PRAISE FOR
AYURVEDA MAMA
“I’ve always been fascinated by the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda. Dhyana’ s
book was my go-to for valuable insights thr oughout my pr egnancy—and
these age-old principles supported me and my baby tr emendously . I’m sur e
you’ll gain just as much fr om it as I did.”
—Miranda Kerr , model and CEO of KORA  Organics
“Ayurveda Mama is a must-have guide for every par ent seeking to offer the
best physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual car e to their child. Dhyana
Masla exemplifies how to transform the primor dial needs of conception,
pregnancy , and childcar e into sacr ed practices that will also evolve the
consciousness of both par ents and childr en. Thank you, Dhyana, for
sharing your most intimate journey of mother hood so eloquently and
cheerfully .”
—Divya Alter, Ayurvedic chef, culinary educator , and author of What
to Eat for How You Feel
“Dhyana makes integrating Ayurveda into your life so easy . I could not put
this book down and feel every female, whether you want to have childr en
now or way in the futur e, needs to r ead this wisdom.”
—Melissa Ambrosini, podcaster and author of Mastering Your Mean
Girl
“Dhyana beautifully guides those looking to conceive consciously thr ough
her book  Ayurveda Mama. Conception, pr egnancy , and birth ar e such
powerful experiences, and this book shines a light on the beauty of this
stage of life. Dhyana appr oaches this time in a woman’ s life fr om all fr onts
of yoga, ayurveda, spirituality , and consciousness that truly cr eates aholistic experience, not overlooking one aspect or overpowering another . This book is a beautiful depiction of how to utilize ancient wisdom as well
as the inner -natur e and intuition for the modern and divine mama.”
—Nishita Shah, Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner , C-AIYT , ERYT500
“This book is sur e to be a catalyst for raising the next
generation of enlightened, compassionate, and flourishing
individuals.”
—Jay Shetty , author of Think Like a Monk,  host of the
On Purpose  podcast
OceanofPDF .comOceanofPDF .comShambhala Publications, Inc.
2129 13th Street
Boulder , Colorado 80302
www .shambhala.com
© 2024 by Dhyana Masla
Illustrated by Amy Charlotte
Illustrations © 2024 by Shambhala Publications
Cover art: Amy Charlotte
Cover design: Amy Sly
Interior design: Amy Sly
The statements in this book have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Ayurveda Mama  is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The
information in this book is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical
advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For more information pertaining to your personal needs,
please see a qualified health practitioner . All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher . Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Masla, Dhyana, author . | Devlukia-Shetty , Radhi, author of foreword. Title: Ayurveda mama: a comprehensive guide to preparing for pregnancy , birth, and
postpartum / Dhyana Masla; foreword by Radhi Devlukia-Shetty . Description: First edition. | Boulder , Colorado: Shambhala, [2024] | Includes bibliographical
references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2022056764 | ISBN 9781645471196 (trade paperback)
eISBN 9780834845435
Subjects: LCSH: Pregnancy—Popular works. | Medicine, Ayurvedic—Popular works. |
Prenatal care—Popular works. | Postnatal care—Popular works. Classification: LCC RG551 . M375 2023 | DDC 618.2—dc23/eng/20230418
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022056764
a_prh_7.0_147032500_c0_r0
OceanofPDF .comFOR MY MOM AND DAD
who have been the most loving examples. FOR MY HUSBAND
who has embarked on the journey of conscious parenting with me. & FOR MY LITTLE DARLINGS
who have taught me everything that I know about being a mama. OceanofPDF .comOceanofPDF .comContents
Foreword by Radhi Devlukia-Shetty
Preface
Note to the Reader
Introduction
1
Foundations of Ayurveda
2
Conscious Conception
3
Cultivating the Seed
4
Preparing for Birth
5
The Birth of Your Babe
6The Sacred W indow
7
Newborn Mama
8
Nutrition and Recipes
9
Beneficial Herbs and Essential Oils
Epilogue
Resources
References
Index
About the Author
E-mail Sign-Up
OceanofPDF .comOceanofPDF .comOForeword
ver the past several years, Dhyana has been in my life in many
different ways: as a teacher , as an adviser , and as a friend. Now it
gives me much joy to know Dhyana as an author and recommend her book
Ayurveda Mama  for all mothers- and fathers-to-be. Her book is a must-read
Ayurvedic guide for conscious living and parenthood, full of helpful
insights into how your consciousness plays a role in your child’ s life even
before conception. As a certified Ayurvedic health counselor , an advanced yoga teacher ,
and a practicing yogi, Dhyana infuses her life with conscious and
intentional living. Inspired by her parents, she has practiced the teachings of
Ayurveda from birth. As a teacher herself, Dhyana has a beautiful way of
translating the ancient wisdom and vital knowledge of Ayurveda, making it
easy to apply in the world we live in today . My relationship with Dhyana has transformed over time. I started out as
her yoga student but we became dear friends, and through the years I have
seen firsthand how she weaves Ayurvedic principles into all aspects of her
life. I have always been inspired by the way Dhyana consistently practices
daily rituals, infuses positive ener gy into conversations with others, and
nourishes her body , which she views as an instrument of God’ s grace. She
transforms a simple interaction or conversation into an entire experience
that encourages you to adopt that same lifestyle. As a mother herself, Dhyana has all the credentials for sharing her
experience in this book that simplifies the intricate process of preparing
your mind, body , and soul for the magical journey of parenthood. From
adopting a specific diet, to supporting conception, to cultivating self-care
rituals during pregnancy and postpartum care, her guidance will help you
build a strong foundation for your entry into parenthood. Dhyana has been teaching this Ayurvedic approach to maternal health to
small groups for years, and I am delighted that her book will make this
precious vital knowledge accessible and available to the world.With love and gratitude,
Radhi Devlukia-Shetty
OceanofPDF .comOceanofPDF .comIPreface
remember my mom telling me how much she wanted my sister and me. She and my dad prayed for us, and she told me that on the day we were
each conceived, they meditated on the names of the Divine for over ten
hours. I have always appreciated the deep intention that my parents brought
to the experience of inviting my sister and me into my mama’ s womb. More
than merely a physical act, the act of making love became spiritual; for
them, it became a deep service, an of fering to the world. The practices of Bhakti yoga and Ayurveda include an understanding
that the consciousness of the parents at the moment of conception invites in
a very specific soul. Modern science suggests that the sperm and the egg
gather information from both donors moments to hours before conception. Through this interaction, the emotions that both parents are experiencing
imprint upon the genes of the fetus as their first embodied experience. Understanding this, in most ancient cultures there would be a time of
preparation before conception, during which both parents would create a
very clear intention for what they wanted to contribute to their community
or tribe. They would prepare their bodies. They would look at emotions that
limited them: lust, confusion, greed, anger , envy , and the like, and do the
work necessary to heal. They would meditate on the qualities that they
wanted this soul to embody and try to see how they , themselves, could
embody them more. When couples consummated their love, they would do
so with the intention to propagate a species for evolution. In the Vedic
times, this was seen as pivotal to the maintenance of the earth and of the
future; to bring children into the world who, at the core of their being, felt
at-home, welcomed, and wanted. Ayurveda teaches that a person’ s core belief systems—beliefs that lay
the foundation for how the rest of their lives will be lived—begin to
develop at the moment of conception. By the time mama finds out she is
pregnant, the heart of the fetus is fully exposed. Whether she is excited,
scared, sad, or angry imprints deeply on the little one’ s sense of “self.”Humans are relational beings, and at this very early stage of life, babies
develop in response to those they are connected with. Every thought and
emotion that mama feels while pregnant is felt by her little one. The
mother ’s blood flow is in constant communication with her babe, and as the
mother is experiencing her environmental conditions, the hormones that she
is releasing begin to shape and mold even the physical structure of her baby . Babies that develop in the womb under severely stressful conditions—for
