Fondin - Wheel of healing with ayurveda - an easy guide to a healthy lifestyle

Copyright 2015 by Michelle S. Fondin

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, or other without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

The material in this book is intended for education. It is not meant to take the place of diagnosis and treatment by a qualified medical practitioner or therapist. No expressed or implied guarantee of the effects of the use of the recommendations can be given nor liability taken.

Originally published in a different form as The Wheel of Healing in 2014.

Text design by Tona Pearce Myers

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Fondin, Michelle S., date.

The wheel of healing with ayurveda : an easy guide to a healthy lifestyle / Michelle S. Fondin.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-60868-352-9 (paperback) ISBN 978-1-60868-353-6 (ebook)

1. Medicine, AyurvedicPopular works. I. Title.

R605.F66 2015

615.5'38dc23

2015001783

First printing, May 2015

ISBN 978-1-60868-352-9

Printed in Canada on 100% postconsumer-waste recycled paper

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Thirty spokes are joined together in a wheel, but it is the center hole that allows the wheel to function.

TAO TE CHING

CONTENTS

The moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.

J. K. ROWLING

The quest for better health and energy is at the forefront of many Americans minds nowadays. According to the CDC, the leading cause of death and disability in the United States today is chronic diseases. Heart disease and cancer top the list in claiming lives, and arthritis, diabetes, and obesity are their cohorts in rendering millions of Americans disabled.

About half of all adults in the U.S. suffer from one or more of the above-named chronic diseases. Are you one of them? Do you want to avoid being included in these unfortunate statistics?

If youve picked up this book because youve heard about Ayurveda or Ayurvedic medicine and wondered what it is, how it works, and if it could help you, youre ready to get in the drivers seat for a ride that will transform and improve your health and life. In The Wheel of Healing with Ayurveda Michelle Fondin makes the esoteric and ancient science of Ayurveda accessible to all readers who simply have a desire to improve their health. Her book will introduce you to Ayurveda and supply you with simple, practical, and creative ways to improve every aspect of your health.

My husband, Ayurvedic doctor and educator Dr. Shekhar Annambhotla, has witnessed the transformation of clients health through their conscious shift to an Ayurvedic lifestyle. At his Ojas Ayurveda Wellness Center in our hometown of Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, he has helped clients suffering from obesity, arthritis, cancer, depression, constipation, insomnia, asthma, and other chronic conditions to incorporate principles of Ayurveda into their lives and make major improvements in their overall health. His compassionate and holistic approach inspired one client struggling with obesity to begin sipping hot water throughout the day, switch her main meal from dinner to lunch, and reduce her consumption of heavy sweets and meats. These simple changes added up to a tremendous amount of weight loss, a huge gain in energy and vitality, and improvements in other areas of her life. The wheel was truly set in motion.

Another client who had suffered with insomnia for over ten years was beginning to feel its debilitating effects as it led to more serious health problems. She had tried a variety of prescription sleep medications with poor results due to the side effects she experienced. As with many of my husbands firsttime clients, she was at a point where she was compelled to take her health into her own hands. When she and Dr. Shekhar sat down to consider her diet, daily habits, and lifestyle, he gave her a few tips that she could easily follow to start getting the sleep she so desperately needed. Within a couple of days of doing a daily oil massage for herself before her shower, eliminating coffee, drinking a cup of warm milk with some tasty Ayurvedic herbs mixed in an hour before bedtime, and massaging the soles of her feet with warm oil at night, she was sleeping through the night regularly without any drugs or medications. She followed this up at Ojas Ayurveda Wellness Center with a series of gentle detoxification therapies (panchakarma), which helped correct deep-rooted imbalances in her physiology.

These examples of dramatic improvements in health as a result of making simple changes are exactly what Ayurveda is all about. Ayurveda shines even brighter when used to maintain good health and prevent diseases from taking root in our bodies. When I met my husband, I had long been interested in healthy eating, yoga, meditation, and holistic health approaches. I was intrigued by the ageless knowledge of Ayurveda and interested to know more about how it could improve my health. I ended up falling in love with both my husband and Ayurveda. His commitment, passion, and energy to share the wisdom of Ayurveda have been keeping our family, and the lives of everyone he touches, healthy and vibrant.

Association of Ayurvedic Professionals of North America (AAPNA), founded by Dr. Shekhar in 2002, has been offering free bimonthly educational phone conference calls for all since 2008. Each call features a speaker from the community of Ayurveda, yoga, and integrative medicine. When Michelle Fondin presented The Wheel of Healing with Ayurveda in September 2014, my husband knew that this was a book that would benefit anyone who was ready to make a positive change in their health.

Just as Patanjali, the father of yoga, defined eight limbs, or paths, of yoga, Michelle Fondin identifies and explains eight spokes in the wheel of health. She names these eight vital areas of life as dharma, or purpose in life; physical health; emotional health, including relationships and healing your past; spiritual health; environmental health; occupational health; and financial health. And at the center of this wheel of eight spokes is you. Fondin equips you with all you need to begin taking responsibility for your health using Ayurvedic principles. She includes a dosha assessment questionnaire to help you determine your individual mind-body type (prakruti), asks questions to help you discover your dharma, offers creative ideas for making your dharma a reality, provides tips on creating a personalized Ayurvedic eating plan, outlines an emotional healing plan, and presents many other essential lists, plans, and checklists. Work through this book from beginning to end making use of these resources, and you will achieve what you seek yourself steadily driving forward on the path of health and wellness.