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The Ayurvedic Reset Diet, by Vatsala Sperling, Ph.D.

The Ayurvedic Reset Diet: Radiant Health through Fasting, Mono-Diet, and Smart Food Combining, by Vatsala Sperling, Ph.D.
Healing Arts Press, 1644111307, 150 pages, January 2021

Ayurvedic – the word kept appearing to me in books and magazines. Curiosity finally got the best of me and I decided to delve into exactly what this thousands-of-years old system of what originated as medicine had to tell me. I decided to read The Ayurvedic Reset Diet: Radiant Healing through Fasting, Mono-Diet, and Smart Food Combining by Vatsala Spelring, Ph.D. to delve into my new diet adventure. Before beginning my journey, I wrote down what I thought an Ayurvedic diet would be like, and admittedly, though I wrote out what I thought of its benefits, my list of what it would taste like or how easy it would be to maintain came up short.

My list of positives: being mindful of food combining, talking to plants, eating unprocessed foods, giving thanks to the things I was about to consume, eating seasonally, eating raw. My list of negatives: I wouldn’t enjoy the diet, it would set me apart from how my family ate, I would be eating “weird” (aka non-familiar) food, the food wouldn’t be at all pleasurable akin to eating seasoned cardboard.

I found that this approach to food and eating had the ability to enact positive changes in my mind, body, and spirit. On a deep level I had known for years that eating seasonally, eating non-processed foods, eating raw foods, eating only when hungry, eating slowly – were all beneficial. I was glad to read that what I had been feeling for years was my body speaking to me – and leading me to a form of Ayurvedic eating without me labeling it as such. 

Sperling begins the book with an Introduction asking whether we view food as a friend or a foe. Do we view food as the enemy that allows us to put on weight? Do we view food as nourishing? Are we too busy counting calories that we neglect to give thanks? Are we eating mindlessly, or do we slow down and enjoy the food? Sperling states that Ayurveda is an “ancient system for understanding disease and health that considers food that is grown, cooked, and eating with reverence as both nutrition and medicine.”1 She then continues with the Ayurvedic concept that “we are and we become what we eat.”2

Next, Sperling introduces the reader to the five known “interconnected koshas, or sheaths, in the body, which include the annamaya kosha (physical body), the pranamaya kosha (vital life force), the manomaya kosha (mind), the vojnanamaya kosha (intellect), and the anandamaya kosha (the inner blissful self). The koshas are interrelated and affect each other. It is important to be mindful if we are eating to live or living to eat. If we are more mindful of what we are eating, why we are eating, and our relationship with the food, we can create positive effects on the five koshsas.”3 

Sperling also shares with readers three “simple steps in the time-tested Ayurvedic technique: fasting on water or water and herb teas to help flush out the system and rebalance gut bacteria, isolating food by eating only one type of food at a time to simplify digestion and allow the body to fully absorb all of the nutrients in a particular food (also known as mono-diet), and mixing foods from various food groups in a sensible way.”4

The book is divided into seven chapters, each laying out concepts in an easy to understand manner that delve into the above-referenced three steps. The challenge, at least for me, was a dedication to actually incorporating what I was reading into my daily life. The first three chapters focus on problems facing Mother Earth in how we eat and the negative impact of industry, food transportation, and food modification. Sperling brings to light soil depletion, the cruel treatment of animals to mass produce food, and the use of hormones. 

Chapter 1, “A Season for Everything”, touched on the importance of eating seasonally as did our ancestors. I’ve been trying to eat seasonally for many years, so this concept resonated with me. I try to eat what is grown locally, not shipped in from another continent. Our body needs food differently throughout the year – heavier eating in the winter (in the Northern Hemisphere), lighter in the summer. Root vegetables in winter, berries in summer. Check – I could handle this part of the Ayurvedic diet.

