Elements of Ayurveda Podcast

Avanti Kumar-Singh, MD, is an internationally recognized Ayurveda and integrative medicine practitioner, a certified yoga therapist, and a former ER doctor. Her approach brings together Western medicine with the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda from her South Asian lineage. Colette chats with Dr. Avanti about her new book The Longevity Formula and they discuss the following: Dr. Avanti's personal health...

Artava Vaha Srotas is the channel carrying nutrients for the female reproductive tissue, the ova or eggs and Shukra vaha srotas is the channel carrying nutrition for the male reproductive tissue, the sperm. In this episode Colette covers the following: Signs and symptoms of aggravation in these channels. Disorders which can manifest e.g. PCOS, endometriosis, fertility issues for women and for men...

In Ayurveda, nails are seen as an important diagnostic tool because they reflect the inner health of the body. Imbalances in the doshas (vata, pitta, kapha) can manifest as various nail conditions, each indicating underlying health issues. In this episode Colette discusses the following: The relationship between our nails and our bone tissue, asthi dhatu. Common nail conditions and their correspon...

Majja vaha srotas is the channel carrying nutrition for the bone marrow and nerve tissue. The most important function of majja vaha srotas is communication, including both motor and sensory responses for our five senses.  In this episode Colette discusses the following: Signs and symptoms of aggravation in majja vaha srotas. Disorders which can manifest e.g. Multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkin...

Dr. Sujatha Kekada is the Head Physician and Co-Founder of AmrtaSiddhi Ayurvedic Clinic in Ubud, Bali. In this episode Dr. Sujatha talks with Colette about common menstrual cycle disorders and the possible causes of these disorders, the holistic treatment recommended and how to prevent these disorders with diet, lifestyle and self-care practices. They discuss the following: Signs of a healthy mens...

Ashti vaha srotas is the channel carrying nutrition for the bone tissue. It is responsible for structure and support in the body and the protection of vital organs like the brain. In this episode Colette discusses the following: Signs and symptoms of aggravation in asthi vaha srotas. Disorders which can manifest e.g. osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis. Possible causes of aggravatio...

Jillian Lavender and Michael Miller are renowned Vedic Meditation teachers and Co-Founders of the London Meditation Centre and New York Meditation Center. They have been practicing meditation for 30+ years and have taught thousands of people across the globe. Colette chats with Jillian and Michael about the ancient practice of Vedic meditation and they discuss the following: Their individual life...

Vaidya Jayarajan Kodikannath is a visionary, a classically trained Ayurveda doctor and an accomplished teacher representing a lineage of Ayurveda Practitioners from Kerala, India. He is the CEO and Academy Director of Kerala Ayurveda (USA) and is the President of NAMA, the National Ayurveda Medical Association in the US. Colette talks with Dr. J about plant consciousness and Vedic agriculture and...

Karen suffered from lifelong allergies and had consulted with many specialists and as a result was supplied with inhalers, nasal cleanses and allergy medication to help relieve her allergy symptoms. She explains how after her first Digestive Reset Cleanse with me in 2023 the root of her allergy symptoms was healed and she no longer needed daily allergy medicine.  In July of this year Karen wanted...

Meda dhatu is our fat tissue and meda vaha srotas are the channels carrying nutrients for the fat tissue. Meda vaha srotas is responsible for lubrication, protection, insulation, adding bulk to the body, providing energy and sweating as sweat is a mala or byproduct of meda dhatu or fat tissue. In this episode Colette discusses the following: Signs and symptoms of aggravation in meda vaha srotas. D...

Colette answers the following questions from the Elements of Ayurveda Podcast Community: Bernadette: I love Summer and always dread the Fall, as soon as September starts my body and mind seem to just break down and it continues for months. I'm determined to not have this experience this year. What can I do to keep my body and mind stable? Susan: I recently had a reaction to hair dye at my hairdres...

Mamsa dhatu is our muscle tissue and mamsa vaha srotas are the channels carrying nutrients for the muscle tissue. Mamsa dhatu and mamsa vaha srotas are responsible for: Plastering or covering the body and providing form and strength. Our muscles are responsible for all movement in the body, from moving our joints and bones, to chewing our food and emotional expression. Supporting the skeleton and...

