The Ultimate Guide To Water Kefir

Probiotic - Water Kefir

Water kefir is a light, naturally fermented, effervescent probiotic beverage with a diverse range of flavors and textures. Depending on how you prepare it, your water kefir can be sweet or sour with a texture ranging from light and sparkling to deep and yeasty.

It can even become a little bit alcoholic which may be of interest to some (around 0.5% or more depending on how long you ferment it and conditions).

Water kefir is made by mixing water kefir crystals or “grains” with water and sugar, and allowing the mixture time to ferment. These grains are actually Symbiotic Colonies Of Bacteria & Yeast (aka, SCOBYs), and come in the form of beautiful, translucent-jelly-crystals. In the right environmental conditions they can more than double in quantity every day!

Water kefir grains thrive on a mineral and carbohydrate-rich liquid diet. They can live in sugar water, fruit juices, coconut water, in soy/almond/rice milk, or even honey. Adding whole fruits to your kefir can give your SCOBYs a natural yeast boost, and enhance the flavor.

These little grains metabolize sugars into beneficial acids, releasing B vitamins and other healthy enzymes which aid digestion and nutrient absorption.

Why is it good for you?

This video explains why a healthy gut is good for you.

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The Recipe

Fermentation Fases

When making water kefir, there are generally two phases of fermentation. During each phase, the probiotic concentration of your kefir increases and the sugars you have added decrease as they are consumed by the kefir cultures. Kefir fermentation is anaerobic, which means that no oxygen is required for your cultures to work their magic.

Primary Fermentation

This is the first phase of fermentation, and takes place with your kefir grains present in the solution. During this phase, your ferment’s flavor and texture is heavily influenced by any fruits or roots present.

Fermentation proceeds at a faster rate, due to the large population of microorganisms (kefir grains) present.

Secondary Fermentation

This phase begins after the kefir grains are removed from your kefir. Your beverage will continue to ferment due to the invisible bacterial cultures still present.

Often additional sugar-source (i.e. syrups, fresh fruits, jam) is added during this phase and in a closed vessel or bottle so that carbonation can build.

What Kefir Grains Do I Use?

First off, make sure you get WATER KEFIR grains. There is a difference between milk kefir and water kefir grains, and they are not interchangeable.

Next up, you’ll have to decide if you want powdered, dehydrated or live kefir grains.

Powdered Kefir Grains

• Unlimited Shelf-Life
• Use immediately
• Doesn't reproduce

Powdered kefir has unlimited shelf-life and is ready for immediate use. However, it generally isn’t able to reproduce for more than a few batches of kefir. You will have to keep buying more.

Dehydrated Kefir Grains

• Unlimited Shelf-Life
• Requires re-hydration
• Lifetime supply

Dehydrated kefir grains have a nearly unlimited shelf-life, but you need to rehydrate them for a few days before you can use them. Once they’re out of “hibernation”, they will multiply indefinitely.

Hydrated / Live Kefir Grains

• Limited Shelf-Life 
• Use immediately
• Lifetime supply

Live kefir grains are delivered in a sugar-water solution. They don’t live indefinitely without regular care, but they are ready for immediate use and will multiply, providing you with a lifetime supply of kefir grains.

Re-hydrating Kefir Grains

If you’ve purchased dehydrated water kefir grains, you will need to “activate” (aka rehydrate) them first.

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon dehydrated water kefir grains

• 4 cups (1L) of boiled & warm water

• ½ cup (100G) of sugar (raw cane sugar, white refined sugar is fine, jaggery, coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, rice syrup, barley malt)

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Instructions:

1. Add ½ cup (100g) of sugar to 4 cups (1L) of warm, dechlorinated water in a clean, non-metal vessel (glass jar or a plastic bottle).
    
2. Stir till sugar is completely dissolved. Allow the sugar-water to cool to room temperature.
    
3. Once the sugar water is completely cooled (hot water can kill your kefir!) add 1 tablespoon of dehydrated kefir grains.
    
4. Do NOT seal the container! Your kefir needs to breathe, and gas build-up in a sealed container could lead to explosions. Cover your jar with a paper towel, or a coffee filter, or a dishcloth, and secure in place with a rubber band.
    
5. Wait 3 days.
    
6. Strain the re-hydrated kefir crystals out of the water and throw away the rehydration liquid - it will not have been significantly cultured by the rehydrating grains and is not so flavorful.
    
7. Use your activated kefir grains in your first recipe!

Basic Water Kefir Recipe

Now that you have your live, hydrated water kefir crystals, it’s time to make your first basic water kefir! (I'll be making one of my favorites - a refreshing fig-lemon-goji berry tonic.) 

You will need:

• 1 tablespoon active (hydrated) water kefir grains

• 4 cups (1L) boiled & warm water

• ½ cup of sugar (raw cane sugar, white refined sugar is fine, jaggery, coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey, agave syrup, rice syrup, barley malt)

• Dried or fresh fruits & roots for flavoring (for example: dried figs, cherries, lemon slices, apple slices, sarsaparilla, fresh ginger, goji berries, dates, etc)

• (Optional) Flavored syrups, juices and extracts (lavender, vanilla, apple juice...)

Instructions:

1. Make your sugar solution. Add ½ cup (100g) of sugar to 4 cups (1L) of boiled, still warm water in a jar or plastic bottle. Stir till sugar is completely dissolved. Allow the sugar-water to cool to room temperature.

2. Add active kefir grains. Once the sugar water is completely cooled (again, hot water can kill your kefir!) add 1 tablespoon of active kefir grains.

NOTE: the more grains you have, the faster they digest available sugars, thus the faster your kefir will be ready. You may need to add more sugar and water.

3. Add dried and fresh fruits. The extra yeasts from the skin of the fruits help the fermentation process as your kefir grains eat the sugars and create more carbonation while adding fruity natural flavours.

