It sure is dry here. Quite an adjustment for a body used to the marine influences of the Pacific Northwest! After just 2 1/2 weeks, and only 3 full days of classes, I can already sense the subtleties of what's happening in my body to make that adjustment, and also sense what I need to do to facilitate the process. Slow, gentle, grounding yoga practice, warm, comforting foods, lots of ghee (yes!), even some types of dairy are good for me right now, as vata is a bit out of balance. Very common at the change of seasons (and fall is vata season!), not to mention change in every other aspect of my life. It's exciting to feel what's going on in my body, mind and spirit with a new perspective and to know what to do to work with the forces of nature. It's also interesting to note that although I am consuming a fairly high amount of fat (ghee and dairy), I'm already into my skinny pants again. Of course, once I'm acclimated to my new environment and winter sets in, things will change again and I'll need to focus more on keeping kapha in balance. Spicy foods, much less fat, little to no dairy, a more vigorous yoga practice. Many of my classmates are dealing with mild to major imbalances as their bodies adjust. I'm grateful that I haven't had TOO much of that -- yet. We've been warned that each one of us will likely feel some discomfort as we heal and come into balance. But so far, so good.
This heightened awareness is apparent in my meditation practice as well. Meditation is a much richer experience, and has become almost irresistible. One of the best things about studying here is the opportunity to establish and maintain a solid but dynamic health-enhancing daily routine (dinacharya, in Ayurvedic terms) with expert guidance. This is the year to learn to nurture myself and to make great strides in healing myself in mind, body and spirit, and I believe I am in the best possible place to do that. Then, when I've completed this course of study, it will be an absolute joy and a dream come true to be able to help others do the same.
So - three days of classes! What else have I learned? Well, I can recognize and pronounce the Sanskrit alphabet (with some help from flash cards), and I know something about the 6 major systems of Indian philosophy and how they relate to Ayurveda. The science of Ayurveda has been around for over 5000 years, as many of you know. And do you know why the ancient rishis (enlightened sages) passed on the oral tradition of Ayurveda? Our instructor read to us last night from the Charaka Samhita, the first known written text on Ayurveda (written between 400-200 BCE). The sages felt compassion for the common people, who were struggling to do their spiritual practices and fulfill their dharma, due to ill health and early death, so they shared with them their enlightened visions of how to work with the natural processes of creation to attain balance and optimal health. From an Ayurvedic perspective, the sole purpose of life is to attain spiritual enlightenment. This takes time and effort, and little progress can be made if one is preoccupied with ill health. So in order to achieve the purpose of our lives, we first must be in good health. Compare this to our modern perspective on the need for medicine. We want medicine to suppress the symptoms that interfere with our ambitious agendas. "I've got a headache, but I have a report due tomorrow, so I'll take this Tylenol and make the headache go away so I can do my work." Or "I have a bleeding ulcer, but I have a busy law practice and can't afford to be sick, so I take this drug to keep it under control." And we just continue to get more & more out of balance until we have a full blown health crisis. We've lost touch with the need for balance and attention to the natural rhythms of life. And most importantly, the fact that we are a part of those natural rhythms. They are not outside of us - all of creation is made of the same stuff! What affects the plants and the planets and the oceans and the rivers affects us. This could naturally lead to a discussion of environmental health and sustainable living, but I'll stop there.
I could talk about this stuff all day, but I have my first quiz tonight and have many hours of studying ahead of me. So I'll sign off for now. It's wonderful to hear from you all, please continue to stay in touch! Sending Light and Love your way
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