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Clean your sinuses and refresh your mind by Shanti Gowans

Clean your sinuses and refresh your mind

Anu Taila is a classic Ayurvedic formula designed to clear the sinuses, support respiratory health, and invigorate the mind. Used in Nasya—a traditional Panchakarma enhrine treatment involving the application of nasal oil—it helps restore mental clarity, promote healthy breathing, and boost immunity. This tridoshic blend relieves tension in the head, neck, and shoulders while supporting voice and vision.

Benefits and Indications

Anu Taila contains an energising blend of sesame oil, adaptogens, and botanical herbs that balance the doshas and improve the flow of prana. It is particularly effective for:

• Sinus decongestion and headache relief.
• Mental clarity, focus, and reducing sluggishness.
• Moisturising nasal passages dried out by indoor heating.
• Providing seasonal relief and reducing night-time stuffiness.

Usage Instructions

For best results, Ayurveda recommends the following routine:

– Adults: Place 3 to 5 drops in each nostril every morning and before bed.

– Method: Lie down with your head tilted back (e.g., hanging off the edge of a bed). Lightly squeeze the nostrils and softly sniff the oil. Avoid sniffing too hard to ensure the oil stays in the nasal passages rather than reaching the throat.

– Timing: Allow the oil to soak in for a few minutes before lifting your head. Wait at least one hour after eating or showering before application.

Important Notes:

• Do not use Nasya during an active sinus infection.
• This product is not recommended for children or the elderly.

Washing Your Sinuses With a Neti Pot

Supporting your sinus health.

A neti pot is a small, teapot-shaped nasal irrigation device used to flush mucus and allergens from the nasal passages with a saltwater (saline) solution. It helps relieve congestion from colds, allergies, and sinus infections. It is essential to use only distilled, sterile, or previously boiled water to avoid serious infections

Washing your sinuses with a neti pot can be an effective way to support healing. Just as a wound requires cleaning to heal, warm, damp sinus tissue may remain chronically infected until it is cleared.

The daily use of a neti pot can help to:

• Remove excess mucus and congestion.
• Clear nostrils of pollen and other allergens.
• Cleanse nasal membranes of dust, smoke, or airborne contaminants.
• Relieve nasal dryness caused by air travel.
• Improve airflow before relaxation or meditation.

Instructions for use:

Mix 1/8 tsp of salt into 1 cup of body-temperature water (previously boiled) in a neti pot.
Tilt your head to the side and pour the saline solution into one nostril, allowing the fluid to drain out of the other.
Repeat the process on the opposite side.

Formulas for a stronger effect:

Adding antimicrobial herbs to your neti pot can help eliminate bacteria and viruses. Herbs that stimulate circulation (such as turmeric) or mucus production (such as triphala) can also help effectively flush the sinuses.

The neti pot decongests sinuses and helps expel mucus by thoroughly flushing them

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

CPD guidelines  for practitioners and lifestyle  consultants

1. PURPOSE OF CPD – The purpose of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is to give practitioners the opportunity to update their skills and knowledge. As developments in all areas of health are rapidly expanding, a CPD program is regarded as desirable in order for practitioners to deliver the best Ayurvedic health care service.
2. STANDARD GUIDELINES FOR CPD – CPD may be accomplished in a flexible manner which allows for study to be undertaken with respect to an individual’s needs and abilities. Further training can come from:

• Self directed study: courses, teaching, research, independent learning packages
• Group study: seminars, workshops, AAPA organised programmes, peer review meetings
• Institution based study: any suitable course offered by an Institution with formal assessment procedures.

3. POLICY – The CPD policy is for the benefit of all members and for the betterment of Ayurveda. It is suggested that practising members complete the AAPA CPD program of TWENTY (20) credit points per annum, of which:

FIFTEEN (15) points are specific to further Ayurvedic study, and FIVE (5) points are for personal development which assists in professionalism.

4. PROGRAM – The AAPA CPD program is committed to quality education. To ensure quality CPD, AAPA regularly conducts its own CPD at Shanti Yoga (personal growth courses online), Nirvana Wellbeing Retreat (Ayurvedic retreats and training, including detox) and Health Institute Australasia (Ayurvedic courses online). Or the AAPA will collaborate with other providers of quality professional education. This collaborative approach allows members the widest possible exposure of recent developments, knowledge and training.

