What are we really doing here?

Why are you doing yoga? Why are you participating in an Ayurvedic Cleanse? What are we really doing here?

We are getting happy. Getting happy is a process...a technique. It isn’t that hard. It is simply an everyday disciplined practice. This is how happiness works. First, you must be physically comfortable. If you are ill, in pain, or suffering from life’s stressors like lack of sleep, poor digestion or fatigue, you cannot be happy. Not only can you not be happy, but you can’t grow spiritually because you are mired in misery that is physically tangible. This is why we do Asana or the movement of Yoga. So, go to a yoga class or go for a walk or both. Make good nourishing choices for food and routine. Go to bed.

Second, you must breath. I guess that should be first, but I’m talking about Pranayama. Focused attention on breath. This will relax you. It will focus your mind so that your thoughts begin to slow. You will become aware of tension that you are holding in your physical body and be able to release it and manage it in the moment. If you are unaware of your breath, if you are rushing through your day, you cannot be happy. Not only can you not be happy, but you can’t grow spiritually because you are mired in stress and rushing and not taking the time to connect to your soul. So, breath. Just be aware that you are breathing. In the moments of stress and anger, pause and breath.

Third, you must meditate. Now this really should be first because it is the foundation, but I’d like to get you through the door in a more mainstream way. The Asana of yoga is widely accepted. It is readily available. Meditation is a little more work. Additionally, if you are not physically happy and if you have no focus, you cannot meditate. Meditation is the process of becoming aware of your thoughts and finally of becoming without thought. Meditation is not visualization. Meditation is not listening to soothing music. That is called relaxation and it is very important, but it is not meditation. So, do a little asana to make your body comfy, breath for a few minutes to focus your attention and relax and then meditate. Just sit, close your eyes and bring your attention to any one thing. I love mantra and “so hum” is the perfect mantra to connect to your breath. Translated, it means “I am”. And that means “I AM” I AM the whole entire universe. I AM the reason for all that is here to be here. I AM the center of the world. I AM the co-creator of my existence.

Through meditation, we create a door to our soul. Before that door opens, you have to let go of a lot of things keeping you attached to this world. You must process your past. All the aches, pains, grievances, betrayals, bad thoughts and bad deeds of the past must be released. You must find compassion and forgiveness and ultimately blessing in everything that has come your way. Once the past is gone...and this is a process...you start to shift to present moment awareness and ultimately happiness.

But wait...we still have to deal with the future. Get clear about what your intentions and desires are for your future. Know that you, as the co-creator, truly can manifest anything that you desire. Know what you want. Ask for it. Know that you will get it. Through this process you can stop worrying about your future and living in the future. This facilitates present moment awareness.

Living in this present moment, through meditation you will be aware of your thoughts. When you start to worry, you can stop yourself. When you are being critical, judgmental, unforgiving or harsh, you can choose a different path. You will become compassionate, loving and helpful.

At some point in your practice of meditation, once you are done thinking about the past and worrying about the future, you will meditate. You will enter a zone of total peace and connection. You may or may not remember anything that happens during meditation. What does happen? I have no idea. For me, I come out of my meditation relaxed, focused and HAPPY!

What are we really doing here? We are getting HAPPY.

Symptoms that your body and mind are detoxing

The Elemental Immersion is well under way at EOM in Lebanon and at YogahOMe in Oakley. Many participants are starting to experience symptoms of detoxification...and we are only entering week two! This is good. As the body releases toxins stored in your cells, they enter your digestive system. Through meditation, your mind begins to release accumulated bad thoughts and memories. In a nutshell, your toxins, physical and emotional, are activated as they push from your body. As you release, you may experience the following:


Clogged sinus

Constipation

Cough

Diarrhea

Depression

Fatigue

Fever

Flu symptoms

Cold symptoms

Gas

Headache

Irritability

Moodiness (extremes of sadness and happiness)

Skin rash

Stomach ache

This is part of the process. If you are having this experience, it's time to rest. Be gentle with your body and mind. Nourish yourself. This is a great time to receive a massage, take a day off, journal and even nap! It's likely that you have been pushing yourself very hard for years and years. Let your body and mind heal.