instance in an environment of acute fear , scarcity , or aggression—are born
with a smaller frontal lobe, lar ger adrenal glands, and a weakened immune
system. The thoughts, behaviors, and emotions that a mother experiences
are epigenetically passed along to a child in utero—as they are being
prepared to be born into the same environmental conditions that surround
her—giving the infant a better chance of survival. That being said, is any parent ever truly “ready”? Yes and no. Ayurveda teaches us that we can prepare with as much attention and
intention as possible—but we cannot control the outcomes. Some of you
who are reading this may have been trying to conceive for months or years
already and are feeling more ready than you’ll ever be! Others may be
reading this after finding yourselves unexpectedly pregnant. You may be
excited or resentful (or perhaps teetering between the two! ), feeling that
you’re not ready , your career isn’ t ready , your relationship isn’ t ready . Perhaps you don’ t have a partner to parent with. It could be that you’ve
wanted to become pregnant for some time, yet now that it has happened
you’re grieving the life you’ll be leaving behind. Ayurvedic tradition says
that the soul of your baby comes when it is time, ready or not. This arrival
time is exactly what you need, no matter your situation—you are exactly
the parent that your little one needs, for the evolution of both of your souls’
journeys. Your life—who you are now and everything  about you—is what
your little one needs to experience. What we can do as conscious mamas is
to continue to refine. It is a journey that doesn’ t end, and I hope this book
guides you into becoming more of who you r eally  are, more healed and
more whole, so that you may hold the loving space for your little one to
blossom into their wholeness.Note:  My intention in this book is to be authentic to the ancient tradition
of Ayurveda, and I also hope to share the Ayurvedic approach to conception,
pregnancy , birth, and postpartum health in a way that feels relevant to
readers in our present day . To that end, I strongly encourage everyone who
picks up this book to read themselves into the teachings and practices of
Ayurveda in whatever way best reflects their own experience. I’ve
embraced the word mama  for my own experience, and it’ s a term I have
used in this book as a way of labeling the deeply binding and intimate role
we embark upon when bringing a tender new life into the world. Please
don’t hesitate to substitute whatever loving words and appropriate terms are
a fit for yourself and your own family . Years before conceiving my first baby , I began diving into Ayurveda’ s
teachings about preparing for pregnancy . I learned that there were dietary
and lifestyle recommendations, cleansing and nourishing routines, mantras
for conception, and even details of how to decorate the room. Love is in the
details, and I felt in my heart that the most beautiful way to invite a soul
into my womb would be to pay attention to all the details that have been
passed down for thousands of years through the traditions of yoga and
Ayurveda. While pregnant in 2019, I read every book that of fered a holistic
approach to pregnancy that I could get my hands on. As a first-time mama,
being pregnant and birthing a baby was the greatest mystery , the greatest
adventure I had ever embarked upon! I wanted to feel as prepared as
possible, as I felt that my preparedness would allow me to trust in the
process much more deeply . I was surprised to find that although many books talk about pregnancy ,
and some books talk about building physical and mental health postpartum,
no books shared wisdom about preparing my mind and body , or guidance
about deeply connecting to my spiritual nature, before becoming pregnant.Many books touched on Ayurveda, but none of them overviewed the
entirety of Vedic science from preconception to the weeks postpartum. With my background and deep faith in Ayurveda’ s holistic approach to
health, I wanted more guidance from its ancient (and thus time-tested)
perspective. So I reached out to all the teachers I knew , researched online
and in books, and then put into practice everything that I learned. My
pregnancy was one of the most beautiful and nourishing times of my life! I
felt vibrant, like a shining temple that was housing the most special little
soul. I shared my experiences online throughout my pregnancy as well as
during my postpartum window . I wrote about the dif ferent lifestyle
practices I was applying to invite balance; I talked about the dif ferent herbs
I used to stay nourished; I of fered details about why a newly birthed mama
stays home for the first forty-two days with her little one. I was surprised by
the incredible interest and by the number of mamas who wrote to me
saying, “I wish I knew all these things when I was pregnant!” Hearing the
response of so many mamas moved me to make this wisdom more widely
accessible. All mamas should feel deeply cared for so that they in turn can
care for their little ones in such profound ways. My hope for this book is that it gives parents-to-be the tools to create
the ideal environment (internally and externally) to invite a soul into. I hope
that it may inspire even one family to nourish their little one with deeper
intention, and thus greater love. I pray it gives couples the tools to feel
empowered in their lifestyle choices throughout the childbearing year ,
supporting the health and well-being of themselves and their babe. The
book of fers Ayurvedic wisdom about how to care for a mama postpartum,
so that she may grow , heal, and deepen in ways that she never knew
possible, along with guidance for the newborn mama about how to parent
with more awareness and how to use practical and natural solutions to
correct common newborn imbalances. I’d like to of fer my greatest appreciation to my mom and dad, who have
offered such a beautiful example of intention and love in their parenting. My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all the helpful mamas and mamas-to-bewho generously read dif ferent drafts of this book and of fered abundant
encouragement and helpful feedback. To Krsna Jivani, whose deep passion
about caring for mamas moved her to help me complete this book, I extend
thanks for her countless hours of editing, formatting, writing, meeting, and
cooking. You will find a beautiful short essay toward the end of chapter 6
with her wisdom regarding the postpartum window , as well as other bits of
her knowledge throughout the book. Thank you, Radhi Devlukia-Shetty ,
whose encouragement while I was pregnant inspired me to start writing,
and who lovingly wrote the foreword that makes this book feel complete. And last, my appreciation to all of you reading. Thank you for wanting to
live and love with more intention. For wanting to nourish your little babes
in ways that will invite them to care more deeply for this world and all
beings that live here. The world needs more little ones who are raised like that…who are
loved like that. With love and deep gratitude,
Dhyana Masla
OceanofPDF .comTNote to the Reader
his is for all mamas. To the independent mamas, the single mamas, the mamas with
partners who are not involved, or maybe only partly involved. To the
surrogate mamas, to the mamas who conceived through methods such as
using a sperm donor or with their partners through in-vitro fertilization. To
the same-sex and queer mamas and the mamas whose support systems may
not include an opposite-sex partner but include parents, siblings,
community members, friends, children, doulas, and caregivers. This is for
you. This book is for all mamas, no matter what your life may look like, no
matter what your relationship may look like, no matter what your family
may look like, no matter the country you live in or the resources you have
or the color of your skin or the religion you follow . This is for you. You do not have to have the “perfect” situation in order to implement
conscious parenting, or conscious mothering. You do not have to implement
all or nothing . Take the pieces of knowledge in this book and apply what
resonates with you, what fits with your life, and what feels right. Use this
book as a starting point to dive into your own heart and find the place
within you that is full of deep meaning and intention, so that you can
approach your motherhood from that place, whatever that may look like for
you. You can do this with or without a partner , you can do this with a
support system of your own making, with whomever it is that you love and
cherish. You can do this on your own. The intention to mother with
awareness comes from your heart and your heart only . While Ayurveda
teaches certain rituals, routines, and recipes to promote health and wellness
throughout pregnancy and birth, you don’ t need permission from anyone
else, and you don’ t need a certain environment to look a certain way . Theknowledge and guidelines provided in this book are meant to inspire you to
connect more deeply to yourself. As mamas and pregnant mamas, we can get so wrapped up in wanting
