Nasturtium is an annual plant with edible seeds, leaves, and flowers that are rich in Vitamin C. This plant is a subset of the cabbage family which also includes watercress. Nasturtium is easy to grow because it can thrive in poor soil like a weed.

The leaves and flowers of this plant have a slightly peppery flavor. The seeds are often pickled and taste a bit like capers. Leaves and flowers are used fresh in salads, butters, and honeys.

Nasturtium leaves, flowers and seeds all have antibiotic properties. These three parts of the plant are used together by herbalists to treat respiratory and urinary tract infections.

I find that many people think of health the way they think of happiness: as a state to be attained and maintained. In this vision of health, to be healthy means that you never get sick. No matter what cold or flu virus you are exposed to, you stay in your state of perfect health. Your skin always looks clear and you are always effortlessly thin. This vision of health is promoted by people who want to sell you expensive products. These promoters have much to gain from making you believe that you can attain perfect health by spending so many dollars. All you have to do to be healthy is buy the "right" supplements, food processing equipment, workout machines, etc.

Of course it would be wonderful if we could all be perfectly healthy all the time. Of course we all have health as our natural state and disease occurs when our natural balance is upset. However, there are several problems with thinking of health as a state we can attain and keep on a permanent basis. One problem is that this thinking divorces our minds from our bodies. Instead of learning to listen to our bodies' messages about what we need, we listen to others telling us what they think we need.

This desire for perfect health also creates neurosis. If we believe that our health is entirely within our control, it is our fault when we get sick. Imagine the stress created when you not only catch the cold your daughter brought home from school, but you also go over all the mistakes you must have made to be vulnerable to such an illness. Maybe you ate the wrong foods. Maybe you didn't sleep enough. Maybe you should have been taking different supplements. See what I mean? This way of thinking places full responsibility for health on the individual and takes no account of the myriad factors influencing health that are beyond our control. When we are out in the world, we have no control over our exposure to all the chemicals in the air. We have no control over the chaotic elements of life that may cause us to lose sleep. If your boss throws a last-minute project at you, your child gets sick, and a storm knocks out power in your home, your fight-or-flight system is likely to turn on no matter how healthy your diet is or how often you meditate. When this system goes into action, your immune system will be weaker and you just might catch that virus your child has. Is it truly reasonable to believe that getting sick in this context is your fault?

The question we all need to answer for ourselves is this: what is health? Is it merely never getting sick? Is it being thin? Is it eating whole foods? Is it exercising?

I am going to propose a definition of health that doesn't get talked about much: health is balance. I believe this definition is more realistic and more harmonious with our nature as constantly changing beings. Picture yourself standing on one foot, nice and tall, unwavering. This is you when you feel healthy. Your body feels happy, you can move around easily, your heart is light, your mind is clear, and your spirit is fulfilled. Now imagine that as you are standing here on one foot someone walks by and bumps into you. You wobble and have to put the other foot down. This is what happens when something in life causes us to become sick or injured. The important point in this scenario is what happens next: you regain your balance once again and pick up that other foot.

As with our imaginary yoga scenario, being healthy is an overall balance that we achieve. Most of us live in the world rather than in sequestered ashrams where all aspects of life are designed to foster our physical and spiritual health. Since we live in the world, we must each find our own balance within it. There will be stress from factors beyond our control. There will be people with the flu who don't stay home from work when they should. The key is to find your balance as simply as possible.

This definition of health as balance is what makes my practice of Ayurveda unique. I am not selling perfect health. What I am after is working one on one with individuals to help them learn to listen to their bodies and access their intuitive healing abilities.

How to get the most out of working with an Ayurvedic practitioner:

1. Be involved! Holistic and natural healing are participatory. You must be ready to take an active role in your health to receive benefits from Ayurvedic treatments...or any natural healing therapies.

2. Don't leave anything out. Ayurvedic practitioners work from a holistic perspective. This perspective means that we are looking at how all the components of you have interacted to create the symptoms you are experiencing. The more you tell us - even if you think it's unrelated to the issue at hand - the better we will be able to help. We need to know as much as possible about your physical issues, mental state, stressors in your life, and how you are sleeping, to name some examples. If you are a woman with irregular periods we need to know that...even if what brought you into the office was digestive illness.

