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Lammas 2018 – Eat Bread

“This day of Lughnasadh marks the beginning of the sun’s decline from the high places of heaven, and the beginning of the harvest upon the breast of the Earth. The year wheel from this season rolls downward into the deep places of winter and the rekindling of new light.  The sun descends into the sky, into Autumn, but with glory.

The wheel is always balanced, and what seems to be lost of declining is regained elsewhere or at another time, for rebirth is the perpetual law of nature. Thus we gather the fruits of the marriage of Sun and Earth.” – The Druidry Handbook, p193

Celebrate grains

Today is known as Lammas or Lughnasadh (Loo-na-sa) in the Druid/Pagan tradition.  You may feel a shift in the air – we’ve had some thunderstorms, more wind coming in (though still warm) and the goldenrod is blooming. To me, signifying a shift from high Summer, to late Summer..and even early, early Autumn energy.  The grief is already sneaking into my heart.

This is an ancient day to celebrate the corn harvest. In Ancient European languages, corn (korn) meant any grain, not what we have come to know as Native American corn.  Though, of course, this is also the time of year when it’s time to enjoy corn on the cob!

I made sourdough bread over the last couple of days, baked this morning.  I have been working on keeping my starter alive for the past 8 months or so, and I’m glad to say it’s still going strong. #lifegoals

It’s an important time of year to eat healthy sweets. Grains are a natural sweet, and in Ayurveda, it is said that they should potentially make up half of the meal for certain body types.

This may seem like a different philosophy from a lot of our new diet fads – where grains are considered the enemy. I understand that they are a product of agriculture, that they can cause blood sugar spikes in some people, and that they may make some people feel as though they are gaining weight.

But quality and quantity is everything. And, it’s worth looking into your ancestry and knowing your Ayurvedic constitution, as well.#studyayurveda

Whole, unprocessed grains, and those eaten slightly fermented, are absorbed every differently in the body.  They are sweet, grounding, and their nourishment is made more available for the body to receive.

Energetics of Ayurveda

Both Vata and Pitta dosha are balanced by the Sweet taste.  White sugar, though, imbalances all doshas – so in this case, we are talking about more subtle or sattvic sweets.  This includes whole grains, root vegetables and squashes, oils like ghee and coconut, fresh dairy, super ripe fruits or things like dates an raisins.

Vata is also balanced by the Sour taste, and sourdough bread has that slight tang – which indicates a host of nutritional as well as the energetic benefits.  I, myself, usually get sluggish digestion if I eat much bread, but sourdough, in moderation, seems to help me digest the grains well.

I feel so much more connected to the rhythms of the Earth, my body, and my LIFE having this knowledge.  I am so grateful to the language and science of Ayurveda for giving me a deeper way to practice…bring human.

I have an email series coming out next week around food as medicine, slow bowel habits, and what it really means to practice holistic medicine.  As you’re on the email list already, you’ll receive them.

If you’ve been wanting to study Ayurveda, yet don’t want a huge financial and time commitment, I have two online courses starting in September. I have been teaching them for years, and solidly stand behind the information.

Applications are open for The Healing Diet – interviews start August 13. And Womb Healing is already filling up.

Praying that you soak up the end of Summer, luxuriate in Earth’s abundance, and feel the season’s nourishment deeply in your cells.

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An Ayurvedic Perspective on CBD (Cannabidiol)

Personally, I have experienced a lot of healing using CBD oil.  Here in Vermont, CBD is all the rage.  It is changing pain management, and mental health treatment options.  These are two of the most prominent health issues of our times, so this subject and potential natural herbal support is affecting a lot of people.    I have personally used CBD to manage heart pain, postpartum anxiety, and low Ojas, due to high Vata, and I’d like to share my personal story, as well as my understanding on the Ayurvedic energetics of this herbal supplement.

