Happy Navaratri! Here’s to new beginnings…

October 2, 2014 by Leave a Comment
“The universe is made of stories, not atoms!” as a poet once said. Think about it: don’t we all live through the stories we tell ourselves in our minds? Our stories make us who we are, and we evolve as our self-woven stories evolve!
Vedic culture acknolwedges the power of stories and their role in helping us live up to our potential. One of the most important stories is the story of Navaratri, the story of victory after a fierce battle fought for 9 nights, by Shakti Devi, to liberate us from our own “pragyaparadh” – the “mistake of the intellect,” that shadow of delusion that keeps us thinking we are separate from the All, we are mortal, we are
not here to share bliss, and have more bliss!

Vaidya Mishra has been celebrating Navaratri every year, as taught to him by his maternal grandparent, since he was 14 years old. Every year, he takes time off to  complete this ancient ritual for 9 days, reciting all the chapters of the story in Sanskrit.
Tonight is the 8th night, it is the night of the final battle between Shakti Devi and the demons of delusion and self-deprecation. It is the night that concludes with joyful revelation. Tomorrow Friday is known as Vijayadashmi, the day of Victory.
Navaratri is a celebration of life and bliss! It reminds us that, despite any hardships or any challenges, we can always rise to the occasion and live in bliss, when we live life in accordance with the laws of Nature. How? Ayurveda teaches us what those laws are and how we can live in synch with the laws of Nature.
In celebration of this, and so many more wonderful vedic stories that enrich our lives, we invite you to change your story, and live up to your potential 200%!
Get inspired: watch Vaidya Mishra’s lecture from the 6th Ayurvedic SVA Cafe below.
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SVA Healing with Sound, Scent and golden Light…

September 26, 2014 by 2 Comments
Heal with Sound
 
 
 

Mana- mind

Yatra – there

Vidyate – already there (in existence)

Iti – that is

Mantraha – mantra

This is the literal meaning of each word, but what is the verse saying in plain english?! Vaidya explains: (a) mantra means/is that which already exists, that which is already there, present, in the mind. What does this mean?

If there were a sophisticated recording machine plugged in to register the budding vibrations at the cosmic dawn of time, it would record the sound OM, unfolding, according to the vedic puranas, and symbolizing the eternal cycle of creation and destruction. OM is the blueprint of all manifested life in the cosmos and of the cosmos itself because it vibrationally contains the cosmic impulses of silence and dynamism, the fabric of creation. Its creation is its own essence. OM is the primordial mantra, or vibrational sound.

From that primordial sound, all other sounds and mantras evolve. Within that original sound all sounds and all of creation resides. Everything we are, all that we seek, is already always within our reach and within us, as we are part of that creation that is still unfolding through time. This is why we can use mantra-s therapeutically.

Sound is therapeutic because deep down we are all made of vibrational frequencies. Dis-ease and optimal health are just the gross expression of sound frequencies that have either gone awry or are vibrating harmoniously.  Sound vibrations re-align our entire vibrational frequency when used properly. Mantras are packets of sound vibrations identified by the Vedic rishis, Different mantras have different purposes and benefits and qualities.

 

Heal with Scents
 

The scent of flowers or plants, their aroma, is defined as being

made up of micro-molecules, extremely small and sharp and fast-moving, that travel into our physiology and brain center to procure instant bliss.
Based on the properties of the flower, or the plant, the aroma can be balancing, soothing, grounding, or more. Science does not quite yet understand this aspect of subtle healing that can occur through aromatherapy. Ayurveda has been using the art and science of aromatherapy for thousands of years. Discover how you can transform your mind-set within seconds through Vaidya’s specific flower and plant aromatic synergies!

Heal with Golden Light

This is a verse that’s recited during ritual ceremonies or “yagya”-s in general. It reminds us of the importance of light, and fire, for survival, sustenance, and enlightenment!

