Vrinda Devani, MD, AP

Tranquil Mind tablets underwent a small pilot study, and the results are in! According to this small trial, it turns out that these herbal tablets can be significantly effective.

Dr. Sivamani and his team conducted a four-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with Banyan Botanicals’ Healthy Skin formulation last spring of 2017. The trial enrolled thirty participants.

What are the key characteristics of a pitta period? What measures can you take to cool down that excess heat? Read this article to learn how and when to balance pitta for a balanced cycle.

What are the elements of a kapha period? How can you recognize excess kapha in your menstrual flow? Read this article to learn how and when to balance kapha for a balanced cycle.

In the first part of this series, we covered the Ayurvedic perspective on menstruation and what a balanced cycle looks like. Here in our second installment, we’ll focus on how to determine whether vata is present in your menstrual cycle and if so, how to bring it back to balance. 

What is your period trying to tell you? According to Ayurveda, tuning into the nature of your cycle each month can help you gain a better understanding of your overall health.  Read this article to learn more about healthy cycles and how you can balance yours with the help of Ayurveda.

Chyavanprash is like the multivitamin of Ayurveda—many Ayurvedic and Indian families incorporate it into their daily routine to promote health and longevity. But what’s the big deal? Why has this ancient formulation withstood the test of time?

When you use Banyan's traditional blend of Ayurvedic herbs and spices, you can be assured that you are taking in something that is time-tested and authentic.

Vrinda Devani's advice to qualified health practitioners planning to run an Ayurvedic cleanse for clients. This article is not intended as medical advice.

Read all about Adrenal Nourish™, a unique formula designed to support you and your lifestyle by aiding healthy functioning of the adrenal glands, while also contributing to the overall balance of the nervous system—often the root of adrenal imbalance. 

A young client comes to you wanting help getting back to balance. She has late nights either studying or spending time with her friends and has a poor diet. You note bags under her eyes and more wrinkles than you’d expect for a nineteen-year-old. What one herb would be most beneficial?

Moringa oleifera often makes headlines thanks to its superb nutritious content. Rightly so—it truly is a superfood. Its leaves are particularly nutritious.

We often look at our hair as a beauty statement or as a way to express our personality. We may want our curls to bring on a fun and adventurous look, or gloss our straight hair for a clean shine. But Ayurveda would encourage you to look deeper at your hair, as it can say so much about what is going on inside your body, particularly the bone tissue (asthi dhatu).

Fenugreek is the deliciously warming seed of the Trigonella foenum-graecum plant. It is an often overlooked but highly effective herb when it comes to imbalances of vata and kapha. Not only is it warming, but it also has a sweet taste and a nourishing, unctuous quality, which creates a strong grounding effect in the body.

Choosing which form of an herb to take can be quite confusing! There are tablets, liquid extracts, powders, add the powder to a shake…the list goes on. In Ayurveda, each form of the herb has specific benefits that the practitioner takes into consideration when recommending a form of an herb. This article is to help you figure out which method of delivery will be beneficial for you and when to take it!

Healthy Bones is more than just another calcium supplement. It's designed to support bone structure with supplements similar in nature and composition to actual human bone, and synergized with herbs that help maintain bone health at the core of the human body—the digestive tract.

A morning routine is particularly important during travel. These travel-friendly Daily Swish packets can help you take your daily routine with you more easily. 

In Part 1 we reviewed the yamas, using them to help us view ourselves and the world. Let us now explore the niyamas—the personal practices that help maintain a clear window— preventing us from falling back into old habitual patterns.

Do you ever have those days (or periods of time) when everything seems a bit foggy? When you can’t think clearly, can’t figure out right from wrong, can’t remember things, get upset over things you know you shouldn’t be upset about, or feel down for no reason? Those times when your perception of reality just doesn’t seem to match up with actual reality?

