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Episode 3: The Language of Ayurveda ~ What are the Gunas? · Ayurveda: One Bite at a Time

• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever walked into someone's home and immediately felt yourself relax?
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing special happened.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody greeted you with a meditation cushion.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: There wasn't incense burning, and yet within a few moments your shoulders softened and your breathing slowed.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: You just felt different.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: Now think about an airport.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Bright lights, rolling suitcases, announcements every few minutes, people rushing from gate to gate.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: You haven't even boarded your flight yet, and your nervous system already feels completely different than it did in that quiet home.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Why?
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing happened to you.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody touched you.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: You simply entered a different environment.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda has an explanation for that.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: It says every place, every food, every season, every activity, every relationship, even every thought carries certain qualities.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: Those qualities are constantly interacting with us, whether we notice them or not.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Today, we're going to learn the language Ayurveda uses to describe those qualities.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I have a feeling that by the end of this episode, you're going to start seeing them everywhere.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Ayurveda, One Bite at a Time, where we explore ancient wisdom for modern life.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: One bite, one habit, and one small shift at a time.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Tara Barnes, Ayurvedic Health Coach, Digestive Specialist, best-selling author of One Bite at a Time, Programs and Growth Manager at The Ancient Way, and a lifelong educator with more than 20 years of experience helping people learn, grow, and create lasting change.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Today I get to combine that passion for teaching with my love of Ayurveda, translating more than 5,000 years of ancient wisdom into simple, practical habits that anyone can begin using right away.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: No previous experience required.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Whether you're completely new to Ayurveda or you've been studying it for years, my hope is that every episode leaves you feeling a little more connected to your body, a little more curious, and a little more empowered than when you press play.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm so grateful you're here.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Let's dive in.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: If you have been with me from back in the beginning, thank you.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: We're building this foundation one idea at a time.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: And if this is your very first episode, welcome.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: You picked a wonderful place to jump in.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: In episode one, we discovered that Ayurveda isn't a diet, a religion, or another wellness trend.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's a way of understanding ourselves.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of looking at one symptom at a time, it teaches us to see our lives as one connected picture.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: In episode two, we explored what I believe is the single most important principle in all of Ayurveda.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like increases like, opposites create balance.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: If you've been paying attention this week, maybe you noticed how another cup of coffee didn't help your already busy mind.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: Or how a quiet walk did more for your stress than scrolling ever could.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: And if you haven't yet, that's perfectly okay.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: Today's episode is gonna make all that even clearer.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: One thing that I hear all the time from people curious about Ayurveda is I'm worried it's gonna be too complicated.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Too many Sanskrit words, too many things to memorize, too many rules.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I understand that completely.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: I remember sitting in my very first Ayurveda class thinking, I am never gonna remember all these words.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the funny thing.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Eventually I realized I didn't have to.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda isn't asking us to become walking dictionaries.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's asking us to become observers.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's a very different thing.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: So today I want to introduce you to just one Sanskrit word.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Just one.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: And here's the thing, you already use gunas every day.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: You just don't call them that.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: When you wrap yourself in your favorite blanket, you might describe it as warm, soft, heavy, comforting.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: When you bite into a crisp apple, it's cool, light, crisp, juicy.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: When you step outside on a cold January morning here in Wisconsin, the air feels cold, dry, and still.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: Those are all gunas.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda simply gives us a language for something that we've been noticing our entire lives.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: One of the reasons that I fell so deeply in love with Ayurveda is that it asks different questions than most of us are used to.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Most of us look at food and asked, is this healthy?
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Where Ayurveda asks, what qualities does this food have?
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: Most of us look at the weather and think, it's hot today.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda asks, how might that quality influence my body?
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: Most of us think I'm anxious.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda gently wonders what qualities are present in my mind right now.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: Do you see the difference?
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's subtle, but it's profound.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda doesn't rush to labels, it begins with observation.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: And observation creates understanding.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_00: Here's where this starts becoming more fun.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Once you begin learning this language, you realize the entire world is speaking it.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: Picture yourself in the produce section of the grocery store.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: Without reading a single nutrition label, you already know a cucumber feels cooling.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: Fresh ginger feels warming.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Soup feels nourishing.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need a textbook to tell you that.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda simply says, wonderful, let's start there.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Now, walk into a coffee shop.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: People talking, the espresso machine steaming, music playing, laptops open, there's energy, movement, conversation.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now, walk into a library instead.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_00: Almost immediately your voice gets quieter.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: Your footsteps slow down and you instinctively start to whisper.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody handed you a list of rules.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_00: The environment itself invited a different quality.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: The world is constantly communicating with us.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: We've just forgotten how to listen.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: This is where Ayurveda becomes personal because the qualities outside of us begin interacting with the qualities inside of us.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever noticed that on rainy days you might be craving soup?
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: Or sunshine makes you want fresh fruit?
