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thanksgiving

Ep. 198 Family Archetypes: Understanding the Thanksgiving Dinner Table Dynamics

This is a picture of Katie Silcox. The text reads, "Spirit Sessions: Find your true spiritual home with Katie Silcox."

You’ve done the inner work and matured spiritually, yet as soon as your family gathers for the holidays you feel like a little kid again and revert to the same old, dysfunctional family dynamics! Just in time for Thanksgiving, Katie shares how family archetypes affect our relationships and how you can start creating more healthy family dynamics this holiday season.

Learn how to approach your next family gathering with the mind of a yogini so you can unravel generational karma and have more compassion toward yourself and others.

Want to dive even deeper into family archetypes? You’re invited to join Katie LIVE on Friday, December 13th for our FREE Liberating Yourself from Family Archetypes webinar! Click here to register. Everyone registered will also receive the recording!

This is a dark blue graphic with white text. It has a photo of a woman and child looking out a window. The text describes a free webinar: You’re invited to join Katie LIVE on Friday, December 13th for our FREE Liberating Yourself from Family Archetypes webinar!

In this episode about family archetypes, you’ll hear:

~ Click here to learn more about our Ayurveda School

~ Sign up for our free mini-course about Women’s Wisdom and Ayurveda!

~ What is an archetype?

~ The Ayurvedic and Jungian perspectives of family archetypes

~ How to approach your family like a yogini

~ Family frameworks as coping mechanisms

~ The ego's role in family archetypes

~ How to identify the role you play in your family

~ Common family archetypes including the Caretaker, Whipping Boy, Black Sheep, Hero and Clown

~ Shifting out of the victim mindset

~ Why understanding creates compassion

~ Book a free call with one of our coaches to learn more about Ayurveda School!

Other resources mentioned in this episode:

~ See our viral Maria Carey post here on Instagram

~ Follow us on Instagram and Facebook

~ Read Katie’s latest book, Glow-Worthy!

Related episodes:

~ Ep. 174 Explore Your Inner Child with Nicole Frolick

~ Ep. 160 Courage in Facing the Shadow

Or Subscribe on iTunes

Learn more:

  • Ayurveda Certification
  • The Shakti School Subscription

Help Us Spread Our Pod Wings!

As always, I hope you found this episode about family archetypes helpful as you approach the holiday season! This show is a passion project that I produce for the love of sharing. If you enjoy this show and want a free and easy way to help it grow, the most effective way you can help is to:

  1. Subscribe to the show by clicking “subscribe” in iTunes
  2. Write us a review in iTunes
  3. Share this show with one friend right now!

It’s seems simple, but you’d be AMAZED to know how much it helps my little love project reach more people. iTunes’ algorithm uses ratings and reviews to know who to show our show to in their app.

Here’s the link to leave us reviews in iTunes.

From my heart to yours,

Katie

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Ep. 70 The Words Before All Else

The Words Before All Else come from the traditions of the Iroquois Confederacy. In this episode I share a prayer I’ve been learning.

In this episode I discuss:

~A ritual to begin meetings

~The importance of The Words Before All Else

~Thanksgiving Address for $6 from Mohawk Craft Shop at Kanatsiohareke, (518) 673-2534

~Thanksgiving Address from The Tracking Project

~Thanksgiving Address on Amazon

~Thanksgiving Address PDF

Or Subscribe on iTunes

Save 15% on Banyan’s Stress Ease by visiting: banyanbotanicals.com/katie

This episode is also sponsored by the Ahara Ghee family. Use promocode GHEESPOT at checkout for $5 off your order.

Learn more:

Shakti Ayurveda School

Free Divine Feminine Ayurveda Mini-Course

Lineage of Love Community

HELP US SPREAD OUR POD WINGS

This show is a passion project that I produce for the love of sharing. If you enjoy this show and want a free and easy way to help it grow, the most effective way you can help is to:

  1. Subscribe to the show by clicking “subscribe” in iTunes
  2. Write us a review in iTunes
  3. Share this show with one friend right now!