 

Jyoti or light refers to that which emanates from the source, which is Agni or fire, and the ultimate source of Agni is Surya, or the sun. The sun is the life-giver. Science acknowledges how life began on earth when the sun’s rays reached our planet. Light, or the emanation of Agni, carries transformative, cleansing, life-giving power. In the Vedic tradition, light emanating from a ghee lamp is said to be particularly auspicious, because ghee itself carries so many healing and balancing properties. The golden light emanating from a ghee lamp is good for the eyes, as well as the eyes of the soul!

 

You can recite the above verse every time you light your ghee lamp!

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General dietary SVA recommendations

September 25, 2014 by 5 Comments
Hello. In Vaidya Mishra’s recent blog about hair loss, he suggested that his readers could email a request for the SVA Diet. Can you please send me a description of the SVA Diet? Thank you very much.
Lora D.
Vaidya replies:
 SVA general dietary recommendations to optimize your body’s pH balance, supply more soma, reduce inflammatory tendencies:

Start your day with a stewed apple or pear with 2-3 cloves followed by unprocessed wholegrain cereal (oatmeal, quinoa etc)
Avoid nightshades: potato, tomato, bell pepper, eggplant.
Avoid large beans like lima, pinto, kidney, soy, etc.
Favor yellow mung dahl (green or split), french lentils (dupuy, brown or beluga), red lentil (masoor)
Avoid bananas
Avoid flax seeds and flax flour
Avoid winter squashes. Favor summer squashes instead (zucchini, yellow squash)
Try to avoid soy products and bi-products, such as tofu, soy milk, and any other derivatives. Avoid processed food. No leftovers (do not eat yesterday’s meal). May eat for dinner what you had for lunch. Avoid food with preservatives. Avoid canned foods.
Avoid sour acidic foods- avoid vinegar and bottled dressings. Favor lime.
Replace coffee with green or white tea or your herbal water recipe.

 

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A question about Karela

September 25, 2014 by 2 Comments
Good morning and Thank you for all the wonderful things you teach us, I really feel the difference!
My questions about Karela are; first I eat it at least 2 times a week but when I buy it I am not sure if it is supposed to have black spots on some of the bumps on the outside of it and then when I cut it open sometimes the inside is red and the seeds are not packed as tight? So is it okay to buy and eat Karela when it has the black spots on it or do I cut it off, and is the Karela still fine to eat when it is red inside, and do I still cook with the seeds when it is red? 
Thank you again for all you do.
Respectfully
Jim
Vaidya replies:
Dear Jim: when you buy karela, make sure that it does NOT have any black spots on the outside. The black spots are an indication that the karela is not fresh. On the other hand, if you find red seeds inside, that is ok. Red seeds are a sign of the maturity of the karela. Nothing wrong with that. But I recommend that you de-seed it, take out the seeds before slicing and cooking. The seeds do have medicinal value but they are very hard on the intestinal wall. If you want to get their benefit though, you can cook with them but not eat them – take them out as you are eating, do not chew and swallow them.
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Rudraksha strung in gold

September 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Hi!
The late Trigunaji, a well-known Indian Ayurvedic doctor, once prescribed Rudraksha beads strung in gold. I have worn them since then, but I have wondered what that could have been a prescription for? Do you have some idea? I have been curious ever since.
Thanks
Vaidya replies:
Dear Jeffrey: the terms “rudraksha” comes from rudra which means shiva, and kasha which means eyes. So in general, if you consider the meaning of the name – eyes of Lord Shiva – you can understand that wearing or having a mala or necklace of these beads is considered very auspicious. Why? They are known to help keep an individual connected to their own inner balancing intelligence, and also to help enhance the effect of any yogic sadhana or practice – meditation, etc.  In addition, it is believe that the vibration of the rudraksha bead supports the nervous system, as well as the rhythm of the heart. Since it is master Vaidya Trigunaji himself who recommended that you wear these beads strung in gold, he must have seen in your pulse that it would be additionally beneficial for you. This is great fortune, so keep on wearing them mindfully – remove when bathing or using the restroom, or sleeping at night.
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A testimonial on Psoriasis

