Category: Ayurveda

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Zen and the Art of Regular Maintenance; Discover Maya Abdominal Therapy

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Yum.

One of my favorite novelists, Tom Robbins, mentions in one of his books that there are two mantras we can choose from: Yuck or Yum.

Through which lens do you peer?

I’ve been musing on this topic the last few weeks.  Not which mantra to choose, but what complementary and alternative healing really looks like.

I am learning so much from my experiences of healing after birthing a baby, and my clients experiences when they come for appointments, and hearing about what some friends have been struggling with in the ‘regular’ health care system.

The change is upon us – I’d say a large amount of people desire a natural solution for their health woes.  What they may not be ready for is the discovery that it is intentional work, that there is dedication and maintenance involved.

For example, in my practice of Ayurveda and Maya Abdominal Therapy and I specialize in working with women with painful or irregular cycles.  The reproductive system is a deep system of the body which modern medicine often throws a quick fix on in the form of birth control.  I do not disagree that sometimes this is the best solution in some situations, though it often leaves women feeling defeated and still frustrated because they feel that they have not solved the root cause of their problem.

What I love most about the two modalities I work within, is that I’m almost always just giving women tools to use in order to create a healing environment in their bodies.  This is in the form of herbalism, but also in practices like Self Care uterine massage, castor oil packs, vaginal steams, and other rituals for moving blood, energy and emotions that may be stagnating and preventing homeostasis.

Homeostasis and hemodynamics; these are the ATMAT (Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy) buzzwords.  Homeostasis is just another word for balance.  Balance implies a give and take, an in and out, a space where we are no longer just coping, but we are actually healing.  And Hemodynamics is about blood flow, and we could also assume energy flow.  Let’s get the good stuff in where it needs to be, and the wastes out, properly and easily.  

Every one of my ATMAT clients is taught Self Care massage.  This is the most important piece to maintaining the work done in the one on one session.  I, personally, came to study ATMAT because I experienced profound healing from painful periods. And I do my Self care massage to this day, daily, and I know that it was, and is, a huge part of my menstrual and reproductive health, comfort, and connection with this part of my being.

The actual path to healing is going to look different for everyone, but there are three things I have found are congruent in all plans. Along with maintenance, come pleasure, and support.

Maintenance | What I have found to be true, even to my chagrin, is that it takes daily input to actually heal, rather than just continue to competently cope with the problems.

It matters if I drink coffee or not. Every day. It matters if I get to bed early enough. Every day. It matters if I actually do 10 minutes of alternate nostril breathing. Every day. It matters if I do abhyanga. Every day.  The days I do not, I feel off my center, the days I do, I can feel myself coming back toward a new normal.

Pleasure | When you have the experience of feeling good in your body, a lot can shift.  Coming in for a massage starts to encourage you to really look at what else you’re putting in your body.  How you’re living your day to day, where you are putting your energy.

Support | I might go on to say that there is another ‘perk’ to natural healing modalities.  There is really no going back to the way it was before.  I see this in all of my work.  It can be frustrating at first, but ultimately it leads us to living healthier, more authentic lives overall, and hopefully, usually, alleviation from our symptoms, too.

Finding support in a practitioner you trust can be the way to get loving reminders into your life, to remind you to keep doing what you really want to be doing for yourself anyway.

Want to learn useful, practical, natural tools for reproductive healing?  Ancient Womb Healing for Modern Women starts April 22.  Learn more and read the syllabus here. Any questions email me!

 

Love,

Adena

 

 

Adena Rose Bright practices Ayurveda and Maya Abdominal Therapy. She’s passionate about sharing Ayurveda to help women live better and feel better.  She offers courses in food as medicine and women’s womb healing available online. See more on her website www.adenaroseayurveda.com, instagram and FB page.

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Sisterhood Rising | Feeling empowered to heal yourself

There are more and more women’s gatherings being held – and each time I attend one, I am somehow shocked at their authenticity and power.

Perhaps it’s showing a weakness within myself, to assume that they would be full of fluff, or tainted with the energy of ‘trying to hard’ and everyone trying to sell themselves.

