my history,

When Raja Yoga Gets confused with Rajasic Yoga

Kapha-Balancing Tea

This unique blend from the fabulous Eat, Taste Heal, An Ayurvedic Guidebook (Yarema)

In Ayurveda, spring-time relates to the season of Kapha dosha, the bio-energy that exists in all of us and is made up of the element of earth and water.

As water gives life and earth gives structure, Kapha season is a time of growth and emergence.

The damp and heavy qualities of water and earth from which we emerge can feel stagnating if we don’t adjust our diet and activities to counter balance them.  In this season, up until the advent of summer, it is best to lighten up on foods and get outdoors and get moving.

A morning walk or an yoga practice focused on more opening, standing postures is a good way to start the day.  Swap out winter oatmeal for a lighter grains such as buckwheat or millet.

Lighten up on heavy proteins and earthy root vegetables and choose whole grains, legumes and leafy greens.  As our digestive fire may still be in kindling-mode, warm, cooked food is still better than raw food.

You can augment your diet with warming teas and spices. Kapha time is the season to experiment with pungent, warming spices in your cooking to create a dry, internal warmth that will balance the of cold and wet of the winter months.  This can be as simple as adding cinnamon to a breakfast dish or cumin and black pepper or a splash of cayenne to lunch or dinner.

This is also a fabulous time for a gentle Ayurvedic Spring Cleanse (join us for a cleanse class March 25th, see Upcoming Events page) to release and clear accumulated Ama or toxins from a long winter.

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Feeling Heavy with Winter?

Kapha-Balancing Flower & Gem Essence

• Dispels heaviness of mind and body, while promoting Kapha’s natural contentment, stability, and calm.

• Breaks up congestion and energetically strengthens the organs of the heart and lungs.

These little tinctures carry big medicine!

Learn more at www.earthskyessences.com or order online.

In the past week, I’ve offered to a few people my hopes that their New Year is off to a great start.  The majority of responses haven’t been stellar. In fact, yesterday, when asked how his year’s been so far, a colleague responded with hesitation, “Well, umm, its been interesting.” I laughed, and admitted the same.

Perhaps its partially the collective energy being put into the infamous emergence of 2012, but this turning over of years has certainly brought up opportunities for self-examination and exploration.  Along with this can be discomfort, or a feeling of not being in balance.

From an Ayurvedic perspective, its also helpful to remember how our external environment influences our physical and mental state.  For most of the west coast, a lack of rain and snowfall has created an unusually dry winter, evermore increasing Vata in our constitutions. Increased Vata can mean restless sleep, poor elimination, and an overactive mind which gives way to fears, anxieties and worry.

During this time of year, we must remember to nurture and care for ourselves in healthy and whole ways, checking in with what our body needs for grounding and ease in life.  I hope you’ll enjoy the healthy concoction inspired by my Italian grandmother’s comfort cooking, blended with Ayurvedic wisdom or that you’ll consider joining one of the many opportunities for growth and supportive community offered on the site.

Happy New Year,
Gianna

Recipe Feature of the Month:

              

The last time I caught a nasty bug was 2 years ago, just after the New Year.  My sick-time became a gift as sleepless hours were spent gleaning new information and inspiration that would shape the year ahead.

This time around, I realized that the ‘illness’ I was experiencing was simply an elimination of toxins from my body and a clearing of all those things I am choosing to leave behind as we transition into the New Year.   These last few days, I have been getting to examine what things in life I choose not to take into 2012 and what more intelligent aspects I intend to nurture in the year ahead.

In years past, goal setting in the new year meant specific goals based on timely benchmarks for achievement.  Now I notice my goals are more simple, one-word intentions that I can feel in my body, things like clarity, ease, confidence, and spaciousness.

Of course, it doesn’t need to take feeling under the weather to prompt a little bit of internal reflection on the year past and the direction for the year ahead.  Perhaps your new years eve celebration might even include some quite time for going inward and anchoring your new direction for 2012.

If you had only one hour to live, what would you do? Would you not arrange what is necessary outwardly, your affairs, your will, and so on?

Would you not call your family and friends together and ask their forgiveness for the harm that you might have done to them, and forgive them for whatever harm they might have done to you?