3. Be committed. Create goals with your practitioner and show up to your follow-up visits. Ayurvedic practitioners want to help you make healthy life changes that last in the long term. It takes an average of three times encountering something for the human brain to hold onto it. As such, most practitioners suggest a minimum of three visits. This number is for your benefit and not just so we can make money on you coming back. Why throw away your money on one visit? Without the accountability of a follow-up, following through on health plans after one appointment is unlikely. We know it is overwhelming to make many changes at once, so we suggest changes little by little. If you don't come to your follow-up visits, you will never receive the benefits of the full treatment plan that your practitioner has for you.

4. Come prepared. Your practitioner needs a full list of the medications, vitamins, and supplements that you are taking; including the name and dosage. We cannot ethically recommend herbal remedies if we don't know what you are already using.

5. Ask questions. You deserve answers.

6. Know that we are here for you! Ayurvedic practitioners did not choose their careers for the money. Ayurvedic services are not covered by insurance and the time spent with you in the office is a small fraction of the time your practitioner is working on your treatment plan. We do what we do because we love helping others heal!

Clear quartz contains rainbows that are visible as the crystals bend different wavelengths of light. Quartz is associated with the crown chakra in Ayurveda, which is called "sahasrara". This chakra is opened as someone becomes spiritually enlightened. To fully develop this chakra is very rare. The great religious leaders of the world have all had highly developed crown chakras.

Clear quartz is considered very powerful, enabling the user to develop on their spiritual path. This crystal is used in healing the mind and nervous system. Meditation with clear quartz provides insight into one's greater purpose.

Sahasrara is colorless like the clear quartz. This chakra opens as energy flows upward from the other six chakras, so like the clear quartz it reflects the rainbow of colors in all the other energy centers. This paradox of color symbolizes the paradox of the divine, at once being present in each of us and in the outer world as well.

Violet fluorite is a healing stone that opens the intuitive center in the third eye chakra. This chakra is called "ajna" in Ayurveda. Ajna chakra is the energetic center that enables us to be in tune with the wisdom of the universe. This chakra is the psychic center, which means this is the area of the body that gives us our senses that are somewhat beyond the perception capabilities of the traditional five senses (smell, touch, taste, hearing, vision). Psychic abilities are not strictly the ability to tell the future that is portrayed to eggageration in many Hollywood films and television shows.

Psychic abilities include the intuitive sense that something is right for us, the "bad feeling" we may get before a loved one far away experiences an illness or tragedy, and the ability to empathically feel the emotions of those around us. Most people use their empathic abilities on a subconscious level daily in social interactions. Being able to perceive the emotional state of someone with whom we are speaking is an important part of conversation and a "psychic" ability that most people use all the time without thinking about it.

Ajna chakra is associated with the Vata dosha. As such, violet fluorite is used in healing problems with the nerves, bones, and marrow.

Violet fluorite is a healing stone that opens the intuitive center in the third eye chakra. This chakra is called "ajna" in Ayurveda. Ajna chakra is the energetic center that enables us to be in tune with the wisdom of the universe. This chakra is the psychic center, which means this is the area of the body that gives us our senses that are somewhat beyond the perception capabilities of the traditional five senses (smell, touch, taste, hearing, vision). Psychic abilities are not strictly the ability to tell the future that is portrayed to eggageration in many Hollywood films and television shows.

Psychic abilities include the intuitive sense that something is right for us, the "bad feeling" we may get before a loved one far away experiences an illness or tragedy, and the ability to empathically feel the emotions of those around us. Most people use their empathic abilities on a subconscious level daily in social interactions. Being able to perceive the emotional state of someone with whom we are speaking is an important part of conversation and a "psychic" ability that most people use all the time without thinking about it.

Ajna chakra is associated with the Vata dosha. As such, violet fluorite is used in healing problems with the nerves, bones, and marrow. This stone is also beneficial for restoring libido.

Yellow fluorite can be used for healing blockages in the third chakra, located at the solar plexus. This chakra is called manipura and is associated with the dosha of Pitta. This chakra gives us our self confidence and the ability to inspire confidence in others. When this chakra is clear, the intuitive and analytical parts of us can communicate with one another to make important decisions.

