Vegetarian Balance

With the days getting shorter and the nights longer we are moving into a period of the year when we feel even more the qualities of Kapha – heaviness, slowness. Yet we want to carry on at our normal rhythm, especially during the holiday season. Did you also know that the evening is the Kapha time of the day? Having a good night’s sleep is important for your health. Let me share some reasons with you.

Having a good night’s sleep is not only important to increase your energy but also to

1. boost your immune system

2. keep the mind and body young

3. avoid chronic diseases, such as diabetes

4. keep in shape

5. to feel more at ease and satisfied with your life

But what can you do if you have problems getting a good night’s sleep?

The key to getting quality sleep lies in having good digestion. However, digesting the food you eat well is just one part. It’s also important to “digest” all the experiences you’ve savoured throughout the day. Here are some of my top nutritional tips to help you and your family get that good night’s sleep in the coming months.

1. Avoid having drinks containing caffeine – coffee, tea, coca cola – before going to bed because they are stimulants. Your body may take, for example, up to 7 hours to digest the caffeine in a cup of coffee. Observe the effect such drinks have on your body, even if you have them late afternoon.

2. Drink little alcohol (if you drink any) and drink it earlier on in the evening. It can put you to sleep but also affects the quality and quantity of your sleep.

3. Eat satisfying meals which are rich in protein but light in the evening at least 3-4 hours before going to bed. Most of my new clients who regularly eat heavy meals in the evening tell me that they feel tired when they get up in the morning. If you’re not sure what to prepare, enjoy a “taste” of my book “Plans for Dinner?”

4. Go to bed about the same time every evening, preferably before 11pm.

5. Observe your breathes for a few minutes before going to bed. Give thanks for each experience you’ve had that day, happy and not-so-happy moments. When you’re lying down comfortably, continue to observe your breathe and slow it down.

(c) 2008 Janet Gomez

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About the author:  Janet Gomez, nutritional consultant, produces the “Nutri-Jyoti News”, a free bi-monthly e-newsletter for busy professionals. Feel ready to learn how to use nutritional strategies to manage your energy levels? Then sign up for her FREE e-course “5 Nutritional Keys to Vitality in your Life” at http://www.nutrijyoti.com

Winter is the season of Kapha and the following are some of the characteristics that indicate balance in this Ayurvedic type: nurturing, forgiving, faithful, loving and giving.

Recently I went to the Christmas party at my local yoga centre. I heard a story taken from the book “The Yogi: Portraits of Swami Vishnudevananda” that I felt summed up how important the act of giving, in particular, is to create your own “paradise” or balance in your life.

Here’s my rendition of the story :

There were some people who had heard about paradise and hell and wanted to see what it was like to live there. Since paradise and hell were next door to each other – there was just a wall separating the two – they set off to explore the two places.

First of all they visited hell. Everyone there was sitting round a long table groaning with food. They had long wooden spoons attached to their arms. The spoons prevented the diners from bending their arms at the elbows. The only way they could eat was by throwing the food up into the air and catching what they could in their mouths. There was food flying everywhere.

The visitors quickly left hell to visit paradise on the other side of the wall. When they got there they saw that everything was the same. The only difference was that the people had golden plates and long golden spoons attached to their arms. However, everyone was enjoying the food because they were using their spoons to pick up the food and serve it to each other.

At this time of year when we are surrounded by abundance – in the form of food, loved ones, time to rest and enjoy etc, our environment both internally and externally is changing all the time. The best thing we can do is to practise acceptance and adapt to deal with the changes. If we resist and hold on to challenges, our health and vitality will be adversely affected. A simple example on a physical level is constipation. And we all know how that makes us feel.

So this holiday season I encourage you to remember to “give a little”. Be thankful and say “yes” to that which comes your way – just try it out and experience how much better you feel and how well your immune function responds. It means you’ll stay in good shape to enjoy the holidays. You and everyone around you will be able to appreciate the nurturing and enduring Kapha energy that comes from giving and receiving.

Have a Happy and Healthy holiday season!

(c) 2008 Janet Gomez

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About the author:  Janet Gomez, nutritional consultant, produces the “Nutri-Jyoti News”, a free monthly e-newsletter for busy professionals. Feel ready to learn how to use nutritional strategies to manage your energy levels? Then sign up for her FREE e-course “5 Nutritional Keys to Vitality in your Life” at http://www.nutrijyoti.com