Ayurveda expert Sahara Rose joins us on the Happier & Healthier Podcast to chat about this ancient Indian healing modality and how it can help you find the right diet and activities for your unique body.

Episode Highlights

• What inspired Eat Feel Fresh? Sahara’s cookbook is a gorgeous labor of love, and she calls it “alkaline Ayurveda” because it takes the ancient ideas of Ayurveda and makes them applicable today. These guidelines are timeless yet can be difficult to follow in our modern chemical-laden world. Sahara’s path to Ayurveda truly inspired her to spread the message of health and create this modern and plant-based cookbook.
• What turned you to Ayurveda? Sahara grew up on the standard American diet but soon realized that it was not doing her (or her health) any favors. She then decided to become a raw vegan, but began to have various health problems. Thinking it was just how she was, she went to countless Western doctors that gave her vague and dead-end answers. It wasn’t until she visited an Ayurvedic doctor in India that she realized her raw vegan diet was the problem. She fell down an Ayurveda rabbit hole and studied everything she could and eventually found her own way to modernize this ancient practice.
• Sahara’s journey to publishing her first book, Idiot’s Guide to Ayurveda
• What is Ayurveda? Ayurveda is the world’s oldest health system. It originated in northern India and part of the first ever written texts of knowledge (Vedas). Ayurveda is all about mental and physical well-being system that is customized to one’s specific dosha breakdown.
• Why does Ayurveda work? Ayurveda is a living and breathing science, and there are many cultural and historical influences that have changed it over time. The most incredible thing about Ayurveda is that it looks different for every single person.
• What are doshas? The three doshas are Vata (Air), Kapha (Earth), and Pitta (Fire). Each person is made up of a different combination of the three. Vatas are very creative and inspired. Kaphas are very grounded and calm. Pittas are very motivated and fiery go-getters.
• How can you tell you have a dosha imbalance? If you have too much air (mentally or physically), you need the other two doshas to ground you and balance your Vata out. The same works for any dosha – if you have more of one, you look to the other two doshas and draw from them to balance yourself out mentally and physically. If you are primarily Vata, your imbalance would bring about digestive issues. If you are primarily Kapha, you are most likely to gain weight, emotionally over-eat. If you are primarily Pitta, you can be aggressive and prone to inflammation.
• The benefits of ghee
• Why the dosha you were as a child may not be the dosha you are as an adult
• What dosha(s) should I date? In relationships, it’s great to have someone with your primary doshas but also someone that can balance you out. Like your individual dosha breakdown, make sure your relationship isn’t out of balance.
• How do the doshas play into abundance? Sahara is an abundance expert and has a passion for inspiring doshas to cultivate an abundance mindset that is unique to them. Vatas need to ground their spending and notice where their money is going. Pittas should take more creative risks and trust their intuition more. Kaphas should let go of things that hold them back and cultivate a plan.
• How to find your purpose based on your dosha