4. Seal your container. Water kefir grains do not need oxygen to survive (like a kombucha SCOBY does), so your vessel can be sealed or lightly capped. The tighter the cap, the more carbonation builds up. I use a wide mouth jar so i can get fruit and the grains out and in more easily than a bottle neck

NOTE: over-carbonation can be dangerous, especially in glass containers! Open the cap every 1-2 days to release air-pressure and to avoid explosions.

5. Watch your ferment. After 48 hours, the fruit that sank to the bottom of your jar should now be floating at top. This means carbonation and fermentation are happening!

6. Pour the flavorful, effervescent liquid into a bottle while straining out the kefir grains.Place your grains in another sugar-water solution. These happy fellas have probably doubled in quantity, and are ready for your next ferment.

NOTE: You are what you eat, and your water kefir grains are no different. Expect them to change color according to the sweeteners, flavours and added ingredients you ferment them with. When you use hibiscus tea and honey to make a ferment it changes the grains pink!

7. The liquid product, now separated from the grains, is “Water Kefir’ and will continue to ferment and carbonate in the sealed bottle (secondary fermentation). This beverage can be cooled and enjoyed as is. 

Optionally, you can enhance it further with herbs such as mint and cardamom, sweeteners such as sugar or honey, and various flavored syrups. You can even use it as a “starter” for other sodas & vegetable ferments, or instead of yeast for baking... the possibilities are limitless!

NOTE: Your final beverage will have MUCH fewer calories than your initial ferment. Water kefir feeds on sugars, digesting them and releasing CO2 (carbonation) in the process. Water kefir bacteria can eat maple syrup and agave syrup, unlike kombucha cultures. Sugar-free sweeteners such as stevia will NOT feed your kefir, but feel free to add it to your finished product for an low-calorie sweet taste!

Water Kefir Flavors

Now that you have the basic recipe for making water kefir, it’s time to start experimenting!

Every water kefir has 3 variables:

• Sugar you feed your grains
• Fruits and herbs you feed your kefir grains (primary fermenation)
• Flavorings and syrups you add AFTER you’ve removed your grains (secondary fermentation)

Maintaining Your Kefir

1. Feed regularly. Water kefir grains want to be fed every 2-3 day
    
2. Keep at room temperature. Your kefir ferments best at a room temperature environment (again, if they are kept in cooler places, they are less active and need to be fed less often).
    
3. Refresh sugar-water. As your grains ferment, over time they create a sour, acidic environment. For our digestion and palate this is great, but an environment that is too acidic can be harmful to your grains. 
   
   If you don’t regularly change their sugar water (strain and reintroduce into a fresh sugar water solution), the organisms in your kefir grains will “pickle” themselves, eventually dying and then decomposing into nothing in their liquid habitats.
    
4. Mid-term storage. Going away for up to 2 weeks? Put fresh your grains in a fresh sugar-water solution and place in the fridge to slow fermentation.
    
5. Long-term storage. Going away for a longer than 2 weeks? Strain your grains into a plastic bag or freezer safe (non-metallic!) container, and place in your freezer. They can survive for months in this “hibernation” state. 
   
   When you are ready to use them again, put the ice-chunk of kefir grains back into a sugar-water solution, where it will thaw and start eating again. Add some “welcome-home” fruits, a cleaned eggshell for extra calcium, or a pinch of baking-soda for minerals.
    
6. Too many grains? They multiply fast, and this can easily become an issue for you. Try dehydrating your grains using a dehydrator, or simply spreading them out on a plate with good air circulation. 
   
   As long as the grains are not heated to a temperature over 130 degrees, they will not die and can be re-hydrated when the time comes. This is also a great method for people moving overseas or as a backup!
    
7. Vessels and Equipment. I prefer using glass as it’s transparent, I can see what is happening inside and there is no chance or plastic leaking anything into my kefir to hurt me or my kefir grains. 
   
   Stainless steel can work, but again, you can’t see what’s happening inside, and I like to avoid using metal whenever possible as metal is an irritant to the grains. One exception is the strainer. If you have a plastic sieve, great, but brief contact with a metal strainer is not a problem.

Interested in reading more? This article was inspired by https://ediblealchemy.co/water-kefir/ Check it for further inspiration! 

Vegan Coconut Dessert

Picture: @foodstylingjulieteeken 

Recipe: 

- Roasted oats
- Big dates
- Table spoon of coconut oil
- Cinnamon
- Pinch of salt

(Add any dried fruits or nuts if you want to change the flavor a bit)

Bottom:

Mix all the ingredients together in a blender. Put the sticky mixture in the small cake forms, divide evenly and put them in the freezer for a little while to harden. 

Take them out of the freezer when they are solid and take them out of the cake forms. 

Topping:

Put the coconut yoghurt in a bowl and sweeten with a little agave or maple syrup or even add a flower blossom if you like! Stir and scoop the mixture on the bottoms. 

Add any seasonal fruits you like on top and enjoy! 

Birth control application based on mathematics

Swedish nuclear physicist just got the world’s first approved birth control app - as effective as the pill but using only mathematics

Elina Berglund

For over a year Elina Berglund nuclear physicist has been fighting authorities and malicious headlines. Now her app will be the first in the world to be approved as a contraceptive.

“It feels incredibly exciting that there is now an approved alternative to conventional pregnancy prevention methods, and that it’s possible to replace medication with technology,” says a more than satisfied Elina Berglund, who founded Natural Cycles together with her husband Raoul Scherwizl.

The approval comes from the German inspection and certification organization Tüv Süd, which has classified the app in the medicinal category of IIb. That means Natural Cycles officially offers a new, clinically tested alternative to birth control methods such as contraceptive pills, contraceptive implants and condoms.

2015 was a turbulent year for the founding couple. The difficulties peaked November 25 when the ruling of the Swedish Medicinal Products Agency reached their inbox. It demanded that all talk of contraceptive should be done away with in ten days, while the agency continued to investigate the matter. The app’s users were informed two days before Christmas.

“At that point it felt tough. Really tough. After all, the app had been developed for birth control,” Elina Berglund told Veckans Affärer in an interview during the summer of 2016.