It’s seems simple, but you’d be AMAZED to know how much it helps my little love project reach more people. iTunes’ algorithm uses ratings and reviews to know who to show our show to in their app.

Here’s the link to leave us reviews in iTunes.

From my heart to your screen,

Katie

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How to Keep a Healthy Belly During the Holidays

The holiday season is a wonderful time, but let’s face it, it can also be super stressful, physically taxing, and can leave us with that post-holiday belly bloat. Ugh !

There is nothing worse than starting the new year with your digestion in a funk. When you’re not able to digest your food you're not able to digest your life either, and when we can’t digest our life things start to get really gunked up. This can lead to a number of problems like disturbed sleep, mood disorders, hormonal imbalances, adrenal fatigue, weight gain, and many other unwanted winter-time stressors.

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So, how do you create EASE during the holidays?!

Stoke that digestive fire (Agni)! Cultivating strong Agni pre-holiday season will have tremendous benefits during the festive season and the months to follow. In order to keep your Agni strong do what you can to create ease on your digestive system and lower the intake of anything that is more toxic or inflammatory. Another key element for maintaining easeful digestion is eliminating any stressors that may be causing adrenal upset. Your adrenal glands play a huge role in regulating your stress levels. They help to regulate your blood sugar, your blood pressure, help you burn fat and protein, and they also determine how you react to stress.

Here are some helpful tips to eliminate stress and help you prepare a strong digestive fire pre-holiday feasting:

*Mung bean cleanse (pre and/or post holiday) - leading up to the holidays (and also after the holidays) can be a great time to eat a more simplified diet. A kitchari (ayurvedic mung bean) cleanse helps to clear away any excess sludge in the body, it strengthens your digestion, and will leave you feeling light and clear as you go into the family and eating frenzy. It’s also an appropriate cleanse to do during the cooler months because you aren’t depriving yourself of foods, but rather eating enough food that is warm, nourishing, AND cleansing. This is also a perfect cleansing protocol to do at any time of the year, especially for the working woman who needs to be fueled throughout the day!  A mung bean cleanse can help to keep your vata balanced and will give you loads of energy for all the events on your holiday calendar.

*Tulsi-Ginger tea - This is a great tea to help keep you calm while also aiding in digestion. Ayurveda’s “Holy Basil” is an all around beautiful tea to soothe your mind, boost your immunity, and calm your belly. I love the addition of ginger in this tea for the added “debloating” effect that it has. Try using this in between meals while you are out of your normal routine and watch how it creates more stability in your mood and in your tummy.

*Float Tank- This could be a hard one to find, but Float Tank spas are popping up all over the place and if you’re lucky there might just be one located near your holiday destination. A float tank is a sensory deprivation tank that is filled with water and epsom salts. It is meant to be a meditative experience helping to reduce external stimulation and create ease on your neurotransmitters. It can be extremely helpful when we are traveling, out of our normal routine, or if we are just looking for a targeted way to unwind. You could even suggest doing this as a family event! If a float tank isn’t available, try adding some time for some sort of mindfulness and meditation practice. This will help you to stay present and enjoy each moment through the holiday season.

*Take a walk with the family before/after meals- The holidays are all about togetherness, but this doesn’t mean that togetherness always has to happen lounging on the couch. Of course wintertime is a great season for rest, but it’s just as important to expose yourself to the elements and move your body as it is to relax. Doing some form of exercise in the open air to fuel your lungs and stretch your body will keep you from sinking into that holiday slump. It’s also a wonderful way to have more intimate moments with the people you love.

