My SVA Green Protein recipe is especially useful to eat for most any combination of doshic imbalances.
Tri-doshaja pain means symptoms of all three doshas together all the time. This type produces both inflammation (shoola), stiffness (toda), and the pain goes fast to the deeper tissues faster with more virulent manifestation of amavisha. Generally, this condition is very complicated. It is best to consult with your SVA practitioner.
Trauma and injury creates an obstruction in the physical and vibrational channels. For minor to moderate injuries (no open wounds) we can self-manage abhighataja up to the muscles tissue level. For example, muscle sprain or strain. First apply DGL TD. We use this first because bhrajaka pitta of the skin gets aggravated by any trauma. DGL will cool the skin. Then, we can apply Super-Sport TD or roll-on. Or, we can apply Flex’n Flow Cream or Flex’n Flow Body Mist to the affected area. For even greater management, apply the new Triple Action Synergy Transdermal Cream (or lotion) after these two products.
For psychological, or mental and emotional pain, we have several products: Stress-Free Oral Mist; the Samadhi Set; Mahavedana Shanti Herbal Memory Nectar. Also, self-massage with Magnesium Body Massage Oil with Ashwagandha provides adaptogenic energy to handle physical, mental, and emotional stress. Use as directed on the label of each product – you can read more on www.chandika.com.
Ama blocks the channels, causing pain. Amavisha inflames the channels, causing pain. For both types, follow a SVA diet: avoid all nightshades, larger beans, canned and boxes foods, & left-overs. Use only Soma Salt. Regular salt will retain more toxins creating further blockages and inflammation and resulting in greater pain. Follow the hetu management according to the doshas that are accumulating the toxins. If garavisha (xenobiotics) are involved any pain, you will find more intense inflammation and the toxins (and pain) will travel faster from tissue to tissue. Most of the time, garvisha symptoms are indicative of a medical condition. Do not treat yourself. See a SVA expert. And contact your primary care provider.
EMF/EMR/RF by themselves can create bodily imbalances that result in inflammatory pain. Vibrational toxins can also exacerbate any other type of pain already present in the body, by disrupting the flow of healing prana to a tissue, organ, or organ-system. Learn how to manage these toxins by reading my SVA Electromagnetic Toxins Booklet Applying Flex’n Flow Cream down your lower spine will immediately help most any pain caused by vibrational toxins.
Other SVA Formulations for Pain Management
Triple Action Synergy is very special cream which works on any doshas up to the mamsa dhatu or muscle tissue. Triple Action Synergy works by offering a natural way to help the body relieve pain and assist it in addressing inflammation long term when used in conjunction with SVA dietary guidelines. Triple Action comes in transdermal Shea Butter based cream and water-based lotion form. The transdermal cream (lipid-based) gives slow, sustained, delivery. It goes to all lipid areas of the cellular system. The water-based cream has faster action, but shorter delivery. It goes to all water based areas of the cellular system. Both products offer triple action benefits.
1. Naturally supports the body’s pain relief mechanisms
2. Aids the body in relief of inflammation long term (with SVA dietary guidelines)
3. Nurtures the bones and helps cartilage in the long-term
Use and Precautions: For best results, first apply Flex ‘n Flow Cream Flex’n Flow has high concentration of Prasarani to open the nadis (vibrational channels) and the sandhis (gaps.) It calms down the nervous system. Using Flex’n Flow first will ensure faster better results.
If you are extreme pitta or prone to pitta imbalance, use DGL Transdermal Cream first, before applying the Triple Action Synergy. If any burning sensation is experienced afterwards, stop using it.
Flex ‘N Flow Cream, Flex’n Flow Roll-0n, and Flex’n Flow Body Mist: all support pain relief because they open reception and delivery of prana along with the intelligence of how much soma, how much agni is needed in whatever organs and systems are involved in the pain. They awaken the intelligence of the body’s own healing power. They are great for all pain generally.
Mahavedana Shanti Cream and Mahavedana Shanti Herbal Memory Nectar: The ancient Ayurvedic texts say, “No pain without vata aggravation.” Apply this cream where needed for vatagenic pain and deep thermogenesis. Vata dosha governs all movement in the body. When vata cannot move, when the physical channels (shrotas) are blocked, then pain is experienced. This cream when applied topically, penetrates to the deep tissues and warms them. As it warms the area, the shrotas (physical channels) begin to open and vata can begin to move again. As blocked vata is released, the pain eases.
The cream and the Herbal-Memory Nectar can be used in any of the categories of pain. Use the Herbal Memory Nectar by putting 2 – 5 drops in one cup of high pH spring water. It can be taken like this up to four times per day. The drops can even be used by pitta types with shoola. The Maha Vedana Shanti Cream however is definitely contraindicated in extreme pitta inflammatory conditions.
a) Joint pain is common and can result from a wide variety of causes. Always address the hetu and seek medical care where needed. For mild cases, this protocol can be helpful. Apply 1) DGL; 2) Triple Action Synergy; and 3) Mahakanchanar. Apply in exactly this order at least twice a day – morning and evening – and then as needed during the day as well.
b) Calf Muscle Pain: Amavisha and garvisha accumulate and obstruct the calf muscles quite often, as circulation to the extremeties tends to be slower. We apply on the calf muscles swiping outwards toward the feet: 1) Flex ‘n Flow 2) Anushudhi Detox Cream. Flex’n Flow opens the nadis to the area and makes them more intelligent. Anushudhi acts to remove the toxins. This protocol works great for mild to moderate pain.
c) General Body Aches & Pains, including lower back pain, shoulder pain and stiff neck pain: these result from an accumulation of different doshic imbalances and there’s nothing like a relaxing bath with Detox & Relax Bath Pouches or my SVA Rasayana Bath Pouches to help ease away the pain and teh stress. These pouches soothe away aches by opening the physical channels and by removing toxins from the tissues. Vata & Kapha types should use Detox & Relax Bath Pouches. Pitta types should use the milder SVA Rasayana Bath Pouches. Read Bathe to Detox
Caution: Detoxing with an herbal bath can cause loss of electrolytes. If you feel weak and thirsty after bathing, you MUST make the rehydration drink (pg. 46 of Home Detox Manual) on the day you use the pouches.
Whenever there has been a condition of long-standing chronic pain in the body, the marmas (energy points) corresponding to that organ, tissue, or system get impacted as well. Likewise, trouble in the marmas can itself lead to pain. We can manage with marma chikitsa (therapy) by applying Triple Action Synergy on the affected marmas. Based on the location of the pain, chose the marmas in the diagram closely corresponding. But Do Not apply on face, head, heart, or other sensitive areas. With your ring finger, apply your cream and rotate finger on the point(s) 7 – 14 times. Then hold the point(s) 15 – 30 seconds. (Graduates of the SVA Pulse and Marma Course are invited to correlate symptoms dhatu-wise with doshas and toxins and proceed accordingly with marma therapy.)
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In volume 1 of the Pulse and Marma II Conference and Practicum recordings (August 5-7, 2016), you will find SV Ayurveda presentations that cover topics such as: chronic pain management through SVA formulations; ground-breaking SV Ayurvedic perspective on understanding and approaching thyroid gland and associated imbalances; the why and how of the healing power of sound and SVA mantras; what to make of SV Ayurveda in the context of mainstream Ayurveda; SVA cooking and Chef Training courses in New York City; and a fascinating historical look into the possible ancient roots of Vaidya Mishra’s SVA lineage.
Volume 2 covers all the hands-on practicum sessions for allocating SVA Marma points on the body and the face; the SVA Kurma treatment; Pulse Practicum with Vaidya Mishra; plus a concluding round table.
All available presentations for the talks are also included in this set.
•Vaidya R.K.Mishra: Live Sutra Recitations to awaken Vidya plus SVA Pulse Demystified
•Lissa Coffey: SVA vs Mainstream Ayurveda: Points of Contact and Transcendence
•Dr. Mark Vinick: SVA Body Marma Allocation with Special Session on Spinal Points
•Dr. Marianne Tietlebaum: Thyroid vs SVA Protocols, plus special session on: Autistic Children Speak
•Dr.Kimberly Hoffman: Hands-on Practicum on SVA Kurma Protocol plus Special Session on SVA Face-Lift Marma Massage
•Divya Alter: Get your SVA on in NYC at Divya’s Cafe!
•Dr. Douglas Beech:Pain Management with SVA plus Special Session on Pulse and Marma Biofeedback Loop
•Chris Minkowski: Notes on the history of the Śaka lineage 2
The post 2 Volume Set DVDs for Pulse & Marma II Conference and Practicum (August 5-7) appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.
I am very happy to announce my new cellulite course. An in-depth study of the why and the how to get rid of cellulite course with SVA understanding, tools, and formulations. You can join me and my team of SVA experts from anywhere in the world via live global streaming. Read the course description and the detailed course outline below. A total of 9 Chapters plus one for all practical tools, in addition to videos and live calls. Registration is now open with a super-early bird discount – expires September 15, 2016!
With Vaidya R K Mishra, and a team of SVA experts
Start Date: November 5, 2016
• 12 videos totalling 2 hrs each posted on the electronic forum
• Printed study materials posted on the forum – 9 Chapters Plus In-depth Chapter on Practical Tools and Protocols
• Six Full Sessions of Live 1 hour Video Global Webstream – plus Q&A
• Ongoing Q&A on the forum – interact with Vaidya, SVA experts, and peers
• Sampler Kit with SVA Cellulite Formulations – a Gift Sampler for Practicum includes a total of 9 products
* Additional separate in-person attendance practicum and light panchakarma treatment at the Prana Center (based and organized on sign-up and attendance – fees and charges are separate from this current course). Date TBA.
Live Call Schedule
Saturday November 5, 2016
Saturday December 3, 2016
Saturday January 14, 2017
Saturday January 28, 2017
Saturday February 11, 2017
Saturday February 25, 2017
Total Cost of the course: $900.
Early Bird: 25% off, the whole course, sign up by September 15, 2016 – only $675
After September 15, 2016, sign up by October 1, 2016, and get 20% off – only $720
After October 1, 2016, $900.
