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Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
FALL 2024
Dear Friends,
September’s equinox welcomed us to autumn, shifting us into vata season. This time of change is often accompanied by a sense of loss and endings. Plants are harvested, animals migrate, winds cool, and light diminishes. You may feel the nature of your own life shifting as the air and space elements reassert their windy dominance.
So how do we flow with ease during this solemn seasonal transition? By taking nature´s cue and allowing time for introspection. For the next few weeks, tune in to the feedback from your gut and brain to monitor your internal dialogue. The insights gained allow you to be resilient and adapt to your changing inner and outer environments.
With so many health care modalities available for you to choose from, I acknowledge and appreciate you taking the time to read my Ayurvedic newsletters. Should you need more than just these words, please be in touch.
From the light in me to the light in you…
Namaste, Anna Lachmuth
Enrichment in Vata Season
Autumn begins with the lighter elements of vata dosha, air and space, propelling us through spikes of joy and creativity. As the season progresses, excess vata becomes more like the relentless wind eroding through the earth and water elements.
Fall is an opportunity to take a deeper dive into our physical and mental health, so that we can promote our longevity by keeping vata dosha stable. Take some breaks away from work and to-do lists to fully appreciate your life, spirit, mind, and body.
A solitary space for retreat, away from worldly distractions and relationships, fosters self-inquiry and inner growth. As fall cleanses, we can in kind detox vata emotions, such as fear and grief. A proven method is through the cultivation of gratitude. Expressing our thanks draws vata dosha back inwards, away from its wanderings and into the simplicity of the present moment.
This fall you may want to incorporate a neti pot and nasya oil to help you through the end of allergy season; or you may want to pick up a pen and start journaling to settle spiraling thoughts. Whatever your tools of wellness may be, use your intuition to guide you with grace into this next chapter of your life.
Flower Mandala Medicine
Gardening is a grounding practice benefitting us the most during the vata season and the vata stage of life (over age 50). Caring for the plant kingdom nourishes us with the heavier elements of earth and water and promotes stillness within.
This past summer a native passionflower Passiflora mexicana asserted itself in my garden. The bi-lobed leaves and unique corona floral arrangement gave it away as something special. This plant has a mutually beneficial relationship with ants to ensure its survival, in addition to its heavily scented flowers that lure pollinators. Historically humans also benefit from this beauty, there is evidence that Indigenous Peoples cultivated passionflower seeds, ate the sour fruit, and made tea with roots and leaves.
In Western and Ayurvedic medicine this antispasmodic herb is used to treat vata in the mind by relieving anxiety, insomnia, and panic attacks. Menopausal women with vata symptoms find relief from passionflower due to its cooling and drying qualities. Passionflower treats pitta in the mind by decreasing anger, headaches, and circular thinking.
Passionflower is a hypotensive herb, which means it calms the heart when experiencing stress induced high blood pressure, as it is a muscle relaxant. It is especially helpful to those who are overworked, have a fast and irregular heartbeat, or experience heart palpitations.
The passionflower´s leaves, stems, and flowers are used in a tincture that has a bitter tonic taste, but the fresh flowers are sweet and edible right off the plant. Take this herb with caution as it can slow the mind and thinking, and this heavy quality may also aggravate kapha dosha. This herb is not intended to be taken long term, check with your doctor before using, do not combine with antihistamines, and do not take when pregnant.
Post Summer Sipper
You may already be familiar with tamarind, a fruit often used in chutneys and sauces. Yoga retreat centers serve it as a refreshing drink to help travelers adjust to the heat of the tropics. Tamarind can be eaten regularly in the autumn and winter, as it balances vata and kapha doshas.
At the end of summer excess pitta dosha can be treated with tamarind which releases trapped heat by dilating blood vessels in the body. Pitta organs like the heart benefit from tamarind’s high iron content and ability to regulate blood sugar. Pitta dosha is pacified from the sweet taste, that stimulates our energy, and from the astringent taste, that focuses our mind. The sour taste of tamarind boosts metabolism and digestion and its hot post-digestive effect may aggravate pitta, when used in excess.
Tamarind is often included in a fall detox diet, because tamarind cleanses the urinary bladder and empties the colon with its laxative effects. In the fall and during cleanses, our immune system needs the help of anti-inflammatory foods like tamarind. Vata conditions like arthritis, which are also aggravated at this time of year, find relief from the high antioxidant content found in tamarind.
Tamarind Water Recipe
3 tablespoons tamarind pulp with seeds and shell removed (V= P+ K=)
1 liter filtered room temperature water
Blend the tamarind pulp and water well. Filter out the pulp with a strainer or drink the water with the pulp included for more fiber. Add lime juice or sweetener to taste and serve at room temperature or warmed.
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
SUMMER 2024
Dear Friends,
I hope this finds you happy and healthy. I have good news to share with you soon, some fantastic changes are happening. I’m just waiting on the final pieces to fall into place. So please stay tuned!
In the summer many of us rely on Ayurvedic tools to keep pitta dosha in check. This means pacifying the fire and water elements which are dominant now. When our mind overheats it gets angry and confused, and when our body overheats organs begin shutting down.
Heightening pitta dosha is the additional heat and moisture from to the El Niño weather pattern shifting into La Niña conditions. The abundance of pitta elements has me wondering how you are feeling? What tools are you relying on to regulate?
Friends, if you need ways to dial it down, please read on for Ayurvedic tips to a cool summer. Be in touch if you need to go a bit deeper with a consultation. For my BC clients, I will be visiting Victoria this summer in case you want to receive an in-person consultation, abhyanga massage, or an aromatic cedar steam with a cool lake plunge.
Sending saludos, Anna Lachmuth
Hemp & Heart Health
Our heart is quite an amazing muscle, it is constantly contracting and keeping pace. This drive and the hearts’ role in circulating blood align it with pitta dosha. Running from June to September, pitta season is often when we overexert ourselves physically. In order to sustain muscular activity in the heat we need sufficient high-quality protein and a cooling diet.
For optimal heart health ensure you are not fueling up your body with animal proteins which are heating and acidic. Over time a high cholesterol and inflammatory diet can harm the heart and arteries. The vegetarian diet is the only diet for healing the heart. It must be, it is the most heart-centered approach to eating.
Hemp hearts are a nutritive tonic for the heart, and also benefit the cardiovascular system. Their natural omega 3 to 6 fatty acid ratio is optimal for the human body, and consuming them is a preventative for heart attack, atherosclerosis, and stroke. They are full of iron, for those of you with anemia, and have plenty of GLA to reduce inflammation.
These seeds have a sweet taste, the most nourishing and loving of all the six tastes. The main qualities of hemp hearts are heavy and cold, making them an ideal food choice during summer. Their heaviness has a sedating effect and relaxes the nervous system, balancing both pitta and vata. If you are suffering from a kapha imbalance, they should be taken in moderation as they build tissues in the body. The pleasing texture and taste of the following hemp heart recipe will make your heart hum with happiness.
Cooling Corazon Crema
¼ cup water
½ cup hemp hearts (cooling, V -,P -, K +)
3 tablespoons lime juice (cooling, VPK =)
½ cup chopped cilantro leaves (cooling, VPK =)
4 tablespoons mint leaves (cooling, V +, P -, K -)
¼ teaspoon cumin (heating, V -, P +, K -)
¼ teaspoon coriander seeds (cooling, VPK =)
1 large garlic clove (heating, V -, P +, K -)
1 teaspoon jalapeño pepper (heating, V +, P +, K -)
¼ teaspoon salt (heating, V -, P +, K +)
Black pepper to taste (heating, V -. P +, K -)
½ tablespoon olive oil (heating, V -, P +, K +)
Blend all ingredients together into a smooth paste in the blender and enjoy!
Parasympathetic State of Summer
Our heart and our breath share an intimate connection and an ability to harmonize or vitiate one another. Summer tends to be a time of year when hot tempers flare, and the loving energy of our heart is overdrawn. One way to temper the blaze is the use of marma points on the body. They unblock and boost energy flow with the application of pressure, herbs, and oils. During pitta season favor cooling essentail oils on marmas, such as sandalwood, jasmine, rose, and chamomile.
Located in the center of each palm is talahridaya marma, governing the heart and bhrajaka pitta, or circulation. Diseases of the cardiovascular system have been shown to improve using this marma point and recent studies demonstrate it has a normalizing effect on blood pressure. Below is a short ritual using talahridaya marma to link the breath and heart for soothing the heart center.
Heart Meditation
Begin by closing your eyes.
Curl your fingers in, touching the middle fingertip to the palm.
Alternatively press your thumb into the center of your other palm.
Mindfully reflect upon your breath as you activate this marma in your hand.
Listen to your breath and body, breathe and follow your breath deeper.
Feel for the whisper of your heart rhythm in the center of your palm.
Bring your palms together and rub them quickly to build energy.
Place your warm palms over your heart chakra in the middle of your chest.
Ground your heart down with the weighted pressure of your hands.
Inhale a breath of energy into your heart from your palms.
Exhale and feel loving energy flow down your arms back to your palms.
Energize your palms with your inhale, send love from your palms to your heart.
Feel loving energy circulating around your body and beyond.
Love your heart, nurture your life, and honor nature.y warm.
Pitaya for a Pitta Refresh
Pitaya, or dragon fruit, is a strikingly beautiful tropical fruit with fuchsia, yellow, red, purple, or white flesh. It is a variety of night blooming cactus species native to Mexico and has been part of the local cuisine for centuries. Pitaya is often only available in the summer from April to June.
The kiwi-like taste is perfect because the sweetness pacifies pitta dosha and the juiciness is deeply rehydrating. Ayurveda teaches us that when we eat ripe fruit in season it transforms into nectar and builds ojas, the finest outcome of digestion. Pitaya can be eaten out of the peel raw, added to smoothies, used in pink moon milk, and the flowers can be eaten or steeped into tea.
The health benefits of this plant are outstanding and classify it as a super food. It is high in fiber and a prebiotic that improves digestion and the growth of healthy bacteria in your colon. The seeds contain a variety of fatty acids, and the fruit is full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, some protein, and even iron! These attributes can improve immune function, lower the risk of chronic disease, and lower blood sugar spikes.
For improved strength, immunity, and happiness include pitaya in pitta season. Remember, fruits are quickly digested, so have them as a snack or at the start of a meal. Avoid eating pitaya if you suffer from cacti allergies or gastrointestinal issues.
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
WINTER & SPRING 2024
Dear Friends,
Late winter and early spring are ruled by kapha dosha. Kapha has a quality of feminine energy, which encourages us to develop deeper states of introspection and loving compassion. So it is no surprise that February, the month of love, takes place during kapha time of year.
Kapha dosha is represented by the strength and weight of earth and water. These stable elements promote long term routines, and resolutions made during kapha season have the potential to become permanent. Changes last if our resolutions are followed up with physical action, otherwise our New Year’s resolutions remain as wishful thinking.
To spread loving kindness this February, my online Ayurvedic health consultations are ½ price, or $25 usd for returning clients and $45 usd for first time clients. I can help you establish healthy Ayurvedic routines to empower yourself with love.
Sending you strength to initiate loving change in 2024,
Anna Lachmuth
Planetary Love & Healing
Nowadays we are far from revering and loving the earth and have been labeled as mega-consumers, slowly killing our biosphere by a thousand cuts. At COP28 governments around the world proved their incompetence at implementing positive environmental change. Once again, they sided with and subsidized the largest industrial polluters on the planet. This shows it is up to us to enact the healing of the biosphere to the benefit of us all, not to just imagine it.
We can do this by a return to our ancestral ways of honoring the elements and the species we share the planet with. As stewards of the earth, we are the ones responsible for improving our relationships with the elements and our fellow species.
