I did have some beautiful moments during this experiment, glimpses of the potential for ayurveda to re-route my life to a place of greater health, joy and well being but I also saw the direct effect of many of my habitual actions that weakened my constitution and allowed both my prana to recede as well as my energy to approach the challenges of life. I will continue working towards a “perfect” routine and when impossible, I will treat myself with deep compassion and find opportunities to balance vata before it spirals into a greater imbalance.
Ayurveda, this sister-science to yoga, is a journey of personal health. Axis Yoga Teacher Training students have the unique opportunity to apply their Ayurvedic lessons during the program. This student made time for two seemingly small changes but found interesting and lasting results.
My Ayurvedic experiment consisted of taking one meal a day in silence and performing
abhyanga (oil massage). I’ve separated my experience of each practice in my narrative below.
Meals:
On a typical work-day, I work through lunch, eating frantically at my desk and tasting no more
than the first couple of bites of anything. On the days I actually break for lunch, I eat with
friends, talking through most of the meal or getting lost in a good book, again experiencing very
little of what I eat. For these reasons, I chose, on most days, to eat lunch in silence and be
conscious to the act of eating. I expected to feel uncomfortable and even a bit silly, sitting by
myself, eating quietly, and paying attention to nothing but the food before me. I went so far as to
lock the door to my office and sit with my back to it.
Instead of feeling silly or uncomfortable, I felt relaxed and free. I felt, as unusual as it sounds,
safe and nurtured. It was as if the simple act of eating, and only eating, nourished more than my
body.
On the days that I was at home, I ate breakfast in silence. Having experienced the peace of my
office lunches, I now expected to experience the same peace and was not-pleasantly surprised to
discover that, most of the time, I felt anything but peaceful. I found it difficult to sit still and
wondered how quickly I could finish and get on with my day. And one day I even felt resentful
that I couldn’t read or watch a television program.
It became readily apparent that I am much more attached to the tasks I feel I need to accomplish
in my personal life than those in my work-life, as well as some things that give me short-term
pleasure. I am better able to let go of spreadsheets, meetings, and databases, and less able to let
go of mothering, reading, cleaning, laundry, cooking, shopping, and the other day-to-day chores
of making a household run smoothly. I am turning my gaze inward to determine why I place
more importance on these things than on eating and giving thanks for the food that nourishes me.
Abhyanga:
When I first took on the abhyanga portion of the experiment, I expected to use some time in the
evening to unwind and enjoy the oil massage and shower before bed. As usual, my evening
activities, be them spending time with my children, grocery shopping, cleaning, or catching up
on paperwork, took me right up to the time that I typically fall into bed, exhausted. And, that
evening, I did just that, telling myself that I would start the following evening. The following
evening, I did exactly the same. The abhyanga was not going to happen in the evening. I
regrouped and decided that it was going to have to happen in the morning.
My morning routine is as full and hectic as my evening routine and I can’t say that I didn’t doubt
my resolve to follow through. Despite getting out of bed at the same time as any other day, I
held true and took the time to oil myself with sesame oil. And, much to my surprised and pleased
self, I was able to leave the house very close to the time I typically leave. This happened again
the following day, and even the next. I’m still trying to figure out how I managed to gain fifteen
minutes every morning.
My initial expectations for the oil massage were fairly low. I never particularly cared for the
feeling of oil on my skin and, although I enjoy a massage from time to time, it is not a practice I
can’t do without. My one hope, even if it didn’t extend into the realm of expectation, was that
the practice would help me feel warmer. Despite the fact that I am more pitta than vata (and
even less kapha), I’m one of life’s chronically cold people. This fall is particularly bad. I can’t
seem to get and stay warm. My heating and water bills are going to be astronomical.
After practicing Abhyanga for almost two weeks (with two one-day breaks), I haven’t noticed
much of a change in my body temperature (Excel Energy will be happy to continue to support
my efforts to stay warm). I immediately noticed that my skin and hair were much happier and
softer but hadn’t noted any other change.
The benefits from the practice were so subtle that I didn’t recognize them. It wasn’t until my
first one-day break, due to me making it out of bed at the ungodly hour of six instead of five-
thirty, that I even noticed a change. I realized that I missed it; much like one misses the good-
bye kiss of their loved one when they leave the house. I felt as if the day was incomplete. I was
less focused and less productive. I purposely took another day off of the practice before the end
of the experiment to see if my scattered nature returned. It did.