On top of that, the information that the Medicinal Products Agency was investigating Natural Cycles leaked, and from the peak revenue of $280,000 in October 2015 they experienced a dramatic decline. 

”By December our revenues were $120,000.”

The storm continued: Frightening headlines about Natural Cycles attempting to trick young women who lack the discipline to protect themselves, along with strict monitoring from the Medicinal Products Agency.

Now, more than a year later, Elina Berglund and her husband finally get their long-awaited vindication. The previous prognosis of doubled revenues for 2016 was lost in the time pending approval, but now it’s time to strive onward again.

“We barely grew at all last year, so now we’ll have to double up this year instead and go from revenues of about SEK 18 million to SEK 36 million.”

The plans of a big scale launch in the US will have to wait pending approval from the American regulatory agency, FDA. Instead, Natural Cycles will go ’all in’ into the UK, which is already one of the biggest markets for the company.

Natural Cycles calculates daily fertility with an algorithm.

To use the app, women measure the temperature underneath their tongues every morning and enter the measurement into the app. An algorithm developed uniquely for the app then determines whether you’re fertile or not that day, so that you know if you risk pregnancy by having unprotected sex. 

Natural Cycles has over 150,000 users in 161 countries and a clinical study has proved that using the app is as effective as a method of birth control as being on the pill. 

Read the original article on Veckans Affärer. Follow Veckans Affärer on Facebook and Twitter. 

Detox Tips from Ike Dielesen

Starting your Monday on a positive note!

Detox tips from Ike Dielesen

The pose I recommend you today is cat pulling its tail. It is a yin focused pose where you can stay longer in the pose, from 2 until 20 minutes. You can come to the belly, bringing the right knee to the side, then stretching the left arm towards the front. You can rest your head at the arm or maybe at one point you would like to use a blanket or pillow. Then bringing the left leg towards the left side as much as possible, bending that knee and holding on to the left foot or ankle with your right hand. You can twist how far it feels comfortable. Keeping your attention in the upper belly area, imagining the energy flowing around. In the upper belly area, manipura chakra is located. An energy centre connected with the element fire. It is related to your will-power and your self-esteem. It is also a place where we digest food, and moreover life. So twists are nice poses to detox and bringing your focus to the manipura centre.

Pose: Cat pulling its tail

Another pose can be a simple twist. Laying at the back with both knees bend. If you would like to you can bring the left leg over the right and then bring both knees towards the right. You can stretch out the arms to the side or just the left arm. Sometimes you can even create a bit of a stretch in the shoulder. Staying there for 2 to 5 minutes, taking a pause in the middle and then do the same thing at the other side.

Pose: Simple twist

Ike Dielesen teaches every Yin Yoga every Monday evening from 20:00-21:30 and the Friday morning flow from 07:00-08:00. You can also join her once a month on Friday from 19:30-21:30 with a special Yin & Chakra Journey.

Health Tips For Pitta Constitution

General Health Tips

It's important for Pittas to keep cool by avoiding overexposure to direct sunlight and fried and spicy foods. Avoid alcohol and tobacco, overworking, and overheating. When aggravated, susceptible to feeling negative emotions like hostility, hatred, intolerance, and jealousy. Choose fresh vegetables and fruits that are watery and sweet, especially cherries, mangoes, cucumbers, water melon, and avocado. Have lots of salads with dark greens such as arugula, dandelions, and kale. Avoid conflicts. Cultivate the virtues of honesty, morality, kindness, generosity, and self-control.
 

Exercise

Pitta recommended classes at The Conscious Club

Benefit from cultivating a calm, relaxed attitude toward their practice and letting go of their competitive tendency.

Avoid : Heat, yoga forms that cause profuse sweating. You may want to schedule your yoga sessions during cooler times of the day, such as dawn or dusk.

We recommend the following type of classes:

• Yin / Yang Yoga

• Traditional Hatha Yoga

• Meditation

• Yin Yoga

• Lu Jong Tibetan Healing Yoga

• Tai Chi

• Qi Gong

• Morning Flow

• Slow Flow

• Hatha Flow

Events
The Zen Special: Yin Yoga & Yoga Nidra
Meditation & Music
Sound Journey
Deep Restorative Sessions
Kirtan: The Sound of Yoga
Yin & Chakra Journey
Ayurvedic Lifestyle Class
Sacred Cacao Ceremony
Hip Opener Series

Food

Pitta is oily, sharp, hot, light, spreading, and liquid. Foods that neutralize these qualities are foods that are dry, mild, cooling, grounding, stabilizing and dense. When we take a closer look at the qualities of various foods, we will have an improved understanding of these qualities so they can guide you in making specific dietary choices that will better support Pitta:

• Favour cool over warm

• Favour dry and dense over oily or liquid

• Favour mild over sharp

Tastes to Favour and Avoid

• Emphasize: sweet, bitter and astringent (flavour of dryness)

• Minimize: pungent (spicy, hot), sour and salty

How to Eat

When it comes to reducing Pita, how we eat may be just as important as what we eat.

Pitta’s strong and sharp appetite has a general intolerance for skipping meals. A regular eating schedule of at least tree meals a day is recommended. Eating at the same time each day will also help balance pitta’s overactive digestive fire.

For Pitta it’s important to eat in peaceful environment. An environment where we can offer our full attention to the food we’re eating. This will help prevent overeating, which is common with pitta’s strong appetite.
 

What to eat

• Fruit

• Vegetables

• Grains

• Legumes

• Nuts and seeds

• Oils

• Sweeteners

• Spices

• Food at the Conscious club

Ayurvedic food combining

Careful food combining can improve the quality of digestion, support the body in receiving a deeper level of nourishment, and positively impact our overall health. The Ayurvedic perspective is that each food has a distinct combination of tastes and energies – and a corresponding affect on both the digestive system and on the body as a whole. Combining foods with radically different energetics can overwhelm the digestive fire and can cause indigestion, fermentation, gas, bloating, and the creation of toxin

Notice which foods you combine that may be difficult to digest together, and how often you indulge in them. Become aware of how you feel afterwards. Do these choices affect your energy level, your digestion, your elimination, the coating on your tongue? Are particular combinations more noticeably influential than others? These are all important pieces of information.
 

