October 2010        

“Our own physical body possesses a wisdom which we who inhabit the body lack.  We give it orders which make no sense."  - Henry Miller

Loving Greetings from Nalanda

Dear friends and clients

Spring brings an abundance of Prana (life force) and can be a sensory extravagance; it proves to be the most stimulating of all seasons with the wide variety of sights, smells and sounds.  As the flocks of birds return home after winter to find a wealth of food, water and shelter one cannot help but feel enriched and grateful for the little wonders that nature provides.  

However Spring presents a rather frustrating downside for some; the dreaded hay fever. 

Contents:

1.     Specials for October to November 2010

        - Pancha Karma Detox Retreats

        - Half day Pamper Package

        - Full day Pamper Package

        - Weekend Wellness Retreat

2.     Managing Hay fever the Ayurvedic Way

3.     Kapalabnhati

4.     Recipe - Buckwheat Burger

5.     Diary of Events

Running noses, sneezing, watering and itchy eyes are all common symptoms of this wearisome condition.  In this month’s edition of our newsletter we will focus on how we could better prepare ourselves for the onset of the pollen invasion.

A story which illustrates that positive and negative, bad and good are just different sides of the same coin.  It all depends on your perspective and which way you choose to view a given situation. Since these attributes don't actually exist in reality, they are simply labels or values that we individually assign to what we are witnessing.

An old farmer is working hard in the fields. He has a wife and a son, and ekes out a meagre living. One day, his only horse runs away. Upon hearing this, his neighbours comment "Oh, how awful! That is terrible!" The farmer's reply:

"Maybe, maybe not."

A few days later, the farmer's horse returns and with it is another, exotic horse from far away. The horse is a mare, and is of rare value. The neighbours, upon hearing this, exclaim "How wonderful! It's fantastic that your horse returned and brought another horse with it!". The farmer shrugged and said:

"Maybe, maybe not."

The farmer's horses gave him many young, prized colts making the farmer very wealthy in the town. The neighbours were very happy for the farm saying; "This is so fantastic! Your new horses have brought you much fortune!" The farmer responded:

"Maybe, maybe not."

The farmer's son, now a young man, tried to tame one of the young colts and was thrown from the horse, breaking his hip.  This left the son unable to walk. The neighbours came to help and tried to console the farmer saying; "Oh, how awful! Your only son will never walk again!". The farmer, who was not upset, simply said:

"Maybe, maybe not."

Later that year, the farmer's country went to war, and the army came by to conscript every abled bodied man for duty. The farmer was too old to be taken, and his son could not walk, therefore he was excused. The army simply took the farmer's horses, leaving him just his original horse to allow him to keep farming.

Was the farmer's life good? Maybe. Was the farmer's life bad? Maybe not.

To truly be the witness and live directly in the moment, we could choose to not assign any values to situations.

We give instruction for a very useful breathing technique, Kapalabhati, which is an exercise for the purification of the nasal passage and lungs.

Nalanda Ayurvedic Centre introduces three new specials this month and our regular recipe feature is Nalanda’s famous yummy vegetarian tomato omlette - which is always a big hit with our retreat clients.

In closing, we wish you a spectacular summer season of health, inspiration and enthusiasm.

Specials

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1. Pancha Karma Detox Retreats

Spring-clean your body, mind and spirit by joining us for a minimum of seven days or longer using the age-old Ayurvedic detoxification program.  Contact Nalanda Ayurvedic Centre regarding availability and for a full tailor-made quotation.

Upcoming dates:

8-14 November; 

24-30 November.

15% discount on Pancha Karma Detox Retreat if booked and paid for before 7 November 2010

2. Half day Pamper Package

This package includes:

·         Welcome herbal tea

·         Pampering Ayurvedic facial, including gentle facial steam and face massage

·         Hand and feet pampering, including nourishing massage

·         1x Abhyanga, nurturing Ayurvedic full body massage

·         Vegetarian, wholesome meal, prepared with ayurvedic principles

R960.00

Special package includes:

·         Welcome herbal tea

·         Pampering Ayurvedic facial, including gentle facial steam and face massage

·         Hand and foot pampering with nourishing massage

·         Abhyanga, nurturing Ayurvedic full body massage

·         Svedana, whole body steam, if not contra-indicated

·         Rejuvenating Ayurvedic head massage

·         Vegetarian, wholesome meal, prepared with ayurvedic principles

·         Healthy snacks and herbal teas

·         Relaxation time in peaceful garden

R1 800.00

4. Weekend Wellness Retreat

Escape the madness of the City for a day and spend some quality 'me' time in Greyton. Enjoy a wonderfully relaxing Mini Retreat which will leave you feeling warm, beautiful and clean, both within and without!

