Words of Wisdom from Lama Tsultrim Allione

“Do not be fooled by the idea that demons are external to us. We are seeing our own mind projected in living color all around us. Train yourself to see things this way. Generate love and compassion toward whatever demon appears–without or within. When you finally understand from your own experience that there is no need to cater to the concerns of the ego, you will no longer cling to hopes and fears, or gods and demons. You will see that the source of your pain is clinging to your ego. You will rest in the limitless expanse of awareness–your true home. And you will be free”

~ Lama Tsultrim Allione

Why I Meditate

“Why I Meditate” by sally miller

the “I” speaks to me
in ugly disparaging ways

do this now!
do that later!
don’t do this!
don’t do that!

it causes my body great pain
stress
a nervousness
deep anxiety

of what others think
and how i look
where i am
what i have

the breath doesn’t seem to care

it breathes me no matter what
so when i sit and meditate and bring my attention to the breath

(it’s different every time)

if i sit for long enough
if i stay connected to my body through my breath
or through one of those insanely uncomfortable rising fears

by the end of the time
i usually feel better

a kind of calmness pervades
(not always been the case)
(not always the case even now)

sometimes by the end of the time
it’s not better
nothing feels any better

but it doesn’t feel any worse

it never feels worse
to sit and meditate
(by the end)

sometimes when i sit
in the beginning
it feels worse

layers of ignorance
peeled away
i’m sitting here raw, bloody, fleshy open wound

seeing all the places
to the outside
appear as niceness

i sit because
by the time i finish sitting
i’m actually nicer
than when i first sat down

maybe my face doesn’t look quite so nice
because it’s relaxed
and passive

not engaged and smiling
but the inner feeling is
nice

nice for me
and nice towards the world

i realized i can’t just be nice towards the world
and not nice towards me

this is a continual realization

it’s not over
i’m still hard on myself
and still mean
i still want things that i don’t have
i still want things to be different than they are

so
i keep sitting
i just keep sitting

Language of the Twilight, a poem by Nisha Bhairavi

Mother

My heart wont cease it’s spinning

Like a web it weaves

Of your golden honey

And I want to taste every drop

 

Mother

My skin has become your drum

That the grandmothers spread upon the desert floor

And spread the medicine to tan my hide

Bom, bom, bom!

 

Mother

Does the wind carry my breath

Or simply merge with yours

As if it were ever mine?

A marriage of eternity

 

Mother

My blood carries you forth

But where is the world who will receive

The transmission of the clan?

 

 

Mother

I am this

And I am not this

Why does it matter?

This girl will not be here again

What is the echo of a life?

 

Mother

Why hide your self  in these bodies

Where no one thinks to look?

I have pointed to you

And they are too busy

To become still with their own horror

 

 

Mother

I am drunk

And am feeling non-chalant

My stillness has opened the lunatics laugh

And every gesture is your praise

 

 

Mother

I fear that if I merge with you

I will lose the sweetness of loving you.

Always you point to the self-serving

Even here

 

 

Mother

It all fails

Falls short

Only the subtle whispers of the twilight

Are the scriptures I hear

 

- Nisha Bhairavi

Ayurvedic Tips for Winter Wellness

Tips for Winter Wellness in November

1. Kapha Dosha, made up of Earth and Water, rules Wet, Cold Weather, but be aware that the changes in temperature (warmer days, then colder days, and unexpected, early snow falls) are ruled by Vata, the Air Element. So the general rule of thumb is keep your practice warming and inspiring, without depleting. Good for Kapha and Vata.

2. Cultivate Inner Fire (Agni), using Kapalabhati Breathing or Bhastrika in the morning on an empty stomach. Skip this step if you experience any of the contra-indications like Hot Flashes, Pregnancy, High Blood Pressure, or Hypertension.

