WATER - Week FIVE: Session 3 - Intro to Ayurveda

Discussion
This week take a break from all the reading and learning to take time to care for your body through Yoga’s sister science Ayurveda.
An overview of Ayurveda and Ayurvedic practices.

• Ayurveda originated in India more than 5,000 years ago and is the oldest continuously practiced health-care system in the world. 

• Drawn from an understanding of nature’s rhythms and laws, Ayurveda is built around the five elements of ether, air, fire, water, and earth. 

• It is understood in Ayurveda that humans, as natural beings, are governed by the same rules and laws as all other natural beings. 

• The goal of Ayurveda is to know how to attain optimal health through a deeper understanding of self and your own particular nature in relationship to the world around you.

How to determine your Ayurvedic constitution:

• When answering these questions, remember as far back as you can, to your youth and early adult years. You want to identify those characteristics that you were born with. This will help in identifying your constitution. 

• Pick one per category and circle, then add up your score at the bottom. See Quiz in your Manual

Part of your coursework is to:

•  determine your Ayurvedic constitution

Self-reflection + Journal

• Why do you think having this knowledge is important or helpful?

• How do you think this information could be helpful in your interactions with others?

• Reflect on this information. 

• Determine one thing you will do differently for the remainder of the course and how.

The Natural Code - Ayurveda documentary

 WATER - Week FIVE: Session 4: Dinacharya

Discussion
Dinacharya - the daily routine.
A daily routine is absolutely necessary to bring radical change in body, mind, and consciousness. Routine helps to establish balance in one’s constitution; it also regularizes. This a suggestion and based on the traditional practices of Ayurveda.

• Wake up early in the morning 

  • It is good to wake up before the sun rises, when there are loving (sattvic) qualities in nature that bring peace of mind and freshness to the senses. Sunrise varies according to the seasons, but on average 

    • vata 6am wake up

    • pitta 5:30am wake up

    • kapha 4:30am wake up
      

• Right after waking, look at your hands for a few moments, then gently move them over your face and chest down to the waist. This cleans the aura. A person's biological clock aids digestion, absorption and assimilation, and generates self-esteem, discipline, peace, happiness, and longevity.
  

• Say a prayer before leaving the bed

"Dear God, you are inside of me, within my very breath, within each bird, each mighty mountain. Your sweet touch reaches everything and I am well protected. Thank you for this beautiful day before me. May joy, love, peace and compassion be part of my life and all those around me on this day. I am healing and I am healed." or a prayer that aligns with your beliefs, if appropriate.

• After this prayer touch the ground with your right hand, then the same hand to the forehead, with great love and respect to Mother Earth.
  
  

• Clean the Face, Mouth, and Eyes

  • Splash your face with cold water and rinse out your mouth. Wash your eyes with cool water (or one of the eye washes mentioned below) and massage the eyelids by gently rubbing them. Blink your eyes 7 times and rotate your eyes in all directions. Dry your face with a clean towel.

    • Tridoshic eyewash: try triphala eye wash -1/4 tsp. in 1 cup water, boil for 10 minutes, cool and strain.

    • Pitta eyewash: use cool water or rose water from organic rose petals - most commercial rose water has chemicals in it that will sting the eyes. 

    • Kapha eyewash: try diluted cranberry juice, 3-5 drops in a teaspoon of distilled water.

• Drink Water in the morning

  • Drink a glass of room temperature water, preferably from a pure copper cup filled the night before. This washes the GI tract, flushes the kidneys, and stimulates peristalsis. It is not a good idea to start the day with tea or coffee, as this drains kidney energy, stresses the adrenals, causes constipation, and is habit-forming.

• Evacuation

  • Sit, or better squat, on the toilet and have a bowel movement. Improper digestion of the previous night's meal or lack of sound sleep can prevent this. However the water, followed by sitting on the toilet at a set time each day, helps to regulate bowel movements. Alternate nostril breathing may also help. After evacuation wash the anal orifice with warm water, then the hands with soap.

• Scrape your Tongue

  • Gently scrape the tongue from the back forward, until you have scraped the whole surface for 7-14 strokes. This stimulates the internal organs, helps digestion, and removes bacteria. Ideally,

    • Vata: gold scraper

    • Pitta: silver scraper

    • Kapha: copper scraper

    • Stainless steel can be used by all.
      