I follow a simple and ecofriendly way of life and encourage you to do the same. I know you can too, because healing rituals become habit with consistent practice. Here are some New Year’s resolutions for you to consider:
- Eat a vegan or vegetarian diet
- Only do one round trip flight a year and use public transit
- Install solar panels and cook with a solar oven
- Reduce water usage, the US average is 80 gallons/day!
Nurturing Winter Tonic
In my fall newsletter I wrote about stoking our digestive fire, or agni, for better digestion and tissue development. In kapha season we can easily establish a solid foundation around food and to tend our agni. An agni routine nourishes our tissues and produces ojas, the pure essence of kapha. Ojas is needed for cellular immunity, longevity, and alleviating depression; which is common during the shorter days and longer nights of kapha season.
Kapha in balance encourages caregiving, but when imbalanced it may harm our ability to give and receive love. When we stress ourselves with responsibilities it disturbs our digestion and hormone production. If this past holiday season was emotionally and digestively challenging, try this daily tonic to honor the divine feminine within you.
For women, drink the tonic in the morning for one month for those whose menstrual cycle has become delayed, the flow is low, or does not have a bright red color. This tonic is heating and should be reduced or avoided in the summer, or if you suffer from a pitta imbalance.
Women’s Tonic Recipe
1 cup of water
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (heating, Vata -, Pitta +, Kapha -)
1 teaspoon ground sesame seeds (heating, Vata -, Pitta +, Kapha +)
1 teaspoon grated fresh turmeric (heating, Vata -, Pitta 0, Kapha -)
½ teaspoon raw honey (heating, Vata -, Pitta +, Kapha -)
1 squeeze of lemon/lime (cooling, Vata -, Pitta -, Kapha 0)
Boil the water with the seeds for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the turmeric in the final 2 minutes of simmering. Strain, add sweetener and citrus if desired, enjoy warm.
Hyssop For Winter Healing
Kapha is heavy and damp which may lead to congestion and mucous build up in the upper body and lungs during this season. Across North America hospitals are full of patients suffering from a trifecta of flu, covid, and respiratory illnesses.
A classical respiratory herb used in both Ayurvedic and Western medicine is hyssop. This herbal helper was used for protection by Romans during the plague and is often mentioned in the bible as a spiritual herb.
Hyssop is an expectorant and is known to encourage deep breathing and to treat fever, cough, chest congestion, inflammation, throat infections, and colds. Hyssop is heating and drying with a bitter taste that supports the immune system and it can help release heavy emotions.
Hyssop is in the mint family, its leaves and flowers are sweet scented and are used to make teas, tinctures, and essential oils. Grow it in your garden to sprinkle on food fresh or dried for a minty taste. Be mindful of your intake of hyssop, as at high doses it can cause tremors, anxiety, and upset stomach. Hyssop should be avoided by pregnant women and small children.
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
FALL 2023
Dear Friends,
We find ourselves in the most challenging seasonal transition, going from a busy and bright pitta summer to shorter cool days of vata autumn. This shift is Mother Nature’s reminder to change along with our environment, so that we are not overly affected by the increase of air and space elements of vata dosha.
When we honor seasonal shifts we find joy in the fruits of our harvest and are able to release outdated habits. To flow with grace into fall, set aside time to reassess and to treat yourself to self-care rituals.
Fall rituals are about comfort, warmth, and softness. For those with health symptoms of vata and pitta imbalance, deeper work is needed. This could range from a light fast, a home cleanse, or an involved in-person pancha karma cleanse.
Thank you to all of you who took advantage of my ½ price consultation special this summer! It was so wonderful to reconnect with clients and meet new friends from around the world. Your support allows me to grow and to support you through this mutual exchange of trust and love.
Wishing you creativity and joy this season, Anna Lachmuth
Fall Routines & Cleansing
The cold wind of fall dries out the body, making it hard and stiff as vata dosha becomes aggravated. We can counteract this harshness with self-massage using warm oil. This brings out vata from deep in the tissues and back to its home in the colon. Ayurvedic routines foster self-love and remove stress, making the body and mind supple again.
Follow up massage with a steam sauna, or a warm bath, to allow the oil to move deeper into the tissues. These two steps of oleation and heat application are the most important measures for pre-cleansing.
Vata season aggravation may also result in variable digestion and elimination. When digestion and elimination are off metabolic wastes circulate in our lymph, or rasa dhatu. This is our drainage system which removes all kinds of impurities. This highlights the importance of cleansing and caring for our lymph. Fall is the most effective season to cleanse and remove excess vata and pitta, so take advantage of this time of purification.
If you desire to establish new seasonal routines, or would like to cleanse, I am here to help. I am available for on-line Ayurvedic consultations and for creating your own personal guided cleanse at home.
Rasayana Chikitsa – The Art of Balanced Living
In Ayurveda, rasayana is one of the main branches of chikitsa, or treatment. This is a rejuvenation therapy of tonifying the tissues to prevent disease from occurring. Before we rebuild, we need to remove impurities. Pancha karma, or the 5 cleansing therapies, and vajikaranam, or aphrodisiac therapy, are preliminary purifications to rejuvenation and tissue building.
Rasa means taste, emotion, and the lymph tissue. Ayana means to enter. In rasayana we use the qualities and taste of the medicine to enter the body via our lymph to nourish tissues. This makes our body strong and healthy.
The techniques used in rasayana are a non-aggravating doshic diet, a doshic appropriate lifestyle, nurturing behavior, and rejuvenating herbs. These steps enhance the lymph in the body, kindles our agni, slows ageing, and promotes vitality. Keep in mind that this process all begins with how we think and our attitude in life.
Caring for the lymph tissue is of utmost importance to prevent depletion in vata season. Here are two of my favorite rasa replenishing drink recipes:
Rasa Tea
1 tablespoon fresh, or dried lemongrass
½ tablespoon fresh, or dried ginger
2 cups of water
Boil the lemongrass and ginger in water for 10 minutes, then strain and add honey if you wish. This tea directly targets the rasa, or lymph tissue.
Rasa Milk
5 dates soaked in water overnight
½ cup warm milk (cow’s milk or an alternative milk)
In the morning, remove the seeds from the dates and blend with the milk until smooth. Avoid breakfast for 2 hours after this drink. This recipe is for dryness, emaciation, fatigue, rash, and fever.
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
SUMMER 2023
Dear Friends,
Spring had a slow start, but summer is fast approaching with raging wildfires and sweltering heat domes. This sharp temperature increase in late spring provokes the fire of pitta dosha and requires seasonal adjustments to avoid acidity and aggression.
Pitta dosha is the origin of heat in our body and it resides in sites like the blood, liver, and small intestine. If we haven’t cleared congestion in our tissues from kapha spring season, then pitta will start showing signs of being disturbed.
As pitta accumulates ama, the toxins of unprocessed metabolic wastes, it results in a yellow/green tongue coating and a sour belly. If not remedied, a fall cleanse will be essential to avoid excess ama formation – as ama is the root cause of disease.
Balanced pitta promotes awareness in the mind and the discipline to follow the body’s intelligence. Simple steps in the summer like limiting citrus fruit, spicy food, and lingering under the hot sun lower pitta. Bringing awareness to our choices fosters seasonal routines that maintain health.
Not sure where to start? Make your health a priority by signing up for my Summer Special with half off my 90-minute online Ayurvedic consultations from June 1st to September 30th, 2023. Consults for first time clients are $45 usd and returning client are $25 usd.
Wishing you a summer of splendor, Anna Lachmuth
Medicine Gardener
Summertime is depleting. We tend to overdo it with our energy and time, so it is vital to be mindful of ways to support yourself. Giving back to yourself and to the world with patience and compassion is the path of seva, or selfless service. Seva is working without expectation of reward or payment, we are simply motivated by our passion and spiritual connection to life, our highest dharma.
Time outdoors benefits us immensely and cultivates our relationship with nature and other species. In particular, gardening deeply grounds our energy and counteracts the light quality of pitta dosha. Growing a medicine garden supports your health and the health of the planet as many herbs and spices from China and India are toxic due to their heavy metal content. Instead of healing, these medicinal plants may be contributing to disease.
Honeysuckle is an ancient medicinal plant which also benefits pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies. It is heat and cold tolerant and drought resistant, making it very easy to grow and care for. I was recently introduced to the Mexican version of honeysuckle known as muicle, which treats a myriad of health issues. This liver-friendly herb is anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer with detoxifying properties. It is restorative and supports kidney health by dissolving crystals and stones. If your energy is low brew a cup of honeysuckle tea to increase your body iron levels and carry more oxygen in your blood.
Honeysuckle Tea Tonic
5 to 10 fresh muicle leaves, or 4 grams dried leaves
2 cups filtered water
Honey to taste, if needed
Steep the leaves for 5 minutes in boiling water until a brilliant indigo color is released. Sip and savor the grounding taste warm or at room temperature. As with all herbs take a week off after 6 weeks of use.
Tending Your Inner Fire
It seems contradictory that summer weakens digestion, with all the extra fire you’d think digestion would improve. As we heat up, our body pushes our internal digestive fire into our extremities and we start sweating to cool down. We also drink extra fluid to accommodate for sweating and dilute our digestive enzymes, further weakening digestion. If we are also eating a pitta aggravating diet, emotional eating, and choosing poor food combinations, pitta becomes particularly irate and agni suffers.
Why should we care about the state of our agni? Because our digestion, our agni, governs the creation of new cells and destruction of old cells. When agni is healthy we have a long enthusiastic life, our 3 doshas are balanced, and we exhibit vital life energy.
Amazingly there are 40 types of agni in the body, all regulated by jathara agni in the stomach, our central digestive fire. A few of agni’s roles are to digest, absorb, assimilate, as well as to digest sensory information and thoughts. Agni transforms the life force of food into energy and nourishes the cells of our body and consciousness – we truly are what we digest.
If our doshas are imbalanced so is agni. Imbalanced pitta creates hyper-metabolism, or tikshna agni, where the liquid and acidic qualities of pitta manifest as heart burn, indigestion, and diarrhea. If untended Pitta spreads and symptoms may be difficult to treat without the assistance of a heath care professional. Pitta spreading out of the digestive tract means vata dosha is involved and pitta can invade tissues with acne, rash, and inflammation.
Addictions are often the result of impaired agni. Heating substances like cigarettes and alcohol stoke a weakened digestive fire and are then relied upon to digest, leading to an addiction our digestion is dependent upon.
Balanced metabolism, or sama agni, is normal appetite, digestion, and elimination without addictions. There is no heaviness or fatigue after eating, nor constipation, diarrhea, or body aches. It imparts the ability to eat any foods in any season because agni is stoked and ama has not blocked our channels.
Treating agni involves both physical and psychological therapy because the mind has such a great influence over the body. We can treat the mind with time spent in nature and treat the body with dipanas and pachanas.
Dipana to stimulate agni and burn up ama – before meals eat ½ teaspoon fresh ginger with a pinch of rock salt and a squeeze of lime.
Pachana to improve absorption for optimal nutrition – finish meals with ¼ cup room temperature plain yogurt, ¾ cup water, a pinch of ginger powder, and 2 pinches of toasted cumin powder blended together.
Moon Worship Ritual
The full moon and waxing moon is a very auspicious time of the month. Spending time in this radiant moonlight is considered medicine for agitated pitta in Ayurveda. The moon has feminine energy and is the deity of water, so it is pacifies us during the masculine pitta summer season.
Chandra seva, or moon bathing, is done for inflammation, hypertension, rash, and the need to calm vata and pitta emotions. The following cooling ritual is prescribed by my favorite teacher Doctor Vasant Lad.
