Building Precious Immunity
Hug a tree to build your Ojas, they said.
My teachers in ‘Ayurveda and Immunity’ at Prema Yoga Institute are sharing ways to retain and build your vigor and resiliency that is the root of our immunity.
Ojas is an Ayurvedic concept and refers to that shield that helps us ward off stress and sickness. When our Ojas is good we have a glowing complexion, a sense of well-being, the ability to endure, and a feeling of lightness in body and mind.
Hug a tree to build your Ojas, they said.
Tree, photo by A.MacMullan
My teachers in ‘Ayurveda and Immunity’ at Prema Yoga Institute are sharing ways to retain and build your vigor and resiliency that is the root of our immunity.
Ojas is an Ayurvedic concept and refers to that shield that helps us ward off stress and sickness. When our Ojas is good we have a glowing complexion, a sense of well-being, the ability to endure, and a feeling of lightness in body and mind.
A person with high Ojas
On the other hand, when we have low Ojas, we feel depleted. Signs of low Ojas include:
Dry skin
Cold hands and feet
Sensitivity to light and sound
Muscle or joint pain
Heaviness in body and mind
Drowsiness or fatigue
Tendency to get sick frequently
Lack of focus
Anxiety
Constant negative attitude
“We must guard our Ojas like a savings account,” Ayurvedic practitioner Julia Abramova says, taking care not to withdraw too much and potentially experience depletion and eventually disease.
So how to you build up your Ojas if it’s depleted?
Recipe by Julia Abramova, Jyoti Yoga and Healing
Strengthen your digestive fire (get on a good eating routine, don’t overeat, etc)
Eat Ojas-building foods that are sweet, heavy, smooth, cool, stable (avocados, bananas, soaked dates, soaked raisins, fresh figs, sweet potatoes, mung beans, ghee, milk, almonds)
Do restorative yoga
Rest! All healing begins in rest.
Practice Abhyanga or Self-massage with Oils
Practice Pratyahara - disconnect from sensory overload
Walk in the moonlight
Forest bathing
So here’s a suggestion: go stand in nature and put yourself on “receive” mode, taking in the soothing sounds, gentle air, and life force of the beings around you. Drink in the beauty that surrounds you. Build your Ojas!
Sunsets are a marvelous way to drink in Ojas
Resources:
Ayurveda and Immunity Course, Prema Yoga Institute
Julia Abramova, E-RYT500, Founder and Program Director of Jyoti Yoga & Healing, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT)
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Ann Grace MacMullan is a yoga teacher and owner at Team Sun Wellness, a Philadelphia-based company whose mission is to help people of all walks of life take care of themselves through mindful movement and focused breathing. She is also a yoga therapy student at Prema Yoga Institute.
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The Truth About Ghee
Over the summer, I took an Ayurveda course as part of my Yoga Therapy certification with Prema Yoga Institute, and was introduced to the concept of ghee, or clarified butter. We needed it to make one of our recipes, so I bought a jar for some astronomical amount, like $13. That first jar was a good investment!
Over the summer, I took an Ayurveda course as part of my Yoga Therapy certification with Prema Yoga Institute, and was introduced to the concept of ghee, or clarified butter. We needed it to make one of our recipes, so I bought a jar for some astronomical amount, like $13. That first jar was a good investment!
My first batch of homemade ghee, July 2020
Ghee is a staple of the Ayurvedic diet. Some dishes call for one tablespoon of ghee per person! So what is it, and why is it good for you? Is it good for you? Ghee is just butter (use organic, unsalted, grass-fed butter) that is slowly cooked down and strained to remove milk solids and other impurities. After it cools, the result is a beautiful, rich golden color.
Some facts about ghee:
It has been used in Indian and Pakistani cultures for thousands of years.
Ghṛta (घृत) is a Sanskrit technical term translating to “ghee” (clarified butter), and is used throughout Ayurvedic literature. The term comes from the Sanskrit word meaning “sprinkled or illumined.”
