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Chapati

Chapati

by | Jan 22, 2024 | recipes

Chapati are an ideal accompaniment to an Ayurvedic meal or in the evening with a warming soup to reduce VATA.

What exactly is chapati?

Chapati is a flatbread that is preferably baked with wholemeal flour. It is baked in a pan without oil or fat. I like to use fine flour and not wholemeal flour. I am always trying out different flours, such as spelt flour, emmer flour and kamut flour. So far they have always turned out well.

Where do chapati come from?

Chapati originally come from North India and have made their way around the world. They are part of every Indian meal and have a delicate, soft flavour and are very easy to make yourself with just a few ingredients.

What do chapati have to do with Ayurveda?

Ayurveda has its roots in India and therefore also influences the cuisine, which is why chapati is often associated with Ayurvedic cuisine. However, Ayurveda is at home all over the world and cannot simply be equated with Indian food. The Ayurvedic philosophy can be applied to any cuisine and if you browse through my recipes, you will find recipes from all over the world that are harmonious and Ayurvedically rounded.

What do chapati go with?

I particularly like chapati with soups of all kinds. They are lighter than sourdough bread and fill the stomach sufficiently in the evening without weighing you down. Chapati can also be wonderfully filled with all kinds of sauces and baked just as well in a casserole dish in the oven. There are no limits to your creativity. I like to brush the chapati with ghee, which gives them a slightly nutty flavour. Ghee is particularly good for reducing VATA and PITTA dosha. You can find more information on the doshas here.

Rucola-Kräuter-Pasta

rocket herb pasta

by | Jan 22, 2024 | recipes

If you're in a hurry, this simple but very tasty recipe is ideal. If you have rocket and herbs growing in your own garden - bring them on!

This meal combines Italian cuisine with Ayurveda. All the flavours are combined! This meal is a classic Tridosha meal. All doshas are in balance, it is filling and provides valuable vitamins and minerals. Have fun cooking it!

How did this recipe come about?

Especially as a working person, it is often not easy to take care of a good diet. For this reason, I always try to create dishes that are quick to prepare and yet beneficial for body, soul and spirit.

What does Tridosha mean?

The doshas are an important teaching in Ayurvea. They originate from the 5 elements and can be understood as three superordinate energetic principles. These forces control our physiological processes. A good interplay of the three forces results in a balanced state. Tridosha therefore means that all doshas are satisfied and balanced. You can find more information about the doshas here.

Zitronengrassuppe mit Garnelen

Lemongrass soup with prawns

by | Jan 22, 2024 | recipes

Wanderlust? This soup brings the warmth, aromas and flavours of Thailand to your table. It also combines the Ayurvedic principles of the 6 flavours, warming both body and soul. This Thai soup goes wonderfully with Chapati .

Where did the idea for this dish come from?

During my language studies, I met a new friend from Thailand who I am helping to learn German. In our conversations, we also talked about culture, plants and food. The kaffir lime leaf, for example, is one of the main ingredients in Thai cuisine. It has an incomparable aroma and flavour. As I happen to have a kaffir lime leaf plant in my cooking studio, I came up with the idea of creating a new dish with the help of my Thai friend that incorporates Ayurvedic philosophy and brings the aroma and flavour of Thailand to the table. I love this soup, it always gives me memories of my conversations with my friend from the other side of the world.

What are kaffir lime leaves?

The flavour of this special plant is lemony and fresh. It is reminiscent of warm summer evenings and brings holiday feelings. The main ingredient in Thai cuisine can be perfectly combined with Ayurvedic principles and flavours. The kaffir lime leaf is sweet, sour and slightly salty. A slight spiciness gives every dish a special flavour.

Where can I get kaffir lime leaves?

The leaves grow on trees in Asia and in this country you can buy a small kaffir lime tree in selected plant shops and grow and care for it in the sun in summer and in a warm kitchen in winter, for example. Kaffir lime leaves can also be bought dried or fresh from the chiller cabinet in Asian shops.

Gedanken zur Weiblichkeit und Männlichkeit

Thoughts on femininity and masculinity

by | Jan 13, 2024 | blog

Written on October 15, 2019

I keep coming across the topic of femininity and masculinity in all its facets. As a personal life topic, among friends and relatives, at work, in politics and just recently at a wonderful evening in a female community. During this get-together, we discussed words such as "emancipation" and "feminism". I would like to share my thoughts on this with you and invite you to think about it, join in the discussion and become aware of what femininity and masculinity mean to you.

