A space for healing - Sandra briand rhn kyt

Get Your Summer/Pitta Season Menu Plan and Recipes

2/9/2019

Click the photo to get your free 3-Day Pitta Season Menu Plan and Recipes

If you missed my online group 21-Day Ayurvedic Seasonal Eating and Lifestyle Program for Pitta Season during July, you can get a taste of the recipes and lifestyle tips. Just click on the photo opposite to get your free 3-day menu plan and recipes. These recipes and tips are designed to decrease inflammation and reduce internal heat of body and mind that can make you feel irritable and fatigued during Pitta season.

Did you know that even though the weather is starting to get cooler, Pitta season continues until the end of October, and our internal heat continues to build and aggravate us? So we want to continue eating a Pitta Season diet until November when Vata Season starts.

On my Facebook page and on Instagram, I shared 21 days of Pitta Season meals--one meal idea per day. It had great response so if you'd like to see those posts here's the links.
Facebook page: Sandra Briand, RHN KYT
Instagram: SandraBriand95

Stay tuned for my online group 21-Day Seasonal Eating and Lifestyle Program for Vata Season, starting November 4th! If you're on my mailing list, you'll get advance notice!

The Curative Power of Six Tastes

11/6/2019

Photo courtesy of Lukas Beer on Unsplash

Today let us celebrate the curative powers of the Six Tastes according to Ayurveda.
So often we eat unconsciously. Oh, we might notice that food is sweet or salty but what else do we notice? The temperature? The texture? There is an even greater depth of taste to every individual food we eat which, with some awareness, we can discover and use for our individual benefit.

Ayurveda recognizes taste as one of the important values of food. Other values are the quality, i.e. whether the food is heavy, light, dense, watery, oily, dry, etc; the elements that make up the food, i.e. water, earth, fire, air and space; and the cooling or heating effect of the food, both its immediate effect on the stomach and then it's post-digestive effect. Today let's focus on the taste of food. It might be unusual to think of the taste of food as a doorway to personal health and sense of well being in body and mind. However, according to Ayurveda, taste has therapeutic value.

The Six Tastes
According to Ayurveda, six tastes are ascribed to foods. These are: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, astringent, pungent. All six tastes are needed to balance a meal and all tastes together serve to balance your individual constitution or in Sanskrit, your prakriti. How much of each taste to eat will depend on our particular constitution, which is a unique combination of Vata, Pitta and/or Kapha; also the season needs to be taken into account. Ideally we want to have all six tastes at each meal. If that's not possible, be aware of having each of the six tastes at least once during any day.

The tastes that balance the air and space of Vata are sweet, sour, salty (warming and grounding)
The tastes that balance the fire of Pitta are sweet, bitter, astringent (cooling and anti-inflammatory)
The tastes that balance the earth and water of Kapha are pungent, bitter, astringent (stimulating and drying)

If we eat according to our constitution and adjust our eating for the seasons, we will find our body and mind coming back into balance and we'll attain a better sense of well being. Let's explore the six tastes and their curative effects, i.e. how they can help balance our doshas (our energetic constitution) and effect the well being of our body and mind.

Photo by Joseph Gonzalez, Unsplash

Sweet Taste
The sweet taste is found in most grains and sweet fruits (fresh or dried), winter squash, many root vegetables, natural sweeteners. The elements of water and earth make up the sweet taste. These elements are heavy, thus the sweet taste provides density and weight to the body. The sweet taste is conducive to a sweet personality, and gives us a sense of satisfaction and fulfilment. Too much of the sweet taste in our diet leads to laziness. And if the sweet taste is lacking in our diet we can feel unsatisfied, discontented or depressed.

The sweet taste will pacify the intense nature of Pitta, and ground Vata. But it will increase the heaviness of a Kapha constitution. Too much sweet taste will also cause weight gain for any one.

Photo by Joel Guerrero, Unsplash

Sour Taste
The sour taste consists of earth and fire and is found in lemon, lime, green grapes, vinegars, fermented foods, wine, cheese, yogurt, sour cream, hibiscus, rose hips, tamarind, green mango, tomato. It stimulates the appetite and saliva, enhances digestion and elimination, and increases thirst. It is considered hot and oily, so can increase heat in the body and liver.