In Chapter 2, “The New Normal”, Loss of Seasonality and Quality in Modern Eating, Sperling writes about issues contributing to our eating outside of the season and our location including transportation of food, mass production of food, availability of non-seasonal food and even our propensity or eating out that often exposes the eater to modified food. Chapter 3, “Industrial Food Production”, focuses on how technology is being used to tame and modify nature and how what we eat affects the earth including the negative impact that the beef industry has on nature. 

The final three chapters hone in on the Ayurvedic diet beginning with the “reset” diet to reboot well-being. It’s been ingrained in us that we need to eat three square meals a day. For some of us, snacking is also a part of our eating habits. Sperling reminds the reader that this constant eating does not give our digestive system a chance to rest. Not only that, the non-stop eating usually means that we are also overloading our bodies with the “wrong” kind of food. She writes at length on the importance of eating foods that are “compatible” for digestion.

Food combining is also touched upon – eating more than one food group in a meal. In the Ayurvedic diet, one eats one particular food at a time in moderation as one’s body digests different foods differently. Chapter 5, “Preparing for the Ayurvedic Diet”, outlines practical actions to take as a prelude to beginning the diet such as clearing out the kitchen cabinets and re-stocking with recommended foods such as nuts, grains, and local, seasonal produce. Sperling includes recommendations for caffeine withdraw and the importance of proper hygiene and physical activity.

Chapter 6, “Eight-, Six-, and One-Week Protocols”, provides a step-by-step plan for the reader to begin the diet with whatever time frame seems most comfortable and doable. Finally, Chapter 7, “Daily Living”, concludes with encouragement and ways to sustain this way of living and being. 

Admittedly, I have not yet ventured into even a one-week protocol at this point, but I am taking the steps to clear my cabinets, be mindful of what I eat, when I eat, and even why I am eating. I’ve been feeling “polluted” lately and want to cleanse my body, my mind, and my spirit. The concepts of an Ayuvedic diet/lifestyle resonate with me. While I am not ready to fully embrace it, I will incorporate the concepts into my day. 

Sperling’s knowledge of the Ayurvedic diet is amazing. She was raised in this tradition as she grew up in India. She has a doctorate in microbiology and has conducted research with the World Health Organization. Impressive credentials, for sure, but what I most liked about Sperling was her writing style and her passion to impart this ancient way of being to others. I highly recommend The Ayurvedic Reset Diet, even if you’re not sure this is the right diet path. It is an eye-opener and life-changer in regard to how, why, and when we choose to eat.

Cell Level Meditation, by Barry Grundland and Patricia Kay

Cell Level Meditation: The Healing Power in the Smallest Unit of Life, by Barry Grundland, MD and Patricia Kay, MA
Findhorn Press, 9781644112243, 176 pages, March 2021

… Dr. Barry Grundland was a psychiatrist whose specialty area might have been called psychoneuroimmunology. This is a big word that basically means min-body healing.  The mind, including our thoughts, emotions and attitudes affects the body, and in turn the body affects our minds, thoughts, emotions and attitudes. For over 50 years, Barry worked with people as a true healer –one who helps others come to Wholeness, or a sense of being who they really are…1

Cell Level Meditation: The Healing Power in the Smallest Unit of Life by Barry Grundland, MD and Patricia Kay, MA provides the reader with a broad perspective of the wonders and amazing capabilities of the wisdom of our bodies to heal. The quote above may not be innovative in our current society that is flooded with self-help tools, self-awareness training and contemplative practices of all manner, but the quintessential intention held in this statement about the co-author Dr. Grundland speaks to the simplicity of the book itself and acknowledgment of our capacity to thrive, heal and remain in a state of well-being simply by engaging the healing nature of our bodies in the process. 

“Cell Level Meditation” is a term crafted by Dr. Grundland to describe the power-and simplicity of establishing dialogue with the body at the cellular level and programming those related cells to function in a specific way. Co-author Patricia Kay speaks to the inherent directive and energy of the cell….