everything to be perfect that we become extra hard on ourselves when
things don’ t work out the way we want them to or when our situations turn
out dif ferent from what we had envisioned. Even in those moments,
everything you learn in this book can be applied. Just do your best, mama,
and that will be enough for your babe. According to Vedic philosophy , nothing can occur without the sanction
of God (you may also refer to God as your higher power , your Source, the
Divine, or whatever word or name resonates with your belief system). Everything that happens in your life, to you and around you, is a co-creation
between you and Source. Your life circumstances are created based on your
desires, your will and actions, and the sanction of the Creator . In your
motherhood journey , there may be circumstances that are challenging, and
you may question many aspects of yourself. Just know that these moments,
and all moments, are there for your soul evolution. Vedic philosophy says that in co-creation with the Supreme, a soul
chooses its next lifetime before taking birth. The soul knows who its family
will be, who its mother will be, and it knows what its major karmic lessons
will be in this lifetime. That means your baby chose you as its mother ,
knowing exactly who you are and what life you will provide it in this world. The baby’ s soul chose you because it knows that your relationship with it,
and the life you provide for it, is exactly what the baby needs on its own
journey of soul evolution. So, mama, if you find yourself questioning your ability to be an
Ayurveda mama based on your external circumstances, your relationship,
your family , your lifestyle or home, the circumstances under which you
conceived, or any other doubts that come up along your motherhood
journey that make you feel “less than,” please know and remember that if
you picked up this book and are reading this right now , you are already an
Ayurveda mama. You are already setting the intention to mother with
awareness and consciousness. You are already creating a life of love andgood health for your baby , just with your intention and desire to better
yourself for them. You are doing a great job, and you will always be the
perfect mother for your babe. With love,
Krsna Jivani
Ayurvedic postpartum doula,
clinical herbalist, and mama
What if every child knew that they were wanted? What if,
from the onset of conception
your child’ s body was literally built in an environment
enveloped in love, care, and deep, deep nourishment? …their nervous system
built with the knowing  that they held value and worth
based on who they are. What if all of the children of the future never had to question
whether they were a burden? If they knew ,
deep down on the cellular level,
that they were prayed for , welcomed, and carried with love. What if all mamas knew
that once the soul enters in,
she wraps that soul in matter
built by the food she consumes
through her eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin? …that this little soul’ s sense of Self
is built by its environment,
cultured by its surroundings,
including the mind and emotionsof the body that sustains it. If parents knew that for the first forty-two days after birth,
their little babe still does not yet know themself as separate. “I am my environment;
the sounds, the temperature, the mood, the emotions
continue to build my nervous system.”
What if their nervous systems were built on a foundation of
love? What if love was their North Star ,
their “normal,”
that they always strived to come back to
when life seemed to throw them off course? Our past experiences build our foundation of “normal.”
Our early experiences shape what we seek in future
relationships. Whatever energy our nervous system was built on
creates a standard
that we return to again, and again, and again. Too many nervous systems are built with anxiety ,
creating a fundamental experience of fear
that we create,
and re-create,
because it somehow reminds us of home. What if intention invited us,
love grew us,
and attention sustained us? What type of leaders would we raise? What quality of relationships would they experience? What injustice would they never settle for?How would they , then, raise their own little ones? What if we knew that how we speak to them
creates the standard of how they will one day speak to
themselves? What if we knew
that as we heal our past,
we give the opportunity for our little ones
to have a better future? What if we knew
to see the best in them, always? If only we knew
that they see themselves
through our eyes. OceanofPDF .comOceanofPDF .comOceanofPDF .comSIntroduction
Birth and infancy ar e beyond the conscious memory of most people. Yet, as primary experiences, they indir ectly pervade every aspect of
our being. —Anodea Judith, Eastern Body , Western Mind
There is no single effort mor e radical in its potential for saving the
world than a transformation of the way we raise our childr en. —Marianne Williamson
o much of the dysfunction in our world and in our relationships comes
from stories that we have built around our earliest experiences. At a
young age, we unconsciously created ways to cope with pain and trauma
when we did not yet have the skills to adapt. We have taken on shields of
armor that have found their home in our bodies and psyches and that now
govern the way we are in the world. This armor keeps us safe—or so we
think. Actually , this armor keeps us from meeting life authentically . It keeps
us from being able to love deeply and fully , feel deeply and fully , live
deeply and completely , with consciousness and intention. So much of the work of inviting a child into this world consciously is
becoming conscious yourself, healing your past and becoming aware of
what’ s driving you. When you can develop a healthy dialogue with the part
of yourself that feels broken, abandoned, or unworthy of love, you begin to
heal. As you become more conscious, you can invite a child into the world
consciously , and then raise a conscious little being who will not have to
spend their whole life healing the wounds from their past, unlearning what
they have learned from their unconscious parenting. I deeply believe that the glory of our future depends on the ways in
which we care for our children today , from preconception, to birth, andbeyond. While their first years do not necessarily determine a child’ s happiness
for their entire life, their rapidly growing brain during that time builds a
foundation for how they will communicate and interact with the world
based on how the world has responded to them. In a baby’ s first years of
life, cries are common signals for a caregiver ’s nurturing. The cycle
completes when the caregiver responds to the baby’ s crying by feeding
them, changing their diaper , or rocking them to sleep. Foundational beliefs
such as “the world is safe (or unsafe),” “I will be provided for (or there is
not enough to go around),” “I am enough (or I have to prove my worth),” “I
am supported (or I must do it all myself),” or “It is okay to ask for what I
need (or my needs will never be met)” are all created, subconsciously , based
on our environment and how our primary caregivers show up (or do not
show up) for us. Investing early in our children means not only giving them
food and clothes: it means giving them presence, security , attention, and
love. Yoga and Ayurveda teach us that experiences begin to imprint themselves
on the baby’ s mind and body during pregnancy . Based on the emotional,
spiritual, and physical environment within which the child is developing,
these impressions will either serve to uplift the child and create patterns of
harmony , trust, and connection or they will create patterns that will play
themselves out in the future through dysfunctional relationships, addictions,
violence, fear , and anxiety . Some babies are created in the context of challenging circumstances. Perhaps a mama has faced violence while the baby is growing in the womb,
or a baby has been unknowingly conceived and not initially wanted, or a
mama’ s needs have not been met. Left unaddressed, these experiences may
create a foundation for a baby’ s future built on the sense that they are not
safe, valuable, worthy , or deserving of love. Their nervous systems may be
built on a foundation of dis-ease or instability . But if you are reading thisbook, you are taking the necessary step to invite your little one into your
womb on purpose, and with utmost intention; you are demonstrating the
desire to establish a deep, fundamental, core belief within your child that
they are wanted and not a burden. If you cultivate their presence with love
and deep care while they are in your womb, their nervous system will be
soft and at ease. Ideally a mama will be nourished and supported throughout
pregnancy , which helps assure that the baby’ s mind and mood will be
stable. The more safe and secure you can feel in all aspects of your life, the
more your little one will feel that they too are at home. Although the mind may not remember , our bodies remember
