The Truth About Ghee
Over the summer, I took an Ayurveda course as part of my Yoga Therapy certification with Prema Yoga Institute, and was introduced to the concept of ghee, or clarified butter. We needed it to make one of our recipes, so I bought a jar for some astronomical amount, like $13. That first jar was a good investment!
Over the summer, I took an Ayurveda course as part of my Yoga Therapy certification with Prema Yoga Institute, and was introduced to the concept of ghee, or clarified butter. We needed it to make one of our recipes, so I bought a jar for some astronomical amount, like $13. That first jar was a good investment!
My first batch of homemade ghee, July 2020
Ghee is a staple of the Ayurvedic diet. Some dishes call for one tablespoon of ghee per person! So what is it, and why is it good for you? Is it good for you? Ghee is just butter (use organic, unsalted, grass-fed butter) that is slowly cooked down and strained to remove milk solids and other impurities. After it cools, the result is a beautiful, rich golden color.
Some facts about ghee:
It has been used in Indian and Pakistani cultures for thousands of years.
Ghṛta (घृत) is a Sanskrit technical term translating to “ghee” (clarified butter), and is used throughout Ayurvedic literature. The term comes from the Sanskrit word meaning “sprinkled or illumined.”
Ghee was created to prevent butter from spoiling during warm weather. Given that its milk solids have been removed, it does not require refrigeration and can be kept at room temperature for several weeks.
Ghee and butter are comprised of nearly 100% fat, but ghee may be the better choice for people with lactose or casein sensitivities, since it is free of both.
Eating fat-rich foods like ghee can increase the “bioavailability” and absorption of some healthy vitamins and minerals.
Ghee is rich in butyric acid, a short chain fatty acid that promotes a positive immune response within the body, to support healing of inflammation and optimal digestion.
Its smoke point is 485°F (250°C), which is substantially higher than butter’s smoke point of 350°F (175°C). Therefore, when cooking at very high temperatures, ghee has a distinct advantage over butter.
If you’re healthy and looking to add more fat to your diet, ghee may be a fine option; no evidence suggests that it’s healthier than butter overall.
Ghee solidifies when it cools, and doesn’t need to be refrigerated.
What Ayurveda says about Ghee:
Ghee is a digestive. It helps to improve absorption and assimilation.
It nourishes ojas, tejas and prana.
It is good for improving memory and lubricates the connective tissue.
Ghee makes the body flexible and, in small doses, is tridoshic.
Ghee is a yogavahi—a catalytic agent that carries the medicinal properties of herbs into the seven dhatus or tissues of the body.
Ghee pacifies pitta and vata and is acceptable, in moderation, for kapha.
Persons who already have high cholesterol or suffer from obesity should be cautious in using ghee.
Ghee is not to be used when there are high ama (toxic) conditions.
If you’re not sure what your dosha is, you can take a Dosha Quiz.
You can’t see it, but ghee is holding this meal together, just like it does your insides.
Personally, I have noticed that I enjoy the preparation and the eating of my food more with ghee in the mix, used in place of vegetable oils to make eggs, stir fry, or spread on bread or crackers - I have even put ghee in hot beverages. I used to ‘say no’ to butter altogether, but why? A little fat is good for you, if you’re healthy! The taste is wonderful, and I feel more oleanated from the inside. I even use ghee on my skin sometimes.
Recipe from Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing, Usha Lad and Dr. Vasant Lad
I made my first homemade batch in July, and now it's a regular part of my routine and diet. If you want to make your own ghee, it's really easy! Check out Dr. Vasant Lad's Ghee Recipe. In case you're wondering, I have not put on any unwanted pounds - in fact, the opposite has occurred, but probably because I have mostly eliminated processed food from my diet, and am consuming more vegetables and fruit.
If you want yummy recipes and easy-to-understand information on an Ayurvedic diet and perspective, I highly recommend Ali Cramer's book, Modern Ayurveda: Rituals, Recipes, & Remedies for Balance. I have enjoyed her recipe for hearty, nourishing kichadi that uses ghee a few times already!
Bring-Me-Back Kichadi featuring plenty of ghee
Final fact: I have to HIDE THE GHEE JAR from my husband.
Sources:
Ayurveda 100 hour course, Prema Yoga Institute
Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing, Usha Lad and Dr. Vasant Lad
What is Ghee and Why is it a Staple of Indian Healthcare - The Observer
Modern Ayurveda: Rituals, Recipes, & Remedies for Balance by Ali Cramer
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Ann Grace MacMullan is a yoga teacher and owner at Team Sun Wellness, a Philadelphia-based company whose mission is to help people of all walks of life take care of themselves through mindful movement and focused breathing. She is also a yoga therapy student at Prema Yoga Institute.
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How to Clear Your Lungs of Fluid Using Pranayama
A couple weeks ago, we talked about the self-proning technique and how it can help improve lung function in patients battling or recovering from a pulmonary condition such as COVID-19. Today, we’re exploring another technique with roots in pranayama, or yogic breath work: expectorating breath.
In short, “expectorating” is the act of coughing up or otherwise clearing mucus, phlegm or other fluid from the lungs and/or sinuses. COVID-19 patients – as well as anyone battling a chest cold, flu, bronchitis or pneumonia – typically suffer from a filling of the lungs with fluid. Of course, if the airways become too obstructed and filled with fluid, it can become impossible to get enough oxygen and the situation can quickly become life threatening. For that reason, working to efficiently and fully clear the lungs of fluid – expectorating – is key.
A couple weeks ago, we talked about the self-proning technique and how it can help improve lung function in patients battling or recovering from a pulmonary condition such as COVID-19. Today, we’re exploring another technique with roots in pranayama, or yogic breath work: expectorating breath.
