Abhyanga: an application of oil.
Give yourself a full body oil massage on a daily basis. It is nourishing, pacifies the doshas(energies), relieves fatigue, provides stamina, pleasure, and perfect sleep, enhances the complexion and the luster of the skin, promotes longevity and nourishes ALL parts of the body.
Here are some of the benefits traditionally associated with regular performance of this pleasant daily routine:
Use comfortably warm massage oil. (store your oil in a plastic flip top and warm it by holding it under running warm water for a few minutes) Pour some of the warm oil into the palm of your hand and apply it to the entire body. As you apply the oil you can massage it into your skin, applying even pressure with your whole hand –palm and fingers.
Apply light pressure to sensitive areas such as abdomen and heart. Use more oil and spend more time on areas where nerve endings are concentrated such as the soles of feet, palm of hands and base of fingernails.
Circular motions over rounded areas such as your belly or joints and straight strokes on straight areas such as your arms and legs works best. Rub the oil into your skin real good as if applying moisturizer (as this is a natural moisturizer with no toxic chemicals).
After you are done, relax for 10 – 15 minutes, letting the oil and the massage do their magic! The longer the oil is on, the deeper it penetrates the tissues.
During this time you can meditate, read something relaxing or uplifting, rest, shave, cut nails and get ready for the day. After 10 – 15 minutes, you can dab excess oil off with paper towels if you would like (although it is not necessary).
Then follow with a warm bath or shower. The oil is a natural soap and does not need to be soaped off, unless you feel super greasy, then by all means soap yourself off.
If your schedule does not allow for a daily massage, try and squeeze it in at least three or four times a week. You will find it is worth it!

The aroma of ghee being made is so sooothing to the soul. You can smell the benefits of ghee as it intoxicates the olfactory with its scent of buttery delicious popcorn! MMmmmm….
In the temples all over India ghee lamps are lit on a constant basis as an offering to deity(a divine representation of some force of nature), since ghee is considered to burn as the purest flame!!!
A unique feature of ghee is a healing property not found in other saturated fats. According to Ayurvedic teaching, ghee enhances ojas, an essence that governs the tissues of the body and balances the hormones. Ample ojas ensures a strong mind and body, increases resistance against disease and is essential for longevity. Ghee helps to promote the healing of injuries and gastro intestinal inflammations such as ulcers and colitis.
Ojas is the most refined tissue the body makes, it is not even detectable by science, yet it is so essential for vitality and wellness. Feeding your tissues ghee by consuming it with your food is one of the simple things you can include in your life for optimal health. Ghee also helps to increase or maintain healthy agni, which is also vital for good health. Agni is your digestive fire, ghee is like fuel to that fire, but be careful, don’t soak the fire in too much ghee, you dony want to extinguish the fire!!! Ghee also helps with absorption and assimilation, improves memory, lubricates the connective tissues and makes the body more flexible and supple.
Even those of you who are lactose sensitive or intolerant can have ghee regularly. Ghee is purified butter, which means that all the lactose, milk solids, cream and bad cholesterol has been boiled out and removed.
Those of you who might have high cholesterol can also have it in moderation. It actually helps to combat high cholesterol by coating all the passageways with a nice oily lining making it difficult for plaque to stick and build, which clogs your channels.
Not only is it wonderful to consume, you can also use it externally for dry itchy and aggravated eyes as well as burning or painful irritation of the eyes. Netra Basti treats alochaka pitta, which is the fire that dominates the eyes, giving us clarity and insight.
So what does it do for each dosha???
It is pacifying for both Vata(air) and Pitta(fire) but can aggravate Kapha(earth) if taken in big quantities.
Vata : a must have for vata people, something to be consumed on a regular basis, in your cooking of veggies, rice, breads, etc. also a warm glass of water with a spoonful of ghee every morning can usually assist in the symptoms of constipation, and dryness.
Pitta : Ghee helps to keep pitta people from burning holes through themselves. The oil helps to carry the heat and intensity of a fired up pitta, it provides a nice coating for the insides, it is a very pacifying oil for pitta.