Who Should Take this Course? This course is for anyone (health professionals or laypeople) who want to understand and address cellulite in a thorough SVA sutra to science approach. Here is what you can expect to come away with from this course:
1) What is cellulite; why and how cellulite happens; its differnt stages of development
2) What can you do to help reduce or eliminate it;
3) Practical massaging and marma techniques;
4) Research-based dietary guidelines: what to eat and what not to eat for celluliteprone physiologies.
If you are a health professional (Ayurvedic Practitioner, licensed medical doctor, Marma Specialist, Massage Therapist, Naturopath, etc.), this course will offer you additional supplemental SVA training and tools to help your clients reduce/eliminate cellulite.
Why this course now?
In my ayurvedic practice of 40 plus years countless clients, exasperated with no-result hype products available on the market, have sought me out for ayurvedic remedies to eliminate their unsightly cellulite. I began to research this condition to get a fuller understanding; however, putting together herbal formula(s) for cellulite and educational materials for its management sat on the back-burner while I remained busy with other projects. A few months ago, well-known health and ayurvedic wellness author, Lissa Coffey, inspired me to revisit my interrupted work, and put together a full cellulite-reduction educational program for health practitioners as well as individuals looking to eliminate their own cellulite conditions. I reviewed my past work but went even deeper researching the role played by ethnic/ cultural background; diet; age; gender; exercise and lifestyle trends; with special focus on the key role of hormones and related imbalances. All these factors play a major role individually or collectively in forming cellulite. I then began to research ayurvedic herbs to isolate internal and external (transdermal) actions for addressing cellulite. In total, I have narrowed down my list to 16 Ayurvedic as well as Western herbs. Most of these herbs have been tested in clinical trials with success. This inspired me even more to confirm the different categories of “hetu” (etiological/cause factor) and to build a SVA approach based program for addressing cellulite.
I have yet to locate the ayurvedic name for cellulite in any of the ancient texts. Despite this, we can confidently say that Ayurveda clearly discusses five key factors that correlate with cellulite formation, in the sense of a condition associated with unhealthy fat accumulation and hardening. I have isolated and identified these five factors after researching modern findings in light of my ayurvedic know-how. Based on this, I was able to create a hetu-based management program, and put together a samprapti chakra of cellulite. A Samprapti chakra is represented in a diagram as a circle that identifies the different pathogenic steps that create, literally, a vicious cycle for a condition. It’s a powerful way to understand the emergence of a condition, how it forms in the first place, and what are the factors that keep the cycle going, and therefore, what needs and can be done to break the cycle and arrest the perpetuation of a condition.
Five SVA Factors making up the Samprapti Chakra of Cellulite and Sroto Abhisanga
- clogging of circulatory channels through hardening:
1) Processed/synthetic/rancid “dumb” fats in the daily diet
2) Processed/aged/improperly prepared protein intake in addition to slow protein metabolism
3) Lack of proper exercise – based on one’s constitutional needs
4) Hormonal imbalances in women
5) Lack of intelligence in the liver
Once you study and understand these five factors, you will learn how to break the samprapti cycle in order to reduce or eliminate cellulite formation and keep it at bay. In this course, we will also cover a detailed understanding of the skin layers from the perspective of Ayurvedic physiology and anatomy, and see how the layers need to maintain intelligence communication at each level. In addition, you will learn how the role free-radicals (amavisha) and how they can accumulate and pollute the adipose tissue. The term for this condition is sroto abhisanga - rigidity and immobility in the body’s fat and muscle channels.
Therapeutic Test for Sroto Abhisanga: To counter sroto abhisanga, you will learn two simple tests to determine what kind of toxins and how much rigidity are in the srotas (channels) of fat and muscle, and therefore how to address them.
• Pinch Test
• Pressure (tapping) Test
SVA Cellulite Management Techniques and Products for this Course
• Mild PK (panchakarma) detox protocols for the whole body
• Detoxifying cellulite with topical detox herbs
• Transdermal creams for cellulite management
• Marma Point activation to break the samprapti chakra
• SVA Herbal Clay Wraps to breakdown local cellulite
• Lymphatic massage reduction on local areas of cellulite
• Herbal-Memory Nectars specific for cellulite management
• Herbal Teas to complement the entire program
• Raw silk Garshana glove massage to support lymphatic flow*
*Raw-silk gloves are used traditionally in Ayurveda for skin brushing. SVA Raw Silk gloves will be available on www.chandika.com shorlty. In this course you will learn how to use these gloves after the appropriate marma point activation techniques.
Hand Massage-induced Cellulite Reduction vs Machine-induced Cellulite
Reduction:
Several tools exist on the market to help eliminate cellulite. Some come with sideeffects (specially when they have an electric current flowing through them); others have no long-term studies showing their effecitivity. In SVA, we always work to assist, never force, our body. You will learn to use your fingers with transdermal creams, lymphatic massage, and marma therapy to do the job of these machines, but safely and with respect for your body.
Course Forum: All sessions of this course will be recorded and posted on an electronic forum for you to watch and review at your leisure. Also, all course presentation notes and other materials will be available for you to peruse during and for a limited period after the end of the course. You will also be able to ask questions on the forum and stay in touch with other course participants to exchange observations and share your experiences.
Course Practicum: This course also carries a practicum portion for those willing and able to travel to my Prana Center in Southern California. The practicum for the course will cover the following aspects:
• how to allocate and activate marmas,
• how to use/apply the transdermal creams,
• how to use/apply the herbal wraps and clays
The practicum will be offered in a small intimate setting in small groups, in order to allow each student a more individualized attention and learning experience. Also, students will have not one but a number of weekends to choose from for their practicum. These will be announced shortly.
SVA Instructors: I will personally teach the theory and basic and advanced principles of cellulite management. In addition, I am very happy to announce that several SVA experts, from different backgrounds, will be joining and assisting me in various aspects of this course: Lissa Coffey will join me in facilitating different aspects of this course; Dr. Mark Vinick is an expert in marma allocation and will teach hands-on marma therapy for cellulite – in person-practicums will also be video-taped and made available for those who can’t attend; Bonita Carol, trained in SV Ayurveda and panchakarma, will instruct the PK (panchakarma) hands-on training; Dr. Milena Takvorian-Mishra will be covering the portions on the relationship between sadhak pitta and the mind, in conjunction with the role played by the hormones in cellulite formation.
With this course, you can expect to gain indepth understanding as well as advanced practical skills to address and manage cellulite. I am confident that those students who have and run health practices will immediately acquire and be able to apply practical ayurvedic wisdom and know-how, as per the scope of their practice(s), to help their clients, or themselves, to help prevent, reduce cellulite, eliminate, and overall, break the cycle of unhealthy adipose formation.
Vaidya R K Mishra
Disclaimer
This product and statements have not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. All of the information above is intended for educational purposes only and may not be used to replace or complement medical advice.
As of yet however, I had not formulated products for cellulite or developed management protocols. First, I wanted complete confidence that my products and protocols would work, at least in the 1st and 2nd stages of manifestation.
Course Outline and Chapter Details:
Introduction:
-Why an Ayurvedic approach is your best solution. How Ayurveda is a holistic protocol that addresses body, mind, emotions, spirit.
- Tackling the problem by understanding the individual’s make-up: metabolic type, ethnic/cultural background, age, mental, emotional parameters
Chapter 1: What is Cellulite? - from Sutra to Science
-The contemporary/scientific understanding vs the Ayurvedic: how do we define cellulite ayurvedically when it is not cited as a “condition” in the ayurvedic texts?
-How/why does one get cellulite formations?
-Why does it mostly affect women?
-Why has cellulite become a prevalent modern condition affecting so many women?
- Cellulite in men: clarifications and explanations
-Cultural differences – is cellulite more prevalent in the West (US/Europe) than in other countries?
-Our “perception” of cellulite. Why it’s never too late to start the routine.
-Evidence/sourcec of knowledge:
-Charak Samhita helps decipher the functioning of the layers of the skin, but the Sutra Samhita gives more wisdom about the deeper layers of the skin and how how the accumulation of fat results and impedes circulation.
-Body has 2 kinds of fat (1 fat is tissue that transforms to bone, 1 fat is “vasa” – like lard, not a part of tissue). Cellulite is not a fat tissue problem, it is vasa that forms cellulite. “Bad” fat gets into the muscles and gets stuck and polluted
-When we know how/why this fat forms then we know how to disperse it.
- Developmental Stages of Cellulite: early, in-progress, and advanced
- Where/when to draw the line
Chapter 2: The Emotional Component
- Times/circumstances in life when cellulite is prone to appear: early hormonal phases of puberty; childbirth; menopause.
- Other factors tied to emotions and hormones: why/how pent up emotions, or emotions that we hold onto, can lead to cellulite. What to do about it. Finding bliss – Ananda. Also: issues of self-esteem tied in with hormonal shifts.
- Ayurvedic Psychology: Ayurveda has a unique way of evaluating the emotional spectrum. It offers us insights and the workings of the emotions beyong the categorization of the doshas. In SVA, we pay particular attention to Sattva types. These help us determine how much endurance we are naturally endowed with to handle emotional stressors. The Sattva is also repressed or supported by environmental factors such as diet, lifestyle, and social behavior. Three primary categories of Sattva
• Heen Sattva, low emotional endurance. This weakens more in negative environment, when not eating in time, eating spicy foods, drinking alcohol, etc aggravates this. Doubting, unsure, cranky, grumpy. Low Self Esteem. Can be boosted to Medium
• Madhya Sattva, medium self-esteem. Sometimes negative, sometimes positive. Can be boosted to High.
• Pravar Sattva, high self-esteem. Positive, confident, spiritual, even in the face of the greatest challenges.
In this section we will be discussing other key concepts that involve Sattva and its workings in relation to the brain and heart, with special focus on the “heart lotus” and the quality of the aura of the lotus.
-Emotional strength/weakness impacts the mind. The mind governs metabolism, it regulates the secretions of enzymes in the stomach, and the workings of the pancreas, it also communicates with the neurotransmitters. When the mind gets stressed, the body produces cortisol to buffer the stress effects, the body thinks it needs protection, to hold onto fat, so toxins accumulate, cellulite forms. This is one of the common reasons.