In short, “expectorating” is the act of coughing up or otherwise clearing mucus, phlegm or other fluid from the lungs and/or sinuses. COVID-19 patients – as well as anyone battling a chest cold, flu, bronchitis or pneumonia – typically suffer from a filling of the lungs with fluid. Of course, if the airways become too obstructed and filled with fluid, it can become impossible to get enough oxygen and the situation can quickly become life threatening. For that reason, working to efficiently and fully clear the lungs of fluid – expectorating – is key.
Your doctor may have set this as a goal for your treatment, or even prescribed medication (commonly known as expectorants). But as anyone who’s suffered through a chest cold that lingers for weeks knows all too well, fluid can linger in the lungs for weeks. This is where it’s important to learn techniques for effectively clearing your lungs.
While most of us are used to coughing up mucus after recovering from a cold, the breathing technique described below can offer a more targeted, gentle, and complete expectoration. It can be so difficult to draw in a full breath when suffering from COVID-19 that simply trying to cough alone won’t do the trick, and we need to employ more advanced breathing tactics.
This technique, which has been introduced and endorsed by Dr. Sarfaraz Munshi of Queen's Hospital in London, not only serves to induce the clearing of the lungs of fluid, but it can also help to open up alveoli that may not be being used correctly or fully due to infection, and therefore more fully oxygenating the blood. In addition, it can help downregulate the nervous system and enable an individual breathe more fully, which is important when in any form of respiratory distress.
If you find yourself struggling to clear your lungs, consider this practice of breathing for expectoration and see if it helps you eliminate built-up fluid and breathe more fully. You will need a comfortable space to position yourself, and a tissue or handkerchief.
1. Set up in a comfortable posture – either at the edge of a bed or couch, or on a yoga mat with blankets and bolsters nearby.
2. Inhale deeply through the nose (unless it is too clogged, in which case the mouth is alright). Let the belly expand fully, breathing into the diaphragm.
3. Hold the breath at the top for a count of five. Note: holding the breath is contraindicated for glaucoma and pregnancy, so if either of these conditions apply to you, skip this step. It also may exacerbate high or low blood pressure. If you experience any dizziness when holding the breath, try holding the breath for a count of only two or three.
4. Exhale fully through the mouth, as if you’re fogging up a mirror in front of you. Really work to empty all the air out of the belly.
5. Repeat this for a total of five times. Then inhale and hold the breath again for a sixth time.
6. On the sixth exhale, cough deeply into a handkerchief or tissue. If coughing does not feel appropriate, make a “HA” sound on the exhale.
7. Come to rest on your belly on the yoga mat, bed or couch, with one pillow underneath the abdomen and one underneath the head, if it feels comfortable. Reference the blog on self-proning for more on how this posture helps promotes deep breathing.
Repeat this technique as often as needed throughout the day to help induce expectoration.
Just as with proning, the expectoration technique is showing us how to use traditional yogic practices to promote health. The COVID-19 pandemic has opened a door for health practitioners of all backgrounds to explore ways of working with the lungs to help affected patients.
If you are dealing with a respiratory condition, in need of a good clearing of the lungs, or simply looking for a new down-regulating breathing technique, you can give this a try for a safe and gentle way to clear your lungs on your own.
Additional Useful Links:
Breath techniques videos
Prema Yoga Institute Breath Coaching Course
Hannah Slocum Darcy is a yoga teacher and a student at Prema Yoga Institute. She specializes in accessibility and adaptive practice for many life stages and scenarios.
Lessons on the Lungs from COVID-19: Benefits of Proning
In therapeutic yoga, we often talk about modifying the practice for the seasons, but the year 2020 has tossed a whole new set of considerations into the mix. While watching winter change to spring, and spring to summer, we’ve been forced to reckon with a global respiratory health crisis, and us yoga therapists now have an opportunity to study and teach in support of the respiratory system.
When we think of breath in the yoga practice, we typically go right to pranayama and the practice of manipulating the breath, either by focusing on the rhythm of the inhales and exhales during a flow yoga class, or as a standalone practice, often done seated. But what we are seeing with the treatment of COVID-19 is how our physical posturing can have an impact on how we breathe and the functioning of our lungs.
Prone postures that aim the belly down and open up access to the back body – where the lungs reside -- can be incredibly nourishing, in addition to beneficial for breathing. When working with clients with respiratory issues – whether recovering from COVID-19, those with a history of smoking, or even someone battling a nasty winter cold, here are some postures you can bring them into to recruit the lungs:
Child’s pose – This can be done with a blanket between the thighs and the belly to increase the dome-like shape of the back, opening up more space for the lungs to expand.
Paschimottanasana – Rather than working to lengthen the spine and move the collarbones toward the feet, it's alright to let the spine round in this variation to maximize the posture’s benefits for the lungs.
Rabbit pose – If it is appropriate for the client to put pressure on the head and neck, lifting the hips away from the heels and rolling to the crown of the head can relieve pressure on the lungs.
Restorative twist – With the knees bent to one side, create a prone, restorative twist by lying the belly and chest on the mat, then turning the head toward or away from the knees. This is a good way to incorporate twists without compressing the lungs.
Supta savasana – Taking savasana on the belly is not only a way to release pressure on the lungs in a prone position, but it can be very comforting for clients suffering from anxiety as well.
As the COVID-19 pandemic marches on, it is teaching us complementary practitioners new techniques for working with breath – not just as a pranayama practice to support general healing, but to specifically target respiratory illness and recovery. Learning what we have from the medical field and its emphasis on putting critically ill COVID-19 patients on their bellies, we can prescribe prone asanas to optimize lung function.
Hannah Slocum Darcy is a yoga teacher and a student at Prema Yoga Institute. She specializes in accessibility and adaptive practice for many life stages and scenarios.