• Clean your Teeth

  • Always use a soft toothbrush and an astringent, pungent, and bitter toothpaste or powder. The traditional Indian toothbrush is a neem stick, which dislodges fine food particles from between teeth and makes strong, healthy gums. Licorice root sticks are also used. 

    • Vata, Kapha: roasted almond shell powder 

    • Pitta: ground neem 
      

• Gargling

  • To strengthen teeth, gums, and jaw, improve the voice and remove wrinkles from cheeks, gargle twice a day with warm sesame oil. Hold the oil in your mouth, swish it around vigorously, then spit it out and gently massage the gums with a finger.

• Chewing

  • Chewing a handful of sesame seeds helps receding gums and strengthens teeth. Alternatively, chew 3-5 dried dates and an inch of dried coconut meat. 

  • Chewing in the morning stimulates the liver and the stomach and improves digestive fire.

  • After chewing, brush the teeth again without using toothpaste or powder.

• Nasal Drops (Nasya)

  • Putting 3 to 5 drops of warm ghee or oil into each nostril in the morning helps to lubricate the nose, clean the sinuses, and improve voice, vision, and mental clarity. Our nose is the door to the brain, so nose drops nourish prana and bring intelligence.

    • Vata: sesame oil, ghee, or vacha (calamus) oil

    • Pitta: brahmi ghee, sunflower or coconut oil

    • Kapha: vacha (calamus root) oil

• Oil Drops in the Ears (Karana purana)

  • Conditions such as ringing in the ears, excess ear wax, poor hearing, lockjaw, and TMJ, are all due to vata in the ears. Putting 5 drops of warm sesame oil in each ear can help these disorders. Then give the ears a light dusting with your constitutional herb. Wrap it in a few layers of cheesecloth then tap against the ear.

    • Vata: mahanarayan oil, dust with dashamula

    • Pitta: brahmi oil, dust with sandalwood powder

    • Kapha: neem oil, dust with vacha powder
      

• Apply Oil to the Head and Body (Abhyanga)

  • Rub warm oil over the head and body. Gentle, daily oil massage of the scalp can bring happiness, as well as prevent headache, baldness, graying, and receding hairline. Oiling your body before bedtime will help induce sound sleep and keep the skin soft

    • Vata: warm sesame oil.

    • Pitta: warm sunflower or coconut oil. 

    • Kapha: warm sunflower or mustard oil
      

• Bathing

  • Bathing is cleansing and refreshing. It removes sweat, dirt, and fatigue, brings energy to the body, clarity to the mind, and holiness to your life.

• Dressing

  • Wearing clean clothes brings beauty and virtue.
    

• Use of Scent

  • Using natural scents, essential oils, or perfumes brings freshness, charm, and joy. It gives vitality to the body and improves self-esteem.

    • Vata: hina or amber.

    • Pitta: khus, sandalwood, or jasmine.

    • Kapha: amber or musk

• Exercise

  • Regular exercise, especially yoga, improves circulation, strength, and endurance. It helps one relax and have sound sleep, and improves digestion and elimination. Exercise daily to half of your capacity, which is until sweat forms on the forehead, armpits, and spine.

    • Vata: Sun salutation x 12, done slowly; Leg lifting; Camel; Cobra; Cat: Cow. Slow, Gentle exercise. 

    • Pitta: Moon salutation x 16, moderately fast; Fish; Boat; Bow. Calming exercise. 

    • Kapha: Sun salutation x 12, done rapidly; Bridge; Peacock; Palm tree; Lion. Vigorous exercise.

• Pranayama

  • After exercise, sit quietly and do some deep breathing exercises as follows:

    • Vata: 12 alternate nostril breaths

    • Pitta: 16 cooling shitali breaths (curling your tongue and breathing through it) 

    • Kapha: 100 bhastrika (short, fast breaths)
      

• Meditation

  • It is important to meditate in the morning and evening for at least 15 minutes. Meditate in the way you are accustomed, or try the "Empty Bowl Meditation". Meditation brings balance and peace into your life.

• Now it is time for your breakfast!

  • Your meal should be light in the hot months or if your agni is low, and more substantial in the cold. Enjoy your day!