Since yellow fluorite is healing for Pitta, it is used in treating liver disorders. This stone promotes detoxification of pollutants which are stored in the fat cells of the body. Healing Pitta reduces inflammation in the body, which is needed for treating a wide array of illnesses; from allergies to colitis to heart disease.

Yellow fluorite can be used in group settings to promote harmony and cooperation. All that is needed is to place the stone in the room.

First, a quick review that may help:
Vata dosha: dominant elements governing you are air and space (mobility, inconsistency, independence)

Pitta dosha: dominant element governing you is fire (inflammation, heat, ambition)

Kapha dosha: dominant elements governing you are water and earth (stability, loyalty, consistency)

To get an idea of what type you are, visit my website: healthrevolutionayurveda.com

Now, on to today's topic:
Carnelian is typically an orange-colored stone ranging from orange to red-orange to orange-brown. Being orange in color gives this stone an affinity for the second chakra. This chakra is called svadishthana and is governed by the water element of Kapha dosha. Svadishthana is the energy center responsible for compassion, nurturing, and sexuality. We store our connections to our mothers, children, and romantic partners in this chakra. Carnelian can help to clear blockages at svadishthana, promoting health of the reproductive and pelvic areas. Healing the second chakra increases the health of Kapha dosha, balancing Pitta emotional problems such as rage and jealousy. Pitta is heat, fire, and inflammation; these are decreased by the cooling action of the water portion of Kapha. Carnelian also energizes Kapha for us when we feel lethargic and unmotivated.

The water element in our bodies keeps us flexible in mind and body. Using carnelian to heal the second chakra therefore helps us to have healthy emotional responses and to be more easy-going in life. When energy flow is good at the second chakra, we feel stable and unafraid to be intimately connected to others. Healthy Kapha prevents us from creating unhealthy attachments to emotions and storing them inside our body. Carnelian is especially helpful in releasing grief, which is stored in the lungs and can lead to respiratory illnesses.

Carnelian is used to help with pancreatic health, pollen allergies, and colds. It can also be used to cleanse other stones of negative energy.

Placing carnelian in the home promotes an environment of love, nurturing and stability.

Nature is a language everyone can read.

I am sure most of you noticed that I am doing a series on crystal healing this week. I plan to post an article about a healing stone relating to each of the seven chakras.

Today I am going to write about garnet, which is my birth stone and the center stone of the ring in the above photo. The garnet in the picture is a raspberry garnet, but you can find them in colors ranging from this magenta type to a burgundy that looks almost black.

Garnet is associated with the root chakra, which is called "muladhara" in Ayurveda. Muladhara chakra is located at the base of the spine. When the energy flow at this chakra is clear we feel grounded and secure. When the energetic flow at muladhara is blocked, our skeletal system and joints can be affected.

Garnet can be used to help clear blockages in the root chakra, improving the health of the legs and feet. Garnet is considered to be a promoter of overall health, removing negative energy from the body. Garnet is also the stone of commitment. It enhances feelings of love for self and others.

During times of upheaval or transition, garnet facilitates acceptance of change by helping us to realize that we are supported by the universe.

Jade has been worn historically to bring long life and devotion to one's higher calling.

Being green in color, jade is associated with the fourth chakra. This chakra is located in the chest behind the heart and is called "anahata" in Sanskrit, the language of the ancient Ayurvedic texts. Anahata chakra is the energetic center of the air element in our bodies. This chakra is where we hold our capacity for intuition and openness to connection with others. When the energetic flow is clear in anahata, we have the abilities to be aware of, understand, and control our emotions in a healthy manner.

As it is associated with the heart chakra, jade can be used in healing the heart, lungs, shoulders, and arms. Jade also brings heightened intuition, self-confidence, trust in intuitive insights, and self-sufficiency.

Building on the intuitive capacities of jade, this stone assists the wearer with manifesting intentions and the attainment of one's goals. Jade also facilitates one's ability to tune into the needs of others.

Placing jade under the pillow at night helps to bring insight into emotional problems through dreams. It is said that wearing jade helps to manifest our dreams in reality.