Cannabis was not one of my herbal allies until I found her in this form.  Everything can be medicinal, neutral (like foods), or poisonous, from the Ayurvedic perspective, depending on what it does to agni, your digestive fire, and your state of homeostasis (ie: the doshas).  This objective way of looking at all substances, or dravya, in terms of their quality, or guna, is really helpful.  When choosing foods, herbs or other medicines for bringing you back into balance, the Ayurvedic way is to look at the qualities of the imbalance, and add the opposite qualities to bring balance.  This may be especially helpful when there is stigma on certain substances, say eating meat, or in this case, an herbal medicine closely related to an illegal (not so now in Vermont, and quite a few states) drug.

For one, CBD oil is totally legal, and it is not made from marijuana, but hemp (which is the same plant but different chemical make-up.)  I have read that marijuana does contain some amount of CBD, maybe 10%, but also has a much higher THC content (which is the chemical in marijuana which is known to be psychoactive, or make you ‘high.’) CBD oil comes from processing the legal hemp plant, in which there are many chemical constituents, including of course, CBD (Cannabidiol), and also very small amounts of THC (Tetrahydro-cannabinol, but amounts around 1% (like kombucha is around 1% alcohol, and no one is getting drunk.)

In Ayurveda, we look at substances, and especially herbs with a few different things in mind. One, are the tastes, the taste on the tongue (rasa, so we know how it affects the doshas), as well as the specific effects on the system (virya): like is it overall heating and catabolic (lightening), or cooling and anabolic (nourishing)? And it the final effect on digestion (vipaka) going to be sweet, sour or pungent as well?

We also look at how a medicine will affect our state of mind.  This can be a very obvious affect, as with marijuana, we are very aware of how our mind/psychology is affected, short, and sometimes long term.  This is a very special effect, but all substances affect the mind in this way, but perhaps more subtly.  The words we use to describe how a substance affects the mind are Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas.  In short, sattvic substances increase harmony, peacefulness, clarity and purity of mind, rajasic substance are very action orienting, causing lots of stimulating thoughts, ideas, passion, and action, while tamas is dulling, slow, stagnant and stable, bordering or ignorant at its worst.

We can also look at the 20 gunas, which I will not list all of them here.  These can be very physical (like is something light or heavy? Soft or rough?) and experienced through the senses.

Let’s take an Ayurvedic look at CBD

CBD is usually extracted ina base oil, sometimes coconut oil. This addas a bit of sweetness, and the CBD oil itself tastes a bit pungent (katu) and a bit bitter (tikta) to me.  It seems to have a warming effect,or Ushna Virya (marijuana does as well.) And I’d say the vipaka is probably also Pungent (Katu.) This is very similar to information I found on Marijuana.

The affect on the mind is mostly Tamasic.  Marijuana has a more stimulating, or rajasic effect, which ultimtely turns to Tamas, though with CBD, there is no ‘high’ but more of a downward, slowing, dulling energetic we see in Tamas.

So how does CBD affect the doshas?

Putting this information together, one can see that the overall qualities here end up balancing Vata dosha, and Kapha dosha, perhaps as well, due to it’s heating qualities and bitter taste.

A Vata imbalance is light, rough, dry, erratic, and subtle, seen often in imbalances like anxiety, sharp pain, and insomnia, which many claim CBD helps them heal from.  The qualities of CBD seem to be warm, oily, heavy, slow and dull, all opposite of Vata dosha.  Some of these qualities balance Kapha dosha, mainly the warming quality.

CBD oil is just starting to be studied in Western medicine.  It is known to have an effect on the nervous system,  it has been claimed over and over again by individuals who have found true healing from all sorts of pain and inflammation, and many who use this to treat cancer. Not just the side effects of chemotherapy, which has been touted a lot with marijuana (nausea, anorexia, etc) but actually shrinking tumors.

Many claim CBD helps them manage their anxiety, and there is more research regarding how cannabidiol affects our nervous system, in fact, fits right in with our own endocannabinoid system.