Would you not die completely to the things of the mind, to desires and to the world?

And if it can be done for an hour, then it can also be done for the days and years that may remain. Try it and you will find out.

- J. Krishnamurti, The Book of Life

Let’s face it.

The holidays either bring us joy and excitement or total anxiety and stress.

Either way, our practice of mindfulness around taking care of  ourselves often moves to the wayside, succumbing to societal influences: What society tells us we should feel ok about buying, what we should feel ok about eating, and who we should should feel happy to be spending our holidays with.

Whether its a love of, or a spite of, the holiday season is one in which many still struggle with choices around finances, food, and sadly, family.  The season that is supposed to be about bringing us together ends up being the season that can bring up our deepest issues of grief around separation and conflict.
Can this be resolved?  Could this year and all those following really be different?

Perhaps this is the dual teaching of the holiday season.  A time when all people in the world, regardless of their community and culture, in some ways, beneath the joy, are asked to face deeper unresolved issues.

J. Krishnamurti’s quote above, challenges us to consider what action we would take and how our perspective would shift if we had just one hour left to live.  And he proposes, if we could do it in one hour, why not do it now, and keep it that way for the rest of our years?  Such a simple concept, yet for most of us it is still a concept.  In reality, we make choices to hold on to anger, sadness…. the past… until the day we die.  This only creates suffering during the days in which we live.

Whether or not you have a yoga or meditation practice, this holiday season, make this your practice of mindfulness: Notice what the season brings to the forefront in your life, whether its around family, finances, food,  or anything that you would like to make different this time around.  Embrace any discomfort that is brought up; discomfort is a good sign that there’s something ‘there’.  Instead of pushing up against it or trying to avoid it, see it as an opportunity to grow and to make a positive shift.

– Paramhansa Yogananda

So often, we hold ourselves back from our own true potential.

When we step into our authentic truth, Life guides us, not the other way around. We get to stop striving, forcing, over-thinking and over-planning. When we make a decision to stop living in fear, only then do we allow a grounded sense of calm carry us forward. This ‘courage’ can only authentically come from that place of ‘calm, inner faith’ that Yogananda refers to.

We cultivate this internal connection in meditation or yoga practice.From that calm, we start to pay attention to the divine orchestration of our lives. In that attention comes the trust, or the inner faith, that both gives us strength and helps us to realize that we are truly guided by a higher consciousness.

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As you may have noticed, I’ve been ‘away’ for the summer from newsletters, blogging and such as I have been immersed in my own journey of growth and learning. I found this quote from Yogananda above, this August during an Ayurvedic pulse diagnosis retreat in Grass Valley, CA with a dear and masterful teacher, Dr. Mary Jo Cravatta. It was at the end of the program that I realized that I had been wanting to study the pulse and to study with this teacher for 2 years. For the first year, I had scheduling conflicts with all of her offerings and couldn’t attend. I eventually let go completely and suddenly, when the time was right it all came together without effort. It was only after I had experienced the magic of that weekend in its entirety that I realized my intentions (and beyond) had been fulfilled.

2011 has brought me unexpected and welcomed growth and expansion. For those of you that have been following my newsletters, you know that I am now offering Ayurvedic Shirodhara treatments, which have proven to be both powerful and deeply healing. I have completed pulse studies in Portland with Richard Haynes of Ayurveda Plus, and have continued with Dr. Mary Jo Cravatta in CA.

Later this year I will also be helping to pioneer Dr. Cravatta’s new therapeutic Awaken Within Yoga program that incorporates the Ayurvedic wisdom of the subtle body (chakras, nadis/channels, etc.) into each practice.

I’m currently taking my first group through an at-home Ayurvedic oleation and look forward to supporting any of you who are interested in this gentle cleansing program at the transitions of the seasons.

Finally, in March 2012, I’ll be bringing my yoga therapy and Ayurveda teacher’s son, Dr. Ganesh Mohan, from India to offer Module II of his US Yoga Therapy training in Portland. Thank you to all of my wonderful clients and colleagues who continually nudge me forward and encourage and support my growth even when I think I’m not ready:) I’ve experienced over and over that no matter how much the smaller aspects of ourselves try to hold us back, our higher consciousness is really in charge and guiding the way.

