deplete

Deplete – drain, exhaust, impoverish, bankrupt. To deprive something of something essential to existence or potency. Deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function. Merriam-Webster dictionary

I’m experiencing a shift, in every cell of my being, that is asking me to live differently, to rest, to cook, to eat whole foods, to slow down. When I don’t listen, I feel depleted. As I look around it seems that this state of depletion is something we have created with our culture of MORE. Now we are dealing with the consequences.

I see it in our food – the industrialization of food, intended to make our lives easier, so we can work more, has had devastating consequences on our health. Our poor cells aren’t getting the nutrients they need because unfortunately when you add vitamins to ketchup it is not the same as eating a tomato (who knew?). Also, if we even attempt to eat fruits and veggies, the pesticides (intended to produce more) change their ability to nourish us.

I see it in our work lives – we are all working way too much and way to hard. What is referred to as “work ethic” I now call overwork. Our technology (love my iPhone) supports the overwork by making it possible for us to do way too many things simultaneously and to be plugged in 24/7. My brain is getting tired just writing about it. I don’t believe unplugging once a year at a pool in Hawaii is enough to restore us. And honestly, I was just at a pool in Hawaii and everyone was on their phones. Technology is amazing and makes so many things possible however it is depleting.

I see it in our earth – I’m not all gloom and doom about the earth however we are depleting our resources. I think she can handle what we are throwing at her and I think there are incredible people out there who are doing their part to make a difference. I’m not going to give you a to do list to save the planet here. You do what your heart is calling you to do. My heart calls me not to eat animals in any way (including their milk and their eggs), to pick up trash when I walk on our sacred land, I drive a car with good gas mileage, and to use as little packaging as I can. I often cringe when my Amazon orders arrive, not perfect. We all need to find our way. I know badass people growing their own food. That doesn’t work for me because, well, I don’t weed 😉

I even see it in our dreams for our lives, in the desire to make things happen. We over-think, over-work, over-plan, chase…and try to beat our lives into submission. Once again, exhausting. So many people work their whole lives to become successful and think they will rest and enjoy when they retire only to find that they are then too sick and/or tired to enjoy anything at all. It’s devastating.

There is another way. It’s the new model where we calm the f**k down. Here’s how I do it:

• I find activities that still my mind. I walk in the woods, practice yoga, meditate, sit by some water, preferably with my feet in said water, and/or spend time with my tribe. These are the people who make me laugh, lighten my load, get and love me.
• I surround myself with people who energize me (above mentioned tribe) and limit the time I spend with those who deplete.
• I eat actual food (organic please, please, please). What’s actual food? My definition these days is things that have vitamins and minerals because they have vitamins and minerals, not because someone with a lab coat injected or manipulated the food in some way.
• I rest – dare I say I sleep 8 hours AND try to nap most days.
• I work when I work, and I retreat when I’m off.
• I turn the technology off. These days it means checking social media a few times a day, turning things off by around 8pm, and taking a day or at least a few half days a week where my technology is off completely. My brain loves it.
• I practice patience, waiting for life to unfold and for things to come to me. I follow my moral compass and do things that bring me and others joy. Then abundance flows and my next steps unfold.
• I don’t worry. If I start to worry I distract myself. I watch a movie, call a friend that makes me laugh, send a funny text, I do anything I can to get myself out of the loop.

At the end of the day, life here on this earth walk is rather short and I think it’s worth asking ourselves how we want to spend our precious time.

With love,

Patricia

 

Slow Down Summer

 

I was having coffee with my girl Kim yesterday and we were bitching about how the summer is flying by. She’s been working a lot, I’ve been away, and suddenly it’s like BAM, July is in full swing. Our schedules haven’t matched up and we haven’t had any summer fun girl time.

This morning I woke up and I realized I spent our girl time complaining about not having girl time! Wahhhhhh.

No more! I’m slowing it down. Even as I write this I can feel myself rushing, thinking, “Get this blog done so you can vacuum the apartment.” What? Living my life as bunch of bullets on a to-do list? I refuse to do it that way.

But how do we slow it down? Stay present to the moment. Yeah yeah, present moment, only moment, I know but how do we get there?