CBD and Postpartum Anxiety

A very important part of the nervous system functioning is the Vagus nerve.  The vagus nerve runs from the brain to the gut, and “interfaces with parasympathetic control of the heart, lungs, and digestive tract.” The vagus nerve is also very much connected to the uterus, the cervix, and the vagina. And messages move back and forth along the nerve from brain to organ, organ to brain.  The ability to relay messages is majorly affected in any sort of trauma.

When the vagus nerve is overstimulated, heart pain and palpitations, irregular heartbeat, fainting, sweating, nausea, and digestive problems can show up. I found these two pieces of information on Wikipedia I find helpful:

“Excessive activation of the vagal nerve during emotional stress, which is a parasympathetic overcompensation of a strong sympathetic nervous system response associated with stress, can also cause vasovagal syncope due to a sudden drop in cardiac output, causing cerebral hypoperfusion. Vasovagal syncope affects young children and women more than other groups.” (Wikipedia)

Vagus Nerve Stimulation “may also be achieved by one of the vagal maneuvers: holding the breath for a few seconds, dipping the face in cold water, coughing, or tensing the stomach muscles as if to bear down to have a bowel movement.(Wikipedia)

All of this Western A&P is leading me to understanding how childbirth is a natural trauma to the body, and that from the Ayurvedic understanding, this trauma is very much related to Vata-like qualities and symptoms.  In Ayurveda, childbirth is one of the most powerful actions of Vata dosha.  And again, though natural, psto partum is also a time where Vata qualities are so high and so strong, that extreme Vata balancing measures must be taken, or their is a very high chance for Vata to become high/imbalanced. In a person no matter their constitution.  This is why there is a whole 40-day protocol for post partum in Ayurveda, and that is a hole topic itself!

My story, in short

I was blessed with an uncomplicated home birth with my son.  Even so, I definitely use the word trauma to describe the process.  And even though I had some help, like a supportive husband, and family, and Ayurvedic post-partum knowledge, I made decisions which did not always serve me.  As most of us do now and then – with familial, cultural and social pressures all around us, when we are in our most vulnerable state, it’s hard to doctor ourselves.

I had anxiety which started while I was pregnant – but I had never experienced it before, so I didn’t really know what it was.  It’s also easy to make a blanket diagnosis, but everything is quite complex, of course, and every individual is different.  After my son was born, I had another anxiety attack on day 3.  And I had quite regular moments of feeling like ‘I was in hell’ because I could not stop by anxious feeling. I couldnt walk with him in the stroller or in the wrap without stopping every 30 seconds to check if the is breathing.

I think much of this is ‘normal’ for first time moms. But some of the anxiety/exhaustion/mental angst was just unbearable. And when it only continued after his first birthday, and my exhaustion got worse and worse,  I was desperate to heal.

This is when I stepped up my self care, I started making decisions that prioritized my own health, and then decided I needed to try something else, or reach for Western medication.  I had heard quite a bit about CBD, and wanted to give it a try. Marijuana was not something I wanted to try – I didn’t want to be high – and the THC wasn’t relaxing for me, but paranoia inducing. (May herbs tend to have an opposite reaction than they usually do in others, like, Ashwagandha, t00, is not relaxing for me, but overheating).  I was still breastfeeding my son at the time, but just 3 times per day.

I started with a dropper purchased from Blue Bird Botanicals, and then found a local supplier, Green Mountain CBD.  I started taking the oil daily, 1 to 3 times, at the end of May, and took it for about 6 weeks daily.  After I started taking it regularly, I only had one anxiety attack within about a month.  And after that passed, I literally felt like grace descended upon me, and that somewhere inside, a healing switch had been turned on. That I had been shifted over to the parasympathetic side of my nervous system, out of the sympathetic, or stress response, so that I could finally do some deep healing.

