Perfect Balance: Ayurvedic Nutrition for Mind, Body and Soul

Ever been really interested in Ayurvedic principles of nutrition but the reading material that you come across is very heavy, and only ends up confusing you more before you even started to research the topic? Well this is the book for you! Atreya once again provides a book on Ayurveda that is easy to read and understand. How does he do this you may ask? Ayurveda is one of the many Vedic sciences that have been gifted to us through the insight of the Rishis and sages of the past. Thus being a Vedic science its foundations are the roots of Vedic philosophy, and the language and terms used are that of Sanskrit. To one not common with the philosophy and Sanskrit terms, reading material that refers to these in order to explain the science can be very confusing and become too heavy a lesson to be able to mentally digest. This is where Atreya shines. Although fully conversant with the science and its original spoken and written form of Sanskrit, Atreya provides tools that first explain the original form then provides an alternative way of remembering the meaning without having to use or learn Sanskrit. Perfect Balance is a thorough insight into the principles of Ayurvedic nutrition and its practice. Its contents cover a vast spectrum, from "Classical Ayurveda", to "The power of perfect digestion", to "Your perfect weight: How to lose weight permanently by increasing metabolic function", are but to name a few. Atreya also gives the reader a chance to follow a structured 21 day plan in order to embrace Ayurvedic principles in a controlled and guided environment. The inquisitive who have never come across Ayurveda before, too the practitioner that has embraced the Ayurvedic lifestyle for some time, all will find "Perfect Balance" to be a wealth of knowledge. Just a correction on the latest review regarding the taking of spices and herbs in our daily life. Yes one does cook with herbs, spices and food according to ones Prakriti(constitution) and Vikriti(present state of imbalance), however Ayurvedic medicine prescribes formulas made of different herbs and spices to be ingested daily and at certain times depending on the quality (Guna) of the substance and the desired effect. For instance the Ayurvedic formula Trikatu which is a combination of Sunthi (dry ginger powder) maricha (black pepper) and Pippli (long pepper). Looking at the individual substances we would expect to find two of the three in most kitchen pantries and if black pepper is not in ever kitchen in the modern world then I would be truly amazed such is the commonality of this spice. This formula Trikatu is revered for its effect on correcting slow digestive problems (low Agni), expelling mucus (Kapha) and toxins (ama) out of the channels (Srotas) and as a stimulant. Or take Trijat, made of cinnamon, cardamom, and cinnamon leaf, this combination of spices reduces Ama (toxicity), stimulates Prana (the vital force, energy) and increases Agni (the digestive fire). Most of the ingredients foun