*Try to stay away from dairy- It can be difficult to keep to our healthy eating habits when we travel great distances and visit people that may not have our same dietary needs. Please be gentle with yourself no matter what you’re eating (your mind plays a huge role in your digestion). However, if you can limit the amount of dairy you take in this holiday season it will significantly aide your digestive system. Dairy is often overused ingredient in holiday cooking. Even if you normally do okay with dairy, it is still best avoided during the times when excess Kapha can start to clog up your digestive tract. So, maybe this means you politely pass on the heavy whipped cream and gravy.

Or, take your digestive enzyme and choose the dairy dish that you just can’t pass up! 🙂

*Take it easy on the alcohol- I know that alcohol can sometimes help to ease the tension that may come from stressful holiday gatherings, conversations, or family members you don’t quite tolerate as well, but it’s not always the best choice. When misused alcohol can make you feel worse. It also slows down your metabolism and wrecks your digestive fire. If you do decide to drink try to drink moderately, drink lots of water in between, and maybe try adding in some supplements for additional support. Activated coconut charcoal, vitamin C, and digestive enzymes will help aid in your liver’s ability to detoxify the alcohol. It’s also best if you can try to have your last drink earlier in the evening and the next morning add a dash of celtic salt to your water to help replenish any minerals you might have lost.

*Hack your sleep: Getting plenty of rest is so important for the body’s ability to repair itself. This is crucial during the times when we are overloading our system with different foods. It’s not always easy to sleep outside the comforts of your own bed, but I’ve found that earplugs and a face mask can really help in keeping my sleep consistent. Try using some essential oils like lavender, geranium, frankincense, and cypress to lead you into a more restful state. I love adding these essential oils to a carrier oil like sesame or coconut oil for a little self massage pre-bedtime. My favorite oil to use is the Vata Balancing Massage Oil from Banyan Botanical.

*Bring your non-negotiables with you! For me whenever I travel I have to bring a few essential items that I know will help keep me close to my routine and will also help to keep me sane. These items include my morning beverage (right now it’s matcha green tea with oat milk), triphala for healthy digestion, heavy amounts of leafy greens (a green liver powder works great), and my essential oils for body love! I also find it crucial to bring my stash of supplements. I may look a little cookey on the plane, but if it works, it’s coming with!

Supplements We Love

Triphala - Shakti School insiders get 10% off at Banyan! Use promo code SHAKTI10

Oil of Oregano (for immunity)

Maca - Chaste Berry - Ashwagandha powder (healthy hormone balance)

Lipotropic Complex (liver support)

Quinton Water (mineral replenish/post drinking remedy)

Digestive Enzymes 

Thorne Brain and Mitochondria support 

Nordic Naturals DHA Algae 

Thorne Vitamin D3 + K2

Kettle & Fire Bone Broth (digestive aid)

 

Oils:

Transdermal Samadhi Roll on Set

Banyan Vata Balancing Oil

Essential Oils: Frankincense, Geranium, Lavender, Cypress, and Eucalyptus.

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The Pumpkin Pie You Want To Eat

The Sugar Timeline, celebratory events, and why we eat more when we’re together
(Recipe included)

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The Holidays can be frustrating when it comes to making healthy food choices.

This should be a special time of year when your energy is centered around celebration, togetherness, and joy and where the focus is to spend quality time with the people you love most. Instead it often includes frustration around food decision making, and the fear of uneasy digestion. On Thanksgiving especially, it's common knowledge that we overeat and typically we overeat sugar.

In North America (and all around the globe) the use of sweets in celebratory events has been a historical tradition. Though the cultivation of sugar dates back to 8,000BC, we see the use of sugar in celebratory event as early as 2,400 BC (!) where there is evidence of beekeeping and the collection honey for honey cakes found at a religious temples near present day Cairo, Egypt. (Hippocrates Health Institute-The Sugar Timeline)

We also see this in the Hindu/Yoga tradition where bringing sweets to the temple as an offering to the God’s is commonly practiced. Traditionally, before industrial sugar cane manufacturing, sweets were more of a luxury item and were considered “Sattvic,” or pure. Of course, this is in reference to sugar in the form of dates and honey which aren’t nearly as taxing on the body as the chemically refined sugar we most commonly use today. As sugar cane evolved into the chemically refined substance that we know all too well now, it became more accessible and affordable and unfortunately we see a direct correlation to the rise of Alzheimer's, diabetes and obesity. Instead of sugar being used a sacred treat, or offering, it became readily available to everyone, all the time, in unnatural states and in absurd quantities.