Only once did I feel like perhaps I took too much, and I started to get a little spacy, or notice that I was saying far-out things, that maybe were only relevant in my head, but not in my company’s…a little bit like being high.  I can definitely tell it makes me sleepy – but when I was so tired before it was already my natural state of being, that I didn’t notice that much of a difference.  What I did notice is that I just felt like myself.  I felt like I was getting myself back.

Along with that deep center of healing that I felt was finally able to occur, I also felt that the dull quality, and the slow, stable qualities of the herb, were protecting me, softening and soothing the edges of a very raw aura that was ripped open during my son’s birth.  This perhaps is where the tamasic quality comes in – tamas may sound ‘bad’ but again, anything can be medicinal depending on what qualties are needed at the time. I was raw and open, very subtle and clear, perhaps too much so, and my mind was also too active and uncontrolled.  The dull, closed off, stagnant qualities of the tamasic substance helped me slow down the sensory input and digest the really rich experiences I had had and was having.  These same qualities were soothing my ‘tired and so wired I can’t rest’ feeling that sometimes happened to me in the afternoons, and supported me overall with deeper sleep at night. Since I had night weaned my son, it was taking my body a while to get back into a solid night’s sleep.

Thought Tamas is not something one wants to over-do, as with anything, past a dipping point, it could bring too much heaviness or darkness, sliding over into depression, close-mindedness, or indifference.

And now

As I mentioned, I took the CBD, about 20-60 mg per day, for 6 weeks. Then I felt like I was able to take it just daily or situationally as needed. I did not noticed any help with menstrual cramps, nor with inflammation – and in fact, I had some inflammatory conditions come up after I took it in large amounts (curious, perhaps due to its pungent/heating nature, my constitution, and Summer season.)

And here I am about 8 months after that. And I still carry the lessons learned from pregnancy, birth, and mothering.  Of course. And I am so grateful for my experiences.  But I feel like I have finally returned. And I feel like I have this special ally in my back pocket, and I know when to use it, and when perhaps to choose a softer ally, or one more balancing for my Pitta nature. I am going to learn more about its effects in pregnancy and breastfeeding, because, if I do it all over again, I hope to be able to use this herb responsibly again.

I do not see this as a cure all, though I recommend it casually to a lot of moms struggling with PPA and considering Western medication.  My class, Essential Ayurveda for Women, I talk about my other three vital self healing, and deeply nourishing necessities for balancing Vata dosha – oil massage, herbal infusions (nettle, etc) and daily breathwork – and CBD has been a potent number 4, but is not a daily practice now.

Post partum anxiety and depression are such huge and important topics. Thanks you for witnessing part of my story. I’d be glad to hear yours, and if you have any questions about healing and or CBD. Reach out.

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Conscious Conception and Ayurveda

Did I tell you I am writing a book?  I am about 55 pages in. I have been dreaming of doing this for as long as I can remember…and I guess I couldn’t force it. I just had to wait until it was all in my head, and ready to flow out on the page.  And that time is now.  (Working title is Essential Ayurveda for Women.)

I have been writing the chapter on conscious conception and Ayurveda.  Right away I am really sensitive to imply that we really have any control over conception (anything, really), though in the texts of Ayurveda, there are certain protocols one can follow to ensure one has done their best to invite in a child when it’s time.

Part of awareness of conception, is also the other side, awareness of fertility, and preventing conception when it’s not desired or ideal. So right away, this becomes a big and important topic for most women.

This is on my mind because personally, I am in a time in my life where I am preparing, once again, for our own conscious conception (not too soon, mom! 😉 ) We have also just passed the Druid holiday of Imbolc (immolk), which celebrates the ‘quickening’ within the Earth, the promise of Spring to come.  Animals like fox and coyotes will have pups soon, and even though we have had a fresh layer of snow, the light is changing, most definitely returning to longer days, and warmer rays.