• Typical Daily Schedule for Each Dosha

  • Vata

    • 6am Wake up

    • 8am Breakfast 

    • 11am-12pm Lunch

    • 6pm Dinner 

    • 10-11pm Sleep on your back

  • Pitta

    • 5:30am Wake up

    • 7:30am Breakfast 

    • 12pm Lunch

    • 6-7pm Dinner

    • 10-11pm Sleep on your right side

  • Kapha

    • 4:30am Wake up

    • 7am Breakfast 

    • 12-1pm Lunch

    • 7-8pm Dinner

    • 11-12pm Sleep on your left side

Part of your coursework is to:

• create + commit 3-5 days to your ideal routine

Self-reflection + Journal

• What is your typical routine?

• Reflect on your experience of committing to a daily routine. 

• What happened?

References
The Daily Routine by Vasant Lad, Ayurvedic Physician
Kripalu School of Ayurveda 

The Natural Code - Ayurveda documentary

 WATER - Week SIX: Session 1
Abhyanga

Discussion
Ayurvedic practice of Abhyanga or self-oil massage. Massaging your body with oil as a daily habit will uplevel your self-care and open the gateway to becoming your body’s best healer. When we become our body’s best healer, we enable another level of responsibility. You have one body. You can’t replace it when it breaks down. The body runs on love and thrives on love. Ayurveda teaches that love is the vibration of consciousness as it comes into form. If you disrespect or dishonor your body, if you are critical or judgemental of your body, you're breaking things down. If you learn how to attend to your body’s needs and desires for self care, you stimulate regeneration, repair, and rejuvenation.

Benefits of applying oil to the whole body Abyanga

• Produces softness, strength, and color to the body

• Decreases the effects of aging

• Bestows good vision

• Nourishes the body

• Increases longevity

• Benefits sleep patterns

• Benefits skin

• Strengthens the body's tolerance

• Imparts a firmness to the limbs

• Imparts tone and vigor to the dhatus (tissues) of the body

• Stimulates the internal organs of the body, including circulation

• Pacifies Vata and Pitta and Harmonizes Kapha

Benefits of applying oil to the feet Padaghata

• Coarseness, stiffness, roughness, fatigue, and numbness of the feet are alleviated 

• Strength and firmness of the feet is attained

• Vision is enhanced

• Vata is pacified

• Sciatica is benefited

• Local veins and ligaments are benefited

• Be sure to do the abhyanga in a warm place and avoid getting chilled afterwards.
  

Routine

1. Transfer 1 to ½ cup of oil to a glass bottle to warm the oil.

2. Place a large towel or sheet over the area where you will be oiling.

3. Without being in a hurry, lovingly and patiently massage the oil into your entire body for about 10-15 minutes, beginning at the extremities and working toward the middle of the body. 

4. It is best to apply oil to the entire body and add more as you revisit each body part and massage long strokes.

5. Use long strokes on the limbs and circular strokes on the joints. Massage the abdomen and chest in broad, clockwise, circular motions.

6. As an option, apply oil to the crown of your head and work slowly out from there in circular strokes. Oil applied to the head should be warm but not hot.

7. Put a couple drops of warm oil on the tip of your little finger or on a cotton ball and apply to the opening of the ear canal. (If there is any current or chronic discomfort in the ears don't do this until it clears.)

8. Put a couple drops of warm oil on the tip of your little finger and apply to the opening and inside of the nasal passage. (If there is any current or chronic nasal congestion don't do this until it clears.)

9. Massage face and neck.

10. After you've massaged your entire body, enjoy a warm bath or shower. Be sure to wash your feet off before entering the shower.

11. When you get out of the shower, towel dry by patting yourself dry instead of rubbing.

Dry brushing

• Is self-massage that is more stimulating than soothing.

• Use a dry bush to stimulate and circulate your lymph system.

• Dry brushing may be preferred to Kapha for its stimulating effect or for Pitta who may not want more oil.

• If you tend to wake up sluggish or have lymphatic congestion.

• Practice

  • Brush your skin fairly vigorously from the limbs towards the center starting at the soles of the feet. 

  • Brush the torso from top toward the root.

  • Do for 1-5 min or for longer.

Gua Sha Tutorial

Part of your coursework is to:

•  do each practice 2-3x this week

Self-reflection + Journal

• Reflect on your experience

 WATER - Week SIX: Session 2: Sense organ care

Discussion
We continue with Ayurvedic self-care practice and discuss sense organ care. Senses enable us to perceive and understand the world around us. Senses are instruments that are incredibly sensitive. When we lose sensory acuity, we lose perceptivity.