Chapter 3: The Cellulite-Cancer Connection.
-Why it is important health-wise, not just beauty-wise, to get rid of cellulite.
-Findings on the connection between cellulite and cancer
Chapter 4: Ayurvedic Anatomy of the Skin.
- The physiology of the skin as seen by modern and ancient perspectives.
- the Sutra to Science
-Psychophysiology of the skin (how the psyche impacts the skin in cellulite formations; other skin imbalances in relation to the mind/heart conjunction, such as eczema, acne, etc.)
-Pathophysiology in perspective of cellulite
-Formation of cellulite – the Samprapti Chakra of Cellulite
Chapter 5: Tools that don’t work – and those that will!
-Looking at various approaches to cellulite and understanding why each of them do not give the expected results: ground coffee beans and caffeine, endermologie, etc… Cellulite “myths” – (funny examples, old wives’ tales)
– not looking at whole person, big picture, all the factors (food, skin layers, emotions)
-Why SVAyurveda’s program works:
1) Physically looking at the structure of the skin and what disturbs that healthy structure
2) Functional Considerations
3) Intelligence – the skin-mind communication
Chapter 6: From the Inside-Out
- Starting with what we eat. The relationship between the process of digestion and tissue metabolism. How food can turn into fatty deposits/cellulite. Why it goes where it goes. Areas of body prone to cellulite and why they are targets.
-What to avoid eating to prevent cellulite. Dietary guidelines.
-What to eat so you don’t get cellulite: specific herbs and why they work - and herbal tea to help with cellulite elimination.
- What to eat to get rid of cellulite – select spices and ingredients, such as Garcinia cambogia
Chapter 7: From the Outside-In – the Transdermal Strategy
-Treating cellulite transdermally – how/why SVA transdermal protocols work
-Transdermal detox and Transdermal rejuvenation
-How to, when and why to use: Understanding absorption, transdermal application, ritual
-Garshana Massage – dry, lymphatic massage
-Herbalized Lotions – firming creams, transdermal Magnesium, Boswellia, Guggulu, Zinc)
-SVA Herbalized Soaps
-Marma points
Chapter 8: Movement and Marma to Release and Circulate
-The role of exercise. The best exercises to do. Exercises that don’t work or that one shouldn’t do.
- Yoga and Marma-Yoga to reduce cellulite
Chapter 9: Total Dietary, Herbal, Transdermal Tools and Protocols
SVA transdermal creams, herbal clay wraps, and herbal oils using 16 wellresearched herbs – new formulations and their usage
-Daily Routine and products to add to your dinacharya
-Chemical and Toxin-Free Living: Soap Nuts, Oral Care, Hair Care, Makeup, Skin Care
-Diet: Targeted diet(s) to remove free-radicals, open and soften the channels, purify muscles, purify and soften the skin, and break-up the micro-crystals in cellulite areas: Kulthi bean and Barley help reduce fat and purify the muscles.
- SVA Vegan Protein Powder Recipes
-SVA Formulations: Firming lotions, Flex’n Flow – firming and toning of the skin go side-by-side to avoid saggy skin at any point of cellulite elimination.
-Bath: Bath Pouches for fat & water soluble toxins
-Cellulite Massage Oil
-Garshana – in-house made SVA gloves for dry skin brushing
- Daily Treatments: Quick self-treatments on daily basis
-Weekends: Specific, long treatments for weekends, i.e. Cellulite clay packs to mobilize the toxins
- Practicum training for allocating the marmas related to anatomical areas of cellulite
-Finding balance and maintaining it: how to travel well and what to do while away from home
-Home Panchakarma (PK) – specifics for Cellulite
Additional Practical Ayurvedic Protocols and Tools for the Health Professional: A more powerful program for cellulite management performed under professional supervision
-A 7-week PK program and Diet requiring your supervision
-Swedena (steam bath) herb specific for cellulite
-Professional clay wraps
-Specific virechana (mild purging protocols)
-Shirodhara (oil streamed on head) for relaxation
-Strong herbal baths
- Marma PK massage with Professional Oils
-Special Detox Oils with greater detox power
The post Cellulite Management Transdermally and from the Inside-Out: an SV Ayurveda Course – from Sutra to Science appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.
The post This Autumn Pacify your Vata Dosha by Balancing your Pachak Pitta First! appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.
The post Prep your Body for Autumnal Detox appeared first on Vaidya Mishra's Ayurveda Knowledge Blog.
It’s Autumn. But don’t just automatically jump onto the detox bandwagon yet! Just because it’s a new season! And just because everybody is doing it! If you detox without addressing pitta and amlapitta imbalances reaped through the summer, you are wont to make things worse – you will further aggravate your vata dosha and surely catch that seasonal cold that preys on the physiology this time of year! There is one key factor we tend to overlook at the end of summer, and it’s the stomach. The stomach is a primary pitta dosha site, and at the end of Summer, with the increase of agni in the environment, pitta is always found in excess in our bodies. It makes us crave more sweet juicy fruits, or ice cold drinks, cake, cold salads, ice cream, heavy foods, did we mention ice-cream yet? And sweets, sweets, and more sweets! If you’ve read up even a little on Ayurveda at the source, not thought secondary sources that tend to mistranslate, you will learn that in the Fall, we do not only get Vata aggravated because the climate changes, and colder temperatures come in, but because our pitta dosha is so high that it actually unsettles Vata dosha. And here’s the trick: if you start to pacify Vata dosha with warming and heating protocols as Vata gets pacified through heat, you are only going to make and already aggravated pitta go more out of balance, and hence create a vicious cycle to keep Vata out of balance. What’s more, your craving for heavy and sweet things will go out of control, and here you go, suddenly you are sick with that bad autumnal cold. Surprised? But it’s inevitable at this point…. So what do you do? Pacify pitta, or more correctly amla pitta – sour pitta. Pitta that has accumulated and gone sour in your body.
By addressing and pacifying your primary pitta organ or locus, the stomach and digestive system, you can actually pave your way to a healthy Autumn and a pacified Vata that will keep things in check. But what is too much pitta?
It can be as simple as craving too many cold and sweet things, to a feeling of heaviness in the stomach; or also the feeling that no matter what we eat, we feel hungry! Never satiated. In extreme circumstances, amla-pitta appears as heartburn, acid reflux, bloating, gas, burping, and a sour feeling in the digestive system, sometimes accompanied by diarrhea, and burning in the recto-anal area are all symptoms of “amlapitta.” Amla means sour, and pitta stand for the fiery metabolic elements in our body according to Ayurveda. Amlapitta, is described to be an excess of sour gastric juices, a sure sign of an imbalanced environment in the stomach. Amlapitta can manifest in different parts of the physiology, giving different symptoms either in the stomach, the ano-rectal pathways, or even the skin.
Once in a while, we might all have experienced mild cases of amlapitta depending on what we ate, how stressed we were, how old the food was, how much ketchup we douzed it in! If stomach acidity is recurrent, it should not be ignored or taken lightly. When things become chronic, amlapitta can cause lasting damage to the stomach, throat, colon, and ano-rectal areas, including bleeding.
We are all made of the same stuff as Mother Nature – the cosmic elemental energies of Soma, Agni, and Marut. These primary cosmic energies then go to make up the 5 elements of earth, water, fire, air, and space. In the Ayurvedic understanding of our bodies, ancient abstract concepts take on real concrete form. Ayurveda teaches us that our stomachs are powered by those same three elemental energies: air, water, and fire. In our stomaches, these energies have specific tasks: air ensures the churning movement that keeps the food in motion as it is getting digested and broken down in the stomach; water lubricates and keeps things moist so nothing get stuck; and fire is that which is actually responsible for breaking down, and processing the food in the stomach. This concept of the fire element in the stomach is key to understanding many key aspects of health, and specially heartburn or acidity.
In western terms, we think of the stomach as housing the digestive gastric fluids. In Ayurveda, these fluids are called “pachak pitta.” They constitute the fuel that fires the flame that cooks down the food. In order to digest anything you eat, you need fuel and you need a flame. It is very important to understand the difference between these two. They have distinct names in Ayurveda: pachak pitta and pachak agni respectively. Without a proper balance between the fuel and the flame, the fire will be too big and burn down evertyhing. If there is too much fuel (pachak pitta) it will soak and put out the flame.
Many factors can provoke pachak pitta or pachak agni so they get out of balance and over-excreted, creating an excessively acidic environment in the stomach – too much fuel or too much fire. You may then feel like no matter what you eat, you are still hungry; or you may actually have the feeling of a sour taste in your mouth; sometimes you may even experience stomach cramps; and of course, burping, and an overal burning feeling in your stomach.
Diet and stress are major factors that can imbalance the stomach, throwing off digestion, and causing discomfort in the body overall. In our Western allopathic approach, we are told to minimize or eliminate the intake of acidic foods that can trigger or increase the production of sour metabolic digestive juices: a person is advised to eat less spicy foods; drink less alcohol; and manage a stressful job and lifestyle. But did you know that heavy foods that are not at all acidic by definition can also bring about acidity? Our current modern understanding of stomach acidity and heartburn is so limited and one-dimensional, that our treatments also, over-the -counter as well as prescription acid blockers, are unable to fix it! Millions of people have to take anatacids to suppress their symptoms, only to find that overtime things are actually getting worse. Long term, anatacids actually contribute to make their original condition worse.
In SVA, we understand that antacids don’t discriminate between the excessively high acid and the normal level of acids and enzymes needed to digest our food. Anatacids block and freeze all the acid, often leaving food fermenting in the stomach and intestine as ama (toxins) and amavisha (hot, reactive toxins.)
Amlapitta can be managed effectively, but only if we understand thoroughly, as the Tri-Sutra verse show us how to. The sutra, or verse, says: “hetu ling aushadh gyanam.” This verse instructs us to look for the causative factors first, and not get stuck at the symptoms. It instructs us to observe and study the specific individual, inquire about diet and lifestyel, and only then draw a line of treatment for that person. This is only common-sense, right? Then why is it we tend to ignore every single time? When someone says “I have heartburn” we think of an antacid – either in supplement or other forms. It could be that their heartburn is generated from a completely different location, that the actual “hetu” or root cause is located in an unrelated organ or root cause. Tri-Sutra Ayurveda, or Ayurveda practised according to the precepts of that sutra, gives us protocols to help isolate and define the root cause of conditions in order to get 100% results.
