Category: Fall

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.