In a world full of “do more, produce more, be more” and “no time to waste” attitudes, I am currently in a practice of slowing down and doing less. I say, “there is no time to rush”. The slowing down is part action (or non-action) and part a state of being; an attitude of slow, calm, ease, and acceptance. This is not my default setting, and did not come easy to me at first.

As the summer heat descends, keeping cool becomes ever more important. Both in the physical body as well as in the mental and emotional bodies. Excessive heat can lead to anger, irritability, and impatience as well as hives or other rashes, heartburn, headaches, diarrhea, and dehydration. Caring for our body-mind-spirit as a whole is a necessary part of overall health and well being. Summer requests that we rise early when the temperature is still cool and rest in the middle of the day when the sun is at the highest point, heating the earth and air. The days are longer to accommodate an early rising, mid-day rest, and enough daylight to resume some activity in the evening before sleep.

I so enjoyed being in Arivaca this winter, the place I consider to be my home community. As I transition into what we in the desert would consider a second winter, I am able to see that this is spring in Vermont. Snow is melting one day, falling the next, and then melting again. The maple sap is running, and here on the homestead where I live, it becomes syrup. We use the transformative power of the fire element to turn this lightly sweet, watery substance into something more intensely sweet, heavy, and sticky.

Cleansing, or clearing excess from your life, is an important and valuable ritual. Whether it is accumulated toxins, excessive thoughts, undigested emotions, too much activity, or excess belongings in the home, “clearing the clutter” helps to cleanse the body, mind, and spirit. Cleansing can look like many things, and in Āyurveda we always consider the individuals’ unique and present needs.

What does it mean to have a spiritual practice? The answer to this question will be different for everyone. You get to figure out what it means for you, and it can be different on a given day or period of your life.

I began to understand the concept of food as medicine, food as poison, in my later teenage years. This early understanding was more of an indescribable knowing, with only my own personal experience as evidence. As I matured into my early 20’s, and began to seek medical advice for issues I was having, I found myself not knowing where to turn.

Many of us have heard the word yoga, especially in the past 10-15 years as the practice has grown popular in the west. Yoga is often thought of as an exercise class, which it is, but not just for the physical body.