Kreem Shakti

Ayurvedic Practitioner & Registered Nurse

"Helping You Heal Yourself"

www.kreemshakti.com Check out my professional profile on the holistic network Heal.Me !

https://heal.me/practitioner/amita-basra-ayurveda-practitioner

01/21/2026

We all are fighting those stuffy noses and congestion as the heavier qualities of winter start to set in. Including cayenne in teas is really helpful to break up the mucus and keep your digestive fire gently stoked.

SIMPLE CAYENNE CONGESTION TEA

This warming herbal tea is crafted to help break up mucus, stimulate circulation, and gently soothe a sore or irritated throat. It works by combining heat, spice, and natural antibacterial support.

Ingredients
• 1.5 cups of water
• ⅛–¼ tsp cayenne pepper (start with less if you’re new to spice)
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (helps break up mucus)
• 1 tsp raw honey (soothes the throat + antibacterial support)
• ½ tsp freshly grated ginger (optional, for added decongestion and warmth)

Instructions
1. Bring the water to a rolling boil.
2. Add cayenne, ginger, and lemon juice to boiling water.
3. Allow to boil together for 5-10minutes until reduced to one cup.
4. Pour into a cup and allow to cool slightly from boiling before adding honey.
5. Drink slowly while warm, allowing the steam and heat to open the sinuses.

Usage Tips
• Drink 1–2 times daily while experiencing congestion or throat discomfort.
• For heavier congestion, this tea may also be used as a warm gargle.

ImmunitySupport HomeRemedies CirculationBoost GingerHealing CayennePepper SeasonalWellness

01/20/2026

Morning Musings

Create Actionable Steps Without Needing To Know The Plan

01/12/2026

What a way to break up the news today than to read about one of winter's most loved spice - cinnamon!

This naturally warming spice not only heats up our bodies on cold mornings but stimulates our senses as we wake. It's a great blood sugar stabilizer - making it great for carb heavy meals like oatmeal. It is versatile - standing beautifully on its own or used in a savory blends for soups!

What's your favorite way to eat cinnamon?

12/29/2025

2026: The Year of Inner Balance & Psychological Shifts

As the calendar year turns, I find myself reflecting on what I moved through—what I shed—in 2025 that is preparing me for 2026.

One realization feels especially clear.

I am no longer giving away the fruit from my metaphorical tree before the tree has fully grown. My roots are deepening, my trunk is forming—and yet, for a long time, I was offering fruit too early. I once framed this as service and kindness. But I’m beginning to understand that giving away unripe fruit isn’t truly unselfish—it’s premature.

That fruit still belongs to the tree. It needs time. And allowing it to ripen is not wrong.

This brings me to the word selfish—and the outdated meaning I’m ready to release. What I once labeled as selfish—prioritizing myself—has actually been essential to my liberation from addiction this past year. When I maintain enough internal reserve, I can find physical balance, psychological alignment, and live my life more dharmically and spiritually.

This is the kind of “selfishness” that creates sustainability. From fullness, not depletion.

As I look ahead to writing a new year onto the page, I feel especially attuned to the true transition at the Spring Equinox. I sense that 2026 will be a year of profound learning, integration, and growth—and I’m deeply grateful to walk this path together.

I'm curious to know what everyone else has shed this year too - comment below! I'm others resonate and can learn as well!

Happy 2026 from the Holy Banks of Ganga Ma

12/26/2025

Sometimes we have items in our kitchen that can help with our symptoms! Instead of needing to run to the store or shop on Amazon for supplements, check to see if you have these two powerful kitchen ingredients that can help with tension headaches, asthma flare ups and baby colic.

12/22/2025

In this pivotal time of a new moon and solstice (so much so I heard the power of SF went down 🤣) this is a reminder to be still and listen quietly to the answers that already lie within you.

So much chaos is around us, structures crumbling, true natures being revealed and honestly, it feels like we have been walking through fire.

Let’s reflect on fire for moment - it’s strength and ability to transform. Can we let what is left of this fire of 2025 burn away our safety nets and shackles that have been holding us back from being fully alive - to acting from a place of freedom where it doesn’t matter if our actions bring no guarantees?

The get up from this downward spiral of these last few years will not be a spring but rather a graceful and intentional rise. Don’t forget to take the take to figure out how you want to move - even just five minutes of writing before bed and shutting your eyes can do wonders. You do not need to know all details clearly - but do follow what opens your heart ❤️

12/18/2025

This is picture of the leaves of a Pippali plant - also known as long pepper. You can find them at your local Indian grocery store - they are long black peppers versus the round black pepper you may be familiar with.

