As we are currently in the Equinox portal, balance is on my mind. The body is always seeking balance. That is its goal. If I could sum up “What is Ayurveda” in one simple phrase, it would be this: the body’s constant yearning for homeostasis.

Ayurveda regards the body as a temple, and keeping it in balance is truly the gateway to healthy living. Harmony between your internal and external environments is key: so is being cognizant of how everything that you see, taste, eat, feel, hear, touch, or experience in your outer world affects your inner.

With Ayurveda being an individualized science, of course, each person’s ideal homeostasis is different. This is represented by your Prakruti, or unique combination of the 5 elements/3 doshas - and no two Prakrutis are really, truly alike. We consider this your unique blueprint of health, which your body is always striving to align with - consciously or unconsciously.

Here are some simple ways that you may unconsciously be seeking balance as you go about your daily/seasonal routines:

-Having a balanced plate at mealtime: a good balance of colors, qualities, textures, tastes (the 6 tastes), and even different temperatures.
-I seek homeostasis through weather - I feel more ease and balance on a warm, cloudy day in the summer or with a cloudless, crisp, sunny blue sky in wintertime.
-Wearing wool in the winter and white linen in the summer.
-Waking up before 6am and getting in bed by 9:30pm.
-Drinking green juice in the summer.
-Eating lentil soup in the winter.
-Eating your largest meal around noon-time (as always, the theme of the microcosm and the macrocosm: the strength of your digestion mirrors the sun, and when the sun is the highest in the sky, your agni -digestive fire- is the strongest).
-Using oils that balance your skin type or skin tendencies - or, rotate with the seasons: light and cooling in summer, heavier and nourishing in the winter, detoxifying in the spring.
-Anointing your body with oil daily to balance the tissues, electrical body, lymphatic system and nervous system.