Ready to Update Your Wellness Toolkit? Try Ayurvedic Inspired ZEN!

The next 'ZEN through the Seasons…a Wellness Workshop Series' will be held in Key West, Florida on November 2nd, 2023 at Key West Yoga Sanctuary and continue each season through 2024.

This workshop will take a look at Ayurvedic lifestyle principles and break them down into a seasonal daily activities you can do on your own and of course will include ZEN gemstones, jewelry and essential oils!

After creating my class materials, I thought it would be sweet to share a bit for everyone near and far. This is the first of a series of blogs that I will publish as we flow through the seasons of Pitta, Vata and Kapha… read on for more and please reach out with questions or any comments!



Curious, What is Ayurveda?

First the word Ayurveda translates to ‘science of life’ — Ayur' means 'life' and 'Veda' means 'science or knowledge'.

Ayurveda is a medical health system that dates back to before 3000 BC making it over 5,000 years old. At its core, it is an holistic approach to life and health which originated in India and is in use all around the world today.

The practice of Ayurveda is holistic and has a set of guiding principles that relate to how a human being integrates into their personal and external environments. All aspects of life center around three main doshas or energies — Pitta, Vata, and Kapha.

Each person has a unique combination of each dosha - physically, emotionally and spiritually - that ratio determines their doshic constitution at birth. Doshas also relate to seasons of the year, times of day, body types, personalities, all the way down to diet and physical exercise recommendations.

As living beings we are all intimately connected to our environment. Coexisting in balance is a lifelong quest and learning how to support yourself daily is so very valuable. Establishing good habits and daily rituals will support us as we flow through the seasons of life.


Here is a high-level look at a few general characteristics of the doshas:

       PITTA

• Element: Fire (Water)
• Season: Late Spring to Summer
• General Characteristics: hot, oily, smooth and light
• Energy of transformation
• Age: adolescent to late adult ~ 15yrs to 50s
• Personality: leader, friendly, intelligent, courageous
• Needs: balance, calm and focus
• Seasonal overarching:
 - foods: cooling like cucumber, cilantro, mint
 - activities: gentle yoga, swimming, hiking
• Essential oils: peppermint, sandalwood, lavender, lemongrass lime
• Gemstones: Larimar, Moonstone, Blue Lace Agate, Amethyst, Pearls, Aquamarine, Amethyst, Lapis Lazuli, Rose Quartz, Morganite, Opal.

ZEN jewelry & essential oils that support Pitta dosha & season

The Pitta ZEN Workshop was June 8th, 2023.


       VATA

• Element: Air (Ether/Space)
• Season: Late Fall to Early Winter
• Characteristics: cold, light, dry and mobile
• The Energy of Movement
• Age: older age >55 yrs
• Personality: creative, energetic, communicative, positive
• Needs: soothing, calming
• Seasonal overarching:
 - foods: grounding, calming foods like pumpkin, root vegetables, and warm masala chai!
 - activities: restorative yoga, meditation
• Essential oils: geranium, orange, ginger, bergamot, lemon, jasmine (all my favs - can you guess what Dosha I am?)
• Gemstones: Howlite, Onyx, Tree Agate, Moss Agate, Aquamarine, Yellow Calcite, Citrine, Pyrite, Jade, Green Aventurine

ZEN jewelry & essential oils that support Vata dosha & season

The Vata ZEN Workshop was November 2nd, 2023.


     KAPHA

• Late Winter to Early Spring
• Earth (Water)
• Characteristics: cold, moist, heavy, dense and dull
• Energy of structure and lubrication
• Age: brith to puberty ~ 15yrs
• Personal: nurturing, peaceful, stable, loyal
• Needs: warmth, invigorating
• Seasonal overarching:
 - foods: warm, spicy
 - activities: move body, flow style yoga
• Essential oils: eucalyptus, rosemary, peppermint, basil, frankincense
• Gemstones: Tiger’s Eye, Rhodochrosite, Garnet, Red jasper, Carnelian, Pyrite, Fire Agate, Chrysocolla, Turquoise

ZEN jewelry & essential oils that support Kapha dosha & season

ZEN Kapha Workshop Date February 27, 2024 from 7pm to 8:30pm


LIVING AYURVEDA…Start Small and Commit!

It takes a lot of hard work, dedication, and practice to have a life that is happy and healthy. Learning how to support your mind, body and spirit as we age and as the seasons changes is powerful and using Ayurveda is another tool for your wellness toolkit.

Ayurveda philosophy is very extensive and putting it into practice could seem overwhelming if you didn’t grow up with this as your normal way of life, so it is advisable to take your time and try a few things at a time as you study and learn.

Taking continuous small actions EVERY DAY is a good way to start.

When looking to get started, I recommend the following:

• read and get educated, I recommend ‘The Book of Ayurveda’, by Judith H. Morrison
• take a Dosha quiz online, identify your dosha and then play with a few recommendations  (here's a quick one)
• try a food swap, either add a recommended food or eliminate a food that is not recommended for your dosha
• implement a daily routine: try adding tongue scrapping or a quick nasal rinse to your morning routine (dinacharya) and try a self massage with a seasonal supportive oil as part of your evening routine (ratricharya)

Forming new habits is work… set a goal and commit to something that is doable for you. Small efforts will add up and you will feel accomplished as you continue to boost your overall health and well-being.



If you are not local to the Keys and are interested in the ZEN Ayurvedic collection (bracelet & essential oil blend) that will be shared at the in-person workshops, please email me or comment below and I will be happy to send you your very own copy of the class materials along with the seasonal jewelry and essential oil blend for $79. 

 
In Health & Happiness, Karen xo