The Axis Yoga Teacher Training program is one of the few to include the sister-science of Ayurveda. Students are able to experiment with the application of Ayurvedic principles to create a better understanding of its vast health benefits. This student applied several personal dosha recommendations for improved health.
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For my Ayurveda experiment I was not quite sure what to do so I chose to do several different ideas. I
found out through taking the online test, Beth had us take in the class that I am a Kapha. So I decided
first to give up coffee. I also tried new warming spices on all my food to ignite Agni or help my digestive
track. I only cooked my foods with Ghee. I gave up Gluten in my diet. I only drank warm fluids. I stopped
snacking in between meals only ate 3 meal s a day. I would also scrape my tongue first thing in the
morning and check my ama. I would make a shot of lime juice, salt and ginger root 20 minutes before a
meal. With my experiment I hope to see a difference in my digestion, to feel better, develop a new healthy way of eating, and to change my over all personal health.
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.
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.
The Axis Yoga Teacher Training Program opens the door to Yoga’s vast traditions to its students. Each student experiments with chosen yogic principles to see how they affect their lives. This student found access to a whole new healthy lifestyle that included some self-acceptance and mental clarity.
Being new to yoga, and I mean really new; only having practiced for a year and very inconsistently. I decided to go into Axis’s yoga teacher training program as a self-practice in hopes of it leading into a career change. I am seeking change in myself. I am seeking clarity and balance in my life. So, having the option to choose my first experiment I was immediately drawn to Tapas.
Tapasya in Sandskrit means “to burn”. My understandings for this particular Niyama in which I have chosen to experiment with was to observe habitual patterns in within myself and in my life that are not healthy, acknowledge them and change them. Burn them off. And/or restraining from these said desires will create a heat that I then must release through some yogic practice.
My tapas for many years has been drinking, partying and “following the crowd” so to speak. I never really had any self discipline, no regular bed-time; no particular guidance in my eating habits only the whole no carbs thing because you HAVE to be skinny in the entertainment world. I worked out to be fit, but only to fit in. I worked very hard in the production field but when it came down to knowing me and who I really was, I had done no work at all. I have been, for years so caught up in the social crowd, I was portraying this image of myself but underneath I had no foundation. As time went on I started to realize how vain and ugly the industry really was and most of all I was becoming one of “them”. I made the first conscious decision that I had made in a long time, and decided to take some time off. Being out of the industry for a full year now, I have moved around quite a bit trying to “find” clarity but instead….I partied! I thought “I can party, it’s not like I have a 7am call time, it’s not like I have to workout to be skinny any more, or eat healthy to be skinny anymore”. This wasn’t the soul searching I set out for. So, for my tapas I have decided to give up alcohol, partying, caffeine and red meat.
Refraining from all the things that have lead me into an unhealthy life style I decided to counter act with a morning routine; a fifteen minute asana practice, followed by fifteen minutes of pranayama (usually the eight Kriyas or a few variations) and fifteen minutes of meditation. My nightly routine would consist of fifteen minutes of meditation and nadi-sodinah before bed, followed by five minutes of belly breathing for cooling.
Day one was interesting. I woke up around 8:30am, which is very unusual for me because usually I’m hung over and sleep until noon. So this was good. I went for a run, but not so I can be skinny but so I can get the blood flowing and the juices going. I felt good! I got back from my run and I did fifteen minutes of asana, mostly sun salutations. And then I sat down comfortably to meditate. I did a few variations of the eight kriyas and started with OM. As the third OM came out of my mouth my mother’s 125lb Rottweiler, Bear came and jumped on my lap. I thought, “Don’t break your concentration, Hannah you are supposed to be meditating, he will go away”. He didn’t go away. I gave in and gave him a belly rub. I didn’t think of it as a fail, I just thought to myself “I’ll do mediation in my room tomorrow”.
I was really surprised with myself that I didn’t have much urge to drink. After work I usually hang out for a few beers, which turn into a few shots. Things were going well. In my morning meditation I even managed to be quiet and still for my fifteen minutes. Meditation is challenging for me. I’m not ever sure if I’m doing it right and my focus is usually pretty short, but on the days when I could bring myself back to my object I thought it was nice to be practicing and learning.
Through my tapas experiment I wanted to gain a routine and a sense of balance. If I could remove partying and drinking then I could have a nice morning practice before work and peace and quiet before bed. The first week was nice. I got up I did my morning practice, I went to work. At night it was nice going to sleep with a clear mind.
By the following Sunday I was confused. I didn’t know what I was supposed to be feeling or thinking. I hadn’t had any “aha moments”. I didn’t feel enlightened or powerful. I felt…normal-ish. I think I let the doubt take over and by Tuesday I hadn’t done my morning asana in three days. My mind became overwhelmed with daily stuff like getting to the bank and finding a place to live. I made excuses in my head, “oh well this is the only day to go to the bank and you can do it for thirty minutes tomorrow”. I was craving chocolate and Starburst and cupcakes. Wednesday, thirteen days after not drinking, no caffeine, no red meat or going out I said to myself “ you deserve a drink, you haven’t had one in thirteen days and well work is hard and you had a bad week with the bank and three doubles at work”. I did, I sat at the bar after work and I had two beers and two shots. FAIL! I felt like crap in the morning, I didn’t do my morning practice yet again. “This is what I’m talking about Hannah. What is it worth? Did you really have THAT much fun?” I thought to myself. The answer is NO.
I hadn’t done asana consistently and I had a night of drinking, I obviously am not doing this experiment to the best of my ability. Since that night I have had plenty more excuses not do my daily practice, and you know what they say about excuses?
Through this experiment I have learned to not judge myself so harshly. I have learned that being sober and quiet is good for my mind and my well being. I have had moments of clarity when I can think back to when I started drinking so much and the reason why it became so prevalent in my life. I have learned that drinking was masking feelings, the past and daily obstacles; I drank because I wanted to be numb of it all. Through my pranayama practice I now inhale light and peace and exhale black smoke that consists of the rubbish elements that I need to get rid of in order to cleanse.
Although I feel my tapas experiment was a fail, I am human and I am learning. It is hard giving up all the things that I am used to but it is the change that I want to see in myself. I will make room for my morning practice and stay consistent with my nightly practice. I will keep trying to be a better person, a better yogi and strive to love and help those around me with compassion and understanding.
Each student experiments with yogic principles throughout their journey in the Axis Yoga Teacher Training program. This student found valuable insight and personal progress through the application of the yama (observance), aparigraha (no-harm).