September 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Screenshot 2014-09-24 12.04.18
This is an excellent case history on the wonderful work we are doing for all our psoriasis patients.  This particular patient had it so bad, his hands were weeping so he had to wrap them in bandages.  His fingers were so swollen he couldn’t even close his fists.  We saw him last winter –he was on prednisone the summer before, and once he finished his round of prednisone the psoriasis and joint swelling came back with a vengeance.  This is because the underlying cause of the psoriasis was not being addressed, only pushed down deeper temporarily with the prednisone.  We see this often with many conditions which get much worse once the patient goes off the prednisone.
So I had to figure out what was causing it:  the pulse diagnosis showed me a very hot liver and the hot ama visha and gar visha toxins in several of the tissues, but I had to “play detective” and figure out where the toxins were coming from.  Once we identified all the causes in his diet and daily routine, we had him stop doing those things (like drinking a half a gallon of tea a day, and skipping and delaying meals, among other problems) he began healing.
Once we changed his diet and the herbs started to kick in, we slowly started the cleansing process, making sure the whole time that the toxins we were pulling out didn’t aggravate his skin further.  He was very compliant and followed his diet and did all his spring cleanses every week.
And in no time, his skin was looking beautiful — the sores were gone, the itching of the skin and the swelling of the joints went down.
And we finally got his immune system to regain its intelligence and stop hyper-reacting.  We give these case histories to show others the good work we are capable of doing with the SVA diet, herbs and cleansing protocols.
Dr. Marianne Teitelbaum
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Why do you get sick in “ritu sandhi” – when the season shifts from Summer to Autumn?

September 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment
In the summer time we are exposed to increased “agni” – the sun’s vicinity to the earth heats up the environment along with our bodies. In response to the heat, our channels dilate and our metabolic “agneya” organs –  liver, spleen, pancreas, stomach – carry and circulate more heat.
But as summer wanes out, and temperatures drop, our channels shrink and slow down. Then the heat accumulated over the summer gets stuck in our physiology, along with all kinds of toxins that were being evacuated freely earlier.
In particular, the already hot or “agneya” organs of the body – the spleen, pancreas, stomach, liver – feel this transition, as they get less support from the environment to process toxins. Being already overheated from the Summer season, they now have to deal with shrunk channels overloaded with toxins. When the processing of nutrients slows down due to reduced environmental agni and high pitta in the physiology, accompanied with the reduced elimination of toxins, our overall transformational agni (in the tissues and organ systems) gets impacted as well, and “apar ojas” or the finest by-product of digestion which maintains our immunity, decreases, and our immunity plummets! When our body’s natural defense is compromised, it is easier for allergens, bacteria, viruses to take over and we may end up contracting the infamous seasonal flu!
Boost your Immunity
Our bodies are exposed to infectious and viral bacteria as well as toxins on an ongoing basis, and immunity is our body’s inherent ability to resist infection by the action of specific antibodies. So the key is and remains in the maintenance and support of your immunity. In Ayurveda, immunity is called “vyadhi kshamatwa” – from vyadi: disease; and kshamat: resistance.
The Charak Samhita explains that there are 3 kinds of “vyadi kshamatwa:”
  • sahaj: innate – some people are born with stronger immunity, while others are not. The point is to take steps to avoid weakening a challenged immunity during “ritu sandhi,” while you also support it and strengthen it.
  •   kaalaj: time-bound immunity indicates that one’s immunity may wear out with the passage of time, i.e., aging, and seasonal changes – even if you have strong immunity, adjusting your diet and routine to ongoing seasonal changes will help keep it stronger;
  •    yuktakrit – addressing immunity through herbs, the adjustment of diet, balanced routine, daily or seasonal detox, etc.
The shastra-s elaborate on all 3 aspects of immunity at length with particular attention on the most challenging aspect the “sahaj” or “beej guna.” Beej guna literally means a property or quality in its seed form from the Sanskrit “beej” – seed. One may be born with great immunity or have genetic predisposition towards low or poor immunity. The shastra-s explain how to support the good predisposition and to disallow poor beej guna immunity from sprouting and taking over. Yukti, or specifically tailored protocols based on individual needs, will help balance your genetic predisposition, whether it is poor or strong: it will help keep the unwanted seeds in seed form so they are not allowed to sprout; it will support a strong “beej guna” to blossom and balance mind, body, and spirit, instead of letting it lay dormant.
The impact of the “ritu sandhi” (seasonal transition) on our immunity is discussed in thecontext of “kalaaj vyadi kshamatwa” – imbalances in the body and mind that result from time bound and seasonal changes, along with specific practical “yukti”-s or protocols that can help.
So what should you do? What “yukti”-s should you follow to avoid a cold this Autumn?
 
