Category: Wellness

Vata Balancing 101

10/15/2021

Calm. Restore. Hydrate.

Autumn asks you to be honest: Are you truly balanced?
Does the windy season have you feeling more like a tornado than a cool gentle breeze?
You aren’t alone.
If we’re not careful, the season of crisp air and rapid change might leave us all feeling restless, fatigued, or simply dried up. But calming excess vata is just a few simple adjustments away.

What is Vata?

According to the principles of Ayurveda, Vata is the combined elements of air and space. Vata is the catalyst of movement—like the winds that blow the leaves from the trees, the activity of our minds, and the life force energy that breathes our bodies into animation.

Vata inspires creative flow, new ideas, and spontaneity. When imbalanced, vata exhibits signs and symptoms of anxiety and overwhelm—qualities that can billow like a hurricane and carry you up and away into a storm of stress. Insomnia and constipation are common symptoms of excess vata.

Vata is increased during the months of Autumn.
Yoga and Ayurveda offer practical solutions to balance your body and mind all season long.

Look to the elements:

FIRE to warm you,
WATER for hydration,
EARTH to keep you grounded.

Products for Balancing Vata

clear. (NASYA)

$9.00

your nose knows. balance your doshas.

22 Ayurvedic herbs blended in coconut and jojoba oil with subtle, clarifying essences.

no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, dyes, or anything funky.

Use as desired for massage or skin care. For external and cosmetic use only.

Store at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.

Small batch production means slight variations may be present.

How to use: Apply two drops to the inside of each nostril following Neti wash.

22 Ayurvedic herbs include brahmi, ashwaganda, kachura, dudhi, lemon, kothmir leaves, amla, gulab, vaj root, bhangaro, kapurkachali, nagormoth, damaro, nagod, anantmool, marvo, sahadevi, gahula, shankupushpi, padopandadi, bavachi, and sitalchini.

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neti pot

$28.00

Ready for neti?

Your nose knows.

When winter weather brings sinus sludge, get clear with a little help from a dear friend—your beautiful neti pot of handmade pottery.

Now in a rainbow assortment of colors to cheer up your kapha 'tude.

(Don't forget to follow up with clear. NASYA to lube your sinus tubes).

Shop

mellow...(BUTTER)

$11.00 - $32.00

mellow... relax, ride the wave, and balance your vata.

Whipped organic shea butter with a blend of calming essential oils (including lavender and clove), ashwagandha, and vitamins A and E.

no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, dyes, or anything funky.

Use as desired for massage or skin care. For external and cosmetic use only.

Store at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.

Small batch production means slight variations may be present.

How to use: Massage into skin for a luxurious, calming, and moisturizing skin treatment.

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mellow... (SOAK)

$5.00 - $11.00

let go, enjoy the flow, and balance your vata.

A luxurious bath soak including French grey sea salts, pink Himalayan salts, premium Epsom salts, lavender flowers, and the mellow blend of calming essential oils.

no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, dyes, or anything funky.

Use as desired for massage or skin care. For external and cosmetic use only.

Store at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.

Small batch production means slight variations may be present.

How to use: Add 2 oz. per bath and let dissolve for a minute or two.

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mellow...GIFT COMBO

$24.50

nothing can harsh your mellow...

with the mellow...GIFT COMBO.

Relax in a luxurious salt bath then unwind with a moisturizing abhyanga.

INCLUDES:

8 oz. mellow...(SOAK)

let go, enjoy the flow, and balance your vata.

A luxurious bath soak including French grey sea salts, pink Himalayan salts, premium Epsom salts, lavender flowers, and the mellow blend of calming essential oils. Add 2 oz. per bath and let dissolve for a minute or two.

AND

4 oz. mellow... (BUTTER)

relax, ride the wave, and balance your vata.

Whipped organic shea butter with a blend of calming essential oils (including lavender and clove), ashwagandha, and vitamins A and E. Massage into skin for a luxurious, calming, and moisturizing skin treatment.

no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, dyes, or anything funky.

Use as desired for massage or skin care. For external and cosmetic use only.

Store at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.

Small batch production means slight variations may be present.

Shop

Action Steps for Ayurvedic Wellness

Begin each day with the morning ritual: neti, nasya, oil pulling, and lemon water.
Fuel up with a restorative breakfast, but make lunch your largest meal of the day.
Favor dense, grounding, cooked foods: grains, root veggies, and soups.
Avoid processed food, pungent spices, and stimulants like caffeine.
Favor the vata-balancing flavors: sweet, sour, and salty.
Practice restorative yoga practices and calming, balancing pranayama.
Get outside and enjoy the changing weather patterns.
Unplug and take a tech break one day per week, including New Moon days.
Eat an early dinner (before the sun goes down.)
It is important to get to bed before 10:00 p.m. to help prevent restless sleep patterns.
Establish a Ratricharya (an evening ritual) of calming and restorative self-care: Bath + Abhyanga.