Women are ready to show up, and to do the work.  On the inside and outside.  We are also hungry, hungry for our great-great-grandmother’s wisdom. Not just the wisdom of childbearing or nourishing our families or herbal medicine, but what is underneath all of that.  The connection to the energy of the Earth herself, the life force that directs and fuels all their is.  And in the gathering is the power.  In the gathering we are forging the connection.

I spoke with a woman yesterday, and she expressed some interest in my Womb Healing Course.  She said, something along the lines of “I am well-trained in Ayurveda, I feel like I know alot about physical healing, but I want to know more about the virtual side of things.”

I knew what she meant, but I felt like it was a strange choice to words.  So I looked up the definition of virtual, because I was just thinking about it in relation to ‘online,’ a sort of fake world. The first listed definition is “being such in essence or effect though not formally recognized or admitted.”  She used this word, ‘virtual,’ in an attempt, perhaps in a modern way, to say, “I need spiritual healing!”

I told her that to me, it seems like a lot of the healing on the subtle layers of the body happen through intention.  I think our New Age-y downfall is that we’re looking for a mystical experience, something that feels out of body. And that somehow, this would be the real reality…the real healing, the stuff we’re seeking.

In my experience, all of the layers of our being are really just mished and mashed together, and it takes subtle awareness to create any sort of separation.  When we work with whatever layer is most tangible to us, we effectively affect the other layers.  In fact, we’re really designed that way, and that is the key to holistic medicine.

My work is outwardly, mostly on the gross, physical body, the food body, or annamaya kosha as we call it in Yoga. But what I find more and more is that it is the gateway to the subtle. Not JUST the gateway, as there is often much physical healing to happen, too!  And when physical healing happens, it’s like turning the key for those more subtle layers to come forth and also be healed.

I share vaginal steaming for healing from painful periods and pelvic pain, to healing from loss or trauma.  Uttar vasti for moving a woman’s cycle closer to the rhythm of the new moon, or for clearing up frequent infections.  Self Care massage for gently coaxing a tipped uterus back to her center, or releasing stuck emotions.  We are large, we contain multitudes.  (To butcher one of my favorite Walt Whitman quotes. 😉 )

For this Spring’s Womb Healing class, my intent is to show up, to invite a gathering, in which the power will come. Sort of like the ‘If you build it they will come,’ mentality.  There are a lot of women who might not be ready for a class like this – I talk a lot about how this stuff helps with painful periods, PMS, and more…but when I mention ‘herbal douche,’ they kind of give me a blank look, like they don’t want to do all kinds of work. Well, often, this does take dedication.  But it feels good! And it is so, so empowering to know how to help yourself, and other women.  To take back simple yet profound knowledge which can help in those in-between places where powerful emergency medicine isn’t the ideal fit.

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And, ya know, vaginal steaming can feel pretty magical in my experience.

More on the next time.

Love,

Adena

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Do you need more discipline?

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I’m always wondering if my problem is that I need more discipline.  Am I weak or lazy in some way, and is that what is preventing my progress and practice?  I know that some of you ask the same questions.

I had an experience recently which helped me realize that I do in fact have discipline to do the things I want to do.  That I am not lazy or disinterested. I just need the support to take action.

I realize that I need support not discipline.

There is a Nitya Sadhana practice from Maya Tiwari that I decided to practice starting on the last new moon.  As a mother to a 1 year old, I needed help making space to do this, as it would take me about 45 minutes each morning.  I desperately needed a return to a morning meditation, and finding this practice that was inspiring to me was just the invitation in.  And it had a start and end goal, 16 days.  A fine little chunk of time that I hoped I could complete.

I spoke with my husband about my intentions and he was fully on board to take over our son’s morning routine so I could do this.

I was able to happily and much more easily and I had imagined complete my practice each morning.

In a way this was surprising to me, as I had thought it would be much more challenging to dive into a long meditation practice. I thought that I might feel to exhausted to do it each morning, or find that old patterns were getting me distracted into making excuses to do other things in the morning.  But what I found is that within the container of my husbands support, my our son as well as with the interest in my practice, I thrived in doing it as well.

Two steps forward

I opened a copy of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras this morning, and came across a helpful stanza, #20: “For other yogins, the accomplishment of non-distinguished cognitive absorption is preceded by intense devotion, courage, mindfulness, cognitive absorption and true insight.”

