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Reverence for food doesn't only mean eating it or cooking with a spiritual bent of mind. It also means fasting. When you fast, someone else gets his share to eat. Fasting has been one of many religious rituals among Indian Hindus on account of its sacred spiritual admonition and also its highly therapeutic, yet not widely appreciated value. Ayurveda recommends fasting for enhancing your spiritual recourse to life and your faith, besides acting as a natural, drugless detoxification therapy. It makes your agni stronger, clears your body channels of ama or accumulated toxic substances and heightens the clarity of your mind. Fasting, however, should be well planned, say once a week or once every two weeks. Fasting forms an integral part of the fivefold Ayurvedic massage therapy called panchakarma with a view to cleansing the body before the actual medicated detoxification begins. Fasting, it is said, gives you a chance to look inside you and thus make you internally focused. Cleansing Khichadi Recipe Khichadi is a simple, easily digested stew that can prepare the body for cleansing. Khichadi is considered very light and is suitable for those who are recuperating from an illness or preparing to detoxify or starting off from a day-long fast. Ingredients • 1 part brown basmati rice, soaked for at least 1/2 hour and drained; • 1 part mung beans, soaked in water for at least 1 hour and drained; • 1 part vegetables, such as green beans, carrots, spinach and other green vegetables; • 6 parts water 1. Heat ghee (clarified butter) or olive oil in a pan over moderate heat; 2. Add cumin or coriander seeds; 3. Then add chopped ginger and saute until golden brown; 4. Stir in 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1/4 tsp. of black pepper powder, and 1 bay leaf; 5. Add mung (lentil) beans, water, leafy vegetables of your choice, and rice; 6. Cook for about an hour; 7. When the beans are completely soft, add a pinch of salt; 8. Serve this dish with ghee and chopped fresh coriander leaves. Wisdom Words on Cooking and Eating 1. Master the art of cooking and spiritualize your eating; 2. Eat at fixed times to synchronize your body's enzymatic reactions with the intake of food; 3. Eat in a pleasant atmosphere to be one with your food; 4. Combine foods wisely to avoid foods having temperaments contrary to each other (hot and cold foods); 5. Share prasada (offerings) with others: food is God's gift and hence should be shared; 6. Be clean in your thoughts and food habits; 7. Eat moderately to avoid temptations and exert self-control; 8. Don't pour water on the fire of digestion: to avoid disturbing your digestive power (jatharagni); 9. Don't waste food. Food is God's gift and thus should not be wasted; 10. Try an occasional fast to get rid of toxic assimilation in your systems. This article was originally published in issue 96, Feb 2004 of the popular UK-based alternative therapy magazine Positive Health, which is published and edited by Dr Sandra Goodman. Content © Positive Health Publications Ltd 1994 – 2005 … concluded Wellness Wisdom Archive Author Interactive : Write to Sanjay Get Connected Promotional Support All Wellness Wisdom articles are copyrighted and reprint or distribution, electronic or otherwise, may please be done only after seeking the author's permission through the Reprint Request form below. |
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The world of ayurveda:
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| the origin of ayurveda |
| The ayurvedic concept of life |
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