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

The force of Vata or The Wind in your Mind

The elemental forces or "doshas" are the tension created between the elements to keep the elements playing nicely. You are some unique combination of the 5 great elements. Because you may have a predominance of certain elements, you exhibit certain characteristics in your body and mind.

The force of the Wind is the tension created when the elements Space and Air combine. This force in Ayurveda is known as “Vata”. If you have a predominance of the Wind (Vata), you still do have the other forces of Fire (Pitta) and Earth (Kapha) in your mind; however, their expression is not your first response.

To understand how your mind behaves, you only have to think of the elements that combine to make the force of the Wind; Space and Air. Space and Air are dry, rough, cool, light, penetrating, moving, broad, unlimited and unbounded. Envision a dry leaf blowing erratically on a cool autumn breeze. The leaf goes every which way and suddenly stops. It is unpredictable and may just as suddenly start moving again. There is no rythmn or routine to the movement. The breeze brings with it a sense of excitement and change. The leaf is dry and fragile and if the breeze blows too hard, it begins to fray.

You probably exhibit the following characteristics in your personality.

The Wind in all minds is the activity of thinking. Combine that with a predominance of Wind (Vata) and you have a person who does a lot of thinking. Even in a balanced state, your mind tends to go and go and jump from thing to thing. This can be wonderful because the Wind mind is very enthusiastic, lively, energetic and creative. This can be troublesome as you may find that your sleep is interrupted even when you are totally living in balance. You dream a lot of vivid dreams. You are intuitive.

Because of your active mental state, you are prone to anxiety and worry. You may find that you worry about absolutely everyone and everything including much that is completely out of your control. The lesson for the Wind is to surrender to outcome and stay in the present moment.

You probably love all things new. You are familiar with the top 10 on the bestseller list, you know the latest headline news and you are signed up for a class in the latest trending fad. You know a lot of people and have a large circle of friends. You have excellent short-term memory. You love to shop and spend and pick up lots of small little treats for self and friends. You have a hard time saving money.

You can be easily distracted. In fact, you may be reading all 10 books on the bestseller list at the same time. You may find it hard to finish any one of them and you may not retain the story very well. While you are familiar with the latest headline news, you may not exactly understand the history or geography of the world’s events. You are very big picture. You tend to jump from thing to thing, so while you are a “jack of all trades”, you may not be a “master” of any one. Your circle of friends is wide, but you may have few close friends. You can appear aloof and you may struggle to listen to others.

Your imagination and creativity make you a very entertaining person. In fact, the Wind is usually the life of the party. Quick witted and able to outthink most others, you generate laughter and excitement. You are the person that picks other’s up. In fact, your strong intuition knows when others are a bit down and you are always quick to lend a smile, hug or laugh to shift the energies of others.

You are fabulous at finding creative solutions to problems. In fact, you should be working in a job where you initiate creative solutions. You don’t necessarily want to be in charge of others, but you do like to have freedom of movement and freedom in how you spend your time. You lack follow through and finishing projects may be very hard for you. Surround yourself with people who can take your fabulous ideas and see them to fruition.

You are very sensitive. Others may not realize how deep your feelings truly run and you may find that you are easily hurt. You hate making mistakes and worry that what you do is never good enough. Sometimes you feel scattered. You will find that you need long periods of rest and silence each day to soothe your nerves and nourish your sensitive heart.

The following are some examples of situations that you may be prone to due to your Windy nature. Don’t worry that you are doomed to experience these. Living in a balanced state will allow you to manage these conditions:

Insomnia

Worry

Anxiety

Tremors

Palpitations

Headaches

Backaches

Constipation

Stomach Sensitivity

Shanti, Pamela

Menopause

During menopause the hormones in your body begin to change and you can experience imbalances in your elements or doshas. The Wind, Vata, increases and The Fire, Pitta, increases. The Wind is responsible for movement in your body and increases with age. The Wind imbalance causes you to feel nervous, depressed, anxious and unable to sleep. The Fire is responsible for digestion in your body...digestion of food, thoughts, emotions and ideas. The Fire imbalance makes you feel edgy, grumpy and short-tempered. In Ayurveda, the focus is to rejuvenate the reproductive system, regulate the change in the hormones and soothe emotions.

The Wind Reducing Plan for Body and Mind is most often recommended. This means sticking to an established routine including regular bedtime and three meals a day. Food is cooked and eaten warm. Choices are calming and nourishing including periods of silence. Meditation and Yoga are keys to aging gracefully and with ease. If you are grumpy and experience The Fire imbalance, then the Fire Pacifying Plan if followed for Body and Mind. Both plans are similar, but the Fire avoids spicy foods and "hot" situations.

Herbs to consider are:

• Shatavari for the reproductive system. Eases hot flashes and night sweats.
• Ashwagandha to calm your nerves and faciliate sleep.
• Aloe Gel (mix with a little orange juice 2 or 3 times a day)
• ChyavanPrash (this is a jam that can be taken by the spoon or put on toast)
• The scent of Sandalwood

If you find that you are feeling rather sleepy, lazy, holding weight or water then the Earth or Kapha has gotten involved. You need to Invigorate your body and mind. A vegetarian diet is recommended with lots of fruits and veggies. No napping. Set your alarm and get up. Try something new. Add Trikatu to your herbal therapy.

All of the Element's plans can be found at www.elementaom.com