- Cover the body with a paste of sandalwood powder mixed with water
- Relax in moonlight wearing pearls and white clothing
- Slowly sip cool cow or coconut milk with a pinch of natural sugar
- Ideally be with beautiful and agreeable friends
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
WINTER & SPRING 2023
Dear Friends,
Late winter and spring are Kapha dosha season, with a dominance of heavy earth and emotional water elements. In the cosmos kapha is represented as the moon, and in the microcosm as our body and home. When kapha dosha is balanced we are grounded with love in our hearts and homes, rather than being static and stagnant.
Adjusting for this increase in water and earth elements through seasonal changes in diet and lifestyle allows us to maintain perfect health. If we are living without discipline and order, the heavy energy of kapha dosha may sink from its main site in the stomach down into the colon. This may result in a feeling of fullness and the appearance of mucous in our elimination. Alternatively, if kapha is displaced in an upwards direction we may have sinus congestion and dull headaches. If kapha is displaced sideways we are prone to sluggish lymphatic flow, edema, and lipomas. When kapha dosha becomes extremely aggravated it moves in all directions resulting in a multitude of difficult to treat symptoms.
To prevent the aggravation of kapha dosha during this season our diet should eliminate iced drinks, dairy, sugar, meat, and snacks. Fresh vegetables should make up at least 50% of our diet. Astringent fruits like apples and pomegranates are favored. Sweet fruits with high levels of fructose converts to glucose during digestion and causes mucous formation. Fruit should make up only 10% of our diet, with grains and legumes making up the rest. A balanced spring diet promotes deep spirituality, another kapha quality.
The rest required in vata season shifts into motivation needed for kapha season. Additional ways to balance kapha are physical activity and vigorous movement to release stagnant energy. Challenging yoga asanas such as standing chest openers and twists help to clear blocked channels. Opening the face and throat with pranayama breathing exercises alleviates stuck energy slowing you down. For further assistance I provide online Ayurvedic health consultations for the tools and steps needed to welcome in your best year yet.
With love and light, Anna Lachmuth
A Happy Home with Vastu Shastra
Have you ever felt ill at ease in certain homes, whereas others feel like a sanctuary? This feeling may be explained by Vastu Shastra, or building science. This is the vedic art of using nature’s beneficial energies to promote prosperity and harmony in the home through alignment with the cardinal directions and the balance of the five elements.
Many ancient monuments from the Egyptian pyramids to the Coliseum are built with respect to the principles of vastu. The teachings of Feng Shui are based on this ancient Indian system that corrects for irregularities in buildings and promotes greater abundance and support from the universe.
The home is vitally important to kapha dosha as it is a safe retreat from the hectic world. The placement of a home automatically disrupts the natural environment, so measures are taken to correct for that physical imbalance. Vastu also uses natural materials and green building practices to respect the environment and the interconnectedness of all things.
According to vastu, homes are ideally a rectangular shape and aligned with the magnetic north-south axis, or within 15 degrees of it, to promote energy flow. Magnetic north attracts positive energy of abundance, so openness outside the home is beneficial in this direction. East receives positive solar energy and this area outside your home should also be unobstructed for energy to easily flow.
Earth element is associated with the southwest, which stabilizes prosperity and is a great location for bedrooms and storage.
Water element is associated with the northeast, which influences financial growth and is the best location for a front entrance, living room, or water feature.
Fire element is associated with the southeast, which stimulates financial success, and is the best location for an obstruction such as a hill to contain this energy, but also for a kitchen, electrical equipment, or fireplace.
Air element is associated with the northwest, which influences your relationship to abundance and money, and is a good place for an altar, office, or guestroom.
Space element is associated with the central area of the home and the success of all endeavors, and as this is the heart of the building no obstructions, or furnishings should be placed here.
If our homes do not align with the principles of vastu and are prone to friction, we can correct it with Yantras, or sacred geometric symbols, which represent sacred mantras, or healing sounds. Vastu uses color, crystals, altars, and furniture placement, in conjunction with yantras. This positively influences your home and life with enhanced energy and counteracts negative influences.
For more in-depth and detailed information on the harmonizing power of vastu explore the book ¨The Way of Vastu¨ by Michael and Robin Mastro.
Free and Clear
A New Year and a transition to kapha is the time to welcome positive abundance and eliminate strife from our lives and homes. Many have lost touch with living in harmony with the spirit of their home, but our living environment is vitally important to our health and wellbeing.
Prana, or life force energy, is easily blocked during kapha season. Clutter in the home is the physical manifestation of stagnant negative energy. This may be the reason why spring cleaning occurs during kapha time of year. Decluttering simplifies life and relieves disorganized thinking and bad decision making. Taken a step further we can also declutter our body of accumulated toxins and chemicals through cleansing our bodies.
If you are experiencing uncomfortable kapha symptoms, a guided purification of the body is advised. For an easy spring reset contact me to begin your personal cleanse in the comfort of your own home.
Medicine for Kapha Season
Winter and spring colds and flus appear with mucous congestion in the sinuses and heaviness in the head, classic symptoms of a kapha imbalance. To treat these conditions we use medicines with opposing qualities to kapha, such as asavas and arishtas. These are medicated wines and are used in Ayurveda to convey herbs deeper into the tissues as they are easy to assimilate. The qualities of alcohol are heating, light, sharp, penetrating, and opposite the qualities of kapha. This makes herbal alcohol an efficient way to treat this doshic imbalance.
Below is my recipe for an herbal flu syrup made with dried herbs. This syrup may be used instead of a shot of whiskey in a hot toddy – which includes a cup of hot water, honey, and lemon. Another option is to take a dose of syrup on its own when you are feeling under the weather.
Flu Syrup Recipe
Birch bark – a cooling antiviral for joint paint and infection
Calendula flowers – a cooling antiviral and antispasmodic for inflammation
Cinnamon sticks – a heating diaphoretic for microbial infection
Elderberries – a cooling anti-inflammatory for immunity and less mucous
Elderflowers – a cooling antibacterial and antiviral for allergies and pain
Elecampane root – a heating expectorant for rejuvenation of the lungs
Ginger – a heating diaphoretic for respiratory disease
Hyssop – a heating expectorant for coughs and lung congestion
Licorice root – a cooling demulcent for coughs and lung infection
Mullein flowers – a cooling expectorant for coughs, asthma, and headaches
Orange peel – a heating expectorant rich in vitamin C for inflammation
Rose hips – a heating anti-inflammatory and immune support
Thyme – a heating antispasmodic for cough and antiseptic properties
Wild cherry bark – a cooling expectorant for cough and bronchial spasms
Brandy or vodka – a warming carrier that also stimulates agni, or digestion
Unpasteurized honey – a heating expectorant to soothe the throat
Half fill a sterilized jar with a mix of any of these herbs you have on hand.
Add brandy to cover the herbs by 1 to 2 inches, or fill the jar ¾ full with brandy.
Add honey on top of the mix leaving a 1 inch space of air at the top of the jar.
Poke down into the herbs with a chopstick to release any trapped air bubbles.
Shake the jar daily in order to circulate the alcohol throughout the herbs.
Steep the jar in a cool dark place for 4 to 6 weeks.
Strain the herbs out of the brandy using a fine strainer, or cheesecloth.
Use 2 teaspoons every 2 to 3 hours when you are suffering from a flu or cold.
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
FALL 2022
Dear Friends,
The autumn equinox in September ushered in the season of vata dosha and the elements of air and space. Season changes release vata energy and it is vata time of the year, therefore, vata energy is high. Are you noticing extremes of anxiety and joy, dryness in the body, or fluctuating energy? This is vata needing pacification from the winds of change.
As preventative medicine, Ayurvedic routines are done for two weeks before and after an equinox/solstice to strengthen and protect immunity. Solid routines are established to nourish, as vata’s qualities are sensitive, spiritual, and spontaneous. There is no endurance like kapha, nor the determination of pitta, and yet vata is a force to be reckoned with, because when it becomes aggravated it pushes these doshas off balance.
If the creativity and intuition of balanced vata energy is evading you, then bring in seasonal Ayurvedic rutucharya rituals. Pranavayu, a subdosha of vata, allows air to move life-force energy into our body. Life-force energy flows when focusing on slow inhales and exhales. Begin strengthening yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically with a ritual of deep breathing. Be in touch with me for an autumn reset with a follow-up Ayurvedic health consultation.
Love where the magic leads you, Anna Lachmuth
Grounding into the Earth
If the fall transition has thrown you off your bearings, know there are many tools to regain your heading. Another effective ritual for staying your course is grounding, or earthing. This practice synchronizes your body with the natural electric field of the earth. Like all animals we respond to earth’s magnetic fields, and when we resonate with these fields our cells begin to function more coherently and efficiently. When in tune, our circadian heart rhythm and our brain wave frequencies vibrate at the same frequency of the geomagnetic field of the earth, at 7.83 hertz.
When we are earthing, negative electrons move from the earth’s surface into our body, counteracting the positive charge created by our body from breathing and eating processed foods. This practice results in reduced inflammation and improved circulation. Current scientific research on earthing practices and the benefits thereof can be found at the link for Doctor Gaetan Chevalier and Doctor Rollin McCraty.
For electrons to flow from the earth into your body, all blockages to the flow of energy need to be removed. Take off your shoes and connect barefoot with the earth, practice shavasana like a corpse with no mat between you and the grass, garden in the soil with your bare hands, and focus on heart breathing while radiating feelings of love, appreciation, and gratitude.
Resonating with the energetic frequency of larger natural systems allows for an exchange of energy between our biofield, the biofields of everyone around us, and the biofield of the earth. Consider what you are feeding the global field, and what you are absorbing from it. Join together and consciously create harmonious rhythms of healing for yourself, all species, and planet Earth.
Fall Rituals of Rejuvenation
Autumn’s longer nights invite for reflection of what we have grown, harvested, or lost this year. Celebrations and rituals like Halloween and Day of the Dead help us process our fear of change and of our own darkness. Seasonal cleansing is a ritual to release the past to balance our entire being.
Our minds are subtly affected by what we take in. Any unprocessed emotions in our mind are akin to unprocessed food in our gut, they can lead to disease if ignored. Signs of toxicity from unprocessed foods and thoughts tend to be more prevalent in the fall. You may notice sinus congestion, low appetite, lack of motivation, inflammation, gas, heaviness in the body, insomnia, a bad taste in the mouth, or difficulty eliminating.
So how do we remove toxins from our bodies and cleanse in a healthy and safe way? With the help of Ayurveda of course! Simple whole foods are the foundation of a cleansing diet that take the burden off of digestion and move toxic chemicals out. One of my favorite cleansing and nourishing recipes this season is cauliflower khadi. Adapt this recipe to suit your current doshic imblance – garnish with cilantro to relieve lingering pitta, or add a pinch of cayenne to prevent kapha accumulating this winter.
Cauliflower Khadi
2 cups cauliflower, diced
½ cup onion, diced
3 tablespoons oats
1½ cups water
2 tablespoons sesame oil, or ghee
½ tablespoon ginger, grated
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds, soak overnight in water so they sprout
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon ajwan, or celery seeds
¼ teaspoon black seed/nigella sativa/black cumin
2 cloves
½ teaspoon turmeric, add more if it is fresh
5 curry leaves
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
¼ cup sunflower seeds, toasted
In a sauce pan combine the cauliflower, onions, oats, and water. Cook on medium low heat until the cauliflower easily breaks apart, about 15 minutes.
In a frying pan prepare the kadhi masala by heating the oil on medium low. When the oil is warm add the ginger and cook until golden. Add the other spices, wait to add the curry leaves and turmeric until the mustard seeds pop. Stir until fragrant, about one minute longer.
Dish the cauliflower and top with the khadi masala. Season to taste with lime juice, salt, and pepper. Top with sunflower seeds, or the other garnishes mentioned above. If you have difficulty digesting cauliflower, make sure it is well cooked, or substitute for carrot and potato for greater vata pacification.
