I thought I’d share a little about Ayurvedic nutrition with you. For Ayurveda nutrition covers what we feed our body, mind and heart.
We feed our body through the food we eat and the elements that food brings with it — these are the basic building blocks of physical existence. Our senses are the doorways through which we feed our mind, while our relationships feed our heart.
Often in the West we want a pill and a quick fix, but our health is something we are creating each day with every food, sensory and relationship choice that we make. This can create the ground from which health and happiness simply, and naturally, flows. When we give time to Ayurveda, a space opens up in our lives which is filled with an ancient knowing.
These posts are sent as little parcels of nourishment for your mind, your body and, over time I hope my words will build into a relationship that feeds your heart.
For those who are new to my posts and haven’t read the ‘about’ page yet, I’m creating a space where I share simple recipes, warm words to exercise your positive neural networks — you can read more about that here, and simple ways Ayurveda can nourish your life.
What’s new?
I’m beavering away in the background creating a podcast that will take you through, step by easy step, the Ayurvedic approach to health. I will be posting this later in the year. This podcast will include how to take care of your digestion — the ground for good health — and your mind. The two go hand in hand.
Talking of beavers, I have a lovely story of how positive change is happening. The beaver in the U.K. became extinct in the 16th century. But at the end of March this year they have reappeared near to where I live! This article tells more.
Photo by Miloszelezny — pixaby
Recipe
Here’s a nice way of combining the Hazelnut, ricotta & wild garlic pesto recipe that you can find here; with the warm creamy nourishment of polenta.
Pesto polenta
I did a little tour of the internet and discovered there are lots of recipes and tips out there for creating the ‘best’ polenta. This is the approach that works for me. I’m enjoying the simplicity of polenta, and that it can be taken in different taste directions — taste for Ayurveda is a whole area of health potential which I will be chatting about on Friday.
INGREDIENTS (per person small plate)
1/4 cup fine cornmeal
1 cup water
1/2 cup milk
Pinch of rock salt
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese or cheddar
2 tablespoons of pesto
METHOD
Put the salt, milk and water in a pan and bring to the boil. Slowly pour in the cornmeal whisking as you do this. Continue whisking until the mixture thickens then turn down low and leave for 30-40 minutes stirring every 5 minutes or so. Then stir in the other ingredients and serve with spring vegetables.
I hope you enjoy this simple tasty dish.
Fall asleep stories
I mentioned in this post that I am writing some ‘fall asleep’ stories that I will be recording for my clients — for those new to my posts I’m a hypnotherapist who supports people when they are stressed. I will also be posting them on my substack and the first episode will be for all subscribers. I thought you might like to read another extract from the first episode of the first series ‘The Sam Series’. You can find the first extract here.
The three dots indicate where to take a little space (count to three) so that your brain rhythm starts to shift into a relaxed state.
Tangerine Beginnings
“….Sam goes down the stairs, there are 10 stairs, and Sam counts each step down, 10, 9, 8, 7, stepping ever so gently with little bare feet, so as not wake anyone, 6, 5, 4, nearly at the bottom now, 3, 2, 1, 0. And now Sam is at the bottom of the stairs, watching as the sunlight comes in through the hall window, across the floor and up the wall…lighting up a picture with flowers on it. Then, Sams little feet patter into the kitchen, past the warm stove where the kittens are sleeping…and out through the back door into the garden.
As Sam steps outside, there is the feeling of cool, damp earth beneath those little feet. A garden path takes Sam past vegetable patches, and just ahead in the sky is a butterfly, beautiful…brightly coloured with reds and blues, purples and golds, as it’s wings gracefully flutter among the flowers and vegetables…in the early morning dappled tangerine sunlight, as tree branches and leaves gently sway, this way and that…lighting up tangerine jewels, treasures, that dance across the garden.
Sam can hear the birds starting to sing their songs, as they fly from tree to tree, and garden to garden. There are so many gardens out back, where everyone plays…some small, some large, but all shared for growing food and playing in… Some of the gardens are little food forests, full of apple and pear trees, plums and greengages, apricots and peaches, with edible plants climbing up their trunks, and underneath, growing out of the cool damp earth, are plants with green leaves and fruit. And underneath this there are wild strawberries, and vibrant green plants with roots that go deep, deep, deep… into the ground.
Sam often comes out here to pick the food, always a rich harvest…In the evenings and at weekends, he comes out with family and friends, even in the winter. Wearing hats and gloves and big coats and scarves. Fires are made for everyone to sit around…to tell stories and cook food, to laugh and sometimes, to fall asleep… under the starry moonlit sky, to the sound of owls terwit twooing, in the treetops….”
Warmest wishes, till Friday,
Lucy x