Thursday, August 12, 2010

Panchakarma

July 21, 2010



I love the practice of Ayurveda.  I love the way you can nourish and heal yourself through simple practices.  I love the fact that I can put myself in the hands of loving Ayurvedic practitioners and come out feeling rejuvenated and then take the teachings home with me and continue the process.

Last month I had the blessing of completing 8 days of panchakarma in Albuquerque with one of the worlds finest Ayurvedic practitioner and panchakarma specialists. Dr. Sunil Joshi.  

"Panchakarma is an Ayurvedic Cleansing program designed to remove unwanted toxins from the tissues and restore energy and vitality for the individual." (Ayurveda & Panchakarma by Dr. Sunil Joshi.)  It is a process of removing toxins from the body by way of the digestive tract.  I have been practicing an Ayurvedic Lifestyle for 3 years but it wasn’t until this panchakarma experience that I realized how valuable this lifestyle is for regaining and maintaining my health and vitality.

It has been 2 weeks since the panchakarma treatments and during that time I felt like the toxins in my mind and body continued to release, but through the simple practice of eating wisely and with awareness my body feels lighter, stronger and more energetic.  My mind is clear and my emotions feel more balanced.  However, what really made this experience so rewarding and nurturing was being under the care and guidance of Dr. Joshi.  His enthusiasm, professionalism, knowledge, confidence, sense of humor, love and support is so healing.  Just to be in his presence makes you feel better and gives you the confidence and resolve to heal yourself.

Panchakarma is not for everyone and it is not a treatment to be taken lightly.  However, the simple practice of an Ayurvedic lifestyle; i.e. understanding the doshas and your constitutional type, eating according your constitutional type, listening to the signals your body is sending you, and eating with awareness are just a few of the ways to increase your health and vitality.  

If you’d like more information on living an Ayurvedic lifestyle feel free to contact me.  I will be offering free Introduction to Ayurveda classes next month so check back for times and locations.

Safe travels,
Karen      

Synchronicity and the Power of Love

June 21,2010


It's amazing how the last month has just flown by.  I just got back from volunteering at the Chopra Center seminar, SynchoDestiny in Taos, NM.   The seminar is based on Deepak Chopra's book,The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire: Harnessing the Infinite Power of Coincidence.  The fact that I was at the event itself was synchronistic.  

Since the event was held in Taos and I live in Santa Fe, which is only an hour and a half from Taos, I was planning on attending but then decided to use my resources to continue my studies in Ayurveda by enrolling in the Ayurvedic Consultant Training Program at the Chopra Center.  Five days before the event was to begin I received an email from the Center asking me if I was interested in volunteering since they had one volunteer who had to cancel at the last minute.  I wasn't doing anything last week so I decided to do it.  I lived in Taos in the mid-70's and early '80's and it would be fun to stay a few days up there.  I guess I was meant to be there.

An unbelievable announcement was made the second day I was there.  We were told by the Chopra Center staff that Dr. David Simon, co-founder of the Chopra Center, had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and was scheduled for surgery on Thursday, June 17.  Everyone was devastated.  Dr. Simon is the medical director and guiding light of the Chopra Center.  He is a teacher and mentor to many of us following the path of Ayurveda.  This could not be happening.  The staff was clearly upset and unsure what the future would bring.  However, Dr. Chopra and 107 guests were about to descend on the El Monte Segrado Resort in Taos.  The "show must go on".

What happened next pulled everyone together and made it possible for us to carry on.  Deepak Chopra, who has been a close, personal friend of David Simon for over 30 years and co-founded the Center with him announced to the staff that he would cancel his travel schedule for the rest of the year and he made a personal commitment to them to attend every event and fill in for David at the Center so that he could recover and not have to worry about anything.  This announcement changed the whole mood and the staff felt confident that all would be well.

A website was created to support Dr. Simon in his life challenge,www.lovefordavid.com.  Thousands of prayers, good wishes, jokes, funny stories and stories about how David has touched peoples lives started to flood in.  The result, David came out of surgery strong, and ready to resume his work at the Chopra Center as soon as July 9 for the program, 
Free to Love
.

I first attended a Chopra Center event over 3 years ago and as an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Instructor, I proudly share the timeless teachings of Ayurveda with people here in New Mexico and wherever I go.  My experience this past week has reinforced for me the power of love and its ability to heal.

If you feel moved to help David Simon in his recovery, then all you have to do is tell the people in your life how much you love and appreciate them.  

Peace, harmony, laughter, healing and love,
Karen   

Healthy Balance

May 19, 2010

I just got back from an incredible Chopra Center Seminar called Journey Into Healing in Toronto, Canada.  It was so wonderful to be in the presence of over 250 people who had decided that they were ready to explore healing in some part of their life.  

The world is very sick right now.  Totally out of balance.  If we think about the world as a person, this person is displaying a lot of symptoms of a severe illness.

In Ayurveda there are 6 levels of disease:
  • Accumulation
  • Aggravation
  • Dissemination
  • Localization
  • Manifestation
  • Disruption 
The first 3 levels are where Ayurveda has its greatest effect.  The last 3 are when Western Medicine usually has to step in.  I would say that our "world" is in the last 2 stages of the disease process.  And when the body is sick, the cells are sick too.  We are the cells of our global body and we are suffering along with the world.  So if we want to help the world heal its up to all of us to be as healthy and happy as possible.

I think one of the best ways to heal is to find balance; in our health, our relationships, what we allow to come into our bodies through the senses.  Do you feel balanced?  Do you have a sense of well-being?  If not, then try sitting quietly for a few moments and listen to what your body is telling you.  You may not hear much at first but if you do this simple exercise in the morning and again in the evening your bodies message will come through loud and clear.