1. Mind your channels channels channels!  If you’ve practiced some SVA, you know the importance that Vaidya Mishra and SVA attribute to the channels. These are not, as some think, just the blood vessels, they are rather the micro and macro channels throughout your body, either physical or vibrational, that carry everything from food and nutrients, toxins, energy, and more. They are the “srota”-s and the “nadi”-s. During the change of season, it is important to address these first. How? Supporting your channels is easy based on following protocols tailo
red to your body’s doshic tendencies, or tendencies towards imbalance. Mind your dosha, and balance it out through daily ayurvedic protocol and diet. See the next paragraph for specific details.
2. Be dosha-wise! One size does not fit all!
You will come across a lot of “one size fits all” recommendations, at this point in time, circulating on social media pages and elsewhere. With Ayurveda, your dosha is your body’s propensity towards a specific type of imbalance. This is the best time to make the most out of this knowledge, to help you keep things under control.
If you are primarily a pitta dosha prone to inflammation, heated emotions, over-activity, and over-the-top perfectionist to your detriment, with a voracious insatiable appetite and tendency to over-eat sweets etc, do the following: keep your channels open and cool, by doing ideally daily but if not then bi-weekly self-massage or “abhyanga” with SVA Pitta Massage oil with Magnesium.
Use Shroto Shudhi Tea and Shroto Shudhi Masala at night with dinner only.
Use Pitta Masala and Pitta Tea during the daytime.
Add Wild Alma tablets to cool off all your pitta sub-doshas and boost your immunity – 1 tablet after breakfast and 1 tablet after lunch.
Add Soma Cal capsule once a day after lunch.
 Add 2 drops of Herbal Memory Fennel drops; 2 drops of Yasad or Zinc drops; 2 drops of Coriander; 1 drop of clove.
If you are primarily a vata dosha prone to dry skin, a creative yet out-of-focus mind, a capricious appetite with an unruly daily schedule and helter-skelter life-style and sleep: 
do daily body massage with Vata oil with Magnesium and Vit D. If you don’t have time to do full body, then do at least daily your limbs – arms and legs. This will make a world of a difference!
Add Shroto Shudhi Masala and Shroto Shudhi tea to your diet for lunch and dinner
Occasionally, have a cup of  Bliss and Bliss tea to keep things warm and running.
Add Wild Amla tablets twice a day – after lunch and dinner
Add the following Herbal Memory drops: 2 drops Yasad

Yasad(Zinc)Bhasma Nectar
Yasad(Zinc)Bhasma Nectar

or Zinc, 2 drops Ashwagandha, 2 drops Calm Mind.

If you are primarily a kapha dosha with the tendency to be slow to get-up and go, slower metabolism, and tendency to be blue and low, and gain weight easily: 

