Participants of the Advanced Ayurveda Course pose with Dr. Partap Chauhan and Mrs. Chander Lata Chauhan (Principal, Jiva Public School) during their certification ceremony. These learners are practicing healthcare professionals from Poland.

In November 2011, the same group of students had taken a course on Ayurveda and Nutrition in Poland. The course was conducted by one of Jiva’s most experienced Ayurvedic doctors, who has been trained by Dr. Partap Chauhan.

As the weather gets colder, it is common for most people to get addicted to comfort foods and neglect exercise. As a result, our eating habits go for a toss and we end up gaining unwanted weight. It has been observed that people who undergo systematized dieting and regular workouts in summers also usually end up putting on those extra kilos in winters.

In order to keep this winter weight gain in check, you ought to eat more of foods that are not only effective in keeping the body warm, but also help keep those calories under control. Here’s a basic daily routine you can follow to maintain overall health in this cold weather:

The Morning Cuppa

Many of us are accustomed to having a cup of hot tea or coffee to rouse us from the morning slumber. Instead of going for your regular tea, try some herbal tea that has the right ingredients – ginger, Tulsi, lemon – to keep your body warm throughout the day.

The Healthy Breakfast

We love to gorge on stuffed paranthas with a topping of butter or ghee. Try avoiding the greasy bites and replace them with healthier options such as idlis, poha, upma, oats, sprouts, etc.

Dry Fruits are a Must

Nibbling on a fist full of walnuts, almonds, raisins, etc. during late mornings will be good for your health; but remember not to overdo it.

Fruity Treats

Make it a point to have seasonal fruits such as apples, oranges, and Indian gooseberry (amla) regularly to build immunity against common cold and other infections.

The Evening Soup

Nothing can be as tempting as pakoras and chai in the evenings when you come back home after a tiring day at work. But then, if you do not resist these temptations, they might end up upsetting your digestive system. A yummy and healthy option is a bowl of soup – the choices could be tomato soup, carrot soup, mushroom soup, or mixed vegetable soup.

Sweet Nothings

Who wants to miss a bowl of dessert after dinner? And when it comes to winters, nothing beats homemade ‘gajar ka halwa’! Moong dal halwa, sooji halwa, and aate ka halwa, etc. sprinkled with dry fruits are other interesting and healthy options. It is also advisable to take a small piece of jaggery after dinner every day. Jaggery is rich in iron and aids digestion.

Don’t Forget your Daily Water Intake

During winters, our body becomes dehydrated because of the lack of moisture in the air around us. Most of us don’t realize this because we do not perspire in the cold weather. You should remember that a daily intake of 6-8 glasses of (preferably warm water that has been boiled with ginger) is as important in winters as in any other season.

Exercise is Sacred

Lastly, do away with that laziness and don’t forget to go for walks or do some basic stretching on a daily basis. The air in winters is fresh and provides good prana vayu (life-giving air) to keep you healthy.

]]> http://jivablog.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/how-to-keep-winter-weight-gain-in-check/feed/ 7 Jiva http://jivablog.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/get-closer-to-ayurveda-with-paramayu/ http://jivablog.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/get-closer-to-ayurveda-with-paramayu/#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:27:59 +0000 Jiva http://jivablog.wordpress.com/?p=753 Continue reading →]]> We are happy to let you know that we have launched our new Ayurvedic magazine – Paramayu. The inaugural issue is already out!

The first look of Paramayu - Jiva's new magazine on Ayurveda

Paramayu is an international quality magazine that seeks to increase the awareness about Ayurveda and help people incorporate its principles in their daily lives to lead healthier, happier lives. The magazine will bring to you the benefits of Ayurveda with the help of articles, case studies, interviews, expert columns, recipes, home remedies, tips, yoga, meditation, herbs, and more. Not just that, it will also serve as a great platform for you to stay connected with Dr. Partap Chauhan and the entire Jiva family.

