9 yoga resolutions for 2017 to ring in the New Year - Axis Yoga Teacher Trainings of Denver

Axis Yoga Trainings of Denver, Colorado - Yoga Teacher Training 200-Hour Program

Start by practicing deep, internal listening

Yoga Resolution #2: Listen to Your Inner Voice

Congratulations!  You’ve made it to installment number two of our nine part series on new year’s resolutions or, in the language of yoga our sankalpa, our devout resolve.  If you are just joining the conversation, welcome, you are just in time to get started with formulating our actual intent for the new year.  Let’s begin!

Each of us has an important role to play within the creation and a sankalpa helps us to orient and participate in life more fully.  When we are playing our part, the creation is glorified as are we. So how do we go about picking a sankalpa that will support us in the coming journey?  Here are some things to consider and practice.

9 yoga resolutions for 2017 to ring in the New Year - Axis Yoga Teacher Trainings of Denver

 

Self Reflection – Developing the skill of self reflection seems to be a natural evolutionary byproduct of yoga practice.  The more conscious attention we bring to yoga, the better we understand ourselves.  Understanding yourself, including understanding your intentions, is also something you can actively cultivate.

According to Vedic wisdom, this is a threefold process:

  • The first exercise is sravana or a willingness towards deep, internal listening.
  • Second, is manana, or turning towards or welcoming the message.
  • And finally, nididhyasana or the willingness to take action on the message.

Begin with sravana, deep internal listening.  Ask yourself what it is that you are urning for in the most fundamental way.  Answers will vary depending upon your unique purpose.  For some it may be more material longing such as physical health or vitality.  For others it may be a more internal desire, such as a feeling of peace or connection to the Source.

As you inquire and listen, try to drill down into the most pithy essence of your desire.  You can discover this essential impulse in a lot of different ways:

  • At the tail end of meditation, when the mind is most still, plant a seed question or prayer around guidance.
  • Do a kind of mind map brainstorm of what you want to let go of and what you want to invite into your life.
  • If you are fond of writing, do free associative journal entry.
  • Consider using any art medium to express the question, and unlock the boundaries of your unconscious mind.
  • Enroll friends in the conversation.  Collectively ask, “What is most essential to me is ____________.”  Remember, peal back the layers of this essential value to expose the core desire.

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Spend some time refining this unique and compelling impulse.  Once you have a working understanding of your desire, distill it down to one succinct sentence that encapsulates this desire.

State this affirmation in positive and affirmative language.  Come from a place of inner conviction as though this desire was already made manifest.  As a quick example, one might begin with “I want to quit smoking” and graduate into “I taking loving care of my body”.

Now that we have spent some time on, and and honed into on our root desire, we can approach it in a lot of different ways.  Using this beacon of insight, we can find lots of way to “take loving care of my body.”  Your desire will also be empowered by the heart felt process of self reflection.

We will talk more about how to begin to actualize your intention in our next installment.  For now, the most important thing is to just get started.

In Peace,
Derik

 

 

 

New Years Day Mantra for Inner-Illumination & Peace
– Jan. 1 at 9:30am

Start the new year on a sacred note. It will look very different than a conventional asana class, as we welcome the new year with meditation, individual and collective discussion (always inspiring!), and chanting the Gayatri Mantra 108 times. Create peace, within and without. Click here for more information.

3250 E. Sixth Ave. UCC
Suggested Donation ($15-20)

 

9 yoga resolutions for 2017 to ring in the New Year - Axis Yoga Teacher Trainings of Denver

Axis Yoga Trainings of Denver, Colorado - Yoga Teacher Training 200-Hour Program

Ironically, the first resolution is get rid of resolutions!

Yoga Resolution #1: Break the Mold of “Resolutions”

Welcome to the beginning of our series 9 Yoga Resolutions for 2017! To begin, let’s loose the word “resolution”.  Many people equate “resolution” with trying to change some behavior for a while, only to be met with inevitable egoic disappointment.  The whole notion behind “resolutions” is that there is something wrong with us, that we are defective, and need to make some kind of change to become complete.

