The Ayurvedic Approach: 5 Tips for a Stress-Free Summer
- Published: Tuesday, May 26th 2015
- in Mindset
by Shankara Ayurveda Spa at the Art of Living Retreat Center
Is your summer filling up with figuring out how to entertain the kids, keeping work flowing, and trying to find a week for vacation? In our crazy busy lives, it’s becoming increasingly stressful to find ways to de-stress. Instead of plowing ahead and creating a packed summer schedule, take a few deep breaths and try an Ayurvedic approach to calming down your lifestyle.
The word “Ayurveda” comes from two Sanskrit words: Ayur meaning life and Veda meaning knowledge or science. “Ayurveda is an approach to living in harmony with the universe in order to achieve optimum health. Developed around 1500 BC, this science harnesses the natural intelligence of the body to bring people into optimal health,” explains Diane Trieste, director of Shankara Ayurveda Spa at the Art of Living Retreat Center.
Set on a mountaintop outside Boone, N.C., Shankara Ayurveda Spa offers workshops, retreats, and treatments focused on Ayurveda, one of which is a Panchakarma packaged program. “The 6-day Panchakarma Cleanse is led by our team of Ayurveda experts. The course is customized to each person and includes 10 authentic, therapeutic Ayurvedic treatments, cooking demonstrations, yoga, meditation, vegetarian meals, and take-home education & tools,” adds Trieste.
If you can’t make it to Shankara Ayurveda Spa this summer, the on-site experts have five tips to help you de-stress at home with the Ayurveda lifestyle:
“Ayurvedic cooking methods help you have an idea about what to eat and the right way of taking food. This knowledge supports the healing process and helps the body to eliminate toxins and restore balance,” says the Art of Living Retreat Center’s Head Chef Raju Bhujel. To follow the Ayurvedic approach, food should be cooked based on the following principles:
- Calm, happy and positive state of mind.
- Should be tasty, healthy and hygienic.
- Importance of spices to balance the food.
- Combining all six tastes – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, astringent – to make a balanced diet.
Trouble falling asleep? A bath and a cup of boiled milk of chamomile tea may do the trick. The drinks are grounding and soothing in nature. If you like, add a pinch of nutmeg, cardamom, and some ghee to the milk.
Massaging your feet and scalp with warm oil is grounding, supports downward moving energy, and helps soothe the mind. The Shankara Ayurveda Spa team recommends lavender, bergamot, and jasmine oils for stress relief and relaxation.
Take Time for You
The purpose of the science of Ayurveda is to establish in the self. There are certain acts which help, including: doing random acts of kindness, going on nature walks, silence, painting, swimming, and meditation.
Meditation is a life-long practice, but even just 20 minutes can improve the quality of your day. Two steps to get started:
1. Listen to instructional tapes and CDs. Recommendations: Guided Meditations by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
2. Generate moments of awareness during the day. Finding your breath and “being present” while not in formal practice helps to evolve your meditation habits.
About Shankara Ayurveda Spa at the Art of Living Retreat Center – For those seeking physical and internal renewal on their journey toward greater self-awareness and happiness, Shankara Ayurveda Spa at the Art of LivingRetreat Center provides a nurturing environment and service-oriented, educated staff. The relaxing mountaintop location near Boone, N.C. offers wellness adventurers a range of therapeutic Ayurvedic treatments and day or overnight programs perfect for those hoping to cultivate rejuvenation and inner growth.
