T H E PERFECT SERVE YOUR FUNKY GUIDE TO A HAPPY L I FE
THE PERFECT SERVE | YOUR FUNKY GUIDE TO A HAPPY LIFE LAU RA VAN DE KR UI JS
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WHY THIS BOOK? When I was a little girl, I could eat anything I wanted, until I became 21.. After eating food, I started to feel bloated for a few hours a day and my mood was swinging like a roller-coaster. For a long time I thought it was just the period of time I was in, but after a while I started to be a bit concerned and visited my doctor. My doctor told me several times that I was probably suffering the irritable bowel syndrome and with a few fibres sachets a day this would get better, and I ‘just’ had to live with it. This only became worse, so the doctor sent me towards the hospital to do several tests... ‘irritable bowel system’ was the outcome again, nothing to do except from ‘just living with the consequences every single day, for the rest of my entire life!’.
“ I started with research and found out that Ayurveda could actually be my healer! “
So I started to think..: “When the doctors can’t help me, and no other diet will..what else will be able to help me?”. Will I, for the rest of my life be feeling sick after eating? Do I really have to deal with it? I kind of started to accept it.. BUT!! Things have changed now.. read below why:
Since I’m a student at the Design Academy in Eindhoven at the Leisure design department, I get lot’s of assignments which are based on ‘leisure’.., I started to have philosophy classes from my Spanish teacher Marina. Our assignment was to create a future leisure experience based on an already existing ancient philosophy based on the five basic elements of nature.
I started with research, and found out that Ayurveda could actually be my healer! It’s an ancient Indian science which focusses on the individual: body, mind and soul. It has it’s rules to become healthy through balancing your life upon the constitutions of YOU. I read loads of books which explains this ancient science, but I found them very hard to read as they’re all written with difficult scientific, Indian words and the lay out is pretty boring. As my enthusiasm rose during my research I found that this could actually be very good for the Western Society, but then designed in a modern way. In the beginning of my book you/ll find a short introduction about what Ayurveda actually means and shortly after this introduction my very own ‘western’ version of Ayurveda will be shown: THE PERFECT SERVE ENJOY!!
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THE PERFECT SERVE | YOUR FUNKY GUIDE TO A HAPPY LIFE
“I NEED TO EXCERSISE MORE OFTEN”
THE PERFECT SERVE | YOUR FUNKY GUIDE TO A HAPPY LIFE
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“I ACTUALLY REALLY NEED TO EAT BETTER“
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THE PERFECT SERVE | YOUR FUNKY GUIDE TO A HAPPY LIFE
WESTERN SOCIETY STYLE Stress, time management, fastfood, depressions. These are all aspects we’re dealing with in Western Society. We’re all complaining about our lifes that it should get better and we find ourselves all the time excuses why we live the way we do.. and we keep on complaining when we get the consequences shown on our lifestyles: obesitas, depression, addictions and stress. If we want to change our bodies, we must first change our minds. Mistaken intellect is the first stage of disease! Think about it. Our health is based on every decision we make. Our bodies don’t act on their own. So, we may have cravings or desires, but these urges come from our mind. Our minds make our decisions whether helpful or counter-intuitive for our bodies. We choose to have alcohol even though it may give a hangover. Nobody forces us to drink it! We might be prone to heart burn but choose to eat chips and salsa, anyway. Then when we get the heart burn, we take a paracetamol to fix the symptom because we are uncomfortable. The kicker is that it’s our own fault!! We KNEW chips and salsa would have that effect and we chose to do it anyway. Just as we KNEW alcohol would give a hangover. This is what I’m talking about. These are simple examples, but how many times have you heard people say, “I have to exercise more.” “I need to eat better.” “I need to quit smoking.” “I wish I didn’t spend so much money.” ALL of these things are because we choose them. That might be hard to read, but it’s true! The BEST news of all of this is that…YOU choose. It’s up to you! You have the power to choose wisely and healthfully or to choose substances and lifestyles that are imbalanced.
Our health is based on every decision we make. Our bodies don’t act on their own!
On the next page you will find a chart what the differences are between Ayurveda and traditional medicine. And I will help you throughout your travels of (the new) Ayurveda (which I will introduce very, very soon, through this book!)