Weekend Wellness Retreat includes:

·         Two nights accommodation (Fri & Sat) at Nalanda Ayurvedic Centre, possibly shared accommodation.

·         All vegetarian, wholesome meals, prepared with ayurvedic principles (Friday dinner – Sunday lunch).

·         Friday evening meditation and relaxation.

·         Diet & lifestyle consultation.

·         Saturday morning yoga, stretching and relaxing.

·         Saturday morning market visit on route to treatment centre.

·         Foot massage using a bowl, Kansu, relaxing the whole body, balancing fire element, reducing stress and giving beauty to your face

·         Hand massage

·         1x Abhyanga, nurturing Ayurvedic full body massage

·         1x Head massage

·         Time in nature

·         Sunday morning hike into Kloof.

·         1x Back – neck – shoulders oil massage, Abhanga

·         Pampering Ayurvedic facial, including gentle facial steam and face massage.

·         Steam box

Special package available until end of Nov 2010

R2 700.00

All treatments are equally beneficial to men and women

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Foods, chemicals in foods, medicines, and environmental factors, including pollen, parasites, dust, animal hair, and chemical toxins, for example, can all cause allergic reactions almost anywhere in the body.

Ayurveda sees ama (toxins) and low immunity as the primary causes of most allergies.  Ama can settle at the digestive level or in the various tissues, with different symptoms at each level. Ama toxicity aggravates blood and Pitta, or it can aggravate Kapha, with different symptoms.

Most of us are familiar with the symptoms of hay fever, or seasonal allergies, runny nose, sneezing, itching eyes, scratchy throat, and itching, swelling, or hives on the skin.

Seasonal allergies occur mostly during spring and early summer, when plants and trees are flowering and producing pollen. Seasonal allergies are also fairly common in the Autumn - many people are sensitive to the molds produced by decaying leaves and other plants.  Animal feathers, hairs and dust cause similar symptoms.

General Treatment

In all cases, nasal medication is recommended for controlling and preventing seasonal allergies.

Home remedies for Hay Fever:

• Dairy products should be avoided, as flour, sugar and salt present in these products will not give relief in hay fever.
• Cut grapefruit and lemon and boil them in some water. Afterwards mince them together. Add some honey and have this solution three times in a day for a speedy recovery from hay fever. 
• To open the blocked nose, put some chamomile in water and boil it. Inhale the fumes of this solution, as it opens up the blocked nose. This is a very effective home remedies for hay fever.
• Ginger is also very effective in treating hay fever. Cold and runny nose can also be cured by drinking ginger tea. 
• Drinking limewater every day early morning on an empty stomach will also boost your immune system. Best effective home remedy for hay fever.
• The mixture of carrot juice and spinach juice in equal proportion is also very effective in the treatment of hay fever.

Nasya

• Do nasya (nasal medication) with coconut oil 2 times a day. Put 2 –3 drops of oil in the nose at bedtime

Diet

Avoid heavy foods, cold drinks, and dairy products (including cheese and yogurt), that increase Kapha and decrease digestive fire. Also, follow diets that rebalance your own pattern of doshic imbalance.

When hay fever allergies are chronic, practice Kapalabhati (see below) regularly to increase stamina.

Pancha Karma Detox Retreats are very effective in reducing hay fever and strenghtening the immune system.

Information sourced from www.ayurveda-foryou.com & www.herbalcureindia.com

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This exercise is used to control the movements of the diaphragm and to remove spasm in bronchial tubes. Consequently, persons suffering from asthma will find this very helpful. It also aids in curing consumption, removes impurities of the blood, and tones up the circulatory and respiratory systems.  Kapalabhati is the best exercise to stimulate every tissue of the body.

Great quantities of carbon dioxide gas are eliminated.  Intake of oxygen makes the blood richer and renews the body tissues.  Moreover, the constant movements of the diaphragm up and down act as a stimulant to the stomach, liver and pancreas.

Start one round of this exercise with ten or fifteen expulsions. At the end of ten expulsions, take a deep inhalation and hold the air as long as possible. This will add its oxygen value and bring a peculiar, pleasant vibration throughout the body, as though you are bathing every tissue of the body with energy.

Practice three rounds to start, each round consisting of ten expulsions, and gradually increase the number of rounds to five or six.  Between successive rounds, normal respiration resumes allowing the needed rest.

After a few weeks' practice, increase the expulsion to twenty or twenty five.  

During the practice, concentrate on the solar plexus and eventually the nervous system will become spiritually active. This will be manifested by a throbbing sensation in the spine and lightness throughout the entire body.

This page is an excerpt from the best-seller "The complete illustrated book of Yoga" by Swami Vishnu-devananda.

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Buckwheat Burgers

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Welcome to Nalanda Ayurvedic Centre.

We reserved the right to make changes to the treatments to give you maximum benefit according to your body type or imbalance.