When to eat

Breakfast is a very important meal when Pitta is elevated. Good choices are sweet, high in carbohydrates but also offer sustained energy.

Lunch is the main meal of the day, meaning it’s the largest and the most nourishing of the three. A wide variety of Pitta appropriate grains, beans, and vegetables are great building blocks for lunch.

Dinner is ideally smaller and lighter than lunch. But needs to be adequate to sustain pitta’s active metabolism.

Pitta Constitution

Pitta Constitution

Pitta Dosha - Pitta is the transformational force that causes things to change from one condition to another, like food becoming tissue through the digestive fire. It's the energy that controls the body's metabolic systems, including absorption, nutrition, digestion and your body's temperature. Pitta brings about a change of level or manifestation. It causes things to move up or down and brings in the new. We deal with Pitta second to make sure that we are digesting our life-experience properly.

• Dosha In balance: Leads to contentment and intelligence.

• Dosha Out of balance: Can cause ulcers and anger.

Characteristics of Pitta mind/body type: 

• Medium physique, strong, well-built

• Sharp mind, good concentration powers

• Orderly, focused

• Assertive, self-confident, and entrepreneurial at their best

• Aggressive, demanding, pushy when out of balance

• Competitive, enjoy challenges

• Passionate and romantic

• Strong digestion, strong appetite, get irritated if they have to miss or wait for a meal

• When under stress, Pittas become irritated and angry

• Skin fair or reddish, often with freckles

• Sunburns easily

• Uncomfortable in sun or hot weather, heat makes them very tired

• Perspire a lot

• Good public speakers

• Generally good management and leadership ability, but can become authoritarian

• Subject to temper tantrums, impatience, and anger

• Typical physical problems include rashes or inflammations of the skin, acne, boils, skin cancer, ulcers, heartburn, acid stomach, insomnia, dry or burning eyes.

Dosha Out of Balance:

• Angry, Irritable

• Hostile, Enraged, Destructive

• Impatient

• Critical of self and others

• Argumentative, Aggressive

• Bossy, controlling

• Frustrated, Willful, Reckless

• Acidity, heartburn, Stomach ulcer

• Fitful sleep, Disturbing dreams

• Diarrhea, Food allergies

• Bad breath, Sour body odor

• Very sensitive to heat, Hot flashes

• Skin rashes

• Boils

• Bloodshot eyes

• Acne

• Weakness due to low blood sugar

• Fevers, Night sweats

Health Tips For Kapha Constitution

General Health Tips

It's important to be active on a daily basis as Kapha types are prone to sluggishness, depression, and being overweight. Getting out of the house and actively seeking new experiences is also recommended. Be receptive to useful change, be intentional in implementing life-enhancing actions. Choose foods that are light, warm, and spicy. Tea with dried ginger and lemon is a great pick-me-up for Kaphas. Avoid heavy oily and processed sugars, which are detrimental to Kaphas. Use lots of spices such as black pepper, ginger, cumin, chili and lots of bitter dark greens.

Exercise

Kapha recommended classes at The Conscious Club

Most of the standing poses are invigorating, especially if you hold them for a longer time. A stimulating, energizing yoga practice is ideal.

We recommend the following type of classes:

• Kickboxing

• Traditional Hatha Yoga

• Slow Flow

• Hatha Flow

• Vinyasa

• Lu Jong Healing Yoga

• Kundalini Yoga

• Morning Flow

Events:

Kickboxing XL
Sound Journey
Kirtan: The Sound of Yoga
Ayurvedic Lifestyle Class
Sacred Cacao Ceremony
Hip Opener Series
Meditation & Music

Food  

Kapha is heavy, cool, oily, and smooth, so eating foods that neutralize these qualities – foods that are light, warm, dry, and rough – can help to balance excess Kapha. When we take a closer look at the qualities of various foods, we will have an improved understanding of these qualities so they can guide you in making specific dietary choices that will better support Kapha:

• Favour light and airy over dense and heavy

• Favour warm over cool or cold

• Favour dry over moist and oily

• Favour rough over smooth

Tastes to Favour and Avoid

• Emphasize: pungent (spicy, hot), bitter and astringent (flavour of dryness)

• Minimize: sweet, sour and salty

How to eat

When it comes to pacifying Kapha, how we eat can have a profound impact on our degree of success. Kapha does well to stick to three square meals per day, and sometimes just two meals are sufficient. It’s also best to eat your meals at consistent times from one day to the next. You can further kindle a sluggish digestive fire about 30 minutes before lunch and dinner by chewing a slice of fresh ginger (about the size of a nickel) with a pinch of sea salt, a few drops of lime juice.  This helps to prepare the digestive system to receive food and to process it effectively. During meals, it is very important to eat in a peaceful environment and to give your full attention to the act of being nourished so that your body registers satisfaction. This will help reduce overeating and emotional eating, which often plague Kapha. Fast foods, sweets and excessive amounts of bread and other comfort foods can be especially Kapha provoking.
 

What to eat

• Fruit

• Vegetables

• Grains

• Legumes

• Nuts and seeds

• Oils

• Sweeteners

• Spices

• Food at the Conscious club

Ayurvedic food combining

Careful food combining can improve the quality of digestion, support the body in receiving a deeper level of nourishment, and positively impact our overall health. The Ayurvedic perspective is that each food has a distinct combination of tastes and energies – and a corresponding affect on both the digestive system and on the body as a whole. Combining foods with radically different energetics can overwhelm the digestive fire and can cause indigestion, fermentation, gas, bloating, and the creation of toxin

Notice which foods you combine that may be difficult to digest together, and how often you indulge in them. Become aware of how you feel afterwards. Do these choices affect your energy level, your digestion, your elimination, the coating on your tongue? Are particular combinations more noticeably influential than others? These are all important pieces of information.
 

