School of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion
Recipes
Ingredients
Create Your Diet
We specialize in digestive herb formulas. Use the chart below to find the right herbal formula for optimal gut health.
CLASSIFICATION OF FOOD, HERBS, & LIFESTYLE
FOUNDATIONS OF AYURVEDA PHARMACOLOGY
About Heavy Guna (Guru) in AyurvedaHeavy is identified by sedation, sluggishness, or increased weight.
Nature's Healing Qualities - The Gunas: Heavy              Presentation on Heavy $15.95 Heavy Recipes Heavy Ingredients Heavy Products AYURVEDIC PERSPECTIVE ON HEAVYHeavy is one of the eight important healing qualities of nature in Ayurveda. Heaviness describes an important experience that our bodies need for health. This quality also frequently shows up in our bodies to communicate illness. Heavy is the opposite of light quality and can be used to treat an imbalance of light. Conversely, light treats imbalanced heavy quality.When balanced, heavy creates steadiness and stability, keeping our bodies grounded. Fatigue is heaviness in the muscles, encouraging you to rest when you are exhausted or sick. Sleep and relaxation, essential to your health, are heaviness in the mind. Fat is heavy and bulky, protecting your organs and keeping you warm. Heavy emotions such as grief, depression, and sadness help you slow down, giving you time and space to reorganize and reconnect to what's important. Food is classified as heavy if it does at least one of the following:
The Lost Art of Tonics Many heavy foods are also tonics. Tonics are foods that increase resiliency and strength. The use of tonics to strengthen the body is a lost art in modern medicine, perhaps because industrialized nations suffer from high rates of obesity. Foods with sweet taste, including proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, increase heaviness and, when used properly, can help debilitated patients rebuild strength after illness.Rich Food Some foods create heaviness because they are too rich. Rich foods including carbs, fats, and proteins lull the nervous system into peaceful slumber. They include wheat and bread, dairy and cheese, pork and beef. When the blood is rich and a person content, motivation evaporates and the body feels heavy.Food Stagnation Other foods, like beans, may be too difficult to digest. They may sit and churn in the stomach for a long time. Gooey foods like cheese buffer stomach acids, causing food to stagnate in the upper GI tract. As long as food is churning in the stomach, the stomach will draw energy from the rest of your body, leaving you in a sedative food coma.Warning Signs of Imbalanced Heavy Quality
Causes of Heaviness Garlic, nutmeg, romaine lettuce, oats, beer, hemp seed, turkey, and pumpkin induce heaviness with their sedative effect on the nervous system. Salty foods induce heaviness by creating water retention. Soy beans increases heaviness because they are estrogenic. Lifestyle habits, including lack of exercise, late night eating, excess sleeping, sleeping on a full stomach, and emotional eating may induce heavy quality. Hot, humid weather can make a person feel heavy, as well as sad news and depression.Elements, Gunas, Tastes, & Doshas That Increase Heaviness:
Complications of Heavy Quality Changes in weight retard the rate at which we think, speak, and act. Heaviness creates gravitational stress in the knees and lower back. Heaviness, especially when coupled with liver heat and low thyroid, makes tissues and tendons lax, which decreases joint stability. Muscle tone may become lax as well. Excess heaviness slows metabolism and the rate of digestion, causing sloth and sleepiness. Obesity is stubborn, resistant to change and exercise.Treatment of Heaviness
Elements, Gunas, Tastes, & Doshas That Reduce Heavy Quality:
INGREDIENTS THAT ARE HEAVY
About the Author John Immel, the founder of Joyful Belly, teaches people how to have a healthy diet and lifestyle with Ayurveda. His approach to Ayurveda exudes a certain ease, which many find enjoyable and insightful. His online course Balance Your Ayurvedic Diet in a Week provides tools for gracefully healing with Ayurveda to thousands. John also directs Joyful Belly's School of Ayurveda , which specializes in digestive tract pathology & Ayurvedic nutrition. John and his wife Natalie recently published Explore Your Hunger: A Guide to Hunger, Appetite & Food.John's interest in Ayurveda and digestive tract pathology was inspired by a complex digestive disorder acquired from years of international travel, including his public service work in South Asia. John's commitment to the detailed study of digestive disorders reflects his zeal to get down to the roots of the problem. His hope and belief in the capacity of each & every client to improve their quality of life is nothing short of a personal passion. John's creativity in the kitchen and delight in cooking for others comes from his family oriented upbringing. In addition to his certification in Ayurveda, John holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University. John enjoys sharing Ayurveda within the context of his Catholic roots, and finds Ayurveda gives him an opportunity to participate in the healing mission of the Church. Jesus expressed God's love by feeding and healing the sick. That kindness is the fundamental ministry of Ayurveda as well. |
On Facebook
On Twitter
BOOKS
BY JOYFUL BELLY
Say goodbye to confusion about food and health with your personal Ayurveda body book, individually and custom formulated for your body. $19.99 $7.95 introductory offer 3 days only
Join Joyful Belly.
Become a part of the Joyful Belly community! Users get access to exclusive web features, priority notification for special promotions and product discounts. You will also receive our weekly newsletter with recipes, insightful health tips, and practical techniques for incorporating Ayurveda into your diet and lifestyle.