9 yoga resolutions for 2017 to ring in the New Year - Axis Yoga Teacher Trainings of Denver

 

I’d like you to consider, or at least hold the possibility, that you are enough.  Yogic teachings tell us that there is an aspect of our being that is already complete, already whole and inherently perfect.  Rather than getting down about all of our seeming shortcomings, begin by acknowledging your inborn radiance and divinity.  Your Soul.

The tradition goes on to tell us that the soul has both a higher and lower nature, the paratman and jivatman, respectively.  The journey of life is the journey of aligning our higher and lower natures.  There are many yogic methods for uniting our higher our lower aspects, one of which is  the notion of sankalpa.

A sankalpa is a vow or commitment we make in support of our highest truth.  A sankalpa can also be an expression of either the paratman or the jivatman so long as it resonates with the deep quality of truth.  One is not necessarily better than the other, though the general path of yoga is to draw closer and closer towards the paratman.

As we navigate our way through life we will inevitably encounter material and intra-personal obstacles that will force us to act on behalf of our lower or higher natures.

 

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How will you approach these obstacles?  Who and what will you reference?  

A sankalpa is like a compass, it tells us which direction to move in as we face the terrain of our lives.

As we face the terrain of the coming year, I invite you to reflect upon who you are becoming.  Is there some dormant, higher aspect of yourself that you are willing to cultivate, even in seemingly small ways?

If your resolve is more material, start there, the voice of the jivatman has a legitimate place on the path of yoga, just be mindful of where that voice is coming from.

Be inspired by new possibilities rather than egoic, fear based feelings of inadequacy.  

Stay tuned for our next installment as we talk more about how to pick a resolve for the coming year. – Derik

 

 

New Years Day Mantra for Inner-Illumination & Peace
– Jan. 1 at 9:30am

Start the new year on a sacred note. It will look very different than a conventional asana class, as we welcome the new year with meditation, individual and collective discussion (always inspiring!), and chanting the Gayatri Mantra 108 times. Create peace, within and without. Click here for more information.

3250 E. Sixth Ave. UCC
Suggested Donation ($15-20)

 

9 yoga resolutions for 2017 to ring in the New Year - Axis Yoga Teacher Trainings of Denver

Axis Yoga Trainings of Denver, Colorado - Yoga Teacher Training 200-Hour Program

The top resolutions that every yogi should bring into the New Year!

Greetings Yogi!

Welcome to our ongoing series to help you get your new year resolve started on the right note.  In this series we will be going over how to develop a mindset for success and various practical tips for shaping your aspirations into reality. Stay tuned as I walk through each resolution!

9 yoga resolutions for 2017 to ring in the New Year - Axis Yoga Teacher Trainings of Denver

 

Here we go!

Yoga Resolution 1: Break the Mold of “Resolutions”

Yoga Resolution 2: Listen to Your Inner Voice

Yoga Resolution 3: Make Meditation A Priority

Yoga Resolution 4: Live Life Authentically

Yoga Resolution 5: Create Momentum

Yoga Resolution 6: Try Something New

Yoga Resolution 7: Give Yourself An “A” for Effort

Yoga Resolution 8: Let Gratitude Be Your Guide

Yoga Resolution 9: Share Your Practice

 

 

Axis Yoga Trainings of Denver, Colorado - Yoga Teacher Training 200-Hour Program

 

How to stop stuttering and suffering in your yoga practice this holiday season - Axis Yoga Teacher Trainings Denver, CO

Axis Yoga Trainings of Denver, Colorado - Yoga Teacher Training 200-Hour Program

Don’t let your yoga practice suffer in the holidays.

Binge drinking eggnog?  Cookie O.D.?  Late night raucous caroling?  Has your yoga taken a hit over the holidays?