Ghee was created to prevent butter from spoiling during warm weather. Given that its milk solids have been removed, it does not require refrigeration and can be kept at room temperature for several weeks.
Ghee and butter are comprised of nearly 100% fat, but ghee may be the better choice for people with lactose or casein sensitivities, since it is free of both.
Eating fat-rich foods like ghee can increase the “bioavailability” and absorption of some healthy vitamins and minerals.
Ghee is rich in butyric acid, a short chain fatty acid that promotes a positive immune response within the body, to support healing of inflammation and optimal digestion.
Its smoke point is 485°F (250°C), which is substantially higher than butter’s smoke point of 350°F (175°C). Therefore, when cooking at very high temperatures, ghee has a distinct advantage over butter.
If you’re healthy and looking to add more fat to your diet, ghee may be a fine option; no evidence suggests that it’s healthier than butter overall.
Ghee solidifies when it cools, and doesn’t need to be refrigerated.
What Ayurveda says about Ghee:
Ghee is a digestive. It helps to improve absorption and assimilation.
It nourishes ojas, tejas and prana.
It is good for improving memory and lubricates the connective tissue.
Ghee makes the body flexible and, in small doses, is tridoshic.
Ghee is a yogavahi—a catalytic agent that carries the medicinal properties of herbs into the seven dhatus or tissues of the body.
Ghee pacifies pitta and vata and is acceptable, in moderation, for kapha.
Persons who already have high cholesterol or suffer from obesity should be cautious in using ghee.
Ghee is not to be used when there are high ama (toxic) conditions.
If you’re not sure what your dosha is, you can take a Dosha Quiz.
You can’t see it, but ghee is holding this meal together, just like it does your insides.
Personally, I have noticed that I enjoy the preparation and the eating of my food more with ghee in the mix, used in place of vegetable oils to make eggs, stir fry, or spread on bread or crackers - I have even put ghee in hot beverages. I used to ‘say no’ to butter altogether, but why? A little fat is good for you, if you’re healthy! The taste is wonderful, and I feel more oleanated from the inside. I even use ghee on my skin sometimes.
Recipe from Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing, Usha Lad and Dr. Vasant Lad
I made my first homemade batch in July, and now it's a regular part of my routine and diet. If you want to make your own ghee, it's really easy! Check out Dr. Vasant Lad's Ghee Recipe. In case you're wondering, I have not put on any unwanted pounds - in fact, the opposite has occurred, but probably because I have mostly eliminated processed food from my diet, and am consuming more vegetables and fruit.
If you want yummy recipes and easy-to-understand information on an Ayurvedic diet and perspective, I highly recommend Ali Cramer's book, Modern Ayurveda: Rituals, Recipes, & Remedies for Balance. I have enjoyed her recipe for hearty, nourishing kichadi that uses ghee a few times already!
Bring-Me-Back Kichadi featuring plenty of ghee
Final fact: I have to HIDE THE GHEE JAR from my husband.
Sources:
Ayurveda 100 hour course, Prema Yoga Institute
Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing, Usha Lad and Dr. Vasant Lad
What is Ghee and Why is it a Staple of Indian Healthcare - The Observer
Modern Ayurveda: Rituals, Recipes, & Remedies for Balance by Ali Cramer
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Ann Grace MacMullan is a yoga teacher and owner at Team Sun Wellness, a Philadelphia-based company whose mission is to help people of all walks of life take care of themselves through mindful movement and focused breathing. She is also a yoga therapy student at Prema Yoga Institute.
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Bee Breath: Hum Your Way to Health
“Whether we like it or not, we are all either in a stage of prevention or in a stage of recovery from COVID-19.” These words get you thinking: am I doing everything I can to support my own health at this time?
During PYI’s latest Breath Coaching Course, an incredible faculty of doctors, nurses, psychologists, and yoga therapists gathered to teach a group of over fifty students a range of breathing tools to support prevention and recovery from COVID-19.
“Whether we like it or not, we are all either in a stage of prevention or in a stage of recovery from COVID-19.” These words get you thinking: am I doing everything I can to support my own health at this time?
