My Vedic Life

• When preparing and cooking food, try to be fully present and engage all your senses. When you are fully present, the sounds, smells, and sight of the food you are preparing will offer clues about when to add the next ingredient, when to take the food off the heat, and how to combine it with other foods. As you cook with mindfulness, you will soon begin to cook by feel rather than by following a recipe. The food will "speak" to you, and your senses will let you know what is needed. And in this way, your food will nourish all of your senses.
• When I learned Ayurvedic cooking with Amadea Morningstar, she taught us to chant while preparing food, to infuse the meal with deep healing wisdom, and ourselves with feelings of well-being. Physically connecting to the preparation of your food begins the digestive process, and you will be able to more fully assimilate the meal when you begin to eat.
• The digestive "fires" are stoked just by cooking the meal and observing the alchemy taking place.

Tips for Cooking with Mindfulness:

• As you cook, chant, "om tare tuttare ture mama ayur jnana punye pustim kuru svaha," which is a chant to the Buddhist Goddess of Compassion, White Tara. The chant is a means to liberation from disease, fear, and disturbing thoughts, creating a path for health and well-being.
• Dress in all white, if you’d like, to formalize your practice and honor the importance of cooking. The color white represents purity.
• Remove all the distractions from your kitchen. Turn off the television and radio, put your smartphone on silent, and wait on the wine. You must pay attention when cooking to really connect to the food and the process of cooking.
• Invite friends over to cook. Instead of idle chitchat in the kitchen, join together for a round of chanting to connect you all to the food and align your beings before you eat together.
• Consider using utensils and pots and pans for the season (silver for summer, brass or copper for winter). Silver is "cooling"; brass and copper are "heating".