When to eat

Breakfast is often somewhat optional when kapha is elevated. Kapha benefits tremendously from the unforced, overnight fast between dinner and breakfast. If the appetite has not returned upon waking, it’s likely that a light breakfast of fresh fruit or tea will suffice.  

Lunch is the main meal of the day, meaning it’s the largest and the most nourishing. Build your lunches around consuming lots of steamed and sautéed vegetables, and compliment them with beans, appropriate grains, non-yeasted breads.

Dinner is ideally significantly smaller and lighter than lunch. Soups and stews are often a wonderful choice because they are warm and nourishing, even when light. A smaller serving of lunch can often work, too. For some, especially when weight loss is indicated, it’s best to forego dinner altogether in favour of a healthy breakfast and lunch, or to eat a more substantial breakfast and make dinner the ultra-light meal of the day.

Kapha Constitution

Kapha Constitution

Kapha Dosha - Kapha is the sustaining force that upholds previous conditions, whether of health or disease. It's the energy that controls growth in the body. It supplies water to all body parts, moisturizes the skin, and maintains the immune system.

Kapha holds back and preserves both inhibiting the horizontal movement of Vata and the vertical movement of Pitta. It also provides the fuel that the other two doshas rely upon to produce their energy, which serves to stabilize them. We deal with Kapha third in order to guard our base.

• Dosha In balance: Expressed as love and forgiveness.

• Dosha Out of balance: Can lead to insecurity and envy.
  

Characteristics of Kapha mind/body type: 

• Easygoing, relaxed, slow-paced

• Affectionate and loving

• Forgiving, compassionate, nonjudgmental nature

• Stable and reliable

• Faithful

• Physically strong and with a sturdy, heavier build

• Have the most energy of all constitutions, but it is steady and enduring

• Slow speech, reflecting a deliberate thought process

• Slower to learn, but outstanding long-term memory

• Soft hair and skin; tendency to have large "soft" eyes and a low, soft voice

• Tend toward being overweight

• May also suffer from sluggish digestion

• Prone to depression

• More self-sufficient

• Gentle, and essentially undemanding approach to life

• Excellent health, good immune system

• Very calm

• Strive to maintain harmony and peace in their surroundings

• Not easily upset and can be a point of stability for others

• Tend to be possessive and hold on to things.

• Don't like cold, damp weather

• Physical problems include colds and congestion, sinus headaches, respiratory problems including asthma, allergies, and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

Dosha Out of Balance:

• Sluggish thinking, Dull thinking

• Groggy all day

• Apathetic, no desire

• Depressed, Sad, Sentimental

• Slow to comprehend, Slow to react

• Procrastinating, Lethargy

• Clingy, hanging on to people and ideas

• Greedy, Possessive, Materialistic

• Sleeping too much

• Very tired in the morning, hard to get out of bed

• Drowsy or groggy during the day

• Weight gain, obesity

• Mucus and congestion in the chest or throat

• Mucus and congestion in the nose or sinuses

• Nausea

• Diabetes

• Hay fever

• Pale, cool, clammy skin

• Edema, water retention, Bloated feeling

• Sluggish digestion, food "just sits" in the stomach

• High cholesterol

• Aching joints or heavy limbs

Health Tips For Vata Constitution

General Health Tips

Maintain regular habits, try to eat and sleep at the same time every night. Get enough rest and choose foods that are warm, cooked, nourishing, and easy to digest. Sweet berries, fruits, small beans, rice, and all nuts and dairy products are good choices for Vata types. Exercise intensity should be moderate. A more meditative yoga, Tai chi, walking, and swimming are all good. Avoid strenuous and frantic activities.

Exercise

Vata recommended classes at The Conscious Club
Calming and grounding yoga poses are ideal (root your feet into the ground, reducing anxiety and stress).

Avoid : Fast-paced Vinyasas or flow sequences can aggravate Vata, which is prone to anxiety, overexertion, and fatigue.

We recommend the following type of classes:

• Yin / Yang Yoga

• Traditional Hatha Yoga

• Meditation Monday

• Yin Yoga

• Lu Jong Tibetan Healing Yoga

• Tai Chi

• Qi Gong

• Morning Flow

• Slow Flow

Events:
The Zen Special: Yin Yoga & Yoga Nidra
Yin & Chakra Journey
Deep Restorative Sessions
Sound Journey
Kirtan: The Sound of Yoga
Ayurvedic Lifestyle Class
Meditation & Music
Sacred Cacao Ceremony
Hip Opener Series

Food

Vata is cool, dry, rough and light. Foods that neutralize these qualities are foods that are warm, moist, oily, smooth, and nourishing and can help to balance excess Vata. This section offers a closer look at the qualities of various foods. An improved understanding of these qualities can guide you in making specific dietary choices that will better support Vata:

• Favour warm over cold

• Favour moist and oily over dry

• Favour grounding, nourishing and stabilising over light.

• Favour smooth over rough (raw)

Tastes to Favour and Avoid 

• Emphasize: sweet, sour and salty

• Minimize: pungent (spicy, hot), bitter and astringent (flavour of dryness)
  
  

How to Eat
When it comes to reducing Vata, how we eat may be just as important as what we eat. Vata is deeply soothed when we choose to eat in peaceful environment. An environment where we can offer our full attention to the food we’re eating. Routine itself balances Vata, so the practice of eating three square meals per day (at about the same time each day) further reduces Vata and helps to strengthen delicate digestion.
 

What to eat

• Fruit

• Vegetables

• Grains

• Legumes

• Nuts and seeds

• Oils

• Sweeteners

• Spices

• Food at the Conscious club

Ayurvedic food combining

Careful food combining can improve the quality of digestion, support the body in receiving a deeper level of nourishment, and positively impact our overall health. The Ayurvedic perspective is that each food has a distinct combination of tastes and energies – and a corresponding affect on both the digestive system and on the body as a whole. Combining foods with radically different energetics can overwhelm the digestive fire and can cause indigestion, fermentation, gas, bloating, and the creation of toxin

Notice which foods you combine that may be difficult to digest together, and how often you indulge in them. Become aware of how you feel afterwards. Do these choices affect your energy level, your digestion, your elimination, the coating on your tongue? Are particular combinations more noticeably influential than others? These are all important pieces of information.
 