READ "A Good Beducation: Create an evening ritual for a good night's rest."

Slow down and turn inward.
Establish a routine.
Eat cooked, nourishing meals.
Create sacred boundaries for your time and energy.

Commit to your whole-body wellness this season.
Establish an abhyanga practice as a nurturing nightly ritual. Massage your entire body with heated oils that are known to balance vata, like shea butter or sesame oil. Diffuse calming essential oils like sandalwood and lavender. For relaxation and hydration use love bombs botanicals® mellow (BUTTER) which contains a seasonal blend of whipped organic shea butter and calming essential oils, as well as ashwagandha, and vitamins A and E.

Drink warm teas and eat cooked, oily, and grounding meals like baked root vegetables with ghee, soups, and whole grains. Enjoy warming mild spices like cinnamon, ginger, and clove. Focus on tastes that are naturally sweet, sour, salty, and in season.

Align with the rhythms of nature. Commit to maintaining a consistent bedtime (before 10 p.m.) Wake by 6:00 a.m. to a nurturing morning yoga and meditation practice. Include deep breathing exercises to soothe your nervous system and keep you feeling easy-breezy all day.

Take time to eat, work, exercise, meditate and rest *consistently* every day.

Need some help establishing a seasonal routine?

Receive a full year of God/dess Archetypes, Lifestyle Rituals, and One/One Support to Align with Nature's Rhythms & Awaken your Inner Power.

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Kapha Balancing 101

3/1/2020

1 Comment

Cleanse. Stoke. Energize.

Here comes the sun. Let the Spring detox begin!

Be honest: Did those words sound exciting? ...or a little too ambitious?
When kapha dosha is imbalanced, it leads to a sluggish, depressed, funky attitude. It can make the idea of self-care and detoxification seem like a little too much work.

But right now, self-care is exactly what you need! ...and there has never been a better time for a good, old-fashioned seasonal cleanse.

Give your soul a pick-me-up, and stay stoked all Spring by applying kapha balancing self-care rituals. Read on...

What is Kapha?

According to the principles of Ayurveda, kapha is made up of the two elements water and earth. It provides structure, growth, cohesion and protection for your body and mind. It is associated with body tissues that have a protective function, like your internal organs, skin, and mucus.

Kapha allows for grounded stability that leads to compassion and care for others. When imbalanced, however, kapha is like mud: slow, heavy, dense, wet, and cold.
When kapha is excessive, you might experience respiratory congestion–an overabundance of mucus. You might feel heavy, lethargic or low-energy....like you're stuck in a rut.

Spice things up with vigorous exercise and pungent foods.

Kapha is most prevalent the early spring.
Yoga and Ayurveda offer practical solutions to balance your body and mind all season long.

Look to the elements:

FIRE to warm you and energize you,
AIR to get you moving,
SPACE to uplift and expand your mind.

Products for Balancing Kapha

neti pot

$28.00

Ready for neti?

Your nose knows.

When winter weather brings sinus sludge, get clear with a little help from a dear friend—your beautiful neti pot of handmade pottery.

Now in a rainbow assortment of colors to cheer up your kapha 'tude.

(Don't forget to follow up with clear. NASYA to lube your sinus tubes).

Shop

stoked! (OIL)

$11.00 - $32.00

stoked! wake up, seize the day, and balance your kapha.

Organic almond oil, a blend of energizing essential oils (including bergamot and lime), plus heating properties of cayenne and black pepper.

no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, dyes, or anything funky.

Use as desired for massage or skin care. For external and cosmetic use only.

Store at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.

Small batch production means slight variations may be present.

How to use: Massage into skin for a uplifting, energizing, and moisturizing skin treatment.

Shop

clear. (NASYA)

$9.00

your nose knows. balance your doshas.

22 Ayurvedic herbs blended in coconut and jojoba oil with subtle, clarifying essences.

no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, dyes, or anything funky.

Use as desired for massage or skin care. For external and cosmetic use only.

Store at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.

Small batch production means slight variations may be present.

How to use: Apply two drops to the inside of each nostril following Neti wash.

Shop

stoked! scrub

$24.00 - $36.00

Wake up and seize the day with the signature stoked! essential oil blend folded into pink Himalayan salt. Infused with citrus, vitamins C, E & A, along with hints of ginger and cayenne pepper, to nourish yourself awake.

stoked! wake up, seize the day, and balance your kapha.

Organic almond oil, a blend of energizing essential oils (including bergamot and lime), plus heating properties of cayenne and black pepper.

no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, dyes, or anything funky.

