By Nadia Marshall
The other morning Kester and I were listening to a Robert Svoboda 'Women's Health' talk while eating breaky. Fun times in the Marshall household!
Well, actually it was pretty fun because Svoboda is awesome and is as brilliant a speaker as he is a writer...
Anyway, he was talking about the importance of maintaining 'Rasa' or the plasma tissue which is the first tissue formed in the body (it includes the lymph, interstitial fluid and all watery fluids of the body). Svoboda has also described Rasa as the 'nutrient soup' that bathes and nourishes all of our tissues. It is our juice if you like. In fact, another translation for the sanskrit word, Rasa, is actually juice.
Ayurveda describes that when our Rasa or 'juice' dries out, it becomes thick and more viscous. As a result, nutrients can't be transported as easily to our cells and wastes can't be carried away so well. Everything dries out and becomes more congested and toxic. Like a river in times of drought, life no longer flourishes and the organism can become compromised.
All of the tissues and sub-tissues of the body are nourished by Rasa... including blood, muscle, fat, bone, marrow, nerve and reproductive tissue. And, if our Rasa is depleted, our Ojas (the subtle essence of water in the body and the foundation of our immune system) will also be depleted.
It is particularly important for women to note that the sub-tissues of Rasa are menstrual fluid and breast milk... so if Rasa is depleted, we stop menstruating and are unable to breast feed. The very juices that make us women literally dry up.
This is a natural process to some extent as we all move from a Pitta into a Vata stage of life through the transition of menopause. It is natural for the body to dry out as we age because one of the main qualities of Vata (the wind element) is dryness. But it is not natural for women to stop menstruating when they are younger. As much as possible, we want to retain our juiciness, to keep our body and mind sweet and flexible instead of astringent and rigid.
But how do we stay juicy?? Here are 7 simple ways....
1) Oil up the inside. Drinking water is important for hydration. Yes. But, water is not the greatest antidote to dryness. The best antidote to dryness is oil. So, if you want to stay juicy, stay oily. Eat ghee. If you have a vata constitution or imbalance eat loads of it. If you have a kapha or pitta constitution eat a little less. If you're vegan, have coconut oil instead.
2) Oil up the outside. If you want to maintain your juice, applying oil to your skin is a must. Dermal absorption is a powerful thing! Self-massage in Ayurveda is considered a huge part of any daily/weekly routine and will help combat dryness, big time. It will also sooth and calm your nervous system and settle your mind. If you're not going to do it yourself, get someone else to do it - weekly Ayurvedic massages will change your life.
3) Avoid excessively dry and cold foods. Dry foods include raw food, salads, crackers, rice cakes and baked goods. When you do have drier foods, just add plenty of oil or butter. As for processed low fat food... just don't bother. Excessively cold foods like icecream and iced drinks can aggravate Vata so can also be drying to your system. To maintain your juice, favour warm, light, slightly oily foods.
4) Don't exercise too much. Excessive exercise aggravates Vata and depletes Rasa. It is great to stay fit and strong but don't overdo it. Don't deplete yourself. Ayurveda recommends exercising to 50% of your capacity... a good way to measure this is to nose-breath when you exercise. If you get to the point where you feel like you have to breath through your mouth, have a little rest... until you can comfortably breath through your nose again.
5) Rest and Stay Calm. Svoboda points out, 'even God rested on the 7th day'. We're not gods are we? So we need to rest more! Constantly pushing ourselves to get things done on the never ending To-Do List of Life dries out our juice. Staying in a constant state of Flight/Fright/Freak-out also dries our juice. More than anything! Svoboda suggests 1/7 of the day, 1/7 of the week, 1/7 of the month and 1/7 of the year should be devoted to rest. As for staying calm, we need to do whatever healthy thing we do to chill out MORE... meditating, walking, gardening, yoga, qi gong, legs up the wall, singing, knitting, painting, watching Friends... whatever. We just need to reside in a state of calm more often.
6) Say 'Yes' To Life. Speaking of staying calm... my current go-to-relaxy-show is 'Offspring'. It's an absolute gem. In one of the episodes a character's near-death experience revelation is to, "Say 'Yes' To Life". Sounds corny, but I think this is pretty big. If you happen to be a Vata/Pitta or Pitta/Vata person... and have a tendency towards both perfectionism and anxiety, life can get a little tight from time to time. This contracted, 'holding-life-too-tightly' state we can find ourselves in makes saying 'Yes' to life rather difficult... and it dries out the very juiciness of our being. So, I'm trying to say yes more. It's scary but it feels good.
7) Shatavari jam and ghee. This one is for the ladies. When the turbulent winds of life and of your mind dry out your Rasa, all of the skins of the body dry out... your outer skin and your inner mucous membranes. This can make certain activities that require a level of lubrication (ahem) somewhat painful. If you find yourself in this uncomfortable situation, the ultimate medicine is a lovely Ayurvedic herb called Shatavari. You can take shatavari as a dry herb in milk, as a preparation slow-cooked in sugar, as a nourishing jam and also as a medicated ghee. The medicated ghee can be applied directly to the inner skin while the other medicines are consumed... and it is delicious!! The nourishing effect of this herb is astounding. It is the ultimate restorer of juice.
So there you have it my lovelies... seven ways to ensure you don't dry out your Rasa too quickly plus ways to replenish it at the same time. The good news is, if you care for your Rasa, you'll be caring for all of your tissues and sub-tissues including your skin, hair, teeth and nails; in other words, all the bits you'd quite like to age well. You'll also be caring for your nervous system, your Vata and your mind.
And....you'll be caring for your Agni or digestive fire as well. Because, the best way to maintain your juice is of course to ensure it is appropriately nourished in the first place through eating good food and supporting balanced digestion.
So.... if you like, I encourage you to devote yourself to your Rasa. Devote yourself to staying juicy and everything else might just fall into place.
P.S. If you want to know all about eating good food and supporting balanced digestion the Ayurveda way, I recommend my book, 'Living Ayurveda'.
P.P.S If you want to get your hands on some Shatavari, we sell it at clinic (but it is best to have a consult with Kester first).
7 Ways to Stay Juicy, Literally!