To know more, you can visit the Paramayu website.

So, here are a few basic Ayurvedic diet tips that will help you eat right in this festive season:

• Increase the intake of liquids in your diet as they are the best means of cleaning the toxins (ama) from the body. Some recommended options are fruit and vegetable juices, coconut water and vegetable soups.
• Being on an empty stomach for long hours can result in acidity and heartburn. To avoid this problem, you should take small and frequent meals throughout the day. Fresh fruits and salads are very effective in this regard.
• Vegetables like pumpkin and bottle gourd can be taken in the form of soups to fill you up with some calories.
• If you want to have Sabudana (Tapioca) Khichdi, make it by using minimal amount of oil. Use boiled potatoes, only a few crushed peanuts and well-soaked sabudana. Cook it before mealtime and have it hot and fresh.
• Use rajgira flour to make chapattis as it is lighter and refreshing.
• Even though potato is considered to be the main food during Navratri, you should limit your potato intake as it can get heavy to digest.
• If you want to try something different, make some idli and dosa from the samak ke chawal.

Here’s an interesting Ayurvedic recipe that you can try out this Navratri.

 Lauki Raita

 Ingredients:

• 1 Cup grated lauki
• 2 Cups curd
• 1 tsp Cumin (jeera) powder
• Coriander (dhaniya) leaves
• Salt to taste

 Method of Preparation:

1. Boiled the lauki till soft.
2. Drain the boiled lauki and cool it.
3. Stir the curd with a hand mixer.
4. Add lauki and blend well.
5. Now add cumin powder, coriander leaves and salt and mix well.
6. Keep it in refrigerator for an hour and serve it chilled.

 Benefits of Lauki Raita

According to Ayurveda, Lauki Raita is supachya, which means it aids in the digestion process and helps in releasing the digestive enzymes. It is highly recommended for those who have a weak digestive fire. Moreover, it is also a filling and nutritious option for those who observe fast on Navratri.

Speaking to the media about this development, Mr. S.S. Gopalarathnam, Managing Director, Cholamandalam MS General Insurance, said, “During various focus group discussions with customers and agents, we found that for chronic ailments like spondilytis, arthritis and epilepsy, many people preferred alternate streams of treatment such as Ayurveda, Homeopathy, etc. Ayurveda being the most prevalent of the alternate systems, we have designed a product to cover treatments under Ayurvedic hospitalization.”

If you are interested in getting your Ayurvedic treatment covered in your policy, please contact your insurance provider for further details.

Authored by renowned educator and bestselling author, Steven Rudolph, The Ice Cream Dilemma: Choosing your child’s ideal career with Multiple Intelligences & Multiple Natures is a great offering for today’s ‘hassled’ parent. To be published by Times Books in July, 2011, the book explores ways in which a parent can lay the groundwork to create an environment that is much more conducive to open communication. Steve’s simple suggestions will help parents understand their children better and play a more active and acceptable role in their decisions.

To know all about it ‘Making Decisions – Together’, get ready for The Ice Cream Dilemma!

The event kicked off with a welcome ceremony, during which the participants recited a Saraswati Vandana, led by students of Jiva Public School. Each educator was then garlanded and welcomed with a customary tilak by the Jiva team.

Thanking the educators for taking time out for the workshop, President of Jiva Institute, Mr. Rishi Pal Chauhan, said, “As India inches closer to the ‘developed nation’ status, it is common to see our children moving away from their central force, which is their culture and tradition. At Jiva, our objective is to ensure that each child stays connected to his roots, irrespective of his educational or technological advancement. The whole purpose of education should be to create students of good character and discipline. Whatever the circumstances in their life, I can assure you such children will never fail.

“We have successfully used the Multiple Natures concept to deeply understand each child in our school and tailor his learning experience accordingly. I urge all educators of the country to use this concept to discover the potential in their students and play a guiding role in creating a healthy, wealthy and peaceful society.”

