Pranayama

Believe it or not very few of us are breathing properly!

Place your hand on your belly and chest and take a few slow deep breaths.

If your tummy rises and falls with each inflow and out flow - well done - you're breathing properly. However if your chest rises and falls on inflow and out flow your breathing maybe too sallow.

Balanced Breathing exercises in Ayurveda are a gentle form of balancing breath - moving from one nostril to the other - a technique called Pranayama. Its purpose is to make the respiratory rhythm more regular, which in turn has a soothing effect on the entire nervous system*.

Learn this and other Breathing techniques to ease stress, calm the mind when faced in stressful situations or enliven the body when you need to feel more alert by booking one of our 1 2 1 consultations. Call 086 8269371 or info@perfecthealth.ie

*Italic text is an excerpt from Deepak's book Perfect Health. This and other Chopra Center books are available from Perfect Health Ireland - email info@perfecthealth.ie for more details

Traditional French Toast

I've chosen this recipe from The Chopra center cookbook because it's a perfect breakfast for the Vata season, we are now entering. Vata is made up of the elements Space & Air to to help balance this, amongst other things are foods that are warm and grounding. You could top the toast off with some blueberres, cranberries or nuts to help you get your six tastes in - which is an important part of Ayurvedic nutrition

Traditional French Toast





2 eggs or 4 egg whites


1/2 cup of low fat milk, or soymilk


2 teaspoons cinnamon


1/2 teaspoon ginger powder


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1 teaspoon ghee*


8 slices whole grain bread





In a medium sized bowl combine eggs, milk spices & vanilla. Whisk the mixture for 1 minute. Heat a griddle or pan to medium heat & place the ghee on the pan. Cut the bread slices & working one at a time dip the bread in the batter, covering both sides then place in the pan. Toast/fry the bread for 2 or 3 minutes each side until golden brown.





*Traditional Ayurvedic clarifed butter. For a link to the chopra center for instructions on how to make Ghee go to : http://www.chopra.com/ghee