I was writing a paper earlier this evening for my AyurYoga class - reflections on one of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. And I was somewhat startled to recognize how radically different I think and feel and "be" in the world than how I operated just 4 short months ago. Here's the sutra:
“Yoga pose is mastered by relaxation of effort, lessening the tendency for restless breathing, and promoting an identification of oneself as living within the infinite breath of life.”
As I pondered how this verse related to my experience, I realized that one could replace the first two words with anything that one is trying to accomplish by putting forth effort. And I could see how, yes, I am gradually embodying these principles. There is a relaxation of effort (though that is a tough one for a western mind), definitely a lessening of the tendency for restless breathing, and that as old patterns slowly fall away (very slowly), I am moving toward an identification of myself as living within the infinite breath of life. I feel it in my yoga practice. I feel it in my meditation practice. I feel it in my relationships - with others and with myself. And the days of putting so much strained effort into every thing I did - constantly trying to overcome obstacles, wanting things to be different than they were, all the while with shallow, restless breath and tense muscles - seem like they occurred in another lifetime instead of 4 months ago. So much has changed so quickly - and yet I've barely scratched the surface of the wonders that lie within me - the microcosm of the macrocosm of the infinite breath of life. And -- my program of study here is not even half over.
Speaking of which, when that half-way point arrives in March, I'll be back in Eugene for a week during my spring break! Hope to see many of you...
Ayurveda fully accepts and respects western medicine. Dr. Lad will frequently point out short-comings of western medicine and how it doesn't perceive the whole picture, but he never speaks negatively of it (it's only in recent years that the concept of "mind-body" medicine has taken hold - and even then - they leave out the spirit). He collaborates with many western medical doctors and has their utmost respect. He and other instructors speak frequently about when it is time to turn a particular case over to western medicine. Because western medicine shines in critical care. If you're having a medical crisis, you need a western medical doctor. But if you want to avoid having a medical crisis in the first place, well, that's where Ayurveda shines.
So a couple things come to mind when I ponder these things. First of all, as y'all know, I've been a bit of a radical my whole adult life when it comes to health. The western model of healthcare doesn't resonate with me, never has, and I have been earnestly seeking other ways to care for myself for decades. With even more earnest, I have kept myself out of doctor's offices except in very rare circumstances. And I have stayed very healthy by western standards. I'm 51, and all my bodily functions operate naturally. In other words, I don't take any prescription drugs. Menopause is imminent, yet I don't have any distressing symptoms. My numbers all look good. I am free of disease. At least by western standards (see my previous blog for the Ayurvedic definition of health). I have experimented with numerous different branches of "alternative" health care and wellness philosophies. But I never felt like I really understood what was happening or why something worked when it worked or didn't work when it didn't work. I would follow a particular diet or lifestyle philosophy to the letter and if I lost weight and felt good, I'd deem it a success. But because the "why" was lacking, I didn't stick with anything for long. Besides, there was always some nagging symptom, some uneasiness, something going on that was not addressed by the new lifestyle. And always plenty of conflicting information out there. Carbs are bad. Oh no, wait, carbs are good. Soy is good. Oh no, wait, soy is bad. Dairy is bad. And sugar and fat are definitely bad! Or are they? Bad for who?
Many, many years ago, I attended yet another self-help seminar. I don't remember much of what the speaker said, but one thing he said stuck with me. He was talking about the difficulty of trying to understand the principles of cause and effect. He used the analogy of learning to drive a car when you have no idea what a car is or how it is supposed to operate. But you do understand that you need to be able to control the direction in which it is going. So you get in the car, start it up and move forward. And you put your hands on the rear view mirror, thinking that is how you steer the car. And it's a pretty flat, straight road, the front end of the car is in good alignment, and when you come to a curve, the grade is perfect and you're going slow enough that the car makes the curve just fine. And you think, "Hey! I've learned how to drive a car!" The next time you get in the car, things don't go as well and you end up in the ditch. So you realize that maybe you missed something. And after several rounds of trial and error, you finally figure out that you need to have your hands on the steering wheel to effectively control the car.
Bear with me here while I pull all these loose ends together. With Ayurveda, I feel like I finally have my hands on the steering wheel. The foundation of Ayurvedic clinical treatment is understanding the gunas. Guna means "attribute", and Ayurveda identifies 10 pairs of basic attributes that exist in creation. Things like guru and laghu (heavy and light), snigdha and ruksha (oily and dry), picchila and vishada (cloudy and clear). This is such a basic, logical principle that we can all relate to. What do you feel like eating or drinking after being out all day in cold, wet weather? An ice cream cone? Or a cup of hot tea or a bowl of warm soup? There you go. Like increases like (the ice cream would just make you feel colder and wetter) and opposites are therapeutic. This principle is implemented over and over and over again in Ayurveda.
I had a direct experience of this earlier in the week. The weather changed and we got some rain (!!). It was cold and damp, and I felt a bit more heavy and congested than usual. So I had this bright idea that I should eat something hot and spicy to bring myself back into balance. So I went to my favorite Ayurvedic restaurant and ordered a bowl of spicy bhaji - a tomato broth with lots of veggies. Well. The pitta in my constitution went through the roof (pitta is the fire principle and it's most prominent guna is HOT). My skin was itching, I got a rash and I was irritable and cranky. Everybody and everything was on my nerves. It wasn't until late afternoon that I realized what had happened. I had gone way overboard on trying to pacify the kapha that was temporarily a bit elevated. Hey, I'm still learning, ok? I could have accomplished what I was trying to accomplish with some fresh ginger tea and a couple yoga asanas that open the chest and sinuses without aggravating pitta. The spicy soup would have been perfect for someone with a strong kapha constitution who was feeling congested and sluggish (kapha is the water and earth principle and it's primary gunas are heavy, oily and cool). It would have even been good medicine for me in the dead of winter in Oregon, when I'd been in a wet, cold environment for months, I was 20 pounds overweight, couldn't get out of bed in the morning and was coming down with another cold. But those are not my current circumstances. I'm primarily pitta-predominant to begin with, I'm in a bone-dry, high altitude desert climate, which is highly vata-aggravating (primary gunas for vata are DRY, cold and light), my body is the lightest it's been in 25 years despite the fact that I consume generous amounts of ghee, warm, organic, non-homogenized whole milk, and natural sweeteners. In general, there is very little kapha going on with me right now. The first two bites of that spicy soup probably burned through the little kapha that was present, then there was nothing left to burn through. Except my skin and my mind. In Ayurveda, everything is medicine and everything is poison. It just depends on what gunas you're working with.
So although there is a vast amount of wisdom in Ayurveda that I will not possibly be able to access in this lifetime, I feel like I have enough knowledge already to work with my own body, mind and spirit and keep them in balance. I have a clue about why things happen when they happen, and how to restore balance. By the way, the next day I stuck with vata and pitta pacifying foods and activities and all was well. Lesson learned.
May you all be well and happy, and at peace. And may those dear souls in Haiti find peace among the chaos, love among the sorrow and grief. Please pray for them and for all the people who are there to help them.
Namaste.
No comments:
Post a Comment