The Madhav Nidan, an ancient ayurvedic text, sheds ample light on amlapitta conditions. Written in the 16th century, Mahdav Nidan is especially useful for diagnosis. Starting with sutra (verse) 51 -1, we read about the potential hetu-s or causative/etiological factors for amla pitta or heartburn.
Etiology and Definition of Amlapitta
• viruddha: literally means “incompatible food combinations.” For example: eating banana with milk. Certain foods when eaten together or in close proximity with each other, create a ‘fight’ in the stomach and delay proper digestion. This is because they carry different chemical properties and require special attention in the stomach in order to be digested fully. A full list of improper food combinations is given after the dietary recommendations sections.
• duṣṭā: leftovers, that is, food on its way to putrefication, even if minimal; contaminated foods (chemically enhanced or preserved), and decomposed foods (aged, etc) can cause amla pitta
• duṣṭāmla: Many types of sour foods are both bad (duṣṭā) and sour or acidic in taste. These include drinks and foods like wine, beer, vinegar, lemon, hard aged cheeses, pickled eggs, meats, etc.
• vidāhi: Some foods ferment rapidly after ingestion, like milk gone bad or sour, and cause burning. Other foods also tend to produce immediate burning in the stomach, like pickles, wasabi sauce, cayenne pepper, vinegar, etc.
• pittaprakopipānānnabhujo vidagdham: in general, food items or drinks that aggravates pitta
• pittaṁ svahetūpacitaṁ: Pitta aggravation caused by the specific actions of a specific person. ‘Whatever a particular person is doing that causes and increase of pitta in the stomach.’ A person with amla pitta may be able to isolate their own causative/etiological factors. A physician may help determine their client’s personal factors.
• purā yattadamlapittaṁ: Gradually these things aggravate pitta in the stomach
• pravadanti santaḥ: All scholars are calling that/identify that condition as amla pitta
• avipāk: lack of complete digestion
• klamo: deep fatigue
• utkleśa: burping
• tikta: bitter taste in mouth
• āmlodgār: acidity and burping together
• gāragauravaiḥ: uneasy feeling
• hṛtkaṇṭhadāh: burning sensation in heart and throat
• āruci: lack of appetite and taste
• bhiścāmlapittaṁ vadedbhiṣak: Ayurvedic scholars call these symptoms amla pitta
The Downward movement of Amlapitta – when samana vayu, or the air and space principles in the stomach are aggraveted, they will carry amlapitta out of the stomach and downward into the colon:
• tṛḍdāha: when amlapitta moves down from stomach to colon, the colon burns.
• mūrcchā: vertigo, dizziness, light headed
• bhram: illusion, disorientation
• mohakāri prayātyadho: attachment to a thought or idea
• vā vividhaprakāram: comes in many ways
• hyallāsa: nausea
• koṭhānala: urticaria (red, itchy, burning bumps on skin)
• sādaharṣa: feeling uneasy
• svedāṅga: sweating
• pītatvakaraṁ: anemia (yellow skin tone)
• kadācit: happens (pītatvakaraṁ) often but not all the time
The upward movement of Amlapitta – this is when samana vayu, or the air and space prinicple in the stomach, pushes amlapitta upward:
• vāntaṁ: upward
• haritpītakanīlakṛṣṇamāraktaraktābhamatīva: vomit green, yellow, bluish, blackish, bloody (can be any or mixture of these colors)
• cāmlam: happens when too acidic
• māṁsodakābhaṁ: like color of meat
• tvatipicchilācchaṁ: slimy vomit
• śleṣmānujātaṁ: mucous comes up
• vividhaṁ rasena: can produce many different tastes in mouth
bhukte vidagdhe tvathavā’pyabhukte karoti tiktāmlavamiṁ kadācit|
mā. ni. ||51-5||
• bhukte vidagdhe: after eating burning starts
• tvathavā’pyabhukte: starts immediately or later
• karoti: creating
• tiktāmlavamiṁ kadācit: bitter, sour vomiting often happens in amlapitta
• karacaraṇa: hands, feet, legs
• dāha: burning
• mauṣṇyaṁ: deep, inner burning
• mahatīmaruciṁ: extreme loss of appetite
• jvaraṁ: fever
• kaphapittaṁ: kapha pitta fever (chill, heaviness, heat)
• janayati: creating
• kaṇḍū: itching
• maṇḍalapiḍakā: bumpy rash
• śatanicitagātrarogacayam: multiple bumps on body, but mainly throat
• rogo’yamlapittākhyo: amlapitta disease
• yatnāt saṁsādhye navaḥ: with proper effort easy to cure in early stages
• cirotthito bhaved: chronic
• yāpyaḥ: curable (when chronic) but difficult
• kṛcchra: very hard to cure
• asādhyaḥ: not curable
• kasyacit: do not take these cases on
• sānilaṁ: pure vata
• sānilakaphaṁ: vata and kapha
• sakaphaṁ: pure kapha
• tacca lakṣayet doṣaliṅgena: amlapitta appears as dosha based symptoms
• matimān bhiṣaṅmohakaraṁ hi tat: intelligent physician bases his protocols on these symptoms
• Shaky, delirious, fainting
• Grinding teeth
• Tightness in jaws
• Colic Pain
• Person sees darkness
• delusional
• Inapproproate happiness – inappropriate happiness for the circumstances
• These are the symptoms of vata type amlapitta
• Heaviness in limbs
• Rigidity of body
• Lack of taste and appetite
• Cold feeling
• Depressed
• Nauseous
• Coated tongue and mouth
• Lack of energy
• Itching
• Lethargy or excessive sleepiness, lassitude
• These are the symptoms of kapha type amlapitta
• Both symptoms together called Vata Kapha
• Bitter
• Acidic
• Pungent
• Burping
• Burning in heart, throat, and diaphragm
• Illusion
• Fainting
• Lack of taste and appetite
• Vomiting
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Sweet taste (sometimes) in mouth
• Excess salivation
Madhav Nidan gives us a wonderful description of the hetus (etiological factors) and the linga (symptoms) according to dosha(s) and the movement of amlapitta in the body. I want to look further at two more points:
• Consuming tea or coffee on an empty stomach
• Eating acid forming meals, specially for breakfast
• Skipping meals and/or not eating on time
• Consumign excessively spicy/sour foods
• Frequent use of dry, salty snacks (potato chips, popcorns, etc.)
• Use of excessive table salt
• Consuming fried foods
• EMF/RF (electro-magnetic fields & radio frequencies)
• Stress – Emotional and mental
• Improper or lack of sleep
• Frequent/regular use of alcohol
Your first step is to isolate the cause/etiological factors of your amlapitta. Go through the list above and the causes delineated in Madhav Nidan. Then try your best to minimize/eliminate those causes.
The trickiest cause might be eliminating or reducing exposure to EMF/RF devices, as we are so wont to their daily use – cellphones, smart devices, computers, television. In this day and age, we are all inevitabely over-exposed to EMF/RF. Such devices pollute and corrupt the main pranic delivery channel, the shushumna nadi, that runs down our spine. The shushumna nadi is marut or flow predominant. When it goes off, the coordination between prana vata, that governs the brain and mind, and samana vata, that rules the stomach and intestine, also goes off. The brain then has trouble guiding the stomach on how much digestive enzymes and metabolic gastric juices to produce, where, and when. So too, EMF/RF can corrupt the space element of the body – the ‘deciding’ factor and the ‘material’ of the sandhis (gaps) governing transformations. This includes the intelligent interaction of digestive enzymes, pachaka pitta, with the food we eat. Some people, for instance, secrete digestive enzymes, in good quantity and quality; but due to the corruption of the sandhis in their cells, the interaction of enzymes with food goes off. Even when they eat mostly alkaline food, amlapitta happens due to lack of intelligent interaction with the good food.
For that reason, I recommend my Flex ‘N Flow Cream be applied on the spine for all people with amlapitta. Best way to use it is to have someone swipe your entire spine at bedtime, top to bottom, in a downward motion. Apply and swipe 7 – 14 times. Self-apply by swiping down your lower spine 2 x day. This will re-instate more intelligence to the space element for better enzymatic interaction. Also, get my booklet on electromagnetic toxins and use those simple tips. These tips will help support the coordination of the brain and digestive system.
It goes without saying that we have to pay special attention to the diet, or ahar, in amlapitta conditions. You simply can’t reduce hyperacidity in the long-term without eating the right foods in the right way. In general, soma goes low in amlapitta; so we need to get more soma from all sources. The following guidelines will help you get just the right amount of soma and transform that soma with the right amount of agni:
• Eat neutral/alkaline foods – not too sweet, nor too acidic. Avoid all processed white sugar, it is very stimulating for heartburn conditions.
• Eliminate all your typical protein for a few weeks until the intelligence of the body and enzymatic interaction is restored. Reduce lentils, paneer, chicken, fish, etc. My SVA Green protein recipe is an exception as it is particulary easy to digest and absorb and will not impede your metabolic fires.
• Add SVA Vegan Protein Powder to your diet. Vegan Protein Powder has 35% high quality easy-to-digest protein. Because it is semi-roasted, this nutritious powder will not cause acidity. Pitta and VP type amlapitta should use the protein powder recipe #3. Do Not use the pro-biotic version. Kapha & VK amlapitta should use #4 with the following modifications: remove garcinia masala and lime juice. Add one crushed piece of clove (no pro-biotic version). PK type of amlapitta, use #3 do not add Rose Petal Preserve. Use less raw sugar – no pro-biotic version.
• Green Protein – made with chicken or paneer. Cook with Pitta Masala or spice mix below. Whole coriander and fennel seeds must be individually lightly pre-toasted before grinding.
o 1-part ground SVA turmeric
o 6-part ground coriander seeds
o 10-part ground fennel seeds
• Favor fresh, summer zucchini or crookneck squashes and lauki – or loki is availabe at Asian or Indian markets.