When to Eat

Breakfast is a very important meal when Vata is elevated. After an overnight fast, Vata needs real nourishment and a hearty breakfast is generally very stabilizing.

Lunch is the main meal of the day, meaning it’s the largest and the most nourishing of the three. Hearty grains, steamed and sautéed vegetables, appropriate breads, soups and stews are excellent foods for lunch. This is also the best time to enjoy a small salad, if you must have one.

Dinner is ideally smaller and lighter than lunch. But to soothe Vata, it needs to offer adequate nourishment. Soups, stews, or a smaller serving are good choices.

Vata Constitution

Vata Constitution

Vata Dosha - Vata, which relates to Prana or life-energy as a whole, is the moving force that keeps everything in the body circulating and working. It's the energy that controls bodily functions associated with motion, including blood circulation, breathing, blinking, and your heartbeat. Vata moves forward in a propulsive motion, making us active and on the go. We must deal with Vata first and make sure that our lives are moving in the right direction. 

• Dosha In balance: There is creativity and vitality.

• Dosha Out of balance: Can produce fear and anxiety.
  

Characteristics of Vata mind/body type: 

• Creative

• Quick to learn and grasp new knowledge, but also quick to forget

• Slender

• Tall and a fast-walker

• Tendency toward cold hands and feet, discomfort in cold climates

• Excitable, lively, fun personality

• Changeable moods

• Irregular daily routine

• High energy in short bursts

• Tendency to tire easily and to overexert

• Full of joy and enthusiasm when in balance

• Responds to stress with fear, worry, and anxiety, especially when out of balance

• Tendency to act on impulse

• Often have racing, disjointed thoughts

• Generally have dry skin and dry hair and don't perspire much

Dosha Out of Balance:

• Worried

• Tired, yet can't relax, Fatigue, poor stamina

• Nervous, Can't concentrate

• Anxious, fearful

• Agitated mind

• Impatient, Antsy or hyperactive

• Spaced out

• Self-defeating

• Shy, insecure, Restless

• Cannot make decisions

• Weight loss, under weight

• Insomnia; wake up at night and can't go back to sleep

• Generalized aches, sharp pains, Arthritis, stiff and painful joints

• Agitated movement

• Very sensitive to cold

• Nail biting

• Rough, flaky skin, Chapped lips

• Fainting spells

• Heart palpitations

• Constipation, Intestinal bloating, gas, Belching, hiccups

• Dry, sore throat, Dry eyes

Ayurvedic Seasonal Guides

Seasonal Guides

Ayurveda considers a seasonal routine an important cornerstone of health, year around. Balancing the nature of your local climate with lifestyle choices that offset the potential for seasonally induced imbalance is one of the simplest ways that you can protect your wellbeing. But, keep in mind that the seasons vary widely from one place to another, as do the qualities that they engender. 

The seasons also affect a healthy practice. The season of cold dampness increases Kapha. The season of warm weather increases Pitta. The season of cool dryness increases Vata, as does the windy season. During the Kapha season, a practice that is more stimulating and warming is better. In the Pitta season, a practice that is cooling is best. In the Vata season, a calming practice supports greater health. 

Fall guide
The fall brings with it a predominance of air element and prana, the vital breath, the subtle essence of life, is abundant in the atmosphere. Autumn is dry, rough, windy, erratic, cool, subtle, and clear. These are all qualities shared by Vata dosha, and because like increases like, autumn is considered a Vata season. 

Winter guide
Everywhere around you the natural world is withdrawing, going dormant, and embracing a long, dark, season of slumber. There is a particular stillness that characterizes winter, and with it comes a subtle invitation to redirect our own energies.

Spring guide
Our physiology senses a natural opportunity for a fresh, clean start; our bodies are primed to lighten things up, cleanse ourselves of any accumulated imbalances, and rejuvenate our deepest tissues. As the natural world emerges from its long winter slumber, it is common to experience a renewed sense of joy and inspiration. 

Summer guide
Summer, like each of the seasons, arrives with its own distinct personality. Depending on your constitution, summer may increase your internal sense of harmony, or it may aggravate one of your innate tendencies.

How Do I Determine My Ayurvedic Type?

How do I determine my type?

What is a dosha (constitution type) and how do I discover my dosha?

Ayurveda is based on the 5 elements and sees the world through the glasses of these elements. Everything consists of a combination of Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth.
How much you have of each of these elements, determines the qualities, but also what goes out of balance first and what symptoms they cause. 

On the basis of the elements, Ayurveda works with three doshas/constitution types.
Ether and Air form Vatha, Fire and Water form Pitta, Water and Earth form Kapha.

How much you have of these elements determine your constitution. This is usually a combination of two doshas, like Vata and Pitta for instance. Once you know your constitution, you know also what elements get out of balance the quickest, so you can give it some extra attention.

Ayurveda makes a difference between two constitutions

• Prakruti: the constitution in which you were born

• Vikruti: your current constitution

We will look at your current constitution to see what is going on and check what can be balanced.

Most books and websites on Ayurveda will offer questionnaires that can be used to determine your mind/body constitution. You can try this test at Holistic Online, which is very detailed and thorough. Most questionnaires are very similar and will provide similar results. Please keep in mind that shorter questionnaires will give a more generalised and approximate result. Also, your body changes with age, seasons, and life situations so the results will change as well. Taking a few different questionnaires will give you a more definite result for your Dosha type.

Dosha Test English: Holistic Online
Dosha Test Dutch:  Ayurvedisch Gezondheidscentrum Nederland
 

What Is Ayurveda?

What is Ayurveda?