From that place I feel a deep sense of trust and gratitude and I wish to support others in connecting to that place within themselves so that we may all live in health, freedom and joy. -gianna

2 tbsp Coriander Powder

2 tbsp Cumin Seeds

2 tbsp Fennel Seeds

1 tbsp Turmeric

Chopped Mint, Cilantro or Parsley

Combine together and use in rice and lentil dishes for added flavor and medicinal benefits.

If cooking with ghee, melt ghee first, then add spice blend, and then your grain or legume.  Mix together, add water and cook!

“Conflict of any kind -physically, psychologically, intellectually-is a waste of energy… it is extraordinarily difficult to understand and to be free of this because most of us are brought up to struggle, to make effort. When we are at school, that is the first thing that we are taught, to make an effort. And that struggle, that effort is carried throughout life…”

- J. Krishnamurti, The Book of Life

Ever wonder why life feels difficult?  Full of anxiety, stress, obstacles?  The teaching of ‘letting go’ and ‘surrender’ to what will be has been a big theme around the past week with clients and friends.  Is it possible that we’re all waking up to the idea that what we’re taught about success as children, the merits of struggle, competition, and aggression, only lead to heart attacks and cancer?  What if the path to success could be without conflict?

How do we define success? When I worked in the business world,  success meant a promotion, a pay raise, or a nicer title on the nameplate.  Now, success for me means living life according to that which is authentic and in alignment with my soul’s truth.  When I’m in that place, everything is in flow.  And when we banish conflict and replace it with ease, health flourishes.

When I reflect on how I got from there to here, from the business world to the wellness world, I realize that the most important things I do today were never what I envisioned or even knew was possible at the time.  The ‘hard work’ that I did (and still do) was clearing and navigating the inner landscape of my mind and my being.  But I never struggled, pushed or forced my way into becoming who I am today, doing what I do.

Instead, I simply learned to start saying ‘no’ to all the things that didn’t serve me in my life.  And as those things fell away, something new would magically present itself.  All of the right teachers, situations and opportunities just fell into my lap.  Why?  Because I finally became open and clear about what ‘felt right’ and what didn’t.

It is only when we are in that place of innocence and openness, that magic can enter, allowing our inner guidance to take us on a unbelievable journey in the direction of our soul’s unique destination.

This article in this post is written by Kaya Mindlin, CSYT and Premal Patel, MD and reprinted with permission from Banyan Botanicals (www.banyanbotanicals.com).

 

“In vasanta (spring), persons should spend midday happily in the company of friends, engaged in pleasant games, pastimes and story telling.”

~Ashtanga Hrdayam (ancient Ayurvedic text) 3.25

In the Spring, nature’s buds and branches reach toward the warmth of the sun. We human beings also emerge from the quiet of winter, and reach out to loved ones, craving the warmth of community.

The vedic tradition out of which Ayurveda originated, held high the concept of community. The Sanskrit word kula (pronounced koo-la) is a single word rich in meanings including:

• clan
• family
• tribe
• community
• intentional group

Ayurveda clearly describes the benefits of social interaction and the risks associated with social isolation. Being in healthy relationship with others keeps us “in check” and we are less likely to develop unhealthy habits. Have you ever noticed it’s easier to develop bad habits than good ones – the more so when we are alone? Those around us encourage and bring out the best in us.

“The ‘I’ in illness is isolation, and the crucial letters in wellness are ‘we’.” ~ Author unknown

From the Ayurvedic perspective, loneliness is considered both a symptom and a cause of vata imbalance. As such, loneliness can intertwine with other vata imbalances including insomnia, addiction, anxiety, digestive sensitivities and excess thinking.  Thus, social interaction is in fact considered a remedy for vata imbalance, and is particularly emphasized in ancient texts as a valuable component of a springtime healing regimen.

In the modern western world, we prize individuality – perhaps to our own demise – with many people spending much of life in isolation. Scientists are now looking into the impact of human relationships (and the lack there of) on health. A recent study published in the journal for the National Academy of Sciences , used brain imaging to reveal that the same region of the human brain that reacts in physical pain also responds to social loss or rejection. In other words, the brain’s experience of social loss mimics it’s experience of pain – as the article states, “rejection hurts”.