•  Breathe – I just stopped writing and am taking a few deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth.
• Bring myself present – Okay – I notice that my shoulders are rising up to meet my ears and my jaw is clenched. I’m doing some shoulder rolls and moving my bottom jaw from side to side.
• Do over – In my rush to “get this blog done” I forgot to connect. I forgot to light my writing candle, which sets the tone for me, reminds me that writing is a gift from my guides and higher self.  And I didn’t say good morning to my Altar, to the picture of myself at 2 years old, my father who passed over a few years after that picture was taken, my grandpa who joined him twenty years later, my grandma and Fred, Isis, Ganesha, my daughter dressed as Mulan – Halloween of 1997, my candle, my crystals, and my hawk feather. Good morning Altar, good morning guides, good morning nature, good morning self.

Retreating is another important tool I use to slow down. It doesn’t matter if I do it for a a weekend, a day, or a few hours. Going on retreat, especially in nature, completely resets me. Here’s how:

• Go someplace where you can disconnect. A hike is a wonderful way to retreat. There is also a beautiful ashram near me that has yoga, a hiking path around a small lake, serves a healthy lunch, and has a pool, it’s magic, and I have not “been able” to get there yet this summer because….too busy. Yikes. I’m going Tuesday.
• Turn the phone off. Yes, you heard me, OFF. Not on vibrate, not on silent, not do not disturb, but off! I actually put it on airplane mode so nothing can come in but I can still take pics.
• Wander – try not to have too much of a plan, connect to your wanderer, to your sense of adventure and to synchronicity.
• The other day my honey took me on a 2 hour kayaking adventure and although I usually retreat alone it was pure magic. We connected to each other and also went off on our own a bit. There I was on the water in a kayak – forced into the present moment.

What about when we are not on retreat? I do my best to stay present in all I do. I notice when I’ve wandered off somewhere and I bring myself back, “I’m holding a plate and washing it right now.” I try to stay where my feet are whether I’m cooking, vacuuming, having sex, reading, or writing.

Here’s the bonus – once I do that, once I retreat and work on staying present in my life, time actually slows down!!!

Sending love,

Patricia

Chop Wood, Carry Water

Me and a flower

Chop Wood, Carry Water is a Chinese proverb. I had forgotten about it until a few days ago, when I was spinning, in a place of obsessive thought about my future. It reminds me to just do the next thing that is in front of me and the rest will take care of itself.

I recently went to a Hay House writer’s workshop in Maui and came away with a lot of information on how a book ends up on that table in Barnes and Nobles (or doesn’t), how it gets published. I heard about the platform (the social media following that will buy the book and the numbers that publishers expect you to have), the agent, the proposal, …it all made my head spin.

I walked away feeling overwhelmed. I thought the hard part was writing the damn book. It has been wanting to be written, has been a three year old, sitting behind me, kicking me in the back, for the past 20 years. I started, stopped, started, stopped, until a year ago when I decided to just do it. I hired a good friend who is an editor and we created a plan:

– Write at least 20 minutes a day

– Send her 25 pages a month

– Meet for one hour once a month to go over the above mentioned pages (which included learning to chose more interesting verbs, formatting, my crying about how I couldn’t write the book, her pep talks, etc.)

Voila, I wrote a book. And it was (dare I say it) pretty effortless.

So I figured the next step is getting it published. That’s when I decided to go to the workshop. Honestly, the publishing side of things just doesn’t seem easeful at all.  But if you had asked me a few years ago, I would have told you that writing a book wasn’t easeful either. I have to remember this about myself: when I am presented with something new, something I don’t yet know how to do, I freak out a bit.

Here’s the deal – if I decide that my publishing experience will be easeful then it will be. I affirm:
– I will connect with the perfect agent

– I will write an amazing proposal

– I will Chop Wood and Carry Water

 

Love and light!
Patricia

Favorite Recipes

As we enter into the Spring and many of us re-evaluate what we are eating and how we can get back to basics I wanted to share two of my very favorite and healthiest recipes.  Enjoy:

Liquid Gold Dressing (Omega 3 and B12)

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and enjoy.  I love this on a salad made of Kale with red onion, baked sweet potato and pumpkin seeds.

½ cup Flax oil

½ cup water

⅓ cup lemon juice

2 tbsp balsamic

¼ cup braggs

½ cup Nut Yeast

2 Tbsp dijon

1 Tbsp ground Cumin

 

Kitchari

Kitchari is often used in Ayurvedic cleanses.  It is a great food to use to cleanse the body of toxins.  It is easy to digest and full of nutrients.