everything. All of your past experiences are imprinted onto your nervous
system. Those experiences create fundamental belief systems about you and
your place in the world. If a child does not feel valued, they will be on the
quest to validate their value in their role or position. If they did not feel
worthy of love and attention, they may spend their entire life trying to prove
their own worth. If they were spoken to in ways that were condescending,
they will speak to themselves in the same way and then project that same
energy into other relationships in their life. If they do not do the inner work
to heal, they will treat their own children in the ways that their parents
treated them, thus continuing the cycle of abuse and dysfunction. In the same way , the love and af fection, the attention and intention, that
you pour into your little one grows a human being who is emotionally
adept. If you raise them with care, they learn how to care for themselves,
for others, and for the world. If you speak to them with kindness, they learn
to be kind. If you are able to be with them when they are feeling big
emotions (rather than trying to fix, change, or control), they learn how to
not run away from themselves. If you are present with them, of fering them
your full attention, they learn that they are valuable and worthy of loving
attention. If you listen and respond, they become capable of doing the same. If you teach boundaries in a supportive way , they understand that
boundaries are not limiting but are important in order to protect what is
sacred. By your example, and by the ways that you treat them, they learn
how to be in the world.How can you heal your own body so that you can provide this little soul
with a healthy and strong vehicle to live in? How can you become more
conscious and intentional, and then invite a child into the world with more
consciousness and intention? How can you strengthen your own
relationship so that you can show your little one what it means to really
love? How can you identify your own limiting belief systems so that you do
not instill the same beliefs into your child? How can you learn to feel, and
thus to heal,  the parts of yourself that you’ve learned to be unworthy? How
can you live a life founded in trust, harmony , and love, so that those are the
patterns that build your little one’ s foundation? By raising wholesome individuals who feel safe, loved, and cared for , you
begin to create a world that is more safe, loving, and caring. By existing in
conscious, loving partnerships and intentionally bringing children into this
world, you breed a world where each person feels fundamentally important
and will thus give what is important back to the world. This book explores, through the lens of Ayurveda, ways to build a
foundation of health before conception; the process of consciously inviting
a child into the fertile soil already established; how to maintain balance
throughout pregnancy; ways to prepare for birth and labor; the classical yet
practical ways to nourish the newborn mama and surround your little one
with love and care during the first forty-two days after birth; reflections on
mothering with self-awareness; the basics of caring for a newborn; and
knowledge about using diet, herbs, and essential oils to support the health
of you and your little babe. We will explore the ancient science of Ayurveda
as it applies to conceiving, growing, birthing, and caring for this precious
soul who has been entrusted to your care. You are my greatest adventure
and my greatest mystery . I have never felt so protective over anyoneor anything
in my life. May my heartbeat sustain you,
little one. With all the love and care and soul nutrition
that lets you know that you are always safe,
always taken care of,
always at home. May this foundation give you the strength
for a lifetime of service
so that you may experience
unmotivated
uninterrupted
unconditional
love
OceanofPDF .comOceanofPDF .comFoundations of Ayurveda 1 
The state of ill health is a moment-to-moment happening. Healing is
moment-to-moment balance, bringing awar eness to your thoughts,
feelings, and emotions and how you r espond. —Dr. Vasant Lad, author and founder of the Ayurvedic Institute
Ayurveda is a five-thousand-year -old system of natural healing rooted in the
ancient culture of India. More than a mere system of treating illness,
Ayurveda is a science of life ( ayur = life, veda  = science or knowledge) that
will guide you not only toward vibrant physical and mental health but also
toward a deeper connection to your spiritual nature. It of fers a body of
wisdom designed to help you stay vital while realizing your full human
potential. Providing guidelines on ideal daily and seasonal routines, diet,
behavior , and the proper use of your senses, Ayurveda reminds you that
health is the balanced and dynamic integration between body , mind, spirit,
and environment. Ayurveda is a science that helps you understand the nature of this world and
how the elements the world is made of work together to create harmony or
dissonance, health or dis-ease. It guides you toward understanding yourself,
your own material makeup, so that you can interact with the world in right
relationship. It supports you in navigating life consciously , in making
choices that support your health and balance so that you can expand your
perspective and seek the deeper , big-picture questions in life: What is my
purpose? Who am I? Why am I here? Ayurveda and yoga are considered to be sister sciences—they are meant
to be practiced together . Yoga is the study of spirit, or the soul. It is a
science meant to help you understand the nature of your mind and cleanseyour heart so that you may awaken to the truth of who you really  are. Ayurveda is the study of matter , guiding you toward understanding the
nature of this world and the elements that it is made of. Practiced together ,
yoga and Ayurveda guide you toward a way of living in this world-made-of-
matter while staying connected to your soul. PERFECT HEALTH
Real health includes not only a dynamic experience of wellness in the body
but also an experience of living a deeply fulfilling life, which includes—but
not limited to—mental and emotional well-being, thriving relationships,
core alignment with your purpose, and a genuine spiritual connection. Have
you ever had the experience of struggling in a relationship and it af fecting
your state of mind? Or feeling anxious in your mind and the anxiety making
your body feel queasy? Any aspect of your life af fects every other . Ayurveda teaches that in order to be really healthy , you must take into
account the health of your body , your mind, your senses, and your soul. You
can be healthy physically , but if you are anxious or depressed, you will not
be feeling very well. Or perhaps your body feels great and your mind is
steady , but you do not feel a connection to your deepest purpose in life—
you do not feel fulfilled. Where many modern medical sciences focus on
the health of your body and mind, Ayurveda points to the awakening of the
soul—the spark that gives life to all forms—as an inseparable contingent of
perfect health. The word for health in Ayurveda is svastha. Svastha  literally translates
as being situated in the Self, situated within your true Self, beyond the ever -
changing body and mind; beyond the senses and their limited perceptions. Discovering the nature of your true Self is the journey and the destination of
any authentic spiritual tradition.THE NATURE OF THE SELF
Because we live in a world and in a body that is made up of matter , we start
to identify with it. I think that I am my body , I am this voice in my head
(the mind), and I seek happiness through my senses, in this world made of
matter , thinking that it will lead me to lasting joy . The law of conservation of mass states that matter is neither created nor
destroyed, but it is always changing. Everything in this world is made of
matter! Anything that can be perceived through your senses, that can be
seen, touched, tasted, smelled, or heard, is material. This book you are
holding, the ground beneath you, a yoga mat, a cup, even the air all around
you is matter . And this body you are in? It is made of the same elements! However , there is something about this lump of matter , your body , that is
different from a yoga mat or a cup. Ayurveda and yoga teach us that it is the
presence of the soul that gives consciousness, or life, to form—and that is
who you really  are. Six symptoms of life (or the presence of the soul) are manifest in all
sentient beings: birth, growth, the potential to procreate when healthy ,
maintenance for a while, dwindling or disease, and eventually death. Wherever you see matter cycling through these six symptoms (not only in a
human body but also in the body of a plant, a grasshopper , a cat, or a tree)
you know that there is the presence of a soul. If you are driving a 1986 Ford pickup truck, you drive a certain way . You will likely drive slowly , chugging along on the interstate. Another day ,
you might be driving a brand-new Porsche Carrera, which drives really fast
