Thursday, May 31, 2012

I really don't have time for this....

So, the UPS truck made its daily stop today at my front door.  That guy in brown knows I have an affinity for amazon.com.  It seems the older the get, the more I believe there isn't anything worth spending my money on other than books.  Go ahead, recommend one and it will be on a truck the next day headed to my house.  I can't help myself.  I want to learn everything.  I blame it on my Vata nature.  Vata is the energy in your mind that is responsible for your creativity, your enthusiasm, your willingness to try new things and impulse shopping.  It is also the reason that you do not follow through, that you cannot remember and that you become distracted.  It is the reason that I walk around with 5 books in my briefcase, 1 in my purse, 3 in my car and hundreds more stacked around my house.

Today's book is "Mantra Yoga and Primal Sound" by Dr. David Frawley.  You see, I'm in charge on a yoga teacher training that begins on Sunday and it is expected that the teachers in training will learn some Sanskrit.  I think it would be nice if I actually knew some to teach them.  Now I know the usual stuff you hear in the yoga studio like "yoga", "karma," and "dharma," but that's about it.  I have always stayed away from Sanskrit because (1) it's hard to learn a foreign language, (2) none of my students know what pose to do when I say it in Sanskrit, and (3) Sanskrit is the language of the Universe and very powerful.  In fact, Sanskrit is so powerful that if you use just the right mantra, you can destroy and recreate the entire Universe.

I'm not kidding.

So, it's important to understand tone, inflection and meaning.  You could spend your entire life reciting a mantra intended to bring you enlightenment and if spoken incorrectly be asking for a new dishwasher instead.  (btw...I love mine.)  

So...back to Dr. Frawley.  His book is amazing.  It's also impossible.  I don't have time for this.  I mean I really don't have time to learn an entirely new language.  I skip ahead, of course, and get to the first letter....The Short Vowel A.  I pause....

Did you know that you could simply learn this one little letter "A" pronounced as in the word "another" so aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanother (go ahead and do it) and receive all of the following benefits:

  • Energetically, it connects you to pure existence.  
  • Spiritually it is the absolute, pure consciousness, Godhead...the Supreme Shiva
  • Physically it activates the top and back of your head.
  • Psychologically it is the source of the mind and prana.  
  • From a yogic perspective it promotes meditation, bliss, detachment, energizes the crown chakra and pratyahara (withdrawals the senses).

All that in one little letter.

I can do that.  Geez.  I could simply aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa the rest of my life and that would probably do it for me.  Breathe in, breathe out aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, Breathe in, breathe out aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.  I'm going to do one letter a week.  Just a little meditation every day with one little letter.  In 16 weeks I'll be through the Vowels.  I already know the semivowels and didn't even know I knew them!  

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I do have time for this.  Om Shanti,  Pamela

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Are we in denial? The end of times?

So yesterday, some pretty bad news was released about CO2 worldwide emissions.  In a nutshell, Al Gore was right.  We are directly on target to a total disaster in the form of a 6 degree Celsius increase in the temperature of the planet translated to around 42 degrees Fahrenheit.   Of course the end of the century is 88 years away so who cares, right?  I'll be dead by then anyway.

My children won't be.  Your children won't be.  
My grandchildren won't be and neither will yours. 

To prevent this disaster, we really can't rely on our governments to take action.  We can't rely on other nations to do the right thing.  We can't rely on some unthought of new invention that will stabilize the planet.  We can't rely on some incredibly slow timetable and plan for change that includes shifting 7 billion people to clean energy.  What we can rely on is yoga.

The founding principle of yoga is Ahimsa or nonviolence.  This means that you should practice nonviolence in thought, word, and deed.  How can you save the planet with this principle?

THOUGHT:  Every morning when you arise express gratitude for the beauty that is mother nature.  This is really going to shift the experience that you have with the earth.  If you got to know the earth, the pain and suffering that it is experiencing would become your own.  This is what would happen:

  • You would stop eating so much meat which  contributes to the CO2 emissions, not to mention make a small dent in the 10 billion animals that we kill each year in America to eat cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets. (here's the report on cow's and CO2>>>)
  • You would look at the empty spaces in your yard and think how lovely it would be to plant a tree.  You personally make 2.3 tons of CO2 each year.  One tree consumes 2.6 tons in a year.  Do the math.  Plant one tree each year and you are offsetting your footprint.  
  • You would plant a garden.  Did you know that most of the food you eat travels 1,500 to 2,500 miles?  How sweet would it be to walk from your back door to a potted plant or a little garden and help yourself?  
  • The next time you are at Wal-mart, Target, Costco, Ikea or the mall, you would stop and pause and look around the 50,000 square feet of garbage and perhaps think..."oh my God...all of this came from the earth! I really don't need any more landfill that takes 1,000 years to decompose.  I just really don't need any more unnecessary junk."
WORD:  Spread the message.  Teach your children, your friends and your family the importance of spending time in nature, planting a garden, consuming less, driving less, consolidating trips, turning the air conditioner up, wanting less and appreciating what you have more.  This is what would happen:
  • You would become an ambassador for the planet.  You will touch other people with your passion and commitment and then they will touch other people and so on and so on.  
  • The word would get out the way it does in America, through the green voting system.  When I say "green" voting, I'm talking about money.  If we collectively demanded to only spend our money on sustainable energy, goods and food, the ears of Wall Street and our government would listen.

EVERY TIME YOU CHOOSE TO SPEND MONEY ON ANYTHING YOU ARE VOTING

DEED:  Take action.  Do something.  Do something today.  Shifts in consciousness begin with one person.  Choose the better choice and will start the shift.  This is what would happen:
  • By the end of this century, we could have clean water and air.
  • By the end of this century, there would only be clean energy.
  • By the end of this century, no one would be hungry and without water.
  • By the end of this century, your grandchildren will live in a Utopia that we can't imagine.

As you read through the links below, ask yourself, "Is this the end of times?"  If you are 1 out of 5 children in American who is hungry, the answer is yes.  If you are 1 of the 3.6 million people dying each year due to disease from water, the answer is yes.  If you are 1 of the almost 900 million who don't have access to clean water, the answer is yes. If you are 1 of the almost 35% of black or hispanic children living in American and in poverty, the answer is yes.  Yes.  This is most certainly the end of times.  Take action.  Do something.


LINKS TO EDUCATE YOU:

CO2 emissions rose by 3.2 percent last year to 31.6 billion tonnes, preliminary estimates from the Paris-based IEA showed.

China, the world's biggest emitter of CO2, made the largest contribution to the global rise, its emissions increasing by 9.3 percent, the body said, driven mainly by higher coal use.

"When I look at this data, the trend is perfectly in line with a temperature increase of 6 degrees Celsius (towards the end of this century), which would have devastating consequences for the planet," Fatih Birol, IEA's chief economist told Reuters.


3.575 million people die each year from water related diseases  (size of LA)
884 million people lack access to clean water  (3x the population of America)
Every 20 seconds a child dies from a water related illness



Human activity has been increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (mostly carbon dioxide from combustion of coal, oil, and gas; plus a few other trace gases). There is no scientific debate on this point. Pre-industrial levels of carbon dioxide (prior to the start of the Industrial Revolution) were about 280 parts per million by volume (ppmv), and current levels are greater than 380 ppmv and increasing at a rate of 1.9 ppm yr-1 since 2000. The global concentration of CO2 in our atmosphere today far exceeds the natural range over the last 650,000 years of 180 to 300 ppmv. According to the IPCC Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES), by the end of the 21st century, we could expect to see carbon dioxide concentrations of anywhere from 490 to 1260 ppm (75-350% above the pre-industrial concentration).

1.6 million children in America do not have a home.....Campaign to end child homelessness>>>

The poverty rate rose to 15.1 percent in 2010—its highest rate since 1993. The African American poverty rate was 27.4 percent, the Hispanic rate was 26.6 percent, and the white rate was 9.9 percent in 2010. The poverty rate for children under the age of 18 stood at 22 percent. More than one-third of African American children (39.1 percent) lived in poverty in 2010, compared to 35 percent of Hispanic children and 12.4 percent of white children. The prolonged economic slump, following an exceptionally weak labor market before the crisis, has taken a massive toll on the most vulnerable.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

A Spiritual Summer...

I found myself at the bookstore yesterday escaping the oppressive heat and humidity of our Memorial Weekend in Cincinnati.  I absolutely love Cincinnati and have learned to rest into our hot, humid summers.  I feel its a small price to play for the glory of the spring and fall that no other state can rival.  Oddly, I migrated to the magazine rack where a cover of National Geographic caught my attention.  The topic was solar flares and there was a picture of the sun in full flare.   It was amazing.  Standing there thinking about the fact that I am standing on this little planet Earth and can feel the heat of the sun on my face moved me to tears.

