Marie's Blog on Ayurveda & Yoga

OH Vata gets high with computer problems!!

01/25/2012 16:20:00

To all those who so kindly commented on the few blogs I posted last year!...

Jeepers I must apologise, i didnt quite have the blog settings correct, and so missed all the posts....which are now lost. Heavy sigh!

but I am hoping it is all corrected now, and hopefully the blog will be running better, I am still struggling with the rss feeds, but shall try to have it sorted sooner, rather than later.

Hugs to all those who have helped,

may we all be well,

marie

...am plan to jump in a vat of sesame oil to reduce my Vata now...am thinking a coffee will be the last thing I need!

Sensory Refinement

01/25/2012 11:51:00

Pratyahara is the refinement of our Five senses. There is much we can do to awaken our mind through our senses. But the most active of all practices? To shift our mind into a new space... is to reduce the barage of information and excitement coming to us through the day via our senses.

Quieting the mind involves reducing our involvement in the modern world experiential way of life, and making time to just sit and wait.

Our senses our what the world meets first, so it is the senses which need to be retrained to seek less and to be content with what comes to them, rather than grasping for more.

Just for a moment, Sit and breathe. See where your skin feels the moment, what sounds come to your ears, what taste is now in your mouth, added to the smell in our nose, and what meets your eyes at this moment. And breathe and wait.

The Secret is out

04/19/2011 11:33:00

This modern world does love packaging. I told a friend today that the the Secret is out! The Secret being the amazing miracle of correct breathing. It has finally reached the modern world, and even newspapers are writing colums on this age old tradition of stress management.

It is being called all sorts of different things, with different names and different techniques associated with the teachings, but when it comes down to it...it is the Essential Breath, and to soothe the body and mind it takes practice and patience.

It can be like a new awakening for those learning how Self help has been with them all the time...but this knowledge is only good if you know it! A bit like that gameshow, 'Who want to be a Millionaire?' ...its only easy if you know the answer.

And the more the answer to Stress management spreads, the better our thought processes and understanding as we move into life will be.

It is great to see the packaging of specific breathing techniques magnificent claims of healing for many various ailment to name a few: coughing, wheezing, breathlessness, post nasal drip, recurrent colds and chest infections, stress, anxiety, brain fog, panic attacks, headaches, racing mind, tiredness....the list is endless to be honest.

Yes indeed! Just as all the modern packaging says...physical ailments can be alleviated if not reversed (but leaving some samskara in place) with better breathing and awareness. In Ayurveda and Yoga this has been said, but the most important fact and the most difficult to develop is that it requires consistent daily practice.

I do like reading packaging, and often wonder about the claims placed on some...but I trust the claims on breathing practices, but do be wary....Ayurveda and Yoga can see that some breathing practices are too harsh and forceful for certain body types, and will create stress rather than relieve it.

With Ayurveda it is not always about the short term result, but there is the long term effect as well, so you may be well able to practice a restrictive breathing practice for 3 weeks, and feel much benefit. But the long term effect may be knocking your nervous system into a state of shock or distress.

So if you have been taught a new breathing practice and feel that it has some benefit, but you cannot maximize upon it, then find a teacher who understands certain body types require certain breathing balance too.

There can be a fine line between Stress management and Stress mis-managed.

Stress management is only a breath away.

Exhale, and May we all be well.

Mind Rest?

03/14/2011 12:56:00

For all the times that we are most busy, we are no doubt, quite focused and driven to complete our efforts, to be finished, to move on to the next job or appointment.

Yet, in all this expansive movement of the mind, do we ever give it a moments rest? Do we ever take it seriously that our minds can only do so much at optimum levels without a rest? (Many of us do not even know how to begin to rest our minds!)

Stress brought on by the need to achieve, to get somewhere, to be accomplished is additional pressure that does not always get released upon completion of the tasks. Plus, even before we have completed one action, we are planning the next in our mind...we are so busy in our minds, so active, we are doing miles of activity in one small space.

I have decided that in my mind, and in many others, we need to find a seat of rest. And to take this seat only requires awareness and presence of mind.

In all repetitive action we have some hope of beginning a new pattern that could help us. I have been experimenting with 'I am present', with no attachment to outcome, and I do have to say, that it is worth working with. Our daily activity is full of tasks that have attachment to outcome, so this is the difference.

To be still in the mind is helpful to soothe the nervous system...if we can add being still in the body, then this will enhance the effect.

But to be still in the mind, to have focused thought, for 3 to 9 minutes, on one thing such as my breath, my footsteps, my skin...will open us to greater objectivity and our actions will be more productive and clear if we take it on as a repetitive action every hour, or three times a day or just two times a day.

Do try it today, I urge you to enjoy the benefits of clarity and personal destressing. Exhale, release.

May we all be well

Lent and Cleaning

03/10/2011 23:34:00

My mum is quite an amazing modern woman, she was ahead of her time I think in many ways. And one way in particular always struck me, was that she embraced new ideas if she could understand them.

An example: I grew up, with a very strong catholic upbringing, and Lent came around my mum would make Lent not a suffering but a challenge, by giving me a twist on it. (I hated giving up chocolate, I still put it down to low blood pressure!)