Use as desired for massage or skin care. For external and cosmetic use only.

Store at room temperature and out of direct sunlight.

love bombs botanicals™ scrub tubs are handmade of sustainable bamboo, by our friends in Bali.

Small batch production means slight variations may be present.

How to use: Massage into skin for an uplifting, energizing, and nourishing skin treatment.

Shop

Organic Egyptian Loofah Spa Mitt

$11.00

Ethically sourced and organically farmed loofah for a gentle body brush detox massage.

Use in the shower or as dry brush experience before applying abhyanga massage oils.

Shop

Action Steps for Ayurvedic Wellness

Begin each day with the morning ritual: body brushing, abhyanga, neti, and nasya.
Fuel up with a restorative breakfast, but make lunch your largest meal of the day.
Favor light, dry, and spicy foods like cayenne seasoned kale chips or quinoa with black beans.
Avoid processed food, heavy foods, sugar, and dairy.
Favor the kapha-balancing flavors: bitter, astringent and pungent.
Practice strengthening/energizing yoga practices and awakening pranayama.
Dance!
Get outside and enjoy the changing weather patterns.
Eat an early dinner (before the sun goes down.)
It is important to get to bed before 10:00 p.m. to help prevent restless sleep patterns.
Establish an evening ritual of meditation for self-care and compassionate social action.
Spring clean your body, home, and mind.

Spring Clean your home, body, and mind.
Get outside to enjoy Nature.
Spice up your meals.
Consume less dairy, which can create excess mucus.

Commit to your whole-body wellness this season.
Establish an awakening morning ritual to cleanse your sinuses and invigorate your cells. Body brush your entire body using strokes that move lymph toward your heart. Then massage with love bombs stoked™ (OIL) or any other light kapha-balancing oil that offers a pick-me-up to your senses. Diffuse energizing essential oils like rosemary, citrus, and eucalyptus.

Eat light and spicy foods: black beans, chick peas, lentils, quinoa, and berries. Spice things up with cayenne, lemon, and cilantro. Focus on tastes that are naturally bitter, astringent and pungent...and in season.

Align with the rhythms of nature. Wake by 6:00 a.m. to a vigorous morning yoga and full body cleanse. Include social activating mediation practices and stimulating exercise. Dance. Get outside! Connect with friends and family. Make time for community service.

Need some help committing to seasonal wellness?

Receive a full year of God/dess Archetypes, Lifestyle Rituals, and One/One Support to Align with Nature's Rhythms & Awaken your Inner Power.

1 Comment

A Good BEDucation

10/15/2018

1 Comment

Create a Ratricharya (Evening Ritual) for a Good Night's Rest.

photo: Sean Boggs

Oh the magic of a sunset.
We have all witnessed the radiant blast of glory just as the sun descends behind the horizon.
The ancient Egyptians celebrated this daily phenomenon as an epic journey of the Solar God, Ra. As he sailed into the Underworld, he appointed the luminous and nourishing powers of the Moon to govern the night sky. The Underworld traverse was considered an auspicious event, necessary for confronting shadows and defeating monsters so that the sun could rise again the following day.

In ancient Sumerian myths, the heavenly Goddess Inanna descends into the underworld to confront her recently widowed, and completely heartbroken, sister. Although Inanna must face terrible hardship, the story expresses the value of compassion for transformation and ultimate freedom.

The Underworld descent has been interpreted by Jungian psychologists as an archetypal symbol of the spiritual journey that each of us must take into our heart's wisdom. Only by encountering the depths of our inner knowing may we become truly balanced and whole.

Sunset is therefore a sacred time to turn inward and center your awareness upon the wisdom flame of your heart. Within the traditions of Yoga and Ayurveda, the evening provides a time for lunar practice, or Ratricharya. When you establish an evening ritual you set yourself up to enjoy deep benefits:

Harmonize with the rhythms of Nature.
Receive guidance from your deepest truth.
Embrace the dark stillness with contemplative calm.
Enjoy restful sleep.

Shop this story.

mellow...GIFT COMBO

$24.50

Shop

mellow...(BUTTER)

$11.00 - $32.00

Shop

mellow... (SOAK)

$5.00 - $11.00

Shop

Soul Artist Evening Ritual for Vata Season

According to the Indian wellness system of Ayurveda, each season is governed by different elements. Autumn is the season of wind and space. It is honored as a time of movement, creativity, and spontaneous change. When imbalanced, however, these winds can feel more like a tornado than an inspirational breeze. Excess vata in your mind can make you feel anxious, restless, and worried. Physically, you may feel dehydrated, constipated, and depleted. Insomnia is common during this time of windy change and busy holiday schedules. Follow these practices from Yoga and Ayurveda to cultivate a restful sleep pattern.