How do we not go outside every single day and drop to our knees with gratitude for this miracle that we call life?  How have we gotten so far removed from the natural wonder that sustains us?  When did we begin to think of our planet as a machine instead of a miracle?  

I've intended to have a Spiritual summer.  I want to immerse myself in nature.  I want to touch every leaf, flower and creature that will allow my hand come near.  I want to sit for hours by my little pond under my honey locust trees and marvel at the complexity and diversity of the wildlife that joins me in suburbia.  I want to hike through the woods, sit in a field, wade through a creek, swim in a lake and get my hands dirty in the earth.  I want to turn my face to the sun each day in gratitude and lay down in the moonlight in amazement.

I want this Earth to know how much I love her. 

How will you spend your summer?

Om Shanti,  Pamela

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Get out of my way!

This morning in hatha yoga I just couldn't resist teaching the Ganpati ("gun" "puti") Kriya.  I love this Kriya because Ganpati is the Kriya of Genesha the Elephant God.  A kriya is a directed action.  Genesha is a Hindu Diety.  As an American and probably non-Hinu, Genesha is going to be a little hard to relate to at first.  As you work with the mantra, you will activate the power of the elephant in you.  Just imagine an actual elephant walking down a path.  Most things are going to get out of its way.  It's a strong archetype.

Genesha is a little boy/man that has the head of an Elephant.  He is known as the remover of obstacles and the God of Happiness.  Genesha resonates with your root chakra (Muladara) located at the base of the spine.  This is where your karma or everyday choice making lives.  Genesha's archetype is wonderful to work with if you are trying to bust through some habit of food, drink or the negative mind. 

This kriya is very powerful and abrupt.  For that reason, I suggest you start with just one to three minutes.  Begin with an obstacle that isn't your biggest one.  For example, you have certain habits and some of those are more toxic than others.  Start with a habit that is a little less toxic.  I caution you in this way because this mantra is tapping into the space between or the space of creation.  Imagine the night sky and all the space between the stars.  This is were your potential or possible life lives...the life you imagine.  The energy of that space has the power to manifest.  As you live your life and make choices that are not so good for you, the space becomes filled with cobwebs.  This mantra rips the cobwebs down. 

You would imagine if you have a lot of cobwebs, it could hurt a little bit to rip it all down at once.  Yoga is a process of gradual changes.   Start small.  Start with one to three minutes.  As you harness the energy of the mantra, you can gently move to your larger obstacles.

To practice:

I begin by sitting in easy pose, taking a few breaths and calming.  I have a little statue of Genesha and I rub his truck as I say my prayers related to the obstacle that I wish to remove.  I personally pray to God, Jesus, Yogananda and Genesha.  In the beginning, I didn't know Genesha, so it felt odd, but now it doesn't.  Sit spine straight, arms straight with wrists resting on the knees. 

The mantra that you will use is sung quietly out loud.  Each word of the mantra is a one count with the final word (hung) being a two count. 

Sa-Ta-Na-Ma-Ra-Ma-Da-Sa-Sa-Se-So-Hung.

Each word of the mantra represents something and a finger is pressed as you move through it as follows:

Sa: Press the thumb to the index finger. (Jupiter finger)   means birth

Ta: Press the thumb to the second finger. (Saturn finger)  means life

Na: Press the thumb to the ring finger. (Sun finger)   means death

Ma: Press the thumb to the baby finger. (Mercury finger)  means rebirth

Ra: Press the thumb to the index finger.  means sun

Ma: Press the thumb to the second finger. means moon

Da: Press the thumb to the ring finger.  means earth

Sa: Press the thumb to the baby finger.  means infinity

Sa: Press the thumb to the index finger. means infinity

Se: Press the thumb to the second finger.  means personal

So: Press the thumb to the ring finger.  means merge

Hung: Press the thumb to the baby finger. means THE INFINITE

To me, the meaning is kind of like, I am that, you are that, all this is that and that's all there is.  

Now the fun part.  After 1, 3, or 11 minutes, release the mantra.  Take a big inhale and suspend the breath.  Shake your body for 30 seconds like a crazy person.  Imagine you are flinging off cobwebs.  Repeat this step 3 more times.

After that, bring your hands to prayer pose and simply gaze at your finger tips with long deep breathing for 20 seconds and then relax.  