Caffeine and your body

Caffeine is addictive. When you stop using caffeine, you may experience symptoms of withdrawal in as little as 12 hours. Symptoms include the following:

• Headaches
• Flu-like symptoms
• Irritability and Restlessness
• Difficulty Concentrating
• Muscles stiffness
• Chills
• Hot Flashes
• Jitters
• Insonmina
• Anxiety
• Nausea
• Irregular heartbeat
• Flushed Face

The good news is that caffeine is an addiction that is easy to break and it doesn't have to be painful. To eliminate caffeine from your diet, do the following:

Week 1: Go about your daily routine. When you get up in the morning and want your cup of coffee, go ahead and make it just like you always do. Go to the sink and pour 1/3 off. Drink your coffee and enjoy. If you make a pot in the morning, go ahead and make the pot. Go to the sink and poor 1/3 off. Drink as usual. The same is true for sodas. Get your soda, pour 1/3 off, drink and enjoy.

Week 2: The same as above, but now you are pouring 2/3's of the cup away. This is the week when you may consider adding a decaf hot tea to your routine on top of the 1/3 cup of coffee. You may also try some flavored carbonated sodium free beverages.

Week 3: No more caffeine. Substitute teas and carbonated sodium free waters.

During this process, if you suffer from any of the above symptoms, have a very small serving of caffeine to ease your suffering. 1/4 cup of coffee will do the trick.

A special note: if you are having surgery or any medical procedure, you may be forced to not take in any food or drink up to 24 hours prior to the event. Many people suffer from withdrawal prior to, during and after their surgery. You want your body to be in a nice place to heal, so start to eliminate your caffeine addiction 3 weeks prior to surgery.

Why is caffeine bad for me?

Ayurveda teaches that all disease stems from poor digestion. Caffeine slows digestion.
Caffeine dehydrates you. Drinking caffeine stresses the physical, mental and emotional bodies. It increases the levels of glucocorticoids, such as cortisol, which actually make you hold onto fat. These are stress hormones. Caffeine has a negative effect on the immune system making it harder to fight viral and bacterial infections. Additionally, memory is impaired by caffeine use as oxygen is taken from the brain and the extremities. Caffeine, in fact, causes the brain's blood vessels to restrict. This is why caffeine can be found in some headache medications. Caffeine can increases blood pressure with little effect on heart rate. Caffeine is a big contributor to sleeping disorders including insomnia.

If you are trying to lose weight or detoxify your body through our Elemental Immersion, caffeine should be slowly eliminated from your diet.

Snacking and Ayurveda

The Ayurvedic rules of snacking are......."NO SNACKING"!

Sorry, but seriously, when was the last time you were really really hungry?

When you think of hunger, think of a scale from 1 to 10. 1 is starving to death and 10 is Thanksgiving dinner. You should eat a meal when you are around a 2 or 3. You should stop eating when you are around a 7 to leave room to digest. A meal is the size of your two fists placed side by side. That is all that your stomach can comfortably hold. Yes, you can shove more food in your stomach than that, but it slows digestion.

When you think of your digestive system, think of a bonfire. We call it "Agni". You want that bonfire to be burning as hot and intense as possible. Overeating and eating between meals causes that fire to diminish. A weak fire cannot break down and absorb the nutrients in your food. A weak fire cannot facilitate elimination of waste.

So, get hungry. Let your belly start to rumble and work and then feed it. Leave room to digest and take a nice little walk after you eat.

If you are beginning the process of eliminating the habit of snacking from your diet, the following can get you through your transition:

Bliss Balls:

If you are participating in the Elemental OM Immersion, you can snack on Bliss Balls to your hearts content. Otherwise, use these as a healthy alternative for snacking. You will find they are very rich and filling.

• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup almonds
• 2 cups dried cranberries
• 1 cup raisins
• 6 - 8 figs or dates, dried
• 2 tablespoons or more of maple syrup, mollases or honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon or more nutmeg
• ½ cup shredded coconut flakes

Place all the nuts and dried fruit in a food processor and process until relatively smooth. Add the maple syrup, vanilla and nutmeg. Continue to pulse until the mixture begins to stick together. Taste for sweetness. Add more maple syrup if necessary to hold the bliss balls together.

Place the shredded coconut flakes in a flat bowl. Roll the nut and cranberry mixture into 1-inch balls, dip in maple syrup and roll them in the coconut flakes to coat. Store in an airtight container.

