Recent & Past SVA Newsletters

Did You Miss Our Festive Sales?

No Worries – We Got You!

Start the Year on a SVA Footing

15% Off All Your Favorites

PLUS

Free Global Shipping on Orders of $201 or more

Have you ever wondered why we celebrate New Year on January 1st?! Rather than any other day – as some very ancient cultures did? 

The answer is simple: Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian calendar in the year 1582 .This calendar was to be used in all Catholic countries, and to replaced the Julian calendar – started by Julius Cesar – that had some inconsistencies. So the Julian calendar marked January 1st as the first day of the year in relation to an ancient Roman tradition honoring the two-faced deity “Janus” – he was the god of beginnings and transitions. This tradition was carried over into the Gregorian calendar, and with time, January 1st become the global standard with growing trade and colonialism, since the world needed one calendar everyone could follow for setting international standards for civil and business purposes. Even countries with lively ancient traditions that maintained their own traditional calendars for religious or cultural events ended up having to follow the global norm – the Gregorian calendar. Celebrating the new year on January 1st is a remnant of roman culture and results from historical commercial necessity.

The interesting thing is that January 1st really is NOT the first day of a new year in terms of the natural cycles of life on earth… In fact, many ancient cultures celebrated the new year on another day – on December 21st – the day of the Winter Solstice. The word “solstice” comes from the Latin solstitium, meaning “standstill.” The Winter Solstice is the day when the sun seemingly “stands still,” because the sun’s path across the sky appears to pause before reversing direction… This is an annual astronomical event.

The winter solstice — and the four seasons — occur because Earth is tilted at an angle of about 23.5 degrees relative to the sun. Earth does not rotate on a straight axis. This means that the Northern and Southern hemispheres receive different amounts of sunlight throughout the year as our planet moves around the sun. This is why, depending on how much sunlight a specific area receives, there will be a different season in place. The Northern Hemisphere receives scant daylight during its wintertime months, while the Southern Hemisphere experiences the opposite — summer prevails during the Northern Hemisphere’s winter and enduring winter just as the Northern Hemisphere basks in summertime. In December, on winter solstice day, there are fewer hours of sunlight the farther north you go in the Northern Hemisphere. People in this hemisphere might also notice that the sun is not that high in the sky, even at noon. 

So the winter solstice is the shortest day and longest night of the whole year. As such, it heralds the official start of Winter, in anticipation of Spring. Starting December 21 to March 21, the days get gradually warmer and longer. December 21st is in many ways the “zero point” of the sun’s annual journey. The still mid-point. It marks an end that ushers in a new beginning. 

This is why many ancient cultures upheld this day as the day of new beginnings or a new year. It’s all about the sun. For ancient cultures, across history and continents, the sun was far more than a celestial body: it was the ultimate source of life. Through it law and order were established in the universe as well as in individual and collective lives -through seasonal events and rituals marking the progression of the sun in the sky. Many ancient cultures personified the sun as a supreme deity, and studied its daily journey across the sky, watching how it maintained the cosmic order through the flow of time and the seasons.

The solstice was seen as the day of the rebirth of the sun, and therefore symbolized a time of personal rebirth and renewal with the return of light. Here are some example of ancient “sun worship” sites: 

The Stonehenge in the UK: built around 2500 BC, its main axis aligns with the midwinter sunset and thousands gather annually to witness the sun’s alignment; Chichén Itzá in Mexico: On the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun creates a shadow on the El Castillo pyramid that looks like a serpent slithering down the steps; Newgrange in Ireland: This prehistoric tomb is designed so that a beam of light enters the inner chamber only during the winter solstice sunrise.

Furthermore, in ancient Egypt, Ra – the sun, creature of all life - was considered the “king of the Gods.” He was believed to sail across the sky in a solar barque, or boat, by day and battle the serpent Apophis in the underworld by night to ensure the sun would rise again. The Inca worshiped Inti as their most important god and the direct ancestor of their emperors. They built the Coricancha (Temple of the Sun) in Cusco, which was once covered in gold to reflect the sun’s brilliance. For the Aztecs, the sun was a warrior in a constant struggle against darkness. They believed the sun required nourishment to stay strong enough to complete its journey. In Ancient Greece, Helios was the personification of the physical sun, often depicted driving a four-horse chariot. Over time, Apollo, the god of light and reason, became heavily conflated with solar worship. 

What about the vedic tradition? Is the Winter Solstice also the beginning of a new year for the ancient Indians? Ancient vedic India had a highly elaborate and accurate system of calendars based on the cycles of the sun AND the moon! So things are a bit more detailed and complex. Based on this ancient lunar-solar calendar the new year falls not on the Winter Solstice day, but somewhere between March and April. The Vedic New Year is not just a calendar shift based on the numbers of days in a year etc. Nor is it just marked by the Winter Solstice. It results from detailed calculation that are tied to the creation of the cosmos itself. In this sense, the vedic new year commemorates Brahma, the creator god, who brings the cosmos, as well as time, into existence. That is why the vedic new year coincides with Spring, and marks a time for fresh starts, where frozen energy starts to flow and material existence literally blooms and blossoms. This year, the vedic new year will be on March 19, 2026. This marks the beginning of Chaitra Navaratri in the calendar of Vikram Samvat.