”If you disrespect your senses, you cause disease in your body, your mind, your relationships and your spiritual life. Respect the wisdom and sensitivity of your senses.” -Kate Stillman, Yogahealer

Taste/Tongue
Get in touch with your tongue as an organ. The tongue in an emissary and has the great responsibility to allow things to go in or spit out.

• Water

• Tongue map

• Practice: Scrape your tongue

  • Get a metal tongue scraper for yourself (do not share).

  • First thing in the morning look at your tongue.

  • Fill in your tongue chart.

  • Scrape your tongue back to front gently 7-10x.

  • Rinse your tongue scraper and note what you are removing.

• Reasons to scrape your tongue:

  • Take stock of your health

  • Remove bacteria from your mouth

  • Prevent bad breath

  • Prevent oral decay

  • Detox your mouth

  • Stimulate digestion + elimination

  • It will help you to crave healthy foods + taste accurately

• Practice: Oil pulling

  • It is the simple practice of swishing a good quality oil through your teeth and gums. The oil extracts bacteria, removes mucus, and decreases inflammation that leads to gum recession and tooth decay. 

  • Melt 1-3 tbs coconut oil in your mouth or on low in a skillet

  • Swish through your mouth for 5-20min while doing something else (like making the bed and getting set up for the day)

  • Spit oil into trash (not the sink)

  • Swish water through your mouth

  • Start with just a tsp. of oil and gradually increase

• Reasons to oil pull

  • Removes bacteria, viruses, debris, and fungi from your mouth

  • Effective gum restoration practice

  • Removes mucus

  • Boots immune system

  • Clarifies skin

  • Brightens teeth

  • Decrease inflammation in your mouth

Smell/Nose
Our sense of smell holds our deepest memories. When the nasal passages work well you have a chance of breathing well. If your nasal passages are clogged, inflamed or dried out, your nose’s ability to deliver oxygen to your lungs is compromised.

• Practice: Rinsing (for congestion)

  • Fill your neti pot just below the lip with distilled or boiled water - cooled to room temperature.

  • Add a ½ tsp of mineral sea salt. Stir until dissolved.

  • Bend over the sink and turn your head to one side.

  • Keeping pot level, place spout into your top nostril until it fits snugly.

  • Breath through your mouth and slowly tip your head down allowing water to travel up through your sinuses and out the other nostril.

  • Use half the water and repeat on the other side.

  • Blow your nose gently to remove excess water and mucous.

  • When you are done, take a forward fold with your head pointing towards the floor and exhale to release any trapped water.

• Practice: Oiling (for inflammation or dryness) - the quick way

  • Use plain sesame, coconut, or nasya oil.

  • Put a dab of oil on a spoon + dip your pinking finger in the oil.

  • Insert into your nostril and coat your nostril with oil.

  • Gentry sniff the oil deeper into your sinuses.

• Benefits

  • Balances mind and emotions

  • Clears nervous system

  • Optimized breathing + pranic absorption

  • Clears debris

  • Strengthens immune system

Sight/Eyes
Eye exercises to reduce eyestrain and improve vision

• Practices:

  • Palming

    • Rub your hands together to generate heat. 

    • Place your right fingers on top of your left fingers. 

    • Gently place your hands over your eyes, applying no pressure. 

    • Relax for 10-15 breaths to release unnecessary tension from your body.

  • Zoom out

    • This exercise is recommended especially for individuals who suffer from computer vision syndrome, but it can also help relax the eyes after any other strenuous activity. 

    • Choose an object that is located six to ten yards away from you, and focus on it for about twenty seconds, without moving your head. 

    • Doing so provides rest to the ocular muscles that we tend to put a lot of stress on when we focus intensely on the computer screen.

  • Zoom in

    • This simple (and somewhat hilarious) exercise can be performed by holding a pencil in front of you at arm's length, then slowly moving the arm closer to the nose, while focusing your eyes on the tip of the pencil. 

    • The goal is to bring the tip of the pencil as close to the nose as possible, until your eyes can't keep focus. 

    • Doing this exercise ten times in a row helps improve eye movement control and strengthens the eye muscles.

  • Repeated blinking

    • This simple action, that we often take for granted, plays a vital role in eye health and vision. It replenishes the tear film that covers the surface of the eye (the cornea), lubricating it and protecting it against dryness, dust particles and other irritants. 