It’s not uncommon for one’s commitment to yoga to waiver this time of year as outward activities subvert one’s inner peace.  Whatever your particular vice, consider these practical steps to reclaim your practice and keep your yoga on point in this celebratory season.

1. It is Never too Late!

No matter how low your practice may have declined, it is never too late to renew or revive it.  It is those first initial steps that can seem the most insurmountable.  Once you get started the rest seems to fall into place.  Yoga is the most dear friend that will never abandon you no matter how much you have abandoned it.

Don’t delay until the new year!  In fact, now is the time to create momentum that will launch you into the next trip around the sun with a fresh outlook on life.

2.  Let Go.

This is a totally different angle on yoga than practicing poses, but it is an easy and fulfilling way to bring the spirit of yoga to your daily life.  Letting go.

You do not have to look far to find examples of excess within our culture, just look at the latest holiday catalogue to show up in your mailbox and ask yourself “is this really necessary?”

In our materialistic culture, it can be easy to assume that we need something additional, something outside of ourselves to be fulfilled.  When in fact, the reverse is true.  Is there something that we are holding onto that we would be happier without?

This pertains to not only physical possessions but more importantly, mental attachments.  Clearing up psychic clutter of fear, resentment, anger will open the gateway to deeper levels of fulfillment in our day to day lives.  What are you willing to let go of, that once it’s gone, will free you up for more fun?

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3. Have Fun!

Yogic wisdom tells us that we are here for four primary reasons, one of which is kama or enjoyment.  We are here to experience the world in its fullness, joyfully.  Allow yourself to participate in the season’s celebrations, and your yoga practice, in the spirit of satisfaction and pleasure.

Consider adding some spice to your practice!

Expand your horizons, attend a class with another and highly reputable teacher.  Many studios offer “Friday Night Yoga” classes that feature very festive themes.  Attend classes that play (or don’t play) music.  Host a fellow yogi get together or simple bring a friend to class.

4. Make Mountains into Molehills.

It can be easy to get caught up in a grand vision of what our practice is supposed to look like, not meet that expectation, get discouraged, and quit. Sometimes less is more.

In my classes, I encourage students to begin by making small, manageable and sustainable changes.  Can you dedicate 20 minutes or more to a daily home practice?  Gradually increasing practice over time is more likely to stick than one big, ecstatic burst of inspiration.

If you do receive such a burst of enthusiasm (which can be great!) keep it in perspective and know that it is unlikely that you will live that way for the rest of your life.  (Sorry to be such a downer).

Consistency is the key to making long term progress on the path of yoga.  What can you do on a regular basis?  Life is better with yoga

5.  Prioritize Peace.

The goal is peace. People come to yoga for lots of different reasons: to lose weight, to find their tribe, to mend from an injury.  All of which are to be appreciated.  One essential reference point of the practice in peace, peace that brings freedom from internal friction within our own minds, peace that instills us with compassion and cultivates contentment.

Peace is something intrinsic within us, not something to be acquired.  In this season of “Peace on Earth” where does peace fall within your yoga practice?  Are you busy pursuing the outward appearance of the pose? How does peace show up (or not show up) in your relationships? How much do we practice self love and acceptance, the fruit of a peaceful perspective.

 

New Years Day Mantra for Inner-Illumination & Peace
– Jan. 1 at 9:30am

Start the new year on a sacred note. It will look very different than a conventional asana class, as we welcome the new year with meditation, individual and collective discussion (always inspiring!), and chanting the Gayatri Mantra 108 times. Create peace, within and without. Click here for more information.

3250 E. Sixth Ave. UCC
Suggested Donation ($15-20)

 

5 principles to be a better yoga student - axis yoga Denver

Axis Yoga Trainings of Denver, Colorado - Yoga Teacher Training 200-Hour Program

Become a better yoga student with these 5 mottos

Yoga can be very inspiring and yet we may find ourselves resisting or delaying practicing regularly.  We may have the best intentions, however get stuck in the actual application.   Here are five practice empowering perspectives and principles to help you make yoga a regular part of your life:

5 principles to be a better yoga student - Axis Yoga Teacher Trainings Denver

1. Life is Better With Yoga

People share their personal yoga stories with me all the time.They tell me how yoga has touched their lives in deep and meaningful ways; from people who have recovered from addiction to living pain free from an injury, to improved relationships, to enhanced spiritual development.