3. Value the role of Agni, the Inner Digestive Fire, that can keep us warm no matter what. This Agni is sourced within. Discipline (just making it to a yoga class or onto your mat at home), is one major way we can keep kindling this Agni. Be gentle with yourself, with reminders like “just being there is good enough,” – it’s quite helpful for the Vata side of us all – since Vata is fragile and may get tired easily with all this changing weather. Give permission to rest and check-in whenever necessary

4. In your yoga practice, focus on Standing Poses – they both ground Vata by engaging the Legs (earth element in the body), and activate Udana, upward rising Prana that uplifts Kapha, through the raising of the arms above the head

5. Dive into Shoulderstand, “Salamba Sarvangasana” – supported “All-Limbs” Pose, or Whole Body Pose whenever you are properly warmed up or given the option in yoga class. Through turning the body upside down, while deeply opening the shoulders, we cleanse the Lymphatic System and enhance circulation. This enhanced circulation keeps us warm in the winter. And the cleansing of the Lymphatic system helps to prevent viruses, colds, coughs, flus, etc.

6. Include at least a 10 minute Savasana to give Vata plenty of time to “come back home” after the movement of class. Play soothing gentle music during Savasana to also encourage deep relaxation and rest.

7. Some Dinacharya (Daily Routine, “Off-the-Mat” Suggestions)
- Gargle with Salt water every morning and every night. This keeps the throat warm and helps remove environmental toxins and germs we pick up from others throughout the day
- Don’t forget about your Neti Pot! – it helps keep mucus to a minimum and the airways clean and healthy
- Take Chawanprash to support the lungs, every morning 1 teaspoon with a cup of hot water. The Lungs are one of the main sites of Kapha in the body.
- Take Triphala or other Colon Supporting Herbs to keep elimination regular. The Colon is the home of Vata.

Happy Navratri

Take a deep breath, ground yourself, and get ready for an incredible, fast paced, 7 minute education in Navratri.

 

I am Cleaning Mold, I am in Yoga

I feel blessed to have had a nice long meditation practice this morning. Complicated mantras and moving of my awareness through different parts of my body (the Tantric terminology for this is “Nyasa” – placement of mantras within the matrix of the physical/energetic body)

Then I slowly get up from my practice and am faced with a task I want to avoid.  I need to start cleaning mold. Yes, it seems the mold karma is still with me. With the wet weather and being away on vacation for a week, there is, dare I say, BEAUTIFUL little green mold buds growing in my mud room.

While I was meditating, I felt at peace. I felt calm and relaxed.

But I don’t like cleaning mold and I’m afraid if I start I will loose this relaxation. It’s not my favorite thing to do. It doesn’t come easily, and if I’m not mindful I can get quite anxious and nervous about the whole thing. But alas, I need to clean the mold.

Then spontaneously, I have this thought: “Yoga is a State of Relaxation which is NOT Dependant on External Circumstances”.  I can clean the mold and be in Yoga.

Ok, so here goes: I say to myself, “I am Cleaning Mold, I am in Yoga.” No conflict, no separation.  “I am Cleaning Mold, I am in Yoga.” And, magically, something changes. I feel more relaxed, more at ease. I move the strokes of the paper towl slowly and mindfully over the bench.  I am outside in the sun and enjoying the warmth on my face.

I am Cleaning Mold, I am in Yoga.

Love,

Sally

Left Side Lifestyle

We have a total of fourty eight 30min periods throughout or day, right? Fourty eight of them!!!  Every day!!!

We’ll spend probably 16 of them working (if we’re lucky and we work 8 hours a day), 16 of them sleeping (if we’re even luckier and get to sleep for 8 hours a day) – and then we’re left with about 16 thirty minute blocks of time to play, eat, communicate, take care of our homes, our families, be on our computers, etc, etc, etc.

So what if we used just 1 of these 30 minute periods (split into even more manageable time slots of 10 minutes each) – to lay down on our left side after we eat?!  Not to fall asleep, not to be on the phone, but just to rest. To close our eyes and rest.

What if?

Well, I propose it would create a Left Side Lifestyle – one where we value our Digestion and the infinite number of benefits that optimal Digestion has on our overall health, including the health of the planet.  When we lie down on our left side after we eat it does two important things: 1) It allows the food-stuff to float down and contact the left side of the stomach, which has the greatest surface area for the food to be broken down – google the shape of a stomach to see this, and 2) It activates the “rest and digest” part of our nervous system, commonly called the Parasympathetic Nervous System.  See, we HAVE to be in a state of relaxation for the body to really absorb, break down, and digest our food.  Even if we were to eat the freshest, most perfect, organic, local, made with love, constitution-specific food, if we feel stress while we eat, or immediately after we eat,….even just a little mild nervousness or anxiety…, the body will not be able to assimilate that “perfect” meal.