• Jhinga Poshtu: a delicious Bengali recipe. Jhinga is also known as “toru” in Hindi. It is a somagenic, alkalizing vegetable found at Indian/Asian grocery stores. “Poshtu” means poppy seeds. Poppy seeds enhance the coordination between the brain, stomach, and colon – between prana, samana, and apana. The delicious Jhinga Postu recipe below will cool amlapitta and calm stress-induce heartburn. For amlapitta with mild diarrhea jhinga poshtu is the best. This recipe is for all types of amlapitta except Kapha and Kapha/Vata – too somagenic for them. Also, Do Not use in constipation or tendency toward chronic constipation. Instead, use Tamarind Prune Chutney Recipe on page 43 of my Home Detox Manual & take Triphala for High Pitta, containing cooling fennel and rose.
• Jhinga Poshtu Recipe
o Jhinga – 2 long pieces. Peel the skin and chop into small pieces. Use approximately 16 ounces
o In 1 TBSP of Mum’s Ghee gently sauté on low heat the following spices (careful not to burn): cinnamon 1/2”; green cardamom 3 crushed pods; large cardamom 1 crushed; fennel seeds ½ tsp; sunthi powder 2 pinches; raisins 10 pieces; Soma Salt ½ tsp.
o Add chopped jhinga. Stir and cook 10 minutes on medium heat till soft.
o Dry toast separately 1 TBSP of white poppy seeds. Grind to a fine powder. Sprinkle on the cooked jhinga. Let stand covered five more minutes off heat.
• Soma Salt Use only Soma Salt. It is avidahi or cooling because it contains high levels of calcium. Regular salt is vidahi, heating, and forbidden for amlapitta conditions.
• Cooking oils: Most oils, including olive oil, are agneya – heating or stimulating to the digestive fires. Amlapitta needs cooling but not freezing energy. Mum’s Ghee in moderate amounts supplies the best ratio of soma to agni. Coconut Oil holds a lot of soma – but too much for high pitta (fuel) with low agni (flame). Coconut oil may further block the digestive channels and the flow of enzymes.
• Khichari Recipe: Light and nutritious, this recipe is perfect for helping reset an aggravated digestive environemtn (high pitta and high agni) to a state of ultimate balance, or samagni – balanced agni. Use 1 TBSP of mung dhal to 4 TBSP of organic rice. This will serve 1. Adjust amounts proportionately for your appetite and servings. Dry toast the dhal and rice along with the spices for your amlapitta type – see below. Then add ½ tsp of Mum’s ghee and briefly sauté. Cook covered in 16 ounces of water till mushy (approximately 20 minutes.) Add Soma Salt per taste. Be careful not to burn any ingredient while toasting and sautéing.
o Vata imbalance prone: ½ tsp whole fennel seeds; 1/8 tsp turmeric; 1/8 tsp whole cumin seeds
o Pitta imbalance prone: No turmeric, no cumin. Add ¼ tsp coriander seeds & one crushed green cardamom pod. Alternately, use Pitta Masala.
o Kapha imbalance prone: No fennel. Add 3 pieces of clove and 2 black peppercorns. (Cinnamon leaf from Indian grocery a wonderful addition, 2 leaves).
• Takra: Pro-biotic drink to replenish the yoginis, friendly bacteria in your gut, and increase the intelligence of the colon. For one glass/serving:
o Fresh home-made yoghurt, 20%
o Spring Water, 80%
o Pinch of Soma Salt
o Toast equal proportions of coriander seeds and fennel seeds. Pulverize in a coffee grinder. Use 1/4 tsp.
o Blend well at high speed
Certain foods should not be eaten together in the same meal. Ideally, they should only be consumed hours apart from eachother. In Sutrasthana 26 verse 81, Charak talks about ‘deha dhatu pratyanik’ or antagonistic food items for deha (body) and dhatu (tissues). These combinations can be inimical, or hostile, to the stomach and/or bodily tissues, because they are bio-chemically incompatible. Consuming them together will create a hostile stomach environment. Below is a list of several incompatible food combinations. However, the list is not exhaustive. Extend your own experience and know-how when you come across uncommon food combinations, or even in situations where you are exhibiting food sensitivity to common combinations.
Avoid consuming:
• Milk with almost any other food items – especially bananas, meat, fish, fruits, yoghurt, salt or salty food items. Milk is best consumed alone. Or with some grains such as rice, or oats, with sugar, or honey.
• Lemon with cucumber
• Dairy products (milk, yoghurt, heavy cream, cheeses) with nightshades (eggplant, bell-peppers, potato, tomato)
• Radish(es) with raisins
• Fruit – best to eat your fruits with other fruits, never with yoghurt, or milk products, or cheeses. Exception is when fruits are stewed or cooked, such as apples, then they can be consumed with oatmeal. Dried fruits, such as dates or raisins may be consumed with milk.
• Melons – do not combine with cheese, or cream.
• Beans with fruit, milk cheese, eggs
In addition to maintaining an optimal diet for your body type, and avoiding food items that can aggravate or bring about imbalances in your amlapitta, I have put together some herbal formulations in cream or supplement form that can help you restore balance and maintain it.
We select the transdermal route, applying creams or herbal preparations to penetrate and balance the body via the skin, when we want to take pressure away from the digestive organs. Transdermal creams bypass the digestive organs and are delivered directly to their target areas through the blood stream. Transdermal preparations reach their destination even faster and are highly effective yet very subtle. Here are some good creams you can use for amlapitta conditions:
1) Flex’N Flow Cream on spine – see previous directions above
2) DGL Transdermal Cream on stomach followed by Fennel TD Cream on stomach. Massage lightly a few times in clockwise motion. Apply after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. DGL will supply somagenic action to the digestive system. Fennel TD provides digestive stimulation with no risk of heating the body. Great in high pitta, low agni conditions.
1) Flex ‘N Flow Cream as previously described
2) DGL (as above) followed by Pro-Pachaka TD on stomach area. This protocol will open the nadis (vibrational channels) of the abdominal area to balance samana vata, and through the natural intelligence of samana vata, pachaka (digestive fire) will come back into balance without disturbing the integrity of kledaka kapha, (emulsifying and protective sub-dosha of the stomach).
As we know, in Ayurveda, once size never fits all. Based on the etiological factors and the type of amlapitta, I have made four SV Ayurveda formulas that can help you with your amlapitta imbalances: SVA Acid-Care Powder, Pro-Pachaka Tablets, Wild Amla Tablets, & Soma Cal Capsules.
Acid-Care Powder and Pro-Pachaka Tablets should be used in all types of amlapitta conditions. Acid-Care Powder will help manage the over-production of acid before it starts. Pro-Pachaka will increase the power of absorption, without heating or aggravating pitta.
Acid-Care Powder is a variation on the classical Ayurvedic formula called avipattikar. With Acid-Care, this classical formula becomes even more powerful – yet gentler and safer. Acid-Care Powder is tri-doshic to balance pachaka pitta, the sub-dosha of pitta governing the stomach, without aggravating kledaka kapha (the sub-dosha of kapha governing the stomach) or samana vata (the sub-dosha of vata governing the stomach).
Ingredients
• Misri: Organic Cane Sugar crystals to balance the pungency of other ingredients. Very pitta pacifying
• Sunthi: Ayurvedic ginger for pitta. Opens the channels and increases intelligence of enzymatic interactions
• Black Pepper (Piper nigrum): Action is similar to ginger. Balanced by mishri.
• Long Pepper (Piper longum): Channel opening and clearing, it is balanced by Misri.
• Triphala: Three-fruit formula – amla, haritaki, bibhitaki – to pacify all doshas of the GI tract. Enhances intelligence of the colon to eliminate hot toxins (amavisha) that often get lodged in the colon when amlapitta moves down. Scrapes hot toxins from this area.
• Vidanga (Embelia ribes): Inflammation causes the colon to lose its immunity. Vidanga supports the immunity of the small and large intestine.
• Green Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum): Enhances the absorption of protein molecules
• Tejpatra (cinnamon leaf): Neutralizes acidic toxins
• Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum): Balances kledaka kapha and opens the channels
• Clove (Syzigium aromaticum): Opens the channels even as it cools. Post-digestive effect is cooling.
• Nishoth (Operculina turpethum): White turpeth (root bark portion) slowly scrapes micro-molecules of amavisha from the digestive tract. Works very well with triphala.
• Musta (Cyperus rotundus): Neutralizes excess pitta. Cools and supplies energy to the mucous membranes of the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. Enhances intelligence of the intestines (what to eliminate, what to absorb).
• Soma Salt: Enhances absorption without clogging the channels. Is cooling and alkalizing.
• DGL Powder: DGL (Deglycerized Licorice) cools acidic toxins and binds them (SVA proprietary ingredient – not part of classical formula).
• Pearl Bhasma: Pearl bhasma (ash) is very somagenic, offering deep cooling and nurturing properties. (SVA proprietary ingredient – not part of classical formula).
Directions: Mix ½ tsp in four ounces of cool water. Drink before lunch & dinner
Pro-Pachaka Tablets: This is an ancient classical formula that comes in 6 different variations. My father, Vaidya Kameshwar Mishra, used to favor one of these only. It’s the one that I also like to use. In the classical texts, it is called “dadimastak churn” or a churna (herbal powdered mix) of “dadi” or pomegranate, and “astak” means eight. So the name highlights the fact that the formula primarily contains pomegranate plus eight specific herbs/plants in powder form. This is a proven ancient formula for amlapitta, or sour stomaches. Now, under its new SVA name, Pro-Pachaka, you will find it delivers powerful support to enhance the interaction of enzymes with the food. This tablet is tri-doshic. It will help clear up udana – the areas of the chest & throat, balance samana – in the stomach & small intestine, & pacify apana or the colon area, without heating or aggravating pitta. Purified trikatu powder (pippali, sunthi, & long pepper) is used in this tablet. Trikatu is very heating (agneya). Purified trikatu is cooled by soaking the raw ingredients in takra (ayurvedic buttermilk) before making the powder.
