Monday 23 February 2009

Spring into Ayurveda - Workshop Sat 21st March 09

We are offering a one-day introduction into the science of Ayurveda. The intention of this workshop is to introduce the concept of appropriate health regimes according to seasons, age and health. It will offer information and solutions to the specific health problems that can occur at this time. Spring in Ayurvedic terms is referred to, as “Kapha” which is damp and heavy, consisting of water and earth elements, so promoting a health regime, which encourages dry and light elements, will help to create balance.

Start:  10.00 am
Introduction:
Invocation to Lord Dhanvantari.

A General overview of Ayurveda Introducing:

  • Pancha maha bhutas - Earth, water, fire, air and ether
  • Tri- dosha - Vata, Pitta and Kapha
  • Rasa (Tastes) - Sweet, sour, salt, pungent, astringent and bitter
  • Tri-guna - Sattva, rajas and tamas

Ayurveda considers healthy regimes, classified below, as essential to health:

  • Dinacharya - Daily regimes
  • Rtucharya - Seasonal regimes

 The relevance of these will be explained and appropriate techniques will be taught.

Lunch: 12.00 to 2.00 pmAs a part of the course a delicious lunch will be prepared.  The meal is specifically chosen to include the concepts of the course, explaining the quantities and qualities of the ingredients and relating them to Ayurvedic principles. You will all have an opportunity to help in the preparation of the meal and to learn more about the blending of spices and their therapeutic qualities.

DemonstrationAyurveda promotes a variety of treatments for different diseases and different parts of the body. A treatment particularly suitable for the spring is called Nasya. This treatment will be demonstrated and an opportunity given to all attending to experience the benefits it promotes.

Questions: 4.30 pmJanette Rice and Tanya Bradbury are both passionate about Ayurveda. They want to share this eternal knowledge with you so that you will be able to incorporate it into your daily life. Time will be set-aside at the end for any questions relating to the course and for any health issues highlighted during the day.

The cost of the workshop is £45.00 and spaces are limited to only 10 participants; so to reserve a place and to find out more details please email us or call 07779 583 123

We welcome any feedback, which could help us to improve future courses.

Thank you for interest and we look forward to welcoming you.

Tanya and Janette 

Wednesday 18 February 2009

How does Ayurveda relate to modern life?

The familiar scenarios of modern life - excessive travel, late nights and general over stimulation of the mind, all contribute to what we in Ayurveda, the oldest form of natural healthcare in the world, call vata imbalance. Vata is one of the three doshas- the fundamental rhythms that occur in all of nature, including our own physiology - and the trouble is if vata goes out of balance it pulls the other two - which are called pitta and kapha- with it.
Vata, being airy governs all movement in the body. Pitta fiery is responsible for digestion and metabolism, while Kapha, earthy is the structuring force that holds everything together. Each dosha has differing qualities and functions and reflects these within both the physique and personality. We are a combination of all three doshas, but one predominates in each of us.
When all three doshsas are in balance we enjoy good health, but when this balance becomes disturbed then a general loss of vitality and enjoyment, and eventually ill health, is the result.
A vata - predominant person in balance has a clear, alert mind, is enthusiastic and creative, and enjoys excellent health and vitality and sound sleep. But once out of balance, vata predominant people get easily tired, restless and anxious, and have a tendancy to worry and insomnia. An imbalance in vata can make a person prone to illnesses such as arthritis and rheumatism. Fear, grief and fasting all aggravate vata, as do cold weather, cold foods and salads. Skipping meals and suppressing natural urges add to the problem.
Balanced pitta-predominant people are ambitious and focussed and they have soft lustrous skin, good digestion and a keen intellect. These are the achievers in life, and if successful they are content with themselves and those around them. But once out of balance, they can be physically prone to heartburn, hyperacidity, ulcers and skin diseases, and premature hair greying or loss. Impatience or anger are sure signs of imbalance in these characters. So what irritates them? Well, too much heat, strong sunshine, hot spicy food and irregular meals for a start. And alcohol.
What about kapha predominant types then? At first sight these may seem the most attractive personalities - relaxed, easy- gong, strong, stable and calm. But once out of balance, kapha can manifest as a tendency to be lazy, inflexible, stubborn and possessive. An imbalanced kapha has only to look at food to put on weight, and that relaxed nature you found so sympathetic may turn out to be hiding a confirmed couch potato! Out of balance kapha types also have a tendency to all diseases of the chest and lungs - asthma, bronchitis and sinusitis; they are evn more prone to the common cold that other dosha types.
Whatever our particular dosha type and our particular imbalances, we will all benefit from adopting a good routine, regular meals with food that is unprocessed and fresh, taking enough exercise and getting enough rest. Added to these general treatments, a diet and lifestyle tailored to your specfic dosha type will act to redress imbalances and return you to normal good health.
The beauty of Ayurveda is that not only is it 100 per cent natural, it is also effective because it is tailored to each one of us individually. By taking into account our body, mind and surroundings, it locates us as a spiritually participating part of the wider cosmos, and aims at unfolding our full poential in the light of this connection. This ancient science of life thus extends the concept of good health far beyond any current allopathic paradigm, while forming a perfect antidote to the pressures of modern living.