So, how do we go back to making sugar sacred?

It all comes back to eating whole foods and preparing food at home. For most Americans, having access to healthy ingredients and the time to prepare food at home is a luxury. If we all made an effort to only eat sugar when we could prepare our own sweet treats, it would likely lead to much healthier options (no matter if you’re cooking with white sugar or not). The act of cooking for others truly is sacred and the Thanksgiving holiday is a perfect time to make food that is celebratory, healthy, and sweet. 

What about when it comes to overeating? 

It’s interesting to note that a food study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2013 concluded that people tend to eat more calorically dense food and more volumes of food—depending on the information they’re given about what other people are eating. Similarly, the same study showed that we even synchronize our bites, the same way we subconsciously mirror someone else’s posture or body language, without ever realizing it. Simply becoming aware of this fact is enough to make you think differently and possibly act differently when you sit down at the Thanksgiving table. If you are able to be more aware when you’re eating it not only will help you to make more thoughtful choices about your meal, but it could actually help those you are eating with to make more thoughtful choices about what they are eating as well.

Now, let’s go back to celebrating. 

Now that we’ve established that we all love the occasional sweet treat and we want to celebrate with some sort of sacred sugary dessert,  it’s important to choose something that is still balanced and nourishing, not something that is loaded with white flour & white sugar. This is especially important when you want your energy to be sustained through those long evening chats with cousin Kristie. So, how can we be sure a healthy option shows up to the Thanksgiving table? Bring it yourself!

If you want your family to be blown away, show up to the holiday dinner party with this amazing (and healthy) Pumpkin Pie ! ! !  It’s not going to spike your blood sugar, it’s going to make everyone in the room happy, and eating it might even be a sacred act.

The Pumpkin Pie You Want To Eat

For the Crust:

  • 2 cups pitted dates
  • 2 cups raw nuts (I used half pecans, half walnuts)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 tbsp of coconut oil
  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • A dash of salt

For the Filling :

  • 2 cans of pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup of cashews (previously soaked)
  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
  • 3-5 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon each of nutmeg, ginger and cloves
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pumkin Pie

Directions:

For the crust: pulse the nuts & coconut flakes in a food processor until they're crumbs, add the dates and the remaining ingredients and process until it begins to stick together. Press into a pie dish and put in the fridge (or freezer) to harden.

For the filling: blend all of the ingredients until smooth, adding however much of the spices you like. Pour into your crust and freeze overnight until it's set. The next day transfer to the fridge to let it thaw out. Take it out of the refrigerator 15-20 min prior to serving.

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*Top with your favorite homemade whipped cream!

(It’s best to use an organic Grass-Fed Heavy whipping cream or you can try this recipe below for a vegan coconut whipped cream).

Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream: 

1 can coconut cream or full fat coconut milk (Cream tends to work better)

3 TBSP of organic powdered sugar (optional)

1 tsp vanilla extract

*Place the can of coconut cream into the refrigerator and leave it there overnight

*The next day, take it out and carefully open it

*Scoop  out only the cream into the bowl of an electric mixer, leaving the coconut water behind.

*Start with a slow speed and gradually increase speed until you achieve a whipped cream consistency

*Once you have whipped cream consistency, Add your powdered sugar and vanilla

*Whisk again until it’s mixed in !

 

Enjoy !

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Ep. 19 BONUS Thanksgiving Special

Join Kaite and surprise guest, Vera Silcox (aka Katie's mom) for a sweet, candid conversation about Thanksgiving, dating, and the special relationship between mother and daughter.

