This week we are talking all about Vata! It is Vata season , which means it is mostly cold, dry and mobile (wind) in the weather patterns. It is important to keep this dosha in balance and in its proper seat to avoid production and accumulation of toxins. Vata dosha is a combination of the air and ether elements. This represents action, movement and transportation. The qualities of Vata are dry, light, cold, rough, subtle and mobile. Vata is in our movements, actions, breathing, speech, detox, heart pumping and sense of touch. It is the kindler of digestive fire, opener of cell walls and channels, and develops and delivers babies. The seat of Vata is in the abdominal cavity bellow the belly button in the large intestine and colon. It is also in the pelvis, thighs, skin, ears, bones, heart, brain, nervous system and lungs. Each dosha (Vata, Pitta & Kapha) all have 5 subdoshas that exist. Each of these subdoshas represents the five elements (ether, air, fire, water, earth) that tie...
You’ve probably heard that you should be incorporating more antioxidants into your diet, but what exactly are antioxidants and where can you find them? Antioxidant basics Antioxidants are substances that help protect our bodies from “free radicals” or unstable molecules capable of doing damage to our cells. Free radicals are formed during normal bodily processes like eating and exercising, or when we’re exposed to toxins like pollution or cigarette smoke. Antioxidants can help neutralize free radicals and decrease the potential damage they might cause to our cells (also known as oxidative stress). To put it another way, free radicals are the “bad” guys, and antioxidants are the “good” guys, swooping in to keep these culprits from destroying the place. Where do antioxidants come from? The best source of antioxidants is food, especially richly colored fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. A well-balanced diet with lots of different colors wi...