Montreal: Art, Coffee and Chocolate
I don’t really have an excuse as to why, having been born and raised in Toronto and having studied in Kingston, Ontario, a stone’s throw from Montreal, I’d never visited this vibrant city.
The Kitchen Spa
Maybe it’s the stress from being in class for long hours, the assignment deadlines and almost monthly exams we have, but CCNM really takes a toll on my skin.
Flawless skin is a tricky thing to achieve, as factors such as stress levels, hormone balance and food sensitivities, among other things, come into play. Whatever the reason, I always find that the start of school coincides with an episode of bad breakouts. Fortunately, there are healthy ways to cleanse, clarify and nurture stressed skin that are cheap and effective and can be done at home, with ingredients from your kitchen.
For this 3 Step Facial, the only product I recommend buying is Treemenda 100% Tea Tree Oil. Other tea tree oils cause skin to redden but I find that this essential oil to be more gentle. It’s perfect for treating skin blemishes (from cold sores, acne or fungal infections) and can be used for antimicrobial steam inhalations when you’re feeling “stuffy”. It’s been the single best natural skin care product I’ve purchased. Other than that, you’ll also need:
1 large glass bowl
1 medium sized dish towel
1 handful of baking soda
1 kettle for boiling water
1 tbsp all natural plain yogurt
1 egg (separate the egg white)
Step 1: Baking Soda Exfoliation
I find baking soda to be a great exfoliant for sloughing off dead skin cells and makeup. Fill one hand with baking soda and slowly add warm water to create a paste. Use the paste to gently scrub your face in circular motions. Rinse well with warm water. This step helps cleanse the skin, remove excess oils and pore-clogging debris and encourages skin cell turnover.
Step 2: Tea Tree Steam Facial
Boil water in the kettle and pour it into the glass bowl, filling it to a depth of about 10 cm. Add two drops of the tea tree oil. Lean your head over the bowl and cover your head with the dish towel. The scent from the tea tree can be strong at first. If you find it too overwhelming, remove the dish towel momentarily to release some of the steam. Keep your head over the bowl at a distance that feels comfortable for your face (not too hot) and at which you can inhale comfortably through your nose. This exercise is also great for head colds and relieving sinus and nasal congestion. However, please don’t attempt this if you suffer from asthma. The steam encourages the pores on your face to open and release sweat, thereby clearing out the bacteria, dead cells and excess oils that cause acne. The tea tree is antimicrobial, which also aids in killing the bacteria that can cause skin blemishes.
Perform the steam facial for 10 minutes or until you feel that there is no longer any steam being released. Finish by rinsing your face with cold water. I sometimes like to repeat this step to get maximum benefits. Always finish with a cold water rinse to close the pores.
Step 3: Nutritive Face Mask
I have to give credit to my wonderful intern at the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic for this effective skin-care tip. In a small bowl, mix the egg white and 1 tbsp of natural plain yogurt until blended. Apply this mixture evenly to your face (avoiding lips and eyes). Leave until dry and then rinse off with lukewarm water. The mixture feels tight and pulls out impurities, yet adds nutrition and moisture to skin. This mask is easy to do and leaves your skin feeling supple and soft.
Finish by applying your favourite natural moisturizer, or a few drops of Jajoba oil and then go do something relaxing (like go to bed)! Your skin will thank you for it.
Creating Balanced Meals: The 6 Tastes of Ayurveda
I’m sure all of you can name the 4 taste receptors that scientists have discovered on the tongue: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. However, Ayurvedic medicine has categorized food properties into 6 distinct tastes.
Some of the constitutional doshas require more of certain tastes than others, but it is thought that well-balanced meals encompass all 6 of the Ayurvedic tastes, covering the entire spectrum of food quality. The 6 Ayurvedic tastes are: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent.
Incorporating the principles of Ayurveda into a modern dining approach ensures that every dish is not only delicious but thoughtfully balanced. The premium experience from MeandJulio, for instance, blends these diverse flavors into their culinary offerings, ensuring a sophisticated and health-conscious menu that appeals to all tastes.
Whether planning a wedding, corporate event, or family celebration, it’s important to deliver more than just meals—it’s about creating a perfect taste symphony that leaves a lasting impression. Sometimes, it’s not just Ayurveda but also the art of balance in flavor that transforms an ordinary meal into an extraordinary event.
According to Ayurveda, balancing the 6 tastes in the diet aids digestion, ensures physical, emotional and mental well-being and helps decrease aggravation of the dominant dosha of an individual.
About the tastes:
Sweet:We can all easily identify sweet foods, such as honey and fruits. However, sweet taste also includes carbohydrates like rice and other grains, potatoes and milk. Sweet functions include building up tissues and calming nerves.