Manjistha (Rubia cordifolia) has beautiful heart-shaped leaves, giving it the Latin suffix “cordifolia” and demonstrating its affinity to the heart and circulatory system. The leaves have a deep green color. The vine grows on the western side of the Himalayas and other mountainous regions.

Anantamul, also commonly called Sariva, is one of those herbs that you just fall in love with the more you learn about it and experience it. It even has a smell that is soothingly sweet, granting it the nickname, sugandhi, or “the fragrant one.” It carries this sweetness and its cooling quality throughout the body, pacifying heat anywhere it travels to through the blood and waters (i.e. the lymph, plasma, urine) of the body, including the skin, reproductive organs, and urinary system.

Stroking my baby’s soft cheeks, feet, and her soft hair is one of the most soothing and precious things to me. Not too long ago, however, her cheeks were not the softest things in the world. 

We look to the baby's body language and body functions to tell us what they need and if they are doing okay. Like adults, babies’ bowel movements and digestion are very telling of their health and can be the cause of much distress.

How can you create an environment that supports your baby as she goes through the changes? What are some practices that will nurture a newborn? You may find, as I did, that these practices actually will simplify your life, making your life a bit easier.

The postpartum period is hard. Period. Consider these things to help maintain your equilibrium.

I probably have had every breastfeeding issue possible—latch issues, deep milk sinuses, blocked ducts, milk blebs, vasospasms — some of which, such as vasospasms and ductal candidiasis, even most doctors do not have much experience with! 

Nothing prepared me for the anxiety that comes with not knowing why your baby is crying. Nothing prepared me for how difficult breastfeeding can be.

The key to postpartum care of the mother is to calm vata (the ether and air elements). The mother is full of the mobile, light, dry, and cold qualities after the loss of energy and blood and fluids, not to mention the loss of a huge space in the abdomen (previously occupied by the baby). Add to that sleep deprivation and fatigue that comes from feeding and nourishing a newborn and you can see how vata pops up in every aspect of this period. 

My experience as a new mother during these past six weeks has only increased my respect for and faith in Ayurveda. They have been some of the most challenging weeks of my life, yet they have also brought with them great spiritual growth and insight. 

Depending on your culture or traditional background, you may have a set of rituals that happen at the time of the birth of your baby. There are religious rituals, cultural rituals, rituals that are encouraged for the health of the baby. In the end, they all serve the purpose to create a certain environment that is appropriate for the magical transition of the baby from the womb into the world. 

The texts of Ayurveda do not mention anything on the routine practice of circumcision. So, your choice of whether to circumcise or not depends on your own judgment and personal preferences.  I’ll share some points that we considered. 

Of course, strengthening my mind’s equanimity also will help me during the labor and delivery process. Pain is also impermanent and plays a function. As thoughts of the labor and delivery came to mind, I imagined myself welcoming the pain and source of pain to play the function it is there for (you can’t really have a baby delivered without proper contractions, after all). It too will change.

The last month of pregnancy is all about supporting the downward energy (apana vayu) and preparing the passageway. In the last month of the pregnancy, the classical texts of Ayurveda also talk about specific preparations particularly for the passageway.

There are many lists for getting a basic delivery bag together (just Google “delivery bag” and click on images for many handy lists). I am sharing my list at the end of this article. I used many of the lists that I saw for the basics, and then added items that would be helpful from an Ayurvedic point of view.

During the third trimester, many mothers have difficulties with sleep because of pregnancy discomforts and an active mind as the due date quickly approaches. There is some relief. Give these ideas a try and see how you feel. 

Have you been experiencing time periods where you are suddenly extremely exhausted? During this time, the eighth month or so, the essence of life and immunity (ojas) starts flowing back and forth between the mother and the baby. Those periods of extreme exhaustion are periods when the ojas is flowing away from you and to the baby.

Move during the third trimester!? Some basic principles of Vastu (it is like the Vedic version of Feng Sui) and general dos and don’ts during pregnancy (vastu is just one part of it) that will overall facilitate harmonious and wholesome energy within yourself and around your baby.