Keep a journal and notice synchronicity in your life that occur to help you remove this obstacle.  You may find much turbulence is created before the obstacle goes away.  I guess this is the idea of "be careful what you wish for, you don't know how you'll get it."  Think about something you went through in your life that was uncomfortable.  During the transition, you may have been very miserable and unhappy, but when you look back at it you realize it was perfect and couldn't have happened any other way.  That's what this mantra kinda stirs up.

Let me know what happens....  I want to hear about your experience.  Om Shanti,  Pamela

Thursday, May 24, 2012

I think its possible that I may be perhaps tired....

a moment...kids playing on beach
It seems that school as been drawing to a close for the past month.  We've had the big Ohio tests that stress my children to the max.  Honestly, I don't know what the teachers are telling these kids, but my kids believe that the entire funding for the school system rests on their shoulders.  Dance has had it's final dance, the hip hop traveling all weekend long events have come to a close, 7 days a week lacrosse has ended, the tournaments are over, the final farewell dinners have been eaten, the honors award ceremonies and the band concerts...all done. 

I went to bed last night at 9 pm.  I couldn't even read.  I thought I would get up and meditate and then have focus to read.  I mean it was just 9 pm.  I love to read.  I wanted that one hour of bliss.  I lasted 3 minutes in my meditation, opened my eyes and just felt how tired I was.

Wow....really tired.  Where did that come from?  Have been saving this exhaustion waiting for the year the end?  Do I finally have permission now to feel tired?

Profoundly and in a new way it settled over me that I can't run these kids around anymore.  We've gotten through the school year, but I wonder will I even remember my son's 15th year and my daughter's 12th.  One game and event simply runs into another.  Of course last night I was tired and couldn't think, but even today sitting here writing this, I'm having a hard time remembering any stand out moments.  Was I not present?  Was I distracted?  Was I dumping one kid on one court and running the other to get to the next court to simply turn around to pick the other back up and then home to throw dinner (late) together to plow through homework and off to bed?

What will they remember?  I guess our intimate talks in the car.  Learning to breathe relaxation breaths at stop lights.  How to make "1st" dinner...that's the snack you make before mom get's home from work to schlep you during rush hour to practice and then mom schleps home after the quick pop in to the grocery to make healthy "2nd" dinner to rush back to pick kid up from practice. Mom sitting in the stands...sitting in the stands...sitting in the stands...not sitting in the stands. 

There has to be a more "sattvic" or pure way to allow your children to express their desires without interfering with family, food and rest.  There is a Wind or Vata imbalance in my family life and it has to get fixed.  We need consistency and a routine.  Here is my summer plan:

  • Mondays:  plan.  sporting events, sleepovers and activities must be organized, well thought out and coordinated.  Veggie burrito night.
  • Tuesdays:  afternoon family activity...swim, golf, parks and plays. Dinner with dad.
  • Wednesday:  kids day with friends.  I'll schlep and drop. I'll even go to Kings Island.  Dinner with mom.  Indian food.  Modern Family night. 
  • Thursdays:  family yoga night.   Pasta.
  • Friday:  night in/out with friends.  Try a new kid friendly recipe.
  • Saturday:  yard work, cleaning and some chores.  Fun dinner together.  Everyone cooks.  Friends can sleep over.
  • Sunday:  nothing.  nothing. nothing.  connect with nature.  enjoy each other.
I'll let you know how it goes. If you have tips for organizing your family, please share!  I think this is a problem for the masses. 

Om Shanti,  Pamela




Wednesday, May 23, 2012

What does it mean to surrender?

Until you've given up life, you won't unite with the supreme soul ~ Rumi

After our Sunday morning Kundalini class (my personal favorite way to start the week), we were standing around socializing.  I absentmindedly rubbed my neck, shoulder and then jaw.  It's a habit I've developed over the past three years.  You see, my jaw hurts all the time.  This makes my neck hurt and travels to my shoulder and then travels all the way down my back on occasion.  It's very frustrating because I meditate to manage stress, practice yoga for all my aches and pains and have a pretty good handle on my routine.  It's not that I don't get stressed, but I know to sit with it, honor it, manage it, release it...etc. etc.  

The problem is, I have no idea what happens when I go to bed.  I think all the stress that I think I'm managing may actually be simply tucked away deep into my subconscious for my mind to figure out while I happily sleep away.  I sleep great, by the way, there's not a thought keeping me up.  If you were to ask me, I would tell you I'm managing my stress and life quite well.  It's all good. But dear lord, this endless jaw situation!  I'm obviously grinding my teeth.  The dentist and oral surgeon agree.