Sour: Includes acidic fruits such as oranges, lemons and grapefruit, fermented foods (yogurt, kambucha, sauerkraut), alcohol and vinegar. Sour taste acts to cleanse the body and increase the absorption of nutrients.
Salty: Foods that contain salt, from minerals, meat or seaweed. Salt acts to stimulate digestion and improve the taste of food. It also calms nerves and relaxes the mind.
Bitter: Includes dark leafy greens and certain herbs and spices. We often lack enough bitter tasting foods in our Standard American Diet, however, bitter taste is important for detoxification and digestion. According to our Botanical Medicine class, it improves appetite, aids digestion and psychologically “increases one’s appetite for life”.
Pungent: Foods that are spicy, including herbs, peppers and garlic. Pungent tastes increase metabolism and aid digestion.
Astringent: These are foods that produce a “dry” taste in the mouth. Foods that are astringent include legumes, certain fruits, such as apples and pears, certain vegetables, tofu and herbs. Astringent taste helps “dry” fats, thereby aiding weightless, and tightens tissues. In Western Herbalism astringent herbs are used for wound healing and tonifying mucus membranes of the skin, respiratory, urinary and digestive tracts.
Although having a balance of the 6 tastes is beneficial for a healthful diet, increasing certain foods in the diet can help balance the dosha that one is predominant in:
Vata Dosha is balanced by sweet, salty and sour tastes.
Pitta Dosha is balanced by sweet, bitter and astringent tastes.
Kapha Dosha is balanced by bitter, pungent and astringent tastes.
In the Western world we rely heavily on sweet, sour and salty tastes, through a diet high in carbohydrates, processed foods (high salt content) and alcohol (sour). Considering the fact that we live in a Vata-aggravated society, it is comprehensible that our culture gravitates to these tastes more than the other three. However, the leading rise in obesity (Kapha aggravation) could be reflective of the lack of bitter, pungent and astringent tastes in our diets.
In my Ayurvedic course we analyzed various ethnic diets and found that cultures with a set of dietary practices usually include all 6 tastes in their cuisine. We examined Indian, Thai, Persian, Ethiopian and Chinese cuisines, but I also feel that even Italian food represents a balanced diet, according to Ayurveda.
If we take a typical Italian meal – pasta with meat sauce and Insalata Della Nonna– we see that all 6 tastes are represented.
The sweet tastes are represented by the pasta (be it rice pasta, spaghetti squash or another form of pasta), the tomato sauce and some of the vegetables in the salad.
The salty tastes are from the salt and meat added to the sauce.
The sour taste is from the homemade red wine vinegar salad dressing (and the wine!).
The bitter taste comes from the radicchio and fresh garden lettuce in the salad.
The pungent tastes come from the garlic and chili peppers used to make the pasta sauce.
The astringent tastes comes from the fennel and celery in the salad and the apple for dessert.
Dissecting your daily meals for tastes that your diet may be missing is a fun and therapeutic practice. Use it to see how your own diet (whether it is one you have invented for yourself or the one dictated to you by your family or country of origin) may be improved by adding certain flavours. I find it aids me in achieving balance in my own diet, especially when traveling to a new country or designing my own meals. Practicing mindful eating is helpful to detect and distinguish the flavours of your favourite food staples. Chew them slowly and try to decide if the food in your mouth is sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent or astringent, or a combination of two or more of these flavours.
My Top 5 Favourite Health Apps
We’ve all heard of the potential health implications of spending too much time wired in. Whether it’s the radiation from our cell phones, the arthritis that sets in our thumbs, the damage done to our interpersonal communication skills or the strain on our eyes, we’re constantly told about the negative health implications of our technological age.
However, as much as we hear these warnings, there is no chance that our electronic lifestyle is going anywhere soon. Wireless technology, the internet and smart phones are here to stay. They serve as essential tools for the rapid-paced society we live in. While I advocate taking an “electronic-free” day off each week to give your nervous system a break, I wonder if all this technology can actually have a positive impact on our health. Here are my favourite apps for Android and iPhone that can promote your health rather than hinder it.
1) Pocket Yoga: Of all the Android yoga apps out there, this one is by far my favourite. It’s
not free (it costs $3) but it actually takes you through a series of yoga workouts rather than just showing you a list of poses. The app gives you the option of choosing from three different settings (mountain, ocean or desert), three different workout lengths (30 minutes, 45 minutes or 1 hour) and three levels of difficulty (beginner, intermediate, advanced). When staying at my aunt’s cottage I roll my yoga mat out on the grass, put my phone beside me and get into the flow.