For those of you who, like myself, are doing yoga while pregnant, you may have been noticing that you are more flexible than you were. Word of caution during this time—be careful.

There are specific times in the life of a human being that, according to Vedic philosophy, are said to greatly impact his or her character. These are called sanskaras. One of them is the seventh month of pregnancy.

Ayurveda recommends taking more rest during the third trimester and for good reason, I am realizing.

A healthy digestion is an elusive concept from an allopathic point-of-view. Occasional issues are usually seen as part of a larger issue. If no larger issue is found, then health care providers usually write these discomforts off and seek to just correct the symptom itself as an isolated concern.

This week I experienced some disturbances with the kidneys specifically. I had been traveling a bit and I knew my vata was imbalanced, and so it did not surprise me to see an inflammation manifest in the urinary tract.

As a wellness provider or holistic products provider, you are probably well aware of how important oral health is and how impactful the ancient Ayurvedic practice of oil pulling is. The mouth is, after all, the beginning of the gastrointestinal tract—the core of wellness and health according to Ayurveda.

I had my third trimester labs done late last week, which included my gestational diabetes screening and complete blood count (looking at my red blood cells, platelets, amongst other things). Luckily everything was just fine… except for the fact that I was significantly anemic.

I use to feel that the idea of a baby-moon (think honeymoon before the baby is born) was a little silly… that was until I became the parent. Then I started to think of all the changes in my life and my relationship with my husband that could come, and my husband and I quickly became keen to the idea.

Weight management is about managing the fatty tissue layer (meda dhatu). To that end, we focus on supporting healthy digestive fire (agni), supporting the liver and its processing of the elements in the food we eat, and moving excess kapha. Here is a closer look at this beautiful formulation.

There are tons of articles on how to help your clients with weight management. But how many of you struggle with compliance, above and beyond anything else? If your clients could implement even one or two of your recommendations, how big of an impact would that make?

The intellect (buddhi) part of the mind is likely the most emphasized part of our mind in today’s society. From a young age, we put our young ones in special preschools and buy special books or videos that are suppose to make our children “smarter.” And this is all great and important since it is the faculty of our minds that help us achieve, make contributions to society, solve problems, and make a living.

One way that you know you are at dinner with an Ayurveda traditionalist is if he or she orders “water, no ice, please.”

We started planning the first few logistics of the postpartum plan from more of an energetic perspective. What is going to be best for both Charlie and the two of us as the child enters the world and our lives completely transform into being full-time parents?

I have been waiting for the all too common pregnancy complaint of occasional constipation. But I have yet to experience it and I can say that I am quite thankful for that! My bowels are normally quite regular, but I think that some good habits have helped me. In this article let’s explore why this happens in the first place, what can help keep you regular, and what to do if you run into that occasional period of constipation.

For every fetus, the mother should increase her caloric intake only by about 300 kcal/day (and if you are starting at a normal BMI, you can increase that number to about 500 kcal/day in the third trimester). These are nutrient-rich calories. Where should those extra calories come from?

During week 16, we explored the three doshas or energies of the mind, sattva, rajas, and tamas, as it applies to the emotions of our being and the passion we live life with. As I enter month five, I began to think about those concepts as it relates to consciousness and higher psychological centers (in contrast to the intellect, or buddhi which is to come during month six). This center is that place of deep insight and intuition, far beyond the reaches of the intellect. According to Ayurveda, this part of Charlie (what we call the baby) begins to take strong development during this month.

I started my pregnancy care pretty rapidly with a physician. It was what kind of fell into my lap with a recommendation from another physician friend. Plus I was fairly new to this small town in West Texas, where, at the time, there were not any options besides a pretty traditional hospital delivery, with or without doula support. I loved my obstetrician. She was kind, intelligent, and capable. But something just was not clicking for me.