2 cups of mung dal

I cup of Basmati rice

4 cups of water (or more as needed)

2 Tbs coconut oil

2 tsp black mustard seeds (saute in oil)

2 tsp cumin seeds (saute in oil)

pinch of asafetida

2 tsp turmeric (fresh if possible)

2 tsp of salt or to taste

2 tsp of cumin powder 

2 tsp coriander powder 

grated fresh ginger – 4-5 thin slices

2 hot peppers (or to taste)

veggies

Sautee the seeds in a few tbs of coconut oil for a minute or so until the mustard seeds start to turn grey.  Add the rest of the spices and heat for a minute.  Add Dal, rice and water and bring to a boil.  Add the hot peppers and fresh ginger and cover and simmer for approximately 1 hour.  Add your favorite veggies and enjoy!

 

Holistic Rx

I’m visiting my mother and her husband in Slovenia this week.  My mother had a heart attack in early December which led to a month in the hospital and finally heart surgery (double bypass and a valve replacement) on January 4th of this year.

I’ve been sending her long distance energy healings from New York since a few days before the heart attack, when we found out the official diagnosis on the heart.  We developed a system, each day at 230p in the afternoon NY time (830p at night Slovenia time) my mother would lay down and rest and repeat a mantra to herself while I sent the energy.  Some days it was, “I breathe in, I breathe out,” and other days “My body heals itself.”  If my schedule allowed I called her and did the healing over the phone.  We often did it this way in the beginning, when it was still hard for her to relax on her own.  The energy healings and love were all I could really offer from so far away. I wanted to wait until she was home to come for a visit.

Yesterday we went to her new heart specialist and after he went over all the tests and looked at how her scars are healing I was invited into the examining room.  My mother had told him that I was a yoga teacher.  He turned to me and said that she can exercise, she can even do yoga, she just can’t carry anything that is more than 5 pounds or do anything that opens the chest as her sternum is still healing.  He suggested that she walk.  I asked him if there is any physical therapy available to her as she is not someone that has the habit of exercising and something structured would be a good way to get her started.  He got excited and said, “Yes, that’s a great idea.  I don’t know of any off hand but I will find out.”  And then I asked about food.  Are there foods she should avoid, are there foods she should add.  He basically said to avoid foods high in cholesterol but not to avoid protein as she needs that for the heart to rebuild.  He mentioned fish as a good option.  He did not mention any vegetarian protein options (beans, tofu, quinoa) even though cholesterol, the bad kind, is only found in animal products.

Let me be clear before I go on.  I am not knocking the doctor.  He was clearly smart, caring and open. What concerns me is the lens with which most of our western doctors are looking through when they are working with us.  It is primarily a lens of curing disease through medicine.  And thank goodness that they have that option.  Trust me I understand that my mother must take her meds.  I would never suggest otherwise however there is an entire body of evidence that confirms that lifestyle changes can have a significant effect on disease prevention and reversal.  Had I not been there to ask about diet and exercise he would not have talked about it.

This morning I created a wellness routine for my mother.  She will do some chair exercises in the morning, relaxation with essential oils in the afternoon and take a walk (working up to 30 minutes each night) in the evening with her husband.  I taught her how to use the juicer my sis got her and have explained why organic (bio) is the way to go.  We have ordered a great book, The Spectrum, about reversing heart disease through diet and lifestyle options.  Now comes the hard part…she has to do it all.  One of the reasons I think we run to meds is that they are so easy!  Self care, holistic Rx is hard but it can be done.  If this girl can do it anyone can.  I was a cigarette smoking, twinkie eating, “if it’s not in a package that I can microwave I’m not gonna bother ” kind of girl and I did it.

I have had the good fortune of coming across some amazing books, philosophies and practitioners in the last ten years.  Here is a list of how I care for myself:

– Ayurveda – I love, love, love traditional Indian medicine and read a ton about it.  I incorporate as much as I can into my daily life and teach a lot about ayurveda in my classes and workshops.  Ayurveda has been a huge gift and I believe this is primarily what is going to keep me disease free!

– My primary practitioner was recommended by my naturopath.  She is very opened to alternative medicine, preventative medicine and if there is anything wrong they work together. I see my primary once a year.