During PYI’s latest Breath Coaching Course, an incredible faculty of doctors, nurses, psychologists, and yoga therapists gathered to teach a group of over fifty students a range of breathing tools to support prevention and recovery from COVID-19.
Among the many useful breath techniques covered, I was delighted to reacquaint myself with an old favorite, Bee Breath or Bhramari Pranayama. As someone who has experienced a severe anxiety disorder, sometimes “taking a deep breath” or focusing on the breath at all wasn’t helpful or even available. However, I had discovered that Bee Breath had the power to literally drown out that anxious mental loop, and its vibration could immediately ground me in my body. I would say that Bee Breath is not only a breathing practice, but also a form of meditation.
Bhramari is the Sanskrit word for “bee,” and this pranayama or breath exercise is so named for the humming sound produced - like the gentle low buzz or droning of a bee. Sounds relaxing, right? It is, and here’s some science to back that up: as we’re exhaling and creating the droning sound, we’re also lengthening our exhalations - which in turn activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the side in charge of resting, digesting, and healing.
I’d always known that Bee Breath had a calming effect. In fact, this technique along with others helped me recover from my anxiety disorder, remaining a part of my regular wellness maintenance routine. In PYI’s course, I discovered that one of my most loved breath exercises could also improve immunity - by releasing a beneficial gas called Nitric Oxide into the system (NO.) NO is a critical component in the eradication of viruses.
Here’s how it works: Nasal NO levels increase dramatically during humming compared with normal quiet nasal exhalation. This effect is likely due to increased contribution of NO from the paranasal sinuses. Humming causes the air to oscillate, which in turn seems to increase the exchange of air between the sinuses and the nasal cavity.
To receive the full anti-viral and anti-bacterial benefits of NO, we need to inhale through the nose after the humming is finished, to draw the NO back into the respiratory tract via the bronchial passageways. Nitric Oxide is a free, naturally produced, anti-viral, anti-bacterial gas and can be made available at any time!
How to Practice Bee's Breath:
Sit comfortably but upright, with a stable foundation to support you.
Rest one hand on the heart, another on the belly. If it’s comfortable you could close your eyes, or gaze softly downwards.
Gently close the lips, keeping the teeth slightly apart, and bring the tip of your tongue to the space behind the upper front teeth. (Try to keep the jaw relaxed throughout your practice.)
To begin, take a deep breath in through the nostrils.
As you slowly exhale with the mouth closed, make a steady, low-pitched ‘hmmm’ sound at the back of the throat—like the humming of a bee. Focus on making the sound soft, smooth, and steady. The positioning of the tongue allows the vibration to better resonate throughout the head.
When you inhale, be sure to breathe in through the nose, thus distributing the beneficial NO throughout the respiratory system.
Continue for as many repetitions as you like. After the final exhalation, allow your breath to return to normal and observe any changes that have occurred.
Maybe you can even feel the vibration continue throughout your head and body after you've stopped humming!
Bee Breath Potential Benefits
• Calms and quiets the mind
• Releases Nitric Oxide into the nasal passages, NO is naturally anti-viral and anti-microbial
• Improves immunity
• Increases lung capacity
• Initiates the “Rest, Digest, and Heal Response,” lowering heart rate, blood pressure, and calming nervous system
• May aid in loosening blockage from the sinuses
Bee Breath may also have a positive effect on tinnitus, bolster the health of the throat, and strengthen and improve the voice. Practicing for at least 5 minutes may help you achieve a more meditative state. Happy Humming!
Links:
• Effects of Bhramari Pranayama on health – A systematic review
• The Effect of Bhramari Pranayama (Bumblebee Breath) on Tinnitus
• Humming Greatly Increases Nasal Nitric Oxide
• Nitric oxide and redox mechanisms in the immune response
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Ann Grace MacMullan is a yoga teacher and owner at Team Sun Wellness, a Philadelphia-based company whose mission is to help people of all walks of life take care of themselves through mindful movement and focused breathing. She is also a yoga therapy student at Prema Yoga Institute.
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