A Real Ayurbaby!

...and Ayur-mommy. Meet Meenakshi Singh, neice of Dr. Partap Chauhan, and her 1 month old son, Aditya. Being the grandnephew of a famous Ayurvedic doctor has its advantages, as his mother has learned to follow an Ayurvedic diet and regimen right from the start.

This includes eating sattvic foods (e.g., avoiding spices), creating a peaceful home environment, avoiding watching TV and using electronic gadgets, engaging in spiritual activities (books, music, mantras), and spending quality time with her baby. To keep her system strong and to provide her baby with extra nourishment, Meenakshi takes specially prepared Ayurvedic herbs created specifically for her pitta (fire) body type. She gets regular panch karma massage to ease the back pain and stress associated with newborns, and in turn, she regularly pampers her son with Ayurvedic baby massage with both natural oil and ubtan (a traditional paste made of herbs and pulses) to stimulate his rapidly developing body and brain.

It's no surprise that he's turning out to be such a cute, healthy baby boy. The Charak Samhita (Ayurveda's main treatise) assures this regimen will result in a strong immune system, a healthy body, and a balanced mind. It will be exciting to watch Aditya grow up with such a solid Ayurvedic foundation.

Stress During Pregnancy Has Detrimental Effect On Offspring

ScienceDaily (2008-10-29) reports that

stress during pregnancy may have unfortunate consequences for children born under those conditions – slower development, learning and attention difficulties, anxiety and depressive symptoms and possibly even autism.

While we are surely grateful for the study and its results, scientists should give a bit of credit to Indian's scientists of yore, who arrived at the same conclusions thousands of years ago. Ayurvedic texts discuss not only the implications of stress during pregnancy, but also effective ways of planning for conception, and the diet and lifestyle that should be followed in order to produce a healthy, balanced child.

People frequently come to me with problems they face with their children regarding learning and especially behavior. I usually ask them to describe the state of their lives while the mother was pregnant--what she ate, what she did, where she lived, who else stayed in the home, the general mood, etc. I also ask them similar questions related to the the child's infancy--first three years of the child's life. Inevitably, I find that parents with the most extreme problems violated a majority of the principles clearly defined by Ayurveda.

The unfortunate thing is that by the time they meet me, the damage is done. During the early stages of development, the brain's wiring--the essential configuration of its neural networks is more or less laid down permanently--like the infrastructure of a building such as pipes, electrical lines, vents, etc. Once a building is up, redoing infrastructure is nearly impossible. In the case of both buildings and people, this doesn't mean nothing can be done if problems exist in the basic foundation. But then the process of remedy is more about damage control than cure, and in many instances, the problems resurface repeatedly over time.

I hope more new and expecting parents take note of this, and take greater care with respect to the period of pregnancy and infancy. You are always welcome to speak with a Jiva doctor for free advice via email info@jiva.com or by phone +91-129-4088152.

Till then, see what Dr. Partap Chauhan has to say about Ayurveda and a healthy pregnancy:

Ayurveda in Eastern Europe

Over the past few years we've had numerous groups come to visit Jiva from Eastern Europe--folks coming in from Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania. I was speaking with Ela Zuk-Widmanska of Poland (an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant), who explained that these countries were trapped between Western Europe and Russia in Cold War. During this time, as she explains, the healthcare system was a complete mess. As a result, people took health into their own hands, resorting to numerous natural healing methods. Since the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the fall of communism, people of these countries have made India a preferred destination, traveling here to explore the depths of Yoga, meditation, and Ayurveda.

Here are some pics of Dr. Chauhan's Jivananda retreat in Lithuania.

What Teachers Make

I find Taylor Mali's poem about what it means to be a teacher extremely powerful--and funny. Have a look:

India is changing

When I came to faridabad 14 years ago, you couldn't find pasta. Now
you can find not just pasta, but a whole lot more.

I'm Back

Back to blogging after a long break. I went way deep into the heart of India and Jiva, and have returned with quite a bit to tell. Stay tuned...