My background

Growing up alongside my mother in a male household with 3 older brothers and having worked for many years in a male-dominated profession, "being a woman" was rather foreign to me. My external attributes may have labelled me as such, but I am only now really experiencing and enjoying what that really means. In the family, I had to assert myself, climb around in the trees just like my brothers, not cry at sad films and "not be a girl". Not to show any weaknesses at work, to be self-determent, to fight!

But being a woman is simply beautiful! In recent years, I have been able to experience a lot of self-awareness during my shamanic training and my further training in transactional analysis and now I really appreciate "being a woman" and above all enjoy the company of other women.

For me, heal feminine energy is

  • simply "to be"
  • community
  • nourish, care for others and myself
  • entirety
  • softness
  • feeling

For me, heal masculine energy is

  • creates structures
  • provides security
  • sets boundaries and frameworks for themselves and others
  • asserts itself
  • builds on individuality
  • nourishes healthy competition

What attributes do you find?

Every woman has masculine energy within her and every man has feminine energy. A woman also sets boundaries and therefore complements the male energy. And a man shows feeling and enters into symbiosis with the woman.

I have come to know "feminism" and "emancipation" partly as a fight against men, which I think is a great pity and tips the scales just as much as the centuries-long fight of men against women.

What exactly is behind the words "equal rights" and "equal treatment"?

I don't want to be "treated the same". Because every person is an individual and needs their very own "treatment". As a manager, I experience this every day. Treating everyone the same way is difficult and also not effective.

The situation is similar with "equality" - a very difficult word. What is equal rights? Everyone is entitled? For what? Doesn't it put enormous pressure on women to live equality by competing with men, e.g. at work?

That's how I felt! What does it do to a woman who got her job because of a quota? Does that have anything to do with equal rights?

Equivalence vs. equal rights

At our women's get-together, we found a wonderful word that speaks to my heart - "EQUAL VALUE". Every person has the same value. Every woman is allowed to live her femininity with equal value in the path she has chosen. In the same way, every man is equally allowed to walk and live the path he has chosen. Without pressure - just be. Be at eye level. Be with each other!

I am very lucky to be able to live this "EQUIVALENCE" with my husband. He sets the framework, holds the space and I nurture, care for and organise.

And so I try to plant the little seed of EQUAL VALUE every day with my actions, in my dealings with my fellow human beings, with animals and plants and in my relationships, with the vision that the little plant will develop widely branching roots and spread as a net around the whole world.

Do we want to nurture this little plant together?

Depressionen vorbeugen im Herbst

Preventing depression in autumn

by | Jan 13, 2024 | blog

Written November 15, 2019

The energy in the annual cycle

We are now entering a time of rest, regeneration and re-centring. Exhaustion and tiredness, especially emotionally, are a sign to listen to your body and make yourself comfortable on the couch with a soothing drink and a book to nourish your spirit.

The element of air with its storms rules the autumn season and the ether with its emptiness and vastness rules the winter.
It is a time of movement. The transition from the busyness and extroversion of summer to the calm, stillness and introversion of autumn and winter can often have its negative side on an energetic level in the form of a lack of security and calm, combined with a feeling of deep exhaustion.

In Ayurveda, this time is assigned to the VATA dosha with its mobility, dynamism and tendency to dry out. Now it is important to pay attention to nourishing and heavier qualities.
Plenty of rest, retreat, warming, soothing and easily digestible meals with mainly sweet, sour and savoury foods as well as warming spiced teas are important now.

Exercise for more energy in autumn and early winter

  • Take off your shoes (preferably barefoot) and stand with both feet firmly on the floor. Close your eyes.
  • Breathe in deeply 3 times through your nose and out through your mouth.
  • Imagine how thick roots of light grow from the soles of your feet into the earth and how you connect firmly with the earth. Allow the light from these roots to radiate completely through your body.
  • Thank Mother Earth for nourishing and supporting you.
  • Do this exercise whenever you feel unsafe and/or exhausted

Acceptance

The winds of change blow particularly strongly in autumn and sometimes these winds blow up old issues and reveal the shadows within you. Stay in your safety. It's all good. Astrological Scorpio shows you what you can transform now. It's completely normal if you don't feel so good emotionally at this time. If you accept it gratefully, look at it and let it go, you will be one step ahead again.

wheel of the year

We are integrated into the annual cycle and are subject to the rhythms of nature. Unfortunately, the special qualities of the seasons have been lost to us over the centuries in the pursuit of ever further, faster, higher!

If you would like to find out more about the qualities of the wheel of the year, continue reading on my year circle page:

Find out more about the annual cycle