Yoga
Yoga is a practice to connect the body and the mind.
Yoga has the goal and outcome to regulate the emotions for the purpose of helping others.
Yoga is a physical and spiritual discipline to serve and fulfill your unique life's purpose (Dharma).
The foundation to practicing Yoga is breathing practices, physical poses, study for truth, and dedication to improving the world we are all a part of.
Yoga is a deep and complex system, and I will share more about it another time. Today, here I will tell you more about Ayurveda.
Ayurveda is the science of life, longevity and vitality.
India's Ayurveda is the sister science of Yoga. Basically, it is lifestyle medicine at its finest. A truly holistic body of knowledge and processes that considers that what we do to and put into the body impacts our longterm health.
Like yoga, its history is long. It is incredibly complex. It is interwoven with rich cultural variations. It is its own strong ecosystem. Only time and the wisdom of many made it so strong and powerful. Those who dedicated their lives to the health of their people have made it so.
I will attempt to break it down simply and clearly. Know that Ayurvedic physicians spend their entire lives learning and researching the human body, plant medicines and functional treatments for innumerable ailments and diseases. Ayurveda however is the study of vitality, life as in thriving life versus the study of sickness. The consideration is more "what makes us thrive" as opposed to what makes us sick.
3 Major Themes of Ayurveda
Let's consider there are 3 major themes of Ayurveda. One is the influence of your environment and the seasons. Second is digestion. Third: dynacharia, that is the daily habits that bring vitality and stamina to the human body.
Influence of Environment & Seasons.
Like many other wholistic healing systems, Ayurveda considers the natural elements. Air, water, fire, earth and the seasons are reflected in the body.
Without getting too technical, the take home message is that when we are in synch with the cycles of nature- when our body's clocks are in tuned with sunrise and sundown, when we are getting the balance of night and day, wake and sleep, feast and fast we are stronger, more resilient and bright.
Seasonal eating, circadian rhythms and intermittent fasting are all the rage. But let me tell you here that Ayurveda had it first- 1000's of years ago. Ayurveda knows the body, it is the study of aliveness and wellbeing.
Digestion Nobody does digestion as well as Ayurveda. Did you know there is such a thing as an optimum poop consistency, size and shape? Digestion is so important to optimum health. The Shushona channel- begins at the tongue and ends at the anus. What & when comes into the body and exits the body are important to natural cleansing and detoxing functions.
Dynacharia is Rhythm, Routine of Compounding Capacity of Our Daily Habits
We take into account that our behaviors and routine actions impact our physical health. Dynacharia more specifically considers how our consistent daily actions improve our health. It makes us more resilient. We are more vibrant, able to withstand the demands and hits that life sends our way. These are things to do each and everyday. Sum it up as: Move Your Body. Turn Up Your Senses. Go Outside. Bring On The Plants.
If you are tired of being under slept and overworked, if your body is hurting, your patience is thin, I can help you. If you are ready to have fun, go deep and come back strong and energized come along with me on a health & performance journey.
Join me and 10 others in the Adventure Wellness experience. It is a yearlong integration of these daily habits of Ayurveda. It is also personal training for pain-free movement, traditional healing & martial arts, food herbal medicine and survival skills. We meet online and in person. In two weeks we'll be adding 4 more participants to the club.
I offer FREE Body Goals Sessions. We can discuss your goals and consider if the program is right for you at this time.
If you'd like to get to know me or want to see how I work, get ahold of me. fieldsofrecovery@gmail.com or call 360-661-8458.
If you want to learn and practice more Yoga, join me for MAD Yoga- 10 classes/month at Kalahi Martial Arts Academy. I also offer a FREE class 1/month at Highwater Farm and once a week FREE online movement lunch break.
Adventure Wellness Club will host Yoga retreats this summer at Highwater Farm and in Wheatley, Ontario, Canada this Fall.
Video below explains a little bit about Ayurveda's concept of Agni. Agni is the fire in the belly- the power of the metabolism in the gut.
