Healthy Happy Sexy: Ayurveda Wisdom for Modern Women

I have read over hundred diet books and over a hundred more health books including some books on Ayurveda. Most books present the material as ancient and the menus and recommendations are ancient as well. Katie's book is for 2015.Katie recommends either eating according to your dosha or eating according to the season, Kapha (late winter/spring) Pitta (summer), and Vata (fall/early winter). That in itself is not new but what is great about the book is she really focuses on the entire lifestyle. What you put in your body...what you put on your body...what you think...what you breathe. For instance, Katie talks about what oils to use to moisturize or massage the body based on your dosha.Katie has some very impressive credentials in Ayurveda and especially in yoga so she definitely knows what she's talking about. I love her tone throughout, she comes across like one of your girlfriends. I have had the pleasure of attending a few workshops with Katie for my teacher training as well as a one-on-one Ayurvedic consultation and she is a genuine and lovely soul.If you want an in-depth, science based book, this is not for you. But if you are ready to change your lifestyle (yes, not diet, lifestyle) then let Happy, Healthy, Sexy be your guide and let Katie be your guru.

I absolutely loved this book! Once I started reading it, I didn't want to put it down. I'm not a quick reader but this book was full of great knowledge and life changing experiences that made me finish it in no time. It is a beautifully written book and I already recommended it to my friends/family! Anyone who wants a change in their physical, spiritual and health wellbeing should definitely read this book. This book made me want to dive deeper into the practice, thank goodness Katie offers a year-long course on Ayurveda! Healthy, Happy, Sexy gave me a sense of direction and I can't wait to continue on learning more about this practice over at Shakti School.

Nice

Kate Silcox has amazing advice for all-natural full body, mind and spirit care in a modern world. Also, she is super witty, which allows this self-help book to read less "self-helpy." It feels like a conversation you would have with your best friend, albeit the most significant conversation you might ever have. I have read TONS of spirituality and yoga books, but this is by far my favorite. Read it and then gift it to all of your friends.

Katie Silcox is a yoga instructor, teacher, and mentor, who currently conducts workshops, retreats, and trainings internationally. She has received some impressive accolades, such as in 2009 being named one of San Francisco’s Best Yoga Teachers Under 30 by Common Ground Magazine.More importantly though, she has herself experienced the stress and pressure associated with achieving “success” in the modern, western world, stress and pressure that led to anxiety and panic attacks and the choice to either start self-medicating to survive or get to the problem’s roots. Through her search to shed cultural expectations and societal programming, and find her source of true fulfillment, she discovered yoga, tantra, and Ayurveda, the transformational power of which she shares in this book.Happy Healthy Sexy is for the modern, western woman who is lost and trying to be found. I reiterate the latter point. It is for the woman who is actively seeking to be found, the woman who is open to spirituality and who has realized that being judgmental does nothing but sequester us in soul-sucking prisons that have long become self-imposed. I believe you'll need to be at this stage in order to be open to the book's message.It is at once a friend, empathizing with your feelings of emptiness and inner conflict brought on by a life of trying to be what your family and/or society expects you to be, and a mentor, guiding you through various ayurvedic protocols. I personally had, prior to reading this book, very little knowledge of Ayurveda, save for a teeny bit of knowledge acquired from talking with a German girl who I once shared a room with in Indonesia; she had just spent several weeks in Southern India in an Ayurvedic clinic being treated for what sounded like burnout from a thankless job. But I digress.Silcox’s tone is smart without being pedantic or patronizing. At the same time she is playful without too much cliché or cheesiness. She has structured the content as follows.Part I: Philosophy1. Aligning with Big Mama2. The Four Glorious Goals of Life3. The Doshas and the Five Elements4. Your Soulful, Subtle SelfPart II: Healthy5. Ayurvedic Nutrition and Your Dosha6. The Secret of Great Digestion7. Food and the Emotions8. Setting Up a Living, Sexy KitchenPart III: Happy9. Glowing Goddess Routines10. Boost Radiance and Show Aging11. Exercise Like an Ayurveda Queen12. Why Modern Gals Should MeditatePart IV: Sexy13. Ayurveda Sexuality and Deep Female Vitality14. Tantra and Conscious Sex15. Cultivating Sexual Energy from Within16. The Power of Your WombPart I is where us noobs become acquainted with Ayurveda, which literally translates to “knowledge of life.”This ancient Indian tradition describes the different types of bodies and how they should best be cared for. I’ll try to give an idea of what the content entails. It says the soul has 4 goals or desires: 1) kama or luscious daily pleasure; 2) artha or the means of prospering; 3) dharma or purpose; and 4) moksha or freedom. The essential pillars of health are food, sleep, and sex. 5 elements (ether, air, fire, water, and earth) comprise all matter. These elements combine to form doshas.Doshas are our fundamental character and body types. They are vata, pitta, kapha, or some combination of the three. The book explains all of these concepts and then helps you diagnose your type(s). The premise here is that health, vitality, and longevity are needed in order to truly thrive; and none of this is possible without balancing your doshas. If I could offer a tip, it would be to spend some time with the content of this chapter. Make sure you feel confident that you have diagnosed your dosha type, as the rest of the book will be much more useful if you have this reference point.Parts II, III, and IV are then devoted to teaching you how to find and maintain balance for each type through proper diet, sleep hygiene, meditation, exercise, and skincare. The subject of sex is even covered. Page after page after page of practical tips are provided. In this way, the book becomes an instruction manual that can be used to implement a change at a time, at a pace with which you are comfortable.It’s fascinating stuff and certainly worthy of attention for the woman who is truly searching for a sustainable and balanced way to live that is energizing and fulfilling.There were unfortunately two things that irked me. First, somewhere around halfway or maybe three quarters of the way through, typos and grammatical errors started showing up. It was as if Silcox came up against her deadline and got a little sloppy. I found it distracting; especially in light of the previous content having been so well written. Second, it seems that she imagined her audience to be Caucasian. When writing about sunbathing, the author states “[y]ou may feel tempted to bare it all out of the sheer joy of feeling the sultry sun on your wintry-white skin.” I was willing to let this reference pass. But then she said, again in reference to spending time in warm climates, [w]e just have to take care so we do not end up overheated, fire-engine red, and hungover.” I am not Caucasian and so these references felt a little exclusionary for me. But I’m not a believer of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. So while I wanted to mention these things, I still highly recommend the book.The bottom line is this is a pretty great introduction to Ayurveda for the woman who is searching for a deeper meaning and who knows there are incongruences in her life and wants to find harmony amongst its various elements. This is the type of stuff that will help to soothe your soul and guide you on your journey.Happy reading and hope this review was helpful!

I love this book. While Katie provides the framework to live a more Ayurvedic lifestyle, she makes it clear that each of us hold the powers to our own body, health, and happiness.

I LOVE this book! Very modern, hip, and practical. I love her approach, and sexy little twist. I have it on kindle but now I am ordering the paperback because I know I will use this book very often for quick reference. Not so easy to find what you are looking for on kindle version. Can't wait to get the paperback version. Ladies who love Ayurveda, this is a must have!

Katie is a delightful, shiny being that exudes happiness. I'm glad to be reading her book, which is a fun read, so I can learn her secrets of being sparkly. On the serious side, there's a lot of great and easy to understand info on Ayurveda. I've already put some suggestions into practice.