and zooms in and out of the lanes. Depending on the vehicle (or body) that
the soul is residing in, it has dif ferent abilities and limitations. A
grasshopper can do certain things that a plant cannot. A plant can do certain
things that a human cannot! But regardless of the vehicle, the quality of the
indwelling soul is the same. The Vedas, the ancient sacred texts of India, use the Sanskrit term sat-
chit-ananda  to describe the soul. Sat means that the soul is eternal. The soulis unborn and never dies; it simply moves from body to body at the time of
death. Chit conveys that the soul is fully conscious and fully aware; the soul
is seeing through your eyes, hearing through your ears, feeling through your
skin, and so on. And ananda  signifies that the soul is eternally blissful, with
the potential to experience the highest happiness that comes from the love
shared between the individual soul and God. The V edic literature compares God to the sun and our
eternal nature to the sun’ s rays. The celestial body we call
the sun is the source of all light and all heat, and nothing can
live without it. The sun’ s rays are not dif ferent from the sun,
in quality; they give of f heat, they give of f light, and they are
of the same substance. And every sun ray is coming from
the same source; so they are all related, they are all united. But quantitatively , there is a dif ference between a sun ray
and the sun itself: the sun is not coming from the sun ray ,
rather the sun ray is coming from the larger body of the sun. Similarly , the Upanishads explain nityo nityanaam cetanas
cetananam : that is, there is one Supreme Truth—God—who
is like the sun—from whom everything emanates, and there
are limitless, eternal, unique, and individual souls—like the
sun rays. Wherever there is life, there is part of God. So in
the Bhakti tradition, we are all like those sun rays. W e are
sat-chit-ananda;  just like God, we are eternal, full of
knowledge, full of bliss.THE CAUSE OF DISEASE
Ayurveda teaches that disease begins with raga  and dvesha , attachment and
aversion, which come from identifying with matter and for getting who you
really  are. Raga and dvesha cloud your connection to your true essence, as
you become caught up in choosing what you want and what you do not
want; what you like and what you do not like; what you move toward and
what you move away from, based on your previous experiences in life. You
make your decisions based on the limited scope of your past, moving
toward what you think  will bring pleasure and away from what you think
will bring pain, measured and weighed by what brought pleasure or pain
before. You have conditioned responses, habits if you will, of action and
reaction based on what you have already experienced in life. You may go for that third bowl of ice cream because you want  it, even
though you know  that you will not feel good afterward. You avoid deep,
loving relationships because twelve years ago your best friend moved away
and deep relationship, unconsciously , equals pain. You drink cof fee each
morning because it is what you are used to doing, even though you
experience dryness, irritation, and anxiety (things that cof fee will
exacerbate!). You seek pleasure in people, places, or things that remind you
of past pleasurable experiences, even if choosing those things is not best. You avoid people, places, and situations that remind you of past painful
experiences—even if they would ultimately be good. Because you filter all
your choices through raga and dvesha, attachment and aversion, based on
your past experiences, these govern your entire experience of life and are
the cause of all imbalance. Like and dislike take away your ability to be centered and to perceive
things clearly . If you were centered—connected to your self—you would
make choices that ultimately serve, rather than being pulled or pushed by
what you want or don’ t want right now . If your baby will not stop crying,
rather than being present with them and seeing how you can support them,
your mind may say , “I don’ t like this.” It will continue by trying to validateitself and find a solution: you might think, “This is not acceptable,” and
decide the baby deserves to be hit, or ignored, or yelled at. Parents will oftentimes respond to their children based on how their
own parents responded to them. By observing and experiencing your
parents’  likes and dislikes and their corresponding reactions, you were
programmed to like and not like certain things, and you learned how to
respond. So much of your spiritual life, or your attempt to live consciously ,
is in the practice of noticing what programs run your life and your impulse
to respond based on them. The Vedas teach that out of millions of species of
life on this planet, the main thing that distinguishes the human form of life
from any other species is our ability to choose , and to thus consciously
evolve and realize the essence of our spiritual existence. All other animals
on this planet (including most humans!) are making decisions based on their
previous experiences; choosing things that they think will bring happiness
and avoiding things that they think will bring pain, based on how they have
been programmed by their past. Once you become aware of this phenomenon, rather than responding to
the world based on your personal programmed preferences, you can instead
choose to show up in a way that actually serves. Rather than continuing the
cycles of dysfunction and dis-ease, you begin to more clearly see and
understand the most beneficial way to be in each situation. Awareness
creates a gap between stimulus and response, and that gap is a crucial skill
on the journey of parenthood. When you act from a place of deeper
awareness, your actions will be helpful and bring about an experience of
balance and ease. In every circumstance there is right action. Not right as opposed to
wrong, but “right” in the sense of what actually serves. Because of raga and
dvesha, attachment and aversion, you become unable to make this
distinction. By contrast, when you are able to feel steady within any
situation you can make a “right” decision based on what is real, rather than
a decision founded in your hopes, past fears, and fantasies. When you are
present, rather than being pushed and pulled by personal preference and
how you think things should  be, you can choose how to respond based onyour values, whether the situation involves what food to eat, whether to stay
in a relationship, or how to parent your child. When reacting from a mental
or an emotional place, you will often say or do things that do not serve the
highest good but instead only serve to temporarily pacify your state of
stress, fear , anxiety , unhappiness, or desire. The mind and emotions are always changing, so being governed by
them will never lead you to lasting happiness or a life of true meaning. If
your desires are not stemming from a deeper place than your mind and
emotions—that is, stemming from a sense of who you really are—acting
with those desires as your compass is the cause of all imbalances. When you have for gotten who you really are, you seek lasting happiness
in a temporary world, when what you are actually seeking is anandamayo
bhyasat —the happiness that is inherent within the nature of your soul. It is
said that this inherent happiness is anandam buddhi var dhanam —like an
ever-expanding ocean of happiness that is not caused by anything! It is not
because  I got the raise, or because  he looked at me a certain way , or
because  life is unfolding the way that I want  it to. Anandamayo bhyasat is a
happiness that is beyond circumstance, which means that it will not be
interrupted as the circumstances inevitably change. This is unconditional
happiness, as it is not dependent on conditions or circumstances. This happiness is what you experience when you awaken to your true
Self. The happiness that you experience in life is often linked to something
external being the way that you want it to be. You feel “happy” thinking, “I
got the job,” “It is sunny outside,” “He complimented me.” Your happiness,
then, is completely dictated by an external experience or circumstance that
you have absolutely no control over . This is conditional happiness:
happiness based on the conditions of your environment. The other side of
that coin is that as soon as things outside of you are not the way that you
want them to be—or are the way that you do not want them to be—youbecome sad, distressed, disappointed, or angry . If your happiness is linked
to something outside of you being a certain way , you are going to suf fer
because it is not going to stay that way . The Three Causes of Disease
Because you have forgotten who you really are, you might
experience the following. Prajnaaparadha , knowing what is best but choosing
something different. Eating something that you know
makes you sick just because it tastes good or watching a
scary movie even though you know you will have
nightmares. Acting from ignorance, you ignore your own
wisdom, trying to satisfy particular needs, though in a