Pippali is a warming, rejuvenating Ayurvedic herb known for its powerful support of the lungs and respiratory system. It kindles agni (digestive fire), helping the body burn off ama (toxins) that often accumulate during illness. Pippali acts as an expectorant, loosening mucus, clearing congestion, and easing cough, breathlessness, and cold-related lung heaviness. Unlike many heating herbs, it is also rasayana (restorative), meaning it strengthens lung tissue and immunity over time—making it especially supportive during sickness and recovery.

Easy uses for when you are feeling under the weather:

Grind the pepper (or get pre ground) and add into whatever soup you are making. You can make a nice tea with this ginger, lemon and honey. You may also mix black pepper, dry ginger powder and this Pippali powder and sprinkle on a spoon of honey to help soothe your cough and help get mucus out of the lungs.

This is a very heating spice so use sparingly when not sick or under the guidance of an Ayurvedic practitioner if using regularly or in large doses.

12/15/2025

Happy Monday!

Here’s a beautifully illustrated Ayurveda history lesson with mythology weaved through it in these canvases from my school location in Aluva, Kerala.

They have been wonderful to read in an open space classroom in the early morning light. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

12/11/2025

Ashoka — the herb of gentle liberation.
In Ayurveda, Ashoka is known for holding the emotional and physical heart with the softest, most steadying embrace. Traditionally used to support the womb, calm heavy cycles, and soothe the deep spaces where grief and tension like to hide, Ashoka reminds us that healing doesn’t always have to be loud. Sometimes it’s a quiet unfurling… a steady return to yourself.

This medicine carries a distinctly feminine wisdom — cooling, nourishing, and uplifting to the spirit. When the mind feels burdened or the heart feels tight, Ashoka has a way of offering lightness, clarity, and a subtle sense of inner spaciousness.

It was beautiful to be able to stand under this tree - especially during this deep shedding of old self, habits and finishing cycles - to be embraced by the energy of Ashoka. To be held in the grief that can come even when we are letting go of things that are not for us.

As always, the herb information is for educational purposes and it is recommended to take any Ayurvedic herbs under the care of an Ayurvedic Practitioner.

12/10/2025

We had the pleasure of being able to rotate through an orphanage on my internship training here in Kerala.

The girls were so playful and the staff appreciative. These children all had some respiratory issue like the rest of the world during this season but most of them also had some other common symptoms: of hair fall and premature greying of the hair. Yup - children - with greying hair! - I think the eldest girl was 15 years old.

One of the Ayurvedic doctors I am learning under says it is most likely is due to the water quality.

So be thankful my friends. Be thankful for those pipes that run through our country (although on stolen land) and for the corrupt politicians who at least make sure our water is a little more clean (although we all know we could be better.)

The grass is always greener - as we go into this holiday season after a difficult year and going through difficult times - remember to feel the blessings that are present in your life and watch the gifts of life blossom in front of your eyes.

12/05/2025

The Power Of Ginger

In my opinion, ginger is a really underrated herb. It actually has way more healing properties than its more widely used counterpart garlic and on top of that - it supports peace in the mind - while garlic can support irritation, anger and impulsivity. (Now don’t get me wrong, I love garlic as much as the next person but it is very sparingly used in my diet - this being the main reason.)

Ginger works on our subtle energy channels, helps support our prana (breath) and keeps our digestion strong especially in a heavier dish. Read through the slides for some great ginger tips!

If you are experiencing avoiding, burning sensation or angry rashes, it is best to avoid too much ginger until you see an Ayurvedic practitioner to make sure it will not aggravate these symptoms.

Happy Gingering 🫚!

12/04/2025

When even your own practitioner gets taken down! My lungs are fighting something and I’m so fever-delirious I could barely follow what the Ayurvedic doctor was saying. I came here to learn and work, and instead I’m being so beautifully cared for with round-the-clock herbs and support.

In this photo I’ve got two lepams on: one on my forehead to cool the fever, and one on my throat to soothe the pain and coughing.

Under this Gemini full moon—with the Sagittarius Sun and all the Virgo–Pisces axis energy—there’s a sense of choice, possibility, and intuitive clarity. Virgo wants order, Pisces wants flow. Gemini brings perspective, Sagittarius brings soul-desire. They’re all mutable signs at the same degree, so yes… it’s a moment. A reminder to choose with intention what we’re leaving behind and what we’re walking toward.

We can’t take it all. We can’t do it all. And honestly, I’m writing this for me. My FOMO, my “yes-person” era, my wanting to taste every cake—none of it is working anymore.

It’s time to drop into the body, connect to spirit or your own consciousness, and ask the real yes/no questions about what truly belongs in your life moving forward. Sit with the decision, not push it, take the time to honor your process through this ( as we are not the same people as we're at the beginning of this year despite how fast it went by!) Muscle testing and noticing how you feel around people or situations can also give you feedback on your yes and no.

Address

501 Kearney Street
Berkeley, CA
94530

Website

http://www.kreemshakti.com/, https://linktr.ee/kreemshakti

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