MARCH NEWSLETTER 

Spring — an ayurvedic perspective

Spring is synonymous with new beginnings, new potential, and rebirth. Nature bursts forth with colour and takes on a renewed energy. Leaves become luscious green full of prana, and daffodils pop out their yellow heads, a promise that the sun's reappearance is around the corner.

We also take on renewed energy after winter's long, monotonous, dark days. We are, of course, a part of nature.

Ayurveda considers the latter part of winter and spring the kapha dosha season. If you are familiar with the basics of Ayurveda, you will know that kapha dosha is composed of earth and water and has a slow, heavy, cold, dense, sticky and liquid quality.

During winter, we tend to be less active and crave heavier, denser foods. According to Ayurveda, 'like increases like'. Hence, these lifestyle habits, which are essentially kapha qualities, combined with winter's cold and wet qualities, result in an accumulation of kapha in the body.

If you are in tune with your body, you may already sense this accumulated kapha. You may feel heavy and sluggish due to a lack of motivation or show signs of water retention, puffy eyes, sinus congestion, or weight gain. These are all kapha disorders due to increased kapha.

Outside, rising temperatures during spring thaw the congealed dampness of winter. As our bodies mirror nature, we also experience a melting of the accumulated kapha dosha, commonly experienced as spring colds, flu, and hay fever.

Like many traditions, Ayurveda regards spring as a time to cleanse the body and promotes a kapha-reducing lifestyle to help the melted kapha flow out of the body. Doing so removes kapha imbalances from the body before they can negatively impact our health. As the saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

So, what steps can we take to support the body in moving out this excess of Kapha?

Tea lights back in stock

We are reintroducing these beautiful hand-poured tea lights infused with our signature therapeutic oil blends to cleanse, ground, calm, energise, or bring positivity to your space and well-being.

They might look dinky, cute and innocent, but these kids are not to be underestimated. We advertise a 3.5+ hour burn time, but they usually burn much longer while kicking out an abundance of delicious fragrances to infuse your space.

Each tea light is lovingly hand-wrapped in branded tissue paper and spritzed with a delicate mist of essential oils before it starts its journey to you.

If gifting or treating yourself, choose from a single tea light tucked away in a cute pillow box or a squad of four in a ribbon-wrapped gift box. If simplicity is more your thing, opt for the singular tea lights.

Tea light gift box £20 

Kitcharee — food of the gods

There is no better time than spring to dedicate a day or two to a kitcharee cleanse.

Kitcharee is a wonderful healing food known as the 'food of the gods'. It is warm, soft, fresh and uncomplicated, making it easy to digest and tri-dosha balancing.  

Eating only Kicharee for one or two days gives the digestive system a much-needed break and resets agni (the digestive fire).

Ayurveda believes that impaired digestion is the root of every imbalance and disease, so if you are suffering from any little niggles or more troublesome disorders, you can be sure that faulty digestion is at play.  

The thought of eating only mung beans and rice may have you running to the biscuit tin for safety, but once you get started, it's easy to adhere to.

Firstly, you don't have to go hungry like on a raw juice fast, for instance, which can be a shock for the system and not appropriate for everybody — especially those with a vata constitution or vata imbalance or anyone who's depleted, tired, frazzled, overworked, overstimulated (let's face it, the majority of the population!).

Anybody in this category attempting a harsh fast will cause more harm than good and may experience uncomfortable symptoms such as dizziness, spaciness, anxiety, bloating and constipation as the body is further depleted.

Unlike raw juice, Kicharee (often described as a hug in a bowl) is calming, soothing, and healing. Saturating the body with Kitcharee's warm, comforting goodness gently cleanses the system while nourishing the tissues and nervous system.

Secondly, it takes little effort. No fancy juicers or Nutribullet-type contraptions are required, and you don't need to shop for fancy superfoods — all you need is a bag of rice and beans and a good old-fashioned pan. You can cook a batch fresh in the morning and store it in a food thermos ready for the rest of your meals. Job done.

The effort is well worth it. You may notice a reduction in those niggling symptoms. At the very least, you will emerge with a spring in your step, a healthy glow, and renewed energy.

Just remember to ease back into your regular foods after you have finished your cleanse. Gradually reintroduce food groups, starting with vegetables, followed by fruit and then grains, before reintroducing dairy and meat. Introducing difficult-to-digest foods too quickly will create more ama (toxins) and undo all your good work.  

This simple and nourishing dish has numerous variations, but the coconut version below is one of our favourites. You can find another simpler version on the recipes section of the website. check it>>>

Bunnies & Zen approved

In future newsletters, we plan to introduce you to Bunnies & Zen-approved businesses, teachers, healers, therapists and other brilliant individuals who put good out into the world and share a similar ethos to Bunnies & Zen. Watch this space.