5. CPD CREDIT POINTS -1 Hour = 1 Point

Please itemize all the CPD that you have undertaken over the past 12 months.

Include:

• your name
• education undertaken (what and where)
• date
• duration of activity

and email AAPA at: aapa@onthenet.com.au

The Rationale for Good Digestion

The Rationale for Good Digestion by Shanti Gowans

Optimal health begins in the digestive tract. When we consume nutritious food and digest it well, we create high quality blood. Digestive enzymes break down food into nutrients that are absorbed into the bloodstream and delivered to vital organs. Therefore, excellent digestion leads to better blood quality, stronger organs, and superior overall health.

Digestion is a metabolically demanding process, consuming up to 60% of our daily energy. The ancient sage (rishis) recognised its significance, viewing the digestive fire with awe and reverence, and referred to it as ‘Agni.’ While worship is not required, a healthy respect for our digestive organs is highly recommended.

The process of digestion transforms food into the very building blocks of our bodies. Good digestion promotes clarity, lightness, energy, vitality, disease resilience, joy, enthusiasm, and even beauty.

Poor Digestion and the Cause of Disease

Conversely, poor food choices and weak digestion prevent the creation of good blood. Even with the highest quality food, if you cannot digest it, you cannot extract the nutrients.

When digestion is weak, unabsorbed food provides a breeding ground for bacteria, leading to rapid proliferation, fermentation, gas, and bloating. The resulting toxic waste products and smelly bacterial faeces and urine, can turn the digestive tract into a toxic environment. This toxicity leads to nutrient deficiency and cascades into systemic issues.

Undigested food stagnates, and the body’s immune system must fight the resulting bacterial infestation and break down the poisons. This exhausts and over stimulates the immune system, increasing susceptibility to disease, food allergies, and autoimmune disorders. Furthermore, a weak digestive fire (stomach acid) allows ingested parasites to survive and infest the small intestine.

Ayurveda uses the term ‘ama’ for partially digested food and the subsequent poisons produced in the gut. Ama is often a silent cause of chronic issues, including skin problems, mood disorders, aches, and pains. Its buildup can also manifest as emotional disturbances, ranging from dissatisfaction and anxiety, to severe symptoms such as heart palpitations.

 An Opportunity to Heal

The benefits of good digestion testify to the belief held by Ayurveda for over 5,000 years: that diet and digestion are the first steps to health. Ayurveda provides a body of wisdom to create harmony between physical, mental and spiritual health. It is not just a science of medicine to treat illness, but a vast science who teaches you how to live life, prevent diseases and restore balance without any adverse effects.

Influencing your food choices and digestive capacity is one of the greatest levers you have for improving your blood chemistry and overall health. Digestion is the most profound way your body interacts with its environment – be it food or medicine. Harnessing this can be a determining factor in your wellness.

The Ayurvedic Solution to Gut Health

As modern medicine often struggles with chronic digestive issues, Ayurveda offers a unique and effective approach to digestive support.

Healthy digestion starts with you. Simple, everyday observations and maintaining a food journal are essential first steps. This hands-on, home-based approach empowers you to heal your digestion without immediate reliance on complex medical interventions.

Your diet directly determines your digestive health. Ayurveda provides a time-tested system that prioritises diet. Since you can take Ayurveda into your kitchen, it offers a guide for making moment-to-moment choices, helping you understand cravings and select satisfying options.

Ayurveda asserts that good digestion is more important than good nutrition. When making food choices, the first consideration should be what you can digest, and only then should you consider nutritional value. Approaching health from this angle will allow you to feel the benefits of food more profoundly.

We are what we eat. Preventative medicine starts with great digestion. When you digest food well, your blood is rich, providing vitality and strength, and creating an optimum environment for organ function. By focusing on digestion, you actively work to prevent damage before sickness occurs.

Ayurveda’s unique perspective offers insight into the causes of digestive disorders, often providing solutions for chronic issues that may be deemed “untreatable” from a Western medical viewpoint.

Reset Your Digestion

To enjoy great health and address common digestive concerns such as gas, bloating, and acid reflux, the key is to build a strong digestive fire, or ‘agni’.

