• In AYURVEDA it is believed that all dis-ease can be traced back to the digestive system. The digestive system is, of course, directly affected by what you eat. This includes not only your specific food choices, but also your food combinations, preparations, and seasonal considerations. We are at the change of season now, having just passed the equinox, so it's now time to implement changes into your diet, and importantly your lifestyle too!

"The word chakra literally means 'disk.' How fitting that in modern times, disks are the common storage unit of programmed information. We can use this analogy and think of chakras as floppy disks that contain vital programs. We have a survival program that tells us when we need to eat, how many hours to sleep, and when to put on a sweater. It contains details such as how much money we think we need, what we are willing to do for that money, what constitutes a threat to our survival, and what makes us feel secure. Likewise, we have programs for sexuality, power, love, and communication. In this analogy, the seventh chakra can be thought of as the operating system. It represents how we organize and interpret all our other programs. In the computer world, technology is advancing so rapidly that programs written ten years ago are sorely out of date today. So, too, with many of the programs we were given as children. For example, old-fashioned gender roles are incompatible with egalitarian relationships, and new models are evolving from the struggles of modern couples. An alcoholic follows a program for recovery, and programs are necessary to achieve weight loss or gain academic degrees. We all function by sets of programs, which may or may not be conscious. The challenge before us is to find the appropriate program and get the bugs out. In this analogy, the body is the hardware, our programming is the software, and the Self is the user." Anodea Judith, "Eastern Body, Western Mind" [Inspired to learn more? Read Anodea Judith's book on your kindle or app now... http://goo.gl/LQkvIb (Amazon UK) or http://goo.gl/z952j0 (Amazon.com) Anodea Judith brings a fresh approach to the yoga-based Eastern chakra system, with each chapter focusing on a single chakra, exploring its particular childhood developmental patterns, traumas and abuses, and how to heal and maintain balance. She merges science and philosophy, and psychology with spirituality into a compelling personal, and highly accessible, interpretation of the chakra system.]

• The 6 tastes or Rasas that are distinguished in the Ayurvedic diet are Sweet, Salty, Sour, Pungent, Astringent and Bitter. These tastes originate from the five elements and transmit their properties. For a balanced diet Ayurveda recommends getting all of these flavors with every meal and adjust the amounts of each to your personal constitution. Apart from feeling satisfied this practice also ensures that all major food groups and nutrients are present.