When we set out to achieve a goal we determine how we will measure our success. The beauty comes when we recognize that there are other forms of success along the way. This Axis Yoga Teacher Training student is a lovely example of how success can be found throughout our journey. This student set a goal to eat meals quietly and without distraction as an Ayurvedic experiment. Success was found not just at the finish line but in the multiple facets of awareness that were found during the process.
It was very inspiring to hear former students present their Ayurveda experiments to our class. I was impressed by their willingness to share personal information, experiences and insights as a way to help us contemplate what behavior we would like to change in our own lives.
The first behavior that came to my mind as they were speaking, that I was most frustrated with, was the way I ate a meal when I was alone. I very often ate fast, sometimes in front of the TV, or sometimes just would scarf down snacks simultaneously while I was composing an e-mail, paying bills, or reading. This issue of rushing through a meal, unfortunately, was a behavior I had also carried into the office. I was starting to make progress in the work arena by no longer eating at my desk but continued to struggle at home. Therefore, I wanted my Ayurveda class experiment to focus on my eating behavior specifically at home.
What I found interesting is that I kept on putting off designing any sort of structure or setting up any parameters for my experiment. I really did not want to deal with it. Looking at the class syllabus a few days later, I realized that I needed to start to deal with it sooner than later, or at least figure out why I was struggling and resisting even thinking about it. I ended up taking the time to contemplate the why. The first thing that popped into my head was my memory of eating family meals. Unfortunately, it was not a very pleasant experience, so my five siblings and I ate fast in the hope for an early dismissal from the table. Another thought that came to mind was my struggle to take time to nurture myself and not always feel that I needed to be productive.
Being one to always want to analyze, this mental exercise allowed me to proceed with the next step of formulating my hypothesis which was: If I made an effort to be more aware of how I eat I would be introducing a new nurturing and self-healing behavior into my life. In order to test out my hypothesis, I decided that I would try and eat one meal a day mindfully by myself. I defined mindfully to mean sitting down at a table, taking time before I ate to express gratitude for my food and then eating slowly in silence.
The duration of my experiment was 2 weeks and counting. My first meal was a dinner. I took the time to initiate the start of my experiment by cooking a special dinner consisting of salmon, sweet potatoes and salad. Before I ate I lit a candle and paused to think about all the people and elements that were necessary and responsible for my meal. This was a profound experience for me because even though I have felt appreciative and thankful for my meals and have expressed gratitude in the past I never took the time until this dinner to really think this process through in detail before eating a meal. Not only did I think of the natural elements in the process of growing our food ( i.e. sun, rain, soil), but thought about the person who planted the seed, caught the fish, tended and harvested the plants, packed the food for shipping, transported the food, received the food, stocked the shelves and checked me out in the store. I also started to think about who these people might be and what was maybe going on in their lives and did they realize the importance of their work to us all. This dive into this process of thought made me feel very humble and appreciative of how we are all connected not only in spirit but in human survival.
Over the next two plus weeks I focused on having a mindful meal on average every other day. I began each of these meals with expressing gratitude to all those people who assisted in the culmination of the meal in front of me. After expressing my gratitude, initially I struggled with the silence as my mind instantaneously began filling up, reliving the day’s events and reminding me of what tasks I still needed to tackle that day. I felt like I was missing something here. So I tried to focus on slowing down my pace of eating and savoring more of the flavors of the food. Thoughts continued to enter my head but what I started to realize was that I was becoming more present and was becoming aware of the moment I felt I had enough to eat. This was something I never experienced. Unfortunately, this “aha” moment didn’t necessarily prevent me from eating more each time but it made me more consciously aware of my ability to control how I ate. The choice was mine.
I definitely feel that my experiment was a success even though I cannot honestly say that I am eating each meal with a mindful intent of slowing down and stopping when I feel full. Conducting the experiment, however, was the catalyst for me to consciously address a behavior that I knew needed to change. Awareness is my success.
On a side note, I would like to report that I bought myself a tongue scraper and have added the scraping into my morning ritual. I can’t say I notice any changes, however, I do like the idea of knowing, according Dr. Lad, that “scraping is sending an indirect message to all the internal organs and stimulating gastric fire and digestive enzymes.” Sounds very powerful and with a sluggish digestive system this is the least I can do to keep that fire burning.