Understanding Agni

The Sanskrit word ‘agni’ literally means ‘fire’ and can be compared to metabolism in Western medicine. It represents your body’s processing power, vitality, and ability to ‘digest’ not only food, but also chemicals, hormones, physiological changes, and all sensory input and emotions.

A strong agni is crucial because disease arises when the body is unable to process change effectively. Ayurveda, therefore, pays careful attention to maintaining agni as the source of your strength, clarity, and enthusiasm.

Signs of Healthy Agni

When your agni is healthy, you will likely:

– Feel energised, light, fresh, and clean.

– Experience mental clarity and brightness in your eyes.

– Enjoy a good appetite and regular bowel movements.

In the GI tract, strong agni leads to good enzyme secretion, nutrient absorption, and timely waste elimination, freeing you from difficult digestion.

How to implement Mouna in your Daily Life

How to implement Mouna in your Daily Life

by Shanti Gowans

1. Silent Meditation Retreats

Running, restless, in search of some intangible goal,

caught up in some unnecessary activity,

addictions, compulsions, distractions

make us escape into thinking,

making the body feel unsafe

and turning the present moment into an enemy.

At a silent meditation retreat, when you slow down, rest, simply do nothing, you face yourself, your buried feelings and all the stuff you were running from: the darkness, gunk, muck, loneliness, aches, boredom, restlessness, blame, shame, the night and emptiness.

It takes courage to stop running, to lean into the storm, to touch the darkness inside with the infinite light of our curious attention, to breathe the addiction to the future, and to be present, and breathe and not know.

We start by proving to ourselves that it is safe to rest, to be still, to do nothing … just for a moment. Safe to think our thoughts and feel our feelings… and not “fix” the moment in any way.

We begin, one moment at a time to digest all the undigested things inside… stay with the sadness for a moment longer; br present with our joy or shame for an instant more… breathe into our anxiety instead of running from it.

We become curious about our discomfort, instead of distracting ourselves with unnecessary food, drink, cleaning, drugs, sex, shopping, internet, thinking, talking, overworking, yoga, seeking, more thinking, rumination, fantasy and false hope. We challenge the core story at the heart of trauma, that the present moment is unsafe, and the body is somehow working against us, and that feelings, sensations or thoughts are dangerous… that stillness and silence equal nonexistence and death… and that we have to “do” something in order to be worthy, and loved and whole.

A silent meditation retreat allows for the yogic practice of antar mouna. Attend silent meditation retreats which are conducted on weekends at Nirvana Wellbeing Retreat Sanctuary every two months (six times a year) where you can have some time for yourself to practice antar mouna.

If you are aiming to do this on your own, you need to inform everyone at work and your family, not to disturb you.

2. Clear Your Mind
Taking a brief meditation break:

– Sit quietly, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing.

– Pay attention to the spaces, the silences, the pauses, the gaps between thoughts, words, the breath the calm that holds the chaos, and spins through this ever-turning world the invisible screen that holds the light and shade and the mystery that pervades and permeates everything.

– Turn your attention to who is paying attention to the spaces, the silences, the pauses, the gaps between thoughts, words, the breath the calm that holds the chaos, and spins through this ever-turning world the invisible screen that holds the light and shade and the mystery that pervades and permeates everything.

– When you get distracted, just bring your attention back to your breath.

Listen from silence.

Silence doesn’t always need to be filled.

When you’re done, you will feel more positive and patient. That’s just what you need to shift the energy of your day and help you bounce back from stress.

3. Walking Meditation

There is no rush.

There is no ‘better’ moment to get to.

Be present. Be here.

feel your feet on the ground,

your belly rising and falling.

Be open to life all around you.

Wobble, shiver, tremble, shake,

feel more discomfort than you’ve felt for a long while.

But take the step.

Or do not… that’s okay too.

Either way, stand where you stand today.

Feel your feet in contact with the sacred ground.

Your presence sanctifies it.

Don’t numb yourself with the same old stories.

Stumble if you need to. It’s okay. you are held.

Nothing can knock you off your path

when your path is your feet,

when your heart is the road

and your breath in horizons.

4. Yoga Asana

Yoga is a path that is body-centric.

There is a constant information exchange happening in your being. Your nervous system, digestive system, hormonal system, immune system, your felt sense of “self” are all rooted in biochemical, electromagnetic, thermal, and pressure dynamics.

