Ayurveda, which means the science of life, is a comprehensive medical system that has been the traditional system of healthcare in India for more than five-thousand years. It is also considered by many to be the origin of medicine. Ayur means life and Veda means science. The principal focus of Ayurveda is maintaining good health and adopting a healthy way of living. It uses a holistic approach to health, which means that not only is the body treated as a single unit, but other aspects of our lives are taken into consideration, such as our social, cultural as well as our spiritual environment.

This week, an article I wrote for Brave New Traveler a few months ago charging United Airlines with fatism, showed on up on ‘The Colbert Report.’ Seems the fatism (or “weightism,” as Colbert trademarks during the episode) debate is all the rage these days, what with babies being turned down for health insurance and models getting fired for being too fat. As usual, Colbert rages against the injustices of “Big Government,” this time for trying to slim down the US population. I definitely chuckled uncontrollably during this segment, but am thankful that he had a Professor as a guest who makes it clear that being large does not equate being unhealthy.

I applaud Geneveve Levin for her candid and reflective essay about her experience with a married man in an open relationship. In this case, my husband. To continue the conversation she initiated, I thought I would pipe in. I am glad she wrote about her experience–she is right that this can be a sensitive topic, but it is a great one to give more breathing room to. What I have found being in an open relationship is that folks are curious about it, occasionally inspired, sometimes threatened, and at times, slightly baffled. I am neither proselytizer nor sage, just a woman who prefers to do things in a way that makes sense to me. For me and Ryan, this manifests in the freedom to be enriched by human connection and intimacy in all forms.