WORKSHOPS
Heaven hides the fate of all beings except the prescribed side, their present.
– Alexander Pope (1688-1744), English poet and translator, An Essay on Man
As a result of the lectures and consumption of a plant-based diet, I prepare workshops in which I include the doctrine of Ayurvedic nutrition. The five-thousand-year-old doctrine is not exclusively vegan. Ghee, paneer (cheese), and milk are also consumed. I understand my lifestyle as a mission to care for people, animals, nature, drinking water, and the planet. I use local and organic food in the workshops. These foods boost health and the immune system. We learn to prepare many Ayurvedic sattvic dishes: paneer, dosa, chapati, dal, subji, black sesame (great source of iron), gomasio (sesame salt), and many more. We also touch on our traditional Western dishes and how they are prepared adequately so they are easy to digest and caress your intestines.
“Ayurvedic cuisine” should not be compared with Indian cuisine. Admittedly, foods and spices are similar or identical. Ayurvedic cuisine is 80% cooked food that caresses the metabolic and digestive organs, which is easy to digest and does not cause inflammation. We call it “sattvic food”. A sattvic diet shares sattva’s qualities, including “pure, essential, natural, vital, energy-containing, clean, conscious, true, honest, wise.” A sattvic diet can also exemplify Ahimsa, the principle of not causing harm to other living beings. A sattvic diet is a regimen that emphasizes seasonal foods, fruits if one has no sugar problems, nuts, seeds, oils, ripe vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and non-meat-based proteins. Dairy products are recommended when the cow is fed and milked appropriately.
- In the workshops, the intestinal microbiome and the functioning of the vagus nerve are discussed. Harmful intestinal bacteria cause many problems such as depression, migraine, skin diseases, constipation, flatulence, and other inconveniences that plague modern man due to unsuitable processed food.
- We explain the course of digestion and which food is suitable and which should be avoided. Probiotics are a temporary solution compared to naturally fermented food, which in the intestinal microbiome provides healthy and necessary bacteria for health stability and the immune system. (Example: fermented foods are not suitable for increased Pitta dosha, hard and dry foods are not ideal for Vata dosha, and oily and greasy foods are not suitable for increased Kapha dosha).
- We show how to prepare “Prasada,” karmically cleansed food properly.