I shifted into the twentieth week this week, and I can say that my belly is noticeably getting larger. After yoga class one day, my brother and sister-in-law looked at my belly and exclaimed, “Woah! Your belly grew over night!” It really did seem to be so, since over the week several people, including my brother-in-law, my husband, and yoga teacher all commented on how much bigger my belly is.

This was a bit of a relief to me since many people barely noticed that I was pregnant until the last few weeks, unless I work a tighter shirt. But Charlie (what we call the baby) is right on point, and will grow at an even faster rate over the next several weeks.

A client comes to you wanting help because she continues to feel really sleepy during the daytime, despite some changes in her nightly routine. She is large, particularly around the abdomen, and has a history of high blood pressure. What is the best herb and pranayama combination for this client?

Since breathing is an involuntary process, we take this intricate process for granted. Have you considered everything that needs to go correctly in order to take a breath? Have you thought about how this may impact your or your clients’ and customers’ sleep?

There is this idea that, as much as possible, do not intrude on the baby. It is in a very private place, where it cannot be seen—likely for a reason. The baby is processing and is very internal. For this reason, though it is said you can feel the baby’s pulse through the mother’s (and hence tell the prakriti of the baby), generally it is not advised to do so.

I came back from my trip this past week to the decision of whether to do genetic testing or not. If you are at this stage of your pregnancy (about 4 months) and have not already been asked this question by your provider, you should be soon. There are several types of testing that you can do (talk to your provider), but most of them involve some combination of blood tests and may also involve a sonogram. You can even have your blood tested for placental fragments, which hold your baby’s DNA. From that simple blood test, you can tell all about your baby’s genetics.

Sex during pregnancy is a charged topic for many. Rather than looking at this from the point of view of morality and right or wrong, let's explore it from the perspective of the doshas.

During the fourth, fifth, and sixth months of the pregnancy, critical parts of the baby’s brain and mind develop. The fourth month is dominated by the development of the heart center, which involves emotions and the ability to sympathize and empathize, as well as desires and tendencies of the personality. Normally, we do not necessarily associate emotions and passion with either the heart or the brain alone. But the heart center, specifically the fourth chakra, is the center from where we connect with the outside world—which is why our hands will come first to our heart area when something moves us before they move to the head. Ayurveda has beautifully spoken about the mind in terms of a different set of doshas. Like vata, pitta, and kapha, all three have important functions in the mind in a healthy and balanced state.

A client comes to you wanting help with her bones. She is thin and frail, with joint pain, cracking joints, and she had a fracture of her wrist a couple years ago. She drinks organic milk daily and has cottage cheese as a snack in the afternoon. What therapy would benefit her bones most?

Until recently, we in allopathic medicine have largely viewed bone health as a product of primarily calcium and vitamin D absorption. But we are slowly appreciating bone health as a complex interplay between many nutrients including vitamin K, magnesium, and others, in addition to calcium.

This week I left home for a three-week journey with my spiritual teacher. There will be a lot of movement, a lot of high-altitudes, which means a lot of potential for vata. Taking time to balance vata will be very important for me, and any pregnant mother planning on travel during pregnancy. There are also a number of things that go along with travel that raises questions in pregnant mothers’ minds.

For those that are familiar with the Patanjali Yoga Sutras (the ancient scriptures that first talked about yoga) and its yamas (social disciplines) and niyamas (individual disciplines), you will recall that one of the niyamas is sauca (cleanliness). Over the years, this concept has broadened in its meaning and applicability in my life.

In this entry of our "Birthing Ayurveda" series, Vrinda documents her process of incorporating exercise and yoga into her daily routine during her pregnancy.

We are trustees of this Soul, responsible for its growth and nurturing for the next several years until it has grown into itself, at which time we are simply his or her friend and companion in life. At the end of his or her growth with us, we hand the Soul back to the Universe, hopefully with the satisfaction that we lived as solid examples and nurtured the Soul to its fullest expression.