Do daily abhyanga massage with Ashwagandha with Magnesium oil
Cook with Medagni Masala a
t night, but Shroto Shudhi masala during the day,
Sip Shroto Shudhi tea during the day
Add Wild Amla tablets to your diet,
Add the following Herbal Memory drops: 2 drops of Black Pepper, 2 drops of Indian Sarsaparilla, 2 drops of Yasad or Zinc.
Follow a kapha pacifying diet: avoid or minimize grains (rice, wheat, even quinoa, barley), have plenty of vegetables with every meal and some light protein – lentils (masoor, mung, ku
lthi, etc) along with a few cubes of paneer – preferably during daytime, not for dinner.
Notorious Green Protein
Nourishing Green Protein
Nurture yourself – in the summertime, we allow ourselves more “soma” food – heavier, sweeter, colder – because the environment and the season support our digestion and elimination. Delicious sweet fruits high in sugar content, cold treats, desserts, salads, etc. Now is the time to switch over to a lighter balancing diet, until the temperatures really drop fully trapping in the agni in our bodies and increasing our hunger, at which point we can start to have heavier meals again as the winter season gets closer. During “ritu sandhi” it is particularly important to eat to balance your body’s tendency towards imbalance, that is: either a vata, pitta, or kapha balancing diet. Make sure to add Vaidya’s SVA Green Protein Recipe to your diet at this point in time, with extra turmeric sautéed in ghee while preparing it.
3) Mind the Cycles of Time – life is made up of cycles, small and large, hourly, daily,weekly, monthly, yearly. When we align our activities with the cycles of nature, we get the most out of our energy and productivity, plus we get full Nature’s support at every step of the way, no matter what comes our way! A balance between rest and activity is the mantra of SVA! The best way to bring your body and mind back to a balanced routine is to gently coax it through mindful exercises such as yoga and meditation. These are sister sciences of Ayurveda that help us not only stay on track, but get more out of life – more balance, more bliss, more life!
 We wish you more of all that your heart desires – welcome Autumn!  
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Ease your way into Autumn with turmeric

September 11, 2014 by 2 Comments

 

In the SVA tradition, the channels play a central role in “ritu sandhi” – the junction between two seasons. Addressing the channels will not only make you feel better as the temperatures drop, but it will make sure you can get the most benefit out of your new seasonal diet, routine, or any herbal and spice additinos and supplements you may be introducing to stay in synch with the new season.
 In the Summer time, with the heat, our physical channels, or srota-s, get fully dilated, allowing toxins to flow out freely. As temperatures drop, channels shrink slowly but surely, giving less easy passage to toxins.
 It is important to nourish and keep the channels intelligent in the Fall, to support their health, so that when they shrink further in the winter time, we do not experience an overload of toxic build-up that will inevitably get stored.
In the Summer time, the pitta organs such as the liver, the spleen, the stomach, and pancreas accumulate more heat. The first thing to do as the seasons transition from Summer to Fall, is to cool off these organs and release their seasonally accumulated heat.
In order to ease your physiology into the autumnal detox, it is important to prep it. What are some things you can do?
1) Add turmeric to your diet: do not swallow turmeric capsules! Adding turmeric to your food is always the best way to do it.   Here is a video with Vaidya Mishra on how to use Turmeric.
2) If you’ve been slacking off on your daily body massage, now is the time to get back on track. Daily warm oil massage pacifies Vata and will help ease the transition into Autumn. With Vaidya Mishra’s unique SVA formulations you can get the benefit of transdermal turmeric. This will help the physical channels immediately as the turmeric gets absorbed seconds after application.
3) Favor less raw fruits and sweet items, to help support your immunity. Start incorporating more warm and warming food items and spice into your diet. Vaidya Mishra’s Shroto Shudhi Masala and Tea are ideal at this point in time. Shroto Shudhi Masala was

designed to support the intelligence of the channels. When combined with turmeric, you will not only keep the detox process ongoing, but you will also give a boost to your immunity. The proper use of turmeric in the diet supports the liver and its functions, and the liver is the primary detox organ. When your liver is detoxing as it should, your cellular system detox will also be optimal, then fighting against seasonal colds, the flu, or other infections becomes very easy.

