If you’ve never had the pleasure of waking up in the morning to your house giving off the “wonderful” smell from the exotic Durian fruit of Malaysia, you haven’t experienced living with an Ayurvedic mom.

For those of you who are not familiar with this fruit, it is very much known for its famously strong odour to the point where it is sometimes banned from public places in Southeast Asia.

Allow me to paint a clearer picture.

I woke up on this morning afraid to discover the source of such a horrible smell. I was preparing myself to not only do a thorough clean of my bedroom, but the entire house. Little did I know, my mom had just cut open a ripe Durian fruit and was ready to indulge in it for her morning pitta-pacifying breakfast.

She loved it.

Sadly, I can’t say the same.

Oh, you crazy, enthusiastic, dedicated Ayurvedic mom. I wonder what it would be like to just have a normal mother—the kind that eats normal fruits that don’t smell bad.

The kind that doesn’t wake you up first thing in the morning with her Dinacharya practice, and the random sounds of her jump rope, on the trampoline, or her fallen headstands from the room downstairs (sometimes if I’m lucky, I’ll wake up to a silent meditation practice instead).

The kind that isn’t so Zen and meditative in her yoga practice that she makes you look like your life is totally out of control and maybe you need to calm yourself and get on the mat.

The kind that doesn’t know the first thing about what foods to eat for your dosha and when, be it the time of day or seasonally, so that life just became that much more complicated for you.

The kind that doesn’t call you out on your Pitta being out of balance whenever you get frustrated or angry.

The kind that doesn’t do three week detoxes on Kitchari alone, and convinces you to do the same only to the point where all of your family and friends think you’re insane (because maybe you are).

The kind that doesn’t show you documentaries like Forks Over Knives to the point where you become vegan overnight, and maybe that wasn’t the best idea at the time, but you did it anyway because that documentary scared the shit out of you!

The kind that doesn’t use this strange new device called a dehydrator…because why would you want to dehydrate your food anyway?

The kind that doesn’t encourage you to do yoga every day, because who has time for that?

The kind that doesn’t know how to grow her own sprouts out of mason jars because those jars take up way too much space in our kitchen.

The kind that doesn’t point out that every morning when you wake up there is actually a thick coating of ama covering your tongue and you literally can’t ignore it after realizing this truth, so you hold on to your tongue scraper with a death grip and end up giving them away to all your friends, so that they too can have clean tongues.

The kind that doesn’t teach you to be more in tune with your body, mind and soul than you ever thought was possible—because what are you talking about, anyway?

The kind that doesn’t care for you so much that she instills so much hope and faith into you that whatever challenges you may be facing, that they too shall pass.

The plethora of life lessons my mother has taught me through her Ayurvedic and Yoga training is priceless to this day, and I thank her for all of it because it has made me the person I am today, someone I can finally say I like to be around. I can’t imagine going back to “normal life.”

Because I learned to become an early riser through realizing the importance of Dinacharya, which is awesome because I feel I get way more out of my day now, and my life as a whole.

Because my meditation practice is slowly keeping me sane.

Because knowing more about the foods you eat brings you that much closer to nature and being in tune with your own body.

Because knowing more about my doshas has really helped me understand myself, and in turn it has helped me to understand the people around me.

Because that Kitchari detox was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but the most rewarding as well. And who cares what other people think anyway!

Because Forks Over Knives was a very informative and eye opening documentary, one that I’m glad I saw. In the end you stick with what works best for you and maybe veganism isn’t it-–to each their own.

Because dehydrating is fun and cool, and you learn a bunch of new recipes to spice up the foods in your life. Not to mention the health benefits from eating raw foods.

Because now if I don’t do yoga I feel out of my center and realize that one of my favorite places to be is on the mat.

Because I can now grow my own sprouts year round in my very own kitchen and that’s pretty badass.

Because I now have a clean tongue every morning and it feels good, and probably looks better than yours too. Not to mention everything that I learned about Ayurvedic tongue diagnosing.

Because I have now finally come to love myself, and that lesson is invaluable.

Because she is the best mom I could ever ask for, crazy or not. I love her.

But I still won’t eat that Durian fruit, sorry mom.

So, to all the Ayurvedic moms out there: keep doing what you’re doing. Even if your daughter and all of her friends think you are crazy—you might very well be—but one day they will thank you for it.

 

 

Relephant:

It’s More Than What We Eat: 12 Ayurvedic Tips for Healthy Eating.

 

 

 

Author: Alissa Kulikow

Editor: Renée Picard

Photo: Pritya books at flickr