My initial interest was with the pancha karma process but after my first experiment, I fully acknowledged that I have a tendency to overwhelm myself with challenges as a means of self-punishment. While this process sounds like something I would like to do in the future, I knew it was above and beyond what I was capable of at that time. Since the start of the yoga teacher training, I increasingly realized that the current state of my food intake was affecting other portions of my life. I was so removed from the intake process that I really had no idea what I was putting into my body and in what quantities. I chose to focus on my food and drink intake due to a recent visit to the doctor when a change in diet was recommended to control my mood swings and emotional sensitivity.
Tag Archive for: Panchakarma
Axis Yoga Teacher Training students learn about Ayurveda as part of the comprehensive Axis program. Students then have the opportunity to implement Ayurvedic principles into their daily routine. Some brave students, like the one below, dive into the Ayurveda portion by experimenting with a full panchakarma (cleanse).
When I read that Ayurveda would be part of our syllabus at Axis Yoga, I was so excited. I didn’t really know anything about Ayurveda, but I was thrilled to learn. As with all things Yoga, the more I learned, the more questions I had. But still, I wanted to know what Ayurveda had to offer me. To find that out I must know my Dosha.
At the beginning it seemed as if I may be Tri-doshic. So again, more questions. If I’m Tri-doshic, how do I know what is a balanced symptom of one Dosha versus an unbalanced symptom of a different Dosha. Instead of looking at the Doshas and their qualities, I decided to look at the unbalanced symptoms of each Dosha and see what looked familiar to me. Again, I was across the board, I had imbalances associated with all three Doshas. I had read about the Panchakarma in our required reading and it seemed like a good way to balance everything in one shot and maybe shed some light on my Dosha situation.
Upon reading about the Panchakarma it didn’t seem that difficult a cleanse to execute. I have done cleanses before, namely the Master Cleanse, and I thought I could sail through this one with ease. But, I was wrong. Ghee was my initial choice for my internal and external oleation. My first attempt with the ghee internal oleation was horrific. It made me gag and the smell was more than I could bare, but I persevered. I continued this morning ritual with a ghee oil pull and tongue scraping for the first three days as prescribed.
On the fourth day I discontinued the internal oleation and replaced it with the external oleation. I also began eating the monodiet of kicheree on this day. Even though I was no longer drinking the ghee, but massaging myself with it before showering, the smell was too much! All day I would burp ghee, everything smelled like butter and not in a good way. I felt as though I were made of the stuff! On the fifth day of my cleanse I woke up with a strange but minor red spot on my chest. After my shower it was a huge red streak headed for my heart. It forked off in two directions and my first thought was that I had some strange infection. So I emailed a picture to our amazing Ayurvedic instructors asking if I should be concerned. As I looked at it it didn’t seem to look all that much like an infection so I settled down. It was concluded that this heat induced spot, over the lymph on my left side was Pitta provoked Ama being released via my skin.
Now I had some indication of what Dosha I needed to be dealing with. I started to adjust my cleanse toward relieving Pitta. I changed on the sixth day from using ghee for oleation and oil pulls to coconut oil. Oh what a relief! The coconut oil tasted and smelled so much better, it was amazing! It was so much better in fact that I started to massage with it after my shower, it was that much more tolerable to me. In addition to the oil pulling, tongue scraping and external oleation I was drinking Triphala tea with added Fenugreek (more than recommended:) I love how the fenugreek tastes). I found all of these things to be very tolerable and continue them on a regular basis since the end of the Panchakarma. From days four through nine I continued with the monodiet also, this was not tolerable.
I consider myself a fairly accomplished cook and my kicheree turned out horrible. In reality it probably wasn’t horrible it was just dry and sticky, it tasted fine. I really enjoyed it a couple of times with added cilantro (for Pitta) and ginger. But then I got bored with it and almost found it easier to not eat. I would go through phases when I wouldn’t consider putting most food into my body to considering eating a french fry off the sidewalk. A couple of times I had vegetable broth or fruit juice to ease my way, I admit. It was harder than I anticipated eating the same thing all day for several days in a row.
