Tag Archive for: ayurveda

Better Health through Ayurveda: Observations

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.

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Better Health through Ayurveda: Conclusion

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.

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Experiment in Ayurveda

As part of Axis Yoga’s 200 hour teacher training program, students learn about the ancient science of Ayurveda and are invited to design an experiment incorporating ayurvedic wisdom and medicine into their lives. This student’s experiment consisted of  Abhyanga Massage-self massage with oils, Vamana Dhauti, Marma Massage and eating foods to support her dosha.  Below she provides an explanation of each experiment along with her results.

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Experiment in Ayurveda: Abhyanga

Abhyanga is the anointing of the body with oil. Often medicated and usually warm, the oil is massaged into the entire body before bathing. For thousands of years people have used abhyanga to maintain health, benefit sleep patterns, increase longevity. It has also been used as a medicine for certain disorders. Abhyanga can be incorporated into a routine appropriate for almost anyone.

I really loved doing the Abhyanga self massage.  It simply just made me feel good.  It is something that I have chosen to continue.  I did change the oil I was using, after finding out that my Dosha was different than what I originally thought.  I didn’t notice a change in the affect of the oil. 

My favorite is coconut oil.  I usually use sesame but change it up with coconut oil.  It makes me feel like I am somewhere tropical.  The Abhyanga feels very self nurturing and loving to me.  My first experiment was with Ahimsa and this seems to be a continuation of practicing non harmful thoughts toward yourself. 

I notice a significant change in the days that I have done Abhyanga compared to the days I have not.  Through this experiment, I had some pretty rough days with my asthma and this really calmed me down and helped me relax.

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Experiment in Ayurveda: Vamana Dhauti

Vamana dhauti is a cleansing technique from India. Many yogis and householders there practice it every morning as a part of their normal routine, just like brushing their teeth.

The mucus produced in the gastrointestinal tract is a gift of nature, and it functions in the overall balance and harmony of physiological processes. Sometimes though, people swallow mucus into the stomach that comes from the respiratory tract.  It happens when they’re over producing it there because of a cold (or other viral or bacterial infection) or because of nasal allergies.  An excess of swallowed respiratory mucus can cause nausea, but there are no serious consequences.

Since I have had a ton of respiratory issues; pneumonia, sinusitis and drainage, asthma, excess mucus…I felt this may be a good experiment for me.  Well, not so much.  It was a bonding experiment between me and some of the other students in class that participated, but…I don’t think I will do this again anytime soon. 

The experiment itself wasn’t so bad.  I had no trouble puking…I have done this enough times throughout my life.  After the Vamana Dhauti, I felt super tired but fine.  When I got home, my asthma was really bad and I had a huge migrane.   I couldn’t calm my breathing down, even with my nebulizer machine.  I couldn’t relax and my migrane wouldn’t go away…it really scared me. 

I kept my partner close by, thinking I may need to go to the emergency room.  I called Santosh for support and he told me to get in the shower to calm my headache.  This helped, we checked in with each other every half hour.  I think having Santosh support by phone and Clay nearby rubbing my back and keeping me calm, helped ease my breathing enough where my body could rest. 

One suggestion for anyone doing this experiment would be to definitely not do it while on your moon.  Also, drink a ton of water immediately after you puke, maybe even drink some electrolytes.  I was having some reactive hypoglycemia issues as well as thyroid issues I wasn’t aware of at the time. 

On a positive note, I am glad that I did it.  I cleared a large amount of some pretty disgusting mucus out of my gut and that is not such a bad thing…it needed to go and feel it was part of my healing process.

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Experiment in Ayurveda: Marma Massage

Marma is a Sanskrit word meaning hidden , or secret. By definition, a marma point is a juncture on the body where two or more types of tissue meet, such as muscles, veins, ligaments, bones or joints. Yet marma points are much more than a casual connection of tissue and fluids; they are intersections of the vital life force and prana, or breath.

According to Ayurvedic philosphy, doshas make up a person’s constitution. The trinity includes vata (air), pitta (fire) and kapha (earth). Everone is born in a state of balance, or prakriti. During the aging process, factors such as anxiety, lackluster diet, or poor sleep habits cause disharmony among the doshas. Over the years, doshic imbalances begin to block the movement of free-flowing energy in the body. Eventually, the stagnation opens the door to physical and mental discomfort and disease. Enter marma massage.

The idea behind massaging the marma points is to cleanse blocked energy, also called chi, by either arousing or calming the doshas. Like a television with three channels, each marma point has three receptors that align with the three doshas. During a marma-point massage, the points are stroked in a deliberate sequence using specific essential oils.

Beth Sanchez did my Marma massage treatments.  I did 3 or 4 with her over a 2 week period.  It felt very nurturing, relaxing and helpful overall. I feel it opened up my body to receive healing.  Loved it!  Beth was very supportive throughout my Ayurvedic experiment.  She had so much helpful advice.  Her calm, nurturing demeanor and her perspective was greatly appreciated.