temporary and unsatisfactory way . Asatmendriyartha samyoga , misusing your senses. Eating too much or not enough; eating foods out of season
or not supportive to your health; watching too many movies;
indulging in too much screen time; listening to music too
loud; and so on. Parinama , living out of rhythm. When you ignore
opportunities to align with nature’ s rhythm, the natural
rhythmic process of decay over time can pick up speed. You
have many opportunities to align your biorhythms through
circadian, seasonal, and time-of-life rhythms.Allopathic medicine can be useful in helping to treat suf fering, while
Ayurveda guides us toward an end to all suf fering by treating its root cause. Even when your body is in a state of dis-ease, when your senses are not
working as well as they once did, when conditions in your life are not what
you would hope or imagine, or even the day that you are on your deathbed,
you can still be svastha—situated so deeply within your Self that you will
not be swayed by any of it. This is the real goal of Ayurveda: aligning with
the nature of your true self and living your life from that deepest place. Ayurveda is a practical science; it has to be applied in order for it to be
experienced. The practice starts with simple dietary and lifestyle
recommendations that will help you feel healthier in your body and more
content within your mind. Your diet and lifestyle dictate how you
experience your life. When you are aligned with a way of living that
supports you in feeling vital, ener gized, and empowered, you are living a
life in alignment with nature—and the nature of your Self. More than two
thousand years ago, Hippocrates—the father of modern medicine—
suggested that all diseases begin in the gut. In fact, about 70 percent of the
immune system is housed in the gut, so making sure that your digestive
system is functioning properly can be key to addressing many of your
bodily woes. [*1] Indeed, most imbalances can be cured through diet and
lifestyle alone. So, however simple, apply these principles that I lay out in
the next chapters and experience the profound ef fects of Ayurveda. Through purifying your body , mind, and life you begin to live as a
higher version of your self. From there, you make decisions that serve to
uplift your life and the life of this little soul that you are inviting (or have
already invited!) in. You strive to not just provide a healthy body and
environment for your baby to develop in, but also the ability to of fer them
an opportunity to remember who they really  are so that they can experience
true happiness and fulfillment in this life. This, Ayurveda teaches, is the perfection of parenthood.ELEMENTS AND DOSHAS:
SEEKING BALANCE
In Ayurveda, the five elements found in all things—ether , air, fire, water ,
and earth—are the building blocks of life. While this foundation unites all
beings, the manifestation of these elements also gives rise to the ways in
which we are all dif ferent. How the five elements appear , and in what
proportion, makes each of us physiologically unique. From the perspective of Ayurveda, there are three universal, holistic,
fundamental forces, or doshas , that pervade all of material nature: vata,
pitta, and kapha. Vata is a combination of the elements space and air (as
well as the qualities born of those elements); pitta, of fire and water; kapha,
of water and earth. These fundamental forces work in every individual and
all of nature and govern all physical, mental, and emotional processes. All matter manifests from a combination of ether , air, fire, water , and
earth in dif ferent proportions, meaning that your constitution is made up of
a unique combination of all five of those elements—and thus a unique
combination of all three doshas—making Ayurveda a personalized science. This particular combination is determined at the moment of conception and
becomes your own personal blueprint, or prakruti —your perfect amount of
each element for ideal health. Your prakruti is fixed and will not change
throughout your life—and this fundamental psycho-physical nature can be
used as a compass to guide you back to wellness. Based on your mother ’s
diet and lifestyle during pregnancy , however , as well as your own diet and
lifestyle throughout life, you may move into a state of vikruti , or imbalance
—meaning that the proportions of the elements have changed from their
original, balanced state. As you move through life, the three doshas constantly fluctuate—
creating vikruti—according to your environment, your diet, the seasons, the
climate, your age, and many other factors. Because of this, balance is not
something that is ever attained, rather a dynamic state that you constantly
move toward as you make micro-adjustments to harmonize with yourexternal circumstances. As they move into and out of balance, the doshas
can af fect your health, ener gy level, and general mood. The goal of Ayurveda is to bring you toward your prakruti; to support
you in making the moment-to-moment micro-adjustments that will help you
adapt to the time of day , the time of year , and the time of life, as well as
help correct any imbalance that you are experiencing. In this way , you can
experience vibrant health and your intrinsic connection to Source. Balance is a dynamic state. You never actually “get there.” You are
constantly working with your environment to adapt as the circumstances
keep changing. The word dosha  literally translates to “at fault,” and that
conveys how these forces work within your body . The doshas are constantly
affected by whatever comes in through your senses. They are af fected by
what you see, smell, taste, touch, and hear , as well as by the climate, the
season, and the time of day . For example, you might feel very balanced, but
then the sun hits the highest point in the sky (around noon time), you take a
hot yoga class, and follow that up by going out for a lunch of spicy
Mexican food. The time of day and your activities during that time create an
increase of the fire ener gy in your body , thus throwing you out of balance. You might start to notice excess heat in your body , manifesting as
irritability , acid reflux, or a skin rash. If you lack awareness, you might opt
for picking up a cup of hot cof fee as a routine pick-me-up on your way
home. However , that will throw you even more out of balance with its
heating and drying qualities. With awareness, by contrast, once you notice
that you are out of balance, you have an opportunity to make choices that
will bring you back. Every choice has the ability to move you toward
balance or away from it, depending on where, when, how , and why you
make the choice. Ayurveda uses an understanding of the doshas to guide you toward an
awareness of what you actually need (rather than just what you want),
helping you to cultivate balance and adjust to your environment, to
maintain vibrant and steady health. The doshas are the or ganizing ener gies
in your body; they each carry with them a bundle of specific qualities,
which is the easiest way to define them. For example, you know somethingis primarily composed of air and ether elements (or primarily vata dosha)
when you see the qualities of cold, light, dry , rough, mobile, irregular , and
changeable. So, as you will learn later in this chapter , if you have an excess
of these qualities—if your skin is very dry , if you’re frequently cold, if you
experience constipation or bloating from dryness in your colon, if you have
no rhythm and things seem to be constantly changing in your life leading
you to feel ungrounded or anxious—you would simply bring in the opposite
qualities (hot, heavy , moist, smooth, stable, and predictable, respectively)
with your diet and lifestyle activities to balance vata. Knowing your prakruti (your personalized doshic blueprint) is valuable,
as it shows you the ways that you are most likely to move out of balance
and helps you be aware of activities that should generally be favored or
avoided. (The best way to determine your doshic blueprint is to see an
experienced Ayurveda practitioner , who can use ashatvidha-pariksha , or the
eight methods of diagnosis, to identify your prakruti.) In this book, rather
than placing emphasis on discovering your prakruti, we will focus on the
many ways that you can know if you have an imbalance in any of the
doshas, and we’ll talk about the tools that will support you in coming back
to your ideal state of health. Although vata is the main dosha to be concerned with during pregnancy
and postpartum, it is also possible for pitta and kapha to go out of balance,
especially if you already have a lot of pitta or kapha in your constitution. Generally during pregnancy , pitta is concerned with metabolism, hormones,
and increased heat in the body , where kapha plays its role with the extra
fluids and increased bulk. Let’ s look at each of these doshas in turn.Like Increases Like, Opposites Balance:
Twenty Gunas
Ayurveda uses a simple equation to guide you toward a
state of equilibrium: “Like increases like, opposites balance.”
