The 3 qualities of life, in which foods they are found and how they effect our mental state.

After the festive season or any time when eating can be a focus, sometimes it is hard to get back to where we were and curb all those indulgences and sweet tastes.  Often we are left feeling bloated and a little low both energetically and emotionally, and that is the interesting point, watch how you feel mentally and see the effect that food plays on the mind, see how the body feels, can you relate your moods to what you have eaten? Can you relate your moods to being out of routine?  To understand what play the things we are ingesting have on us we have to know the 3 Gunas – this is the 3 qualities of life, all things are made of these 3 qualities and all 3 are needed for existence.

Sattwa – purity

Rajas – movement

Tamas – inertia

All the things you put into your body are made of these 3 qualities, so here is a guide to what foods have what qualities and how that effects us mentally.

	Food stuffs	Qualities they evoke
Sattvic	Fresh, natural, organic, vegetables, fruits, cereals, grains, nuts, seeds, reasonably cooked, mildly spiced	Cleanliness, calmness, peacefulness, contentment, harmony, wisdom, good morals, spirituality
Rajasic	Fried, colored, with preservatives, processed, artificial, steaming hot, frozen, sugar, MSG, saline, anything that comes in a tin or can or packet! Onions, garlic, Spicy	Talkative, fast paced mind, competitive mind, self boasting, big ego, gossiping, fidgety
Tamasic	Fermented, overcooked, tasteless, meat, alcohol, caffeine, decaying, impure	Sadness, depression, fear, ignorance, lethargy and laziness

If you really are taking note of what you are putting in, you will really see the effects on your whole self.  It is really interesting to watch.  So the choice is yours!  If you are going to make changes then do it slowly and gradually, often it is the case if we make a dramatic change that it doesn’t become sustainable and often causes more damage to our levels of happiness, so do it slowly.  And remember all 3 qualities are needed for balance and harmony but know which one should be the dominant one and which ones should be ingested in real moderation, I know what I choose!! 

Recipe to combat bloating –

4 cloves

1 tsp. fennel seeds

4 cardamom pods

¼ tsp. dry ginger

Grind the ingredients together and keep in a glass jar, you can add to boiling water to make a herbal tea, sprinkle on morning fruits or chew on after meals.  Going for a walk after eating also reduces bloating and aids digestion.

Enjoy seeing how everything is related. 

For now have beautiful days

Om shanti Om

Mangala / Nicky.

12 Months, 12 Affirmations, 12 Reasons to Practice

See the Sun, he is a friend of the whole world.  He shines on all and brings life to all.  May the sun shine brightly in our hearts and keep us warm in 2016.

2015 brought many beautiful moments and many challenges, my husband and I decided to move on from Nepal the country where we had been living for four years and search for a new horizon, finding a new job for my husband was very challenging.  We lived through two major earthquakes that shook us to the bones and over 300 aftershocks, we started to rebuild structurally and emotionally.  We left the continent of Asia - my home for so many years and a place I feel great connection with.  We arrived to a new home in Africa, I fractured my wrist in two places and we have gone through a flooded house twice.  Through all this I have stayed calm and strong and was able to keep sharing this beautiful thing called yoga with whom I could and who surrounded me.  I have been truly blessed with those that have put themselves on the mat with me, whom have chanted with me, felt emotion with me, and worked through it with me.  It is Yoga that has kept me going and pulled me through, because when we start to see our potential, when we join the path and journey back to our true selves there is nothing to grieve or fear.  Everything becomes an opportunity and I am grateful for every breath.  Without my practice where would I be?  Now I am suffering a little feeling unsettled and slightly lost in a new place where I am not quite sure of my place, the challenges in front of me seem great, but I know home is in Yoga.  I have great faith in that beautiful sun shinning upon us that he will illuminate everything that is in its place and where it should be.  I trust the strength, courage and love of the universe that I connect with in Yoga.  I am not a fan of new years resolutions, every day we should encourage ourselves and make positive choices.  Every day is a new beginning.  So I guess here are 12 positive choices for each month of the year and each new position of the sun in a year.

JANUARY – My body is rested, my mind is calm, my heart is at peace, my spirit sours.   Yoga brings me Gratefulness.

FEBUARY – I can accomplish anything I put my mind to.  Yoga brings me courage.

MARCH – I am balanced and focused.  Yoga brings me concentration.

APRIL – I am That That I am.  Yoga brings me harmony.

MAY – I open my heart to give and receive love. Yoga brings me compassion.

JUNE – I am strong and grounded as I move forward in life.  Yoga brings me strength.

JULY – My awareness soars to boundless heights.  Yoga brings me joy.

AUGUST – I release all obstacles to a full and free expression.  Yoga brings me energy.

SEPTEMBER – I enjoy freedom of movement and I accommodate to my surroundings.  Yoga brings me balance.

OCTOBER – I bow to the divine wisdom of the Universe.  Yoga brings me Faith.

NOVEMBER – I view my life from a new perspective and realize its potential.  Yoga brings me light and illumination.

DECEMBER – I let go into the eternal moment of Now.  Yoga brings me peace.

Letting the air become our breath and the light become our sight all year through.  May the long time Sun shine upon you and all love surround you -

Wishing everyone a very beautiful 2016.

OM SHANTI OM

Always

Mangala / Nicky.