– Naturopath – My naturopath is also an acupuncturist.  I see her once a month for support on keeping on track with my diet and my overall physical health.  I have some challenges with my diet that I’m trying to work through with her help.  I want to cut coffee out completely and always need to keep on top of my iron intake.  I could use a few more fruits and veggies too.  I recently had some emotional challenges pop up and we used some acupuncture to help shift my energy.

– Chiroptactor – I see my chiropractor about once a month.  I have some low back issues that he helps me work on through exercise, massage, adjustments and electrical stimulation.  When I do my exercises every day I’m great.  When I stop the pain comes back.

Favorite Books:
Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis (I read this one at least once a year)

Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr

The Spectrum by Dean Ornish (Currently reading this one)

The Hot Belly Diet by Sushas Kshirsagar – Best book about Ayurveda – easiest to understand etc – that I have read.  He is advocating for a 30 day plan.  I incorporate as much as I can into my daily life but I use the stricter plan as needed – sometimes I have an ayurveda day, sometimes a week.  A full month is hard for me.

Perfectly imperfect…still

During a recent trip to Brazil my Grandma and I started coloring this picture together.  After 5 minutes she lost interest,  turned to me, and said “You do it.  I like watching you color.”

That was that, she just let it go.  I guess when you get to 97 you learn to do the things you want to do, let go of what you don’t want to do or what doesn’t come with ease, and you keep it moving.  Maybe you even pose holding your granddaughter’s picture, proudly taking credit for it, “Send it to your mother so she can see what we did.”  No sense of failure. I want to learn this lesson, before I’m 97.

This is not the post I want to write today.  The one I want to write is all about how great I am doing and how marvelous I feel on my cleanse.  But I knew I was going to have to write this one.  Knew it as soon as I said the words. Yet, I said them anyway.

“I’ll have coffee this morning.”

One of the main focuses of my cleanse was to quiet the mind and I decided to let go of the morning java. But it didn’t work.  The truth is it was taking me hours to wake up and feel ready for the day.  After 4 days of that I decided I didn’t want  to skip the morning coffee and I felt better, except when I started to think about telling you. Why is being imperfect so hard?  Actually the question is, why is feeling imperfect so hard?

Rewind the tape twenty years (yes, 20 years ago it was a tape).  I’m sitting on a dark blue couch across from Cathy, my therapist.  The room is small and generic, complete with plastic mauve flowers, but it feels like home.  It is where I spent my Monday nights for five years.

That night I was sitting there going on and on about a piece of chocolate cake. I was over-eating – mostly sugar and bread –  a lot at that time and had a strict list of dos and don’ts and chocolate cake was on the later.  The stricter my list got, the more I over-ate.  I imagine Cathy thinking, “Not again, not an hour about cake. ”  But instead she asks,  “Do you think it’s really about the cake?  Let’s talk about why you feel you have to be so perfect.”  I redirect because I’d rather talk about the cake.  I end up on that couch for another 5 years and eventually stop talking about the cake.

Here I am – 20 years later and I want to write about the coffee!  I want to go on and on about coffee but it is not about the coffee.  It is about this desire, need, pull, longing, ache to be perfect.  I won’t sit here unpacking 46 years of baggage analyzing this.  I did that with Cathy.  We took out every tear soaked shirt, every dirty, soiled pair of pants, every nasty smelling sock and we washed each one with care. We hung them out to dry in the sunshine, folded them up neatly, and put them away.

There was a lot of baggage. Probably no more or less than other people, I am not unique, but I did have a rough start in many ways.  I’ve read that sometimes we are faced with challenges early on so we can then be of service in the world, have compassion for other people’s suffering and be there for them.  I think that’s what happened with me.   I can’t say I am happy it went down like it did because some things just are not okay, no matter how they help you grow, but I am grateful to have become the woman I am.

In my preparation for my cleanse I forgot.  I forgot that for some of us things like cleanses can be a chance to finally be perfect and beat ourselves up when we fall short, which we will.  I mean seriously, who is perfect?

Today I am re-thinking these next 14 days.  I am renaming the cleanse – my wellness weeks.

 I am asking new questions:

 – What will bring me more balance?

 – What will bring me more into my life?

 – What will feel good to my body, mind and Spirit?

