Thursday, November 29, 2012

Noise Is Pervasive


Silence. a word that evokes scary images of aloneness. Silence we are afraid terrified of it. In our media-drenched culture, silence is intimidating.

A typical day in the life of an American begins with the TV flicked on to the morning news. our drive to work is then soothed by music or our favorite talk show. At work we are off and running, with meetings, deadlines, and phone calls. We unwind on the way home with more music and radio, and end our day with more TV, music, video, and family talk.

Noise is pervasive, in the past, we encountered silence, by puttered around the house: washing, cleaning, repairing. Today the house vibrates with noise: we wash dishes by machine, we vacuum by machine, we mow by machine, we even rake leaves by machine.

We have lost our contact with ordinary, everyday silence. It has become a stranger. We yearn for more spirituality in our life, yet we deny it by avoiding one of the most important elements--silence.  we know that in order to pray, we need to quiet ourselves, yet that is the very thing we fear most.

Who--or--what--is silence that we fear it so much? Silence is more than turning off appliances. It is stilling the inner chaos of the body. Stop running from noise to noise. Turn off the dishwasher, turn off the TV. Listen to yourself pass through time--hear the knife chopping vegetables, and the spatula scraping the skillet, Sweep the kitchen floor and listen to the bristles touch the floor.

At first, silence may seem like nothing but the tick-tick-tick of a clock on the shelf. However when you take the time to listen to your body, and meet silence with a prayer,  time will be forgotten, the tick-tick-tick will get lost and at last solitude can speak.

These are my own thoughts. I sometimes take writings from others to support my own ideas.

Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist
And Ayurveda Consultant

Thursday, November 15, 2012

How do we trace stress back to its roots?

How do we trace stress back to its roots?
The roots of stress almost always go back to our childhood, a trauma, or perceived trauma. A trauma doesn’t have to be huge, or life threatening, in fact some traumas may be considered very small in the eyes of an adult. However, when we are children a trauma of any kind can seem like the world is coming to an end. When Adam was five he was at a family picnic, his mother made a hamburger for him and gave him half. Adam thought he was big enough to have a whole hamburger and began to cry. Adam’s uncle noticed something was wrong and came to help, when his uncle saw how upset Adam was about his hamburger he made Adam a whole hamburger and brought it to him. This seems like something very small and insignificant however it was a big deal to Adam at the time.

Have you ever noticed the way the smell of bread or the sound of music can remind us of happy times, so can events and places. Experiences can remind us of stressful or traumatic times as well as the happy times. Stressful experiences get stuck in our subtle body (an energy field around our physical body) as impurities that can cause disease. Adam’s experience could have left lasting effects, creating the trauma over and over again every time he went to a picnic, had a hamburger or ever felt that he wasn’t enough. (this is the root of the stress). Fortunately, for Adam a kind uncle who saw that a little boy was distressed tamed the trauma. Most often we don’t even realize our emotions have gone back to the root of the stress. We are so focused on the anger, jealousy, and depression (or however stress manifest itself in you); we never think to look for what it was that triggered our imbalanced emotions.

What are lasting ways that can be used to reduce stress and change the pattern?
Brandon is six. Almost every day just before lunch Brandon would get very cranky. by the time his mom had his lunch ready he would be so mad he wouldn’t eat. This would make his mom angry and she would just send Brandon to his room. Brandon’s Mom read my blog about how Pittas can become very mean if they don’t get their meals on time, most of the time Pittas don’t even realize what it is that’s making them so mad, THEY ARE HUNGRY!  She decided to try feeding Brandon lunch a little earlier, so he wouldn’t get overly hungry. That did the trick. Brandon’s mom followed stress back to the root, and then found a lasting way that can be used to reduce the stress and change the pattern. She then explained to Brandon why he gets so cranky at lunchtime. She asked him to let her know when he feels like he is going to turn into a monster so she can get him some food right away. A few days later on the way home from church Brandon told his mom she better feed him as soon as they get home so he doesn’t turn into a monster. Brandon’s mom changed the pattern before it even got started, just by being aware.

Becoming aware of what it is that started the stress is half the battle. Once you are aware of why you are stressed, that alone will start to calm your nervous system, and then you can focus on lasting changes. If you are a Vata stress could lead to insomnia and/or make it hard to get anything done during the day. If you are a Pitta stress, as with Brandon could make you angry. If you are a Kapha stress will most likely make you feel lethargic and depressed. Be aware of how stress manifests itself in you. Ask yourself what the reality of the stress is, not what you believe it is. Then follow it back to where it originated.

Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist
And Ayurveda Consultant

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Trace stress back to its roots

Does stress leave you too anxious to eat or too lethargic to get off the couch? Using the ancient science of Ayurveda, you can determine you unique stress type and take skillful action to bring your body and mind back into balance.

For some people, worrying distracts them from getting anything done during the day, and insomnia keeps them up at night. Others become consumed by anger and blame their spouse, coworkers, and clients. As their stress mounts, so does their blood pressure. Still, others feel powerless to change anything. They stay home, snacking in front of the TV. Their lethargy leaves them with feelings of depression, and eventually leads to weight gain and aggravated respiratory problems.

In the West, we don’t usually dwell on the distinctions between our reactions to stress—we tend to focus on general coping solutions applicable to all, such as a hot bath, a long walk, or a day on the beach. But in the ancient Indian healing system of Ayurveda, stress reduction hinges on a complex understanding of each person. Since no two people handle stress the same way, everyone requires a different stress-relief strategy: what might work for Anne could aggravate Heidi, and what might work for Natalie could prove ineffective for Joe. Ayurveda provides specific lifestyle, dietary, herbal and yogic solutions for each individual that can not only diffuse tension but also help build a foundation for lasting peace of mind. Ayurvedic theory takes nearly every conceivable stress influence into consideration—from seasonal and planetary changes that effect our well-being to subtle bodily impurities that can precipitate disease. Ayurveda theory also sheds light on the thought patterns and physical tendencies that make stress either a constant stumbling block or a non-issue, depending on how well we understand ourselves.

We often speak of stress in terms of the situations we find ourselves in—traffic jams, looming deadlines, getting laid off. But Ayurveda holds that stress actually originates in the mind. Our predominant dosha shapes who we are, what we look like, and how we think; it influences everything from our career choices to our favorite foods. For the purposes of stress management, our doshic imbalance can prove even more revealing. It’s not so much which dosha most shapes our constitution but rather which one is out of whack. Stress manifests itself in the body as a vata, pitta, or kapha imbalance, depending on the person. For instance, a person may have a strong kapha constitution, being grounded wise, stable, and compassionate. But at his worst, he may display a classic pitta imbalance, being irritable, judgmental, and quick-tempered. A pitta type might have a kapha imbalnce, becoming overly sentimental and possessive at times. A vata person who’s normally creative and lively might also have a vata imbalance, meaning she can become flighty, easily distracted, and prone to anxiety. Either way the imbalance governs how the person will respond to stress. Imbalance comes when you’re out of harmony, either with your own personal rhythm or that of nature. This can show up in the body as a condition like arthritis or in our emotions, such as jealousy or anger.

Ayurveda might seem like a lot to take in. but when it comes to managing stress, Ayurvedic concepts can be boiled down to a basic idea: trace stress back to its roots, then find lasting ways to change the patterns that cause it.

Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist
                                                                 And Ayurveda Consultant