4.5 stars
A beautiful and comprehensive book about Ayurveda, and I especially loved how the focus was on how to live the principles in today's world and not like you need to make your life a retreat to be able to integrate all those concepts in. Loved the season by season breakdown - and this is thus definitely a perennial book to keep around and circle back to as the seasons change and you want to adapt your lifestyle practice to the principles for that time of the year

Living Ayurveda is a beautiful all in one book on how to live the Ayurveda lifestyle. Pretty enough to be used as a coffee table book and one you will want to reference time and time again.

This book, Living Ayurveda by Claire Ragozzino is the by far the most accessible book that I have ever read on the topic of ayurveda. The cover and the pages are so beautiful and evokes a great sense of calm and inner peace. The photography is top notch too.

She provides a general, very well understandable introduction into ayurveda and then presents the Ayurveda living practices by the four seasons and great vegetarian recipes and on top of that also the relevant yoga poses for each season.

Dividing the material by seasons of the year makes this book more accessible as you can digest it in those bite size portions.

All in all a great book, makes a very attractive coffee table book to indulge in little by little or gift for friends and/or family
I will by my own copy for reference. I highly recommend this book

I would like yo thank the publisher, Roostbook, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book as I really enjoy the book and the informative content.
This review is my independent and voluntary opinion of this great book

#LivingAyurveda #NetGalley

This book, written by Claire Ragozzino, is a handbook on the practice of Ayurveda, which you can think of as India’s science of living healthily. This book was accessible to those with no background in Ayurveda.

This book is organized in a way that makes sense - background on the principles of Ayurveda and then daily and seasonal rituals, with lots of recipes and ritual explanations. Ragozzino isn’t preachy or heavy-handed in her presentation of everything. Although she introduces core parts of Ayurveda, it never feels like a textbook because she does encourage you to listen to what feels good in your body. You could probably use this book and focus on the rituals and not really think too much about the technical aspects of Ayurveda, and my guess is Ragozzino would be just fine with that.

Ragozzino also focuses more on food and tea and less on things like oils, tinctures, herbs, etc. Although the recipes do require a commitment to cooking meals from scratch with perhaps unfamiliar ingredients, many of the meals are familiar - risotto, for example, lives here along with more traditional masala dosa and even more traditional foods than that.

This book is a great introduction and invitation to slow down, learn the rhythms of your body and the world around you, and feel better through the food and rituals of Ayurveda.

[Disclosure: I read an ARC/e-galley from Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications, Inc., via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.]

EXCERPT: The word for health in Ayurveda is svastha. You know those people who radiate joy and literally glow? There is a juicy aliveness about them that is palpable and magnetic. This is svastha embodied - people who are confidently established in themselves. Our health isn't just the absence of disease; it's a dynamic state of harmony between our physical body, our mind, our senses, and our soul. Ayurveda teaches us how to care for these four aspects by paying close attention to the ways our surrounding environments affect our state of health, and how to use right thinking, diet and lifestyle to maintain an inner equilibrium. This book seeks to empower you with knowledge and tools for becoming more firmly established in yourself, using food, breath, movement and meditation in harmony with nature's rhythms.

ABOUT 'LIVING AYURVEDA: ALIGNING BODY AND MIND THROUGH SEASONAL RECIPES, RITUALS AND YOGA- A hands-on holistic guide to self-care based on the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda--including how to build a daily personal practice for each season with nourishing food, cleansing breath, and yoga practice.

Nourishment comes in many forms--it's the food you eat, how you breathe and move your body, and the way you establish your daily routine. Living Ayurveda weaves together the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and Yoga in a modern, accessible way to provide a season-by-season guide for living a vibrantly rich year. Part cookbook, part lifestyle manual, each chapter includes simple vegetarian recipes, seasonal rituals, and self-care practices to cultivate your inner wisdom and feed your body, mind, and spirit.

In this book, you'll find:

- 90 delicious vegetarian recipes to balance the body and strengthen digestion through the seasons
- Illustrated pantry lists, menu guides, and cooking tips that demystify the process of building a balanced meal
- Yoga sequences and breathing techniques to help align with the energy of each season
- Seasonal rituals based on moon cycles to strengthen your intuition and develop a personal routine at home

Learn from ancient wisdom to know yourself intimately, be open to new discoveries, and see where this path takes you to allow a deeper wisdom to blossom in your life.

MY THOUGHTS: I started Ayurveda yoga classes earlier this year, and love it so, when I saw Living Ayurveda available, I had to have it. The yoga had improved my posture, given me better control of my breathing, and improved my sleep, and this book seemed like the next natural step forward.

Now, I am not going to claim to have read every single word. I have grazed, picking out bits here and there, skimming or skipping others, but feeling the positive benefits of what I have so far chosen to incorporate into my life. I am a firm believer in making small changes, and making sure each change is firmly entrenched before moving on to the next one. This method gives me far better results than trying to make several major changes all at once.

I have embraced the idea of living seasonally - it makes sense foodwise, but I had never entertained the concept of having different yoga poses for each season. I had, earlier this year, begun to make small changes to our diet, incorporating some vegetarian meals into our eating plan. I expected some opposition from my 'meat and three veg' truck driver husband and, initially, I was sneaking vegetarian meals in telling him that the tofu was chicken or cheese. I don't need to do that any more. He is enjoying our new style of eating and often chooses vegetarian meals when I ask for his input for the menu for the week. We particularly the mushroom and lentil stuffed sweet potatoes, even though it's a winter recipe, and summer is only days away here in the southern hemisphere. Other favourites of mine include the coconut chia breakfast bowl and the creamy coconut curry.