Will you take the Left Side Lifestyle Challenge?  It could change your life.

Keep me posted on your progress, let me know how it feels to lay down on your left side for 10 minutes after each of your meals.

In love and health,

Sally

Ayurveda is Not a Vise-Grip

Ayurveda (or substitute “Your Life”) is not a vise-grip holding you in one place.

If it is, or feels that way, consider that perhaps you’re doing it for the wrong reason.

Or consider: Who is the I that keeps me trapped in one way of doing this?

Perhaps you will find that “I” wants approval, to be “good”, to be better than others, to have control.

Or perhaps not.

What I find is that Ayurveda (or “MY LIFE”) can easily be used by my mind to look for control where control is not possible. To create problems where there is no problem. So I remind myself this morning after listening to a discourse by the great Krishnamurti – that any pattern, any repeated thing that you always do the same way, cannot – at all – be truth.

He says: “Truth is not something that we ‘arrive at.’ It is not something that through arduous disciplines we eventually come to. If it is, then it’s not truth.”

So Ayurveda, Your Life, is not a Vise-Grip. It is not a tool to hold you in one pattern. If it is, or feels that way, consider doing something else.

Then when inevitably our daily routine seems to change *day to day*, we can be easier on ourselves, and still enjoy.

The Quickest Cup of (Homemade) Chai

I love having warm Chai Tea on a cool mornings (ok, I love warm tea on most mornings).

But sometimes making Chai from scratch takes too long, and just adding the Chai tea bag into the cup of boiling water just won’t give me the flavor I’m looking for.

So here’s the recipe for the Quickest Cup of Chai (yummy creamy flavorful Homemade Chai)

1. Fill the mug you’d like to drink out of 1/2 way up with filtered water, then pour  into a small saucepan and add 2 teabags of RED CHAI MASALA made by Organic India (The Tulsi Tea Company). You can usually buy this from most health food stores, or online.

2. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. (Usually perfect match for how long it takes to make your morning toast!)

3. Then fill up your mug 1/2 way with milk of your choice. I love EdenSoy’s Vanilla Soy Milk, and Organic Whole Milk is also to die for if you can digest dairy.  Add it to the pot and stir.  Let simmer another 1 minute.

VOILA! Your Chai is Ready.  Pour into your mug – you should now have the perfect amount for 1 full cup.  You can add sweetener if you’d like.  I like to keep the teabags in the cup to continue to strengthen the flavor of the tea, but you can always take them out if you like a more delicate flavor.  And if you want it very lightly flavored, just use one tea bag.

This Red Chai Masala doesn’t have caffeine, since it’s made from Tulsi Tea and Rooibos Tea- but of course you could use Any Chai Tea Bag, most of them do have caffeine since they are made from Black Tea.

When buying Chai Tea bags, make sure there’s no sweeteners added (not even stevia), and that all the ingredients are organic.  Also, you’ll want to see that there is tea, and spices. That’s it. That’s what makes a great chai tea bag.

Enjoy!

Why my toothbrush turned yellow

Here’s the thing about dairy – it changes dramatically with temperature.

Warm milk = medicine. Cold milk = not so good.

Tonight I made warm golden milk just before bed. Mmmmmm – it was so good. My boyfriend had leftover milk in his glass, he couldn’t finish it after his belly was full with the choclate chip cookies he so beautifully dipped in his big glass of milk. Ugggh, I thought. Drink cold milk before bed – I couldn’t possibly!! BUT! – waste the milk – maybe even worse. I was always taught – “never waste milk!” (can you hear your Mom saying that?!).

Alas! I remembered the warm, medicinal golden milk recipe from Dr. Lad.

Here’s my version:
1/2 cup of raw organic whole milk (local if you can get it) – and really nice with little bits of chocolate chip cookie left in it
1 heaping teaspoon of organic turmeric powder

Heat the milk in a small stainless steel, non-stick saucepan until it gently simmers. Let simmer for 2 minutes.

Pour into your mug. Stir in the turmeric. Enjoy while still warm.

Great for before bed to help induce restful sleep. Turmeric also is great for reducing inflammation, and your gut will also probably really appreciate the extra calcium and vitamins from the milk while you rest and digest.

But be forewarned – when you go to brush your teeth after drinking the golden milk – yes, you too will end up with toothbrush turned yellow!