It’s a great copy, written by M. Govindan, and in this he provides not only the translation, but a practice, and how to make sense of this in your daily life.  So he says to experience the benefits of yoga practices one must, “Cultivate faith, enthusiasm, vigilance, discernment and contemplation to dissolve the old tendencies.”

Simplifying it even more, I feel that this means that in order to move into living more of our authentic life, make changes and dissolve old habits we must:

  • Make goals
  • Get inspired
  • Find support
  • Have experiences that inspire faith in what you’re doing

The word for discernment or insight is prajna. first lesson in The Healing Diet we talk about this Sanskrit term, prajna paradha.  Translated, it basically means, “crimes against wisdom”, or acting out of habit rather than following what your true self guides you to do. In the lesson, we learn about how to start listening to that inner insight to start making more authentic choices.

Through the experience I shared above, I discerned that I have enough discipline to make the right choices, well the choices I know are truly right and best for myself and my health.  And that realization itself actually serves to bring me two steps forward – to strengthen my faith in future, better choices in other avenues as well.

Other experiences look like this:

“I was visiting my family and we went by our lake to have a drink…I started to feel the old anxiety coming in, fear and didn’t know if I was going to have an anxiety attack.  I realized that I had an icy cold drink in my hand, and I was sitting in the wind. Qualities of Vata dosha.  And I realized that those were immediately affecting me and partly causing the anxiety…so having that direct experience was validating, and I realized I could make different choices to prevent that!” – Spring 2016 member

“My mind has become much quieter. After many years on and off ayurveda diet and lifestyle I finally had the experience of being able to connect what went into and onto my body with the way I felt mentally. It was huge. ”— Fall 2015 Member

Nourishing

The theme for the course this Fall is Nourishment.  I allow it to arise spontaneously…the needs of the students present themselves when they send in their applications, and when we talk on the phone during the interview process.  In order for something to be supportive, it needs to be nourishing.  For the students this Fall, I don’t want it to be anothering ‘thing’ they are doing and adding to the list. The course is going to be nourishing to them, the weekly live calls as a community of support to help them step into their next stage of evolution. Even if that just means feeling inspired to keep going.  Even if that just means 1% shifts. Or even if that looks like daily meditation, self massage, and leaving an old life behind. Big or small, I aspire to give them real life experiences of how Ayurveda can help us live better and feel better in this crazy world.

Do you feel like you need more discipline? Or would you like support?  Think about going deeper with your study of Ayurveda.  Think about taking it off the page and into your life. Think about applying to be with us this Fall.  (It’s coming up! October 1, and there are 8 spots left.)

Thanks for sticking with me..this is is going to be my last ‘promotional’ email about The Healing Diet for this Fall.  I’ve been laying low, conserving my ojas (what I have left!) and allowing fate to bring me students this Fall – and it has! We have a nice group of women from all different backgrounds…some looking for postpartum ayurvedic  guidance, another an acupuncturist, another life coach and yoga teacher…and we have one returning student so far.  I share my story and my life experiences because that’s how I feel I can be authentic. I nly hope you benefit from my sharing, my experimentation. Thanks for being here, as always.

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The Hunger Moon Cycle

“There is no insurmountable solitude. All paths lead to the same goal: to convey to others what we are. And we must pass through solitude and difficulty, isolation and silence in order to reach forth to the enchanted place where we can dance our clumsy dance and sing our sorrowful song – but in this dance or in this song there are fulfilled the most ancient rites of our conscience in the awareness of being human and of believing in a common destiny.” ~ Neruda

It’s mid-February here in Vermont.  Once again. Each year has its subtle differences, and I learn so much from watching each little shift come around again.  Whether it’s temperature and weather patterns I feel, or emotions and consciousness shifts I watch in myself and others.

This is part of the power in staying in one place for so long – I’ve heard that yogis do not stay in a place for more than 3 nights, because longer, and they’d create karma with that place.

Well, I have a lot of karma here, in Vermont, in New England.  Whether I’m here to work it out, or I’m creating more of it – well, I’m sure it’s both. (Til next time…)

It’s not just the weather that returns.

Full Moon Feast, by Jessica Prentice, is one of my favorite books. A tome I turn to year after year, as the cycles go around.  I just flipped open to the pages that align with this season, and came upon the section called “Hunger Moon.”  I didn’t have to dive in, once again, very far, to feel the inspiration stirring.