… The Cell is a real thing in the material world., and it is a metaphor as well, since it carries a basic “pattern” of organization you can find in every level of Life. The cell has a nuclei for example, which is a central area where you can find very basic information, that is very precise instructions for how things work; this information is inscribed on strands of tightly coiled threads called DNA…2

Kay further sets the tone for what follows and how the reader will be using the cell as a tool for healing:

… For our purposes, at the “level of the cell” we engage the workings going on there at different levels and states of awareness, which we can find with concentration, focus and participation through breath…3

Cell Level Meditation is separated into twenty chapters and makes use of poetry and quotations throughout the book. In general, there is a very poetic tone running through the information provided, which serves to engage the reader at all levels of being and all levels of understanding of neurobiological studies. 

The Introduction lays the groundwork for what follows in the subsequent chapters:

Cell Level Meditation is a vehicle for finding our way “home”.  We take the breath to our cells, offering them our deepest desire to be happy and healthy and strong.  In some way, they hear us and respond…This meditative form is a gift that helps the mind and the body come into healing, which in turn, helps us be ourselves in fullness…4

One of the things I appreciated about Cell Level Meditation is the way in which the reader is enveloped in the intention, whether overtly or subtly in the writings, with a gift of opening to the experience of meditation as a healing soured, as well as greater knowledge of the physical aspects of our being that are co-creators in that healing. 

Chapters one to five act as a primer for the reader and offer tools, exercises and insight into the art of Meditation and its use at a cellular level (chapter one and two), mind (chapter three), body (chapter four) and breath (chapter six). This information in and of its self is valuable in delving deeper into the “whys” of the contemplative arts, whether directed towards cell level use or general mindfulness. 

There is a specific and supportive rhythm that flows through the teachings of Cell Level Meditation. Each of the remaining chapters expands on these basics and moves through the process of this meditation in a style that is user friendly and allows for time to process and digest what has come previously. Moving through the book, the information has a wonderful way of capturing the mystical in the scientific and the scientific in the mystical. 

Chapter 19, “Conditioned Habits”, is one that calls the reader to awareness of their body’s (cells) wisdom and inherent dialogue (if we train ourselves to listen); and, the acknowledgement that we are all “programmed” (conditioned) towards certain habitual behaviors.  The previous chapters have established the importance of breath as a vehicle of movement and enlivenment, and the practice of breath focused meditation to further awaken the cells and enable these changes and shifts towards a more balanced state. The reader is reminded that this desire and action towards change often brings about “chaos”, a term used widely in the scientific community denoting the precipice of change or shift from one state of being to another, a naturally occurring evolutionary process found throughout nature….

… Rather than being too worried about being at the edge of chaos”, you are now empowered to stay present with your experience… Even in chaos, you have the breath. You are going into Unknown Territory, but with your intention and hope and the breath. The rest … comes from a higher place. … By working with the edges of our conditioned habits with awareness, willingness to stay present for what is actually going on as sensations in the body, even stuck patterns are called to a higher level when there is a ripe moment…5

These are merely highlights of this book. It is difficult to capture an “experience” in the writing of a review. I believe, however, that the authors have done just that, and more. Additionally, the publisher Findhorn Press was aptly suited for this title. Having reviewed several of their titles now, there is most definitely a theme and level of quality in the work of their authors that provides representation from the scientific/academic community as well as the more esoterically inclined. The overall themes are those of wholeness and collaboration at the levels of the environment, the planet and most importantly those beings who remain as stewards of themselves and their surroundings.

Cell Level Meditation takes the reader into a journey of the microcosmic nature of our self and the profound power of healing and wholeness contained in the singular component of our physical make-up – the cell. And, from that place of the cell the potential for what can be brought back into the macrocosm is limitless. 

Practically Pagan – An Alternative Guide to Health & Well-being, by Irisanya Moon

Practically Pagan – An Alternative Guide to Health & Well-being, by Irisanya Moon
Moon Books, 1789043778, 160 pages, December 2020

It’s hard to look after ourselves sometimes. Practically Pagan – An Alternative Guide to Health & Well-being by Irisanya Moon is a wonderful read to connect body, mind, and spirit for the sake of wellness based on one’s own unique body type and natural energy signature. This book is a delightful refresher compared to the traditional book on health, which neglect the spiritual aspects of well-being and also tend to focus exclusively on an ideal image or diet trend.

