"Verily, He is the inner self of all beings.” - The Upanishads Celebrating Maha Shivaratri : The Great Night of Shiva Last week, we celebrated Mahashivaratri or "the Great Night of Lord Shiva" in Kerala. On this day, women (and some men) were fasting and staying up all night to pray for a husband with the qualities of Shiva. In the Vedas, Shiva is known as the absolute husband, despite the fact that he lives in the mountains, is constantly engaged in meditation, has no posses

"A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything." - Celtic Proverb A good sleep cycle is so important: sleep heals you from the stresses and strains of your day and supports the development of new neural pathways in the brain, strong immune function, emotional resilience and hormonal balance. In modern culture, however, insomnia is all too common, especially in the fall. In the mind-body science of ayurveda, this is explained by the change in the element in

We know ojas when we see it : the glow of a woman in love; the magnetism of sages and saints; the power of a person living their purpose; or, the insatiable attraction we have toward the babies and young children. Ayurveda recognizes a subtle bodily substance called ojas (pronounced o-jahs) as the foundation for our overall health, happiness and resilience to stress. Its name translates as “strength”, “splendour”, “lustre” or “powerful expression”. Ojas is a very refined, pro