“Like increases like” advises, for instance, that if you feel
cold and you drink something cold, you will feel colder . “Opposites balance” directs that if you feel cold and you
drink a hot beverage, you will move toward a state of more
internal symmetry . If you’re feeling heavy in your body and
mind, what can you do to bring in the quality of lightness? If
you’re feeling dry , what foods can you eat or what self-care
practices can you do that will support you in counteracting
that arid sensation? Ayurveda’ s equation encourages you to
step out of established habits and become aware of yourcurrent experience of balance or dis-ease, in order to make
the moment-to-moment choices that invite you to thrive. In chapter 3 we’ll talk more deeply about three major
qualities of nature, called the maha gunas  in the V edic
literature. Within those major gunas, Ayurveda recognizes
twenty minor gunas—ten qualities and their opposites, which
balance each other out—that exist everywhere in our
environment: in our bodies, our minds, our activities, our
food and drink, and anything else in material existence. The
following list of paired qualities is a foundational Ayurvedic
tool, and as you embark on your journey as an Ayurveda
mama, it can be useful to review the twenty gunas each
morning to notice what qualities you are feeling in your body
and mind—then invite the opposite quality through your
dietary and lifestyle choices to create a state of ease and
connection. Heavy ♦ Light
Dull ♦ Sharp
Cold ♦ Hot
Oily ♦ Dry
Smooth ♦ Rough
Solid ♦ Liquid
Soft ♦ Hard
Static ♦ Mobile
Big/Gross ♦ Subtle
Cloudy ♦ ClearVATA DOSHA: AIR + ETHER
Vata is the ener gy of air and ether . When you think of the air and ether
elements, do you think hot or cold? Heavy or light? Moist or dry? It is quite
intuitive, actually! Vata is cold, light, dry , mobile, subtle, and irregular . Vata
is responsible for your ener gy and movement as well as for nerve impulses,
breath, speech, circulation, and many aspects of digestion. When vata is balanced it brings with it creativity , spontaneity , and
enthusiasm. From an excess of these qualities—for example, too much cold
food, a cold and dry climate or environment, too much light food, excess
talking, too much fast-paced exercise or travel—an imbalance of vata is
born. This imbalance breeds fear , anxiety , and nervousness as well as
physical symptoms such as bloating, gas, constipation, nausea, and fatigue. The late fall and early winter months are governed by vata
dosha. When you observe nature during that time, you can
see that the leaves are starting to dry up; there is more
coolness, and more wind in the atmosphere. Because there
is more vata in the environment, you will also be af fected by
the predominance of the air and ether elements and the
qualities that come from them. Thus, take extra precautions
during the fall and winter months to balance vata dosha. In an article for Yoga Journal  titled “Intro to Ayurveda: Understanding
the Three Doshas,” Scott Blossom, a traditional Chinese medical
practitioner and Ayurvedic consultant, of fers this overview of vata dosha:
Vata types tend to be thin and lanky . They are very mentally and
physically active and enjoy creative endeavors, meeting new people,
and traveling to new places. When they are balanced, vatas areflexible, have lively imaginations, and are original thinkers. When
imbalanced they can get anxious, ungrounded, and can seem “flaky”
about fulfilling commitments, sticking to a routine, and completing
projects. They tend to run cold and dry and enjoy warm, humid
weather . It’s common for vata types to experience cold hands and feet,
constipation, dry skin, and cracking joints. The influence of the air
element in their constitution causes their ener gy, mood, and appetite
to fluctuate dramatically . For this reason, vata types often fail to eat
and sleep regularly , swinging from eating heavy foods to ground and
sedate themselves, or ingesting stimulants like cof fee and sugar to
sustain intense physical or mental activity . Insomnia and low
immunity are very common problems for the sensitive vata person. [*2]
Whether or not you are generally a vata type, vata is the most important
dosha to observe during pregnancy and postpartum. (Y ou should also pay
close attention to vata when you are preparing for pregnancy , as
preconception is a time where you want to feel nourished, stable, deeply
trusting, and supported—all things that you will experience when vata is
balanced.) Vata especially governs the first trimester , where there is rapid
cell separation and growth, though it is also responsible for the expansion
and intense transformation happening inside the mother ’s body throughout
pregnancy . During this time of constant internal movement and change,
vata tends to go out of balance quite easily . Excess vata dosha—too much
of dry , light, mobile, cool, or clear qualities—may lead to a pregnant mama
experiencing constipation, dry skin, nervousness or anxiety ,
absentmindedness, or dif ficulty sleeping. An imbalance of vata is also one
of the potential causes of disruption in the embryo, early miscarriage,
ectopic pregnancy , hemorrhage, eclampsia, and a long, dif ficult labor . To
balance vata, try to bring in the opposite qualities—warm, heavy , moist,
stable, and regulated—when planning your meals, your self-care, your
workouts, and your daily rhythm. Watch for the following cues that your vata is out of balance:PHYSICAL  SIGNS
Dry, cracking skin and joints
Dry nails and hair
Gas and bloating (often from dryness in colon)
Constipation
Low back pain, nerve pain, twitches
Fatigue, exhaustion, depletion
MENT AL AND EMOTIONAL  SIGNS
Insomnia, restlessness
Inability to focus, scattered thinking
Rapid speech, lost train of thought
Fear, anxiety , nervousness
Feelings of ungroundedness
Feelings of loneliness, isolation
CAUSES OF VATA IMBALANCE
Excess vata dosha can be traced to specific qualities in diet and lifestyle. For instance, vata may go out of balance if a pregnant mama is eating foods
that are overly dry , light, cold, rough, or “mobile” (such as raw food,
crackers, rice cakes, caf feine, cooling foods such as coconut or cucumber). Having irregular meal times, skipping meals, or eating without full attention
on food can also cause excess vata. Living in a cold or dry climate or being
in the dryness of the fall or the chill of winter months, traveling too
frequently , engaging in excessive movement and talking (or excessive, fast,
intense exercise), or being overstimulated by the sensory environment (withlights that are too bright, sounds that are too loud, an overload of screen
time, and so on) can likewise send vata into imbalance. BRINGING VATA INTO BALANCE
The key words to keep in mind for bringing vata into balance are
nourishment, warmth , and rhythm. In your diet, these qualities can be
achieved in the following ways:
Favor sweet, sour , and salty flavors. Eat in a peaceful environment. Eat mindfully; dine quietly or silently . Avoid caf feine. Avoid dry , raw , cooling, and cold foods. Have most of your meals be warm, cooked, and grounding, made
from oily and nourishing foods that are easy to digest. Only eat when you’re actually hungry at regular times throughout the
day, without snacking (if you do need a snack, opt for a juicy fruit, a
few soaked nuts, or a blended soup with digestive spices like black
pepper , ginger , cumin, and fennel). You can also increase your experience of nourishment, warmth, and rhythm
by paying attention to self-care and exercise. When you notice signs of