So, standing there rubbing my jaw, one of our Kundalini teachers who also practice Emotional Polarity Techniques and is insanely intuitive, put her hand on my shoulder (which makes me nervous cause I just know I'm getting muscle tested or tapped into or something out of my control...oh dear..there's the control freak again....) and she says to me, "When you give up, you will get better.  Surrender."

I'm not going to type "wtf" here, but that's what I was thinking.   I just don't know what that means.  Surrender to what???  It's so annoying.  Of course, as the Universe would have it that same evening, I'm watching a movie called Finding Joe about the Hero's journey.  At one point, it's explained that you have to slay your dragons.  I get that.  Huge battle.  Love it!! Now here's the big reveal that I seem to miss in my own hero's journey.  At some point, you have to simply realize that you are fighting yourself and surrender.  Give up.  Stop fighting.  Wow.

I don't know how this is going to work out for me, but I'm now practicing the following:

  • Control Freak:  Hello dear friend.  You look exhausted.  Come sit down and relax.
  • The Critic:  Hello darlllllinggggg.  I just love you.  You sure are pretty today.  Come on over here and give me a hug.
  • The Overachiever:  Sweetie!  It's so nice to see you.  I missed you for the .5 milliseconds we were apart.  Seriously friend, what do you really think is going to happen if you just have a simple, normal, average and happy life?  Does that sound terrible?  Really?  Sounds pretty good doesn't it?
  • The Unlovable:  You sure are cute and sweet for someone so unlovable.  Do you realize that (1) you are a work in process, (2) nobody is perfect including you and (3) even Charles Manson was loved by someone.  It's not that bad. 
There are others.  We're gonna have a party in a few months once we've all decided to stop killing each other.

Om Shanti,  Pamela

continuousnonstopworkinprocess


 


Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Another gooey Ayurvedic substance....

A delicious breakfast  is to toast whole grain bread with a little almond butter and a teaspoon of a dark brown gooey substance called Chavanprash.  It's an Ayurvedic Jam that is mostly made from amla fruit paste, also known as Amalaki and Indian Gooseberry.  Amla is one of the three fruits found in the Triphala that we use during the Elemental Cleanse™.  

Chavanprash doesn't just contain Amla.  Depending on the recipe, it can contain up to 50 other Ayurvedic herbs.  It is very satisfying because it contains 5 of the 6 tastes of Ayurveda.  In Ayurveda, if you have a balanced meal that includes all 6 tastes, you will feel satisfied and maximize digestion.  The tastes included in Chavanprash are sweet, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent.  You are missing the taste of salt which can be found in the almond butter and bread. 

Amla is soothing to The Fire or Pitta dosha and is therefore wonderful for digestion.  It contains extraordinary amounts of vitamin C making it a superior antioxident.  A few of the other 50 ingredients that you will recognize include pepper, sesame oil, ghee, honey, sugar, shatavari, ashwagandha, ginger, licorice and clove. 

A dose = 10 grams or 2 teaspoons.  Take one in the morning and one at night.  Your total Vitamin C content will be around 150 mg. 

In Ayurveda, Amla is considered a Rasayana.  Rasayanas increase strength, vitality and minimize the effects of aging.  Chavanprash is eaten daily because it tastes awesome and helps out with the following:

  • Constipation
  • Gastritis
  • Peptic Ulcer
  • Intestinal cramping
  • Cough
  • Asthma
  • High Cholesterol 
  • Diabetes
  • Acidic Belly
  • Pregnancy and nursing
  • Anti aging
  • Immunity Boost
  • Libido boost
  • Lowers blood glucose levels
  • Stimulates hair growth
Chavanprash is a tasty way to facilitate healing and prevent disease.  

You can purchase Chavanprash in the studio or online>>>

Monday, May 21, 2012

Can a black sticky tar-like substance really be good for you?

Stress causes you to age the most.
The studio in Montgomery has been open for a little over a year now.  Our yogis, especially those who have participated in the Elemental Cleanse,  have received a  foundation in Ayurveda and they are starting to explore further.  That means that I have been making some decisions on herbal supplements and some of the more interesting oils to stock in the studio.   

Most recently, I started carrying a supplement called Shilajit.  The California College of Ayurveda, in clinical studies, have confirmed that Shilajit acts to counter ulcers, anxiety and stress.  I don't know about you, but they had me at stress.  Studies out of India are showing a reversal of the aging process in rats.  I'm going to assume that the rats are experiencing less stress and therefore less aging.

I'm all in.