Why?  Because, yoga is expressly designed to make one’s life better. It is made to iron out the friction that keeps us feeling separate from life, to lessen the drama and amp up the peace.

I find that I am most resistant and doubtful of yoga practice when I am practicing the least: “I know this yoga stuff doesn’t work, because I’m not doing it.”  It is at these rare-rare moments that I remind myself that the effort that I put in is truly worth it, many times over.

Something far greater than doubt and resistance awaits on the other side of shavasana.  It becomes necessary to take those first initial steps that will guide me further into the practice and the promise that it holds.

 

5 principles to be a better yoga student - Axis Yoga Teacher Trainings Denver

2. Yoga Is Limitless. And So Is Your Practice.

Yoga is limitless.  There is no end to the amount peace, integration and fulfillment one can experience through the practice.  This may sound very lofty, but with deliberate effort, it is attainable.  Through regular practice, gradually our center of gravity begins to shift and we are no longer triggered quite as much or quite as often.

Yoga allows us to see ourselves from multiple perspectives, the same way you might hold a fine jewel up into the light to appreciate its shape, color, and how it reflects the light.

There is an element of mystery in yoga practice; it asks us to reconsider our conditioned thinking and to create space for uncertainty. Embrace letting go of preconceptions of yourself and the world around you and be open to yoga’s ability to guide you into and through the unknown.

Denver Yoga Teacher Training Yoga Event - Free December Classes at Axis Yoga

 

5 principles to be a better yoga student - Axis Yoga Teacher Trainings Denver

3. Go Beyond The Mat & Go Beyond The Pose

The affects of a healthy asana practice are fairly immediate. The mind becomes clearer and the body becomes free and light.  This kind of practice may feed us for many years. And yet, sooner or later, whether it’s an inter-personal riff, or a parking ticket on street sweeping day, we are bound to experience some form of disappointment.

It is at this point that we can draw upon deeper yogic principles such as compassion and non-attachment to regain our center.

At first we do yoga to improve our lives.  Then we do our life to improve our yoga practice.  Consider, are there things you can be doing (or not doing) out side of formal practice time that will amplify your time on the mat or meditation cushion.  What small lifestyle changes can you make that will improve the quality of your practice?  Here are some questions you might ask yourself:

  • Can I make some small adjustments to my diet?
  • Can I make it a habit of getting to bed on time and or waking up early to allot time for regular morning practice?
  • What am I willing to let go of that no longer serves me?
  • What role does devotion play in my life?
  • Who do I spend my time with, is it supportive?
  • Is there a change I can make in the quality of my speech?

Even a small change in any of the above arenas can free up obstructed energy and open up an empowering feedback loop that is bound to add bounce to your yoga practice.  Pick one principle and commit to practicing it for 14 days or longer.  Better yet, invite a yoga buddy to make the change as well.

 

5 principles to be a better yoga student - Axis Yoga Teacher Trainings Denver

4. Your Practice Doesn’t Work Unless You Do

In order for the practices to work, we have to DO them.  There seems to be no shortcut around this.  No amount of thinking about how one should practice, or reminiscing about past practices will substitute.  It is like learning any discipline, if you want to excel and reap the benefits, you need to practice.

This can be the daunting part.  However, it does not have to be a huge undertaking.  It is easy to assume that only the grandest version of a yoga practice will suffice, and then conclude that, if you are not living up to that vision, than you should quit.

Consistency is the key.  No matter how small, what can you do on a regular, sustainable basis?  In the words of the immortal Krishna, “Even a little of this practice will shelter you from great sorrow.”