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
SUMMER 2022
Hola Friends,
Sweet summertime is arriving with warm breezes filling in from the south. This additional solar energy shifts us into pitta dosha season. Pitta is composed of fire and water, meaning either or both of these elements may become aggravated. For a peaceful pitta season we employ tools to cool emotional flare ups, acidity, and inflammation.
Balancing pitta requires tending our stomach fire, the home of pitta. Too little jatharagni results in poor digestion and too much can overflow and burn out our mind with rajas, or incessant mental activity. If we take preventative steps to avoid the aggravation of the fire element, we can stave off early physical symptoms like internal and external dryness. To rehydrate quicker than by drinking water alone, adopt a fruit-rich diet in the summer. Fruits also treat dry elimination due to their high fiber content. They are best eaten alone as a snack with digestive spices to counteract their cooling quality.
More heat in our environment means hurricane season has begun in Mexico, so I take Nature’s cue and sail north. I will be available for online health consultations all summer long. If you are interested in cleansing this fall I can design your personal Ayurvedic cleanse to do in the comfort of your own home, or with me in the tropics of Mexico.
Light, life, & love, Anna Lachmuth
Now For Some Really Good News
In May The World Health Organization announced the creation of a new Global Center for Traditional Medicine in Gujarat, India. This recognition, support, and scientific backing of traditional medicines, such as Ayurveda, will ensure this knowledge will not be lost, but will continue to be shared with the world.
Another insightful scientist backing traditional medicines through peer reviewed scientific research is Doctor Shamini Jain. Her studies on the healing power of biofields is described in her creative new book “Healing Ourselves”. Her professional background will provide you with a western scientific understanding of how traditional energy medicines work. The final chapters of her book guide you through scientifically proven ways to promote healing techniques from intention setting to meditation.
Pitta Protection
As a function of pitta our eyes transform light into images. The huge amount of information gained from our eyes has made vision our most used sense. We can strengthen and improve sight with simple eye exercises that restore our precious pitta organs. Incorporate this into your daily routine for 5 minutes, up to 45 minutes if you are trying to correct your vision.
- Begin by slowly rolling your eyes clockwise and then counterclockwise
- Try to focus on what you can see at the periphery of your sight
- Do not move your head, only look using your eye muscles
- Slowly look up, down, side to side, and diagonally
- Focus at a distance and then on a pencil held in front on your face
- Slowly bring the pencil in to your nose while maintaining focus
- End by rubbing your palms quickly and covering your closed eyes
Culture Craze
You may have sampled ginger bug while cleansing with me, or perhaps I’ve shared the probiotic drink recipe with you. I’d like to introduce you to its Mexican cousin, Tepache, made with piña instead of ginger. If you don’t appreciate the unique taste of other fermented foods such as sauerkraut, tempeh, kimchi, and miso, you might enjoy this lighter ferment.
Like ginger bug the sweet taste of this drink is what pacifies pitta and vata doshas and the pineapple calms an overactive liver. Tepache only requires 3 ingredients and is full of good gut flora, yeasts, digestive enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. Just like with kombucha don’t have too much in one tasting, as it may have a sugar and alcohol content. Unlike kombucha it is caffeine free and not as acidic.
Tepache Recipe
4 ounces piloncillo / unrefined cane sugar / brown sugar / maple syrup
1 large organic pineapple
8 cups water
Optional spices: 2 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, chopped mint leaves as garnish
Clean and scrub the peel of the pineapple carefully. Save the pineapple fruit to eat later. Dissolve the sugar in 2 cups of warm water. Place the scrubbed pineapple peel and pineapple core in a 1 gallon jar and cover with the sugar water and 6 remaining cups of water. Put the lid on the jar and store at room temperature for 1 to 3 days, bubbles should be forming on the surface as the culture develops. Strain and bottle the tepache, which you can now drink, or you can further ferment it 2 more days in bottles, or 1 month to turn it into raw pineapple vinegar.
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
WINTER 2022
Dear Friends,
Winter, with its shorter days and colder temperatures, may have you feeling stagnant and dormant. These are classic signs of kapha dosha imbalance. These signs of imbalance, and the subsequent appearance of physical or mental health symptoms, show us that our biorhythms are not in alignment with the rhythms of the planet. Signs of imbalance are our body’s way of tuning us in to the fact that we need some help. It is like a safety light flashing to get our attention.
Our doshas are in a continual flow of either increasing or decreasing, and our current state of imbalance allows us to grow and work towards developing sattva, or purity and health. When we become aware that our personal safety lights are flashing we can then work on finding what brings us back to balance, and what brings us back to joy.
If you are affected by winter seasonal affective disorder try bringing in healing for a few minutes every day by simply going outside. Studies are showing we have the most health benefits from nature when we spend a minimum of two hours outdoors every week. Immerse your senses with the healing sensory input that nature provides and benefit from improved mood and positive emotions on your path to wellness.
Namaste, Anna Lachmuth
Winter Refresh
The energy of kapha dosha is dominant from late winter through spring. At this time of year we can honor and pacify kapha by waking before 7 am, as this is the start of kapha time of day. Otherwise, we may be repeatedly hitting the snooze button during these dark winter mornings. Here in Mexico they have the perfect saying that you are stuck to your sheets, “pegado a las sábanas”. As kapha also has a sticky quality to it this saying may really resonate with you!
Kapha dosha is dominant from 7 to 10 am, making this a great time to engage in activities that require extra stamina and endurance. Kapha is a combination of water and earth elements and the water element represents our emotional body. Working on our connections with our loved ones is beneficial at kapha time of evening, from 7 to 10 pm.
Another classic kapha health symptom is lymphatic congestion in the body. To prevent stagnation during the winter season Ayurveda recommends assisting the body with lymphatic movement. This is done with daily body brushing with a dry brush, or with raw silk garshana gloves. Yoga and exercise are also great options for moving lymph, as is cleansing in the springtime.
Keep It Spicy
Less sunlight exposure in the winter tends to lower our moods and emotions. This can result in sluggish digestion due to our mind and body connection. This heavy digestion is known as manda agni, or damp fire of digestion. To boost our digestive fire at this time of year cook with warm and pungent foods and spices as they balance heavy and cold kapha energy. This pho soup recipe brings about balance by including all six tastes, and it is full of spice to stoke your fire of digestion this winter.
Spiced Vegan Vietnamese Pho Recipe
1 daikon radish, chopped
1 jicama, chopped
1 bunch of green onions
2 tablespoons of ginger, cut in slices
1 sweet apple, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 leek, chopped
5 dried shitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon of tamari
12 cups of water
1 cinnamon stick
1 black cardamom pod
4 star anise
1 teaspoon of white pepper seeds
1 teaspoon of whole cloves
1 teaspoon of fennel seeds
1 teaspoon of coriander seeds
2 cups of bean sprouts
1 jalapeno, cut in slices
2 limes, cut in wedges
1 bunch of Thai basil
1 bunch of mint
1 bunch of cilantro
½ cup of spring pea pods
1 package of rice or mung bean thread noodles
Toast the daikon, jicama, green onions, and ginger in the oven until they are blackened on both sides. In a pan toast the spices until fragrant and place them in a cloth pouch. Fill a pot with the water and add the toasted vegetables, apple, carrots, leek, shitake mushrooms, tamari, and the cloth pouch of spices. Cover the pot with a lid and boil at a low temperature for almost an hour to allow the flavor to develop. At this point you can remove the vegetables from the broth for a traditional clear broth pho, or you can leave them in for a heartier meal. Cook the noodles separately according to the package instructions. Put some of the cooked noodles into a soup bowl and cover with broth, then add the spring peas. Arrange the garnishes of bean sprouts, jalapeno, limes, Thai basil, mint, and cilantro on a serving dish.
Lion’s Breath Practice
- Begin by sitting in a comfortable position
- With a deep inhale roll forward onto your hands and knees, keeping elbows bent
- Scoop your head low and extend it up as you exhale deeply out of your mouth with a loud roar. Accompany this movement by sticking out your tongue and eyes to the sky
- Finish the forward movement by standing tall on your hands and knees like a proud lion
- Move back to a seated position and repeat at least two more times
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
FALL 2021
Dear Friends,
Traditional healing wisdom has been passed down through the ages for us to strengthen and to live in harmony with our environment. We can honor nature through spiritual practices like Ayurvedic grounding rituals. Seasonal rituals set the pace of our day and remove excessive decision making.
However, as vata dosha energy is abundant in the fall it can be a difficult time to stick to routine and we may feel a pressure to practice. If your daily practice is being felt as a stress of expectation and has become more of a chore than a tool of wellness, then adjust for the season and take out the summer cooling rituals you may no longer need.
In an effort to reduce everyone’s screen time and information overload, I will only be sending out an Ayurvedic newsletter every season, or 4 times a year. We all need a reduction in electromagnetic fields and blue light from screens, and my hope is that you find extra time to spend with loved ones and in nature.
After taking a nice long break this summer, I will be returning to offer Ayurveda at Haramara Retreat and to the Nai’a Life clients in November. I am currently available for online Ayurvedic consultations and home cleansing, so please reach out if you have any questions.
Many blessings and warm wishes, Anna Lachmuth
Fall Transition Tools
Fall is a season where stress and anxiety may increase due to the abundance of vata dosha. This dosha is comprised of the air and space elements which can cause the mind to be in motion and to repeat obsessive thoughts. An effective way to reduce anxiety is to limit news/social media/device time and replace that with doing something you truly love or by enjoying the great outdoors.
At this time of year we focus on cleansing and resetting the digestive system to better deal with accumulated toxins and assimilating the harder to digest grains and proteins of the fall diet. Signs you may need to cleanse include mood swings, allergies, food intolerances, poor digestion, dry skin, or dry hair.
Even though our bodies do a great job of reducing toxins we ingest, once overloaded with chemicals it may need extra help. Pranayama, or breath work, is another fantastic Ayurvedic tool for a simple detox. Try the Anti-Anxiety Breath described below to bring about deep peace, to center yourself in the present moment, and to help your body move toxins out more effectively.
- Take a 4 to 6 count inhale through your nose, bring the air right down to the base of your lungs, feel your belly inflate which activates the parasympathetic nerves at the bottom of your lungs.
- Then exhale through your nose for 7 to 9 counts, squeezing all the air out completely. Follow with a slight pause between breaths.
- Continue breathing slowly and deeply with this extended exhale for 5 minutes, or until you feel some relief.
Keeping it Green
Steps you take in reducing your personal toxin load tends to reduce the toxic toll on the planet, and perhaps reducing your environmental footprint is how you focus on cleansing this season. Even a small switch to eating as much organic foods as possible will be beneficial to both you and our polluted planet.
Unfortunately the nations of the world are slow to take action on climate change, but personal change is always possible, and there are unlimited ways you can do this. Let me know if you need tips, as I have been living off the grid for years now and have just started cooking with a solar oven!
An amazing green resource for all of my Victoria friends is Fireweed Farms located in Saanich, British Columbia. Here you can buy all kinds of medicinal herbs to plant in your home garden; including arnica, chamomile, marshmallow, mugwort, mullein, tulsi (holy basil), yarrow, and many more. The farm also offers workshops on herbal medicine making, converting grass to garden, and improving soil health. For more information check out www.fireweedfarms.ca and on Instagram @fireweedfarms.
One of my favorite healing herbs for this season is marshmallow – Althaea officinalis (althea means to cure and heal). It helps to pacify vata and pitta doshas, which tend to be overabundant right now, and it only slightly increases kapha dosha. With flus, colds, and covid predominant in the fall, this herb is helpful because it is a cough suppressant and pulmonary tonic due to its demulcent and emollient qualities. It is also rejuvenating and soothing to the throat, stomach, and intestines, which may be dry after a long hot summer. It is able to fight infections as it is an antioxidant and antibacterial, and it even has anticancer properties!