I am reminded of the following:

 – Wellness is not a destination, it’s a direction.

 – The goal is not perfection, it is a shift towards the direction we are interested in moving in.

 – Be gentle, be light, be loving!

 – Be flexible and leave room for the unexpected.

The perfect imperfection in me bows to the perfect imperfection in you.

Namaste,

Patricia

Seasonal Cleanse – Part 3 – Exercise, Sweat, Fun and Sabbath

I found out that the Fall Equinox is this coming Wednesday, September 23, so I’m delaying my cleanse start date by a few days.  I take some time at each equinox (Fall and Spring) and solstice (Winter and Summer) to reflect.  I think about the previous season – what worked, what didn’t, and use that information to plan my upcoming season.

Fall is a time of harvest, to reap the rewards of summer growth.  It is a time to prepare for the inward (and downward) pull of winter.  For me it is a time to get some habits in place so that I can move through winter with grace and ease.  Here are the habits I will be working during my cleanse:

1)  Exercise – I am a Yoga and Pilates teacher and I absolutely love both however I think any exercise is wonderful!  The main thing is to love what you are doing. During the cleanse I will add more walking in nature to help with the mind.  When winter comes I do not want to be stuck on the couch so I have to start moving more now.  I will literally take out my planner and schedule daily exercise.  It is also helpful for the digestion if we can walk 10-15 minutes after each meal. PS Yoga is a great way to get more bang for your buck because usually there will be meditation and breath work in addition to the exercise.

2)  Sweat therapy – As the weather cools off we will sweat less and we need to sweat!  I see so many students that hate to sweat.  As soon as they start getting hot they want to AC turned on.  Sweating is a great way to release toxins through our largest organ – the skin!  I will make sure to sweat during my cleanse – either through flowing yoga classes, dancing, Pilates, brisk walks, or hot baths.

3) Fun and Sabbath –  Sometimes I get so caught up in working that I forget to have fun!  Here are the things I will be making time for – seeing friends that I can giggle with, movies (at the theater), dancing, and anything else that floats my fancy.  I love scheduling Sabbaths (days or 1/2 days where I do not work and I just relax and enjoy myself) as a way to guarantee the fun.

The picture above is of me and Lea, a giggle girlfriend.  She will definitely help me thrive this Fall and Winter by sharing her amazing spirit, her sense of humor and her yummy food with me.  Should you be in the Woodstock area stop by The Garden Cafe, the most amazing Vegan restaurant on the planet (this planet, not sure about Vegan restaurants on other planets).  PS Want your life to get 1,000 times better, get one of your friends to buy a healthy restaurant!

Keep me posted (no pun intended) on how you are doing with all of this!
Namaste,

Patricia

Seasonal Cleanse – Part 2 – Sleep, Meditation and Breath

One of the many things I love about Yoga and Ayurveda is that there is no one size fits all pose or plan.  We are each individuals and as such we need to find what works for us.  My downward dog will look completely different than yours because, well, we are different.  In a yoga class we need to not only learn the pose but we need to learn our pose.  It is the same with Ayurveda and cleansing.

Ayurveda, in it’s core philosophy, believes that we all have what it takes to be healthy and in balance.  In fact our bodies are constantly working hard to keep all sorts of internal systems in perfect balance, from our body temperature to the absorption of nutrients and release of toxins.  The challenge is that in our modern world, with all of our conveniences, we are not getting our true needs met.  Our foods are depleted, so our bodies aren’t getting the nutrients they need.  Our minds are overstimulated by technology, over-work and social media, so they are not resting.  And our consumerism is not filling the need for love and connection that we all have.  The new pair of shoes make us happy, for a while, until they don’t.  Off to the mall we go to get another pair.

As I begin to plan my Fall Cleanse I am taking an inventory of what is going on in all areas of my life.  How big a shift do I need right now?  In other words how far from balance am I?  This will inform how long my cleanse will be.

– How long to cleanse – If you need a quick tune up 7 days is a good choice, especially if you are new to cleansing.  It takes 14 days for your taste buds to regenerate and thus change so if you are heavily into sugar, and want to cut that down, you may want to try 14 days.  It takes 21 days to create new habits so if there are habits you want to create such a daily meditation, 21 days may be your ticket.  I’m doing a 21 day this time around because I want to get my sleep and exercise routine established before winter comes around and the pull towards becoming a couch potato hits.