So why does this all matter? Where does this information take us in ayurvedic terms? 

More than just an astronomical event, the Winter Solstice marks a great shift in our bodies, when the earth resumes its journey towards the sun, and the days start to get longer and warmer. But very very slowly – it takes time for things to thaw. And before the spectacular flourish of spring arrives, earth, along with our bodies, goes through a deep hibernation. It takes time for life to resurface, and for the next few weeks and months, as the weather remains cold and cool, our body’s physical channels – shrotas – are shrunk and impede circulation. You may feel more achy, more heavy, and prana vata will feel high making you less grounded and spacey! This is why it is important to sleep on time, and indulge in longer hours of sleep. In addition, shrunken shrotas may lead you you to crave more sweets and heavy rich foods. Vaidya Mishra taught that “winter is the best season for perfect health.” Why? Because the cold weather “traps” our pachak agni in the stomach and stokes it, so you not only crave richer heavier meals, but you CAN also digest them better. A big appetite and high digestive fire are the best two prerequisites for health. 

So in this festive season, it is ok to let go and celebrate with friends and family, and feed your agni! AND key point is to NOT start dieting/detoxing after January 1st. This is NOT a good time for weightless or any type of detox. Nature does not support elimination, it rather requires nourishment. Trying to detox when your shrotas are clogged and heavy may results in complications. 

So let this new year be truly a new beginning for you. One where you re-shuffle things in your life in alignment with the sun and the cycles of time and seasons that derive from the presence or absence of the sun. What does this mean? This: on January first, and for the next couple of months, stay low and be slow! Do no resist, rather: go with the flow of Mother Earth. Reset your biological clock to match the circadian rhythms of nature for daily activities and rest, and follow the seasonal tempo for diet – eat all you wish and more! Just stay on track with the sun, and ’honor’ the winter season – embrace all its gifts of sharpened digestive fire and blissful health: turn inwards, allow yourself to rest without guilt, and softly build new dreams – your rebirth and new beginnings will come with the Spring!

~ What Would Life be Without Our Favorite SVA Pranic Formulations ~

Why Everybody Loves SVA

Testimonials – and more!

How to Use your Roll-on Or Oil:

• For Sleep/Relaxation: Apply to feet, legs, shoulders, and lower back, 20 minutes before sleep. 
• For Muscle Recovery: Massage onto sore areas after or before exercise. 
• For Skin: Use as a daily moisturizer to hydrate and soothe – specially on feet and legs. Do not use on the face. May use on neck and shoulder areas. 
• For Digestion: Apply to the abdomen with circular motions to encourage bowel movement

Transdermal SVA Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant, will help with cramps, spasms, tension, and post-workout soreness; it will Calms your nervous system, reduce stress, lower cortisol, and promote better sleep by easing tense muscles. It will also improve your overall circulation and enhance skin vitality in your extremetieis – hands and feet where circulation tends to be slow.

How much Magnesium do we need?

• Roll-on: you will get around 180mg of magnesium per 5ml - this translates into applying the roll-on back and forth 2-3 times.
• Transdermal cream or Massage oils: A deodorant roll-on might have 280mg of magnesium (as hydroxide/chloride) per 1ml application – about 1 tsp.

There are many brands of topical Magnesium lotions on the market. But the SVA brand stands apart as it combines ayurvedic pranic wisdom with modern scientific know-how. Don’t take our word for it, see what our patrons are saying about it below…

MORE VIT D FOR MORE HEALTH!

DETOX & RELAAAAAX!

DAILY TONIC: DELICIOUS TOO!

MAGNESIUM: Less Stress!

EYECARE – EVERYDAY.

MORNING BREWS …

SLEEP: BETTER NATURALLY!

ORAL CARE – & DELICIOUS TOO!

ROSE: FOR BODY, MIND, AND HEART

Take Vaidya Mishra “With You” – Everywhere You Go!

if you ever had the opportunity to meet Vaidya Mishra in person, or have encountered him via his many youtube videos or online courses, then you know what we mean! We all want to have him travel with us in this earthly journey, to help us in our decisions along the way, through the timeless wisdom and knowledge of SV Ayurved. And now we can! If you have not discovered our podcast channel yet, we invite you to look it up and explore the timeless teachings of SVAyurveda, as well as fabulous talks by other SVAyurveda doctors and educators.

We want to help you protect your purchase – there’s been an increase in lost/stolen packages.

To protect your shipment – in case your shipping address is not secure – we have now added the “signature delivery” option upon check-out on www.chandika.com and we highly recommend you select it to ensure your package is guaranteed to reach you after it leaves our warehouse. Kindly note we are unable to replace stolen/misplaced packages once they are confirmed delivered by the carrier of your choice.