Now here is the weird thing.  Shilajit is not an herb.  It's a sticky tar like substance that oozes out of the cracks and crevices of the rocks of the Himalayas.  It's called "rock sweat."  It contains at least 85 minerals that are naturally occurring  in what is called "ionic" form.  That means that it has a negative charge.  Negative charge is a positive for humans especially as it relates to aging.  The free radicals that are inside of you running around causing damage will attach to the negatively charged ion and become neutral.  Hence, anti-aging. 

I've just added it to my anti-aging routine which also includes yoga, meditation, Sesame Oil massage on face, neck and body daily, Neem, Triphala, B-Complex, RejuvenAge Ultra and Hyaluronic Acid.  Eating sattvic foods and sticking to your daily routine are also critical success factors to anti-aging.

If you want to learn more about Ayurveda, meditation, yoga and anti-aging, join us at the studio or sign up to experience the Online Elemental Cleanse.  learn more>>>

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Can you have wealth and simplicity?

When I teach the Elemental Cleanse™, we spend time making a plan to achieve our heart's desires.  This is the idea of manifestation or getting what you want.  This portion of the Cleanse can make people uncomfortable because the language of spirituality in our culture is simplicity.  People who have attained great wealth are thought to be less spiritual than those who are living more meagerly.  The idea that the meek will inherit the earth has translated to guilt around material possessions.  To be meek simply means to be humble and non-power seeking.  Americans view material possessions, especially money, as power. 

A person cannot incarnate into this world and immediately get on the path to spiritual evolution.  There is a process of living that creates the yearning for union with spirit… Atha Yoga Anushasanam….after the letting go of the primary stages of life, the practice of yoga begins.

Once a person meets certain basic needs, then they are open to working on themselves and embracing a spiritual practice.  This person will have experienced childhood and early adulthood.  If this person has chosen the path of the householder, then they will have children of a certain age that are less demanding.  If this person has chosen the workforce, then this person will have received higher education and be established in their career.

Ayurvedic philosophy includes the accumulation of wealth.  There is a process of life as follows:

Dharma or life’s purpose: This is why you incarnated or why you were born.  You are here for a reason.  You are here to help and serve humanity using your intellectual, emotional and physical assets.

Artha or wealth:  You need material possessions to fulfill your Dharma.  Let's face it, you aren't going to get very far spiritually if you are struggling to pay the bills.

Kama or desire:  God’s desire created the entire universe.  Desire is not a bad thing.   Your desire is part of the creative force.  If you manifest your desires using right action and spontaneous heart-centered choice making, you are using this creative force appropriately.  If you expect rewards, fame or wealth, you are not using your desire appropriately.

Moksha or freedom:  This is the highest goal.  You are working to be free of your delusions, your maya and your misunderstanding that you are separate from spirit.  You realize that there is more to life than dharma, artha and kama.  You can’t get here without those, however.  It’s a process. 

You have to go through the process.  Spend time thinking about what you want and desire.  What does it mean to you?  Is it in alignment with your purpose?   


The Elemental Cleanse is changing lives.  learn more>>>

Saturday, May 19, 2012

A 12-year old's essay on yoga...


As parents we wonder if our children are listening.  We encourage them to make good choices and pray that they find their way.  This is the persuasive essay my 12-year old daughter wrote for 6th grade.  She's a budding yogini.  

Yoga
By Katie

You’ve had a long day. You spilled you coffee, lost your car keys, screwed up at work, and you still have to get your exercise in. What you need is a stress reliever. What’s the best way to relieve stress? The answer to that is yoga.   

Yoga is a calm, quiet outlet for relieving stress. In almost every yoga class, you’re going to meditate. Most people think of yoga as a complex of poses and exercises that improve strength and flexibility. But what they don’t know it that meditation is a huge part of yoga. Meditation really rounds out the benefits of stress relieving in yoga. It trains your mind to slow down, relax, and stay positive.  Yoga actually improves your mood. Scientists at the University of Maryland have proven that yoga increases pleasure in the neuro chemicals in your brain that elevate your mood. Different types of breathing are exhibited in yoga. Pamela Quinn, owner of her own successful yoga studio as well as a trained ayurvedic specialist, makes sure her students put the anuloma viloma breath in full spin. Anuloma viloma is Sanskrit for alternate nostril breathing.  This is where you breathe in through one nostril and out the other.  The breathing balances out your brain to help keep focus and release stress. 