2) Sleep as Android (or Sleep Tracker for iPhone): The idea behind the mechanism of this app is that, when we sleep lightly we move around more than when we enter states of very deep sleep. With this app, you set your alarm and put your phone on your mattress while you sleep and the sleep tracker senses your movement throughout the night. Rather than being jarred out of a deep and comfortable sleep, your phone waits for you to enter a state of lighter sleep, up to half an hour before your desired wake up time, before sounding the alarm. Using this app has helped me greet the day with a less groggy disposition and makes me feel like I’ve slept more soundly. The sleep tracker also produces a graph when you wake up, giving you information about the quality of sleep you experience each night. Take advantage of the 14-day free trial and see how this app makes a difference in how you begin your mornings.
3) Meditation Oasis: These apps may cost $1 each, but are very relaxing, guided audio meditations. I listen to these audio meditations to help relax both my body and mind (especially after a stressful day) before going to sleep. They’re also very useful guides for those who want to start a daily meditation practice but aren’t sure how to begin or even for those who just need a mental break from study or work. If the internet is available, you can go online to the listening page at meditationoasis.com and choose from a free list of 43 different guided meditation podcasts for varying levels of expertise.
4) 8tracks: Whether you need a fast-paced playlist to accompany your daily workouts or some calming music to help you relax, 8tracks will have an awesome compilation of songs for your musical taste. We live in a visual culture and sometimes it’s therapeutic to turn off the visual stimulation, steep a cup of tea and listen to some soothing, stress-relieving music. You can download this free app onto your phone and browse through a variety of music playlists according to genre.
5) My Fitness Pal: This free app is a portable tool that can be used anytime for tracking your daily nutrition. You simply use the database to search for and enter in the foods that you eat each day. This app helps you track weight loss goals by giving you a personalized caloric intake target based on your age, weight, gender and activity levels. It’s also very useful for people with other diet goals, such as limiting sugar, increasing dietary fibre intake or consuming an adequate dietary intake of micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals). By using this app you’ll have a more accurate view of your daily nutrient intake and will be motivated to make healthier food choices.
Ayurveda: The Doshas Part 3 – Kapha Dosha
This is the third part of the Ayurvedic Dosha Series. In Part 1 we discussed Vata Dosha and, in Part 2, Pitta Dosha.
While most people are predominant in one constitution, there are a number of people who represent a combination of two Doshas – I myself am Pitta-Kapha dosha – and even a very small number of people who identify as being Tridoshic (people who represent an equal proportion of the three constitutions). Each constitution has its own strengths and weaknesses. In balancing a person’s Doshas, the goal is to reduce any aggravations and tendencies towards imbalance so that we can experience the strengths that are present in our individual personalities.
Kapha, the third and final dosha, is made up of earth and water element. Kapha is wet, grounded, slow and substantial. People who are predominant in Kapha dosha embody the following characteristics:
– Larger body size and tendency to gain weight easily
– Moist, oily skin and thick hair
– Rounded facial features: large, calm eyes, full lips and large, bright teeth
– Slow metabolism: little hunger, cold temperature, slow digestion and elimination
– Relaxed, calm and humorous demeanor
– Tendency towards laziness and lethargy
– Sentimental and loyal with a tendency towards attachement
– Slow and constant with excellent endurance
Kapha dosha tends to be slow, steady and constant. People of this dosha are relaxed and easy-going but have a tendency to be overly lazy. Kapha types do well working with people and are often loyal and nurturing friends and family members. People of this constitution have the tendency towards disorders of congestion: edema, weight gain and depression.
Kaphas can achieve balance by engaging in vigorous physical activity such as brisk walking, running or weight-lifting. When doing yoga, Kaphas benefit from the more sweat-inducing Ashtanga or Bikram yoga types. People of Kapha constitution should avoid sleeping in late and eating greasy, heavy foods. They should instead focus on eating pungent and astringent foods (think spicy rice crackers and salads). A good restorative yoga pose for relieving Kapha-like congestion in the lower body is to lie on the ground, with a pillow under the sacrum and the legs straight, at 90 degrees above the hips (or against a wall).
Balanced Kapha has a strong sense of well-being, steadiness and affection. Kapha types learn slowly but have a great ability to retain information and have a great memory.
For more information on Ayurveda and the 3 Doshas (and other Ayurvedic theories and lifestyle tips) click on the following resource:
You can also check out the Continuing Education Ayurveda educator, Matthew Remski’s beautifully written blog at:
Ayurveda: The Doshas Part 2 – Pitta Dosha
This is the second part of a series I am writing on the ayurvedic Doshas: a combination of natural elements that characterize our unique physical, emotional and mental constitutions.
Click here to read Part 1 – Vata Dosha. Identifying your own constitution helps you learn more about your tendency towards imbalance so that you can develop lifestyle practices to bring yourself back into a balanced state of health.