– Focus – What is out of balance in your life?  What do you need to focus on?  Here is some of my focus:

1) Sleep – I just returned from a one week trip to Brazil.  After two 10 hour plane rides, staying out late with friends every night, and sleeping in most mornings I will be focusing on sleep.  Ideally for me I am asleep by 10pm and awake by 6am.

Sleep is a huge issue in our society.  I am amazed by how many people are sleep deprived.  Just ride a NYC subway at 8am and you will see who didn’t get enough sleep the night before – the entire train car!

Our bodies metabolize waste products mostly after 10pm and our immune system revitalizes itself between 11pm and 2am so it is really important that we be asleep during these times.  There is now proof that inadequate sleep creates imbalances of the hormones leptin and ghrelin, our chief appetite hormones (they tell us when we are hungry and when we are full).  In one sleep study a control group slept only 4 hours per night for 2 nights in a row.  The results showed a 24% increase in consumption of high calorie treats, salty snacks, and high calorie foods for this group of people.  Another study proved that loosing 1 and 1/2 hours of needed sleep can decrease daytime alertness by 1/3.  I don’t really need studies to tell me how I feel when I don’t get enough sleep, I feel crappy and I have less to give to myself and those around me and I usually reach for food and drinks that I think will make me “feel” better.

Tips for sleep – begin to prepare for sleep about an hour before you want to be asleep. Take a hot bath or shower, diffuse or spray some organic lavender oil in your bedroom (I love Young Living), read something relaxing, do a guided meditation and/or practice some breath work (see below for breath work to help you sleep).

2)  Meditation and Pranayama (breath work) –  Fall is a time of mental challenge partly due to the cool and windy weather patterns and partly due to the worry over what comes next – my least favorite season, winter!  So in order to keep the mind steady and calm I will increase my meditation and breath work to twice a day during the cleanse.  I meditate using the Deepak Chopra/Oprah 21 Day series each morning.  I will be adding a second meditation in the afternoon or evening which will either be guided (there are plenty of free meditations on-line or through apps) or mantra repetition.  Here is some information about mantra meditation:

Mantras are sanskrit words and phrases that are repeated to both anchor the mind in meditation (mind wanders and we bring it back to repeating the mantra) and to shift the energy around us.  Sanskrit is a language that was created thousands of years ago, before written records, for both meaning (this is a book) and vibration.  Repeating certain sounds in sanskrit shifts the energy and thus the reality around you.  

Seed Mantras:

• Gum – seed sound for the removal of obstacles.  Hindu deity associated with Gum is Ganesha (also known as Ganapatae).
• Shreem – seed sound for abundance and covers abundance in all forms (health, love, having needs met).  The Hindu deity associated with Shreem is Laxmi.
• Iam – seed sound for learning – both spiritual and new things – musical instruments, languages, new topics.  The deity associated with Iam is Saraswati pictured below to the right.

Mantra Meditation Challenge – should you chose to accept it!

• Spend time each day with a mantra that speaks to you (this may change daily).  
• Repeat mantra for at least 5 minutes a day.
• Sit quietly, notice breath, then begin.
• Set your timer.   Any time the mind wanders, gently bring it back to your breath.  

Pranayama or breath work is an amazing way to calm the mind.  Just one round of 10 alternate nostril breaths can get me in calm.  This breath takes us out of left and right brain activity and places us in a meditative space.  Here is how you do it:

Alternate Nostril Breathing

– Using the thumb of the right hand gently cover the right nostril and breathe in through the left.

– Using the ring finger of the right hand cover the left nostril, uncover the right and breathe out through the right, then breathe in through the right.

– Cover the right nostril again with the thumb and breathe out through the left, then breathe in through the left…and keep going in this way breathing out and in one one side, switching and breathing out and in on the other.

Counting Breath

I use a simple breath technique for sleep.  I inhale to a count of 3 and exhale to a count of 6.  You can find a count that works for you but basically you want to count it out to yourself (this occupies the mind) and the exhalation needs to be double the inhalation.

I hope this information is helpful.  It certainly helps me to think and write about this.

Namaste,

Patricia

Seasonal Cleansing

Seasonal cleansing has become an integral part of my personal wellness plan.   I’ve decided to share my ideas, most of which stem from Ayurveda (a 5000 year old traditional Indian medical system), here.

