Mighty Sattvic Hummus
Many people love hummus but have a really hard time digesting it. One reason can be that you are sensitive to an ingredient like fillers or preservatives if the hummus is store bought. Another reason may be that you are sensitive to the garbanzo beans, or chick peas, that are traditionally used in hummus. Or maybe you are sensitive to garlic.
In Ayurveda, garlic is praised for its Rasayana or rejuvenating, qualities, which make it a desired food. In the West we know garlic for it’s antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties and the ability to help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Yet an increasing number of people seem to be developing sensitivities and adverse reactions to garlic, which can range from light-headedness and skin rashes to more severe reactions such as nausea, vomiting, hot flashes and digestive issues like diarrhea.
Apart from these physical reactions, garlic in the yogic system is often avoided as it increases Rajas, the quality that can make our mind overactive and give us grief falling asleep. It is often suggested to avoid garlic before meditation or in (Vata) anxiety disorders.
For those who want to (or have to) avoid garlic but really enjoy a good hummus, here is a recipe to the rescue.
The traditionally used garlic in this recipe has been replaced with leek, which is much milder in action then garlic yet still gives the hummus enough of a pungent quality for you to enjoy as a dip or spread with your favourite raw or steamed veggies or crackers.
Not only does this garlic-free hummus taste just as delicious as its traditional cousin, it is also much kinder to eat before your yoga class where the odor of garlic breath may otherwise cause your fellow class members to have rather un-yogic thoughts.
Sattvic Garlic-Free Hummus
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked, or 1 cup canned Chickpeas
2 tbsp Tahini
2 tbsp finely chopped Leek (white and green parts)
1 small Red Chili
1 heaping tsp Cumin Seed Powder
1 tsp Sea Salt
¼ Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
1 tbsp finely chopped Chives
1 tbsp finely chopped Parsley
Small pinch of Hing (Asafoetida, use very little, a small amount goes far)
3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
** Directions:**
Put all ingredients in a food processor or Vitamix and process until you get to the desired consistency (about 40 sec in Vitamix). If using a food processor, chop the herbs and Leek very finely so you don’t end up with chunky Hummus. Add a little water if you like your Hummus more like a dressing or dip.
About the Author
An Ayurvedic Elixir for Total Rejuvenation
The Vedic sutras and ayurvedic texts, describe a sacred drink called soma rasa, said to beget eternal life. Soma rasa, also called amrita, is a Sanskrit word meaning “nectar of immortality.’’ Like the legendary “Fountain of Youth,” there are many speculations regarding the origin and location of soma rasa. The mythic stories of soma rasa describe its literal power in the human body. Soma is created internally within natural physiological processes, and harvested externally from plants and herbs. The correct utilization of soma rasa via meditation, diet, ritual, and yoga results in total rejuvenation of the human form.
The tantric systems in India, teach that soma rasa is made from moon’s waters. The moon is sometimes referred to as a cup the gods drink soma from to maintain their immortality. Every evening all the gods dip a finger into the moon-cup and drink the soma until the moon is empty.[i] Rituals described in the Vedic texts, still practiced in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, make soma from a plant harvested in the Himalayas. Some researchers theorize this is not the soma plant referred to in the Vedic texts, and believe soma is an unidentified, hallucinogenic plant, that grows in northern India and Nepal.[ii] The 9th Mandela in the Rg Veda, called the Soma Mandela, devotes 114 hymns to the purification of Soma, which is said to bring those who drink it to ecstasy. Other scholars hypothesize that soma is a bhasma, a type of ayurvedic medicine made according to rasashastra.[iii] Rasashastra is a type of alchemy medicine native to India, and involves the purification of metals and gems through a process of alternate heating, cooling, oxidizing and crushing, until a fine pure ash of consumable medicine is left, called a bhasma. Mercury, one of the primary metals used in rasashastra preparations, is thought to make the body perfect. Rasashastra is still practiced today, and takes years of specialized study under a master alchemist. Taking rasashastra preparations from untrained or unknown sources can be dangerous, and possibly life threatening.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika teaches that meditation, specifically a practice called the kechari mudra, where a devotee inverts his tongue to touch the far recesses of his throat, and holds the posture for a period of time, will clear a membrane, and allow the secretion of soma to consistently drip from the sahasrara chakra.[iv] Meditation is taught to perfect the body so the practitioner can focus on gathering his internal winds, and bring the soma from the base of his spine up to the crown of his head, where the sahasrara chakra secretes soma rasa.[v] When soma rasa is secreted, the practitioner will experience bliss and immortality.