The showy flowers of the mallow family plants demonstrate the relation of marshmallow to hibiscus, cotton, and okra. All parts of the plant are edible and medicinal, and full of vitamins and minerals. You can use the roots to make a tea or as a substitute for egg whites, the flowers and leaves may be eaten raw, or older leaves may be steamed or sautéed.
Marshmallow Tea Recipe
1 tablespoon powdered marshmallow root
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
1 teaspoon dried orange peel
4 cups water
Honey to taste
Simmer all ingredients, except the honey, in water for 20 minutes. It will form a mucilaginous gel when placed in the water, so add more water if it simmers too low. Strain out the herbs and spices and add honey to taste for an effective sore throat remedy. If you do not enjoy the thick texture of the tea, add warm water to dilute the tea and achieve your desired texture. Happy Sipping!
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
June / July 2021
Hola Friends,
Welcome to summertime and an abundance of pitta dosha energizing you with extra sunlight. With more light comes an increase in fire element, which can sap energy and dry up rasa, our juice or essence. Pitta dosha is both the fire and water elements and should you be living in an environment with a wet Spring, the water element can accumulate and lead to nausea if this element also becomes aggravated.
To maintain our juiciness and avoid pitta aggravation we accommodate for this seasonal change with new routines and rituals. By incorporating balancing routines like moon salutations in yoga practice, a siesta in the heat of the day, a moon tea infusion, gathering healing herbs, and eating hydrating juicy fruits, the fire element is suppresed.
Summer is an active time, with plenty of daylight to get things done and to keep busy. Should you find you are burning out and require Ayurvedic assistance, I am available for personal online video chat consultations and follow-ups. In my blog below I share indigenous wisdom from Mexico to deal with living in a hot pitta environment.
Happy International Day of Yoga to all yogis and yoginis,
Anna Lachmuth
TARAHUMARA PLANT MEDICINE
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SUPPORT THE RARÁMURI
- Experience programs in Chihuahua with Wikorachi
- Read the plant medicine book “Tarahumara Medicine: Ethnobotany and Healing Among the Rarámuri of Mexico” by Fructuoso Irigoyen-Rascón and Alfonso Paredes available here
- Buy a heritage variety of purple corn atole “Purely Pinole” by Native StateFoods or Pinole Blue
- Rarámuri products and handicrafts are available at Artesanías Misión
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
April / May 2021
Happy Earth Day Friends,
A springtime celebration of Mother Earth is a way of honoring the return of life to the land. Our planet sustains us and deserves our care and attention, not just today, but every single day. The good news is that making natural green choices helps heal both us and the planet.
For positive change to occur we need to take action, we cannot rely on business, government, and non-profits to make environmental change with any urgency. Caring for the planet can be as easy as picking up plastic while at the beach, using public transit, powering off devices, and removing any toxic products at home. A great resource for choosing toxin-free personal care products is this informative website www.ewg.org/skindeep
Our human actions are the main source of climate change and this sobering thought can make it easy to lose motivation and become moody. This is magnified with Kapha dosha at its heaviest abundance in April and May. If we allow melancholy to take over and our imbalance to fester, we get stuck in the muck – dried out yet congested with phlegm and mucous on the move, full of allergies, and puffiness.
Nature is asking for growth and rebirth in the spring, rather than mulling in our past stories and imbalances. Preventative medicine is about educating and protecting ourselves against all kinds of harmful pollutants in our environment. As you bring awareness to your daily habits notice what supports your health and what hinders your wellbeing, and make simple shifts to align, lighten, and bloom along with spring.
Namaste, Anna
SPRING FOOD SELECTION
At this time of year resources are sparse and our diet is meant to reflect this natural seasonal pattern. When we lighten our eating in April and May, we naturally put our body through mild detoxing. To enhance this purification consume more cleansing fiber rather than wintertime proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Both soluble and insoluble fibers assist with toxin removal and some great examples to include are flax, chai, beets, apples, and oats.
By favoring a spring diet we can improve our liver function and its ability to process chemicals our body wants to shed. This will reduce symptoms of kapha imbalance; like dull headaches, insomnia, thick mucus, food cravings, water retention, and weight gain.
The biggest impact to our health and to the health of the planet is what we eat every single day. Studies show that livestock production is the largest contributor to climate change, so try going green this spring with Meatless Mondays, or reducing/eliminating your animal product intake. This year I celebrate my 30th year of eating a planet friendly vegetarian diet!
For detox recipes to stoke manda agni, or kapha sluggish digestion, I offer my Ayurvedic Cleansing Cookbook in PDF format for $5 USD. The following recipe is the simplest most refreshing soup, a delicious gem from the Haramara kitchen:
Gaspacho de Betabel
2 cups chopped beets
½ cup orange juice, or 1 orange
½ cup water
Pinch of salt and pepper to taste
Steam the beets until tender and put in a blender with all remaining ingredients. Blend until very smooth, adding more water if needed. Serve at room temperature topped with fresh sprouts and sesame seeds.
SPRING CLEANSING
Detoxing can be simple or complex, it all depends on your current needs, and the time you have to devote to the process.
For a gentle detox of the mind avoid media and devices for a set amount of time each day, and replace that with time spent in Nature. For a gentle detox of the body do Breath of Joy, a pranayama breath practice to maximize the full capacity of the lungs and happiness, a few times each day.
For a deeper seasonal detoxification I offer personalized Ayurvedic Home Cleanses and Ayurvedic Cleansing programs in Mexico. Gift yourself the feeling of clearing out the old and resetting with time-tested holistic practices that return you to a state of vitality and health.
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
February / March 2021
Hola Friends,
Mid-winter is an introspective time of year when nature encourages us to pause before pursing further growth and purification in the spring. This pause seems longer than past winters, perhaps due to our current restrictions on travel and abnormally cold temperatures.
An increase of indoor, inactive living during kapha time of year causes earth and water elements to accumulate and aggravate. This can exacerbate feelings of stagnation and attachment, so engaging in mental and physical rituals of self-love and care are crucial to live with passion and compassion.
Ayurvedic healing focuses on regaining balance with nature’s cycles and seasons and to connect with something deeper and bigger than ourselves. Ayurvedic practices offer a way to harmonize with the season and to treat kapha imbalances. Many of these practices cost nothing, take very little time, and are easy to do at home, these I share with you below.
Namaste, Anna
SEASON OF LOVE
Kapha represents loving feminine energy and February, the month of love, is the start of kapha season. Kapha is governed mainly by the soft and fluid element of water. Kapha is also related to the moon because the goddess of water is the moon. When the moon is full, kapha is particularly stimulated and ocean tides swell larger.
Our connection to the moon, to bodies of water, and to our stubbornness are all thanks to kapha dosha. Appreciating the kapha aspects present in our unique Ayurvedic constitution allows us to flow with our emotional water qualities and to ground with our heavy earth qualities. Try to following daily Ayurvedic rituals to align with kapha season and free up internal energy.
IMMUNITY-ENHANCING OKRA
In Ayurvedic cooking okra is used to deeply nourish the body and promote ojas; this is our immunity, vitality, and vigor. Okra is tridoshic with qualities that are cooling, sweet, and astringent; it relieves pitta, is neutral to kapha, and can aggravate vata if eaten in excess.
This vegetable can be hard to track down as it enjoys growing in tropical climates and is known by many different names like edible hibiscus, lady fingers, and bhindi. Okra is a green, grooved, and slender immature fruit pod containing many soft seeds. I recently discovered from my local organic farmer that okra also comes in a deep red hue, perfect for the month of love.
Okra benefits the bones, hair, and skin because it is a mucilaginous vegetable from the mallow family, and it has a slippery quality that provides lubrication to the joints, digestion, and elimination. The anti-inflammatory and diuretic qualities of okra pull excess water from the body, which can easily build up during kapha season. Enjoy this recipe warm and spiced to your taste.
BHINDI MASALA DHAL
11/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon curry powder/leaves
1 bay leaf
1 cup brown/green lentils, soaked overnight
1 tomato, chopped
1 pound fresh okra, chopped
3 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
When preparing okra, wash and dry it well, so that it does not become slippery and slimy. Heat the oil in a large pot, or pan. Add the spices and grated ginger, fry them until golden and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the water, lentils, tomato, and cook for 15 minutes. Add the okra and cook another 15 minutes, adding water to get your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and serve over rice, or with chapatti.
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NAI’A SPRING RETREATS
Nai’as retreat platform has moved entirely online due to new Canadian Covid travel restrictions. All in-person retreats in Mexico this spring have been canceled, but can now be joined online instead.
Connect with Jhenneviev Heartt and the Nai’a Team virtually and continue to experience personal growth and transformation with these inspirational individuals.
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
December 2020 / January 2021
Seasons greetings loved ones,
Winter is almost here, offering us a welcome shift into the grounding energy of kapha dosha. After months of unprecedented world events and a hot summer, the end of autumn might have you feeling overstimulated and just a little vata deranged.
On December 21st we move from the mobile and light Vata season, into the heavy kapha season, with the qualities of the earth and water elements. Kapha translates to mean ‘flourished by water’, offering us a respite from the dryness of vata. Individuals with a kapha constitution are characterized with deep faith and a stable mind. Harmonizing with this new season can also impart a deeper faith and steadiness of mind.
Ayurveda’s remedy for a calm mind and nervous system is meditation and pranayama practice. As little as 10 to 15 minutes a day of quiet awareness in the present moment can alter brain waves and breathing patterns and allow the mind to release looping obsessive thoughts.
Kapha season is a wonderful time to invoke introspection and relaxation if you have been overstimulated this year. My meditation teacher often encourages practicing with a touchstone. This is a focal point for the mind to return to when it takes off on thought tangents during practice. The touchstone I use is a sweet memory of burying my face in the huge pink blossom of the buxom beauty hybrid tea rose, I imagine submerging in its fragrant petals, and a deep relaxation response takes place in me. My teacher, Daliah Home, gifts all of us sailors in the Bay of Banderas a daily morning meditation over the VHF radio. Her voice is a sweet soft whisper as she expertly guides the mind to a quiet bliss. Check out Daliah´s free meditation teachings here.
Winterization Regimen
Due to overcast days and fewer hours of sunlight, the colors of winter are white, grey, and black. This change in light vibration greatly affects our mind and should it become inactive and loose its fire, we can end up depressed from aggravated tarpaka kapha in our brain.
A seasonal winter routine prevents the accumulation of kapha in the upper body, the home of kapha dosha. One of the best tools to use at this time of year is nasya sinus oil. This is a medicated oil applied to the sinuses to keep them free of pathogens, dust, molds, and mucous. It often includes the Ayurvedic herb vacha and eucalyptus to keep the immune system strong. Please contact me to craft your very own nasya sinus oil. A simple option is to massage one to three drops of organic untoasted sesame oil inside each of your nostrils with your pinky fingertip, before bedtime.
Another wintertime herbal healer is lemongrass, Cymbopogon citratus, which promotes proper digestion and treats colds, flus, and fever. The aromatic citrus properties of this herb uplifts the mood and releases serotonin, thus it can help alleviate winter depression. It is best taken as a tea, as it has a diuretic effect that flushes water soluble toxins while cleansing our bladder and kidneys. Additional health properties of this herb are antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancer, antiseptic, analgesic, and nervous system pacification.