 

5 principles to be a better yoga student - Axis Yoga Teacher Trainings Denver

5. Home Is Where The Asana Is

An entire world of revelation awakens when we adopt a home practice!  This is the point where we gather up all that we have learned from our teachers and begin to explore our personal relationship to yoga, outside of the bright or candle lit lights of the gym or studio.

One of the most genius aspects of yoga is that nothing outside of yourself is required.  All that is required is a breath, a body and a mind.  These are things that you take with you wherever you go, including your home.  On a very practical level, you can save yourself a lot of time and resources by rolling out your mat in your living room.  It does not need to be overly complicated.  In fact, the simpler the better.

Practicing at home will also allow you to better integrate the methods. No-thing outside of yourself is require.  The best news of all is that all the answers lie within you, waiting to be discovered. Yoga is the world’s greatest experiment in which you are both the subject and the object of investigation.  Practicing regularly at home will open the gates of greater love, insight and fulfillment.

 

I invite you to adopt any one or several of these concepts into your life both on and off of the mat.  It is never too late to reinvigorate your practice!

 

 

Free Student-Led Yoga Classes
– Dec. 11 & 17

At Axis, we teach the driving principles behind an comprehensive and in depth yoga practice (as opposed to route sequences). Our students have dedicated four months of their lives to learn these principles and will be sharing the final culmination of their understanding in their upcoming practicums. Come experience these one of a kind classes and support these students and they show off the skills they have learned and blossom into full fledged teachers! Click here for more information.

3250 E. Sixth Ave. UCC
Free and open to the public.

 

Axis Yoga Trainings of Denver, Colorado - Yoga Teacher Training 200-Hour Program

The Importance and Benefits of Ujjai Pranayama

The audible rhythm of ujjai pranayama or ujjai breath serves to give feedback as to the quality of our effort and, more importantly, provide a thread of concentration that carried us all the way to the end of class.  Attentively listening to the sound of the breath is enough to begin to draw us deeper into our practice and give us access to the yoga of sound.

It was Richard Freeman, the famed Ashtanga Yoga teacher, who first introduced me to the potency of sound as an instrument of yoga.  After nearly two hours of high power heat and asana, we found refuge in shavasana, a return to silence.

Richard gently coaxed us out of our trance like absorption of corpse pose, with the deeply primal, humming resonance of a Tibetan singing bowel.  The sound was a bridge between inner and outer world -we were being beckoned back to our earthly existence.

Richard regularly began his classes with students lying on their backs, knees bent, with feet on the floor.  He then instructed us to gently constrict the back of the throat, so that the air would rub across it and produce a soft audible whisper, something like wind through the trees, or the sound of the sea.

From a tantra-yoga perspective, there are four stages of sound.

Three of these stages precede gross auditory forms of sound. According to this tradition the entire Universe is set in motion by a deep current of vibrational pulsation called adya-spanda, which precedes the formation of material objects.

The most dense form of sound is the spoken word, called vaikhari.

This is the realm of sound that most of us consciously occupy.  None the less, it is possible to affect deep changes in our psyche through deliberate changes in vaikhari.  Anyone can appreciate the quality of influence of listening to the drone of competing voices at a social function and the trance-like melody of kirtan.

Entire yoga systems, such as laya yoga (the yoga of sound and chakras), kirtan (bhakti yoga), nada yoga (the yoga of inner sound), and mantra yoga (the ritualistic application of mantra) are built around the manipulation of sound vibrations.

Denver Yoga Teacher Training Yoga Event - Gong Bath at Axis Yoga

All of these systems are intended to attune us to a higher reality through specific sound currents.