    • Some research shows that when we watch TV or use the computer, we tend to blink less, which dries and irritates the eyes, potentially causing headaches and other types of discomfort. 

    • Blinking every three or four seconds for about a minute is thought to help reduce eye strain by clearing the cornea and allowing the eyes to rest.

  • Figure 8's.

    • Roll your eyes in figure 8's for 10 slow easy breaths. 

    • This simple therapy increases the flexibility of your extra-ocular muscles.

    • Smile and relax while you do your eye exercises.

  • Sunrise Sunset

    • Make and effort to witness the dawn and sunset.

Hearing/Ears

• Practices: 

  • Oiling: you can oil your ears much in the same way as you oil your nose

  • Ear point massage

  • Listening

  • Listening to Nature to calm the mind and harmonized to the environment

Part of your coursework is to:

• pay very close attention to your senses and work with one practice at a time. 

Self-reflection + Journal

• Take time to reflect on your experience.

practices

 WATER - Week SIX: Session 3: Seasonal Alignment

Discussion
An effective yoga practice should reflect and express seasonal changes. In this way, our practices will help us to prepare for the year, to handle problems and self-soothe, thereby preparing us for what is next. 

“Alignment to the seasons is a great way to participate in Nature’s external alchemy. Spring rises up the front of the body as if the sprouts of spring were ascending up to the heavens. The organ to play with in the spring is your liver, your vision. Opening up the thighs, lungs, liver and eyes transforms how you perceive the world, changing the angle in which you are accustomed to. Summer is for the heart, one’s speech and the ability to articulate what makes your heart sing. Summer is when you ripen your backbends, as summer ripens over top of the head when the sun is high. Autumn descends down your back, reflecting the memories of spring. This is the time when you do your pranayama practices, pulling in the minerals of the atmosphere, using your nose and thyroid to filter, ventilate, and extract this cosmic dust. Finally, winter goes deep, substantiating your perineum, establishing a dialogue of moving your waters, folding into yourself, gaining insights from the experiences of summer. You close off your hearing to the external to contact the internal. You go in to become concentrated so that when you go out, you are radiant.” - Kat Villian 

According to Katonah Yoga Theory, which we will explore later in the program, each season has a different focus and energy and our practice and life reflect this, especially when we intentionally align internally and externally. Consistency and discipline in practice is essential, yes, but our willingness to change and be changed, as the seasons and Nature do, will enable us to live in deeper alignment with what is eternal.

• Spring: initiates a rising up the front of the body as a sprout ascends to the sky. As the seed bursts into its potential, we too leave the comfort of our caves in search of new experiences. A Spring practice is a recipe for joy - and the true art of the practice is seeing life through a lens that is going to give you the most joy. You are then a joy to yourself and a joy to others. Liver. Pituitary. Vision. 

• Summer: is expansive, a ripening above the crown of the head - when the fruits are heavy on the vine, it is time for experience - to go out and make contact. A Summer practice is a time to play more with your community. Participating in community in summer ensures support, utilizing the support of others because life is hard - on the body and the mind. The more help we have, the better chance we have of getting to where we want to go quicker and more efficiently - not wasting time or energy. Heart. Speech. Thymus. 

• Fall: begins the descent down the back of the body as the leaves of autumn reflect the potentials of spring. After everything shoots up, the seasons flip and all things descend down. Fall is a time of gathering, taking inventory, and storing. In a Fall practice you want to pump up your lungs through pranayama, creating space, allowing your whole being to breathe and revitalize every cell. Lungs. Arms. Thyroid. Throat. 

• Winter: is dark and deep. Winter is hard, but when you harmonize with winter there is an inner stillness and unwavering contentment that simmers through the cold. A Winter Practice beckons you to turn inward - to hibernate and gain insights. You are creating conditions in winter to move out into the world. Winter makes you powerful and is the true gold of the practices. Kidneys. Adrenals. Hearing.

Part of your coursework is:
Consider the elements of each season. For example, what would a Spring practice look like? What areas of the body would you focus on? What deeper ideas could you weave into your personal practice? Design a personal practice for each season - starting with Fall. (We will learn more about designing classes in Level 2. For now, take the first step and think about what you would want in a class and create a simple design.)

Self-reflection and Journal
Consider what season of life you are in and note the joys and challenges of this time.
What lessons are you learning?
What lessons are being taught to you through your circumstances and current situations?