Ayurveda, is the natural healing system of India, its traditional medicine going back to ancient times. The same great Vedic seers and sages that produced India’s original systems of yoga and meditation established Ayurveda as well.

"Ayurveda is a holistic science of health, focusing on maintaining a physically and emotionally balanced state."

Ayurveda originated as part of Vedic Science, an integral spiritual science that provides a comprehensive understanding of the entire universe of matter, mind and consciousness. Vedic Science includes yoga, meditation, mantra and astrology, and sets forth Ayurveda as its special branch for healing both body and mind. On this broad and profound background, Ayurveda includes herbal medicine, bodywork, psychology and spirituality. 

“Ayurveda began about 5,000 years ago when Indian monks were looking for new ways to be healthy. Revering their bodies like temples, the monks believed that preserving their health would help them meditate and develop spiritually. Over thousands of years of observations, they gathered all their conclusions and advice and preserved it for future generations. This collection of knowledge came to be known as Ayurveda, the “science or knowledge of life.”

The History Of Ayurveda

Ayurveda is the traditional healing modality of the Vedic culture from India. It is said to be 2000 to 5000 years old, meaning it has stood the test of time. Ayurveda is a Sanskrit word that literally translates as “the wisdom of life” or “the knowledge of longevity”. In accordance with this definition, Ayurvedic medicine views health as much more than the absence of disease. The wise seers and sages of the time, intuitively understanding the physiology and workings of the mind-body-spirit long before the advents of modern medicine, explained the basic principles of Ayurveda.

Ayurvedic medicine was originally an oral tradition, taught and passed directly from teacher to apprentice, who would learn and work side by side. The oldest written codification of Ayurvedic principles is found in the Rig Veda. The fundamentals are then laid out in several major treatises, including the texts from Charaka, Sushruta, and Vaghbhat. There are also numerous other smaller works, written over time to explain the various branches of Ayurveda, which include disciplines such as general medicine, pediatrics, surgery, toxicology, fertility, and rejuvenation. The beauty in the way these have been explained is that they rely on basic principles which can be applied practically in any day and age.

Ayurveda has thus been passed down through the centuries as a complete healing system, evolving to meet the needs of the time, and yet remaining committed to its core principles. Various cultures have drawn upon the ideas of Ayurvedic medicine, and it continues to thrive in both the East and the West. In India, an Ayurvedic physician must undergo at least a 5 year post-graduate degree program (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) to become qualified. In the West, Ayurveda is recognized as a Complementary and Alternative Health System by the National Institutes of Health, and is blossoming in various educational institutions.

Ayurveda is a more recent arrival on the Western scene than Yoga, following closely in its footsteps. Up to thirty years ago knowledge of Ayurveda was confined to a small number of people who knew the greater tradition behind Yoga. In the past few years, along with the explosion of interest in alternative and complementary medicines, Ayurveda has gained a growing recognition. It has now emerged as one of the most important systems of mind-body medicine in the world today.

Ayurveda offers a unique system of treatment based upon life-style adjustments. Its profound classification of mind-body types provides a clear assessment of individual constitution and how to treat it holistically. This makes Ayurveda an ideal practice for disease prevention, promotion of longevity, and increasing our creative powers.

How is Ayurveda different from modern medicine?

• In Ayurveda, every individual is unique and there is no diet or lifestyle routine that works for everyone.

• Prevention is key. Ayurveda focuses on providing specific advice and guidance on how to maintain physical and emotional health.

• Food and lifestyle routines are considered the most important medicine. If you come to an Ayurvedic doctor with a complaint, you are more likely to leave with a recipe than with a prescription for pills.

How Does Ayurveda Work?

How does Ayurveda work?

Ayurveda is based on the 5 elements and sees the world through the glasses of these elements. How much you have of each of these elements, determines the qualities, but also what goes out of balance first and what symptoms they cause. 

The Five Great Elements
Ayurveda believes that everything in this universe is made up of five great elements or building blocks. These are earth, water, fire, air, and ether.

Earth represents the solid state of matter. It manifests stability, permanence, and rigidity. In our body, the parts such as bones, teeth, cells, and tissues are manifestations of the earth. Earth is considered a stable substance.

Water characterizes change and represents the liquid state. Water is necessary for the survival of all living things. A large part of the human body is made up of water. Our blood, lymph, and other fluids move between our cells and through our vessels, bringing energy, carrying away wastes, regulating temperature, bringing disease fighters, and carrying hormonal information from one area to another. Water is a substance without stability.

Fire is the power to transform solids into liquids, to gas, and back again. In other words, it possess power to transform the state of any substance. Within our bodies, the fire or energy binds the atoms together. It also converts food to fat (stored energy) and muscle. Fire transforms food into energy. It creates the impulses of nervous reactions, our feelings, and even our thought processes. Fire is considered a form without substance.

Air is the gaseous form of matter which is mobile and dynamic. Within the body, air (oxygen) is the basis for all energy transfer reactions. It is a key element required for fire to burn. Air is existence without form.

Ether is the space in which everything happens. It is the field that is simultaneously the source of all matter and the space in which it exists. Ether is only the distances which separate matter. The chief characteristic of ether is sound. Here sound represents the entire spectrum of vibration.

Every substance in our world is made up of these five substances. All substances can be classified according to their predominant element. For example, a mountain is predominantly made up of earth element. A mountain also contain water, fire, air and ether. But these elements are very small compared to the earth. So, its classification is the earth.

Ayurveda defines a human as the assemblage of the five great elements plus the "immaterial self."

Doshas / Constitution Types

On the basis of the elements, Ayurveda works with three doshas/constitution types.
Ether and Air form Vata, Fire and Water form Pitta, Water and Earth form Kapha.

Doshas are the energies that make up every individual, which perform different physiological functions in the body.

The three doshas are always intertwined in what they do:
• Vata is the carrier
• Pitta pushes or provokes
• Kapha strengthens or resists
 

How to protect yourself from unwanted energies

Hello world

Imagine yourself going to an unknown country. You have no protective clothes on, you don't have a travel buddy next to you, you don't speak the language and you know nothing about the culture of the country you are in.