The sour taste aggravates Pitta and Kapha, but balances and grounds Vata.

The sour taste increases discernment, heightens our awareness and sharpens the mind. Too much can make us judgemental and critical, and too little can make us scattered, impulsive and careless.

Photo by Jason Tuinstra, Unsplash

Salty Taste
Salt is a special combination of fire and water. It increases heat in the body and can also contribute to water weight gain if taken in excess because it is considered moist (attracts moisture). The salt taste is found in salt, of course, but also in seaweed, celery, and ocean fish and it bears qualities that are heavy, oily and heating.The salt taste in moderation enhances the flavour of food. It stimulates digestion, helps our electrolyte balance, increases the absorption of minerals and cleanses our tissues.

The salt taste is great for Vata because it counteracts the cold, light nature of Vata. Too much salt can cause water retention, especially for Kapha constitution folks. And too much salt can aggravate Pitta conditions such as hypertension or ulcers. The exception is whole mineral salt, such as pink Himalayan salt, which is a rock salt and is less heating than sea salt. It can be used in moderation by Pitta types..

The salt taste can combat dullness, depression and gives us a passion and zest for life. Those who decide to avoid the salt taste completely in their diet could discover procrastination and feel unmotivated. Too much salt taste can make us hedonistic and can adversely effect the blood and skin.

Photo by Lou Liebau, Unsplash

Bitter Taste
The bitter taste is the lightest and coldest of the six tastes. It is made up of air and space. It is anti-inflammatory and detoxifying and so can remove waste and toxins easily from the body. Bitter foods can also purify the mind from toxic thoughts and negativity. The bitter taste is best for Pitta because it cools the heat, and for Kapha because it provides lightness; but it is less beneficial for Vata because of its cold, light nature.

The bitter taste is found in dark green vegetables. It is also found in turmeric, coffee, and black or green tea, eggplant and dark cocoa. It imparts dynamism, cool-headedness and focus. Too much bitter taste in our diet, such as too much coffee or tea, can make us feel pessimistic, depressed and bitter. If we avoid the bitter taste in our diet, we could feel perpetually disappointed or sad.

Photo by Gaelle Marcel, Unsplash

Astringent Taste
The air and earth nature of the astringent taste is cooling, drying and firming. As such its cooling quality is good for Pitta, and its drying and firming quality good for Kapha. Vata, however, can be aggravated by its drying nature if eaten in excess, and it can cause gas. Legumes, beans and lentils embody the astringent taste. Also unripe bananas, green grapes, pomegranates, cranberries, cauliflower, okra, sprouts, most raw vegetables, and black tea are all astringent foods.

Astringent foods enhance mental clarity and introspection. If we lack the astringent taste in our diet, we will experience brain fog, and listlessness of mind and body. Too much astringent food in our diet can lead to anxiety and a fearful or overly sensitive nature.

Photo by Sonja Punz, Unsplash

Pungent Taste
Fire and air make up the pungent taste. Reach for warming and hot spices and herbs such as hot peppers, cayenne, ginger, mustards, onions, garlic, cloves, pepper, radishes, oregano, basil, arugula, thyme, rosemary. Pungent foods are extremely drying. They are great for wet nature of Kapha, and warming in small quantities for the cold nature of Vata. Pitta wants to avoid most pungent foods but there are some specific pungent spices and herbs that can be used to advantage in small quantities.

The pungent taste warms the body, enhances digestion, gives us drive and ambition. It stimulates the circulation, breaks up clots, reduces fat, eliminates congestion. The pungent taste gives us drive and ambition. With too little, we become passive. With too much we can become sharp and critical, even aggressive.

Taste is assigned a deep significance in Ayurveda, and you can get a glimpse from the notes above how important it is to become familiar with foods, spices and herbs and their curative effects on the body and mind so you can use them to your advantage. This way of thinking is not part of Western thinking and I invite you to explore Ayurveda with me.

