The Shakti School

Feminine Form Sacred Technology

Recipe

Cooling Banana Mint Chip Smoothie

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This smoothie is a little love letter to pitta season. 🌿🥥 Bananas, coconut, mint and coconut water all help replenish fluids, soothe excess heat and nourish the tissues, while spinach adds additional minerals and cacao nibs bring in a hint of richness.

I love to drink this as a mid-morning snack or afternoon pick-me-up on hot summer days. A cooler smoothie like this can dampen digestion if you have slow agni, so it’s best to drink it during peak pitta hours and avoid first thing in the morning or too late at night.

This recipe is especially supportive for those experiencing classic pitta signs like feeling overheated, irritability, acid reflux or inflammatory skin flare-ups.

Check out the recipe below!

Ingredients:

  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk
  • 1 handful unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/4 cup coconut water
  • 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp cacao nibs
  • 1 handful of spinach
  • 1 handful of fresh mint

Directions:

  • Place all ingredients except the cacao nibs into a high powered blender and blend until smooth. Add cacao nibs and blend for a few seconds to allow for a tiny little crunch in your smoothie.
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Ayurveda-Inspired Homemade Sunscreen

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Check out our favorite Ayurveda-inspired homemade sunscreen 👇

Put all of the ingredients except the zinc into a large glass mason jar. Fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water and place that on medium heat. Loosely fit the lid on the jar and place that in the water. ⁠
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Let all those ingredients melt together completely, shaking or stirring to get it all blended.⁠
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Once everything is melted, take it off the heat, add in the zinc, secure the lid, shake it up and stir it well. Then pour it into whatever container you plan on keeping the sunscreen in and let it cool.⁠
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This sunscreen has around 35 to 40 SPF naturally!⁠
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And one more thing - if you still love conventional sunscreen and want to keep using it, just avoid any sunscreen that has oxybenzone. Oxybenzone is found in about 40% of sunscreens and it’s been banned in Japan and parts of Europe because it’s been found to be a major endocrine disruptor related to infertility, hormone imbalance and low birth rates.⁠
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Remember the golden rule in Ayurveda: ⁠We don’t put anything on our skin that we would not use in our kitchen. 🥣⁠
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Enjoy your summer and take care of your skin! ✨⁠

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Sweet Dreams Milk: An Ayurvedic Sleep Tonic

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This is a milky beverage that counteracts insomnia and nervousness before bed.

Ayurveda provides nourishing and grounding remedies that help settle both body and mind. 🌀☁️

Warm milk is traditionally used as an ojas-building tonic that supports deep restoration, while valerian helps calm the nervous system, ashwagandha supports stress resilience, nutmeg is used for its gently sedative qualities, and saffron eases the mind toward rest. 🫖

When taken together, you have a soothing ritual that reduces excess movement in the mind and invites deep ease before bedtime. 🌙

You can also enhance the effects of this milky medicine by rubbing some warm sesame oil and a few drops of jatamansi essential oil on the soles of your feet before covering them in socks.

Here's How To Make It:

Ingredients

Directions

  • Put the ghee in a saucepan and heat on low with all the spices, except for the saffron. Once the mixture becomes aromatic, add the milk and saffron and whisk until hot.
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Wake Me Up Juice

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Sometimes we need a little *jolt* to get our Kapha moving this time of year (or to get going in the morning!) this is one of my fave recipes for an invigorating boost- which is why I like to call it “Wake Me Up” juice 😉

This ginger-heavy juice is amazing for Kapha!

Ingredients:

  • 3 stalks of celery
  • 1 handful of parsley
  • 1 big chunk of fresh ginger
  • 1 tbsp of fresh turmeric
  • 1/2 grapefruit
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 apple (optional for taste)

Add all ingredients to a high powered blender. Blend on high for 1 minute. Pass through a strainer into your favorite glass and enjoy.

*This juice is best if consumed on an empty stomach and away from other meals. Make sure to add enough ginger to keep it spicy!

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Sacred Cycle Sweets

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Cooling, grounding and hormone-nourishing, these Sacred Cycle Sweets weave together shatavari, fennel and cardamom to support women’s cycles while offering a naturally sweet treat for body and spirit.