About 22 educators and counselors from some of the top schools of the country participated in the event. The list included DAV Public School (Amritsar), SOS Children’s Villages of India (Faridabad), Rayat International School (Ropar), Eicher School (Faridabad), KIIT World School (New Delhi), Cambridge School (Noida), Holy Heart Presidency (Amritsar), and NH Goel World School (Raipur), among others.

The program was the first-ever master class for educational leaders with Steve, the creator of MN, who has brought the concept to thousands of students, teachers and parents all over the country. In the highly interactive session, educational leaders, principals and counselors experienced the power of MN and how it can help practically bridge the gap in education—moving from the old-world paradigm of factory-based learning, to the new era of personalized learning. In the two days of the workshop, Steve demonstrated how the MN framework can be applied in a multitude of ways – career and academic guidance, counseling of parents, engaging and motivating teachers – to create a holistic learning environment that taps each child’s potential.

During the closing ceremony, each participant was given a certificate of participation along with a special gift from Jiva. The educators, on their part, were extremely pleased with the arrangements and thanked the entire Jiva team for carrying out the workshop so efficiently. They also expressed their gratitude to Steven Rudolph for giving them a deep insight into the MN concept and how it could help them in their profession. Mrs. Neera Sharma, Principal of DAV Public School, Amritsar, said, “Even though we knew a lot about MIs and MNs, this workshop has been a real eye opener on the multiple ways in which we can apply this framework in educational management. I would really like my teachers to understand this concept and use it in their teaching methodologies.”

Students of the college were quite thrilled to be a part of the session and gave their best to get a place in the Jiva family. The event was widely covered in the local media, with many hailing Jiva for its unique efforts.

Dr. Narendra Kumar Chawla, Principal, Shree Lakshmi Narayan Ayurvedic College, was pleased with the entire event and the response it generated. “It’s the first campus recruitment session for my students and they are obviously excited. I wish more and more Ayurvedic companies follow Jiva’s example and help in spreading Ayurveda across the world by nurturing fresh talent,” he said.

Jiva Ayurveda is one of the most respected Ayurveda companies in India.  It works with the aim of making people healthy and happy through easy access to personalized and authentic Ayurvedic treatment and medicines. By being a part of Jiva, doctors not only get an opportunity to open up their career avenues, but also get a detailed insight into Ayurvedic principles and their application in practical life. The Jiva TeleMedicine Center, a first-of-its-kind concept in the world, was established in 1998 as an integrated center of telephonic health consultation. Today, Jiva has over 125 Ayurvedic doctors and consultants providing consultations to millions of patients across 1200 cities and towns in India.

Educators, parents and students have realized that education is not only about marks and report cards, it is actually a peep into one’s personality and a study of self and its evaluation to bring about a change in the way we think and act.

Jiva, as always took the lead to introduce its teachers to a whole new perspective of thinking, realizing the self and to ‘be the change’ to bring about one. The Annual Teacher Training Program commenced with the introduction of the parent topic ‘Learning Mastery’ which includes a thorough study of one’s intelligences and natures followed by setting up academic, personal and team goals.

The teachers were ushered into a lifetime experience of choosing from seventeen hands-on projects including peer mentoring, library management, maintaining a garden for the students and more, according to their own strengths. They were then introduced to ‘Process Mapping’ which enabled them to work in teams and present their accomplishment in a span of merely five days.

Each teacher was thrilled to contribute and achieve. Jiva President, Sh. Rishi Pal Chauhan congratulated the faculty for having taken up the tasks to the best of his expectations and encouraged them to involve the students in all the above processes during the year.

Jiva’s Educational Director, Mr. Steven Rudolph was happy to see his theory of ‘Multiple Natures’ being used innovatively and felt that the Jivites have grown up and are able to understand the real meaning of education – mastering learning and are equipped to handle the complexities of the world, create a space for themselves and bring about the required changes to make the world a better place to live in.