On the second to last day I drank a few teaspoons of castor oil instead of doing the Basti, per the recommendation of our esteemed teachers. I don’t know which would have been worse. I won’t say much here other than it worked.
In doing this Panchakarma I have noticed many differences in myself. I used to have a propensity to sleep too much, what I thought was a Kapha quality. It seems though that my sleeping was most likely an excess of Ama. I’m up at 6 am now without alarms or the desire or ability to go back to sleep. Believe me I tried. My temper is more in check and I’m just generally happier and calmer. I crave raw foods and I have a healthy increase in appetite. I have gone from eating maybe once a day to being noticeably hungry a few times a day. In reestablishing my diet I defiantly notice when I’m not doing something conducive to my body, almost immediately it lets me know. I have naturally begun to spend more time chanting and meditating too.
As to my Dosha status, I’m still not really sure. I defiantly exhibit Pitta qualities these days but in my youth I was very Kapha. Maybe as I approach my golden years I will be more Vatta and thereby Tri-doshic. Maybe I am Dual-doshic. We’ll see. I was defiantly Pitta provoked and full of Ama, now I have the tools to continue to balance myself and stay balanced.
Students agree that one of the most valuable parts of the Axis Yoga Teacher Training program is the personal experiments. These experiments allow students to experience many yogic principles first-hand. This student practiced Panchakarma, a five-part purification process, for her Ayurveda experiment.
I chose to practice panchakarma as my experiment, to try and balance my vata-pitta nature.
For the first three days I practiced internal oleation. The first day I used ghee, which gave me terrible stomach cramps. I contacted Beth, who suggested sesame oil, which was much better. During these 3 days, I also practiced tratak meditation using a ghee flame. This I found very calming and beautiful.
On the fourth day, myself and three classmates practiced Vamana Dhauti, with instruction and guidance from Santosh. This was quite an experience. It was fairly intense, yet left me calm and feeling in somewhat of an altered state for the rest of the day. I took a 3-hour nap this day, which is very uncharacteristic for me. I did have, what I believe was, a somewhat delayed effect from this practice. On days 6-9 I developed what I believe was a vata aggravation. I had a constant, mild-to-severe headache, which after looking in the Ayurvedic Home Remedies book, I found was a vata-type headache. I also became irritable and felt a general sense of imbalance. This, I know, was also a result of me keeping up such a hectic pace in my life since this course began… typical vata-pitta.
On days 4-6, I ate kitchari. On days 5-12, I practiced abhyanga using sesame oil, each night following a hot shower. I did the foot and scalp massage with sesame oil each night as well. I found this practice very calming and warming.
On day 12 I received a Marma massage from Beth, which was lovely and calming. I felt a fairly dramatic shift in the pranic flow during and after the massage. I felt like it really opened my breath and my heart.
While I enjoyed all of these practices, and felt like they helped to calm and balance my vata-pitta nature, I felt like I shifted too far at times. During the second week in particular, I felt quite lethargic. I took several long naps, which again, is uncharacteristic for me. I slept until 10 am on several days, which is also very unusual for me. I abandoned my 5 am sadhana practice, which I have been very consistent with since this course began. If I did practice sadhana, it was much later in the day and fairly half-heartedly.
What I have gained the most from, throughout this entire course, has been the daily sadhana practice. This deep spiritual piece has been so transformational for me. Having lost that during this Ayurveda experiment, has taught me just how important it is for me to try and maintain that piece as part of my daily practice. If I’ve learned nothing else from this experiment, that particular lesson is invaluable to me.
About Us
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.
Contact Us
Denver Yoga Underground Director:
Derik Eselius ~ 720.934.6934
Training Location:
Sixth Ave. UCC 3250 E. 6th Ave
Derik Eselius ~ 720.934.6934
Training Location:
Sixth Ave. UCC 3250 E. 6th Ave