The photographs in this book are superb. Whether it be photos of the recipes, yoga poses or the beautiful calming and inspirational photos, they alone are worth buying this book for. And buy a copy I will. I want a permanent copy of this, a guide for making and maintaining positive change in my life.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.3

#LivingAyurveda #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: CLAIRE RAGOZZINO is a certified yoga instructor and Ayurvedic practitioner with a background in holistic nutrition and natural cooking. Her work is dedicated to bringing yoga, Ayurveda and nutrition to a modern lifestyle. She is the author of the popular blog, Vidya Living, and also writes and photographs for online and print publications surrounding topics of food, culture and our relationship to nature. Claire works with clients around the globe and leads immersive workshops and retreats. (Amazon)

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Roost Books via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Living Ayurveda for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

I recently started to do more yoga, around 3-4 times per day, and I thought it would be interesting to learn more about its sister discipline, Aurveda, the one that deals with healing and prevention. I found this book on Netgalley and thought to give it a try.

What I liked about it was the beginning with its introduction into the Ayurvedic principles, quite useful if you know nothing about it. After the introduction, the author takes each season and presents some recipes with indications on which doshas are suitable for and also some yoga moves.

The recipes are only vegetarian and rich in pulses which is not ideal for me. I researched and it is not mandatory to be vegetarian to practice Ayurveda but it seems that the majority of the books include no meat or fish in their recipes. Also, from the title I thought Living Ayurveda will also include lifestyle rituals which are also important but they are missing completely.

Finally, after reading this book and after I did at least 5 different tests to find my dosha I realized I do not fit into only one type and the whole point of eating and living according to a certain body type kind of feels pointless if I am a tri-doshic. Also, waking up at 6...

This was such a wonderful book on the foundations of Ayurveda principles. It was so informative and it answered all of my questions I had on the subject. It was also a beautiful book, filled with amazing soothing photographs. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to better their lifestyle with Eastern medicine and traditional methods of healing. As someone who suffers from chronic illness, I found this particularly helpful to heal the body from within. Western medicine provides a band-aid of sorts when someone is sick; whereas Eastern medicine, such as Ayurveda, heals the body holistically from within.

Recently I've become interested in Ayurveda, following recommendations for my dosha (constitution) and trying recipes such as kitchari (the traditional cleansing meal of this ancient healing system). I was pleased to see this book available for review, but must admit that my expectations were low -- would it be all style and little substance? I'm happy to report that while it's chock-full of gorgeous, moody Instagram-y photos, it's also got loads of great-sounding recipes, as well as advice for the Ayurvedic lifestyle. I especially liked how the book was divided into seasons, with foods/drinks and yoga practices suited to particular times of year. I also liked that the recipes were a bit daring and innovative, such as the chili that calls for rose hips instead of tomatoes, and the coffee alternative made with black sesame seeds. Not just your standard mung beans and rice here!

Honestly, at the outset I was pretty sure I'd never buy this book, but the author convinced me to change my mind. I look forward to the tasty adventure (and better health) that lies ahead!

Excellent! This is such a beautifully presented book and comprehensive in its coverage of how to work with Ayurvedic principles. I cannot wait to purchase a hard copy as it’s one I know I will dip into often.

As a vegan and a yoga teacher this book is right up my street. Full of great recopies, information and beautifully illustrated. I am really looking forward to purchasing a hardcopy of this book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for approving my ARC.

Whether you are an Ayurveda expert or an Ayurveda newbie, Living Ayurveda delivers the perfect combination of information and applicability. It was easy to follow and the photos are so lovely. One of my favorite parts of the book is when Claire breaks down the seasons of the year and notes which activities, foods, and yoga postures are the best for that season. I absolutely loved that. I was very impressed with this book and most certainly will purchase.

I mistakenly assumed that this Ayurvedic book would also deal with the home or general lifestyle topics since something about the cover and description gave me that impression. It is actually a general info guide to Ayurveda with seasonal recipes and yoga poses. The recipes are generally vegetarian and range from very simple to rather complex. Yoga poses are given for each season, each of which has a large color photo of how to do them. It also goes into a fair bit of information about Ayurveda, although I had the same problem I always do with these books -- I don't match any of the "types" that I'm supposed to and it just says to go see an expert to find out what my combination of types is. In that case, what good is a book that tailors food, yoga and living advice to my type? Shrug. It's a very nice book for its purpose, but it wasn't ultimately one that was particularly helpful for me. Still recommended, especially for those who are new to Ayurveda or the idea of living seasonally, and who want very traditional, healthy Ayurvedic recipes (think mung beans, turmeric milks and dosas).

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

It's a great feel good book and I enjoyed flipping through it. This book has lots of informations, tips, yoga poses and recipes. It's divided by season and each season has its own rituals, movements and culinary. It's a fun book to read and it makes you feel good! I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

As someone who always wanted to be knowledgable in Ayurvedic topics, this book was a great start! It wasn't only understandable and very profound, but it also had some recipes and Yoga instructions I enjoyed. On top of it the book itself is a treat for yourself, with all the neat/airy pictures.
I'm thinking of getting a physical copy, after it got published.
I will add the Link after I post the Review on my Feed.