She would always remind me, that it was not so much what I would give up that could offer me Peace by Easter...

but by what I would Begin, that would make me feel better before Easter came around.

And thats when it started, and still continues. An annual adventure into tipping my toe into some amount of Spiritual reading.

From various Saints lives and deaths, to Living Saints, to reading (perusing, skimming, and sometimes running from) different parts of the Bible...(which is a completely different subject, but I do have to add, if you want adventure, mayhem, murder, love, passion, Spirituality, joy, insight, loving kindness, hidden meanings, exquisite poetry...the Bible has it all!)

to the reading of one of my favourite historical novels,

by Jim Bishop, The Day Christ Died. (Now that is fantastic reading, with all the elements of a gripping story, in my view on Par with the best of Grisham and Coben, but this book is based on proven historical facts of that time. )

but Lent is also about Cleaning....Cleaning to Purify our body, our mind and open our Hearts.

Reading something new, something uplifting and lightening to the Heart is one way of doing this...anything that feeds us Love (Prana), lifts our Heart above our head, this is Yoga.

Rumi, The Upanishads, The Veda's, the Mahabharata,

The Bhagavad Gita, The Life of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Bernadette of Lourdes...So many to choose from...google one, go for it...

You really wont regret it. Fascinating, mind bending, heart wrenching, Exhale....Love waits for us all.

Digestive help, Agni Support

02/01/2011 18:36:00

Digestion really takes a hit in our life when we are busy and trying to get 'Everything done.'

Eating on the run has alot to answer for in this modern world. The routine of sitting down to enjoy one solid meal every day are almost a treat for some people, not to mention families!

So let's start at the beginning. In last week's post I was giving very simple steps to helping the digestion freshen up as signs of spring and Pitta try to move in and shove Kapha and Vata, our winter weather out of the way!

Digestion starts in our mouth. In the effort of chewing and the enzymatic process that takes place is quite related to the joy of eating, the comfort of feeling full, and taking our time to chew, and masticate our food so that the stomach can focus energy on the further digestive processes.

Armed with that information, it is very relevant to understand how much each individual should we intake and chew at one sitting?

Place your hands together and make fists, as the picture shows. This gives an individual a pretty good idea of the size of their stomach.

This does not mean you can eat that much food though!

For in Ayurveda there is the rule of three.

One fist is for chewed food. And the other fist, imagine it split in two parts- one part is for space, and the other part is for tepid liquid during the meal. We need the space for the action of the stomach, and we need the liquid for lubrication.

Food for thought for us all, those who over eat, and those who undereat, this is vital information, and most of us do a bit of each. Keeping it balanced is the most important.

(Please note: there is a slight difference in some schools, where the fists are split into 3 equal parts.)

Balancing actions

01/24/2011 23:42:00

It is that time of year where the body may need just a little help to fight any colds that may be passing around the house and office. And the next few simple rules, although almost too simple, are massively important to our digestive health and Agni support.

*Remember most of all that digestion begins in the mouth...our stomach does not have teeth, so it is important to chew our food as much as possible. One chew for each tooth may be a little excessive, but it does hold a point and creates a challenge, how much can you chew before swallowing? Test yourself and see.

*Never Ever use cold drinks with your meal, as this has a debilitating effect on the digestive actions, it is best to have a room temperature half glass of water during all meals.

*Know the physical size of your stomach is your two fists placed knuckles together in front of you. We can split this size in 3, one full fist is the amount of chewed food at one sitting. The other fist is halved, for liquid and an equal size for space which allows for the movement of digestive action.

*To begin to notice when you are full, and stop eating then, this is often signaled with the first small tiny burp.

*To try to eat just three meals a day, sitting down and if absolutely necessary...one snack. Avoid at all costs picking and grazing.

*This is a great time to get the warming pungent taste of ginger into your body through the day. It is best to make a flask of freshly grated ginger root tea, with a small amount of cinnamon bark(if you have high acidity, this may not suit you if you use too much ginger root, so use less and add fennel seeds to cool the effect).

Sip this through the day to increase the power of your digestion, especially 15 minutes before your meal and after. In this way assisting in your natural Agni and encouraging any excess Ama out of the digestive channel.

I hope this serves you well in the work to recreate Balance after Christmas and its digestive imbalances, Bon Appetite.

Welcome Janus and your Resolve

01/04/2011 10:25:00

Years ago a very good friend, Mel, pointed out to me that it is no wonder that the modern Calendar year begins with January...intrigued by symbolism all my life, this thought has always stayed with me dear Mel, thank you.

Janus, the Roman God of all beginnings and endings, waits at the Doorway to every New Year.

Not only is a choice placed before us, which door do I choose to open, but also, which door am I choosing to close, or will I remain stationary, stagnate, stuck in a familiar place of comfort and dis-ease.

The power that comes forth as every new calendar year ends, is in this new chance. Janus allows us and also encourages us to leave behind old patterns, and to step into a new direction.

Some friends of mine were asking me over the weekend, exactly what is it I come across most often as part and parcel of the human condition at this time of year.