Often the thought of beginning something new can seem much more daunting than it actually is once you get started. That was the case for this Axis Yoga Teacher Training student in an effort towards leading a life of less stress and anxiety. Through an Ayurvedic experiment with dinacharya (daily routine), this student realized just how accessible that life could be.
To begin my Ayurvedic experiment, I first did a self evaluation in relation to the doshas and quickly learned that my Vata is extremely out of balance. I am constantly in motion and realized that it causes me to have anxiety and stress throughout my daily activities. Through this realization, I acknowledged that I really did have the desire to slow down and be more present. In order to implement this sense of control, I decided to design my experiment around the use of a more devoted Dinacharya that would lead me to a place where I felt grounded and content.
My original plan was to start with waking up earlier, which is not something that I was able to do every day but did make happen quite a few times over the last couple weeks. These are the days that stand out to me as being the most fulfilling. Having a large amount of Vata in me and recognizing that I do not slow down for much, it seems like waking up just a little bit earlier finally gave me a sense of stability. These days were the most rewarding because I had the time to give myself the attention that I need, both mentally and physically. The first thing I did after waking up was acknowledge my breath and then say out loud thank you, thank you, thank you. Doing this makes me STOP and smile and fills me with happiness. Beginning the day this way made me realize how important it is to me to practice gratitude and surrender to what is. After allowing myself to wake up in enough time to recognize the beauty within me and around me, I decided to start scraping my tongue. In class, I learned that the oral cavity is one of the main gateways between your mind/body and the environment so maintaining the health of this connection is critical to my general well-being. I found that since I was up early and no longer in a rush, I was excited for the tongue scraping because it made me feel a sense of renewal and cleanliness. Tongue scraping also intrigued me because I was able to assess how well my food was digesting and try to avoid foods that were obviously not agreeing with my body. I knew that this would help me to retain the feelings of clarity throughout the day ahead. The final part of my experiment was the practice of Nasya – administration of sunflower oil by the way of my nasal cavity. I was incredibly nervous about this part because I simply could not imagine that this practice would be tolerable and most definitely not enjoyable. Feeling anxious and nervous, I went to Whole Foods to purchase Sunflower oil as it is good for a Vata-Pita person like me and headed home to fill my glass vile. The first drops were very strange feeling but I was able to find several full breaths while emptying the entire dropper, half in one nostril and half in the other per Susan’s direction. I laid down and hung my head off the edge of my bed as I let the oil soak in and contrary to my thoughts, everything was fine and it actually felt amazing! I could feel some sort of tension release in my face almost immediately. Naturally, I have an extremely dry nasal cavity and after just 3 days of practicing Nasya I could tell a major difference internally. My nose has been so dry for so long that I didn’t think anything could help but this did the trick and I couldn’t be more pleased. One thing I would like to mention is that when I first started this practice, I was doing it in the evening and in the morning my throat would hurt a little bit. The best part about it is that through tongue scraping, my throat no longer hurt and all is well!
Overall, my experience with Ayurveda practices has been eye opening and amazing. Though I was frustrated with the early morning wake ups and the sore throat, I always came back to a place of appreciation for the YTT training and the amazing support surrounding the program. I have already learned and continue to learn so much about myself and the world around me. I am grateful for every experience whether it is helpful or not because I am still learning and that is what is most important to me. My Ayurvedic experiment started out as what seemed to be an extremely extensive and unnecessary Dinacharya. It felt overwhelming at first, but ended up being something that I actually really enjoyed. It even made me realize that all of these things that I have been interested in incorporating into my life for a long time were much more accessible than I had thought. I plan to continue on with my Dinacharya and continue experimenting with more suggestions from Vasant Lad and his book, Ayurvedic Home Remedies.
Axis Yoga Trainings’ students received customized feedback and suggestions for their ayurvedic experiments. Here is what Susan Bernhardt, AYT’s lead ayurveda instructor, had to say about this students process.
“I’m so glad that you found the experiment to be helpful. Waking up early, expressing gratitude, tongue-scraping, and nasya – all wonderful! It’s great that you went ahead with nasya despite the trepidation. I’m also glad that the sore throat cleared up. Traditionally, nasya is done in the morning, at some point before breakfast. Perhaps being vertical after, instead of horizontal at night, is helpful.
It’s great to hear that you plan to continue your dinacharya and experimenting. Good luck!
Thank you for the thoughtful experiment and paper.”
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.