Ingredients
• Pomegranate (Punica granatum): Supports the interactions of enzymes with food. Great anti-oxidant – wherever amlapitta is present we find amavisha. Pomegranate removes amavisha and supports/restores the mucous membranes of the stomach, lungs, and colon.
• Vanshlochan (Bambusa Arundinacea): Neutralizes acid but good balance of soma and agni. Tri-doshic. Vanshlochan can ‘soak’ kledaka kapha of the stomach if it is too high.
• Nagkeshar (Mesuaferra): Enhances enzymatic secretions and interactions
• Ajmoda (Carum roxburghianum): Supports enzymatic secretions and interactions without heating things up
• Pippali or Long pepper (Piper longum): Mild agneya to balance enzymes and open physical channels
• Sunthi: Ayurvedic ginger for pitta. Opens the channels and increases intelligence of enzymatic interactions
• Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum): Agneya to balance kledaka and open the channels
• Long pepper (Piper longum): Mild agneya to balance enzymes and open channels
• Organic Sugar Crystals: Cools and balances heat of the other ingredients
• Gum acacia: A natural binder for the tablets
Directions: One tablet after breakfast, lunch, & dinner. After 15 days, increase to 2 tablets
Wild Amla Tablets: The Wild Amla Tablets are only for Vata, Kapha, and VK type amlapitta. Pitta-predominate amlapitta should not use, nor should they use lime – or other sours in the diet – until the situation is corrected. Why? Their physiology cannot buffer the sour taste of amla or lime to the sweet vipak (post-digestive) taste.
Ingredients: Wild harvested amalaki berry (emblica officinalis)
Directions: One tablet after breakfast. After 15 days, add one tablet after lunch.
Soma Cal Capsules: The Soma Cal Capsules are very alkalizing and should be used only by those people with pitta-predominant amlapitta. Balances all five pitta subdoshas.
Ingredients: Red coral branch tips – sustainably harvested, Organic red rose, – the formula is exposed to the fullmoon rays according to an ancient Vedic ritual, to imbue is with further cooling and somagenic properties.
Directions: 1 capsule after lunch
This formula is highly prized by Pitta body types, as it pacifies all pitta sub-doshas and organs (eyes, digestive system, liver, skin, cooling off the emotions as well). It also supplies easy to digest and metabolize calcium. Rose petals are prized for their cooling and settling properties on the digestive tract, as well as the emotional mind and heart.
Disclaimer
This product and statements have not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and are not intended to be used to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. All of the information above is intended to be used for educational purposes only and may not be used to replace or compliment medical advice.
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“As an Ayurveda fan you probably know that Ayurveda originated in India more than 5,000 years ago. The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced Ayurveda to the USA in the 1960s. The Beatles were followers of the Maharishi, and learned to meditate, causing meditation to gain momentum in the west. A few decades later, Deepak Chopra comes out with his book “Perfect Health” and talks about Ayurveda with Oprah on national television. Then the practice of yoga becomes popular as a form of fitness, and as people see the benefits, they begin to explore and embrace its sister science Ayurveda.
As more westerners learned about Ayurveda, they would adapt it to fit their modern lifestyles. Instead of “one” Ayurveda, there became a variety of interpretations – hence the Ayurveda that is most prevalent here in the west today, “Mainstream Ayurveda.”
Mainstream Ayurveda – the kind I learned originally – is a simplified version of Ayurveda. Less Sanskrit, fewer “rules” – more of an introduction to Ayurveda. There’s nothing really wrong with it, but it’s not “deep” into the vast amount of knowledge that Ayurveda provides. We learned about the doshas, the daily routine, and a little massage, and then were sent on our way. If we wanted to learn more, there were books – so that’s what I did, and luckily at that time, back in the late 1990s – the books that were available were by some pretty good teachers, like Dr. Vasant Lad and Dr. David Frawley.
But as time went on, and the original teachers taught others to teach, the knowledge really got watered down. And then as the word spread, and yoga got super popular and every yoga teacher wanted to say something about Ayurveda, some of the knowledge got misinterpreted, and misunderstood – and even put into books and classes and webinars. Kind of like that children’s game of “Telephone” so now Mainstream Ayurveda looks in many ways very different from authentic, traditional Ayurveda.
And in the wrong hands, sometimes this misinterpreted knowledge can even be dangerous. For example, I recently saw a prominent figure in the Ayurveda community provide a “gut flush” recipe in an e-mail newsletter that went out to hundreds of thousands of people. She recommended taking pure lemon juice mixed with fresh raw ginger and cayenne pepper and drinking it every morning on an empty stomach. She said to make one big batch and it would keep in the refrigerator for a week. That’s just bad advice – and it is being labeled as “Ayurveda.” The harm is that when people take this advice, and end up with upset stomachs or worse, they’re going to blame Ayurveda, and you know how things go viral these days… that’s what happens. It’s bad PR for Ayurveda!
There’s another woman, with an Indian name who is not Indian, you might have heard of her, she is famous for being the ex-wife of a TV star. She is now billing herself as an “Eye-Ra-Ved-a” expert with her own line of products named after herself, and she even has a course out. Clearly she knows little about Ayurveda as she can’t even pronounce the word. Her objective is to sell products.
One way to gauge the authenticity of your teacher’s knowledge is to ask about the lineage. Where is the teacher getting this information?
My mentor, Vaidya RK Mishra teaches that the original source of all the wisdom in Ayurveda is the Carak Samhita. Interestingly enough, when I was originally learning Ayurveda, the Carak Samhita was never mentioned! It was many years before I understood how important, and how essential, this text is.
Using this classic text from the ancient school of Ayurveda, “from sutra to science,” is one of the hallmarks of Vaidya Mishra’s practice of Shaka Vansya Ayurveda – SVA. This is an integral part of Vaidya Mishra’s lineage. His familial lineage is traced in the ancient Vedic text, the Puranas.
Vaidya Mishra’s paternal ancestors have always been Ayurvedic physicians serving the Kings and Royal Families of India. They lived in a village called “Vaidya Chak” (literally: small village of healers) in the district of Bhagalpur in the state of Bihar, India for at least the last ten generations. Their practice was enhanced by handed-down secrets and recipes, always formulated and kept in the spirit of the original classical teachings, not contradicting or subtracting from the essence of the sutras in the Carak Samhita.
Although Vaidya Mishra completed his formal training in institutional Ayurveda he also practices according to the guidelines of his ancestry. His practice is informed by modern ayurvedic scholarship as well as modern western scientific medicine, in addition to the ancient knowledge held in his tradition.
Vaidya Mishra knows that the stress of modern lifestyles, including environmental pollution, toxic diets, and poor personal routines, exert more and more pressure on the physiology’s coping mechanisms. He understands that Ayurvedic therapies must adapt to meet the needs of these modern times while maintaining the bio-energetic purity and integrity of their ingredients. Combining this age-old knowledge of SVA, with current advances in research and technology, he’s been able to create many amazing products that help people deal with all kinds of health issues. You’ll see scientific studies cited in his books. Although Ayurveda has had this wisdom all along, now modern science has done us the favor of proving it to be true.
While there are many things that SVA does differently than Mainstream Ayurveda – here are just two:
– What we eat. Mainstream Ayurveda talks about the six tastes, and which tastes are best for the seasons and the doshas. SVA take this further, into deeper knowledge about what foods cause inflammation, what foods are to be used as medicines rather than foods, and specific ways that foods should be prepared to best be assimilated into the physiology so that the physical body is nourished.
Mainstream Ayurveda also makes “accommodations” that allow for our modern day conveniences. For example, The Carak Samhita says we should never eat leftovers. Yet some ayurvedic authors say that this is because back in the day we didn’t have refrigerators, so now we can have leftovers. One author says three days in the fridge is ok, another says up to one week. There’s no general agreement. But SVA is clear – no leftovers. And it doesn’t matter if we have refrigeration, it’s not just because of the bacteria that gets into food. It’s also because SVA sees all food as Sattvic (healthy, intelligent and filled with life force), Rajasic (stale, processed, or “dumb” food), or Tamasic (basically “dead” food that can be bad for you).
When you learn more about SVA you understand why you should not be eating garlic, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers and eggplant. While Mainstream Ayurveda may tout the benefits of these foods, SVA refers back to the Carak Samhits with specific reasons why these foods could actually be harmful.
– The vibrational body. Mainstream Ayurveda compares Marma therapy to acupressure and uses it in much the same way. Marma therapy is a whole science unto itself, and one that SVA endorses for many uses – for health, for beauty, and for spiritual growth. There is specific protocol in SVA for this. SVA gives us a “whole person” picture of the physical body and the vibrational body – how to find the balances and imbalances in each and what to do about them.
– Purification and detoxification. Mainstream Ayurveda is all about Panchakarma. But Vaidya Mishra and SVA says it’s not so simple. Sometimes more harm than good can be caused by detoxification so we have to be very careful. The liver, the colon, and the enzymatic system – all of these things come into play when looking at the intelligence of the channels, and preparing the channels. SVA gives us a deep understanding of this. SVA says that with the proper lifestyle we can keep ourselves from getting out of balance and needing any detox in the first place. It also provides gentle rebalancing protocol so that we can avoid any possible detox poisoning. SVA promotes the use of specific spices and herbs to help clear the channels for gentle and effective purification of the system.
When you practice SVA you learn that Ayurveda is not an “alternative” medicine, it can be our FIRST medicine. With SVA there is always a solution. To learn more visit Vaidya Mishra’s blog: http://www.vaidyamishra.com“
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Detoxing at the seasonal junctures is highly recommended by Ayurveda. And we now
understand why. Our body is not frozen in time or space, it is always interacting with the environment it is part of, and nowhere is this more visible than at the seasonal junctures, when the body has to adjust to climactic and changes coupled with a change in daily activity and rest. We learn with Ayurveda, that there are specific things we can do to help our bodies through the changes. Getting a cold, or feeling fatigue when seasons shift are signals that the body needs more support in adapting to the changing season. It’s like cleaning house! We do Spring Cleaning, we even do Autumn cleaning getting ready for a new academic year and the holiday season, but somehow we never think about cleaning/detoxing our bodies, mainly because the knowledge has not been available to us so far. But now, with Ayurveda, and particularly with additional practical scientifically validated tips from SV Ayurveda, we have so many fast and easy ways to support our physiologies during these seasonal junctures. You will actually experience how seasonal detoxing will not just be a welcome activity but it can amount to a joyful activity, even as you start to feel refreshed and revitalized from it.