If you'd like to achieve a much deeper relationship with food and its effect on you personally, engage in my 21-Day Ayurvedic Seasonal Eating and Lifestyle Program for Pitta/Summer Season. You'll get recipe books for breakfast, lunch and supper, plus beverages and desserts; a seasonal food list to create your own recipes; and tons of Ayurvedic eating and lifestyle tips to help you stay calm, cool and balanced over the summer. You'll be amazed at how profound and balancing it can be to eat and live in tune with the natural laws of the season.

Click here to sign up for my newsletter announcements. You'll also receive my current Ayurvedic lifestyle freebie.

How to feel amazing during Springtime!

6/6/2019

Photo by Dan Carlson, Unsplash

We're coming into the home stretch for Kapha season (Springtime). It will soon be over by the end of June (maybe sooner once the intense summer heat arrives in your area). During Kapha season our body and mind reflect the heavy, sluggish nature of the earth, just starting to awaken from its slumber. During this season, our body and mind reflect those same qualities. We too feel heavy and sluggish.

It's so important during this season, more than any other to stimulate ourself with exercise and movement, particularly in the morning before 10:00 a.m. Any kind of cardio-vascular physical activity that increases the heart rate and circulation will help throw off stagnation in the blood and lymphatic season. Some good examples are brisk walking, jogging, ball sports, active yoga, swimming, calisthenics or rebounding (mini-trampoline).

Equally important is to arise early and quickly, definitely before 8:00 a.m., best by 6:00 a.m. If we linger in bed after waking, this aggravates the sluggishness of our circulation and lymphatic flow and we will feel slow and dull-minded all day. The lymph fluid is part of our immune system, and if it's sluggish then our immune system is impaired. So wake up, do a 5-4-3-2-1 countdown and get out of bed! Then start moving! You'll be amazed at the difference this makes to your sense of well being.

My 21-Day Ayurvedic Seasonal Eating and Lifestyle Program for Pitta/Summer Season is starting at the end of June. Sign up for my newsletter to receive future announcements and tips on food, yoga and soul, and get your free gift of Ayurvedic Tips for Better Digestion. Sign up here.

How Watermelon Can Make you Feel like Mud

30/5/2019

Photo courtesy of William Bout on Unsplash

With today's agricultural methods, combined with long term storage and fast transportation, it has become relatively simple, although costly, to grow then move foods of all types to anywhere in the world. Thus we have things like fresh celery, strawberries, cherries, and watermelon year round in our grocery stores, when these foods would naturally only be available locally during the heat of summer.

The problem is that our body reflects nature. Springtime, especially, presents us with a cold, wet, dense earth. According to Ayurveda, our body will also feel cold and we notice that we feel more heavy, lethargic and bloated than normal because our lymphatic fluid is not flowing (like water stuck in mud).

Each food is comprised of nature's elements in greater or lesser quantity - earth, fire, water, air, space. Watermelon, for example, embodies the water element.

According to Ayurveda, like aggravates like. Watermelon is delicious, yes! But are you still eating watermelon during the Winter and Spring? As it's name implies, watermelon is full of water. It's also very cooling. Your body needs water during the heat of the summer to hydrate it and cool it down. Your body, however, will protest the cold quality of watermelon during Winter resulting in a weakened immune system, and its watery quality during Spring could make you feel even more bloated and heavy (like mud). Don't waste your money and your health on less than optimal out-of-season foods.

The best food choices during Spring are light or drying such as non-gluten grains (which by the gluten is fine in other seasons), very little dairy (goat milk or goat cheese is best), lots and lots of non-root veggies, especially cooked leafy greens; choose seeds instead of nuts; and eat lots of beans and lentils for their astringent/drying effect.

If you missed my online group 21-Day Ayurvedic Seasonal Eating and Lifestyle Program for Kapha/Spring season, stay tuned for my 21-Day Ayurvedic Seasonal Eating and Lifestyle Program for Pitta/Kapha Season, starting around the end of June. You'll learn how to eat for the season to stay balanced, ward off fatigue and irritability from heat, achieve an appetite that will allow you to enjoy the best foods yet even lose weight, neutralize acid reflux and heartburn, and increase your friendships. Yes! that's right. Staying balanced during Pitta season will draw new friends to you. More about that later :)

Get on my mailing list to be kept informed. Subscribe here. You'll also get my Ayurvedic Tips for Better Digestion!

