The biggest contribution that yoga and more specifically this training program have provided me is a sense of community. Through Axis and my own yoga studio, I have found a connection to people who share my philosophies of yoga and people I can lean on when things are hard. The lessons I’ve learned through reading, […]
Many, if not most, of the students who complete the Axis Yoga Teacher Training program will describe how Yoga has enriched their lives. Often times in ways that were completely unexpected. This student’s story of performing panchkarma for the program’s Ayurvedic experiment is another example of attaining gifts other than those sought.
For the past year and a half, I have experienced various symptoms associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I have tried with limited success to use Western medicine, elimination diets, exercise, and stress management to alleviate these symptoms. In particular, at this time of year when we are transitioning from warmer to cooler months, I know […]
I chose to practice panchakarma for my Ayurveda experiment to help neutralize my seasonally aggravated pitta as well as to invite healing for my IBS.
Lad (1998)[1] describes that traditional panchakarma includes five “actions”: internal oleation (daily ingesting increasing amounts of liquid ghee) while eating a doshic diet; external oleation and sweating (massaging oneself with coconut oil and then breaking a sweat before showering) while eating a monodiet of only kitchari and vegetables and drinking only cumin, coriander, fennel tea; […]
On the practical realm, after practicing panchakarma, I have noticed that my ears no longer itch (a sign that my seasonal allergies have diminished) and that I am probably five pounds lighter. Unfortunately, after the cleanse, I am experiencing more symptoms associated with IBS than I had pre-cleanse. (post continued on next page)
More significantly though, by practicing the traditional five components of panchakarma, I also came to embrace five attitudes that were vital in cleansing and rejuvenating myself spirituality.
This cleanse would have been much harder had I not had the support, encouragement, and camaraderie of my four classmates who were also practicing panchakarma. How helpful it was to get texts from each other reminding us of our purpose or simply lamenting together about the infamous ghee burps! As part of my job as […]
For me, this was not a secular cleanse but a three week spiritual retreat in which I used the practice of modifying my diet to help me connect with the Great Beyond. Further, when I experienced discomfort during the cleanse, I ascribed meaning to it as moving me towards the desired ends of greater health […]
During the cleanse, instead of being burnt out on eating only kitchari, I enjoyed the opportunity to find new ways to add complimentary vegetables to the dish. I roasted and pureed winter squashes for the first time; I ate more vegetables than I typically do and intestinally felt good doing so. Likewise, when I needed […]