 

Click to watch Vaidya Mishra’s videos on turmeric:

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Testimonial on ADHD Insomnia

September 11, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Screenshot 2014-09-11 11.11.49
This case history demonstrates the wonderful work we are able to do (without pharmaceuticals!) with children who are diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, Insomnia and lack of attention and focus.  Again, as in all the other maladies we treat, we get to the root cause of the problem.  In these cases, you not only want to give herbs to balance out the neurotransmitters in the brain, herbs to balance out the brain functions and organize the brain for better focus, but you also want to address any and all gut issues.  In addition, we also teach the parents how to correctly feed their children to nourish the brain correctly.
We know the ancient doctors said Prana Vata (movement of thoughts through the mind) and Apana Vata (found in the abdominal region) go out of balance together.  That was over 5,000 years ago…and without the use of microscopes!  Now modern medicine in fact describes what is called the “Gut/Brain Axis”.  They say that most of the neurotransmitters that affect the brain function are actually made in the gut.  So when dealing with any issue of hyperactivity, depression, lack of focus, fears, anxiety, etc., one must look at both the gut and brain in order to have success in treating these conditions.
Unfortunately, the over-zealous use of pharmaceuticals in the early formative years disturbs the normal growth of not only the friendly bacteria in the gut, but the lining of the gut and the enzyme system as well, which is why there is an epidemic of not only ADD and ADHD, but food allergies, sensitivities and digestive disturbances in most of the children we see in our practice.
These issues are relatively easy to fix, so it is a good idea to address them as soon as possible.  Once children go into the teen years with these imbalances, the problems can blossom further, if left unattended, into more serious issues of depression and lack of zest for life, anger, aggression and suicidal tendencies.  Pharmaceuticals only exacerbate these issues.
And if the imbalances continue into the 30’s, 40’s and older, the immune system can become so imbalanced, the patient runs the risk of auto-immune problems such as Lupus, MS, Fibromyalgia and so on.
So remember, it is always easiest to fix these issues earlier rather than later.  If your child has had the full vaccination schedule and/or has ever taken some antibiotics, chances are high that these gut/brain issues need to be addressed now.   The parents we see in our practice are so happy they were able to fix their child’s ADD, ADHD and insomnia without the use of the strong and sometimes dangerous pharmaceuticals which only cover up the symptom.  They are elated we know how to address the root cause and actually fix the problem.
Dr. Marianne Teitelbaum
856-786-3330
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SVA Summer hair tips

September 4, 2014 by 2 Comments
At the end of summer, the increased and accumulated heat in the environment and our bodies maintains our channels wide open and our physiology gets to release a lot of fat soluble toxins  through sweat as well as the scalp. This is a desirable natural detox, but most of the time, the toxins that are evacuated can be very irritating for the hair follicles, resulting in oily scalp or pimples, or too much dryness and flakes. It is always good to drink lots of water to help flush out the toxins, but here are some SVA  recommendations to help you balance things out and repair the side effects of the toxins locally.
If your scalp is dry and flaky: give yourself time to do a hair oil massage twice a week with the SVA HerbRich Hair oil. Warm the oil in your sink, apply, massage in with your finger tips, leave on for 20 minutes then wash off with HerbRich shampoo and rinse with the HerbRich conditioner. Do this protocol twice a week.
If your scalp is oily and itchy:  give yourself time to do a hair oil massage twice a week with the SVA Aloe with Vit D Hair oil. Warm the oil in your sink, apply, massage in with your finger tips, leave on for 20 minutes then wash off with HerbRich shampoo and rinse with the HerbRich conditioner. Do this protocol twice a week.
Otherwise: make sure you add a lot of leafy greens to your diet to help detoxify and nourish the hair follicles.
Make sure you consume Morinaga leaves in one form or another: either as a tea, as the moringa soup mix, or a nectar drop (www.chandika.com). Traditionally, in India Moringa is known to be very nourishing for the scalp and hair.
Summer time is the time to feast on coconut! Fresh is always the best! Here are some recipes from your SVA Kitchen
www.youtube.com/svahealth
In South India, coconut is the number one food item for lustrous hair and healthy follicles.
Incorporate Bhring Raj nectar drops in your diet. The plant Bhring Raj is also known as “kesh raj” – the king of hair! It is famous for nurturing and supporting the hair.
Finally, you can use Vaidya’s SVA Lustrous Hair capsules that contain Bhring Raj along with other ayurvedic herbs in a balanced synergy.
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