Kundalini Yoga to Cleanse the Liver, Colon and Stomach for Spring

26/3/2019

Photo courtesy of Bethan Abra on Unsplash

Do you sometimes feel like the irritable and bloated guy in the photo?

There is a time to eat, and a time to sleep, and a time to cleanse. Spring (Kapha) season is the perfect time to cleanse. During April 2019 I am offering a Kundalini Yoga series with the theme of Cleansing the Liver, Colon and Stomach. Yes! cleansing can be done through the movement of active kundalini postures (kriya) and breathwork. This series will also include some food tips for cleansing.

As a complement to this yoga series see my blog about my upcoming online 21-Day Seasonal Eating Program starting April 8th. Check out the program page.

Kapha season, like the earth in spring, makes us feel heavy and dense, stagnant and lethargic, and cold! We can counteract those negative qualities by engaging in activities that produce the opposite effect. For example, the active postures in this Kundalini Yoga series will get the blood and lymphatic circulation activated to help move out toxins from the liver, colon and stomach. Foods during Kapha season necessarily need to be lighter than other seasons of the year to help the cleansing process. You'll learn some of those tips during this yoga series.

There is a saying that "disease begins in the colon". When the colon doesn't work, the liver and stomach suffer and can't do their jobs properly. Nutritional deficiencies, plus untended emotional and physical stresses, plus an inflexible spine that disrupts the easy flow of energy through energy channels can all contribute to disease. Check out some of the benefits you could see by engaging in this Kundalini Yoga series:

Your digestion could improve!
The removal of toxins could eliminate bloat and/or headaches!
Feel lighter and more joyous!
The waistline could become slimmer!
Become inspired to make positive changes in your life!

Kundalini Yoga Series to Cleanse the Liver, Colon and Stomach
Small group classes. Only FIVE spaces available.
Dates: Wednesdays, April 3, 10, 17, 24, 7:00-8:30 pm
Where: Halifax (Spryfield), NS
Cost: $80 for four sessions (no refunds)
Register: Contact me to register. Payment is required to reserve your spot.

And don't forget to check out the blog (coming soon) on my upcoming online 21-Day Ayurvedic Seasonal Eating Program starting April 8th as a complement to this yoga series .

Awakening the Ten Light Bodies

9/2/2019

Photo andrei-lazarev on Unsplash

Are you feeling off, not quite yourself or not quite the way you'd like to feel? There's nothing better than a rousing class of Kundalini Yoga to enliven your energy and awaken your mind. I have a new six-week Kundalini Yoga and Meditation series starting Sunday, February 17, 10:00-11:30 am in Spryfield.

The theme this series is our Ten Light Bodies, aka Ten Energetic Bodies.
You might think of yourself as having only one body, the physical body. In reality you have ten bodies, all of which are equally real and which make up your essential self. All of these light bodies or energetic bodies are equally important and by putting your attention on all of them for six weeks, 42 days, they each become enlivened. In turn, you become enlivened and you will experience and see life in a different way.

Each week we will practice a Kriya (set of active postures) for awakening the ten bodies with lots of breath work and will end the class with a profoundly transformational mantra meditation that allows you to consciously remember and experience the link between you and the Creator. During the six weeks, we will also explore the significance of all ten bodies and how they effect you:

the Soul Body
Negative Mind
Positive Mind
Neutral (Meditative) Mind
Physical Body
Arc Line
Pranic Body
Auric Body
Subtle Body
Radiant Body.

Classes are limited to five participants.
When: Sundays 10:00-11:30 am, February 17 & 24, March 3, 10, 17, 24
Where: Spryfield (Herring Cove Rd near Old Sambro Rd)
Cost: $120 (six classes), $110 (five classes), $100 (four classes)
Register: Send a message through my contact page to register and receive payment information. Payment is required to reserve your spot.
Oh-la-la! This will be a fascinating series. You'll get to know many new aspects of yourself and discover new found energy of body and mind.