To understand this is to take a new approach to working with your body in yoga. Instead of a mechanistic view of your body as something to maintain in a contrived or artificial way, you can use your body to evolve your understanding of yourself and your potential. You can cultivate this silence in your life, through the practice of Shanti Yoga asanas.

You work with a framework that looks at the body as an information process instead of as a structure. The body (and your uniquely personal experience of it) is the portal into a deeper self-knowing. Your first step is NOT about relaxing or being still or hoping or thinking your body into change, but focusing on your body as an integration of how you process light, sound, and gravity in real time This lends meaning to posture and movement. If the body is at peace and healthy, then you can focus very easily on inner peace.

5. Pranayama and Breath Work

Breath controls, regulates and calms your nervous system.

Whatever is happening right now, for you…

Gentleness will help.

6. The Practice of Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra, also known as ‘yogic sleep’.

Yoga Nidra is known for its ability to reduce stress, anxiety, insomnia, and to promote overall well-being. It is a powerful yogic practice that has been designed to promote a state of deep relaxation and inner peace, conducive to healing.

During this practice, you are guided through a systematic method of complete relaxation, which brings you to the edge of sleep, where your body can rest deeply and rejuvenate while your mind remains calm and alert, maintaining full consciousness.

The MP3 ‘Samadhi’ by Shanti Gowans is an excellent practice tool. It is also available as a CD,

7. Silence During Meals

You can also practice the ‘vow of silence’ during meal times, which actually are the ideal time, to focus more on your food and understand the process of ingestion. Here you can stay away from external sources of stimuli while practicing the same, such as TVs or phones.

8. Go Green

Being outdoors in nature can help you feel more calm and balanced. Studies show that time spent in nature also lessens pain, improves your focus, and helps you better connect with others. Go for a walk in the bush for a few hours, if an entire devoted day is not possible.

If you can’t get out as much as you would like, sit next to a window, look at nature photos, or buy a plant. These will help you feel grounded, too.

9. Unplug

A digital detox can also set the scene. You must also silence all the technological devices such as your smartphone, laptop, iwatch, iPod etc. around you. This also allows your brain to slow down so you can better focus. It makes you calmer and lifts your mood. It may take a lot of discipline to put your phone and laptop away, but stare at any screen for hours and you’ll miss what’s going on in real life.

In Conclusion

When you listen to your life,

you see it for the fathomless mystery that it is.

See, listen, touch, taste and smell your way

to the holy and hidden heart of life.

It’s excitement and gladness, boredom and pain

are all key moments in the grace

That is life.

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Ayurvedic Healthy Living

The Art and Science of Ayurvedic Healthy Living

RETREAT – Friday, 19 September 2025 – Sunday, 21 September 2025 at NIRVANA WELLBEING RETREAT

Learn skills for life. Eating well is not about deprivation. Our physical and mental health has its foundations in the food we cook and eat. You cannot buy, beg, borrow or steal health. It is nature’s gift to you. Ayurvedic Education & Vegetarian Cooking Retreats introduce you to the principles of Ayurvedic Health and bring you ways to improve your health and add more energy and vitality to your life.

“Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”

HIPPOCRATES

MEET SHANTI GOWANS

I was born and educated in India, at a time when the distractions and entertainments of today did not exist. It was a slower world, before the internet, computers, i-anything, television, DVDs, mp3s, blue ray, supermarkets, shopping malls and so many things that are part of the landscape we take for granted today.

Education encompassed Indian arts, culture, and a living, spiritual philosophy for a healthy mind in a healthy body; and for those who chose to pursue it, academia. Teachings and guidance from elders, sages, and gurus as part of normal life were the everyday sacred path of practice. Decades of such discipline and training have led me to a deep, spiritual understanding in the path of unity, wellbeing, and living peace, which I happily share as a teacher-mentor, author, and practitioner. The power of the practices I have developed to change people’s lives, heal and expand their abilities, and thus beneficially affect the world around them, has never ceased to humble and continues to inspire me.

The greatest guru is the practice itself. Aided by the power of collective practice and shared intention, I invite you to enjoy this unique opportunity to explore living peace and wellbeing at greater depth with me and my team. Principles, discipline, and devotion all guide you into deepening your experience. This, here, now is the journey. Come and join me.