My first thought was – “This idea seems antiquated, not really relevant to our modern lives.”  Most of us can go to the grocery store any time we want, and buy almost any produce or product we dream of, at any time of the year. Even mid-February (and most-likely 24 hours per day.)  Most of us are blessed not to experience lack or hunger in our modern lives, ever.  So, this seemingly is a nice little chapter talking about past traditions, but not mine.

I had been thinking hunger, as in lack of food.  That traditionally, at this time of year, the food stored from Summer harvests is getting low.  It’s literally the bottom of the barrel of parsnips, or beets, or winter squash.  And, as I’ve read, it’s tougher to hunt wild game because the snows are deep and cold, and the game is also scarce – maybe because only the strongest are roaming about, and many of the animals are in the deep sleep of hibernation.

Most of us are no longer as deeply reliant upon nature for our actual sustenance.  But perhaps the samskara, or mental patterns, of fear and scarcity are still there, still affect us.  This is currently my experience.  And has been a pattern for the last few years as I’ve cultivated deeper awareness of it.

Cycles of collective consciousness

It’s no argument that our body/mind/spirit beings are influenced by many forces. Within and without.  The planets (astrology), the food we eat, our environment (weather, air, season), the collective consciousness and thought forms, as well. One of my yoga teachers says that 99.9% of ‘our thoughts’ are not actually our own.  This may sound woo woo, but when I mention this to others in conversation, many agree that this feels true. How about you?

I heard in a podcast recently that most people pass away on Mondays in January and February.  Yes, partly it is the physical – the extremity of weather and the rise in rates of colds and flus on their weaker immune systems- though we can not discount the mental/emotional cycles throughout the year as well.

A young woman in our community recently committed suicide.  A friend called me for support with debilitating anxiety.  Clients I am working with are feeling a lot of fear around finances.  Feeling deep sadness and compassion, my husband and I had a conversation about depression, and the cycles we have seen in ourselves, and within other members of our community over the past few years.  This time of year just seems to be particularly tough.  What is that? Is it the darkness, the cold, the slump after the holidays?

In my humble experience the Hunger Moon time of year seems to be a time when an ancient cycle of fear and scarcity arises. And perhaps it’s so tough because our modern lives are so isolating.  Since we don’t outwardly see our community suffering in the same ways, we have trouble aligning with this natural rhythm, and struggle against it. Many things that come up are completely beyond our control, but or mental and emotional state may be.

This time of year there is a lot of waiting, stillness, an inertia.

We feel a lack, and then to bring balance, fear drives us to hoard what we do have rather than share it.  We are coming to the bottom of our barrel.  And if we feel alone, this can feel like the end, truly hopeless – and we lose sight that Spring is coming, will come, must come around again.

Perhaps if we are aware that this is just a natural dip, we won’t struggle so hard against it.  We might use its gifts wisely.

In this world where seasonal shifts and even climates don’t matter much – greenhouses, international shipping of food products and medicines, electric lighting, climate controlled environments – there is less and less cause for pause in production of foods.  We don’t have to go hungry.  But I’m certain the quality of what is produced is lower.  The nutrients lacking, the colors, texture, taste deficient.

Perhaps feeling this fear proves that our emotional body is still aligned with these patterns in nature.  There is still a Hunger Moon cycle.

In mine I am trying to see this as an opportunity to find space in my days, rather than drive to fill every moment with work.  To practice openness when I want to contract out of fear. To burn karma by allowing energy the build then release it back into the universe rather than inflame myself in anger.  To feel grateful for what I do have. Time with my son. Grains in glass jars on my counter.  A neighbor that offers raw milk for free.  A friend who provides us fresh eggs.  The list goes on.

I’ve been given time and excuse to pray and ask the universe for assistance.  Opportunities to experience humility, in what ways exactly I do not know yet.  My husband says ‘bring it on.’ I am not quite brave enough to challenge the universe like that, but I call to it for guidance and support in my surrender.

I feel inspired to share this with you, as you are part of my community. Not for a pity party, but out of hunger for connection.

How are you?  Are you experiencing this Hunger Moon energy?

Feel free to list 5 things you are grateful for in the comments below.

 

~ When I asked a yogi how I should treat others, he answered, ‘What others?’ ~