As well as a stress reliever, yoga is a wonderful form of exercise. Who wouldn’t want to be relaxed as well as healthy? Yoga supports your digestion. You see, with stress certain chemicals are produced that compromise your digestive system. As stress is relieved, through yoga, of course, your digestive system is greatly improved. Yoga has better results as a workout then other forms of exercise. Scientists at the University of Maryland also compared yoga to other forms of exercise such as running or aerobics. It outperformed them in improving strength, flexibility, balance, and reducing pain or menopause symptoms. 
Yoga also helps you focus. Meditation not only dismisses stress, it also focuses you. With a clear mind after a meditation session all your thoughts aren’t scattered. Yoga helps ground you.  Nothing gets you more in touch with your body and mind than an hour with nothing to think about but yourself. All the different types of breathing in yoga help focus you.  What’s great about the breathing is you don’t have to be in a class to use it. You can breath in your car, at school, or anywhere else. There is many different kinds of breath such as breath of fire or the one I mentioned earlier, anuloma viloma breath. 

Yoga is easily one of the best stress relievers out there. Ask anyone who has experienced a class for themselves. It’s wonderful and also a workout that gets you focused. Give yoga a try. You won’t regret it.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Who has time to run off to an Ashram?

 I got a call yesterday from a wonderful woman who has been following Deepak Chopra for many years.  She loves his books and has dreamed of going away on retreat.  Like most of us, however, she has neither the time nor the means by which to do so.  Looking for a creative way to connect, heal and learn about Ayurveda without quitting her life, she search "Ayurveda and Cincinnati" which took her to Elemental OM and me.

You may not realize it, but Elemental OM is a very unique yoga center.  There isn't another center in the city or state (and probably most states) that is offering Ayurveda, meditation and multiple disciplines of yoga including Kundalini.  Our offerings are incredibly special and specifically designed to support not just our yogis, but our students who decide to participate in the Elemental Cleanse™.  

At Elemental OM, we teach Raja Yoga, known as the Royal Path of Yoga.  This includes yoga, meditation and Ayurveda.  Our yoga is Hatha based.  It is expected that students will progress in Hatha and meditation with Ayurveda as the foundation of the physical body.  These three aspects of Vedic philosophy work in union to facilitate happiness and health.

But I digress...

Wouldn't it be lovely if we could all run off to an Ashram for a month to get our habits under control, learn to meditate, focus on breath, move our body and embrace holistic nutrition? Wouldn't it be lovely if someone was in charge of us encouraging us to make good choices, follow a sensible routine for sleeping and living,  and help us to explore our emotional state and heal?  

It sounds so wonderful, but few can do that.  We have spouses, children and work obligations.  To be honest, I have had the experience of running off to retreat and doing just that.  The problem is, you return to your life and you go back to your habits.  I've found that it can actually create suffering because you remember how good you felt when you were there and how impossible it is to maintain once you are back in the real world.

This very situation is why I love my Cleansing program, The Elemental Cleanse.  You don't get to run off anywhere.  You get to learn how to incorporate movement, meditation, right choice making and much more into the life you are living.  The difficulties and situations in your life get addressed while you are living that life.  You get to shift and feel good living your life and you are empowered to continue your practice because your practice IS your life.

Another wonderful way to create your own experience of an Ashram in your life is to come to the studio once a week.  Elemental OM's class schedule in Montgomery is designed so that you can pick one night a week to be your "self-healing" night.  Tuesday is gentle yoga and medition, Wednesday is Kundalini and Yin, Thursday is flow and Kundalini.  You can stay for both class and have one physical and one more spiritual class.  Make it a weekly habit and it will change your life!  class schedule>>>




Thursday, May 17, 2012

Going potty...a discussion of...well, you guessed it!

I know it's not something that we love to talk about, but it is something that we all do and when we are not doing it, it can greatly impact our level of happiness.  Teaching the Elemental Cleanse, I've gotten used to talking about, well, going potty.  (I'm not talking about pee, here.)  It's critical to have regular elimination.  Getting up in the morning and going first thing is ideal.  As you sleep, your body is hard at work digesting the food that you have consumed during day.  In the morning, you simply want to release the digested food and not allow it to sit in your system for any length of time.

Believe it or not, if you don't or can't go to the bathroom your body using it's innate wisdom and efficiently will actually notice that you have bile sitting in your digestive system and decide that it should reuse that bile rather than waste energy making more.  This means that the bile that was previously used to remove fat and toxicity including LDL cholesterol will be retrieved.  In retrieving this, the body also reabsorbs some of what it was trying to release...toxicity. 