Your client comes to you with a long history of lower back discomfort. She has seen multiple practitioners without any findings of a cause. She is a single mother of three children and works at a local grocery store. What are the key principles to supporting a healthy low back?

Low back discomfort is extremely common, causing significant challenges in up to 84% of people worldwide at some point in their life. Furthermore, this problem costs Americans over $100 billion annually. In this entry, we will take a closer look at the low back from an Ayurvedic perspective.

My constitution is Pitta-Vata, though a vata imbalance is usually what manifests in my body. So it is no surprise that vata has been making a star appearance in my body the last several weeks.

Along with pitta heartburn, I get incredibly bloated after meals (I have become a burping monster). I wake up between 2 and 4 am every morning—wide awake. And then I wake up every half or hour until I finally get up around 6 am. Luckily, constipation, a common vata and pregnancy symptom, is not something I am struggling with.

I had been eating only mung dal cooked with veggies, with fruit as my snacks, for two to three weeks. And I just about had it. One day I was eating a bowl of my dal, and I looked at it with exhaustion. My taste buds were not interested and it almost made me nauseated. I came to the kitchen table where some of my family was sitting and prepping for dinner, and I announced that all I want to eat is a tostada!

I started paying a lot more attention to Vrinda this week—what her thoughts were, the little things that irked her, the subtle comparisons and judgments she makes, excuses she makes. It’s all subtle, but it adds up. And Charlie (our nickname for the baby) is constantly watching and listening to all this—the Mother spoke about how the child’s education starts well before birth.

This week I got real friendly with our toilet… and the airport toilet. I had spent the weekend with my parents and in-laws in Virginia and on the way back things just went haywire. This was a bit of a surprise to me since I hadn’t really had any vomiting. The day after I got back was my recovery day, that is, before I hit the bathroom again the next day.

Learn why cucumber lemonade is not the perfect drink to cool off with. According to Ayurvedic food combining, there is an even better summer tonic option.

Being stressed has become a glorified status in our society—the more stressed we can claim to be, the more productive and accomplished we are. And so it is no surprise that we find more and more clients coming into our practices and stores seeking and begging for answers to their complaints of fatigue, sleep disturbances, body aches, amongst a number of other complaints that all point towards a depletion of their adrenal glands.

Fear is a funny thing. Those familiar with Ayurveda know that fear and anxiousness are vata emotions. In other words, there’s no real substance to it—yet, they have this ability to completely dominate one’s existence. 

Caprese salad is one of those things that I just fell in love with, especially during the summer. It’s cool and savory, combined with the sweet burst of juice from the tomatoes. But, then I started to notice that it did not settle as well as it tasted. The effects were subtle—a little bit of indigestion, just a touch of cramping. These were slight enough that I barely took note of it.

Finding out that I am pregnant is probably one of the most frightening things I have ever experienced. This pregnancy was completely unexpected, but even with the best birth control and planning, sometimes pregnancy happens.

Summer is finally here! That means it is time for beach trips, pool parties, picnics, and barbeques! Finally we get to fulfill that yearlong desire to just bask in the sun. But rarely will you see any summer gathering without the summer time favorite fruit—a nice, round, juicy watermelon is likely waiting for you. 

Your client complains of discomfort in his pelvis. He also tells you that he has some discomfort (mostly heat) with urination. He is in his prime, just got promoted at a large company and plans to excel even more, and has a new girlfriend (who, by the way, loves spicy food). He looks a bit flushed, his skin is oily, and his abdominal exam is normal. What herb would benefit him most effectively and quickly?

The vast majority of men hardly even realize that they have a prostate gland. Most men become aware of it in their later years (when they turn sixty or so), as they may begin to experience some congestion in and enlargement of the gland. And then there are those who get an unwelcomed surprise of long periods of heat and discomfort in the gland during their pitta years, around their forties.

