Rise Like The Lotus

Ayurveda: The Elements & Doshas

Ayurveda organizes the 5 elements Space 💫 Air 💨 Fire 🔥 Water 💧 Earth 🪨 into 3 doshas, or body types, known as Vata (💫 + 💨), Pitta (🔥 + 💧), Kapha (💧 + 🪨). Each dosha can be described by several qualities that enable us to determine the qualities of a creature.

Every living thing on earth is composed of some combination of these 3 doshas. Most creatures are made primarily of 2 doshas and very little or none of a 3rd dosha, while it's more rare to have a creature made of all 3 doshas equally.

1. Vata dosha (💫 + 💨) is dry, light, cold, clear, subtle, mobile, and rough.

2. Pitta (🔥 + 💧) dosha is oily, light, hot, spreading, sharp, penetrating, liquid, fermenting, and sparkling.

3. Kapha (💧 + 🪨) dosha is oily, heavy, cool, cloudy, sticky, stable, smooth, dull, slow, soft then hard.

Stay tuned for a reel I'm putting together to share a basic introduction to Ayurveda. I fell in love with this topic when I was doing my teacher training at Santosha School in Indianapolis. I look forward to sharing more about Ayurveda with you! 😍

Lessons I learned from practicing yoga outdoors:

1. ⏳ Let go of what you can't control - The wind, sun, or that fly buzzing around are all out of your control when practicing yoga outdoors. But this offers an amazing opportunity to learn to be with what is, to find contentment and peace in the present moment no matter what (and to maybe plan ahead in the future by wearing layers or bringing bug spray 😂).

2. 👀 Focus on your breath and on your mat - Sometimes there are people walking by with their dog or cars in the background. This is an opportunity to practice realigning your focus again and again and again, as many times as is necessary, to your breath and your mat. I tell my students it's like training a puppy to sit and stay. It takes practice and it is more difficult when there are distractions around, but if you keep practicing eventually it's easy to do regardless!

3. 🍃 Being in nature connects us to Mother Nature and to our spiritual side - We spend a lot of time indoors, especially in Austin in the heat of summer when it's 105 degrees outside every day! When indoors too long, we lose our connection to the earth, sky, birds, and magic that is life itself. Taking time to step outside reminds us that we are all connected and that we have a connection to Spirit that is deeper than our connection to our iPhones or Netflix. lol

🧘🏻‍♀ I'll be teaching yoga every Wednesday morning 7:30-8:30am in Rancho Sienna at our pavilion. All are welcome. The temp and breeze at that time are wonderful and we have shade. Check out my website (click Offerings > Community Yoga), linked in my bio for all the class details and to sign up in advance.

Kitchari is a nourishing, easy to digest one-pot dish that is basic to the Ayurvedic way of life. It is a complete source of vegetarian protein containing all the essential amino acids. Because it's so easy to digest, it's often used in Ayurvedic cleanses. I make it for lunch once a week at home to gain the benefits which include: giving strength and vitality, detoxification and de-aging of the cells, balancing the doshas depending on the spices and veggies added, nourishing to all the tissues of the body, and it tastes delicious and is quick to make!

Kitchari means mixture, and in this instance the mixture is two grains - I use jasmine rice and yellow moong dal. It's super simple to make and only takes about 18 minutes in the Instant Pot. I use several whole and ground Indian spices, like ginger, cumin, and coriander. Sometimes I put veggies in the Instant pot so they come out soft and warm, other times (pictured) I add raw veggies like avocado, tomato, and cilantro. Normally, I just add whatever veggies I have in the home or freezer.

Interested to learn how to make this yummy dish or more about Ayurveda? Stay tuned, more to come on both!

Hi there 👋

I'm Stephanie, the creator and co-founder of Rise Like The Lotus. I'm glad you're here because I'd love to introduce myself and share what my yoga and wellness business is all about.

For me, yoga is learning to come home to your inner self, your soul, rather than the perception of who you “think” you are. The physical practice of yoga unties the knots in your body from the outside. Releasing tightness and knots in your muscles and tissues can bring a lot of relief. Breathing and meditation help untie the knots from the inside, allowing the subtle life current or prana to flow freely and enable more contentment and longer life. Opening and strengthening your body opens and strengthens your mind so you can think for yourself and learn to listen to the little one inside.

For the last 10 years I have been helping people achieve positive, lasting personal growth through yoga, breathing and meditation, and simple daily Ayurvedic practices to help find balance in body, mind, and spirit. I also offer my yoga clients a complimentary session where we talk about skin health and nutrition to help you feel and look your best from the inside and out.

If any of this resonates with you, I invite you to join me on my journey as I spread light, love, and positivity in my community. If you're curious to learn more, leave a comment or send me a message. I'd love to hear from you! You can also visit my website linked in my bio where you’ll find info about the Community Yoga class starting next week near Austin, TX as well as upcoming Zoom classes.

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