We all have natural cycles of fertility.  We are not endlessly and always fertile.  This is true throughout the month, but also may be true throughout the year, and waxes and wanes throughout stages of life.  The monthly cycle is usually quite obvious, though many women do not actually know when they are most fertile, and when they are not (not you, I am sure, as you’re here and probably quite knowledgeable about your body and rhythms.)

I also notice patterns in lots of mothers – like their children are born around the same time of the year.  Perhaps in this age of perpetual warmth and light (unnatural heating methods and electric lighting) we still have our own cycles of fertility powering on.

I also subscribe to Jyotish, a form of astrology connected with Ayurveda, and within this, there can be found natural years/times of fertility in a women’s life based on her natal chart.

There are so many larger forces at work.  I find this refreshing.  I find this perspective allows me to let go – knowing that there are many big things, that I can not control (my Pitta nature wants to know, and wants to control.)

Do you see these cycles, too?

If you want to read on about Conscious Conception and Ayurveda, go to the blog post.

Just a plug to the Vermont locals – I am teaching my class, Essential Ayurveda for Women, at the Women’s Room in Burlington on Saturday March 3.  Pre-registration is required. Find more information on the class at the Facebook Event, here.

 

More on Conscious Conception and Ayurveda:

Conscious conception is the practice and awareness of conceiving rather than just ‘leaving it up to chance.’  Of course, when it comes to creating life, it is in actuality, out of our control –  it truly is up to Spirit, God, or the Goddess, to know when or if we are to be a parent.  It is easy for me to write this, but the experience of suffering through infertility is not something to make light of, and it is not my intention to do so in saying this. I simply want to preface tht preface that all of these practice and the preparation for conception is our intention for being healthy ourselves, and inviting a healthy being into the world, mind body and spirit.

Suggestion and intention are powerful.  And if you experience healing in your body and mind from some of these practices, there is a sort of initiation in your being.  You start to have faith.

We are the living goddess when we bring life into the world.  And one of the most important gifts I have learned from her are humility and surrender to something larger than my own ego.  And the lessons keep coming.

There are plenty of reasons to bring awareness into our daily actions, and especially this one.  For karma, is, by some definition, out of our control, but also something we can only extinguish through action with awareness.

This idea of conscious conception could go two ways – the more practical side of things is that when we are aware of our fertility, we can decide if and when we try to become pregnant.  Knowing this, we can be more mentally, emotionally and physically prepared to become a parent before we become pregnant.  On a more spiritual level, Conscious Conception can involve visualizing the person and soul we are calling in, rituals between partners, prayer, and even using Jyotish (astrology) to learn the best times to conceive for ideal outcomes.

I am coming to believe that part of being human is to create the meaning in the world, the universe.  I’ve heard that “instances don’t have a meaning unless you make one,” and I believe that is part of being human – seeing the patterns, the connections, and by simply holding that awareness, we experience the connection between things.  We create it when we see it. We inspire it. We birth the meanings.

So, whether you are starting the path to pregnancy, or you are looking to prevent pregnancy at time time in your life, learning about your fertility signs will serve you.  Learning about Ayurvedic cleansing and rejuvenation will serve you.

There is a traditional protocol for preparing for pregnancy from Ayurveda.  Learning about anatomy and physiology, especially in regards to our reproductive health, and other specific womb healing practices that are appropriate for you in regards to womb healing are going to be important, alongside the traditional preparatory protocol.
The three stages or preparing for a healthy and conscious pregnancy are:

  • Cleanse
  • Nourish/Rejuvenate
  • Ritual

I lead clients through a personally guided Ayurvedic cleanse, which included kitchari mono-diet, dinacharya and self care practices, and then a post cleanse rejuvenation program with herbs and foods tailored to their needs.

Within my writings/book, I am working on outlining and cleanse, rejuvenation program options, and special foods and herbs that are appropriate.  It is always best to work with a practitioner, to be sure what you are doing is authentic, safe and effective.

Ritual is something private and sacred. It can be something you make up, and make your own meaning within. It is also very powerful to follow rituals that are written about in ancient texts, as many others have repeated them in the past with similar intentions. Making a very strong sanskara.