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Experiment in Ayurveda: Eating for Vata Dosha

My diet is pretty healthy because I have been dealing with asthma and food sensitivities for a long time.  I stopped drinking alcohol about 3 months before I began the yoga teacher training.  I gave up red meat and sugar.   My body changed through diet and exercise but I still suffer with asthma and sinus issues. 

My visit with Ayurvedic doctor Alakananda Ma revealed that I was a Vata Dosha.  This changed my whole perspective mid stream on my diet.  This explained a lot to me.  I had been eating foods that were not right for my dosha all along.  The teas have supported my immune system and I feel really good when I take them.  In combination with my visit to Alakananda and Dr. Singer (D.O./alternative Dr. deals with chronic issues), I figured out a directional plan for my health.

The foods within the Vata diet were much different than I had been eating.   Although I was eating healthy foods, they were the wrong foods for my Dosha.  Plus, I ate way too many carbs., having Reactive Hypoglycemia.  My protein was low, I was advised to eat meat.  I bless it.  Since I have cut the carbs., increased my protein, I have felt much better.  I haven’t felt dizzy, as if I was going to pass out during yoga for a couple of weeks now.   I have increased my sadhana and asana practice to daily! 

This experiment has really guided me.  It would be such a beautiful thing if Eastern and Western Medicine would just get along.  They compliment each other.  At this time, I don’t feel that I could have the improvement that I have had, one without the other.  I need some medication, to transition me off my steroid inhalers, prescriptions of high dose probiotics to boost my immune system, shots in my butt of iron and B12 and wow, I feel normal again.  The Ayurvedic diet has been key and the teas are amazing. 

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Pacifying Vata: Introduction

Review of the Ayurvedic dosha attributes and subsequently taking the test in, The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies, confirmed my inclination that my dosha is predominately vata.  To summarize, several the characteristics I found compelling to come to this assessment related to my vikruti, including the physically imbalanced condition of dry skin, accented with cracked heals and cuticles particularly in the winter time, dry hair, and constipation.  Of the body types attributable to vatas, I am on the lean side with protruding veins.  Further confirming my vata prakruti is my strong dislike of cold weather from which I tend to quickly develop cold feet and hands.  Other common denominators I share with this dosha include my tendency to be in a hurry, constantly busy, walking quickly, and feeling out of sorts if I don’t exercise.  My sleep patterns are restless as I often wake up several times through the night and generally sleep between 6 to 7 hours.  Going to sleep and when I wake are about only routine behaviors I exhibit, which is approximately 10 and 4:30, respectively.

Of my imbalance issues, I decided to address my digestive issues and eating patterns.  In particular, I have had constipation issues for many years.  Often my bowel movements are a torment, as I sit for 10 plus minutes only to return to the bathroom again one or more times since I wasn’t able to clear myself.  My diet is indeed quite variable and tends not to be overly healthy.  Typical mornings for breakfast include 4 to 5 cups of coffee and anything with sugar (donuts, cake, chocolate, pastries).  Lunch generally consists of a sandwich and chips.  Snacks throughout the day are more of the sugar treats noted at breakfast.  Dinners vary in times and tend not to be organized.  Occasionally I will skip a lunch or formal dinner as I feel the need to get other things done, like exercise, and then just nibble on a few items.  On top of all this, I don’t drink a lot of water and favor soda.   I think my tendency to exercise incessantly is in part due to my bad eating habits as I rationalize that exercise will offset the unhealthy food items I put into my body.

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Pacifying Vata: Observations

During the latter part of the first week I noticed that my bowel movements change a little, but I was still having constipation related issues with movements lasting in excess of 10 minutes and feeling unfinished.  During this period I also noted that I wasn’t overly hungry as I thought I would be despite cutting out a lot of sugar, but was sleepy during the day.  Towards the end of the week I was still able to maintain my sleep patterns but still woke up several times during the night.  Through the two week period and continued my routine to either swim or jog on the treadmill for approximately 35 minutes in the morning.

In the second week I found my energy level increasing.  My bowel movements seemed to be more concentrated entering to the latter part of the week, with a shorter amount of time on the toilet and two to three productive movements during the course of the day.  Another interesting observation I found during the week was my craving for sweets and salty foods seemed to be dissipating.  There were plenty of temptations in the office for these snacks, but I resisted eating these, instead eating fruit or carrots.

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Putting Together the Ayurvedic Puzzle

Ayurveda, the sister-science to yoga, has many pieces for preventing disease and prolonging life. Axis Yoga Teacher Training students have the opportunity to begin their Ayurvedic journey through a personal experiment. This student, like most, began with a few changes and plans to continue embracing more Ayurvedic principles in the future.

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