I would have to look at myself first, since my universe begins with me, it is only myself I see human nature the best...and within myself I know the most prevelant pattern is:

the fact that I want effective long lasting change, but I do not want to change how I do things, nor make further effort than I already am in my pursuit of Peace!

for example, I want to be more focused, hold a discerning mind steady, feel content and less fearful, all attributes that I can attest meditation does bring! But there is a draw, an energy in me to NOT meditate every day...skip one day and my practice is down the swanneee! (this is Tamas, the slow earth bound inertia energy!)

I also want to have better digestive power, so that my body as a whole will function optimally. At this stage, and age in my life, I want to feel better, look better and embrace all the challenges that come towards me with a bit of gusto...

but taking my herbs before all meals (which is the time for agni power) is very difficult, especially during holidays, when I need it the most!

And this difficulty to allow change to happen, even though the results are exactly what I want, is what I find most prevelant in my own life.

I want change, but I find it most difficult to allow change to happen.

And yet, for the most part, Ayurveda and Yoga give so many easy simple applications to my everyday life.

I can see how much effective change has come about, most profoundly in my mind and attitude, but there have also been large changes in my physical body...i.e, food awareness and weight loss have been a great added bonus!

Embrace Janus, and allow change to happen with an open heart, and an amount of Self inquiry...that you are the pivotal point in your New Year resolution.

Awareness of what we would like to happen in our life is the first step. Courage to make the incremental changes comes, sometimes fast, but more times slowly, it is only when we look back, we see we have been preparing for change and making it happen over many years.

Mini Yoga in action. Remember, Yoga is about the mind, and Ayurveda is about the body. If we can get over parts of our mind...we have oppurtunity to actively participate in our Life and new direction.

Breathe through the Gateway, exhale when you arrive.

Metta and rest

12/22/2010 21:00:00

Over the past number of days if find myself wishing for those closest to me to find Peace and Joy, not only over the next few days, but as a foundation of their life.

And as I have done this, I find myself turning once again to the one of the most known forms of meditation and prayer known as Metta Bhavana.

If you have a desire to Love others close by or far away in distance or mind, and if you wish to find a way to fulfill your purpose in your life then this simple practice is well worth doing.

It does help to write this down on a note card and place it in the kitchen or in the car. This will help to remind you of the words, and allows this repetitive phrase become your personal backround noise once you get the hang of using it regularly.

Metta, Loving Kindness meditation is a rotation of consciousness, that acknowledges the movement in our life. Our life moves from a pivotal point- Me, myself, I.

And from that then, that intention to Love thy self, we then extend and change the words towards family, close friends, neighbors, extended family, to those we have difficulties with....

here are the words, changing the subjectivity as you rotate your thoughts from Self to then, and only then to others. We cannot truly Love and Give nor Recieve if we do not Love and Honour our own Heart and mind first.

May I be filled with Loving Kindness,

May I be well,

May I be Peaceful and at ease.

May I be happy.

Control and the Alternative

12/16/2010 18:22:00

From Stress symptoms, to Stress Management, we continue with this blog....

What is the alternative to Control, the seed of managing our stress?

Using familiar tools in Yoga and Meditation, but they are used in many aspects of stress relief;

Observation and non-judgement of the overriding factoral cause. The main factors of acute stress symptoms, whether from work stress, relationship difficulties or internalised thoughts, are often most evident in the prominent feeling, physical sensation or the outstanding forceful thought in that moment.

If we work hard to bring mindfulness, awareness and correct breathing into daily life, we are creating a new mental pattern to assist us in clear thinking, to create better focus, to exam and prioritise without analysing or judgement. These simple practices are a lifelong resource, that can be drawn upon at all stages of our life, whether 12 years to 82.

There are various forms and techniques to pull into action at this point, all would be beneficial in creating a systematic Stress relief toolbox. Not the least of these would be Meditation, Yoga, EFT, Tai Chi, Mantra work.

And for our young children, they are open to and very aware of the stress levels of parents, siblings, family, school and carers. Teenagers are most prone to the flux of Stress and its devastating effects. Most upsetting is that they can carry a cycle of unattended stress related symptoms into their adult life if they do not have the counteractive tools.

It is an understatement to say that children and most especially teens, could benefit from simple breathing, awareness and relaxation techniques. From what I have seen Yoga, Imagery and Relaxation all have relavent tools that these age groups respond to in a most profound way, with the teachers, students and parents delighted with the results.

To learn these relaxation skills is primary to bringing them into daily life. The most beneficial of all is to use them daily, and to learn just how to do that? (You can ofcourse contact Marie if you are at an acute phase.)

But more information for another blog, another day...but for today, its time to smile, Blog done- phew, I hope you feel informed and a little more curious about what is available to make stress a catalyst to move into a new direction.

Take the time, of 3 to 10 minutes 2 or 3 times a day to, Breathe, watch and Be.

The next blog will be on the Ayurvedic view of Stress, Work related stress and how Yoga can help, pluw the benefit massage and meditation have on the functioning of the whole system-

As Harry Potter might say 'Mischief Managed.'

May you be Joy Full and Well,

Marie