While many of these sound based systems may seem out of reach, you have no further to look than the sound of your own breath to begin to discover the ability of sound to inform your practice.  One of the simplest ways to begin to infuse your practice with sound based awareness is through the ujjai breath. Ujjai tells us when we need to surrender into a resting posture, as the breath should remain almost as smooth in dynamic postures as in resting poses. It allows us to practice honesty, taking a step back to let go of our ego. Here are some additional benefits:

6 Physical Benefits of Consistent, Focused Ujjai Breath

1. Releases tension and tight areas of the body

2. Creates endurance that helps maintains the rhythm of the class

3. Decreases pain from headaches and sinus pressure, and strengthens the nervous and digestive systems

4. Heats up the core of the body making stretching safer while cleansing the inner organs of toxins

5. Improves concentration and balance in your physical practice

6. Diminishes distractions allowing for a more grounded practice

 

Sonic Gong Bath for Healing and Renewal   – Nov. 19

Join Denver’s very own master Gong Bath musician, Gary Fishman, on a vibrational journey of serenity and renewal. Fishman powerfully blends indigenous instruments, such as planetary gongs, Tibetan singing bowls, and didgeridoos.  He also integrates the use of dazzling crystals and stunning stones as part of this cosmic journey of sound and vibration.

Any and all are welcome to attend this interstellar voyage of cellular renewal.  Bring something to lye down on such as a blanket, a yoga mat or some combination of the above. Click here for more information.

Saturday, Nov. 19th.  6-9:30  |  3250 E. Sixth Ave. UCC
Suggested Donation ($10-20)

 

What makes a yoga pose an authentic yoga pose?

Here are several answers to this question. Can you guess which one it is?

A.You look like, and are able to smile like, the model on the cover of Yoga Journal

B.You are one of the elite few who can do handstand in the center of the room

C.You are hyper flexible, and therefore able to go deeper into the poses

D.You actually present and attuned to whatever posture it is that you are doing

 

The answer is D!

As a yoga teacher I sometimes hear would be students say “I would like to try yoga but I am not flexible enough”, as though the ability to touch one’s toes were a prerequisite to the practice.  The assumption is that success in yoga can be measured by one’s ability to bend.

Even dedicated practitioners can fall into this assumption and miss out on the deeper purpose and potential of any given asana.  In fact, it is possible to seemingly grow more and more proficient at yoga poses without ever actually practicing yoga.  If our practice is motivated purely by external appearance, than we are missing out on a fundamental aspect of yoga.

Many can attest that there is an implicit value in the postures, that is not to be discounted.  And, let us consider that the postures, along with other even more sophisticated yogic methodologies, are a means to a much greater end -Union with one’s inborn spirit.

While this may sound very lofty, it is something that can be gradually discovered and ultimately realized.  The postures can be a means to begin to approach this ideal provided we are practicing with the correct orientation.

The crown jewel of both asana and meditative practice is awareness-itself.  How attentive are we to the quality or pranic essence of our breathing?  Attuned to the quality of the vital breath, are we able to make fine adjustments to the body to accommodate a more compete experience of the breath itself?  How do subtle or overt changes in our breath affect our mind?

Through this detailed process of repositioning or repatterining of the breath, body and the mind through the postures, new neuro-pathways are built and the yogi experiences deeper and deeper levels of peace and perception.

The Sanskrit term for the joining of breath, body and mind is triputi or the uniting of three energies.  Bringing these three aspects fully to bare on the physical pose greatly magnifies the power, potential, and inborn wisdom of any given posture.

From this perspective the ultimate goal of asana is not to contort oneself into the most exotic position, but rather, to use the posture as a fuel for developing inner awareness.

Using the posture as a tool to become more conscious of ones breath, body, mind, spirit connections the essence of yoga practice is brought to life.

JOIN US! OCTOBER 16th EVENT

This month we are hosting an exclusive community yoga class in Denver that focuses on this topic of authenticity in yoga poses as well as “Asana and the Gateway to the Inner-World.” Join us on Sunday, Oct. 16th from 9:30-11:30.

Click here for more information.

Catch a glimpse into an experiment in progress by one of the Axis Yoga Teacher Training students.

The following posts describe how this student adopted some new habits and changed some old ones in an effort to finally deal with chronic allergies and asthma. With the help of Ayurveda and Yoga this student, like many others, discovers their own power to effect change and healing in all parts of the body.