Releasing Ancestral Karmas - January 2019 Kundalini series

1/1/2019

As yogis, we strive daily to be the best person we can be - to be the kindest, most compassionate, most peaceful person we are capable of being. However, our efforts are often frustrated by habitual and unconscious reactions. We want to be kind and compassionate, yet we struggle with irritability. We want to be peaceful and grounded, yet we are full of anxiety. We want to feel happiness, yet we are full ofsadness and uncertainty. Where do these contradictory feelings come from? I'm here to tell you that most likely they are not YOUR emotions. Read on to learn more...

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Our DNA carries the traumas and habitual reactions of our ancestors. The sadness and grief, the anger, the fear, the low self esteem, the suspicion, etc that we experience could very well be something that one or more of our ancestors experienced, and this has been passed down to us through our DNA. Everyone has emotional issues, and it's heartening to know that many of them are not ours. So how can we overcome them? Kundalini yoga and meditation has the ability to remove blockages from the nervous system and the chakras that prevent us from being our true self. Ancestral traumas are deposited in our nervous system through our DNA and with time these familial emotional expressions, which cause a disturbance to our desired way of living, can be dissolved. Yogi Bhajan has gifted us with unique kriyas (active yogic movements) and meditations specifically designed to remove ancestral traumas and karmas. The January Kundalini Yoga series will focus on this theme.

REGISTER NOW! ONLY FIVE SPACES AVAILABLE!
WHEN: Sundays, January 6, 13, 20, and 27, 10:00-11:30 AM
Storm arrangements to be discussed with class.
WHERE: Spryfield
COST: $75 four sessions (no refunds)
BONUS: Tea served after class
BRING: Journal
REGISTRATION: Payment required to reserve your spot. Message me for payment information or with questions.

Chakra Body Map Art Intensive

11/11/2018

Your soul wants to tell you something.

You have this vague yet persistent feeling that your soul wants to tell you something. Yet you find it
difficult to listen to its voice. You think, maybe if I sit in meditation long enough, or if I read enough self-help books and articles, or if I travel to exotic places and retreats things will become clear, and I'll know the next step to take in life or I'll know myself better.

Maybe it's time to experience a different way of listening. Art can be a way of knowing. It can take you out of limited left brain analytical thinking and put you into an expansive right brain experience. Combine meditation and visualization with creativity, and new insights can powerfully emerge.

A Chakra Body Map Art Intensive could be just the thing you need. Read on to find out more...

The Chakra Body Map Art Intensive is a journey in creating a full body map through the lens of guided chakra meditations and Kundalini Yoga. This workshop can give you a transformational experience of clarity and insight as you listen to your soul speak at a new level of understanding, wisdom and guidance.
How does it work?

We'll start by creating an outline of your full body on long brown kraft paper. This will be a fun way to interact with others in the workshop.
Follow this with a session of Kundalini Yoga for the chakras will help remove blockages in the nervous system and the chakras. The different nerve plexus are intimately connected with the chakras and when there are blockages, the true nature of the chakras cannot become manifest in our lives. So for example, if the throat chakra is blocked we're not able to express ourself well or we are fearful to speak our truth. If the third-eye chakra is blocked we're not in touch with our intuition or we lack insight into the deeper meaning of life experiences.
Follow this with a chanting meditation to increase our spiritual awareness and raise our energetic vibration. This expands the aura and takes us beyond the earthly realm. This experience allows us to see in a different way. Your personal journal will be handy to record any insights you have.
After a short lunch, we'll experience a guided meditation for each of the chakras as you listen to your soul speak the medicine you need to hear. Again your personal journal will be the tool to record your insights and images of areas in your life that you seek to heal or transform.
Then comes the fun of creative expression as you transpose the "soul speak" onto your body map using coloured markers. No art experience is necessary as the purpose is not to create a great work of art but instead to give expression to what your soul has told you. Your body map might need an expression for each chakra, or maybe just a few of the chakras need to be expressed but they speak loudly enough to cover your whole map. Each person's body map will be unique.
Afterwards, you'll have an opportunity to share your creative experience and your insight, and view others' body maps.

