Align Yourself With Your Ayurveda Clock

 We tend to break our day into work time, our time, and sleep time; with work time allotted the most number of hours. Ayurveda (India’s traditional healing system) sees the day differently, breaking it into six four-hour zones—one-day zone and one night zone for each of the three doshas.

According to this symbolic time, the day starts at sunrise, with the cool, heavy, earthy kapha dosha dominating from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. The middle of the day belongs to pitta,

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. And light, dry, airy vata rules the afternoon, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

And then the cycle begins again.

To stay in sync, you should wake up before sunrise, when vata is transcendent. Once the sun is up, we begin to fall under kapha, earth and water spell. Hitting snooze when the alarm goes off at 6 a.m. may feel delicious, but if you don’t get up until 7, the dull heaviness of kapha will have started to weigh you down. So waking at dawn, just before the birds, is ideal. That way you will start off the day in rhythm with nature’s light and will benefit from vata’s mobile, clear, ether like qualities.

Ayurveda encourages us to eat our primary meal in the middle of the day, when the fire of pitta dominates. Pitta supports our ability to digest all things—food, thoughts, and feelings. The digestion does its best work at midday. Eating latter in the day will make it more difficult for your body to process your meal. The same holds true for eating a big meal in the evening. Ayurveda recommends a light supper instead so your body can finish digesting your food long before bedtime.

At about 6 p.m. we move again from vata to kapha dosha. The same kapha energy—dull, slow, stable, heavy—that makes it difficult to wake up with ease after sunrise now supports our move into sleep. If you tune in, you will start to feel the body and mind’s fatigue and recognize your desire for a good night’s sleep.

At about 10 p.m., the pitta takes over from drowsy kapha. The body uses this four-hour period from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. to digest experiences, emotions, and any remaining food form earlier in the day, and to repair and renew itself. Because pitta is fiery and hot, if you fight through the drowsiness of kapha time and stay up too late, you will catch a second wind that will keep you up all hours of the night.

When you finally do doze off, staying asleep can be challenging because, as pitta time gives way to vata time, the doshic qualities become lighter, subtler, and more filled with movement. According to the ayuvedic clock, we start the process of “rising” around 2 a.m. If we continue with restlessness until dawn, we miss the benefits of sleep that support body, mind, and our deep vitality.

Aligning our hectic modern-day lives to the ayurvedic clock can prove challenging, to say the least, but making the effort can lead to a big pay-off. Many of today’s health problems—insomnia, heartburn, anxiety, and depression—are directly linked to the lack of balance in our lives. Staying in tune with our ayuveda clock will help restore balance and our good health.

Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

                                                              And Ayurveda Consultant

The Skin is the first layer of Intelligence

 This is the time of season to really take care of your skin. The skin is a highly sensitive organ. If you are a Vata your skin is already dry, in the fall and early winter it becomes even drier. Giving yourself an oil massage with sesame oil every day before your shower will nourish and protect the skin. An average square inch of skin contains more that a thousand nerve endings, when something touches the skin, our consciousness is awakended and enlivened. When oil (pure oil, not lotions or baby oil) is absorbed into the skin, it dislodges toxins, which otherwise impede the flow of life force in our system. Most of us think the brain is the only place where intelligence and perception occur. This view devalues the innate intelligence of the body—the yogi’s vehicle on the path to stilling the consciousness. Intelligence can be cultivated in every cell of the body. The skin is our first layer of intelligence, and nerves in the skin feed information to the mind. A self-massage will stimulate and calm the nervous system, balance the Vata, which is very high in everyone this time of year, and enliven your consciousness.

The breath is also essential to rejuvenation, increasing our breath capacity brings in more life force to nourish the physical tissues of the body. As the nervous system becomes more confident there is ample breath, it relaxes. While regulating the breath is necessary for Vatas, inducing a calm state is healing to everyone’s cells, bodies, emotions, and thoughts, during this high Vata season.

How to do a self-oil massage: Start with your head Using the flat of your hand and fingers, massage the oil in vigorously. Cover your entire scalp with small circular strokes, as if you were shampooing. Move to your face and ears, massaging more gently. Gentle massage over the temples and backs of the ears is especially good for settling Vata dosha. Apply a little oil to your hands and massage your neck, front and back, then your shoulders. Use the flat of your palm and fingers.

            Vigorously massage your arms. Using a circular motion at the shoulders and elbows and long, back-and-forth motions on the long parts.

            It is important not to be too vigorous when you get to your trunk. Using large, gentle circular motions, massage the chest, stomach, and lower abdomen. Moving in a clockwise direction. A straight up-and-down motion is used over the breastbone.

            With oil on your arms reach around without straining to massage your back and spine—use up-and-down motions, or whatever you can do.

            Vigorously massage your legs as you did your arm—circular at ankles and knees, straight back-and-forth on the long parts.

            With the remaining bit of oil, vigorously massage your feet and toes.