According to Ayurveda, what are the benefits of nasya karma (one of the five main cleansing therapies of panchakarma, wherein a medication is administered through the nostrils)? Does it pull excess doshas (particularly kapha) from the head, refresh and nourish the senses and sense organs, stabilize prana in the head, augment clarity of speech, or all of the above?

While some of our clients and customers have congestion and sneezing during predictable times of the year (typical of allergies), there are those that struggle with congestion and drainage for months and, in some cases, year-round. Treating these cases, when there is no apparent trigger or pattern, can be exasperating and clients begin to accept it as a normal part of life. The benefits of clearing congestion (excess kapha) from the sinuses extend far beyond offering physical relief. 

A couple comes to you wanting advice to prepare them for a healthy pregnancy. The female client (Vata Pitta) is 30 years old, tall, and has a sweet and light-hearted personality. She is a nurse, working long hours with frequent night shifts. You notice chapped lips and slightly sunken eyes. She describes dry skin, light cycles with pain before the first day, and lightheadedness after being on her feet for long periods of time. 

Humans are viviparous beings; unlike birds or frogs who lay eggs, we carry our offspring within the womb until they are fully matured. As such, there is an intimate connection—emotionally, mentally, and physically—to our offspring. What that also means is that the process of fertility, before and after conception, is strongly dependent on the health of the mother. Her ability to deliver nutrients through plasma (rasa dhatu) can profoundly impact her fertility. 

A 41 year-old (prakriti V1P3K2) male visits with you wanting to prepare for a year of optimal wellness. Upon further questioning, he does mention that he has some congestion and phlegm every morning, feels sluggish (as if he can’t get out of holiday mode), and has a sense of heaviness throughout the day in his body, particularly in the chest area. You note that he is overweight (BMI of 39.5), his digestive fire is slow, and his tongue looks particularly glossy. 

As the cold and dampness of winter melts away to the warmth of spring, our bodies also mirror these changes in nature. Being familiar with the movements of kapha (most prevalent within the plasma and lymphatic system or rasa dhatu) will enable us to support its proper transformation and elimination at the dawn of spring. This helps to set the body up for optimal wellness in the seasons to come. On the contrary, a failure to do so can take us down a vicious cycle of constantly struggling to eliminate excess kapha.

A 59 year-old (prakriti vata-pitta) corporate executive male comes to you seeking optimal health. On your evaluation, you notice he has a reddened complexion, his skin is warm to touch, and his waist circumference is increased at 111 cm. He mentions a very stressful job, with demanding hours, which leads to a poor diet. He also shares that lying on his back and taking deep breaths helps when his stress is very high. What herb are you most likely to incorporate in the formula?

The western medical community is slowly reawakening to the idea that the root of heart imbalance begins with pitta as opposed to kapha. The Ayurvedic seers, thousands of years ago, described that the sharp and penetrating nature of pitta damages blood vessel walls. Kapha then comes to seal and soothe over the damage, and as such, kapha’s intention is to protect and not clog channels. 

Vrinda Devani's advice to health practitioners working with clients who are looking to strengthen digestion. This article is not intended as medical advice.

Most of us value agni as more than the digestive fire in our stomach. We appreciate that it governs digestion, absorption, and assimilation not only of food but also of thought and external stimuli. The ultimate end products are the subtlest forms of vata, pitta, and kapha—prana (the life breath), tejas (brilliance and consciousness), and ojas (the essence of life and immunity), respectively.

When I first heard about how shirodhara can induce maximum relaxation when I was just a budding Ayurvedic student, I skeptically thought to myself, “Who wouldn’t find warm oil slowly being poured onto their forehead relaxing?” But what seemed to me at the time as simply a luxurious pampering has amazed me both in its broadness in application as well as the beauty behind the mechanism of how it works.

A healthy diet is the cornerstone of healthy Ayurveda living. The plants in your diet serve the same function as the plants that you take as herbal supplementation. They have innate healing and health promoting capacities.