Topics discussed in this special Thanksgiving episode:

~ Dating

~ Popcorn

~ Sweet spicy tea we love – our wine alternative

~ On changing patterns

~ On mothers and daughters

~ Constant growth

Happy Thanksgiving!

Or Subscribe on iTunes

Learn more:

  • Shakti Ayurveda School
  • Spirit Sessions Membership Community

Help us Spread our Podcast Wings

Did you love this special Thanksgiving conversation? This show is a passion project that I produce for the love of sharing. If you enjoy this show and want a free and easy way to help it grow, the most effective way you can help is to:

  1. Subscribe to the show by clicking “subscribe” in iTunes
  2. Write us a review in iTunes
  3. Share this show with one friend right now!

It’s simple, but you’d be AMAZED to know how much it helps my little love project reach more people. iTunes’ algorithm uses ratings and reviews to know who to show our show to in their app.

Here’s the link to leave us reviews in iTunes.

From my heart to your screen,

Katie

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TheShaktiSchool

Goddess - I can’t wait for you to get your hands Goddess - I can’t wait for you to get your hands on my Summer Ayurveda Recipe Mix Tape - where every slurp, sip and spoonful is a devotional act of beauty, pleasure and full-body honoring. 🍓💦 ⁠
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My personal Ayurveda Summer Recipe Mix Tape is a sun-drenched love letter from my witchy kitchen to the depths of your feminine soul.⁠
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Inside its 30+ drool-worthy pages you’ll find smoothies that melt like silk on your tongue, hydrating herbal coolers that will kindle your inner flirt and goddess-approved, belly-loving meals that whisper: ⁠
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“Slow down, lady. You’re allowed to feel this good.”⁠
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Because that’s what Summer of Love is really about.⁠
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👉🏽 Here’s the download. ⁠
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Right now we’re offering the LOWEST price, PLUS the highest-value free gifts, that we’ll be offering for Shakti Ayurveda School all year. Period. ⁠
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And it only lasts until August 11th.⁠
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Sign up for the 2026 Ayurveda School before 8/11 and you’ll get my Ayurveda Summer Recipe Mix Tape e-book FREE, plus:⁠
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🌴 A Paavani Pitta Summer Kit full of cooling body magic⁠
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🍓 A full year FREE inside our Spirit Sessions platform (with meditations, movement, my CHAKRAS course + monthly workshops with me and my fave wise-women leaders)⁠
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Ready to claim 2026 as your most transformational, soul-honoring, juicy year yet and join us in Shakti Ayurveda School? ⁠
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🌹Use the code SummerofLove at checkout and let the kitchen seduction begin. 😉
What Vanilla ice has to do with our Ayurveda progr What Vanilla ice has to do with our Ayurveda program. Ice ice baby summer! 🔻🌺🪐😉🌹🙌🏻😝
The Summer of Love Sale is ON, babe. ☀️⁠ ⁠ The Summer of Love Sale is ON, babe. ☀️⁠
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This is your invitation to turn up the pleasure, turn down the heat and say YES to healing, soul purpose + reclaiming your innate feminine wisdom.⁠
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When you join our Ayurvedic Wellness Coach Certification Program now through August 11th, you’ll receive:⁠
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— 💸 $100 off tuition on any payment plan (which is already the lowest earlybird price you’ll see all year)⁠
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— 🌊 A FREE Paavani Pitta Summer Sampler Kit with all the cooling essentials you need to be a true Ayur-Goddess this summer: spritzer, body oil + cooling spice blend⁠
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— 🔥 1-year FREE membership to our Spirit Sessions platform: start studying with me right NOW + access our library of meditations, movement classes, deep-dive workshops + my full Chakras course ($1000 value!)⁠
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— 🍹 A downloadable, 30+ page Ayurveda for Summer Recipe Book chock full of brand new recipes like Creamy Cucumber-Mint Kitchari, Herbed Turkey Patties with Yogurt Mint Sauce and Strawberry-Rose Moon Smoothie (trust me, you’ll be drooling 🤤)⁠
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Make this your year of radiant health, spiritual transformation and embodied feminine power.⁠
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🎁 Gifts only available until August 11th. Grab your spot + your gifts now at the link in bio.
Katie here. The real one.  It is summer in Virgi Katie here. The real one. 

