PRASAD SEASONAL AYURVEDA

PRASAD Seasonal Ayurveda Course provides year-round preventative care, education and support from Justine Cederberg. It is combined with PRASAD Seasonal Ayurveda Club to help stay on track with your peers. Like an Ayurvedic first-aid kit, there are many tools of the ayurvedic tradition that can easily be implemented in the North to pursue a long and healthy life.

Guna is a Sanskrit word which translates as “quality, peculiarity, attribute, or tendency.” In yoga and Ayurveda, gunas are an attribute that are present in every element, dosha, star, plant, food, mood and thought etc.

Prakruti is a Sanskrit word which means

“original creation.”

Vikruti is a Sanskrit word which means

“after creation.”

According to Ayurveda, six tastes are required in the diet to maintain a healthy balance and avoid disease. The six tastes are derived from the five fundamental elements i.e. earth, water, fire, space and air.

Essentially Ayurveda for the North is based on a seasonal diet within Europe (or USA/ Canada for those living in that region). Eating locally is always a first recommendation but including a variety from within Europe can bring balance, variety and passion to cooking. For example, the trading of spices and herbs have been important globally in order to provide a full spectrum of healing.

Ama is a term commonly used in Ayurvedic texts. The literal translation of ama is "undigested". According to the Ayurvedic texts, ama occurs when the nutrition we take in is not properly digested as a result of poor nutritional habits or weak agni (digestive fire).

Circadian rhythm is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. This internal clock influences sleep and various bodily processes. The topic became most notable in the Western world in 2017, as winning the Novel Prize in Physiology of Medicine.

Prana is a Sanskrit term meaning breath, “life force”, or “vital principle”. Prana is seen as a universal energy which flows in currents in and around the body.

Ojas is a Sanskrit term that translates to "vigor", and it is best understood as essential energy for the body and mind.

Tejas is a Sanskrit term that translates to “fire” or “illumination.” .

Not just cleansing but nourshing routines are the slight difference from the West to the East. For example, oils are used to cleanse and nourish at the same time. Oil washes the channels of the mouth, nose, eyes, skin, and ears. Oil helps to remove waste without depleting the body. The mind/body will be thankful for the small changes made.

What is the difference between a cold and a flu? How do we treat them differently?

A comprehensive list of daily ingredients which should always be stocked in the kitchen pantry, beauty or medicine cabinet, which can be one and the same, for as the old saying goes, “food is thy medicine”.

SHARAT RITU (early autumn season)

September- October is considered as sharat ritu (early autumn season). During early autumn the nights start to draw in and the temperatures start to feel cooler. Since pitta dosha has accumulated over summer now is the time to pacify pitta. 

PITTA

Fire & Water

Dosha pitta
Elements fire (tejas) + water (aap) Qualities sharp, hot, oily, smooth, mobile Season summer
Nature sun
Main Location small intestine

GRISHMA RITU (summer season)

Mid-June- August (approximately) is considered Grishma Ritu (summer season). In the summer the sun's rays evaporate the moisture of the earth. The intake of sweet, cold, liquid, and slightly oily is recommended.

The body becomes more and more efficient as it ages and requires less fuel for transformation. Therefore, agni lowers and if food amounts are not adjusted with age, weight gain may be an issue. Pitta age of life is for achieving and those with predominance towards pitta elements are high achievers. .

It is advised to gently enkindle agni during the summer months to reduce excess pitta when constipation or diarrhea can occur due to weakened digestive fire or heat build-up in the tissues. When absorption and assimilation slow, the movement of food through the digestive system is accelerated, causing liquidy stools.

Our ancestors lived in harmony with nature’s changing seasons. Today we have lost our connection to that wisdom. The chaotic modern world, our heightened exposure to environmental toxins and a growing separation from nature have caused most of us to fall out of alignment with an optimal state of health and happiness. But with summer comes rest and relaxation creating a good opportunity to perform the time-honored ritual of panchakarma (internal cleansing and rejuvenation.)

GOLDEN BEET GAZPACHO

Cool soup on a hot day is my perfect lunch go to. Golden beets are especially rich in fiber, potassium and calcium. They share similar attributes to red beets, though are less pitta aggravating. They are sweet and cooling, with a pungent vipaka (post- digestive effect). A large area of our garden is designated for golden beets, but they can also be found at markets during the summer.

The main sites for pitta dosha in the body are the small intestine, liver, and navel area, so attention should be focused on the navel and solar plexus. According to the principles of ayurveda, asanas that open these areas will release heat and tension there and help to decrease pitta. Therefore, backbends, especially ones on the belly, are great for pitta—bhujangasana (cobra), dhanurasana (bow), matsyasana (fish)—as well as side bends and light twists.

MÄKIKUISMA, St. John’s Wort
(hypericum perforatum)
PLANETARY ASSOCIATIONS: Leo, Sun

FINNISH HERBOLOGY
St. John’s Wort have been one of the ever so
popular flowers for “under the pillow dream
magic” during midsummer. They like to
grow on hills sides in small cluster, hence the
name in Finnish Mäkikuisma. Their small
showy yellow flowers are endangered in
Finland and selective picking is crucial for
magical and medicinal practice.