Masala Morning
As temperatures fall in the winter our circulation to our extremities is decreased and is pushed inward, creating a strong gastric fire, or jathara agni. This means we can enjoy more of the harder to digest foods at this time of year. Should we indulge and hibernate with long naps, and lethargy, symptoms of increased kapha can appear. The first symptoms of kapha aggravation are a lack of appetite, indigestion, and sluggish metabolism. Not only is our environment cold, but so is the energy of Kapha, so to prevent congestion in the mind and body make sure to eat warm spicy meals this winter.
A warming food to include in your winter diet is yams, or sweet potato. They belong to the morning glory family and are not nightshade vegetables, like other potatoes, so they can be eaten frequently. Choose yams with brightly colored flesh, as they have additional nutrients. Some of these nutrients are antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that prevent ageing, vitamin A to support eye health, vitamin C for immunity, B vitamins to support energy, fiber to keep digestion moving, and minerals like potassium to support our nervous system.
At this time of year, I love preparing yams as a warm stewed breakfast, because it’s like starting my day with homemade pumpkin pie. To alleviate the heaviness of the yams, this recipe uses warming spices like ginger. To increase the protein content, include a nut butter and top with hemp seeds.
Masala Yam Breakfast Recipe
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 cup water, or nut milk
2 chopped yams, or other fruit like apple, pear, or mango
½ cup coconut meat, or nut butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon clove
1/8 teaspoon allspice
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 chopped dates
½ cup soaked raisins
2 tablespoons of maple syrup, or honey
In a small pot, caramelize the ginger in coconut oil over a medium flame. Add water, yam, and coconut meat, and bring to a simmer. Add the spices, vanilla, and dates. Simmer on low heat until the yams are soft. Use a blender or potato masher to puree until smooth, adding water as needed. Add the rehydrated raisins after blending and the maple syrup to taste. Top with berries, or hemp seeds.
Haramara Happenings
Our clients have requested an opportunity to go deeper than a regular yoga retreat, so in response we have created Roots, a new individual four-day healing retreat.
Live and thrive in nature while experiencing transformational therapies, grounding practices, and seasonal rituals. Retreat participants will receive an Ayurvedic consultation and an Ayurvedic therapy from me, along with many more amazing treatments and classes from our talented team.
For more details, please contact me (ayurvedawithanna@gmail.com). For pricing and bookings please contact Gail Barnet (gail@haramararetreat.com).
I wish you all a peaceful holiday and new year. May you find the time to prioritize your health and wellness to stay vibrant this season. I would love to hear from you and encourage you to be in touch for Ayurvedic assistance with your wellbeing.
Namaste, Anna Lachmuth
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
October / November 2020
My friends,
Ayurveda teaches that the autumn season is ruled by vata dosha. Vata’s energy is likened to a penetrating sharp wind, due to its combination of the weightless space element, and the cool air element. The Ashtang Hrdayam, an ancient Vedic text, has this to say of vata dosha:
“He, vata, is the doer of all actions, the soul of all, the possessor of all forms, the chief of all living beings, the creator , supporter, and controller of all, is omniscient, destroyer, lord of death and death itself”.
Vata encompasses creative spiritual energy and destructive shadow energy. Everyone’s Ayurvedic constitution has a certain amount of vata energy, which brings with it an individual spectrum of intuition, pessimism, and faith.
Our highest good is achieved when we integrate the many parts of ourselves. Honor the spirit of vata season by connecting with spirit and working with the balance of your complex human nature.
Heart Centered
The age of consciousness that man is passing through is that of Anahata chakra, the path of heart. Our turbulent times hurt deeply, because most human hearts are functioning and feeling, however many human hearts have a deficient flow of energy through this chakra.
A chakra is described as a wheel, or vortex of energy with a unique rate of vibration. Prana, or life force energy flowing through chakras affects their surrounding organs; either promoting disease, or wellness.
There are said to be many of these nerve centers in the body and Ayurvedic medicine focuses on seven main ones. Anahata chakra is the fifth of the seven main chakras, it is the seat of divine love, and human love. Anahata is ruled by prana vata and the element of air, it translates to mean ‘unstruck sound’.
When consciousness flowing through the heart chakra becomes imbalanced, our desires, emotions, and mind will be influenced with this quality. Stagnant anahata chakra energy prevents us from experiencing spiritual awakening, due to our deep emotional attachments.
Activating anahata chakra cuts the bonds of our emotional karma and past samskaras, allowing us to create our destiny. Activation begins with optimism, detachment, and creative activities like art, literature, music, and poetry. The air element heals your heart with sound vibration during practices like bhramari pranayama, and japa mantra repetition. In time, consciousness at this center becomes receptive and life is met with compassion, love, and mercy.
Bhramari Pranayama
Anahata chakra also translates to mean “the cave of bees”, which is why practicing humming bee’s breath, bhramari pranayama, is such an effective heart opener. This sound therapy invokes a humming bee flying from flower to flower, following sound to its source.
Hold your spine straight, close your eyes, and relax your body. Plug your ears with your index fingers and inhale through your nose. Exhale with a gentle “hum” in your throat, feel it reverberate throughout your body, mind, and heart. Enjoy as long as feels comfortable and take sound-free breaths as needed.
Homemade Immune Booster
Like the fall, vata dosha is mobile and unstable, an instigator who can’t sit still. A vata imbalance often begins with compromised digestion, elimination, and immunity. We may find ourselves in a health crisis when our digestion falters, because our gastrointestinal tract is our biggest, and our first line of defense against pathogens in our environment.
As summer and pitta dosha ebbs, we can enjoy more heating fermented foods. Ferments introduce a diversity of gut bioflora to aid our immune and endocrine systems. Cabbage is a difficult to digest food when raw, but when fermented the vatogenic effects disappear. Enjoy a few tablespoons of sauerkraut daily.
Fire Kraut Recipe
1 quart sized sterilized jar
1 tsp. black peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, minced
2 tsp. burdock root, minced
1 tsp. ginger, minced
4 tsp. horseradish root, minced
3 tsp. turmeric, minced
½ cup onion, sliced
½ cup carrot, sliced
½ cup golden beet, sliced
½ cup fennel and tops, sliced
½ cup fresh rosemary, thyme, lemongrass, sage, parsley, rose hips, juniper berries, lavender, nettle, dandelion, oregano (*optional)
1 orange, juice and zest
6 cups cabbage, sliced
1 tbsp. sea salt
Mix the vegetables and spices in a bowl with only half of a tablespoon salt and massage together for 5 minutes. Rest the mix for 30 minutes at room temperature. Add the second half of a tablespoon of salt and massage again for 5 minutes, rest another 30 minutes. Use a tamper to pound the vegetables and create as much liquid brine as you can in the bottom of the bowl. Tamp the vegetables down into the jar and cover with brine to prevent mold growth. Place a fermentation stone on top of the vegetables to hold them down in the brine. Cover the jar with a piece of fabric, or a paper lid held in place with an elastic band, to allow gases to escape. Place the jar of Fire Kraut in a dark room for 5 to 7 days of fermentation. The pH should stabilize around 3.5.
Seasonal Fall Ritual
You clean your house, hair, and clothes, but what about tending to your inner environment? Traditionally, rutucharaya practices were seasonal rituals during dramatic environmental shifts. Time was set aside to purify, let go, and synch with the new energy of the season.
Today we live in large polluted cities and this can make it difficult to tune in to the rhythm of the season. Connect with me if you feel ready for a seasonal Ayurvedic cleanse at home, or a personal Ayurvedic retreat in Mexico.
Struggling through a year of unprecedented suffering makes finding balance in this messy world complicated. My intention in sharing this ancient wisdom is to help you foster wellness and peace. Please reach out to me, family, friends, and healers for support when needed along your life journey.
Warm autumn blessings, Anna Lachmuth
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
August / September 2020
Dear friends,
Are you feeling burnt out and dehydrated after months of long days and warm temperatures? This is because we are in the season known as visarga kala – the time of depletion. By summer’s end intense solar activation leads us to overextend energetically.
Our fire element, when aggravated may cause critical emotions, weak digestion, frequent and loose stool, and irritated skin. Without pacification from this extra heat, we feel raw and sensitive.
Rebalance with a peaceful float in water, moon-bathe rather than sun-bathe, take a siesta, soothe digestion with peppermint and spearmint, cool a temper with melissa and ylang ylang, and relax with lemongrass and vetiver.
Hibiscus Flower Power
In India hibiscus flowers are used both physically and spiritually to purify the blood and heart. Here in México the flor de Jamaica are used in aguas frescas, sauces, and as a meat substitute. Hibiscus flowers dispel congestion with their astringent quality and reduce fever with their cooling quality. Being full of vitamin C they fortify our immunity and support our liver.
Hibiscus Water
Juice of 1 lemon / lime
¼ ounce dried hibiscus
Pinch of saffron
2 cups of water
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Soak the saffron in a few tablespoons of water overnight. Carefully rinse the hibiscus flowers of any dust on the petals. Make the hibiscus concentrate by boiling the flowers in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. Strain the flowers out of the water and save the flowers to make Hibiscus Tacos in the recipe beside. Mix in the saffron water, lemon juice, and maple syrup.
Hibiscus Tacos
8 ounces dried hibiscus
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 thinly sliced red onion
2 finely minced garlic cloves
1 pinch of turmeric
Rinse the hibiscus of any dust. Cover with water and boil for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and steep for 2 hours, until soft. Drain the water to make Hibiscus Water. Cook onion and garlic in oil until translucent. Stir in hibiscus and season with salt, pepper, and turmeric, cook 5 minutes more. Serve on corn tortillas with tomatillo salsa, pineapple, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice.
Cleanse Together at Home
Monday, September 14 to 21, 2020
Flow with grace as we transition from summer to fall – the absolute best time of year to purify and release trapped heat and toxins. I will be cleansing with you and sharing my experience online, along with fellow participants.
Sign up here to join me and receive a personalized cleansing guidebook, two hours of Ayurvedic consultation, my cleansing cookbook, and membership to my Online Fall 2020 Group Cleanse.
Group Home Cleanse $200 USD
Retreat to México
Experience profound renewal by following an Ayurvedic lifestyle in a nurturing environment. Our caring team will support and nourish you while you reside in a lovely B&B around the Bay of Banderas, México. To read my client testimonials and learn more click here.
I would like to express my gratitude for your support and interest in Ayurveda. Doing this work would be impossible without you. Your improved wellness results in positive change in the world around us.
Deep bows, Anna Lachmuth
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
June / July 2020
Dear friends,
Summer solstice arrives on June 20th and this is possibly the easiest seasonal transition for many of you. Warmer weather allows Pitta dosha to penetrate and break heavy Kapha dosha down into lighter energy. So long as we have properly managed Kapha in the spring, we flow and melt into summer.
As we move into Pitta season, the fire and water elements become prominent. Strong solar energy gives us the ability to actively transform and flow expansively, but our emotions may also become intense and sensitive.
When too much Pitta causes our emotions to become sharp, a normal stressor may be reacted to in a more violent and emotional manner. You may have noticed violent crimes and assaults spike in the summer months; this is typically when hot tempers flare, and studies back up this correlation. Some may experience emotional outbursts, but others may find emotions are bottled in and unexpressed. Repressed emotions are also a concern as they stress the organs, compromise immunity, and block blood circulation to the brain. Every emotion in our mind has an associated response in our body that enters the cells as chemicals, such as cortisol. The energetic and chemical signature of emotions can remain with us long-term.
Disease prevention includes deep work like emotional processing for old emotions to release and to clear destructive behaviors from our cells. Going deep requires trusting your emotions. Give yourself time to metabolize feelings with awareness, and express them safely with maturity through self-analysis, like meditation.
Loving touch is another therapeutic way to release at the emotional level. The happy news is this includes cuddling, self-massage, receiving a massage, and hugs. As you support yourself and others by doing this deeper work, you promote clear communication and compassion.