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: Have you had a season where all you wanted was a blanket and a good book?
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: And another where you couldn't wait to get outside and plant a garden.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Those aren't random preferences.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: They're conversations between your body and the world around you.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: The more I studied Ayurveda, the more I realized my body had been talking to me all along.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: I just didn't know how to understand its language.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe that's true for you too.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Before we continue, thank you for spending part of your day with me.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: If you're enjoying Ayurveda one bite at a time, the best way to support the show is to follow the podcast and leave a review wherever you're listening.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: It truly helps more people discover these timeless teachings, and it helps this little dream of mine keep growing, one listener at a time.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now, let's get back to today's conversation.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: So far, we've mostly talked about things that we can easily observe.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: Warm soup, cold weather, a heavy blanket.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_00: Those qualities are fairly obvious.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: But not every quality is something we can touch.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: Think about music.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: A fast-paced song with a driving beat has a very different quality than a quiet piano melody.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: Neither is inherently better, but they'll create a very different experience in your body.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: Or think about a conversation.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever talked with someone for an hour and walked away feeling lighter?
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: Because they listened without trying to fix you?
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: Or you laughed until your stomach hurt.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: Now compare that to a conversation that left you completely drained, filled with conflict or constant urgency.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: Neither conversation changed what you ate that day, but both influenced your well-being.
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda recognizes that nourishment comes in many forms.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: The food on our plate, the company we keep, the books we read, the news we consume, the pace at which we live.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: Even our thoughts become part of what we're digesting every day.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: That's why I love this system so much.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: It reminds us that health is about far more than calories or nutrients.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's about the entire environment we're creating around ourselves.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: One of the unexpected gifts that Ayurveda gave me was this.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: I stopped needing someone else to tell me what was healthy.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I started becoming curious instead.
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_00: When I walked outside, I paid attention to how the season felt.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: When I prepared a meal, I noticed what I was naturally craving.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: When I felt overwhelmed, I began asking what qualities were present instead of criticizing myself for feeling that way.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: Little by little, the world became my teacher.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: Nature became my teacher.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: My own body became my teacher.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, it's incredibly freeing.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_00: Because we live in a world constantly telling us what we should eat, how we should exercise, what supplements to buy, what the latest trend is.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: What do you believe?
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda gently whispers something different.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_00: Before you listen to everyone else.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: Not because I suddenly had all the answers, but because I finally started asking better questions.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: If there's one thing that I hope you will remember from today's episode, it's this.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda isn't asking you to memorize a long list of qualities.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's teaching you how to observe.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: That's a very different skill.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_00: Observation creates awareness, awareness creates understanding, and understanding creates choice.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: And it's that choice that creates change.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: Think back to the principle we learned last episode.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_00: Like increases like, and opposites create balance.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: That principle only works if we first recognize the qualities present.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: The gunas give us that language.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: Without them, it's difficult to know what we're balancing.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: With them, everything begins to make sense.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_00: Why certain foods comfort you in winter, why you crave lighter meals in summer, why a quiet evening restores you after a hectic day.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_00: The world hasn't changed.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: You have simply learned to see it differently.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: And once you begin seeing qualities, you really can't unsee them.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: I still catch myself doing it almost every day.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: I'll step outside and think, ooh, today's air feels incredibly dry.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda didn't make me perfect.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: It made me more aware.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: And awareness has been one of the greatest gifts of my healing journey.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: Now that we've learned the language of qualities, it's time to start using it.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: In our next episode, we're going to move beyond simply recognizing qualities and start learning how to see the entire world through an Ayurvedic lens.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: Grocery stores, coffee shops, social media, the weather, your workplace, your relationships, even your home.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: Because once you understand qualities, you'll discover they're everywhere.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: And you'll start making different choices almost effortlessly.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: Not because someone told you to, but because they simply make sense.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: So before we go, it's time for this week's small bite.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: This week, become a quiet observer.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: Choose just one ordinary part of your day, be it breakfast, your commute, your afternoon walk, your favorite chair at home, wherever.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: I want you to pause for a moment and ask yourself, what qualities are present here in my space?
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: Is it quiet or noisy?
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: Warm or cool?
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: Busy or peaceful?
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_00: Then ask one more question.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: How do these qualities make me feel?
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: No need to change anything, no need to fix anything, just notice.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: Because the more you practice observing, the more naturally Ayurveda begins to unfold.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: One observation, one choice, one bite at a time.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: One of my favorite quotes says, When the student is ready, the teacher appears.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: I think Ayurveda offers a slightly different version of that wisdom.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: Once we become willing to observe, the teacher has been here all along.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: In the changing seasons, in our daily routines, in the foods we crave, in the way our bodies respond to the world around us.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: Nature has always been speaking.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_00: Ayurveda simply teaches us how to listen.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for spending this time with me today.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, stay curious, love yourself, and remember lasting health happens one bite at a time.