SUNSET VINYASA & MEDITATION

As the sun sets, enjoy a fluid asana vinyasa (flow of yoga postures) that moves your energy from the active charge of the day into the calm nourishment of darkness. Conclude your movement practice with a deep and quiet meditation. This is a sweet time to light a candle at your altar, chant mantras, and turn your attention toward gratitude. Focus your awareness on your breath as it expands within your belly and let your mind follow the exhalation out of your body, as you settle into stillness.

WATER RITUAL

Water soothes the windy vibes of vata. The elements of fire (heat), and earth (salts) will also counterbalance the influence of the vata qualities of air and space. Add some soothing bath salts (earth) to a tub of hot water, then soak away tension to help you ground. Drink warm tea to maintain your internal hydration. (Ashwagandha, Yin Chao, and Chamomile are all good options for vata-balancing herbs.) Relax. Close your eyes. Breathe deeply. Rest.

EVENING ABHYANGA

Massage your entire body with warm oil to purify and nourish your system. Enjoy circular strokes over your heart region, belly, joints, and limbs. Be sure to massage your feet thoroughly, then cover the oil with socks to maximize the moisturizing benefits and keep you warm and cozy. Make this a nightly ritual to release stress, tone tissues, and soothe your nervous system. Add essential oils of clove and/or amber to calm and warm your senses.
Once a week, you can also apply a scalp oil and massage the marma (pressure points) around your skull, neck, and ears.

SLEEP BEFORE 10 PM

Save all your computer work and social media surfing for the morning. Spend your last waking hours with your family, reading a book, or writing in your journal. I like to take time, just before sleep, to jot down any ideas or goals I have for the following day, so I can let them go until morning. I say a prayer of gratitude and peace.
The SHANTI MANTRA (Peace Chant) is a favorite lullaby chant in our household.
Then I set an intention to be open to whatever messages come through my dreams, and put my dream journal on my nightstand so that I will be ready to record any remembered dream images upon waking.

Invoke the energy of Ganesha to remove the obstacles to sleep.
Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha
(Salutations to Ganesha, also called Ganapati, the archetypal Remover of Obstacles).
May you drift off peacefully into the underworld of sleep, face and embrace your heart's wisdom as you dream, and rise rejuvenated with the new Sun.

Amen, Aho, and Swaha!

Infinite Love,
R.R. Shakti, PhD

Need some help establishing a healing sleep routine?

Receive a full year of God/dess Archetypes, Lifestyle Rituals, and One/One Support to Align with Nature's Rhythms & Awaken your Inner Power.

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About The Author

R.R. Shakti, PhD
Founding teacher of Inner Power Yoga®, Shakti is a Contemplative Mythologist, ritual facilitator, and writer who presents a Tantrik approach to personal empowerment and social action. Through contemplative story-telling and mind/body practices, she offers a vision of deep peace and radical freedom.

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Vata Balancing 101

What is Vata?

Products for Balancing Vata

clear. (NASYA)

neti pot

mellow...(BUTTER)

mellow... (SOAK)

mellow...GIFT COMBO

Action Steps for Ayurvedic Wellness

Need some help establishing a seasonal routine?

Kapha Balancing 101

What is Kapha?

Products for Balancing Kapha

neti pot

stoked! (OIL)

clear. (NASYA)

stoked! scrub

Organic Egyptian Loofah Spa Mitt

Action Steps for Ayurvedic Wellness

Need some help committing to seasonal wellness?

A Good BEDucation

Shop this story.

mellow...GIFT COMBO

mellow...(BUTTER)

mellow... (SOAK)

Soul Artist Evening Ritual for Vata Season

Need some help establishing a healing sleep routine?

About The Author

Categories

BODY + PLANET

Read More.

Vata Balancing 101

What is Vata?

Products for Balancing Vata

clear. (NASYA)

neti pot

mellow...(BUTTER)

mellow... (SOAK)

mellow...GIFT COMBO

Action Steps for Ayurvedic Wellness

Need some help establishing a seasonal routine?

Kapha Balancing 101

What is Kapha?

Products for Balancing Kapha

neti pot

stoked! (OIL)

clear. (NASYA)

stoked! scrub

Organic Egyptian Loofah Spa Mitt

Action Steps for Ayurvedic Wellness​

Need some help committing to seasonal wellness?

A Good BEDucation

Shop this story.

mellow...GIFT COMBO

mellow...(BUTTER)

mellow... (SOAK)

Soul Artist Evening Ritual for Vata Season

Need some help establishing a healing sleep routine?

About The Author

Categories

BODY + PLANET

Read More.

Action Steps for Ayurvedic Wellness