Back to the Basics: The Experiment

My personal experiment morphed into selecting and creating a checklist around daily practices recommended by Dr. Lad (at least most of them), making dietary changes, and adjusting my pranayama and meditation sadhana.  My experiment was to track my practices and my physical and mental states during these practices to identify what changes, if any, I experienced and/or what insights I gained.

In terms of arriving at the experiment, Beth’s specific input was very helpful as it allowed me to create a meaningful yet practical experiment, and this advice will fair me well over the long haul:

* Start with things that are causing the greatest trouble first.   For most of us, that is on the gross physical plane. Once a good self-care routine of the physical body is in place, then the subtler energies work more effectively. … It does not do much good to work on enlightenment [if you’re otherwise unstable].

*Generally, follow your dosha, for me, a pitta pacifying diet and, for brain tiredness, eat fruit or complex carbs that are sweet in nature.  Remember to take fruit alone.

*The effects of tangible actions involving food, lifestyle changes, self-massage and so forth – will affect the mind because [body, mind and spirit are not   …. ] separate but ….  distinct.  Continue to follow your primary dosha and not adopt vata pacifying measures to deal with, for example, seeming vata tendencies on an emotional level.

* Mostly DEVELOP YOUR AWARENESS.   Watch how the mind works and when thoughts that are disempowering arise, notice them and introduce a new thought. Consider thoughts simply as something called “habit energy” and habits have their own momentum.   Intervene with awareness and gently direct the mind back to something else.