            Washing off the oil: Keeping a thin, almost undetectable film of oil on the body is considered very beneficial for toning the skin, balancing Vata, and keeping the muscles warm during the day. Therefore, you should wash yourself with warm, not hot, water and mild soap.

Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

And Ayurveda Consultant

The mind is a mystery

Ayurveda can seem exotic. But in truth, resting deeply, eating healthful foods, following a regular schedule, moving at a gentle pace, stretching all our limbs, taking deep breaths, and limiting stimulation are all the basics of good health. (These are some of the things I lectured about at our yoga retreat; I will be posting those lectures for the next few weeks) There is nothing exotic about these practices. What is unusual is that we live in a society where we have to make an extra effort to practice them and resist the pressures that lead us to neglect self-care. Following the Ayurvedic and yogic techniques seems unfamiliar at first, but when you practice them, your body recognizes them. As modern Americans, we may have forgotten how to care for the human being, but Ayurveda remembers and can remind us of what we once knew.

The mind is the greatest of all mysteries. When unveiling this mystery, all mysteries are unveiled. The mind is the source of all misery and happiness. It is the source of both bondage and liberation. The more you know about your mind, the grater the mastery you will have over the world around you. Help your mind out with a Thai Therapy session.

I want to offer you a great deal. For all new Thai Therapy clients (never having received Thai Therapy before) the first person to schedule an appointment with me, receives their two-hour Thai session for $30. YES THIRTY BUCKS!!!!!! The next two people to schedule an appointment with me receives their Thai session for $40 the next 3 people to schedule an appointment receives their session for $50 and the next 4 people receive their session for $60 the regular price is $80

If you are a client (having received Thai Therapy before) you can still take advantage of this offer by buying a gift certificate for a friend or relative. AND!! As a thank you to my clients the first 4 people (those who have had Thai Therapy) to schedule an appointment, receives their Thai session for $20 off.

For those of you that are worried you have to be undressed for Thai Therapy, let me put your mind to rest. In Thai Therapy you are fully clothed (except for shoes and socks) in stretchy clothing.

Email me for your appointment at yogastrongtherapy@gmail.com

Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

And Ayurveda Consultant

Thoughts fall away

Many of my Thai Yoga Therapy clients, and some, of my yoga students come to me with physical pain caused by emotional trauma. I know that the way to healing is through meditation; my job is to help them know that as well. Thai Yoga Therapy is a type of meditation, that’s why it is so effective. Most of my clients have minds that chatter, they get frustrated when they meditate because they can’t stop the chatter. They then loose patients for it and won’t try. The most important part of Thai Therapy treatment is the daily meditation. Even if you are not in Thai therapy treatment, you will find peace and wellness in meditation. Meditation takes you deeper and deeper inside yourself, until you reach that area untouched by illness. When you discover the silence in your mind; you no longer have to pay attention to all the random images that trigger worry, anger and pain.

 

I recommend that my clients meditate every day, they always do really well when I am there to guide them, but I can’t be there every day. I remembered, when I have a substitute for yoga, my yoga students would tell me that every time they were led into a pose by the substitute teacher, they could hear my voice in their head guiding them in that pose. How wonderful, I thought, if this same thing could happen for them during their meditation. I took this concern to my own meditation mat, and because silence is the birthplace of happiness, and where we get our bursts of inspiration. A new meditation was born. I call it “Thoughts Fall Away”

 

In my meditation I heard my Self (remember our true Self is our Soul) telling me to let my brain float. With each exhale I felt my brain float higher and become lighter. I felt myself go deeper and deeper into silence. This is the silence we want to bring into our awareness through meditation. After doing this for a few breaths, I felt my thought fall away. I felt my brain grab for the thoughts, and immediately heard my Self say “let them go for now, you can pick them up when you drift back, for now let’s rest”. This brought me back to my awareness. Now I knew, what my clients need, is to know how to let their brain rest. Now I know how I need to guide them.  Back at my meditation I let my brain float, every time I felt my brain grab for my thoughts I said to myself “let the thoughts fall away”. I gave my brain permission to let them go for now, and that it could pick them up when I drift back. On each exhale I said to my self “let the brain float”. As it became easier, when I felt my brain grab for my thoughts, I just said “rest”. I felt myself being led effortlessly and naturally to ever more subtle levels of my thinking. As I reminded myself to “rest” on each exhale, I began to seek still subtler levels of thought until eventually all thought was left behind. This is the place where the mind is actually learning to heal itself.  This is the place where meditation is taking you deeper and deeper inside yourself, until you reach the area untouched by illness.

 

I saw my self guiding my clients, and my students, knowing that if they heard me guide them in meditation often enough, they would hear my voice in there head every time they sat to meditate. I now start my Thai Therapy sessions, and end some of my yoga classes with a guided meditation.

You can try this meditation by following the outline above.

 

 

Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

                                                                 And Ayurveda Consultant

Loosen the grip of anxiety part two

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 your 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.

It also sheds light on the thought patterns and physical tendencies that make stress either a constant stumbling block or a nonissue, depending on how well we understand ourselves. 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.

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.

Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

                                                                And Ayurveda Consultant

Loosen the grip of anxiety part one

It is an ordinary day. Perhaps you are at the office, walking down the street, or reading your email. All of a sudden, you think about a task you haven’t finished. Or you think about your friend who hasn’t called in several weeks, or your college roommate who is doing so well in his law practice (much better than you!), or about the fact that you have to give a presentation tomorrow. Suddenly, your shoulders seize up. Your neck tightens. Maybe your breath constricts or your belly starts to hurt. The tendrils of anxiety—that most modern of afflictions—have wound themselves around your body and mind like the arms of an octopus. And if you are like the rest of us you think it is…. normal.

Anxiety is often so ingrained in the body and nervous system that we live with it for years without noticing how much it drives us. Anxious people often have real worries. That’s why merely telling yourself “there’s nothing to worry about” usually won’t help you feel less anxious. Instead, it’s much more useful to own your anxiety—to observe its patterns, to look at what might be setting it off, and then to find ways to work with it.

It’s only when you are willing to bring consciousness to your anxiety—to pay attention to the bodily sensation it brings, the thoughts that trigger it—that you can begin to learn from it.

Anxiety is mostly about the future. The woman who is worrying about her upcoming mammogram is not actually sick. She’s anxious about something the doctor might discover. The man whose palms sweat when the flight takes off is just anticipating that something might happen to the plane. If you keep nourishing your anxiety by letting worry feed on itself, your anxiety becomes like a motor with no off button.

The first step to loosening the grip anxiety has on your body and mind, is simply to become aware of it. See if you can become aware of how anxiety feels in your physical body. What part of you tightens when you feel nervous? Do you hunch your shoulders? Does your throat get constricted? How about your lower back? The next time you notice these physical symptoms, notice what kind of mental dialogue you are having with yourself.

In the process of working through anxiety in the present moment, you can, eventually become familiar with the sensation, thoughts, and emotions that trigger your habitual anxiety. It often takes a while even to be able to pick up on the physical sensations and to recognize the negative thoughts. But when you practice with your habitual reactions to anxiety, its tendrils will start to dissolve. Your shoulder will become more relaxed, your inner dialogue will become kinder, and your emotions will be less reactive.

Nancy Adams Certified Thai Yoga Therapist

                                                            And Ayurveda Consultant 

Yoga’s Many Benefits

Whatever your age or current physical state, yoga can improve your overall health. Moving your body, focusing your mind and opening your soul on the yoga mat transforms your life off the mat. Yoga's many benefits include stress management, breathing efficiency; awareness, bone strength, and improved posture just to name a few. Yoga is not only for the young and flexible—yoga poses can be modified to suit every body type and level of ability. In fact, studies have found that 2.9 million American yogis are 55 or older.

Stress management: Yoga quells the fluctuations of the mind; it slows down the mental loops of frustration, regret, anger, fear, and desire that can cause stress. Since stress is implicated in so many health problems—from migraines and insomnia to lupus, MS, eczema, high blood pressure, and heart attacks—if you learn to quiet your mind, you’ll be likely to live longer and healthier.

Breathing efficiency: Yogis tend to take fewer breaths of greater volume, which is both calming and more efficient. A 1998 study published in The Lancet taught a yogic technique known as “a complete breathing” to people with lung problems due to congestive heart failure. After a month, their average respiratory rate decreased from 13.4 breaths per minute to 7.6. Meanwhile, their exercise capacity increased significantly. As did the oxygen saturation of their blood. In addition, yoga has been shown to improve various measures of lung function, including the maximum volume of the breath and the efficiency of the exhalation. Yoga also promotes breathing through the nose, which filters the air, warms it (cold, dry air is more likely to trigger an asthma attack in people who are sensitive), and humidifies it, removing pollen and dirt and other things you’d rather no take into your lungs.

Awareness: Yoga increases feelings of compassion and interconnection by calming the nervous system and the mind. It also increases your ability to step back from drama or your own live, to remain steady in the face of bad news or unsettling events. You can still react quickly when you need to but you can take the split second to choose a more thoughtful approach, reducing suffering for yourself and others.

Bone strength: It’s well documented that weight-bearing exercise strengthens bones and helps ward off osteoporosis. Many postures in yoga require that you lift you own body weight. And some, like Downward-and Upward-Facing Dog, help strengthen the arm bones, which are particularly vulnerable to osteoporotic fractures. In an unpublished study conducted at California State University, Los Angeles. Yoga practice increased bone density in the vertebrae. Yoga’s ability to lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol may help keep calcium in the bones.

Improved posture:  Regularly practicing yoga increases the ability to feel what your body is doing, where it is in space, and improves balance. People with bad posture of or dysfunctional movement patterns usually knee problems and back pain. Better balance could mean fewer falls. For the elderly, this translates into more independence and delayed admission to a nursing home or never entering on at all. For the rest of us, postures like Tree Pose can make us feel less wobbly on and off the mat.

Nancy Adams Thai Yoga Therapist

                                                            And Ayurveda Consultant