After a brief introduction, Moon guides the reader to connect with their body just as it is in the present moment. She writes encouragingly, stating “I invite you to trust your deepest knowing. I encourage you to believe that you can care for your body, mind, and spirit even if you’re not 100% sure what the next steps are.”1

This sentiment immediately set me at ease; it made me curious about this health journey and more receptive to what it might look like for me, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach usually promoted. Above all, trust in myself is what I hope to cultivate and I looked forward to immersing myself in the experience.

I began with a few of the exercises Moon suggested: letting go of old stories, feeling all the feelings, and making a soundtrack. I especially enjoyed creating a soundtrack because I learned more about my body’s relationship to rhythm and sound. Finding my groove was a fun way to move my body and get connected to it. Other practices Moon writes about include mapping one’s body, automatic writing, creating an altar, focusing on being present, and more. She offers details on how to incorporate these practices easily into one’s daily life.

The next three sections focus on the body, mind, and spirit, respectively. I liked going one by one, and starting with the body felt appropriate since it’s the most tangible aspect of my health. Moon got me thinking about what my body truly wants in terms of nourishment, movement, and general energy flow.

”When you have a clearer idea of your energy movements, you can begin to schedule things to follow these patterns. If you’re more in tune with your natural patterns, you are less likely to feel out of sync with your life.”2

This line really resonated with me, and I was spurred into a practice of charting my energy through the day. The result has been useful insight into the ebbs and flows of my energy; I also corresponded it with the moon as well and plan to see if there’s a cyclic nature to how my body feels according to the phases of the moon.

Then, while it wasn’t as fun as the body, I found the exercises to settle my mind the most useful section in the book. For someone whose mind is always on overload, often ruminating or stuck in a pattern (I’m a fixed air sign!), I really benefited from Moon’s suggestions on how to release old thoughts and cultivate stillness through meditation.

Finally, the spirit felt like coming home after tending to the other aspects of my well-being. I loved Moon’s gentle reminders to connect with my daily practice, follow the calling of spirit, and discover our divine.

The rest of the book felt like a myth-buster to common health beliefs, inviting a magical perspective to come through and guide the way. Topics include finding balance (or embracing that life will always be shifting but we can find ways to recalibrate), exploring self-care and how to do it in a way that feels right for you without comparison to others, and developing resilience for when we get off course. Moon delves into the effects of trauma on one’s well-being and offers suggestions on healing through practices that cultivate resilience.

The final section is filled with tools to maintain one’s energy and strategies to set up support systems in order to maintain health and wellness. I appreciated Moon acknowledging the role of supportive friends and family in one’s life, as well as the value of self-support. I found myself thinking about how I can cultivate both in my life to maintain personal wellness.

My greatest take away from this book was Moon’s energetic practice of feeling right sized. Throughout my life, at nearly 6’0 feet tall, I’ve always felt like too much. Since childhood, I’ve always required large or extra large clothes, and I believe to compensate, I learned to shrink my aura as though I could energetically make myself seem more  petite.

Doing the Knowing Your Size practice3 made me feel more comfortable in both my body and energy field. As Moon writes, “Sometimes, you might feel bigger or smaller than your normal self. But in this practice, you can also get better at moving between states of being.”4 I’m continuing to work on this and have been going back to the practice often.

Overall, Practically Pagan – An Alternative Guide to Health and Well-being has been a wonderful tool for reconnecting with my wellness. Moon is very grounded in her approach to this topic and much of her guidance can easily be incorporated into one’s daily practice. I recommend this book for those who are seeking a read about integrating body, mind, and spirit to discover their natural energy rhythm and definition of health. There’s even helpful resources and worksheets at the end of the book, which offer space to write one’s reflections on this journey.