This will be a series of blogs – covering different areas of focus for a cleanse:

 – Food (this post)

 – Overall plan – how long, schedule

 – Sleep

 – Meditation

 – Exercise

 – Habits that are not serving our best interests and our health

My cleanse will begin on September 21 so I will be preparing, mostly mentally but in some ways physically (gotta get off the Java and late night TV), this coming week.

Why cleanse in the first place?

 – Strengthen Digestive Fires – according to ayurveda the most important thing for good health is strong digestion. There are four main ways to achieve this:

   1.  Eating foods and drinking warm and hot liquids that are easy to digest (giving our system a much needed break).  See below for a recipe for Kitchari (a stew used in Ayurvedic cleansing) as well as more details about foods for your cleanse.

   2.  Fasting between meals.  The idea here is that the feeling of hunger is our bodies signal to us that it is ready to begin the complex job of digesting food.  If we are always snacking unfortunately everything does not get digested.

  3.  Make lunch our largest meal – this is when digestion is at it’s strongest

  4.  Clear sludge, or Ama, the residue from undigested foods.  For some of us this shows up as phlegm and congestion.  Excess Ama can make weight loss difficult and provoke inflammation in the body.

 – Reduce allergies – My experience is that seasonal cleansing and getting rid of the ama from the previous season cuts allergy symptoms down significantly.

 – Prep the mind for the upcoming season – each season has it’s challenges.  Fall is a time of Vata (air quality) which increases fast paced thinking which can make us a bit anxious.  With this in mind my cleanse will focus on decreasing activities that aggravate Vata (caffeine, technology (FaceBook), television).  I will also increase activities that support a calm mind (Meditation, walks in nature, reading spiritual literature).

 – Developing good habits  – each time I cleanse there are one or two things that stick and that become part of my daily life.  This happens slowly but when I look at my life today versus my life 10 years ago the changes are astounding.

Recipes and tips for your cleanse:

Kitchari which is a Mung Dal stew, is the main food that I will be using for my cleanse.  It is incredibly easy to digest and full of nutrients and minerals.  I also often opt for large salads. The most important thing when planning your meals is to eat food that is not depleted.  Here is what we are talking about:

 – Fresh fruits and veggies

 – Beans

 – Quinoa or basmati rice

 – Nothing microwaved

 – Nothing frozen

 – Nothing from a box

Kitchari –  

   2 cups of Split Mung Dal (Mung Dal and many of the following ingredients can be found in some health food stores or Indian markets)

   4 cups of water (may need more as the stew cooks)

   2 tsp of Cumin seeds

   2 tsp of black mustard seeds

   2 inches if diced fresh ginger

   2 small hot peppers

   2 tsp of turmeric powder

   2 tsp of coriander powder

   2 tsp of cumin powder

   2 tsp of salt (or to taste)

   1 pinch of asafoetida powder

 – Warm a few Tbs of Coconut Oil in a large pot and add the seeds and fresh ginger for a few minutes until the mustard seeds turn grey.  

 – Add the remaining spices and stir for a minute.

 – Add the Mung Dal,  water and hot peppers (chopped) and bring to a rapid boil.

 – Lower the heat and allow to simmer (stirring regularly) for an hour and 1/2.

 – Eat this stew with quinoa or basmati rice and add a heavier vegetable at lunch (ex. cauliflower,  okra, broccoli or string beans) and a salad at dinner.  

Tips about drinks –

 – Drink only liquids that are room temperature or hot so that the digestive fire is not put out.  Cold liquids are not recommended.

 – Drink Green Tea instead of coffee (which is acidic and difficult to digest).  If you decide to cut coffee take a week to slowly switch to green tea.

 – Boil fresh ginger and sip that throughout the day – lemon can be a nice addition as well.

Tips about a food plan

 – Have a glass of warm lemon water before you eat or drink anything in the morning to kick start digestion.

 – I always try to eat organic whenever possible but especially during a cleanse

 – Breakfast – I eat oatmeal (steel cut oats) and chia seeds for breakfast.  I cook the oats and add 2 tbs of chia seeds and some warm almond milk to the cereal.  The seeds will take about 1/2 an hour to expand.  They are incredible for digestion.