excess vata dosha, slow your life down! And try the following activities and
lifestyle adaptations to bring vata back into balance:
Reduce sensory stimulation (lower lights, reduce volume, minimize
screen time). Create a quiet environment before bedtime.Find routine and rhythm with regular waking, eating, and sleeping
times. Do exercises such as belly breathing; long exhalations/sighs (to
activate the parasympathetic nervous system, allowing for
relaxation), or alternate-nostril breathing (see this page ). Perform abhyanga  (self-massage with sesame oil) in the mornings,
twenty minutes before your shower (see this page ). Take baths. Do slow , rhythmic, stabilizing, and grounding exercises, such as
hatha yoga, swimming, tai chi, or walking (especially in nature). Alternate-Nostril Breathing ( Nadi Shodhana )
Alternate-nostril breathing ( nadi shodhana ) is a stabilizing breathing
technique ( pranayama ) with the following benefits:
Improves ability to focus the mind
Supports lungs and respiratory functions
Restores balance in the left and right hemispheres of the brain
Clears the energetic channels
Rejuvenates the nervous system
Balances the hormones
Removes toxins
Settles stress
1.Take a comfortable and tall seat, making sure that your spine is
straight and your heart is open. 2.Relax your left palm comfortably into your lap and bring your
right hand just in front of your face. (Reverse “right” and “left” inthese instructions if your dominant hand is your left hand.) 3.With your right hand, bring your pointer finger and middle finger
to rest between your eyebrows, lightly using them as an anchor . The fingers you will be actively using are the thumb and ring
finger . 4.Close your eyes and take a deep breath in and out through
your nose. 5.Close your right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale through the
left nostril slowly and steadily . 6.Close your left nostril with your ring finger , open your right
nostril, and release the breath slowly through the right side. 8.Inhale through the right side slowly . 9.Close your right nostril and open your left nostril. Release the
breath slowly through the left side. 10.Repeat for five to ten cycles, allowing your mind to follow your
inhales and exhales. Steps 5 through 9 represent one complete cycle of alternate-
nostril breathing. If you’re moving through the sequence slowly , one
cycle should take you about thirty or forty seconds. Move through
five to ten cycles when you’re feeling stressed, anxious, or in need of
a reset button. Tip: Consistency is helpful; try to match the length of your inhales
and exhales. For example, you can start to inhale for a count of five
and exhale for five. You can slowly increase your count as you refine
your practice.PITTA DOSHA: FIRE + WATER
You can recognize pitta when you see the qualities of oily , penetrating or
sharp, hot, light, malodorous, spreading, and liquid. According to Ayurveda,
this is the dosha responsible for all transformation.
_OceanofPDF.com_Ayurveda_Mama_A_Complete_Guide_-_Dhyana_Masla.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        PRAISE FOR
AYURVEDA MAMA
“I’ve always been fascinated by the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda. Dhyana’ s
book was my go-to for valuable insights thr oughout my pr egnancy—and
these age-old principles supported me and my baby tr emendously. I’m sur e
you’ll gain just as much fr om it as I did. ”
—Miranda Kerr, model and CEO of KORA  Organics
“Ayurveda Mama is a must-have guide for every par ent seeking to offer the
best physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual car e to their child. Dhyana
Masla exemplifies how to transform the primor dial needs of conception,
pregnancy, and childcar e into sacr ed practices that will also evolve the
consciousness of both par ents and childr en. Thank you, Dhyana, for
sharing your most intimate journey of mother hood so eloquently and
cheerfully. ”
—Divya Alter, Ayurvedic chef, culinary educator, and author of What
to Eat for How You Feel
“Dhyana makes integrating Ayurveda into your life so easy. I could not put
this book down and feel every female, whether you want to have childr en
now or way in the futur e, needs to r ead this wisdom. ”
—Melissa Ambrosini, podcaster and author of Mastering Your Mean
Girl
“Dhyana beautifully guides those looking to conceive consciously thr ough
her book  Ayurveda Mama. Conception, pr egnancy, and birth ar e such
powerful experiences, and this book shines a light on the beauty of this
stage of life. Dhyana appr oaches this time in a woman’ s life fr om all fr onts
of yoga, ayurveda, spirituality, and consciousness that truly cr eates aholistic experience, not overlooking one aspect or overpowering another. This book is a beautiful depiction of how to utilize ancient wisdom as well
as the inner -natur e and intuition for the modern and divine mama. ”
—Nishita Shah, Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, C-AIYT, ERYT500
“This book is sur e to be a catalyst for raising the next
generation of enlightened, compassionate, and flourishing
individuals. ”
—Jay Shetty, author of Think Like a Monk,  host of the
On Purpose  podcast
OceanofPDF. comOceanofPDF. comShambhala Publications, Inc. 2129 13th Street
Boulder, Colorado 80302
www. shambhala. com
© 2024 by Dhyana Masla
Illustrated by Amy Charlotte
Illustrations © 2024 by Shambhala Publications
Cover art: Amy Charlotte
Cover design: Amy Sly
Interior design: Amy Sly
The statements in this book have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Ayurveda Mama  is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The
information in this book is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical
advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For more information pertaining to your personal needs,
please see a qualified health practitioner. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage
and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Masla, Dhyana, author. | Devlukia-Shetty, Radhi, author of foreword. Title: Ayurveda mama: a comprehensive guide to preparing for pregnancy, birth, and
postpartum / Dhyana Masla; foreword by Radhi Devlukia-Shetty. Description: First edition. | Boulder, Colorado: Shambhala, [2024] | Includes bibliographical
references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2022056764 | ISBN 9781645471196 (trade paperback)
eISBN 9780834845435
Subjects: LCSH: Pregnancy—Popular works. | Medicine, Ayurvedic—Popular works. |
Prenatal care—Popular works. | Postnatal care—Popular works. Classification: LCC RG551. M375 2023 | DDC 618. 2—dc23/eng/20230418
LC record available at https://lccn. loc. gov/2022056764
a_prh_7. 0_147032500_c0_r0
OceanofPDF. comFOR MY MOM AND DAD
who have been the most loving examples. FOR MY HUSBAND
who has embarked on the journey of conscious parenting with me. & FOR MY LITTLE DARLINGS
who have taught me everything that I know about being a mama. OceanofPDF.
Radhi Devlukia-Shetty
Who wrote the foreword for the book "Ayurveda Mama"?
Miranda Kerr, Divya Alter, and Melissa Ambrosini
Who are some of the people who have praised the book "Ayurveda Mama"?
The book aims to provide a comprehensive guide to preparing for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care, with an emphasis on Ayurvedic principles.
What is the main focus of the book "Ayurveda Mama"?
Ayurveda focuses on treating the root cause of disease, whereas allopathic medicine often only treats the symptoms.
What is the main difference between the approach of Ayurveda and allopathic medicine?
Dhyana Masla
What is the name of the book's author?