THE AYURVEDIC KAPHA SEASON (SPRING) SURVIVAL GUIDE!
Discover simple and effective strategies from Ayurveda that will help you thrive in heart, body and mind this Spring!
The Ayurvedic Blog
How to Thrive in 2021 with Ayurveda
A guide to our favourite Dinacharya (Ayurvedic daily routine) practices to transform your life in 2021.
How an Ayurvedic Cleanse Healed Me
Find out how the classical Ayurvedic dish, Kitchari, brought deep healing to Lisa's body, mind and spirit during one of the darkest periods of her life.
5 New Moon (Amavasya) Practices for Releasing the Old
Learn how to empty out and invite in the new with 5 sacred practices for the New Moon inspired by Ayurveda, Tantra and Vedic teachings.
7 Full Moon (Purnima) Practices & Rituals for Harnessing the Energy of Chandra
Discover 7 simple and free practices to harness the energy of the Full Moon (Purnima) and bring harmony to the feminine energy within your body and being.
End of Summer Tips for Pacifying Pitta
8 Ways Tips to Balance Pitta Dosha + Save 15% Off Pitta Products!
Design your Smoothie for your Dosha!
Smoothies are all the rage these days, but what does Ayurveda have to say about them and how can you prepare your smoothie according to your current Doshic expression?
This Drink will Get You Through the Winter!
We share a simple and deliciously wholesome Winter Tonic to invite warmth and comfort into your body, mind and emotions this Winter.
Living Ayurveda: Why We Choose to be Vegan
“The Rishis tell us that our most significant task as human beings is to take nothing from life for ourselves, but rather to give of ourselves to life. If we were to align our lives with those of plants and emulate their memory of random, selfless acts of giving, we would know that the most divine action we can perform is one of sacrifices as executed by every tree, plant shrub, grass, and herb.”
- Bri Maya Tiwari
Why is RASA Ayurveda committed to staying 100% vegan and cruelty-free, in all of our apothecary products, offerings, and in our own lives, actions and intentions? Because it aligns us to this natural recognition of interconnectedness with this Earth and all Beings. In the Ayurvedic world it is rare to find a commitment to vegan preparations, and RASA is not promoting “veganISM” (there is no call to take on yet another label), but we do invite you to inquire into the impact your every step has upon your own heart, this planet and those who reside here.
Consider how many animal products are consumed as a by-product of our collective pursuit of fun and indulgence. How many animals suffer for our temporary pleasure? Did you know that even wine relies upon fish bones for its processing, and most cheese is filled with rennet (animal stomach lining)? Ayurveda considers that all of creation, including animals, are expressions of the One Consciousness, living through an awe-inspiring diversity of forms. When we look within in deep meditative inquiry, we see this to be true. We feel the chord of sameness and our inherent unity. So when I hurt another ‘form,’ I am contributing to a collective wounding, which will have direct results in my own life. Statistics show that those who work in slaughterhouses have some of the highest percentages of alcoholism and domestic abuse. We are simply not separate. Touch into that knowing. Our nature is #Ahimsa; longing to live in peace and non-violence towards all beings.
There is however, another reason that Ayurveda recommends a vegetarian life. Plants themselves are seen to be great offerers of #Yajna, meaning divine sacrifice or offering. The entire Universe is founded on Yajna, on giving forward. Certain species of trees give oxygen 24 hours a day! Plants are an inspiring embodiment of this selfless giving. While humans and animals may spend their lives chasing their own individual survival and pleasures, plants come into existence with a much more communitarian intention of offering themselves up to continue and maintain the symbiosis of life. Plants do not worry about their own fate, they do not argue and compete amongst themselves, they are not status-seekers, they do not oppose their superiority or seek to be loved and validated. They are a living masterpiece and anyone who has grown a garden knows the awe we can have for their beauty. They sprout, they grow tall, they spread their seeds across the land, they offer their #Prana and nutrients to whatever creature asks for it, they retreat into the earth, and then when the sun beckons, they repeat this cycle all over again. They are wholeheartedly committed to #Dana, selfless giving. We have so much to learn.
We are not born to endlessly take, but to offer our life to life itself.
If we choose to eat more plants with awareness, we absorb their selfless nature, we start to consider how much we truly need to be alive, and we too find ourselves becoming more and more giving. What was once a health, humane or environmental choice, becomes a joy! And our bodies rejoice as well, happy to be charged with the food that nature intended for them.
We challenge you to start out this week fresh, by cutting down on your meat and animal-product consumption by one meal per day. Replace this meal with an abundance of nature’s bounty. Try new recipes! Visit a vegan restaurant. Get your family involved. Explore what happens if we eat less from conditioning and more from freedom. It is one of the primary actions we engage in in this life. What if 3x per day you ate in the spirit of Presence + Love? Well, that would be simply beautiful.
What is your Life Purpose: the Ayurvedic Perspective
RASA was kindly invited to the Toronto celebration for International #AyurvedaDay on Oct. 25th, where Tiffany was asked to speak on the topic of Ayurveda in relation to our purpose in these bodies; in this life.
She touched on the disappointing trend of dilution in Western offerings of Yoga—with a focus uniquely zeroed-in on physical fitness and the body—and how the ancient Ayurvedic texts always pointed to spiritual liberation as the ultimate goal of this life and of Ayurveda, just as it is with its sister science, Yoga.
Tiffany also shared a personal anecdote about how Ayurveda came into her life in her early twenties.
So if Ayurveda—essentially a longing to return to your most authentic Self—is calling to your heart, this is a beautifully accessible introductory talk and a refreshing reminder to Ayurvedic veterans of the foundational and Divine purpose of this sacred science.
And if you feel you've just got to go deeper, then check out our upcoming 50-HOUR AYURVEDA IMMERSION Online Course, starting again NOV. 13th, 2019. For 16 weeks, and from the comfort of your own home, you will gather with community of seekers to learn the foundational principles of this Vedic system of living, in a way that can be practically applied to your daily life. You can pick Tiffany's brain as much as you want during the 3-hour live classes, and know that each session is recorded, meaning that you can catch up in your own time if a class must be missed.
This course has recived rave reviews, so don't miss out! Find out more info here.
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