Play around with these, you may use any dried fruit or nut combination that you love. Consider figs, dates, raisins and other nuts. You might also consider adding Carob or a high quality dark chocolate.

Herbal Tea:

When you get the craving for a snack, have a cup of tea instead. When choosing tea, always pick the boxes that are yellow, orange or red. Pick anything that says zingy, zainy, zesty, uplifting, invigorating or other energetic word. These teas tend to have herbs in them that stimulate digestion.

Veggies:

Blanch some veggies and consume with hummus for a snack. Avoid raw foods. They are hard to digest.

New Recipe to Cleanse!!

This recipe is from the Chopra Center for Wellbeing. If you are The Wind or Vata prefer pinto beans over red kidney and make sure you do soak them overnight. Cook them down a bit more than the other doshas. The Elemental Immersions begin this week! Time to detox, destress and destroy ama (ick) in our bodies and minds.

Cajun Bean Chili

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 cup red kidney, small red, or pinto beans (rinsed and soaked overnight)
4 to 6 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ghee or olive oil [Find our ghee recipe here]
1 cup chopped leeks, shallots, or onions
1 pinch red chili flakes
2 cloves minced garlic (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
1 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos or tamari
1 cup diced green bell pepper
2 cups diced tomatoes
1½ cups thin sliced andouille chicken sausage (optional)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1½ cups marinated tempeh (cut into cubes) (Marinade recipe below)

Drain the beans. In a soup pot, bring the beans, vegetable stock, and bay leaves to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer at a rolling boil until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Heat a sauté pan with the oil over medium heat, then add the leeks, red chili flakes, garlic, and celery. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add the aminos, bell pepper, and tomatoes. If using chicken sausage, add it now.

In a small bowl, combine the turmeric, thyme, oregano, coriander, cumin, and paprika. Add the spice mixture to the vegetables, stirring to incorporate. Sauté another 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the vegetable mixture to the cooking beans about halfway into the cooking process. Continue to cook, stirring frequently and adding more stock if necessary. Add the tempeh cubes and the maple syrup just before serving and reheat gently. The stew will be finished when the beans are soft to the touch. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

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Nutritional facts per 1½ cup serving (using tempeh only)
Calories 449, Total fat 9.4 g, Saturated fat 1.9 g, Carbohydrates 61.9 g, Protein 29.6 g

Do I need to Cleanse or Detox?

The Elemental Immersion, EOM's 28 day Ayurvedic Cleansing Program, is now accepting registration for the January programs. Traditionally, in India, people cleanse one to three times per year with the changing of the seasons. I like to see people do a deep cleanse on an annual basis and a "mini" cleanse monthly. People often ask if they truly need to cleanse and what are the symptoms of toxicity. The following is a brief list of indicators of imbalance and toxicity:

• Poor digestion
• Heartburn
• Acid reflux
• Indigestion
• Constipation
• IBS
• Hemorrhoids
• Gas & bloating
• Weight Gain
• Obesity
• Acne
• Itchy, flaky or dry skin
• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Allergies
• Fibromyalgia
• Arthritis
• Headaches including Migrains
• Joint Pain
• Insomnia
• Interrupted Sleep
• Unclear thoughts and Forgetfulness
• Lack of Energy and Enthusiam
• Depression
• Lack of Purpose
• Lack of Joy

The Elemental Immersion is the perfect system to improve your digestion, facilitate weight loss and get you thinking in a clear and focused manner. We will establish a meditation practice, a yoga practice, change nutritional habits and work through emotional and mental clearing exercises. If you need to lose weight, you will lose 6 - 12 pounds in 28 days. Other side effects include glowing skin, better sleep and happiness. You will be empowered at the end of the cleanse to eat for your Ayurvedic body type. You will have a firm foundation in Ayurveda and feel confident to practice a "mini" cleanse monthly. For more information, go to elementalom.com

Stop Being So Religious

What
Do sad people have in
Common?

It seems
They have all built a shrine
To the past

And often go there
And do a strange wail and
Worship.

What is the beginning of
Happiness?

It is to stop being
So religious

Like

That.

~ Hafiz

Embrace your present moment. Know that everything is perfect in this moment...just the way that it is. Use your memories. Do not let your memories use you. Learn, grow and release.