THE PERFECT SERVE | YOUR FUNKY GUIDE TO A HAPPY LIFE
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TRADITIONAL MEDICINE Physical body
ayurveda human being
One size fits all Treating the disease ‘disease’ care Test results
Stop the symptons ‘Quick fix’ the problem
Unique Idividuals
focus
diagnosis
treatment
Preventing the disease ‘health’ care is ongoing process Subjective Using the 5 senses & talking Stop the causes Conscious participation from the patient to change habits
Single Approach Pills or medicine
Multiple approach diet, lifestyle, herbs, meditation, breathing skills, massage and physical treatments
Synthetic Drugs We can not digest them
Therapies are natural Space, air, fire, water, earth
n/a
Customized therapies Per person
No connection to nature
Good for emergencies
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Mind, Body, Soul Full energy, controls structure
connection to nature
We are part of nature & nature governs us Space, air, fire, water, earth Not good for emergencies
THE PERFECT SERVE | YOUR FUNKY GUIDE TO A HAPPY LIFE
DOSHA-TEST 1. Physique v) I am a slender person and I hardly gain weight p) I am medium build k) I am well built and I gain weight no matter what I do 2. Skin v) My skin is dry, thin, and itches often p) My skin looks flushed; I have lots of moles and freckles on my body k) My skin is smooth and soft, it looks pale sometimes 3. Hair v) My hair is dry, thin and brittle p) My hair is neither dry nor oily (men, receding hairline) k) My hair is thick, full, lustrous, and slightly oily 4. Face v) My face is oval p) My face is triangular (pointed chin, prominent jaw line) k) My face is round 5. Eyes v) My eyes are small; they feel dry often and have a bit of dullness (usually brown) p) My eyes are medium in shape; sharp & penetrating (usually blue) k) My eyes are big and round in shape, full eyelashes 6. Hands v) My hands are generally dry, rough; slender fingers; dry nails p) My hands are generally moist, pink; medium fingers; soft nails k) My hands are generally firm, thick; thick fingers; strong & smooth nails 7. Joints v) My joints are small, prominent bones, and often crack p) My joints are medium and loose k) My joints are large, sturdy, with lots of muscle surrounding
THE PERFECT SERVE | YOUR FUNKY GUIDE TO A HAPPY LIFE
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MOVE CONSTITUTION Energy of movement ELEMENTS: QUALITIES: SEASON: NATURE: MAIN Location:
Air + Ether Dry, Light, Cold, Mobile, Rough Fall thru mid-winter Wind Colon
Move is referred to as the ‘King of the MIXES’ because it is responsible for every movement in the body. Without Move, Transform and Structure cannot move. Eyes blinking, heart beating, talking with your hands, jumping, circulation, elimination are all because of Move. Since ‘Move’ people are made of air and ether, they don’t have a lot holding them together. They will quickly go out of balance and quickly come back into balance think of the wind. ‘Movers’ tend to get cold easily and are prone to dry skin due to the dry, cold and rough qualities. MOVE PERSONALITY You can pick out who has MOVE as their dominant MIX because they tend to talk a lot, move a lot and worry a lot. They are creative worriers and usually have twelve million things going on at one time. Their mind is constantly going and they have a very hard time sitting still. This is due to the movement quality of MOVE/wind - mind and body are zipping everywhere often times finding it hard to find peace and grounding within themselves. Because ‘Movers’ have such creative energy, they make good teachers, artists, actors and professional speakers. Movers like to talk! And wiggle! ...and complain... Because something usually hurts, including their brain. They also forget things, tend to be late and change their mind all the time. Balanced ‘movers’ are contagiously energetic and are people you might say, “light up the room”. MOVE BODY ‘Movers’ tend to be slender and can be tall or short. Bones are prominent, their hair is dry and usually curly. Face is oval in shape and eyes are small with teeny lashes. Fingers are long and nails are brittle with a tendency to split. Dry and thin skinned, ‘movers’ are easily browned by the sun.
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THE PERFECT SERVE | YOUR FUNKY GUIDE TO A HAPPY LIFE
‘MOVERS’ need grounding. Movers like to run around (mentally and physically), so one of the best things they can do for themselves is to slow down - or even stop. Meditation, yoga practice and breathing practice are all wonderful for bringing some grounding and nourishment to MOVE. Remember, Movers are air and ether, so they need grounding to keep them from flying away. Nutritionally, movers can do this by adding oils, fully cooked veggies, milk and grains to their diet. Movers need to keep warm and oiled. In the day-today, having a solid reliable schedule is best to ease and ground their fluttery mind. They love the sun and warm, humid weather. Steam rooms are great too.
“ Movers like to run around, the best thing they can do is to slow
MOVE DIGESTION MOVE appetite is erratic and MOVE digestion is usually sluggish. Yep..constipation time! To help MOVE digestion, they need oleation and warm foods. Oils and sauces lubricate the body to counterbalance the rough and dry qualities in MOVE and warm foods will help balance the cold qualities.