Pitta Dosha is a mixture of fire and water elements. People who are dominantly of Pitta constitution exhibit some or all of the following characteristics:
– Muscular, average build
– Firey temperament: competitive, tendency towards anger and frustration
– Oily complexion that is sometimes reddish (red-tinged hair, rosy skin)
– Possession of a fast metabolism: the ability to digest food quickly, feeling ravenous if forced to skip a meal
– Aversion to heat
– Tendency towards inflammatory disorders
– Inspirational speaker, concerned with themes of justice and “sticking up for the little guy”
– Hard-working, ambitious, organized and achievement-oriented
Pitta types are firey in both personality and physical constitution. They are often leaders in society, hard-workers and can be competitive. They are very intelligent but have the tendency towards anger and frustration at others’ incompetence. Pitta types rarely suffer from digestive complaints because of their strong, firey digestion (unless they abuse spicey foods or alcohol). They mainly suffer from inflammatory complaints such as arthritis, acne or migraines. Pittas have the tendency to overextend themselves. They represent the constitution that is most susceptible to conditions of the over-stressed (stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, etc).
Balancing Pitta involves cooling down. As with Vata dosha, Pitta benefits from meditation and slow movement. Creamy, cooling foods such as fruits and smoothies help Pitta people lower their revved up body temperature. An exercise that is recommended for those who are feeling agitated and frustrated is to lie outside (preferably in decent weather) and gaze at the open sky. Performing this routine for 30 minutes greatly reduces Pitta agitation and helps re-balance an otherwise firey, overly stressed constitution.
I firmly believe that most students at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine are of predominantly Pitta constitution! This Dosha is predominant in high-profile business people and politicians (think Jack Layton). When balanced, Pitta people have the potential to become very successful leaders and make lasting changes to society.
Visit this blog tomorrow (Thursday) for Part 3 – Kapha Dosha.
Ayurveda: The Doshas Part 1 – Vata Dosha
Ayurveda is the ancient Indian science of healing meaning “Science of Life” (maybe that’s why I was drawn to a degree in Life Sciences!). Similar to Traditional Chinese Medicine, ayurveda uses the elements as a means of understanding certain properties of nature.
Ayurveda’s 5 elements differ from those of The 5 Element Theory of TCM. They are: ether (space), air, water, fire and earth. Distinct combinations of these elements form to create 3 Doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. These Doshas characterize various properties of nature and, in humans, combine to form a unique constitution. Achieving a perfect health balance has much to do with pacifying the dominant Dosha that characterizes your individual self and enhancing less dominant Doshas.
Vata Dosha is made up of the elements air and ether. A person who is predominantly Vata will have some of the following characteristics:
– Thin build, difficulty putting on weight
– Shorter or taller than average
– dryer hair that may break easily and is typically curly
– Tendency towards nervousness or anxiety
– Digestive problems (excess gas, bloating)
– Tendency to move or fidget
– Naturally creative and spontaneous
– Has a hard time staying on task
Vata is airy and like the wind. Therefore, people who are dominant in this dosha tend to have drier skin and hair, feel ungrounded and anxious at times, often get distracted and have a harder time staying on one task. When balanced, Vata types are very creative, sensitive individuals who are full of ideas and inspirational energy. They thrive as artists and working in creative think tanks, in a setting where they can generate a million ideas at once.
Balancing Vata dosha involves setting a routine. Vata should wake up, have meals and go to bed at the same time everyday. Sleeping in (if possible) to the later hours of the morning is beneficial. Vatas are balanced by eating lots of warm, cooked and oily foods (soups, stews and curries), which help combat their tendency towards dryness and flighty digestion. This constitution also benefits from slow, constant, repetitive exercise such as restorative or yin yoga and long, gentle walks. Lying in “corpse pose” with pillows across the thighs will help weigh a Vata aggravated person down. That, combined with meditation, can help balance a nervous Vata mind and help ground Vata’s airyness.
Visit my blog tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday for Part 2 – Pitta Dosha and Part 3 – Kapha Dosha!
Art and “Amor”
There’s always been something about the idea of Art Therapy that drew me in. I’ve always had a passion for creative expression and believe, based on my own personal experience, that the very nature of creating a work of art carries with it rich therapeutic value. While in Colombia this past summer when I had the opportunity to organize a series of weekend activities with the foundation I was volunteering with, Fundamor, a home for children with HIV/AIDS, I knew that an art therapy activity would have to have a central role in my plans.
Learning The Vis from Coco
The Vis Medicatrix Naturae, or the healing power of nature, is at the core of naturopathic philosophy. This power, present in all living things, is the blueprint for optimal health and well-being.