The days I spent the time oiling left me feeling calm and grounded. I am less spastic and more
able to focus and follow things through to conclusion without being side-tracked. Despite the
end of the experiment, I still plan to practice Abhyanga. It has become a beloved part of my
morning routine and I am loath to give it up; happily, I don’t have to.
The Axis Yoga Teacher Training program is one of the few to include the sister-science of Ayurveda. Students are able to experiment with the application of Ayurvedic principles to create a better understanding of its vast health benefits. This student applied several personal dosha recommendations for improved health.
For my Ayurveda experiment I was not quite sure what to do so I chose to do several different ideas. I
found out through taking the online test, Beth had us take in the class that I am a Kapha. So I decided
first to give up coffee. I also tried new warming spices on all my food to ignite Agni or help my digestive
track. I only cooked my foods with Ghee. I gave up Gluten in my diet. I only drank warm fluids. I stopped
snacking in between meals only ate 3 meal s a day. I would also scrape my tongue first thing in the
morning and check my ama. I would make a shot of lime juice, salt and ginger root 20 minutes before a
meal. With my experiment I hope to see a difference in my digestion, to feel better, develop a new healthy way of eating, and to change my over all personal health.
In giving up coffee for 3 days I truly found that it was not the coffee I was having cravings
for. All the coffee I buy and drink is decaffeinated so it was not the caffeine I was craving. I have every day for as long as I can remember at least 12 years now bought a decaffeinated Americano at Starbucks so giving up coffee for the few days I did was extremely difficult for me. I did however discover that it was the cream and sugar in the coffee that I crave not the coffee itself. The cream and sugar made me feel heavy and weighed down sluggish and slow moving.
Because I am a Kapha I have a slower digestive track so after discovering this about my body I
began to wake up in the morning and the first thing I would do was scrape my tongue to analyze my ama to see how my digestion was from the day before. As a result I found that my body was not digesting food properly, next I would try using different warming spices in meals in an attempt to regulate my digestion. I used such spices as Cayenne pepper, black pepper, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, I also twenty minutes before a meal would make a shot of lime juice, sea salt and ginger root to light my Agni. Trying to reduce or cut out any synthetic butter sprays, oils, sugar or sweeteners I was substituting ghee in the place of butter and honey in the place of sugar. I have not noticed a significant change but I do believe it is helping my daily digestion. For the first few days with the spices I did get the hiccups and I did notice my body temperature felt warmer. I do however feel lighter on my feet and more energized.
I stopped snacking and only ate three balanced meals, lunch being my biggest meal of the day
with this I also cut gluten products out of my normal diet. In doing so I felt not bloated, puffy, weighed down and had no headaches. I think I may have a gluten allergy however I do find that I crave breads and gluten products and don’t understand why. In addition to keep my body from having to work over time to heat up drinks I consume I have stopped drinking anything cold all my fluids have been tepid or room temperature. By doing this my body really appeals to the warm fluids and feel better over all. I now crave warm fluids.
Every night I would take a shower and just kind of rub off the water and then massage sesame
oil into my skin then blot dry. After getting dressed I would apply more sesame oil to
the bottom of my feet then sleep with socks on. I found that my skin is super soft and I have no cracks or dryness to my feet and at night when I sleep, I sleep sound. I wake up really feeling like a slept. I also found getting a good amount of sleep hours in and quality sleep has really improved my ability to make it through the day more focused. It has definitely helped my over all personal health.
In conclusion I have found that I can drink hot tea with honey in it and instead of cream use
warm soy milk. I’m going to continue cooking with ghee and warming spices to hopefully purify and
balance my digestive track although I have the cravings for gluten, I can give it up and use corn flour and gluten free products. I will continue to drink tepid fluids and use oils after bathing. By making and
abiding by these changes I believe that these are small steps in improving my ayurvedic principles and
overall health.
The Axis Yoga Teacher Training Program opens the door to Yoga’s vast traditions to its students. Each student experiments with chosen yogic principles to see how they affect their lives. This student found access to a whole new healthy lifestyle that included some self-acceptance and mental clarity.
About Us
The Denver Yoga Underground began in 2003 at the request of dedicated students who wanted to study yoga as a holistic system. Over the years, a diversity of people, seeking education outside of a studio, found a welcome refuge in DYU.
Today we specialize in grassroots Pay What You Can workshops, accessible retreats and our signature yoga teacher training, for the outlier yogi.
Contact Us
Denver Yoga Underground Director:
Derik Eselius ~ 720.934.6934
Training Location:
Sixth Ave. UCC 3250 E. 6th Ave
Derik Eselius ~ 720.934.6934
Training Location:
Sixth Ave. UCC 3250 E. 6th Ave