August 17th, 2024 marks the 7th anniversary of this podcast and thank you for listening, supporting and sharing the podcast.  I'm celebrating this occasion by sharing my top 10 episodes to listen to in order to give you a well-rounded insight into the depth of this ancient wisdom of Ayurveda. This is a question I get asked frequently and so I thought this anniversary episode is the perfect opportu...

Rakta vaha srotas are the channels involved in the production and transportation of blood. The main functions of the blood channel are transporting oxygen and nutrients throughout the body and the removal of waste including carbon dioxide and other metabolic wastes from the body, transporting them to the lungs, kidneys, and skin for excretion. In this episode Colette looks at the imbalances and di...

Edema is swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in the body's tissues. Edema can affect any part of the body but it's most common in the extremities like the ankles, legs, feet, arms and hands. It can occur during hot weather, pregnancy and it's a common sign of imbalance in conditions affecting the plasma channel (rasa vaha srotas) and hydration channel (udaka vaha srotas) in the body. Colette d...

Rasa vaha srotas are the channels carrying rasa, which is the first tissue formed after digestion.   Rasa is our plasma, lymph and serum circulating throughout the body and nourishing all the tissues of the body. The health of rasa and the rasa vaha srotas is extremely important as both the tissue and channel are responsible for the nourishment to all the other tissues of the body. Colette discuss...

Divya Alter is the co-founder of the nation's first Ayurvedic culinary school (Bhagavat Life) and the chef-owner of the award-winning New York City restaurant, Divya's Kitchen, which reimagines classic dishes through an Ayurvedic lens. She is also the author of two cookbooks, What to Eat for How You Feel and Joy of Balance. Divya chats with Colette about Summer cooking and they cover the following...

Udaka vaha srotas, also known as ambu vaha srotas is the water carrying channel in the body and it also includes the channels that regulate water balance. In episode 276 Colette discussed the functioning of the hydration channel and subdoshas involved. In this episode she focuses on the imbalances and disorders which can occur in this channel and covers the following: Signs of aggravation in udaka...

The sweet taste is made up of the water and earth elements and it strengthens, heals, energizes, grounds, cools and calms the body and mind. It also promotes sattva, love, compassion, stability, vitality, clarity and awareness. In this episode Colette covers the following topics: The numerous benefits of the sweet taste. How the sweet taste is perceived in the body/mind. Samples of the sweet taste...

Prana vaha srotas is the life carrying channel, the respiratory system. It's responsible for respiration, maintaining life functions, cellular communication, emotions, the flow of intelligence and communication with the higher self. In this episode Colette discusses the following: Early signs of imbalances in prana vaha srotas. Influence of the doshas on the respiratory channel. Disorders of prana...

Summer season is associated with the pitta dosha and the hot, intense weather of this season will naturally increase the qualities of pitta in our body and mind. If you have a high pitta constitution or pitta aggravation you will be very sensitive to this increase in heat, however, no matter what your doshic makeup we are all affected by the rise in pitta energy and so we all have to make some adj...

In episode 272 Colette discussed anna vaha srotas, the food channel in detail. In this episode she dives deeper into the imbalances and disorders that can occur in the anna vaha srotas and covers the following topics: Early signs of imbalances in the anna vaha srotas. The four types of disorders in this channel. Fourteen types of imbalances including indigestion IBS, IBD and GERD. The causes of th...

In this solo episode Colette covers a subject which comes up a lot in her online consultations and that's the relationship between stress and weight gain.   When it comes to weight gain we often focus on our food, but stress plays a major role in weight gain also and particularly weight gain around the midsection of the body. She discusses the following in this episode: The 2 types of stress. What...

Prana is our life force energy and vitality governing all motor and sensory functions. Prana governs respiration, the physiological functioning of the heart, digestion and excretion. It coordinates our breath, our senses and mind. The functions of the mind, memory, thoughts, and emotions are all under the control of prana.  In this episode Colette discusses the following aspects of prana: The func...

Dr. Sujatha Kekada is the Head Physician and Co-Founder of AmrtaSiddhi Ayurvedic Clinic in Ubud, Bali and is a regular guest on the podcast. In this episode Colette discusses eating disorders with Dr. Sujatha and she shares the Ayurvedic perspective. They discuss the following: The eating and agni tendencies of vata, pitta and kapha dosha. What role the mind and the mental gunas of rajas and tamas...