 – Lunch – I stick to Kitchari when I can or have a plate of other beans, quinoa, and veggies

 – Dinner – same as above except a bit lighter, substituting the veggies for salad

 – Snack – I am a big night eater so although in a perfect world I’d be done eating at dinner I usually need a snack a few hours after my dinner.  I chose fruit or a bowl of chia pudding (2 Tbs chia seeds, Coconut water and almond milk).  You do not have to cook them.

I’m looking forward to continuing this wellness journey together!

Namaste!
Patricia

That still, small voice

I was in a yoga class the other day and once again, I ignored my still, small voice. First pose – supine twist.  Okay, not my favorite thing to do right at the start of a practice.

Soon after the twist came a deep hip opener.  As soon as the teacher said “pigeon” my still small voice said, “No way!” and my ego mind argued, “He’s the teacher, he has studied 4 famous yoga styles and with a guru in India.  He knows what he’s doing! Just do the damn pigeon.”  So I did the damn pigeon and I immediately felt a pop in my inner groin/inner hip region which led to two days of hip pain. Note here on popping hips and other body parts – I have now learned the hard way that if it pops it ain’t good.  

I always tell students to listen to their bodies and do what feels right regardless of what I am doing at the front of the room.  But not everyone can do that all the time, including me. This time, instead of modifying or just not doing the pose, I had the need to do what the teacher, the authority at the front of the room told me to do and, quite frankly, what everyone else around me was doing.

As a teacher am I not an authority?  Nope.  I am there to co-create something with the people who show up to practice.  I have some knowledge,  some techniques.  I have the ability to help people on some level, am compassionate and kind and I have the capacity to love my students.  That’s it, some knowledge, techniques, compassion and love.  No authority.

I have spent a lot of time and energy these past 20 years strengthening my still, small voice through yoga, meditation, writing, painting, energy work and living a mindful, examined life.  The voice really isn’t that still or small anymore.  It’s actually pretty clear and  loud.  And every time I do not listen I pay.

On the very first date with my ex boyfriend the voice said,  “Nope, not him,” the and ego answered, “Let’s give him a chance.”   I was distracted by the shiny objects – the body, the car, the money, the house.  My ego self was so blinded by the bling that it overrode what I knew to be true.  In that place of blindness, denial, whatever you want to call it, I can talk myself into anything. Conservative Republican?  Sure, I mean aren’t I working on non-judgment in my yoga practice?  I remember my therapist’s face when I told her about his devotion to Rush Limbaugh’s radio show. She wrinkled her nose and asked, “Have you heard the show?” I hadn’t.  She told me to. Nothing against anyone’s politics but in order to be in an intimate relationship I believe the core values need to match and ours didn’t.  It ended.  That was a year out of my life.

I knew, the minute I decided not to let the woman in the grey SUV cut me off, that we were going to have an accident.  Knew it two minutes before it happened, as we sat at the red light.  She was in a left turn only lane and I could feel that she was going to go straight.  I was NOT going to let her ignore traffic rules.  So, I had an accident instead.  Showed her!

This Winter, when I was about to park my car at a class, the voice was so loud it sounded like someone in the passenger seat next to me.  “Don’t drive into the mud. Park on the black top.”  You know where this is going.  I drove into the mud, got completely stuck and spent the entire 2 hours in the class worried about my car. Three lovely guys (luckily this was in the country and people in the country know how to handle things like mud) came out and talked me through how to get unstuck as they pushed.

Every time I chant Aum I am activating my intuition.  Every time I do energy work  I am flexing this muscle because intuition is basically all I have to go on for that work. Every time I meditate it strengthens.  Note to self, get off the computer and sit to meditate stat!

I think I am starting to understand that the still, small voice is an important part of me.  It’s a part that often gets shut out by the noise.  Luckily it is resilient. Like a little kid in a crowded room, pulling on my pant leg, “Hey, look down here.  I’m down here.”  I think it’s a more vulnerable part, a simpler part.  The part of me that sat for 3 hours at a time coloring and imagining other worlds when I was a child.  The part that felt pure joy simply nuzzling up to my grandma for an afternoon nap. This part of me is both more innocent and wiser than my ego.  A child and a sage.  She is me, without the bling.

May we be happy, may we be healthy, may we be safe, may we be free!

Namaste – Patricia