With much excitement you say "Hello!" to this new world you know nothing of.

Now two things can happen. 

Either you meet someone good and they quickly wrap a blanket around you to protect you from the crowd, they instantly are your new buddy and make sure you don't have to worry about the language you don't speak or the culture you know nothing of. They are good in their heart and take care of you.

The other option is, you meet someone bad. And the rest speaks for itself.

This is what happens in the spiritual world every day. There are tons of classes, workshops or sessions about opening up and connecting to the unknown, without people knowing anything about the country they are in. They learn how to open up, but they don't learn how to protect themselves. 

A problem not to be taken lightly.

Here are a bunch of tips for those in need!

Tips on how to protect yourself

• Take a shower
  Literally, take a shower. Rinse off the day and the negative energy down the drain. While you are at it, you can choose to imagine sparkles of light rinsing your whole body from head to toe. Wash your hair if the energy feels heavy. You can choose to play a mantra or a list of mantra's which helps taking away the negative energy. We have a Spotify playlist with mantra's here.

• Clear your space
  There are several ways to clear energy in a space. One way is to use a smudge stick like white sage, burn the holy wood Palo Santo, or Frankincense or Mirre on a charcoal tablet in the space you are in. You can start with the corners and ask for divine protection, it can be anyone that resonates you'd like to help clear the space, follow the steps of Ask for help to see how. After the corners you can go through the rest of the space, make sure you open the windows so the smoke and the energy can get out. Playing mantra's is a good way of clearing a space as well. There is great power in Mantra's as they are at least 3000 year old sacred prayers that are still repeated around the globe today.

• Ask for help
  One golden rule with protection is that you have to ask for it. If you're not asking, it's not coming. And when you ask you must do it with the utmost respect towards whom you are asking. Divine protection comes in many forms. Whether that's Buddha, Ganesha, Virgin Mary, Jesus, Allah, Shaman Goodlands, Archangel Michael or all of the Archangels, they are all members of the same team ;) You can also ask the help of Mother Earth, with her powerful snowstorms, rain or wind. Ask the animals or the trees, they are all here to help us. When you work with energy, it’s good to start with what you know. This helps you see whether the energy is manipulated or not. Like we would notice if a lion is feeling a bit off in it’s energy. More difficult to notice when you work with an archangel you’ve never met before! Also, it's good to aim for something big in the line of protecting because it's like asking your late aunt Tilly for help or the army of Archangel Michael, it ain't the same ballpark ;) You can ask for unlimited help, so make your army of light as big as you can!

• Imagine a pyramid of light
  If you are good at using your imagination this works perfectly, imagine a sacred circle of light or a golden pyramid around you. It will be your sacred safe spot (to sleep in). Before you imagine the circle or the pyramid, you have to make sure your aura is cleared, by either clearing the space and asking for help. Say in your mind that the space of pure light is yours and unwanted energies that don't belong are not welcome, then your sacred dome is all yours :) 

• Protective words
  For those who have trouble imagining a pyramid or circle of light, we have another solution, the use of holy words or intentions. I learned this one from a good friend: "Everything that is not good for me, that doesn't belong to me, that is not for my highest purpose, I send it to mother earth, she'll know what to do with it". The other one is from a Brazilian Shaman, use it wisely: "Kadoish, Kadoish, Kadoish, Adonai 'Tsebayoth" - this means: "Expanding Pure Wave Forms As A Power Of One Unto A Deliverance Eternally" - this ancient Hebraic text are words of "the universal laws" - which reminds the darkness to seriously step aside. But you can also choose something from a mantra you know, like "Wahe Guru" :) Good to know: repeat sayings a few times to make it resonate as a sacred chant. 

• Gemstones and crystals
  Gemstones and crystals hold metaphysical properties, alter our moods, and remedy a spectrum of ailments for thousands of years. There are many protective stones like black tourmaline, labradorite or selenite that help with a good night sleep. Crystals tend to amplify and open up, so i'd skip that one in the bedroom, but for daily protection they are beautiful as well. If you walk into a gemstone shop - check what resonates or pops out as the stone for you. You can easily look up it's meaning on the internet. Make sure you don't wear more than 3 different types of stone as they will lose their power. When you lose a stone or it just falls off, then the stone is not necessary to be with you anymore in that period of time.

• Inner light
  “I wish I could show you, when you are lonely or in darkness, the astonishing light of your own being.” - Hafiz of Shiraz.
  Know that the brilliant light inside yourself is enough to see your way through your darkest nights. Your light is a mirror for those in darkness, but no matter what darkness comes our way, love will overcome, ALWAYS. You have a magical diamond in your heart, so let that pure light shine from within! And while you shine, ask for help, members of #teamloveandlight are on their way! You are not alone!

• Create a sacred space
  Surround yourself with sacred objects, you can make an altar with pictures, stones, sea shells, feathers, flowers, you name it! You can have pictures of powerful animals around like the wolf or bear for instance, but also the eagle or owl. You can have Ganesha, Buddha, Jesus, Archangels, Guanyin, a picture of a native american shaman - just pick what resonates with you. Use sacred shapes and forms, like the seed of life or other sacred geometry. Don't be shy or humble in what you pick - you can have it all. Create that what is filled with love, as your own sacred space and circle of light.

Using Your Intentions Well

Everything you do has to be done with respect and the right intentions. There is no room for ego, so always be humble towards those of the divine, or it will backfire on you. Only with dark energies you need to be very strict, stand up for yourself, there is no room for grey matter or discussion, when someone with bad intentions comes along it is either left or right. And that choice is to go with the light or it is going to be ended right here and now. When you feel something is not right, don't hesitate, you feel this for a reason and can end it right there.

In case of emergency you can always walk into The Conscious Club for help.

Protection / Power Bundles

We made little protection bags for those wanting to create a sacred environment. It contains all you need for protection and travels easy. Feel free to drop by to check them out, they are €10,- per bag.

Article: Elizabeth Plokker