Kapha: In moderation only, kapha helps to keep things lubricated and kapha generally does not need help in this area (kapha is mucous) but it is ok for kapha to have this oil in moderation and most likely in the winter, during a drier time of year.
Please note : People who have high cholesterol or who suffer from obesity should be cautious about using ghee, as mentioned earlier, it should be used in moderation.
How to make it???
You have two options :
Cooking, which will take 20 minutes
Baking, which will take 40 minutes
Stove Top: In a sauce pan boil 1 box (4 sticks) of Unsalted Organic Butter. You want the butter to be at a low bubbling boil for 20 minutes, it will be making a crackling sound as the ghee separates. You will see white cream at the top as well as the bottom, when the white stuff on top separates and you can see golden ghee and it smells like popcorn it is done! Remove it from the heat and let it cool for 10 – 15 minutes and then strain with a fine strainer. If you can see white floaties in your pure golden ghee then strain it a second time after it cools another 5 minutes or so.
Oven: Preheat oven to 425. Place butter in a small casserole dish (preferably a clear one so you can see the butter separate). Place dish in oven, check on it in 30 – 35 minutes if it is brown on top than remove it, otherwise let it sit for a full 40 minutes. You will know its done because it will separate just as described above. Let sit for 10 – 15 minutes to let it cool and then strain.
Ghee does not need to be refrigerated, keep sealed in an airtight jar and it will last forever. As long as you do not contaminate it with water or other food particles it will never go bad! It’s a medicine that gets better as it ages.
You can also find it at your local Whole Foods Market and other Health Food Stores.
Hope you enjoy making your ghee and eating it too! Try it with your oatmeal, toast, rice, veggies, pan fry your tofu or paneer….any way you like, it adds a wonderful flavor and nourishes you down to your deepest essence….
Blessed Love
Dharma
Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist, Pancha Karma Specialist, Massage Therapist and Yoga Instructor.

To purchase this oil, go to:
www.floracopeia.com
Clary sage has a very characteristic and unmistakable aroma, sweet and herbaceous, it is soft with a bitter undertone, yet it would be difficult for someone other than a trained “nose” to accurately describe its multilayered wine-like complexities. For those who wake clear-eyed after a night of refreshing sleep and healing dreams, it is the aroma of contentment. Clary sage encourages vivid dreams and clear inner visions
The name “clary” sage came from the nickname “clear eyes”; given in the Middle- Ages for it’s ability to cure every eye condition! Clary sage produces rejuvenation as a result of its calmative, antispasmotic, and relaxing powers. It blends very well with lavender as they have many of the same properties.
Science now confirms what people have known about clary sage for centuries. A recent study conducted by the nursing department of a Korean university found that atmospheric diffusing of clary sage and lavender helped nursing students by decreasing not only their anxiety and stress, but the physical symptoms, which they produced as well. The conclusion of the study was that “Aroma inhalation could be a very effective stress management method.” The report went on to state that, “Nursing educators should play an important role in contributing to their college students' physical and psychological health by helping enhance their recognition of stress management, and effectively relieving their stress by using essential oils.”
Imagine the positive effects throughout society if stress-reducing fragrances like clary sage were used not just in occasional medical studies, but in every school, nursing home, and office.
If you are one of the many people who are finding themselves increasingly sensitive and more easily overwhelmed by stressful circumstances, sprinkle a few drops of clary sage essential oil in the bath and on the pillow before sleep; it is a renowned tonic that increases physical and psychological strength. By relaxing tension and supporting vitality, it boosts confidence, lifts fatigue, calms anxiety and panic, and overcomes depression. A small amount in a diffuser will help pacify hyperactive children.
Clary sage is anti-diabetic, helps reduce high cholesterol, it is estrogen-like and supports hormones, it is anti-infectious, antifungal, antibacterial, may help with epilepsy, menoapause and PMS…Ladies, this is an essential must-have in your kit of oils.
What could be more precious in this age of mental unrest than an essence that produces euphoric elevation of the spirit while simultaneously bringing tranquil balance to the emotions?
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