The Lunar Breath – Chandra Bhedana
Ayurveda teaches that the body is divided into a solar right side, and a lunar left side. The right energy meridian, pingala nadi, has masculine, extroversive, and heating energy. The left energy meridian, ida nadi, has feminine, introversive, and cooling energy.
As summer solar energy increases cultivate balance with introspective practices for the mind, such as Lunar breathing pranayama, which activates the left energy meridian. For greater calm within, follow these steps:
- Begin with tejas dristhi, the gaze of seeing from the light within
- Relax from your chest as you breathe deeper and release pressure
- As superficial relaxation unfolds, go further with the energy of your mind
- Unlock restricted muscles, organs, and energy meridians
- Close right nostril with right thumb and slowly inhale through left nostril
- Close left nostril with right ring finger and slowly exhale out right nostril
- Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you begin feeling cool and relaxed
Rose Refresh for the Eyes
Heat rises and builds up around the eyes, leaving them dry and bloodshot, especially in the summer. Eyesight is a function of Pitta dosha, it transforms solar energy into vision. The eyes are connected to the liver, which is another Pitta organ, and a toxic liver can lead to photophobia, or sensitivity to light.
Rose balances all three doshas while reducing Pitta and heat in particular. Roses open the mind and heart with compassion and love, and give eyes the capacity to see the truth of reality clearly. In these challenging times, we could all benefit from the energetics of the rose.
Treat eye tension and inflammation with a cooling Rose Water Eye Wash. Harvest organic roses to make a rose hydrosol yourself, or find it in a health store. Use a sterilized eye cup to wash each eye with the rose water daily for 1 to 2 minutes, or as often as needed.
Pitta Takra Recipe
Metabolism is a function of Pitta dosha transforming food into heat and energy. Good health is a result of strong digestive fire, and when anabolism and catabolism are balanced.
Keep the integrity of your inner state by including this beverage before meals for a digestive pick-me-up, or as a snack to help absorb nutrients. It also removes excess moisture and heaviness from the body and introduces beneficial bacteria to your gastrointestinal tract.
- 2/3 cup water
- ½ cup non-dairy yogurt, or dairy yogurt
- 1 tsp. total of fennel, coriander, cumin, pinch turmeric, fresh ginger, spearmint, and saffron
- OR 1 tsp. total of fennel, cardamom, fresh ginger, and 1 tsp. rose water
A canning jar works well for mixing, storing, transporting, and drinking takra. Whisk the yogurt vigorously and slowly add water and spices, whisk until light and fluffy. If you are suffering from heat-related conditions (rashes, acne, or acidity), add a 1 tsp. of rose water or coconut sugar to add cooling properties.
Allow takra to sit for 1 to 3 hours to grow more probiotic culture, this will make it thicker and more sour tasting (store it in the fridge if not drinking it in 3 hours). Shake before drinking and enjoy at room temperature.
These past few months we have been given an opportunity to assess ourselves and our lifestyle. For many of us this introspection has highlighted destructive old habits and mentalities, and they are shifting like never before. Now consider what you wish to invite back into your life post-pandemic.
For additional tips on transitioning into summer gracefully, see me for an online Ayurvedic consultation for personalized wellness support. Summer is the season to rest from cleansing, but starting this fall my in-person Ayurvedic Cleansing and Rejuvenation Programs will be available again in Mexico.
More wonderful news is that Haramara Retreat will be reopening soon! I am grateful to return to the Haramara spa to offer Ayurvedic consultations and massage. The lush tropical setting has not changed, but protocol in the spa will be adjusted to meet new health regulations. I look forward to working in person with the lovely yogis doing deep work while on retreat.
Enjoy a vibrant start to summer, Anna
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
April / May 2020
Fellow yogis,
We have been at home for well over a month during spring season, or kapha dosha time of year. The home represents grounding earth energy, a place of security and retreat. According to Ayurveda, individuals with a Kapha constitution covet a comfortable home and they may be thriving right now.
Our new indoor lifestyle is a stressful change to navigate, especially when not addressed with healthy tools. When stress imbalances the earth and water elements of kapha dosha it often manifests as congestion in the head, lethargy in the body, and depression in the mind.
Afloat on my sailboat with minimal land time, I need earthy practices to keep me present and centered. My routine incorporates plenty of meal preparation, because food also represents earth energy. To release future uncertainty I cultivate probiotic tonics, sprout mung beans, steep herbs, and toast spices to focus on daily rituals for a steady mind and healthy body.
HEAL WITH PLANT MEDICINE
Living in a natural way cultivates a sacred relationship with plants and their medicine. Nature has provided a plant for everything needing a remedy and many of your local plant allies are blooming right now, such as dandelion and milk thistle. Considered weeds, these powerful liver cleansers are some of the first flowers available for bees. Tips for discovering your plant healers:
- Study with and talk to your plant to learn its energy vibration
- Breath and meditate with your plant to immerse into its essence
- Ask your plant for a clipping, give thanks, and harvest sustainably
- Offer some of your plant during a full moon ritual to feel its magic
Smudge with some of your plant to see the effect it has on your space
Tropical plants in my tool kit…
Monsterra fruit is a sweet exotic delicacy full of vitamin C and antioxidants, making it a great immune booster. You may have one of these decorative Swiss cheese plants growing in your home.
Nopal cactus leaves boost immunity, improve digestion, reduce stress on the cardiovascular system, and stabilize blood sugar levels. Nopal provides relief for those suffering from metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes.
Vanilla bean pods are the only edible fruit in the orchid family, the largest and oldest family of flowering plants. A good source of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals when eaten, it lowers blood pressure and anxiety as an essential oil.
Ylang ylang is known as the flower of all flowers. The heavy sweet fragrance is an aphrodisiac and can be used to relax the nervous system and lower blood pressure. It treats stress, shock, depression, and anger.
GREEN GODDESS SOUP
This spring tonic is a delicious way to enjoy the bitter taste, with plenty of cilantro to counter the spicy greens and ginger. Greens are rich in vitamins and minerals for healing our livers and immune systems. Spinach in particular treats lung disorders, which is perhaps why it serves those with a kapha dosha constitution the best.
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh turmeric
- 1 cup sprouted green lentils
- 5 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 2 cups chopped spinach / kale
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ½ cup chopped chayote
- ½ cup chopped nopal cactus
- Juice of 1 lime
Heat the mustard seeds in ghee until they start popping, then add the ginger and cook until it is golden and fragrant. Add the turmeric and other ingredients except for the greens. Cook until the vegetables are tender, then add the greens and cook until wilted. Blend the soup until smooth. Top with diced cilantro and fresh lime juice.
Thank you for staying connected!
If you are experiencing challenges and need solutions for lifestyle and physical wellbeing, I am available for holistic wellness support. My online Ayurvedic Health Consultation reveals your unique doshic constitution and outlines preventative healthcare recommendations for any seasonal doshic imbalances.
Spring into a new Ayurvedic routine with a FREE consultation with me when you refer a friend who signs up for a consultation. This 2 for 1 offer must be reserved this month of May. Reserve Now.
For herbal support, my handcrafted small-batch Ayurvedic Products are being made to order. Individual blends of powdered and capsulated herbal formulas, medicinal teas, aromatherapy massage oils, medicated oils, herbal ghees, and sunblock are available for delivery.
Light, Life & Love, Anna Lachmuth
Ayurveda with Anna
Cleansing | Lifestyle | Yoga
February / March 2020
Hola my friends,
Are you ready to transition from Winter into Spring? Heavy earth and cold water energy of Kapha dosha are beginning to flow and melt with new bouts of warmth. This is the time to renew with more movement and heat so that you don´t feel stuck in the mud. Springtime often requires a deeper refresh, like a cleanse, to shed stagnation.
How do you know if you need to cleanse? Tune into your body, it will let you know with symptoms like insomnia, fatigue, thyroid imbalance, hormone imbalance, irregular / heavy menstrual cycles, weight gain, joint pain, skin problems, water retention, headaches, brain fog, ADHD, constipation, depression, and anxiety. All of these symptoms may simply be due to toxin overload compromising your physical and mental wellbeing.
We are exposed to over 2 million toxins every day through breathing, contact, and eating. On average 700 toxins are carried in our organs right now. Every second 310 kg of chemicals are released by industrial facilities around the world. Many chemicals are untested on humans, as they build up in our bodies they reduce the ability of our organs to function optimally, leading to toxic overload. We do not know how many chemicals are currently in use, and with a long list of substances regulated in Canada, it is important to reduce toxin exposure by eating an organic plant-based diet, using organic products, and cleansing yearly.
Many types of cleanses are able to remove water soluble toxins, but toxins like herbicides and pesticides are fat soluble. To remove fat soluble toxins, the body needs to burn fat that the toxins are bound to, then another fat like ghee needs to be introduced for toxins to bind to, these toxins are then eliminated through the colon. An effective cleanse able to do deep purification of fat soluble toxins is Pancha Karma.
Cleansing is meant to be a gift to honor your body, your temple, for better health and longevity. A successful cleanse nourishes your personal growth, resets your digestion, and empowers you to easily continue with a healthy new lifestyle and nourishing diet
PREPARING FOR SPRING CLEANSING
Investing in a little internal Spring cleaning gets to the root cause of symptoms and frees up energy to easily transition into Spring. Cleansing detoxifies you physically and mentally, freeing you of stuck emotions, repressed trauma, media overload, and habitual unhealthy ways of being. Get started with these steps:
- Plan to take time off work, or reduce your workload
- Women should plan around menstruation to avoid depletion
- One week pre-cleansing with herbs, diet & Ayurvedic routines
- One week cleansing eating a monodiet & Ayurvedic treatments
- One week restoring and introducing new foods & seasonal routines
NATURAL HAND SANTIZER RECIPE
1/4 cup aloe vera inner fillet
1 tablespoon rubbing alcohol
1/2 teaspoon colloidal silver
1/4 cup distilled water
5 drops tea tree oil
5 drops clove oil
3 drops cinnamon oil
3 drops eucalyptus oil
2 drops rosemary oil
2 drops lemongrass oil
1 drop oregano oil
Mix all ingredients together and pour into a spray bottle for easy use. Apply to hands and surfaces to avoid getting sick from viruses and bacteria.
This ancient essential oil blend is also known as Thieves’ Oil. To avoid illness during the plague, burglars found they could continue stealing from the dead by using fresh herbs and oils in cloths wrapped around their mouth and nose. Modern medicine has backed up the anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties of these medicinal plants.
* Returning Clients *
Refer a friend for an in-person or online Ayurvedic consultation and YOU receive 10% OFF your next in-person or online Ayurvedic consultation with me
I have specialized in clinical Ayurvedic Pancha Karma cleansing for the past 8 years, while working at spas along the Pacific coast of Mexico. I provide safe and professional Ayurvedic care during your personalized retreat program, planned according to your availability, budget, and choice of accommodation. I can also assist with developing a Home Cleanse for you online.
Light, Life & Love, Anna Lachmuth
January 2020
Kapha season, a new year, and a new decade for a fresh start to focus on our goals and dreams. At the start of the season we are empowered with stamina from the heavy earth and water elements. As we get deeper into winter these elements may become aggravated – cooling our fire of transformation. Our motivation may stagnate as we settle back into our old habits that are difficult to release.
How do we keep sweet inspiration and flow alive at this time? Wellness is a choice requiring action and energy, and this energy is only available if we calm the mind and body. A simple life will recharge and direct energy towards renewal and healing.
Contemplating what I would like to manifest this next decade led to reflecting upon my past one. I realized I was guilty of insufficient self-care, an inbalance of doing over receiving. To break this pattern I started the year with radical self-care at the Shamanic Wisdom Yoga Retreat, led by Mara Branscombe at Haramara. This nourishing week was shared with a group of radiant souls all cultivating a positive shift for 2020. My practice of self-healing is growing after this wild heart experience and I feel supported with love.