Here's How to Make My Sacred Cycle Sweets:

Ingredients (makes ~10):

  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • ½ cup cashews, soaked 2 hrs
  • 6 Medjool dates
  • 1 tsp shatavari powder
  • 1 tsp cardamom
  • ½ tsp fennel powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch pink salt
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions:

  • Blend cashews + coconut into a paste.
  • Add dates, shatavari, spices + vanilla. Process until dough forms.
  • Roll into balls, coat with extra coconut. Refrigerate.
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Raspberry Oat Hormone Bars

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Sweet, tart and chocolatey comfort! These bars blend magnesium-rich nuts, fiber-filled oats, and antioxidant raspberries to steady mood, ease PMS cravings, and nourish your hormones the Ayurvedic way.

Here's How to Make Them:

Ingredients (makes ~12 bars):

Base:

  • 1 cup rolled oats (ground to flour)
  • ½ cup walnuts or almonds (magnesium powerhouse)
  • 1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
  • 2 tbsp almond butter
  • Pinch sea salt

Raspberry Layer:

  • 1½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • ½ tsp vanilla

Chocolate Topping:

  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips (at least 70%)
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • Sprinkle of cinnamon

Instructions:

  1. Process oats, nuts, dates, almond butter + salt until dough forms. Press into pan.
  2. In a saucepan, simmer raspberries, chia, maple + vanilla for 10 minutes until jammy. Spread over base.
  3. Melt chocolate + coconut oil, stir in cinnamon, and pour over raspberry layer.
  4. Chill until firm, slice into bars.
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How to Make the Perfect Summer Salad

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Summertime is the time for salad—the possibilities are endless. 🌺🌱🍅 In the Virginia summers, greens grow in abundance, fruit starts popping off and there are edible flowers galore! It’s one of my favorite times of the year. ⁠

Of course Ayurveda suggests not over consuming raw food, but there are plenty of ways around this. Salads are appropriate in the hot summer months and if your digestive system is a little sluggish, you can always pair your greens with a cooked element or additional spices to support your specific needs. ⁠
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I love going to the farmer’s market in the summer and seeing what creations I can make with the various colors and shapes of the vegetables. Making food should feel like an art (of course it’s not always going to feel easy), but it is an act of creativity that can really serve you well. ⁠
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When it comes to making salads you can get really creative. Just simply think of what flavors and textures you love most and create a salad from that. For me, I love crunch, I love FAT and I love citrus. I usually end up making a big bowl of greens, some sort of seed sautéed in ghee, avocado, radishes and all of it topped with a lemon vinaigrette. I often will always add some sort of protein source. Grilled chicken, fried tempeh and hard boiled (farm fresh eggs) are all my favorite go-to forms of protein.

Here's How to Make my Perfect Summer Salad:

Salad Ingredients:

  • ½ cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 ½ cups summer greens (mix of your choice-diced)
  • 1 tbsp lightly toasted pumpkin seeds
  • ½ cup summer cherry tomatoes (halved)
  • 1 handful of summer sprouts
  • Optional protein add ons: ¼ cup cooked chickpeas or grilled chicken

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp vegan mayo
  • ¼ cup fresh mint & parsley mix (diced)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Assemble all of your salad ingredients into a bowl (except the sprouts) organizing however you would like. Whisk dressing ingredients in a bowl using a fork (adding more or less apple cider vinegar depending on preference). Generously pour dressing over the salad. Garnish with fresh edible flowers and sprouts!

Enjoy! 🥬🌱🍅🌼

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Simple Spring Pea Soup

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One of the keys to good digestion in Ayurveda is keeping things SIMPLE. Less complicated meals give our digestive fire a chance to rest and truly metabolize the fuel we’re feeding the fire. ⁠
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Peas are light, astringent and slightly drying—aka they help balance kapha’s natural heaviness and tendency to hold onto all the things (mucus, water, emotional clutter... you name it). Plus, they're packed with protein and fiber without being overly dense.⁠
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On top of that, soup is basically kapha’s best friend. It’s warm, light AND easy to digest. Broth and veggie-based soups are the perfect go-to option for spring dinners that aren’t too heavy! Enjoy! 🌿

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons sunflower or olive oil
  • 4 spring onions, finely minced
  • 1 leek, chopped
  • 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1½ cups fresh peas, shelled
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a small saucepan, sauté the spring onions and leek over medium-low heat for about 2 minutes, until translucent. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook until bright green and slightly tender. (This depends on their size, but should only take a few moments.)

Using a blender, purée the soup until very smooth. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil on top or add a dab of yogurt for garnish. Serve warm or chilled.

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