Having said this, it is important to never forget that detox is a serious matter. In my
epxerience as an ayurvedic healer, many victims of unsafe detox protocols and services have come to SVA to help resolve their detox crises. There is one thing that 99 % of ayurvedic experts out there do NOT address, and that’s the state of our circulatory channels – physical and vibrational. It does not matter how great your diet, or detox herbs, or protocols are, if you do not address the channels, nothing will help! The channels is where it all happens first. Specially at the seasonal junctures. For example, when the weather changes from Summer to Fall, with temperatures dropping, our body responds accordingly: our channels shrink. Now imagine this scenario: you are at your ayurvedic clinic and they are giving you all sorts of wonderful herbal preparations, and massaging you to help you detox the accumulated pitta or heat, but they are not addressing the channels. Think of it in terms of the following analogy: the highways are all blocked and/ or badly congested, and psychotic dangerous criminals need to be transported from one jail to another jail, but but the roads are blocked, and if security has not taken proper measures, the likelihood of them breaking loose and causing greater trouble by hiding in the congested city are growing with every minute you are stuck in the traffic!
So first: you have to make sure that the toxins you are trying to evacuate are properly
“bound” and then that your channels are ready to evacuate the junk in an expedited
efficient manner! Because the last thing you want is for them to get relocated! You don’t want the junk that was polluting your lungs to go get stuck in your liver; or the hot toxins from your gut to find an outlet through your skin and cause great rashes and skin damage. And this is where bathing for detox comes in. specially in Autumn. I’ve already written about the health benefits of bathing at length on my blog, but I want to take things a little further this week.
Our morning showers or bedtime baths are a relaxing activity for us. Sure, hot water
running down our back in the morning, or soaking in an aromatic bath are very soothing and calming activities, but you probably did not know that they can be an even more powerful detox tool than ingesting any herbal supplement or detox protocol you will ever adopt. Bathing does so much more than relax your tired muscles or calm your mind. Specially when you use ayurvedic herbal pouches that have a targeted effect on your entire physiology. Hot water, steam, where herbs’ essences have been infused, have been therapeutically used since antiquity. The Roman baths were famous for their therapeutic properties, coupled with elaborate detox protocols. Elaborate bathing rituals and therapies to heal and beautify were also common in ancient Greece. In Japan, traditionally, bathing has been part of ritual purification and the pursuit of spiritual purity. Turkish baths or “hammams” were a core element of daily rituals, and were combined with elaborate massage protocols.
But nowhere are the therapeutic health benefits of bathing better documented than in the texts of the ancient rishis of Ayurveda. The health benefits of bathing are elaborated – why to bathe, how to bathe, when to bathe, what materials to use in bathing, what temperature of water to be used for whom, even directions on when ‘not to bathe.’ Ayurveda talks about natural clay mixes for bathing and uses herbs and flower petals in the bath along with natural foaming and cleansing agents, like soap nuts (reetha). 100% natural cleansing materials are selected for their power to cleanse, nurture, soothe, and detox – ALL without any synthetic scents, colors, binders, or emulsifying agents.
My SVA ancestors – physicians to the royalty of India – further enhanced these bathing protocols to address the ailments of their royal patients. These secrets were passed down to me via several generation, and I have had the opportunity now to adapt them to our contemporary bodies laden with stress, unhealthy lifestyles and diet, and high EMF exposure. This is why, my extensive line of herbal products, specially the soaps for the body, hands, and face along with specific bath pouches to detox and rejuvenate the physiology from the outside-in are not just meant as external beautifying or relaxing products. They are part of the general SVA transdermal daily detox protocol.
But first, I would like to go over what Bhav Prakash, one of our eminent ancestors, has to say about the health benefits of taking a bath.
Bathing is: deepanam – increases metabolic and digestive fires; vrishyam: increases seven tissues especially reproductive tissue, or shukra; ayushyam: increases longevity; snanamojo: bath increases ojas; balapradam: increases stamina; kandumala: (takes away) itching and malas, toxic waste of the skin; shrama: removes fatigue; sweda: cleans sweat; tandra: removes drowsiness; tridda: makes strong; daha: burning takes away; papmanutam: cleanses physically and vibrationally, i.e. takes away bad karma
In addition, it is bāhyaiśca sekaiḥ: warms up our external body; śītādyairūṣmā’ntaryāṁti pīḍitaḥ: warms up the body when a person is suffering from chills; narasya snānamātrasya dīpyate tena pāvakaḥ: after a bath the whole body agnis become ignited.
Bathing, when done with cool waters, śītena payasā snānaṁ; can be: raktapittapraśāntikṛt: pacifies high pitta in rakta (blood); when done in comfortably hot/warm water, tadevo’ṣṇena toyena balyaṁ vātakaphāpaham, it gives stamina and pacifies vata and kapha.
Otherwise: śiraḥ snānamacakṣuṣyamatyuṣṇenāmbunā sadā: normal temperature water bath for the head is good for the health (longevity) of the eyes; while warm (not too hot) water bath is good for pacifying vata and kapha.
But there is a special section on just bathing with (wild) Amla:
athāmalakaiḥ snānatya guṇānāha: Attributes of amalaki bath 2) yaḥ sadā”malakaiḥ snānaṁ karoti sa viniścitam: If a person takes amalaki baths daily without failure, 3) balīpalitanirmukto jīvedvarṣaśataṁ naraḥ: it will help with wrinkles, premature hair falling, and that person will live to a 100 years.
But some should not be bathing at all: atha snānānarhajanānāha, or bathing is highly contraindicated for: anyone who has jvara, or fever; anyone experiencing tisāre, or acute diarrhea; anyone with netrakarṇānilārtiṣu: vata predominate pain in eyes/ears, i.e. sharp, shooting pain; anyone who has ādhmāna or distention of abdomen; pīnasa: chronic sinusitis; ajīrṇaṁbhuktavatsu – anyone who is finally eating after a period of starvation/ fasting. It is garhitam, or clearly forbidden.
Bhava Prakash has a detailed discourse on ‘dinacharya’ – ‘daily rituals for self care.’ In a general sense, following all the do’s and don’ts on dinacharya align us with the laws of Nature so that we receive more prana and utilize that prana in totality. One of the
reasons we feel enlivened after our morning shower and relaxed after our evening bath is because these give us greater pranic reception and delivery. Skip that part of your day and you will definitely notice more physical fatigue and less mental clarity. Good flow of prana energizes, supporting all the bodily functions.
Bathing alone carries innumerable health benefits, but if you can also take a few minutes to give yourself an abhyanga (self-massage) with the appropriate massage oil, before bathing, then you maximize the detox and health benefits of your bath. Abhyanga does not even have to be a great big time-consuming activitiy – taking just a few more minutes to massage with the appropriate herbal oil and let that oil sit on your skin for 20 minutes will multiply the benefits of your bath/shower exponentially. Here’s the short list of what it will do for you:
• Pacifies all the doshas
• Relieves fatigue
• Gives mental clarity
• Tones the muscles
• Induces Sleep
• Lubricates the joints
• Calms the nerves
Discover more about the benefits of daily massage inclusive of which massage oils are best for different individuals and how to perform a self-massage by reading my blog, Give it or get it: you won’t regret it – Abhyanga and its Transdermal Benefits
Traditionally, herbal baths were routinely prescribed by Vaidyas for health maintenance and specific ailments. These baths – called aushadhi snan – were of two basic types: detox snan and rasayana or rejuvenative snan. I am reviving this ancient tradition by making available three types of herbalized bath pouches: Detox & Relax Bath Pouches; SVA Rasayana Bath Pouches; and Shodhana (Self-Detox) Bath Pouches. Detox & Relax pouches are best for Vata & Kapha predominant types. Pitta types (or strong pitta imbalance) can use SVA Rasayana Bath Pouches. Shodhana (Self-Detox) Bath Pouch is ideal to initiate a gentle detox during a home detox program, or whenever you feel your physiology needs cleansing.
To enjoy the benefits of aushadhi snan, simply fill up your bathtub with hot to warm but comfortable water, throw in a pouch, let it steep for a few minutes, then slip in. After relaxing for a few minutes, take the bath pouch and sponge your limbs and other desired areas. Relax some more and let the herbs do their job transdermally. The steam/heat of the water will relax your pores and facilitate the transdermal absorption of the herbal synergy, further benefiting your physiology.
All of my bath pouches are gentle yet provide powerful transdermal detox and therefore must be used correctly. Before using, you may want to read and follow the precautions on my blog about Home PK.
Based on the needs of my clients, I have also put together a Soma Nidra Body Cleansing Pouch to help promote restful sleep. These pouches contain lavender, valerian, and chamomile. Lavender calms the mind and heart. Valerian calms the mind and it unblocks and detoxifies the physical channels if they are full of ama (partially digested food material). Ama in the channels causes restlessness by blocking the free flow of vata dosha. Chamomile is well known for its calming properties and its ability to settle you for restfull sleep. Use these pouches in your bath just before turning in for the night.
Other Precautions for Aushadhi Snana (Addendum to Home PK precautions)
NEW – Amalaki Bath Pouches for Everyday and Everyone!
I was inspired to formulate my newest aushadhi snan product - Amalaki Bath Pouches.
These bath pouches contain the very same “wild amla” I use in all of my other amla
products – tablets, nectar drops, preserve, chyawanprash. Amla we have learned is
arguably one of the most, if not the most, important medicinal plants in Ayurveda – a
divyaushadhi or divinely conceived plant possessing unsurpassed healing restorative
powers. In fact, Bhav Prakash (verse 86 above) says that regular bathing with amalaki
takes away wrinkles, falling hair, and helps one to live to a 100 years. With these pouches, you can gather all the restorative powers of the wild amla berry even as you are relaxing in your bathtub!