THE PERFECT SERVE | YOUR FUNKY GUIDE TO A HAPPY LIFE
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MACRO VS MICROCOSM So why am I explaining information about nature and the nature within’ you? Well, I think this will explain itself on this page! Simply put, the Universe is made of 5 great elements (ether, air, fire, water earth) and so are we! From outer space all the way down to the reproduction of our tiny cells, it’s all made of the same ingredients. Now, a little test. Picture in your mind a cauliflower, this is the Universe. (HUH?!) Pick a piece of the cauliflower..how does it look like? Probably still like the big cauliflower. Then pick another smaller piece off it, how does it look then? This small piece is ‘us’, humanity. There is no difference between that tiny piece of flower, or the big one. That’s how we roll in The perfect serve. Macrocosm and Microcosm are the same. So, it makes sense that when we go in accordance with nature, it is best for our mental, physical and spiritual health. The MIXES are in flux during certain stages of life, certain seasons, and certain times of day. Once we learn how nature works, we will know how we work. And from there, we can always be in charge of our own health. Empowering, hah? I hope you understand it better now!
The universe Us 10
THE PERFECT SERVE | YOUR FUNKY GUIDE TO A HAPPY LIFE
THE DAILY ROUTINE As you’ve read the nutritional guidelines page, the title of this page must give you a kind of ‘deja-vu’. But why is The perfect serves daily routine that important, and why should we follow it? We know MIXES rule our bodies, but they also rule nature and the universe in the way of time and space. Remember, macrocosm vs. microcosm. We are tiny bits of this big nature that surrounds us, so when we go in accordance with nature, we will function at our best. This daily routine will help guide you to which energies (MIXES) govern which times of day. MIXES rule certain times of day, seasons, and stages of life, so once we know what energies are strongest at specific times, we can go with the flow of those energies to achieve overall balance. See the chart on this page. Study it for a sec. On the next page I’ll go into detail about The perfect serves daily routine.
, STRONG AGNI NOON
Pitta
strategize, 10:00
Kapha
complete bulk of challenging work, big lunch
light breakfast follow task list, production
14:00
vata
create, make task list for next morning, exercise
SUNRISE
vata
dream, wake, elimination, meditation, exercise
SUNSET
light dinner, be with family, relax
sleep, processing foods & thoughts from the day
10:00
Pitta
Kapha 14:00
THE PERFECT SERVE | YOUR FUNKY GUIDE TO A HAPPY LIFE
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DEPRESSED ADDICTED PSYCHOLOGIAL PROBLEMS SUICIDAL
DOWN
NERVOUS ANXIOUS MANIC HYPER WORRISOME FEARFUL
VIOLENT HATEFUL VINDICTIVE HURFUL MURDERERS
TENSED
MOVE
CREATIVE, INSPIRED, ENTHOUSIASTIC GENUINE, ARTISTIC INTUITIVE DIVINE LOVE
ANGRY, HOT TEMPERED JUDGEMENTAL RESENTFUL CONTROLLING JEALOUS
INTENSELY ATTACHED TO PLEASURE AND MATERIAL THINGS, SELF LOATHING LETERGIC THIEVES
RELAXED
TRANSFORM STRONG LEADER, CLEAR THINKING SPIRITUAL TEACHER PERSPECTIVE
ATTACHED TO THINGS / OBJECTS STUBBORN POSESSIVE HOLDS GRUDGES
STRUCTURE
NUTURING PEACEFUL LOVING JOLLY COMPASSIONATE GENEROUS PATIENT
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PLATED PORTIONS Did you know that how you build your plate of food should be based on your MIX(es)? Since The perfect serve focuses on the individual, it only makes sense that the way we serve ourselves should be based on our individual make up. For example, if we are mostly MOVE (air and space), we will need more grounding, sticky, and warm foods to ground us. If we are mostly TRANSFORM (fire and water), we will naturally have great metabolism and digestion so we have the fire to digest proteins and even raw veggies. If we are STRUCTURE (water and earth), we will need lighter, spicier, and warm foods to balance the heaviness of Structure. To make it easy to understand, I’ve made graphics, see below.
1/2 carbs 1/4 cooked veggies 1/4 protein mildly spicy
As you can see, the MOVE plate has more grounding foods (carbs), plenty of healthy fat, some cooked veggies, a little protein and a little spice to aid their variable digestion. MOVERS need warmth and stability so the fats and carbs will help keep their body strong and their mind/emotions stable. MOVERS need protein for strength, but it can be tough to digest, therefore the spice will help increase digestive fire. 1/3 CARBS 1/3 VEGGIES 1/3 PROTEIN MILD/NO SPICE
The TRANSFORM plate is even all around, but there is little or no spice used. Transformers tend to be spicy enough they are. Transformers need a balance of veggies and carbs because both cool their fire. The protein gives their Difire a job to do for a while. Otherwise, their fire will quickly use up the veggies and carbs and they’ll be hungry again in a short time.
THE PERFECT SERVE | YOUR FUNKY GUIDE TO A HAPPY LIFE
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