“To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” – Buddha
This quote illuminates my intentions going into my personal experiment. Throughout the course of this training, I have realized that my emotions run unbridled throughout my being and my body is lethargic and at the whim of cravings I feel helpless to control. As a result, my mind is incredibly muddled, hazy, and teaming with anxiety and confusion. The focus of my personal experiment was upon integrating many of the aspects of yoga that have been highlighted in the training (Sadhana, Meditation, Asana, Ayurveda), to move far beyond simply doing the asanas to integrating yogic thinking into every aspect of life. Though this personal experiment spanned the length of 4 weeks, it has quickly turned into a life-long endeavor. I would like to share the design of my experiment and some of the preliminary results.

My experiment officially began on April 14, 2014. This was the first day that I started focusing on incorporating some of the Ayurvedic recommended practices into my daily routine. I also began to focus more on the spiritual aspect of my asana practice at the studio where I attend approximately 4 times per week. My diet was already very healthy, but I began to drink half-caffeinated coffee in a gradual process that I hoped would lead to removal of caffeine from my diet altogether. I also focused on completely eliminating processed foods from my diet. I also attempted to follow the food recommendations for my dosha (kapha) given in Vasant Lad’s book, Ayurvedic Home Remedies. This went on for 2 weeks.

On April 28^th, I had an initial Ayurvedic consultation visit with Susan Bernhardt at Essence Ayurveda. This session truly inspired me to become more dedicated to Ayurvedic self-healing. At this consultation, I learned that gluten was likely causing many of the daily issues that I thought were just how life was going to be for me (constipation, gas, bloating, anxiety, depression, urinary tract infections, etc.).   Susan recommended that I do a gluten free experiment for 4-6 weeks to see if these symptoms lessened. She also recommended that I follow guidelines for the elimination of excess yeast in my digestive system. This yeast (candida) was likely causing my intense cravings for sugar. In the past these have been so bad that I feel completely helpless to ignore them. She recommended that I take Latero Flora probiotic in the morning before breakfast and a probiotic supplement or food with every meal. Susan created a customized herbal formula for me to take twice a day, apart from meals. She also made a Nasya oil that I put in my nose in the morning. This helps promote a sattvic mind and eases anxiety and depression. On April 30^th, I picked up the the herbal formula, Nasya oil, and Latero Flora supplement from Susan and began my full routine on April 31^st.

Dietary Changes

Going completely gluten-free is not very difficult when I am cooking for myself at home. I was already very close to gluten-free prior to the experiment. It becomes slightly more difficult when going out to eat and hanging out with friends. However, I am already seeing the benefits to my digestive system and it is no longer with it to me to compromise my overall feelings of lightness and wellbeing for a piece of bread or a cookie. I also eliminated soy milk from my diet. Though it is gluten-free, it is hard for the body to digest. I switched instead to rice milk.

Eliminating sugar has been slightly more difficult. Prior to my consultation with Susan, I was eating a lot of fruit on a daily basis and using a lot of raw honey to sweeten hot drinks. After my consultation, I began to limit my fruit intake to 2-3 servings per day of non-acidic fruit (apples, pears, mangos). I now keep a ½ tsp. near the honey and only use that much to sweeten my hot beverages. Overall, I limit raw honey consumption to 2 Tbsp. per day.

Eliminating caffeine has not been as difficult as I thought. I was dreading it but considering that I had weaned down to half-caffeinated coffee, it seemed the next logical step. I switched to herbal rooibos chai in the morning. The first day or two were a little rough in the morning. I could definitely tell that my body didn’t know what to think. I felt simultaneously lethargic and antsy. I am now caffeine free. I still think that I will enjoy a cup of coffee every once in a while, probably when I go out for brunch or as a special treat. Even then, I will make a point to have half-caffeinated as a reminder to myself that I don’t want to go back to being addicted to caffeine. I had been drinking coffee on a daily basis for many years and was unable to function without it.

There are many herbs in my customized herbal supplement that Susan created. They assist with all kinds of issues (digestion, elimination, skin, menstruation, joints, anxiety/depression, urination and countless others). I will admit that it’s probably the most digusting tasting stuff that I’ve ever eaten but since I researched each herb I feel a commitment to taking it because I know the benefits that it is giving my body. I take 1 tsp. twice per day apart from meals.