For my Ayurvedic experiment, I chose to attempt to alleviate something more physically immediate that was plaguing my existence: allergies. I have struggled with allergies, asthma, and eczema my whole life. I was always trying to figure out what was causing it but with very little effort into truly trying to understand the why’s and what’s of the cause and just hoping it would miraculously go away some day. I lived in Hawai’i when from ages 3-6 and I seemingly had no allergies there (except to cats). We moved to Florida right before my 7th birthday and that is where my struggles began. I would have frequent asthma attacks and needed to be hooked up to a nebulizer in order to breathe. It was miserable. I seemingly grew out of it but have noticed recently that perhaps I haven’t grown out of my asthma and allergies as much as I’d thought.

This experiment has led me to speculate that perhaps my asthma is allergic asthma. While my focus was not so much my asthma, the two are very much interrelated. I began taking the following herbs for Pitta and Kapha allergies: 8 shatavari; 1 guduchi; 1/4 shanka bhasma; 2 sitopaladi; 2 yasthi madhu (licorice); 2 turmeric; 2 coriander. I have been taking ~2 tsp once a day with warm water since March 20th. The first week was a little bit of a struggle, as I missed 3 days of taking it due to forgetfulness. I strongly dislike the feeling I get when I haven’t held up my end of a deal and told myself I need to figure out a way to prioritize it so that I don’t forget. I have found that taking the ~2tsp once a day during my morning routine is most effective for me.

At first the taste was not as bad as I was expecting. It reminded me of the end of a cereal box, where all of the grainy sugar and sweetness lies, except minus the sugar. It tasted slightly sweet, which I appreciated (as I gravitate towards such things), but swallowing was a little difficult. I could feel every grainy piece of the herbs I was taking. The first time I took it, I tried to just open my mouth, drop my head back, and dump the herbs on the back of my tongue to avoid any sensory displeasure. This technique backfired as I inhaled and simultaneously drew the herbs into my lungs and erupted into a coughing fit of regret and annoyance. I learned my lesson. It has now been 8 consecutive days that I have taken the herbs everyday without forgetting. I don’t feel that I have that much to report on in the way of results, but I can testify to the other doors that have been opened for me during this process.

As I mentioned before, I have been more able to discover more about my condition, what exacerbates it, and what I may do to calm it or control it. I am a huge proponent for the positive effects of using marijuana. As a CrossFit athlete, I put my body under intense bouts of stress. I lift heavy weights, and try to complete metabolic conditioning movements as fast as I can. Marijuana is something I have been using daily for several years (about 4 years) and it helps my recovery tremendously. I noticed that it also eased some of the anxiety and restlessness that came along with my college graduation. I have noticed that for the past several months, as my allergies have been acting up more, that metabolic exercise has been tremendously more difficult for me. I have so much phlegm and mucous that it literally makes it difficult to breathe. When I am in the middle of a workout and I have to stop because I can’t breathe and am approaching a moment of asthma panic, it is disheartening. It makes me feel that my inability to breathe is keeping me from reaching my goals and it feels unfair.

My Ayurvedic experiment is actually several different experiments all rolled into one. One overarching theme I have begun is to be more mindful in everything that I do. I have never been someone who has paid attention to anything that I wasn’t interested in or willfully trying to learn. I am a daydreamer and one of my biggest flaws is that I don’t listen (my moon is in Pisces if that helps a better picture for you. AKA – Space cadet here!). Being more mindful has been an uphill battle. It is really difficult to change something I didn’t even realize I was doing. This experiment has made me realize that as much as I love smoking marijuana for all the positive things it brings to my life, perhaps it is not serving me in the same way anymore. I have decided to take a two week break from smoking marijuana (as of April 2nd), which I may extend to a month or even longer if I discover that I don’t need it as much as I thought I did. I am really trying to pay attention to how that can serve me right now in alleviating my allergic asthma and allergy symptoms.