Safe travels, 
Karen      

Ghee




April 28,2010


In Ayurveda, ghee is considered a sattvic, or pure food, along with milk, honey and almonds.  Ghee is also used extensively as an Ayurvedic medicinal.  My friend Carol and I trade my home-made ghee for her fabulous, secret-recipe chai concentrate.  I believe she has carried her chai recipe with her from a former life experience.  


Ghee can be found in Asian or natural food grocery stores but it is very easy to make and much less expensive if you make it at home.  


Making ghee at home can seem intimidating at first but I have learned a simple recipe that takes about 20 minutes from start to finish.  The secret to making ghee is to use your senses of hearing, sight and smell instead of using a timer. Trust in these 3 senses and your ghee will be a beautiful sight to behold with the delightful scent of popcorn and a richness of taste that surpasses that of butter.



Home-made Ghee 

1 lb. organic, unsalted butter
13-16 oz jar, clean and dry, with screw-on lid
Stainless steel sauce pan
Cheese cloth

Put the butter in the sauce pan and turn the burner to medium.  As the butter melts the milk solids will rise to the top.  Continue to cook over medium heat.  You will hear a loud, bubbling sound and see large, gurgling bubbles rise to the top as the milk solids begin to separate from the oil in the butter.  Watch and listen carefully.  

You will know that the ghee is done when the loud, bubbling sound has ceased, the bubbles are small and clear, the milk solids have collected on the bottom of the pan and turned lightly brown, and the smell of buttery popcorn fills your kitchen.  At this point the ghee can quickly burn so be vigilant at this stage.  

Remove from the burner and cool.  When the ghee has cooled pour through a strainer lined with cheese cloth into a dry jar. This is very important because if there is any moisture in the jar it will cause the ghee to mold.  Ghee does not need to be refrigerated and has a shelf life of about 2 years.

   
I use ghee in place of butter and oil in most of my cooking and as a spread for bread, toast, on potatoes, and vegetables; any time I want the taste of butter.  

Ghee is also an excellent digestive aid.  You can drizzle a teaspoon of ghee over your food at dinner or add 2 teaspoons to warm milk and drink 2 hours after a light dinner.

Safe travels,
Karen    

Choices

April 26, 2010


It's Monday morning and I'm moving slowly today.  I don't feel very rested and I can track it back to some of the things I did last night that go against my ayurvedic " best practices".  

Charlie and I attended a dinner to help support "Health and Human Services Week" here in Santa Fe and I didn't eat as well as I should have.  Then I read an intense book before going to bed.  Predictably, I had a hard time getting to sleep and today I'm paying the price for it.  

Following an ayurvedic lifestyle makes a huge difference in the way you feel but often "life gets in the way".  The great thing however, is that we're only one choice away from getting back on track.  It's all about the choices we make and since it's our choice which path we take in any given situation we can always decide to make a different choice the next time.  A really important part of this choice-making is not to beat ourselves up because we make a poor choice.  There are many factors that play into the choices we make and we often make poor choices unconsciously based on past conditioning.  So be kind to yourself, acknowledge the choices you make and then have the intention to make more conscious choices next time.

Today I will eat foods that are easy to digest like kitchari or dal and if I want to read before bed tonight I'll pick something more calming.  Below is very easy to digest kitchari that is very balancing for this time of year.  

KitchariServes 2

½ cup basmati rice
¼ cup yellow split mung dal*
1½ Tbsp ghee*
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds*
pinch of hing (asafoetida*)
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp salt
2 cups water
1 cup vegetables of your choice or pacifying for your dosha: carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, chard, spinach, sweet potato, winter squash, etc.
*Look for these ingredients in an Asian or natural food grocery store.

Wash the rice and mung dal well.  If your have time, let the mung dal soak for a few hours before cooking, as it helps with digestibility.  If you have a particularly difficult time digesting beans, you may want to precook the beans for 20-30 minutes using the 2 cups of water.
In a sauce pan over medium heat, heat the ghee and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing.  Stir a moment until the seeds pop.
Add the rice, mung dal, turmeric and salt and stir until well blended with the spices.
Add the water and vegetables and bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.
Turn down the heat to low and cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar.  Cook until tender, about 20-25 minutes.

Can be served with a warm whole wheat tortilla.



Safe travels,
Karen 

Starting a New Journey

I originally posted this blog on my website, www.samvidya.com, on April 23, 2010.  I've created a new website called www.Live-Ayurveda.com, which will go live August 16.  I am linking this blog site to that website so I will repost all of my blog entries here so they can be archived.  I hope you enjoy the new site.
Karen
April 23, 2010
"I'm excited to announce that I am starting a new journey with my Ayurvedic practice.  The Chopra Center is offering an advanced Ayurvedic Consultant Training program for Perfect Health Instructors.  The program’s curriculum is based on the mind-body healing approach developed by Deepak Chopra, M.D. and David Simon, M.D. in collaboration with Dr. David Frawley (Vamadeva Shastri), a renowned ayurvedic scholar, teacher, and founder of the American Institute of Vedic Studies.  So for the next 7 months I'll be sharing with you my journey of taking my Ayurvedic practice to the next level.
I will also be sharing my love for food and cooking and how I apply the principles of Ayurveda to my daily life, as well as my travels both literally and figuratively.
I hope you will give me your feedback on what you read here and let me know what your interests are whether it be Ayurveda, food, cooking, travel or whatever."
Safe travels,
Karen