“Loneliness is the most terrible poverty…Love begins at home” ~ Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Ongoing studies and commentaries re-validate the ancient value of social interaction, loving relationships and community. In his book Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection, neuroscientist John Cacioppo shows a direct relationship between social isolation and our state of health including high blood pressure, diabetes, weight gain, hormone imbalance, weak immune response, and poor cardiovascular function.  Other experts in the Ayurvedic and Allopathic fields agree that loneliness is one of the biggest underlying causes of disease. Dr. David Frawley says that feelings of loneliness may be a manifestation of a sense of unrest and disharmony with nature that leads to physiological weakness. Dr. Dean Ornish says that social isolation increases a tendency to make lifestyle choices that negatively impact health. In a study of 300,000 people, Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad showed that a lack of social network can be just as bad for your health than alcoholism or cigarette addiction and worse for health than obesity.  Holt-Lunstad goes on to say that lack of social relationships should be part of a short list of factors that lead to early mortality. It may very well be that feeling lack of support and missing the joy of friendship induces stress, which can cause physiological changes in the body.

“Where there is love, there is life” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

We’ve all heard the expression, “It takes a village to raise a child”, but when do we stop needing the village? Those around us provide opportunities to give and receive love, nurturing and support. Furthermore, our kula – or tribe of loved ones – serves as a mirror, helping us to see our own blind spots and become better people.

With a support network, you are more likely to engage in healthy, beneficial activities and habits. Community reminds you of and keeps you accountable to your morals and goals. Community alleviates stress and gives you the strength and courage to face your monsters. And community provides you with an outlet to sort through the whirlwind of thoughts that otherwise weigh you down. These relationships have the potential to support your pursuit of joy and health.

“A healthy social life is found only, when in the mirror of each soul the whole community finds its reflection, and when in the whole community, the virtue of each one is living.” ~ Rudolf Steiner

So, as the ancients prescribed: in spring, as all of nature brims with renewed life, reach out and embrace a deeper blooming into your relationships by cultivating your community of support – your kula – and spend some time “in the company of friends”.

You may have more than one kula or tribe. They include your siblings and parents, extended family, spouse and children, friends, colleagues, classmates, and so on. If you are used to going solo, or tend to take your kula for granted, here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling:

• Pick up the phone and call a dear one
• Plan a gathering in a park or at your home
• Schedule and commit to a weekly “family night” or “date night”
• Cook a meal for some friends or family members
• Plan a group hike or picnic or volleyball game
• Start a book club or a board game club.
• Have a “bring a friend” open house gathering where you invite 5 people, and each of those people brings a person… you’ll expand your community in no time!

Carefully pick over rice and dal to remove any stones, rinsing both in water. If you don’t have split yellow mung dal, whole green mung been soaked overnight will also work.  Begin to heat your water.

Sauté the seeds in the ghee until they pop. Then add the other spices. Add the mung dal and salt. Sauté for 1 or 2 minutes. Add boiling water, bring to boil, then simmer for 30 minutes or until the dal is about 2/3 cooked.

Now prepare any vegetables that suit your constitution (see below). Cut them into smallish pieces. Add rice and these vegetables. Stir to mix, adding extra water if required.

Bring back to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is fully cooked. Aim to have minimal water remaining, leaving the lid on the pot to allow any excess to slowly be absorbed.

4-6 Servings

Kitchari means mixture, usually of two grains. This is one kitchari recipe that is particularly nourishing and easy to digest.

Options for vegetables:
Vegetables such as zucchini,
asparagus, sweet potato
For Vata or Kapha conditions:
add a pinch of ginger powder
For Pitta: leave out the mustard seeds
Caution: Kitchari mono-diet can lead to constipation if taken exclusively for several days, as it is low in fiber. To ensure proper elimination, the following may prove helpful if taken once a day, away from kitchari meals: psyllium husks or seeds with water OR oat bran OR prune juice.

Recipe derived from the Ayurvedic Institute of Dr. Vasant Lad.

http://www.ayurveda.com

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Want to learn more about kitchari and cleansing?
Listen in to BEYOND 50 RADIO INTERVIEW  on Ayurveda Spring Cleansing with Gianna & Richard Haynes recorded Feb 2011

Click here to listen to archived call (episode 217)

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