Not just any amla will do. These pouches contain only the amla fruit growing “in the
wild,” from un-harvested lands and forests, vs the hybridized, high-yield variety
extensively used version found in commercial preparations. The larger, hybridized amla berries are unable to yield the benefits of amla mentioned in the ancient texts.
Amla used alone will also not do, as it does not carry cleansing/detox properties. This is why I have added the cleansing power of soapnut (reetha) to the formula. The SVA
Amalaki Bath Pouches also have aromatic organic rose and ylang-ylang to soothe the
mind and emotions during bath. Last but not least, they contain neem. Neem has many benefits for the skin, especially detoxifying and promoting skin immunomodulation. (Amalaki used alone can ‘tan’ white to darker skin tones.)
Discover the 25 Amazing Benefits of Wild Amla now deliverable in an easy-to-use
transdermal medium to clean, rejuvenate, and mildly detox the physiology during your bath or shower. Here is what your Wild Amla Bath Pouch contains:
Ingredients:
• Soapnuts
• Organic Rose Petals
• Amla (wild)
• Neem
• Ylang ylang
Directions: Use one pouch per bath. Discard after one use. Put the pouch in your bath and squeeze it so it absorbs the hot/warm water and the herbal synergy gets released into your bath. Use the pouch to massage joints and limbs while in your bath.
Hazards and Dangers in Your Bathroom
Having listed all the benefits of bath, we should also know what to avoid when selecting a soap or bath gel. The majority of soaps on the market strip the skin of its natural oils/ lubrication balance, drying it out, depleting its friendly bacteria, and delivering synthetic toxic chemicals -preservatives, and fragrances – transdermally to the entire physiology. They contain many known carcinogens and endocrine system disruptors: these include Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS); Parabens; Triclosan (antibacterial agent); and propylene glycol (found in some antifreeze and paints).
In SVA, these ingredients are classified as ‘garvisha’, xenobiotics or exogenous toxins. Our largest organ, the skin, absorbs these insidious toxins into the body where they have a deleterious effects at all levels of our bodies: large and small, gross and subtle. According to Ayurveda, our micro circulatory channels – called “shukshma shrotas” in Sanskrit - transport and deliver enzymes, nutrients, and many other life-sustaining ingredients and vibrations. When these micro-channels are affected and become inflamed due to xenobiotics, they become ruptured and the whole chemical balance of our physiology, on a very deep subtle level, is disrupted, resulting in a myriad of incurable diseases. Garvisha also mixes with and pollutes the pranic energy carried in the nadis (vibrational channels).
Dr. Joseph Mercola, a leading exponent of alternative medicine, lists and explains many of the health hazards of modern soaps and shower gels in his article Scrubbing Yourself Clean and Purging Germs… But At What Cost to Your Health?
Garvisha is everywhere – Not only in commercial soaps and other skin cleansers but also in the very water we bathe or shower! Of these, chlorine is a particularly insidious form of garvisha. During a bath, chlorine readily passes through cell walls and attaches to the fatty acids of the cell, disrupting life-sustaining bodily functions. Showering hastens the degree and rate of absorption of chlorine to a far greater extent:
One half of our daily chlorine exposure is from showering. Chlorine is not only absorbed through the skin, but also re-vaporized in the shower, inhaled into the lungs, and transferred directly into the blood system. In fact, chlorine exposure from one shower is equal to an entire day’s amount of drinking the same water. Showering in Tap Water, Should You Bathe in Bleach?
Besides chlorine, a toxic brew of other exogenous toxins has an opportunity to degrade our health every time we bath in unfiltered tap water. Although public health institutions now pay more attention to these matters, there was a time when tap water was incredibly toxic:
The Center for Study of Responsive Law’s, Troubled Water on Tap report, states that over 2,100 contaminants have been found in drinking water. Of those 2,100, 190 are known to cause adverse health effects. In total, 97 carcinogens, 82 mutagens and suspected mutagens (cause cell mutations), 23 tumor promoters and 28 acute and chronic toxic contaminants have been detected in U.S. drinking water.
-Center for Study of Responsive Law, Consumers Research Magazine, East West, July 1989.
Although we can’t eliminate every risk, a top quality shower filter offers a reasonable amount of protection and can be an affordable solution. Nowadays, very powerful filters for removing chlorine are available that really make a difference, specially with daily use.
Our skin literally in-gests, takes in and eats any substance – good or bad – that we apply on it. This process is explained by the three ayurvedic principles governing the skin: shleshaka kapha, vyana vata, and bhrajaka pitta. Shleshaka kapha helps maintain moisture levels and keeps the skin lubricated; vyana vata keeps the balance of friendly bacteria and nutrients of the skin well distributed; and bhrajaka pitta protects the skin by warding off unwanted particles and molecules from entering and going into the blood stream, while it invites and takes in all good molecules that are applied on the skin. When you use soaps and cleaning products with chemicals, you disrupt the balance established by these 3 ayurvedic principles one after another, and you can eventually develop chronic skin imbalances. For example, regular soap bars dry your skin. This means shleshaka kapha is going off. When shleshaka kapha is off, then vyana vata goes high, and this eventually brings down bhrajaka pitta – the skin loses its intelligence as to what to absorb and what to reject. Using a drying synthetic soap bar for prolonged periods of time will eventually bring in deeper imbalances.
The SVA Solution is to use one of 20 bath/hand soaps that I have formulated, all with 100% organic or wild-crafted herbs in a rich luxurious base of Shea Butter, with zero additives or synthetic ingredients. These herbalized soaps do not contain any harsh chemicals, preservatives (parabens), foaming agents (sodium laurel sulphate), synthetic scents or colors. Any chemical in the formulation would destroy the subtle properties of the divine herbal ingredients. In addition, harsh chemicals kill the friendly bacteria of the skin and ultimately make their way into the blood, liver, and entire body. SVA aromatic soaps have none of the detrimental effects of chemicals found in most soaps on the market today.
Shea Butter: Your Skin’s Best Friend
Most ‘natural’ brands of soaps use either glycerin, saponified coconut oil, or castor oil as a base. All these bases are relatively cheap production-cost wise. Also, (except for glycerin) in the long-term, they dry the skin. Glycerin, of the three, is the better choice but not very lubricating for the skin as compared to shea butter. This is why all of my SVA soaps contain as a base the highest quality organic shea butter. Shea butter is an off-white or ivory-colored fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree. A rich emollient, shea butter itself has many benefits for our skin, including acting as an all-natural vitamin A and vitamin E cream. In the long-term and short-term shea butter base provides the best skin lubrication and moisturization.
Learn more about this essential ingredient of SVA soaps and their benefits: The American Shea Butter Institute (ASBI) 21 Reasons to Use Shea Butter.
SVA Bath and Hand Soaps A – Z
Why so many varieties? All of my SVA soaps clean and lubricate the skin. But, there’s more to the story. Besides cleaning and moisturizing, SVA soaps are made to deliver specific benefits transdermally to the deepest part of the cellular system. For example, Ashwagandha Herbalized Soap immediately gives more physical and mental strength and, as a proven adaptogen, gives you better ability to handle stress. Ashoka is a famous herb for removing grief and sadness from the vibrational heart lotus. The Ashoka Transdermal Soap delivers this prabhava (special potency) of ashoka while you bathe. This soap also delivers the complexion enhancing property (varnya prabhava) of ashoka. Now, you can get the benefits of ashoka, ashwagandha and many other herbs simply by bathing!
What Customers are Saying:
Essential Grief/Trauma/Emotional Support {- Posted by Swati* on 30th Apr 2013
I am relying on all the Ashoka products to help me navigate emotional challenges. Currently using it for grief and trauma support as well as extra emotional flexibility. I use on my belly, spine and heart center. Truly a gift.
LOVE this soap {Soma Nidra Soap} 5 Star Review – Posted by Unknown on 20th Apr 2013
This and all of his soaps smell amazing and cleanse very well. The scent of this soap really does relax me and help me sleep! I use it every night in the bath…ahhhh
Whoa… {SVA Chamomile Soap} 5 Star Review – Posted by Joseph Rewoldt on 26th Mar 2014
I believe I have now tried every single one of Vaidya’s soaps. This just happened to be the last one I tried but it is by far my favorite. They are all amazing but wow, for some reason I just love this one. My expectations are already so high because Vaidya is the best but somehow this soap smells so good it makes me feel happy. Thank you Vaidya. Congratulations on another super product!
Best soap ever! {SVA Moringa Leaf Soap} – Posted by Kyle Rodeck on 15th May 2013
Since I wash my hands a lot in a given day I was finding that my skin was getting
really dry and starting to crack. Ever since I started using your SVA Moringa Leaf Soap my hands are no longer dry and the irritation has dissipated. Using this soap is an absolute dream. After wetting the bar of soap and applying it to my hands it lathers and foams really well and is easy to apply. Once the residue has been rinsed away, your hands feel moist and protected. Best soap ever!
Help for rosacea {SVA Turmeric Soap} – Posted by Bea-from-Houston on 13th Mar
2015
I am in my 40s, have rosacea for about 10 years, my face is red most of the time, have bumps and pimples. Oracea was an excellent treatment combining with Finacea gel, but insurance does not pay for Oracea anymore. I had to look for another resolution. I have tried many [$$$] products that turned out to be useless. Recently came across a Youtube video featuring turmeric as a potential help for rosacea. I continued to search, then I found Chandika, and ordered this product. It took about 2 weeks to see the results, and after one month the redness is greatly reduced. The number of the pimples and bumps decreased, too. I don’t feel anymore that my face is “burning” (I used to “flash” a lot, barely noticed since I am using turmeric soap). I noticed that my skin is smoother, and my face is somewhat glowing. You don’t need to worry about leaving a yellow stint on your face (or clothes/towel, etc.). I wash my face once a day with this soap when in the shower, and leave it on for about 3-4 minutes, then I rinse. Observed to have better results when I combine it with Finacea. From my own experience, one soap is enough for about 2 months, and I use one gel/month. Don’t expect the results like Oracea gave, but it certainly works. I highly recommend this product, and continue to be a returning customer
Disclaimer
These products and statements have not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. All of the information above is intended for educational purposes only and may not be used to replace or complement medical advice.
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