The Body Map Art Intensive will take place Saturday, December 8th. Check my Workshop page for further details.

Journey thru the Chakras with Body Map Art

20/10/2018

Gain self knowledge through Body Map Art.

**BODY MAP ART AND KUNDALINI YOGA**
Come and be astounded with the messages this experience will give you about yourself and your soul's yearnings.

In this five hour workshop December 8, 2018 we'll dive into the physical and emotional aspects of each of the eight chakras. We'll start by activating your energy with a full kundalini yoga set for the chakras. After lunch experience a chanting meditation to elevate your creativity. This will be followed by a session of reflection questions to help you visualize how each of the chakras manifests in your own emotional and physical bodies. Then on to translating those images onto a full length body map.

Only five spaces available. No experience necessary.

We all experience similar emotional and physical challenges yet everyone's map will be different.
Some chakra elements we'll look at that could be translated onto your body map:
ROOT: fear/security, spaced out/grounded, blocked/prosperous
SACRAL: apathy/emotions, stifled/creative, dull/passionate
SOLAR PLEXUS: aggresive/assertive, weak willed/volition, indecisive/decisive
HEART: self hate/self compassion, cold/forgiving, jealous/open, pain/joy
THROAT: shyness/expressive, withholding/communicative, dishonesty/truth
THIRD EYE: logical/intuitive, nightmares/spiritual dreams, practical/visionary
CROWN: disconnected/connected, lost/inspired, unaware/aware
AURA: unnoticeable/radiant, weak/protected, stagnant/vibrating

During the yoga and meditation portion, and afterwards, there will be lots of prompts to self reflect on how your chakras are effecting you. This will then be translated into images on your body map.

WHEN: Saturday, December 8, 2018 (only five spaces available)
10:00 am - 4:00 pm (5 hours)
WHERE: Spryfield
COST: $85 (includes art supplies and lunch)
Payment required to reserve your spot (no refunds after Dec. 2 )
REGISTER: Message me for payment information or questions
BONUS: Tea and Lunch served

Rhubarb for the Root Chakra

16/3/2018

Photo by Ullelo on Pixabay with gratitude

Kapha season has arrived with Spring. It's the time to get moving, both externally and internally, to help release the heaviness of the winter. We can do this by increasing our physical activity to get the lymphatic system moving, and by taking steps to increase our bowel movements associated with the first chakra, our root chakra.

In each season, nature offers us foods to help balance the qualities of the season that might throw us off balance. For example Kapha season (Spring) is characterized by it's heavy, wet, cold and sluggish nature. One of the things we might experience is sluggish or sticky bowel movements, but nature provides us with a perfect remedy in the form of rhubarb. Rhubarb is light and dry with a bitter, astringent and pungent taste to counteract the heavy, wet tendencies of Kapha season. Because it has a cooling effect on the body it's good to combine it with warming spices such as fennel, cinnamon, ginger or cardamom.

How do you like to eat rhubarb? I can think of several ways and you'll find lots of recipes for these on Google: stewed rhubarb, baked rhubarb strawberry crumble, rhubarb berry muffins, rhubarb jam, strawberry rhubarb pie, rhubarb coffee cake, and rhubarb syrup. Eat rhubarb and your root chakra will thank you :)

Rhubarb will be featured in my upcoming Ayurvedic Spring Green Cleanse in April where you can join others in a challenge to include as much green food as you can eat to help cleanse and balance your body and mind during Kapha season. Don't worry, there's LOTS of green foods, and you can even modify the challenge to include just one green food at each meal. Stay tuned for more info!

Rhubarb is a powerful food and should be avoided by pregnant and breastfeeding women, anyone who has a tendency for gout because of it contains oxalic acid, and anyone experiencing general sense of debility or with any bowel obstruction because of it's purgative effect. Rhubarb should be eaten in moderation by anyone experiencing dry constipation or strong anxiety. In these latter cases add some butter or ghee to your rhubarb dishes to counteract these effects.

#ayurvedicgreencleanse

Sandra Briand

I would call myself a transformational artist. I love to help others find their healing potential through the amazing effects of food and Kundalini Yoga. Enter into my space and see what you discover.

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