4 Ayurvedic Practices to Enliven your Morning Routine

Sometimes, the secret to balance lies with consistency and routines.

Generally speaking, you either like routines or your don't (we can count on Ayurveda to help explain these personal proclivities). 

Whether you find mornings to be rough, or enjoy rising before the sun, whether you love a good routine tweak or have a hard time following them, here are 4 Ayurvedic practices to enliven your morning routine and set you up for a balanced day. 

1)         Sip herbal tea, warm water with lemon, or apple cider vinegar upon waking

Sipping a warm beverage blend first thing in the morning stimulates digestion and encourages elimanation. Herbal tea, lemon water and apples cider vinegar are alkaline and detoxifying. The brew flushes the body and provides much needed hydration after a night’s sleep and or before a morning coffee.

2)         Try Oil Pulling (Gandusha)

Tell your mouth wash to move over! Oil pulling is all you need for oral detoxification. Here's how it works, measure a tablespoon of oil and swish it around the mouth for 10-20 minutes. You can  use coconut oil or sesame for best results. Oil puling removes harmful bacterial in the mouth reducing gingivitis, plaque, inflammation and bad breath. Add a drop of tea tree essential oil if you want that minty fresh tingle. 

3)         Use a Tongue Scraper (Jihwa Prakshalana)

According to Ayurveda, the body detoxifies at night while we sleep. Some of these toxins are released onto the surface of the tongue. Using the scraper first thing in the morning helps to remove the toxins so they don’t get reabsorbed into the body.

4)         Perform an Oil Massage Before Bathing (Abhyanga)

About 30 minutes before your shower, rub yourself down with sesame oil, slip into your bathrobe, enjoy a cup of tea and breakfast, then shower. A little bit goes a long way. The sesame oil massage helps to relieve stress, improves mcirculation, detoxifies the body, reduces wrinkles and blemishes of the skin, and reduces the signs of aging.

There you have it! A few tips to jumpstart an Ayurvedic routine. These are general recommendations that typically work well for all. Keep in mind that the science of Ayurveda is extremely specific and tailored to each individual person. 

Interested in learning more about Ayurveda, leave a comment below or contact me through this site!

DIY All Natural Deodorant

I have spent a lot of time over the past few years trying, testing and developing DIY all natural deodorant recipes using organic, natural and botanical ingredients. 

I can finally say that I've found my favorite!

My latest iteration is floral and calming, elementally drawing upon earth, air and ether. 

This DIY all natural deodorant is an essential oil blend that can be applied directly to your underarms. 

Most importantly, it works!

As in... ALL DAY!

This might be a good time to remind you that I'm a yoga teacher. I literally spend my entire day engaged in movement, and it works for me!

Not only does this blend keep your underarms fresh, it smells absolutely LOVELY! 

Lovely in a grounded, unisex, earthy way. Not earthy musk, as in patchouli, but soft light earth as in frankincense with astringent/floral notes. 

It's worth a try!

This blend will not irritate your underarms in the way that some natural baking soda/corn starch based deodorants might. 

The blend of essential oils is antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti fungal. Your stinky underarm bacteria doesn't stand a chance with this new DIY all natural deodorant recipe. 

Here's what you'll need:

fractionated coconut oil 

vegetable glycerine

lavender essential oil

ylang ylang essential oil

tea tree essential oil

white thyme essential oil

rose essential oil

frankincense essential oil

The amount of each ingredient is dependent upon the size of your jar, so you can reference this diagram to help determine the proper ratio. 

*Roll on bottles and bottles with droppers work best. 

**Note, this deodorant blend is in no way an antiperspirant. You will still sweat. 

***Reapply as often as you like. If using a roller, roll onto clean hands and then press onto underarms. If using a dropper, drop the liquid on your fingertips or directly onto your underarms. 

So...what do you think?????

 For more DIY natural skin care ideas, check out my latest book Natural Beauty from the Outside In, where you’ll find 70 Ayurveda inspired hair and skin care recipes.

Satisfy Your Craving for Soda without Sugar and Artificial Ingredients with Kaya Water

Satisfy Your Craving for Soda without  Sugar and Artificial Ingredients with Kaya Water! One of the hardest things about being a mom, is getting my four year old to consume enough fluids.

He doesn't like water, is not really a fan of milk, can occasionally be convinced to drink tea if I've drenched it in honey and wants nothing to do with my apple cider vinegar alkaline morning drink.

Ohm loves soda and fruit juice. His exposure to both have been very limited, but that's all it takes for the damage to be done, this is why I'm so grateful for Kaya Water!

Kaya Water, a new line of sparkling, flavored waters is both delicious and nutritive. Inspired by the balancing tenants of Ayurvedic wisdom, Kaya water contains no preservatives, no sucralose or high fructose corn syrup, is non-GMO, low glycemic and caffeine free.

Kaya Water is sweetened simply and deliciously with organic agave nectar and stevia extract. In fact, when you look under the ingredients, you should be relieved to know you'll be able to identify and pronounce everything listed.

Kaya Water is available in three delicious flavors: Pomberry (pomegranate and blueberry), Lemon Lime, and Tropical (pineapple, mango- this is my favorite!)

Created by a local New York husband and wife team, Kaya water is derived from the very first principle of Ayurvedic medicine, kaya-chikitsa, the study of internal medicine that deals with cleansing and purification was developed with a goal of having a healthy drink that is as tasty as soda.

This is a beverage you can let your kids drink and enjoy (they don't need to know it's all natural).

It's a beverage that you can indulge in, guilt free (there are only 45 calories per bottle- yay agave!).

At $1.99 a bottle, Kaya Water is affordable and makes for a wonderful soda alternative.

You can find Kaya Water online at www.kayabev.com or at GNC and other select retailers.