If you are interested to learn more, do reach out. I am glad to share more of my writing as it develops.

 

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The Simple Life

If you’re on my email list or follow adenaroseayurveda on social media, you know I share Ayurveda from my personal life and experiences. Many of my teachers say things like “Ayurveda takes time,” and “Be your own experiment,” and it does seem like (perhaps especially here in the US because our Ayurvedic education is still growing) this is the only way to go.

So, though I am lucky to be quite healthy, I have also been given painful and difficult experiences that have tested my mind and my body and my faith in Ayurveda and natural healing. In these, I have been able to put my beliefs to the test, and learn from my experimentation.

It’s certainly not all black and white, good or bad. But I do have more ability to be with ‘what is,’ and also know the truth that everything is always shifting and changing.

Thanks for witnessing my path. It’s important to share our own stories, ad to hear others. So if what I write resonates with you and your own journey, please, write me if you feel called.

I think most of us dream about ‘the simple life.’

And most-likely, because we don’t feel like we are living it. Our lives are pretty complex and complicated, and it’s not our fault. But it’s a truth.

 

IMG_3108

Here is a shot of the sourdough bread I finished at 9:30pm last night 😉 and of course had to break into. In Ayurveda, routine is said to be extremely balancing to our body mind system. I think in our modern lives that word is synonymous with ‘boring,’ and something to be avoided if we are to live a fulfilling life and take advantage of all their is to offer.

I’ve been there – in my 20’s. And perhaps I will be there again. A time of rich ojas and less responsibility and perhaps I’d say less purpose.

If healing is required (when is it not, on some level?) we need to root out to cause of the imbalance. Often times in this complex life, simplicity can be the medicine. Simplification as the opposite, and balancing quality of complexity and chaos.

The solution is different for each of us, though I will tell you what is working for me.

1. Making a weekly meal plan (will share mine later.)
2. Sleeping and waking at the same time each day.
3. Warm water each morning, and waking before my son for ‘me time.’ (Meditation, pranayama or writing.)
4. Turning off the radio in the car, and only listening to inspiring podcasts
5. Baking fresh bread every Sunday (just kidding, but #goals.)

When we add things, old things must fall away. How can you simplify? Are you afraid of letting go? Things you know are not serving you? Or on the other side, can you follow with awareness what IS serving you?

We can use a more forgiving word: rhythm. And when you have rhythm in your life, your body responds with predictable rhythm in your sleep wake cycle, menstruation, energy levels/cortisol maps, bowel function, and more. The little things do matter, the little things shape your life.

One thing that prevents me from letting go, and many of my clients and friends and colleagues is ‘nothing’ but FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out.

For example, we don’t say no to the glasses of wine because we might miss a fun time. We might be judged by our friends. We might lose those friends.

So we post-oine healthy choices for ourselves (for how long?) and just continue with the old standard. Which usually doesn’t give more fun or more satisfaction.

We think we need to register for all the things – retreats, conferences, trainings – because our colleagues will ‘get ahead’ of us. Or we won’t be seen as relevant or hip. But we have a baby at home, we are pregnant, we have a mother to take care of, we have to put it on a credit card, we are ill and really should wait of rnext year…etc.

Are these ideas implanted by outside influence? Social media? Other people? Or are they true desires or aspirations, things you need to do to feel fulfilled?

Because sometimes they are, and need to be fulfilled, no holds barred. And other times, much of the time, they are just obsessions, or pressures, or expectations and ‘shoulds’ we hold ourselves to.

I don’t have the answers, but I think cultivating awareness (and maybe experimenting and learning from truths and failures!) is the only way to figure it out.

And slowing down, and simplifying, allows us to have more awareness.

I made a list of what is working for me lately (above). And if you’ve have me, I’ll be sharing more. And please, share yours. Thank you for being here.

Love,
Adena