Gaining a quiet, calm and peaceful mind in all situations.

“Man searches for happiness and shuns pain.  Even the most refined physical existence cannot guarantee everlasting happiness or a life without pain.  The root of all wellbeing lies in the mind.  Once the root is cared for, each leaf of the tree will grow.”  Swami Sivadasananda.

For all of us pain is coming at different stages of our lives and this can be in many shapes and forms, the mind can be in a constant battle with the body and with our Intellect, our emotions in constant battle with our wisdom.  The mind can be furiously quick to react to situations that occur around us without giving our intellect the opportunity to think about how best to react or indeed even to not react at all.  Words form quickly and sometimes we regret them coming out, the mind is buffeted by agitations.  To overcome our pains we must learn to quiet the mind, to be able to be contented in all situations the mind must be calm and peaceful, to find our true nature that of pure joy; the mind has to be tamed.  Many of us see that all our problems are the fault of others or of situations that surround us, thinking if only I lived in a different place things would be better, if only I had a different job, things would be better etc., this is wrong thinking.  Outside situations and objects will not bring lasting happiness only fleeting moments the real issue is with our own minds, and if we can learn to deal with it then we can find what is rightfully ours – lasting peace and contentment no matter what.  That sounds all well and good but how do we do that?  Lord Krishna gives us values as a means to this knowledge outlined within the Bhagavad Gita, a beautiful scripture for all of humanity that gives us the solutions to all the problems within this life.  Analysis of each one of these values shows that each one leads to the same – to attain a quiet, abiding, and peaceful mind;

Absence of pride – if you are happy with yourself then happiness does not depend on how others perceive you.

Unpretentiousness – presenting yourself as other than what you are will only bring problems.

Non-injury – respecting all life forms and causing no intentional injury to anything in deed, word and in our thoughts.

Accommodation – Accept and accommodate for your situation and those that surround you, take people and places for what they are, you will be disappointed if you want them to change.

Straightforwardness – bringing your hands, heart and tongue into harmony with each other will make you straightforward with no complications, simplicity can be so beautiful.

Service to your teachers – readiness to serve creates space to reduce the ego and emptying oneself allows you fill yourself with knowledge from a higher source. Knowledge brings light and peace.

Purity – having cleanliness both inwardly and outwardly brings alertness, alertness enables us to watch our lower emotions (jealousy etc.) and nip it in the bud!

Dispassion towards objects – not being a slave to something, for example if you like to have a coffee, then ok, but don’t become a slave to it.

Absence of Egoism – know that we never achieve anything completely by ourselves, recognize this and we become more humble.

Equanimity – being equal in mind to both success and failure, actually we could sometimes say that sometimes we have success and sometimes we learn.

When problems arise around us then I think the only way to resolve those problems is look within ourselves, or as Sadhguru states ‘The only way out is the way in!’  Even if the problem is coming form another person, that person is not going to change, but we can certainly change how we think and feel about that person, place or situation.  A wise man looks at everything as an opportunity. 

Wishing you all a beautiful festive season full of happiness, joy, love and Peace, finding all the sparkles that lie within you and that surround you.

Peace to all living entities and to Mother Earth.

Always Shanti OM Shanti Shanti.

Scrumptious Fruit Crumble and a Pose to aid Digestion

Serves 4

For the Filling –

4 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced

2 large bananas peeled and sliced

4 tbsp raisens

1 tsp ground cinnamon

zest of ½ a lemon

For the topping –

100g rolled oats

75g wholewheat flour

50g organic butter

100ml of good organic honey or maple syrup  

1.    Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C, butter an ovenproof dish

2.    Mix all the filling ingredients together and place in the baking dish

3.    To make the topping, combine the oats and flour, heat the butter and honey until melted, stir the mixture into the oats and mix well and spoon the topping over the filling.

4.    Place in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes until the filling is soft but not too runny and topping is golden brown.

5.    Can serve with pure organic coconut milk for an added bonus!

We all love some sweet treats from time to time and this one is a pretty healthy one.  Eat with your friends and family and celebrate food together with this tasty and satisfying desert that is good for the soul.  Denying ourselves something sweet from time to time can be more damaging to our spirits than helpful, although we should try not to rely on these sweet moments to bring a smile to our hearts, that smile is already there, the sweetness of food may bring a fleeting moment of happiness but it is not lasting, true happiness is already within us and too much yummy sweetness just makes us feel unwell, but for now go on treat yourself with a little scrumptiousness!

If apples and bananas aren’t your thing then you can use any fruit either your favourite or what is in season is best, eating foods out of season isn’t good for the balance and harmony of the body with the earth.

Recipe from Yoga Your Home Companion printed by the Sivananda Vedanta Centre.

After eating sit in Vajrasana the thunderbolt pose, kneel on the floor with the knees together, the big toes are touching and the heels a little separated.  Lower the buttocks onto the inside surface of your feet, place the hands onto your thighs, the back and head should be straight but not tense, close the eyes and relax the arms and the whole body.  Breathe normally and fix your attention on your breath.  Sit for as long as you are comfortable, this posture increases the efficiency of the whole digestive system as well as other benefits but will aid the process of digestion after you have eaten.

 A little bit of soul food for beautiful shinning hearts!

Enjoy

With love and OM Shanti

Mangala / Nicky.