SUMMARY

Your Child’s Ayurveda mind-body type

Ayurveda advice on children’s food

Ayurvedic balance – 4 major nutrients

Ayurveda and behaviour – behavioural rasayanas

Maharishi Ayurveda products for children

 

You're all crammed into the car for the family holiday. You’ve been on the road a while and now your children are reacting to the long drive.

Red-haired Amanda keeps saying, "I'm hot!" and "I'm hungry. When do we eat?" She is trying to get the others to play car games, which she usually wins.

Thin, wiry Jenny is talking a mile a minute, wound up from the travel and anxious to get there.

Simon, who is prone to gaining weight, congenially listens to his sisters and then drifts off to sleep.

As every parent knows, no two children are alike. Just as one child may have blond hair and another dark, psychological and physical needs can also vary widely from child to child.

Once you understand about your child's Ayurveda mind-body type - his or her basic make-up - you know how to help.

The health and creativity of the child is based on how much good feeling, how much emotional, physiological, and psychological nourishment he or she receives from the parents.

Your Child’s Ayurveda mind-body type

The three main Ayurvedic mind-body types are Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Understand your Needs for Balance

Of the three children, Amanda is a typical Pitta type, with her red hair and fair skin. The fire in her personality is expressed as anger when she's stressed and affection when she's feeling balanced and settled.

For this type of child, it's better not to make promises, but to surprise her, or present things when they are in place, for she will become emotionally distraught when disappointed.

A Pitta child should avoid hot, spicy foods such as hot peppers, and should eat more cooling foods such as sweet lassi yoghourt drink, sweet, juicy fruits, and cooked vegetables. Amanda is not the sort of child who can handle it well if a meal is delayed - she should have snacks on hand if the meal is going to be late. Even though Amanda may enjoy competitive sports, she should avoid getting overheated, and should stay out of the sun.

Jenny is a typical Vata-type -- quick to learn, always moving, and prone to anxiety and insomnia. A Vata-based child such as Jenny thrives on a daily oil massage and abundant hugs, as the sense of touch soothes Vata dosha. While a regular daily routine, with regular meals and early bed-time is important for all growing children, it is absolutely essential with a Vata child. Jenny's parents will want to take care not to feed her too much Vata-aggravating foods, such as dry cereals, raw vegetables, crackers, and cold foods and drinks.

As for Simon, he is probably an easier child to raise in some ways; as a classic Kapha type, he is more easy-going. However, it's important for parents not to overlook the needs of Kapha children just because they aren't as demanding. John's parents should get him involved in sports, as Kapha children thrive on vigorous exercise but may not seek it out unless prodded. Kapha children may be slower to learn in school, but can be excellent scholars if given time and patience. They have excellent long-term memories. John will feel healthiest if he avoids heavy, cold desserts such as ice cream and cheesecake, and in general should eat light, warm, foods such as soups and cooked vegetables.

Of course, most children won't fall so neatly into these three categories. There are seven different combinations of these three basic mind-body types. A child might be Vata-Pitta, or Pitta-Kapha, or Vata-Kapha. Or, he or she might be a combination of all three.

Ayurveda advice on children’s food

All children should avoid junk food or canned, frozen or packaged foods, as these have less chetana, or intelligence, than fresh foods. An excess of such foods will give the child less intellectual power and may even create mental imbalances. Indeed, recent research shows that additives in junk foods, if eaten as a steady diet, can actually lower IQ.

Organic dairy products such as whole milk, paneer (a fresh cheese made from milk), freshly made yogurt and lassi are all ideal proteins for children, as are soaked almonds and walnuts.

Spices such as turmeric, cumin and black pepper help digestion, metabolism and brain nourishment, and should be introduced in small pinches if your child is not accustomed to them. Some spices are anti-oxidants, and black pepper helps enhance utilization of oxygen in the brain.

Ayurvedic balance – 4 major nutrients

All fathers and mothers should examine the quality and quantity of fat, protein, sugar, and air the children are ingesting. The brain needs these four major nutrients for mental clarity and integrated functioning.

Recommended fats include Ghee and olive oil, and recommended sugar includes organic raw sugar, honey, rock sugar, and jaggery. Even if it's of good quality, it's important not to let the child eat too much fat or sugar.

Today, in the USA, for example, the average adult consumes 125 lbs. of sugar a year. A hundred years ago the average was two pounds.

Most children need to eat more freshly cooked, organic green vegetables and sweet, juicy fruits. Many children resist eating them, but if reminded, and fruits and vegetables are served in appetizing ways, they will do it.

Ayurveda and behaviour – behavioural rasayanas

Behaviour also plays an important role in children's health. Because children are in the Kapha, or growing, stage of life, it's especially important that they see only nurturing television shows and movies. Watching violent entertainment or spending time with friends who are often angry or jealous can create ama, or impurities in the mental channels. This results in a decrease in mental acuity and creativity.

The three functions of the mind - learning, retaining, and recalling knowledge - are known as dhi, dhriti, and smriti in Maharishi Ayurveda. Because children are in the time of life when acquiring knowledge is so important, these three functions need to be working in a coordinated fashion in order for learning to take place.

If the daily routine or diet is not healthy, or if the child is eating a lot of junk foods, or constantly in an environment that is not nurturing and positive, these functions will be impaired, and the child will start to feel frustrated, irritable and less creative.

Some behaviour is so important that it is even said to be a rasayana, or elixir that helps structure longevity.

Called Behavioural Rasayanas (achara rasayanas), these principles are especially important in teaching children the behaviours that will bring health and happiness throughout life. A person who practices achara rasayanas is "calm, free of anger, truthful, sweet-spoken, clean, simple, positive, devoted to spiritual practices such as meditation, unconceited, charitable, chooses friends wisely, maintains a balanced daily routine, and shows respect for teachers, preceptors and elders”.

Of course, the best way to teach your children these behaviours is to display them yourself. “I learned early on that if I spoke sharply to Michael, he would speak sharply to me," says one mother. “Since then I have cultivated a respectful, calm way of relating to my children and they in turn have learned to treat others with respect”.

Maharishi Ayurveda products for children

Children can also take herbal food supplements to boost their health.

Rasayana for Children (MA230) supports the appetite and physical and mental development of children from about age three through to 15.

At age four or five, start your child on Study Power Syrup, one teaspoon twice a day. This will increase mental clarity, boost resistance to stress, and balance the emotions.

Children can also take 1/4 of their parent's Amrit Ambrosia tablets and Nectar paste morning and evening. The Amrit tablets and syrup help reduce the effects of toxins from the environment by scavenging free radicals, and contain natural sources of nutrients such as Vitamin C. Older children take half the adult recommendation for Ambrosia and Nectar.

It's also important for parents to give their children a massage every day, or at least every other day. This will help to boost their natural immunity, help them to get better sleep, and give the parents a wonderful opportunity to express affection and love. For children, you can use a blend of 20% Rejuvenation Massage Oil and Sesame, Olive or Coconut Oils