In the Sushruta Samhita, a classic Ayurvedic text, soma is described as having several plant origins, extracted in an elaborate ritual, that require building a house made of three chambers, where the center chamber is dedicated for the soma practice. The devotee begins with a series of specific mantras, pricking the bulb of the plant with a golden needle, and collecting its milky substance in a silver vessel, and drinks it. He then experiences soma’s effects over a period of four months, marked by distinct physical changes and practices, that include moving to different chambers for set days, applying and ingesting specific herbs, taking baths, and receiving specific massages. By the end of the fourth month, he is renewed physically, attains mastery over cosmological knowledge, never meets a failure in life, and is infused with divine spirit.[vi]
Soma has both, a metaphysical and physical means of transference. The substance of soma is pure love, and gives waves of bliss through our consciousness when it is ingested or produced. Exposure to the full moon, far away from city lights increases internal soma. It can also be cultivated in healthy lifestyle habits, extracted from plants, and produced in meditation. It requires a level of systemic function to be fully utilized, and therefore, cannot be accessed by sheer whim. Intentional support, facilitated by rejuvenation practices that restore digestive strength and detoxification, enable the extraction and proper assimilation of soma rasa.
Physically, soma is secreted by the glandular system. It is a finite manifestation of our immune system, and life force. The ancient Vedic texts indicate the place of soma secretion is the pineal gland, and some theorize that soma may actually be the powerful antioxidant called melatonin.[vii] As it is consumed, the body’s tissues become more elastic, and regain strength. The heart beats with a youthful vigor, and the mind sharpens. The shared teaching of the soma legend says, that immortality is not living forever, as we understand it, it is having enough physical strength and health, that the body is not an impediment to self-realization. The Vedic texts teach the desire to live forever is only worthy in order to completely actualize one’s full potential. The yogic and ayurvedic practices rejuvenate the body and restore vitality, so that we can ultimately transcend our physical body and reach enlightenment.
Moon’s Soma Drink
This is a drink that enhances soma production within the body and mind. It is best enjoyed after an evening meditation practice while basking under the light of the full moon.
Ingredients:
- ½ C Macadamia Nuts
- ½ C Brazil Nuts
- 4 C Purified Water
- 4 Thai Coconuts
- 1 T Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Pink Pepper
- ½ tsp Himalayan Salt
- 1 Vanilla Bean Pod
- ½ T Shatavari Root Powder
Directions:
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Soak macadamia nuts and Brazil nuts in a bowl with 4 cups of purified water. Strain and discard water.
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Put nuts in a high speed blender with 4 more cups of purified water. Blend at a high speed. Strain through a nut milk bag and set aside.
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Crack open coconuts and pour coconut water into blender. Scrape out meat and add to blender. Blend at high speed until liquefied.
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Add macadamia and Brazil nut milk back into blender with coconut milk.
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Slice vanilla bean pod and scrape seeds into a small bowl. Blend into nut milk with the remaining ingredients. Pour into glasses and serve at room temperature.
References:
[i] Cashford, J. (2003). The Moon: myth and image. New York: Four Walls Eight Windows.
[ii] Jay, Mike. (1999). Blue Tide: The Search for Soma. New York: Autonomedia,
[iii] Mishra, L. C. (2004). Scientific basis for Ayurvedic therapies. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
[iv] Aiyangar, M. (1949). Haṭha-yoga-pradīpikā of Svātmārāma Svāmin ((3d ed.). Madras, India: Theosophical Pub. House.
[v] Fenner, Edward. 1(979). Rasyana Sidhhi: Medicine and Alchemy in the Buddhist Tantras. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin.
[vi] Dash, S., Padhy., & Sachidananda. The soma drinker of ancient India: an ethnobotanical retrospection. Journal of Human Ecology, 19-26.
[vii] Bhatnagar, S. S., & Isaacs, D. (2009). Microchakras: innerTuning for psychological well-being. Rochester, Vt.: Inner Traditions.