PERSONALIZED WELLNESS PROGRAMS
Ayurvedic Detoxification / Pancha Karma
Ayurvedic Rejuvenation / Rasayana
Book a Personal Wellness Program with me which is customized to your individual health needs, time, and budget. From simple to complex, we plan your retreat based on your choice of accommodation, catering, treatments and activities. Guided programs are offered in person or online, as an individual or as part of a group.
To learn more click here, or contact me now.
Winter Warming Bath Soak
A hot herbal soak melts your heart and loosens winter congestion from your chest. This anti-inflammatory bath powder recipe softens skin and relaxes muscles. Done an hour before bed it will promote a deep sleep.
Indulge in spicy heat to pacify Kapha dosha this winter and bring awareness to your emotions through the introspective element of water. When we settle into our heart and out of our head a connection with our true self is established.
4 tbsp. Ginger powder
1/4 cup Baking soda
1/4 cup Sea salts
1/4 cup Ground oats
*Optional essential oils of patchouli, myrhh, cinnamon, cardamom, and tulsi
Vitality Weekend Wellness Retreat
Replenish and rejuvenate with the Naiá Life team and myself at the Four Seasons in Punta de Mita this Spring, March 13 – 15, 2020.
Once again I am offering Ayurvedic workshops where you will learn traditional ways to use herbs and spices to maintain and strengthen health during Kapha season.
December 2019
As a mindful spiritual seeker you may have noticed the effect Fall has on your wellbeing. Nature has asked you to root down, rest, to give thanks, and love.
The end of the year marks the end of Vata dosha season and at this point the air and space elements have become fully overstimulated and mobile.
Daily self-care of your senses and immunity is essential because this sets a foundation for you to ground your energy and release stress.
Balancing the active Vata mind takes slowing down. Use this quieter time to turn your attention within and establish a deeper connection with yourself. Use the wisdom you have gained this past year and your intuition to set your highest intentions.
The positive energy of the air and space elements may invite you to create Sadhanas, daily spiritual rituals of thanks and love. A Sadhana is an ordinary activity made special. It may be as simple as thanking the Earth for your meal, or breathing deeply and filling your heart with love.
FULL MOON BLESSINGS
Tonight is the last full moon of 2019 with December 21st marking Winter solstice, a time of equal day and night. As you reflect upon the lessons learnt this past year be thankful for what you have received. The new decade invites us to manifest positive change in the world. What kind of future do you wish for in 2020? What steps are you taking to create your dream?
Your New Year’s wish list may include health and longevity, or a call to healing the Earth as her health reflects our own. Caring for yourself and the environment takes dedication and work, but when treated as a devotional practice your energy rises and begins healing at a planetary level. Your daily choices matter, they carry energy and momentum, so dedicate 2020 to increasing joy and abundance by empowering yourself with your health.
A PLACE FOR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
The etheric qualities of Vata season may lead you to create an altar in your home, a dedicated spot to meditate, relax, and direct positive energy. Enjoy this tranquil time out zone as often as needed to forgive your past, to nourish your higher purpose, and cultivate gratitude for your present moment.
Altars may include offerings to the sacred elements in Ayurveda:
– Grains of rice or fruit for abundance from Earth
– A bowl of water for emotional purification from Water
– A lit candle for the passion and drive from Fire
– Incense for the movement and creativity from Air
– Flowers for divinity and connection from Space
Thank you for your support this year, your presence has enriched my life. My hope is to inspire and uplift you, and I wish you and yours a restful and happy holiday season.
Light & Love, Anna
November 2019
The Month to Nourish
For 28 years I have followed a predominantly vegan diet. I adopted this diet because of my love for animals and because my father was diagnosed with cancer at this time. When my father died two years later, the pain of his loss motivated me to educate myself about the health benefits of a plant-based diet and its ability to reduce death by cancer. I felt the need to spare others from the suffering of losing a loved one to this horrible disease, however I did not have the tools and resources to communicate this adequately.
Today, following my in-depth course of studies, I continue to promote a plant-based diet as a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist. Ayurvedic medicine has recommended a plant-based diet for over 5000 years to increase health and longevity, and its methods have withstood the test of time.
For the science behind a plant-based diet, check out the powerful documentary The Game Changer (currently available on Netflix) to learn how a plant-based diet is benefiting everyone from professional athletes to the earth itself.
If you care about your health, the health of the planet, and the health of other species, it’s time to kick your addiction to meat. Should you need help with the transition off of animal products I am able to assist!
Liver Flush Smoothie Recipe
1 cup papaya
1 ounce aloe vera inner fillet
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 lime, juiced
2 teaspoons guduchi powder (optional)
Nourish your liver and help it detoxify your body with this demulcent smoothie. Drink it in the morning away from food to better rejuvenate the digestive system.
Aloe vera brings youth and cools the heat of Pitta dosha. It renews women as it is a tonic for the female reproductive system.
In case you have not had the chance to cleanse this fall, enjoy this a few times a week and join me in the spring for The Arising Spirit Cleansing Retreat at Villa Ananda!
New Place of Practice
This month I have been invited to offer Ayurvedic Consultations at the MedBio clinic in Punta de Mita, Mexico.
Doctor Diego Navarro is a Homeopathic doctor who runs this clinic, where he specializes in cutting edge holistic treatments such as stem cell injections, ozone therapy, neural therapy, platelet-rich plasma therapy, colonics, and more.
I am excited to work with him and his team and to serve those in the Bahia area. For more information please click here
Naiá Vitality Retreat
Join us in Punta de Mita, Mexico, where I will be offering two Ayurvedic workshops on harmonizing with the fall season through food and self-care practices.
In addition you will be led by the amazing Jhenneviev Heartt and the Naiá Team through yoga classes, breathwork, life coaching, and more!
For more information please click here
Spring Equinox Ayurvedic Cleanse
Arising Spirit Yoga Retreat is a week to give you the chance to let go of old habits that no longer serve you and tune in to spirit. Learn practices for creating a happy and healthy future from a fresh slate that is free of the past.
Ayurveda is a way of life, a gift that allows us, our brothers and sisters, and the environment to heal with powerful energy. When we take time to honor the sacredness and beauty of life we heal. When we choose voluntary simplicity we easy mother natures suffering and we flow with her rhythms to live deeply.
Learn these nature based tools with Maria Mendola and I, March 15 – 21, 2020, at Villa Ananda, Mexico. To learn more click here
October 2019
My Favorite Month
October is my birth month and contemplating another glorious trip around the sun makes me feel blessed! I am thankful to be celebrating life and I would love to give back by offering Profits for the Planet and Friend Discounts!
My life began with a burning passion to protect the earth and her myriad species, but as a child I did not have a platform for igniting this passion in others. As a teenager yoga became a gateway to explore self care on all levels and I began to teach this practice to others.
Ayurveda is now my path of transformation, it initiated my realization that when we do not love and care for ourselves we lack positive energy to help anyone, let alone the planet. Ayurveda is meant for healing humans and the planet by promoting a vegetarian diet, a simple lifestyle that flows with nature, and moderating desires to tread lightly upon the earth. Ultimately this creates greater love and harmony for all. What a gift!
Profits for the Planet
Did you know there´s a sea turtle hatchery on Punta Burros beach, steps from where I am hosting the Arising Spirit Retreat? Our local sea turtles need our help, research is showing global fisheries down a whopping 97%, the time to act is now! Tortuguero La Punta will receive 1% of profits from our retreat! Sign up and you will help support local species!
Libras Love Friends
Celebrations make me realize how rich life is when filled with friends and family and who couldn´t use more fabulous friend time?
Sign up in October and you and a friend will receive a $50 Friend Discount for our Arising Spirit Retreat, hosted with my fantastic friend Maria Mendola.
Naiá Life and I have collaborated to offer a 3 day wellness getaway in Mexico.
I will be contributing workshops on the Alchemy of Spices and Herbs designed for the fall season.
You will also experience yoga, meditation, and life coaching from the gifted Naiá team.
September 2019
So Long Summer...
The Autumnal Equinox is right around the corner, with September 23rd marking the first day of fall. For many people who live for the never-ending summer, this transition from warm to cool temperatures can be the most difficult seasonal transition of the year. Harmonizing the body and mind with the shift going on in the environment allows the release of summer to be peaceful and smooth.
Summertime often leads to burnout because longer sun light hours allows us more time to enjoy the outdoors and to get things done. Plus, we often overindulge in alcohol, food, and later bedtimes. This can result in seasonal allergies, tissue inflammation, burning indigestion, skin issues, mental irritability, and frustration. Detoxifying at the end of summer allows this excess fire element to release, instead of becoming trapped in the body and mind, and we can then easily adapt to the new season.
Ayurveda recommends a yearly cleanse to remove the accumulation of toxins which allows a rebalance of the elements, or doshas. Seasonal shifts, from summer to fall, and from spring to summer, are ideal times of the year to cleanse and to reset. Here in Mexico, I am already on my second week of assisting clients with their fall cleanse.
Cleansing releases bio-accumulated chemicals and toxins, resets digestion, and removes many symptoms of poor health. Our body naturally detoxes every day, but this process can be compromised when we overindulge and overload our systems. Toxins and chemicals are present in everything from air fresheners to tap water, and as our planet becomes more polluted every single day, cleansing has become an essential tool to maintain wellness.
In order to protect our tissues and organs while cleansing, we need to prepare our bodies and minds with care and attention. Our habits and routines need to change in order to reset ourselves with the environment. This includes a lighter alkaline diet to prevent the released toxins from damaging our organs and to free up energy from digestion for detox. It´s also important to create ample time for rest and relaxation.
A fall cleanse may be simple and easy, or deep and complex. This is a personal choice based on individual health concerns and the time you have available for this process. I highly recommend getting assistance with cleansing as it can be a dangerous and damaging endeavor if done incorrectly. If you require assistance please contact me for an online consultation to help you plan a lighter home cleanse. Or come visit me in Mexico at Villa Ananda where I can personally guide you through the process of Pancha Karma – Ayurvedic purification.
Pacifying the Active Mind
Our mind directs everything we do, sets the tone of our day, and plans our routine. Our mind can become stressed when we cleanse. In my 8 years of guiding clients through cleanses the most effective treatment I have found to mentally cope with cleansing is Shirodhara, an experience which deeply pacifies the mind and nervous system. In this practice, warm sesame oil is poured in a continuous stream over the forehead at the location of the third eye, or Ajna chakra. It induces a state of deep calm as the mind lets go of worry and anxiety. It also promotes intuition, strengthens the senses, connects the body and mind, and frees the ego of past attachments and unhealthy habits. Truly an experience you will never forget!
Spring Refresh for Mind, Body, & Spirit
Too busy to cleanse this fall? Then join me March 15 – 21, 2020, for the Spring Equinox, at the Arising Spirit Yoga Retreat in Mexico. This is the most comprehensive week of retreat I have ever seen advertised. I am so excited to co-host with Maria Mendola, a certified Functional Yoga Therapist and Yoga teacher, and to share the talents of the team that has been gathered to make this amazing event happen! It not only includes a week of yoga twice a day, but also an Ayurvedic cleanse catered to your needs, a detox massage and steam, a Yoga Therapy adjustment, an Ayurvedic consultation, a cooking workshop, a chocolate making workshop, an astrology and the elements workshop, a temezcal sweat lodge ceremony, an evening of music and Kirtan, Ayurvedic lectures, a cleansing kit, 3 cleansing meals per day, and airport shuttle service!
If your goal is to help and care for others, then self-love and self-care are essential. Gift yourself this experience of a lifetime and experience positive transformation, with love radiating from you out into the world!