It is summer in Virginia and today it’ll reach 101 degrees. I’m covered in rose oil, drinking coconut water and main-lining some sweet watermelon chunks to power up the morning. 

In other words - it’s HOT.

And I seem to always forget how activating the summertime can be. It comes out of nowhere, right? The intensity. The anger. The insomnia. The hot-flash.

But, there is one thing I come back to time and time again - and that’s The Shakti School Basics. 

Here is what that looks like:

1. Stop. Pause. Lay down or sit down. 
2. Make a commitment to be still for a bit.
3. Feel and open to everything that is arising in this moment.
4. Breathe. Let your awareness drop in and down your body. 
5. Breathe. Let your awareness rise above your body. 
6. Breathe. Let your heart soften and open and receive. 
7. Rest in the opening and stillness and energy that is always there. 
8. Wash, rinse, repeat. 

This is the starting point for everything we do in Level 1 Ayurveda School, which BTW we have just opened for early bird registration! 

And in honor of cooling our collective summer heat - I want to give you SO much cool stuff. Plus, a way to connect and start studying with me RIGHT NOW! 

🌞 Summer of Love is Here, Sister! 

When you sign up for 2026 Ayurveda School during our Summer of Love Sale (now through August 11th only), you’ll get:

💖$100 off tuition 

🌿FREE Paavani Pitta Summer Kit (aka a mini Pitta-reducing spritzer, cooling body oil and soothing spice blend)

🌸A YEAR-LONG FREE MEMBERSHIP to our thriving Spirit Sessions membership platform where you get immediate access to ALL of my Spirit Sessions meditations, classes, workshops and other resources. Plus! Immediate access to my ground-breaking CHAKRAS course (a $1000 value!) and LIVE monthly workshops with yours truly and special guests.

✨A downloadable Ayurveda for Summer recipe book, straight outta’ Katie’s kitchen

Just use the code SummerofLove at registration check out to receive the discount and ALL the gifts (and YES, this applies to 2026 Level 1 & Level 2)!

🍉 Sign up before 8/11 to claim your free gifts.

With sunshine + soul,
Katie + The Shakti School Team
The best food on the planet can’t help you if yo The best food on the planet can’t help you if you don’t have the digestive fire to transform and assimilate what you are putting in your body.⁠
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The ancient texts called this digestive fire AGNI.⁠
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Agni is what transforms and assimilates what we are taking in, whether it’s food, life experiences or thoughts. ⁠
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Ayurveda holds that many of our diseases start with the accumulation of toxins (ama) in the body. This sludge builds up when our metabolic fire is unable to burn what we are putting into the body. ⁠
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When our agni is functioning well, Ayurveda teaches that our body will be healthy, our skin radiant, our mind clear and our energy balanced.⁠
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The good news is this: You can start boosting your agni right now with this little tip. ⁠
⁠
👉🏽 Add Ginger Pickle to your routine! And no - it’s not the kind of pickle you pile high on a sandwich - it’s more of an agni-honoring, pre-meal ritual.⁠
⁠
A small dab (about the size of your thumb tip) is traditionally taken before meals to stimulate the digestive fire and awaken agni.⁠
⁠
🫚Here’s the Ginger Pickle how-to: Slice a few pieces of fresh ginger. Add a pinch of rock salt and a spray of fresh lemon or lime juice. Eat before meals to kick-start your metabolic fire!

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