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.” .

VATA

Air & Ether

Dosha: vata

Elements air (vayu) + ether (akash)

Qualities dry, light, cold, mobile, rough

Season: autumn-winter

Nature: wind

Main: Location colon

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. 

VATA UNDERWEIGHT MANAGEMENT

Low body weight without any underlying ailment is regarded as a vata disorder. Therefore, an important goal of underweight treatment is to make dietary and lifestyle changes that pacify vata.

VATA OVERWEIGHT MANAGEMENT

The structure of vata is generally thin, but weight gain can sometimes been seen unevenly distributed in the body, this is due to ama or stress.

According to ayurveda ama is the root cause for all disease and emotional despair. From a physical viewpoint, it creates an appealing environment for cold and flu viruses that blow in during the autumn winds. Therefore, it is a good idea boost immunity, and in turn strengthen and ground vata by cleansing ama.

Hemanta Ritu (autumn- early winter season)

October to January is considered as hemanta ritu (autumn- early winter season). In Finland autumn is known as Ruska, when the autumn leaf colour acts as a messenger bidding a sweet farewell to long summer days and serves as a reminder to the darkness that lay ahead. It is a season for balanced kapha constitution to thrive.

14+ Recipes

PUMPKIN CHAI LATTE

Pumpkin is my favorite food! It was my childhood dream to own a pumpkin farm. I did live on a farm for some years where we did grow pumpkins, and I still always prioritize them in my garden. Everytime I cook a pumpkin, I reserve a small amount to make pumpkin puree for this recipe.

A relaxed and minimalist environment is the perfect atmosphere to ground windy autumn and practice yoga for vata season. Regardless of Ayurvedic constitution, most folks are influenced by vata ́s prevailing nature at this time of the year. Autumn-winter is dry, light, cold, windy, rough and empty (bare trees). All these qualities provoke vata dosha. So naturally the guidelines for autumn-winter revolve around pacifying vata.

Yogic and ayurvedic texts contain little information on mushrooms. Written information states that, according to Ayurveda, mushrooms are considered tamasic in nature. That being said, there are many medicinal mushrooms, which seem to have a sattvic effect.