Wow, there are a lot of ways to burn all your “matches,” right?
I’m sure that the first thing that comes to mind is a “hard workout,” or training session, which is why you have that special “protein powder recovery shake” that Instagram sold you, right? I have thoughts on this (of course, who am I even.)
First, “working out” is not the only thing that gobbles up the energy we need to sustain life as balanced, healthy humans. A stressful day/week/month at work, soothing your screaming toddler, meeting the standards of a passive aggressive family member, navigating the grocery store line, making it through rush hour traffic unscathed…not to mention, giving birth! Moving! Travel! Deadlines of any kind! Recovering from surgery or illness! And, yes of course riding, running, hiking, swimming, surfing, skiing to our hearts content. All of these activities/passtimes/energy requirements use up our vitality, our energy; they burn what we call in Ayurveda ojas – or vitality – and it turns out that vitality is pretty damn important.
Second, a protein drink dedicated to replenishing what we burned in our workout isn’t actually going to cut it. We have to replace not just the “calories” but the juiciness, the vigor, the essence of vitality so that we can use it to love, thrive, think, create, crush and exist with joy, contentment and success.
How do we replace this sacred “juice?” In Ayurvedic medicine and nutrition philosophy, this comes from the restorative self-care practices we routinize, the foods we eat, and also the plant-intelligence boosts we incorporate. Enter, this creamy, sweet, cure-all: Wonder Milk.
Ojas is a Sanskrit term translated as “vigor” or “essence of vitality.” In the Ayurvedic texts, ojas is described as a golden-honey like substance that prevents friction, dehydration, and depletion. Simply put, ojas is the vital energy that establishes our immunity, strength, and happiness—three things we want to have in abundance so that the next time a bug is circulating, a stressful situation develops, or a hardship comes our way we have matches to burn. If we DON’T have any matches in the matchbox when less-than-optimal, energy-sucking scenarios unfold, we find ourselves sick, tired, worn-down, burned out, heavy-hearted and not feeling like the vibrant beings we desire to be.
Great question. Ayurveda has some easy answers for ya. We can see abundant (or depleted ojas) in our physical, mental + emotional attributes:
Signs of High Ojas
Physical:
Mental and emotional:
Signs of Low Ojas
Physical:
Mental and emotional:
In our modern realm, I wouldn’t be surprised if 99% of you – dear readers – found a symptom in your body/being that indicated ojas was low. Reason being, you’re human and modern life is….hard! Add to this that if your athletic, or high-achieving OR if you consider yourself to be the kind of person who wants the most out of their lives, their health, their days, you’re probably pushing it a little bit sometimes. It’s natural for our ojas to be used if we’re really living life to the fullest! This is common – and the reason that we build ojas is to USE it! What is less common is a general understanding of how to recover it. How to recharge the system, how to restore the matchbox. This is not at all a concept that modern nutritionism or modern sports nutrition have language for, and a sports-oriented “recovery shake” is NOT the same thing.
Ayurvedic medicine speaks about this ad-nauseum, however. And I work with my clients on this principle constantly because if we don’t have matches in the box – vitality or ojas in store, then we don’t have any resilience. We don’t have that extra oomph to push through the hard stuff, to crush our goals, to uplevel our lives. It’s actually not that hard to safeguard and build ojas. But it does require intention (because, the matchbox – and the body mind – need the help of our daily nourishment to replenish. Ether just won’t cut it!
So how do we do that? Ayurveda gives us many tools; both lifestyle practices and dietary practices. Subtle sell here – working with an Ayurvedic practitioner is a great way to understand your ojas and understand what lifestyle practices can help you to ensure that you’re an ojas-rebuilding machine, and can also help you to navigate what dietary practices will do the work for you. But for the purposes of this recipe snippet, let’s just say that eating foods that “boost your juice,” and specifically the ingredients in this sweet little drink – are a great place to start.
Shatavari and ghee – two of the superfood ingredients in the recipe below – hold honorable places in Ayurvedic wisdom. Rejuvenating, deeply nourishing and highly supportive of our health and wellbeing, they make a dynamic duo for those susceptible to empty matchboxes.
Shatavari, also known as Asparagus racemosus, and the “queen of herbs” is a powerhouse for so many reasons. This special herb is known to promote both female and male reproductive health, helps to balance hormones, improves digestive health, supports the immune system, reduces inflammation, acts as an adaptogen (meaning, it supports the body’s natural and healthy stress responses,) bolsters lactation, boosts cognitive function, promotes healthy skin…need I go on?
And ghee, considered the golden nectar of Ayurveda, is quite possibly the most lauded substance in this ancient medicinal system. Ghee acts to lubricate the tissues of the body, promotes digestive health and balances metabolism and also plays a big role in the transport of toxins out of the body.
In the recipe below, they mingle and maximize, supported by the bioenergetic properties of warming spices and saffron to make an ultra-tonic that has so many incredible benefits for all of us.
…is creamy, dreamy, sweet, sultry, comforting and calming. And, there are so many ways that this rad little recipe can be helpful for us, in so many life scenarios. Here are just a few ways that I’ve used it with my clients – and in my own life – recently:
The recipe below is easy, quick and batch-friendly. I highly recommend consuming it warm or at room temperature to maximize the bioenergetic warming benefits of the herbs and spices! The recipe notes below give you some guidance on the details!
I hope you love on this one as much as it will love on you!
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