Dr. Hauschka - Where Science and Spirit meet

Dr. Hauschka is not just another commercial cosmetic company. In their dedication to provide purely natural medicines, they have always worked to the highest moral standards and care passionately about the health and well being of both people and the environment. They use no artificial ingredients or preservatives, do no testing on animals, organically farm all the ingredients for their products and plough all the profits from the organisation back into research.
Dr. Rudolph Hauschka, [1891–1969] first developed his herbal remedies in the 1930’s. As a physiologist and pharmacologist working for WALA Heilmittel to produce homeopathic medicine, he was inspired by the anthroposophical teachings of Rudolf Steiner. Hauschka set about examining the rhythms of nature as the basis of a system of entirely natural medicine, which aimed to create a botanical extract from a plant that carried not only its physical essence but its life force as well. By incorporating this life force into the pharmaceutical process, the healing potential of any substance would be maximised. Realising that the most powerful and effective remedies would result from working in accord with the laws of nature in this way, he founded the biodynamic gardens of WALA Heilmittel that are the source of Hauschka products to this day.
All the plants and flowers used in Hauschka products are organically and biodynamically grown, planted at specific phases of the moon, and harvested at sunrise when the vital energy in the plant is at its highest. The care and attention employed in the lengthy and painstaking processing of the plant ingredients is unique.
The resulting products work through the skin, to nourish and rebalance our physiological rhythms, thus allowing the natural beauty and glow of the skin to unfold.
If you would like to know more about Dr. Hauschka preparations and treatments, please call me, or mail

Saturday 14 February 2009

An extract of Maharishi's discourse on Love transcribed by Shri Guru Dev

Love is the sweet expression of life. It is the supreme content of life. Love is the force of life, powerful and sublime. The flower of life blooms in love and radiates love all around.Life expresses itself through love. The stream of life is a wave on the ocean of love. Life is expressed in the waves of love, and the ocean of love flows in the waves of life. What a comfort love brings to the heart.
The heart tickles with the thought of love, and waves of life begin to roll on the ocean of love. Every wave of life is full with the ocean of love. Yes, such a life is worth living. Every wave of life, full with the ocean of love. Such a life is life, such a life is worth living. And who lives such a life of all love, of bliss, of power, and of peace? The fortunate ones, and the fortune is open to all to design their destiny and begin to live life in all love and joy. The fortunate one uses the instrument of deep meditation, and probes deep into his heart,. Then the waves of love gain the depth of the ocean, and the ocean of love fills the heart and fills every particle of being. Every wave of life then flows in the fullness of love, in the fullness of divine glory, in the fullness of grace, in bliss and peace. The stream of life then flows on the tidal waves of bliss, and the ocean of love permeates every wave of life.
Love is highly sensitive. It is the most delicate power of life. And life is a most dynamic expression of love. Love is delicate, and at the same time, it is most vital and strong. A tiny, tender wave of love rocks the boat of life. Love takes life from the pangs of separation, to the bliss of eternal union. From the insurmountable pangs of separation, to the unlimited joy of eternal union, swings a tiny, tender wave of love. What a miracle God has created in love. Let us live it. Let us be in love, and live in love with one another, and say to ourselves, quietly, let thy will be done.
A soft impulse of love is the sole life of a melting heart. A tiny hope of love brings the light of dawn through the darkness of the lengthy night.
And love, even as a twinkling of the faintest star, keeps the light at the altar shining.
And in that faintest light of love, someday the individual finds his way, and creeps on in silence, in quietness, drawn by the tiny, tiny love which kept the door open in the hope of fulfilment.
In the hope of fulfilment that someday, and sometime, the darkness of the night would give way to the brightness of the midday sun in a clear sky.

Jai Guru Dev.

How to post a message

Hi Friends,
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Wednesday 11 February 2009

Why Roses really are an expression of love

For thousands of years roses have been grown for their beauty and their scent, they were probably one of the first flowers to be made into an essential oil. They have been the perfect gift to express love and devotion. Their use in ritual, medicine and skin care has been well documented and continues to this day. It is said that roses were Lord Krishna's favourite flowers, indeed if you visit a Krishna temple there are always roses used in offerings, and even today altars in India are washed with rose water. In ayurvedic teaching it's no coincidence that roses are associated with romance and love. This is because rose balances sadhaka pitta, the subdosha of pitta that governs the emotions and their effect on the heart. Pitta's quality is hot and passionate, the action of rose is cooling, calming and astringent. Rose reduces inflammation and heat in the body, and has a particularly affinity with the female reproductive system. Rose also balances the mind, enhancing the co-ordination between sadakha pitta and prana vata, the subdosha of vata that governs the brain, head, chest, respiration, sensory perception, and the mind. So rose literally soothes the heart and mind, and although it is cooling it enhances agni, the digestive fire, which makes it balancing for all three doshas.
Essential oil of rose used to relieve nervous tension, grief, depression, PMT, anorexia, frigidity, insomnia and sore throats. In skin care it helps broken capillaries, wrinkles and puffiness and enhances the beauty and lustre of the skin. 
If you would like to find out more about how ayurveda and aromatherapy can help you please call or mail me.

Sunday 8 February 2009

Treat your loved one this Valentines day

Are you wondering what to buy your loved one this Valentine's? -  Look no further, why not treat your loved one to a special Valentines day gift voucher at Priya Spa, The Swan Hotel, Southwold Suffolk. All my gift vouchers purchased before the 14th February will receive a special 15% discount on the brochure price. To find out more  email me or call 07779 583 123.