We've all had the feeling of constipation at some point in our lives.  It makes you miserable, not just in your body, but also in your mind.  It can make you grumpy, not sleep and diminishes sexual energy.  In Ayurveda, constipation is termed a "Vata" or "Wind" disorder.  The energy of The Wind is responsible for movement in the body.  The act of pushing digested matter from your body is The Wind at work.  When the Wind becomes aggravated by lifestyle, routine or nutritional choices, it can become too high or too low.  Either way, you suffer constipation.

Things that aggravate The Wind include:
  • Excessive amounts of dry and light food
  • Not enough lubrication through appropriate water intake
  • Staying up late and sleeping in
  • Traveling
  • Worry and anxiety accompanied with racing thoughts
  • Lack of routine and too much running around and stimulation
Here is the program to ground the energy of The Wind and what you can do daily to facilitate elimination:

  • When you go to bed each night, place a glass of water by your bed.  Drink the room temperature water first thing in the morning.
  • Sit on the potty after you drank the water and tell your body that it is time to eliminate.  You may or may not go in the beginning of this practice.  Give it a few days.
  • Daily you can take triphala in the morning and at night.  Triphala is an Indian blend of three fruits that acts as a very mild laxative.  It also is an anti-oxident and is awesome for skin, hair and nails.
  • Eat three meals each day around the same time each day.  Cook your food and eat it warm.
  • Choose foods that are "sattvic" or pure.  These include beans, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds.  Meat and dairy should be avoided as they are interfering with your digestion.
  • Drink hot spicy decaf teas.  Add fresh ginger for an extra healing zip.
  • Before you go to bed each night, take up to 1 tablespoon of sesame or almond oil.

If you are in serious discomfort, you can turn to Castor Oil and Senna Tea for quick relief.  You don't want to rely on these daily, however.  Fix the root cause of the problem instead.

If you want to empower yourself in the potty, not to mention flush the whole system...body, mind and spirit... and learn a ton about meditation, yoga and Ayurvedic philosophy, participate in the Elemental Cleanse™.  



 Om Shanti,  Pamela



Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Eat more honey

Each morning I start my day with a balancing and grounding Cleansing treat called the Yogi Breakfast.  I love it because it’s warm, nourishing and includes one of my favorite Ayurvedic secrets…raw, unfiltered, organic honey.

Ayurvedic philosophy designates honey as a “sattvic” or pure food.  Your body knows exactly what to do with it.  It promotes digestion and facilitates healing on multiple levels.  Think about it, it’s baby food for bees!  That means that it is pre-digested by a bee before it enters your bloodstream.  It is made from the pollen of plants.  That means that it is made from the portion of a plant that creates life. 

Honey is used as a rejuvenative.  That means that it nourishes the body and mind.  If you are feeling ungrounded, anxious, worried, stressed or recovering from illness that is Vata related, take a teaspoon of honey daily. 

Honey, because it is pre-digested, is used to transport healing herbs throughout the body.  In my Yogi Breakfast, I add both cinnamon and nutmeg because they are anti-inflammatories, control blood sugar levels and fight cancer.  These healing herbs attach to the honey allowing me to better digest them and utilize them to heal. 


Cool things to know about honey and Ayurveda:

·      Honey is called “madhu” in Sanskrit.  It means “perfection of Sweet.”  I love that.
·      Eating honey makes the ego sweet.  If you are participating in the Elemental Cleanse, add honey to your morning as we work to cultivate purity in our ego.
·      Honey is an aphrodisiac.   It is made from the semen or “shukra” of plants.  In Ayurveda, like increases like so eating shukra makes more shukra.   After making love, drink some non-milk milk with a bit of honey to recharge. 

Science facts about honey:
·      The American Medical Center in Amsterdam found that honey contains an antibiotic called defensin-1.  The bees actually need this to protect themselves and they pass it on to the baby bees through honey.
·      Honey does not spoil.  When King Tut’s tomb was unearthed, archeologists discovered edible honey. 
·      A honeybee will visit up to 2,000 flowers in just one day. 
·      Honey comes in different colors because of the different flowers that it is made from.  You might notice that “forest” honey is very dark.
·      Honey contains the beneficial bacteria that help you to digest. 
·      Honey is an effective cough suppressant. 

Eat more honey!  One teaspoon daily is the Ayurvedic recommendation.

To learn more about Ayurveda and Cleansing, take the Elemental Cleanse.  learn more>>>