Author: Adena Rose

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Learning to Fish

I had a client this week who invited me to remember a great metaphor.

 

“Give a man a fish and he eats for a day; teach him to fish and he eats for a lifetime.”

AyurTranslation: If you give someone an Ayurvedically appropriate meal, and can instantaneously relieve them of anxiety and stress (a killer massage, maybe?!, she’ll have what she needs for one day (not bad). But if you can just teach her how to do this for herself, she’ll be able to feed herself forever, and have tools for reducing her own stress load for life.

Of course, it’s much more difficult to learn how to fish, rather than just be handed your meal.

And my client was literally being handed her meals – not a bad thing at all – she had signed up for an at-home meal delivery service, for vegan (her personal choice) freshly prepared meals to be delivered daily.

 

She felt great and loved the food, and it saved her cooking time.  What’s wrong with that?

 

Well, the biggest challenge was that it was really expensive.  Unsustainable for her. She spent over 2,000 dollars to eat for 3 months. And then she was back to square one.

 

She didn’t learn how to carve out cooking time for herself.  She didn’t learn how or why those ingredients were making her feel better. She missed out on making a shopping list and a meal plan based on her body’s needs.

And even though it seems sort of simple (fish – bite – hook), it’s not easy.  It takes effort, practice, persistence, and the presence of a teacher to make it work.

 

She joined The Healing Diet because in this program, I’m going to teach ya’ll how to fish.

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In this program:

– We learning about ourselves and our body type
– We create a meal plan that will serve that
– We create a morning routine that invites less stress, and healing response in the body and mind

In the end:
– We will be more in tune with what our body needs
– We will know how to shift our habits when we’re not feeling well
– We will create daily habits that serve us, and ultimately help us live the life we want to be living

 

If you believe in taking responsibility for your well-being, Apply today for the September program. It’s going to be a progressive group, ready to get unstuck, and to grow, to evolve.

I’m only taking 15 people, and it’s filling up fast. Hope to see you’re application come through!

 

Love, Adena

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They exposed my secret: Food is not the Savior

A conversation I heard recently bridges the gap…that gap between what we think we need, and what we really need.

This conversation between two of my teachers, Dr. Claudia Welch and Cate Stillman, is called Food is not the Savior.

You might think it’s ironic for me to celebrate this, as someone who teaches a course called The Healing Diet.  The catch is, that they exposed my secret.  That the healing in the healing diet is not coming from a certain food.

Yes:

  • It can benefit you to eat right for your body type.
  • It’s important to understand how your metabolism really works, and how you might be sabotaging it unawares.
  • It’s important to eat food that is full of life-giving energy.

AND simultaneously, we can’t forget about the larger picture – how you’re showing up in your life, for the rest of your life. Each and every day.

“…the purpose of rejuvenating the body and mind is so that one can optimally pursue the matters of the Spirit, of spirituality and understanding one’s true divine nature.”
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In a blog post I published recently, I explore the idea that it’s possible to be too mindful about what we eat, which can cause just as much trouble as being oblivious.  There is even an eating disorder termed Orthorexia Nervosa relating to obsession and fear over what one is ingesting.

In the recording, this is referred to as a fear diet.  It can happen when there is an information overload, which is almost inevitable in this ‘information age’ we’re living in.  Confusion is part of growth, a phase that we move through to reach clarity.

When we start learning about the 6 tastes and 20 qualities and the 3 doshas, we can very easily get caught in the little details, like ‘I’m Pitta, so I can’t eat a carrot.’ The carrot is not the root our our problems, even our digestive problems.

The fact is, that we are sensitive sensory beings, we are always taking in information from our environment. So how can we understand our sensitivity and personal strengths and weaknesses, while plug in to the larger perspective?  We must turn inward.

“I’ve heard that one before.”

It’s never over.  I had a great conversation with herbalist and food writer, Lisa Mase, the other day, and we talked about the single most important factor when it comes to eating for healing. Mindfulness.  It’s not just a switch you turn on, and it stays on.  In this conversation, which is a part of my 10 week course, we gave ourselves permission to say that mindfulness is one of the most difficult things we do!

Mindfulness is one of those things that sounds simple, but it’s not easy.

The holistic lens

Looking at the body through a holistic lens – which Ayurveda does – we are more than just this physical gross body.  We have a mental body, and an energy body (and two more, subtler bodies beyond that, the 5 koshas, if you’re familiar with this from yoga) as well.  The mental body is more subtle than the energy body, and the energy body is more subtle than the physical body.  Our energy flows where our thoughts go – this probably makes very logical sense to you. But what you might not connect is that the physical body can flow and grow where the energy goes (or doesn’t).   Like when you’re heart is broken, you slouch.  15 years of slouching might cause a hump.  Or if you’re in love, you’re whole being is open, flowing, full of energy, and old chronic pain might seem irrelevant, or even disappear.

Thought creates biology.

We can start to recreate our physiology, by cultivating awareness of our thoughts, and our energy.  And start to choose where we send them.

So..how do you feel? What do you need?

Do you spend most of your disposable income on food? Do you want to be sure you’re getting your money’s worth?  Do you want to make sure you’re buying stuff that’s right for your body type and metabolism?  We figure all of that out in the ten week course. (I’d be honored if you’d apply to join us.)

But what I am mostly excited about is the other stuff.

The stuff that keeps us aware of the bigger perspective.  Like, how are we taking care of ourselves?  How are we starting our day? Are we getting enough sleep? Are we connecting to our body on a deeper level? Are we stopping negative thought patterns that are sabotaging our happiness and growth?

If we choose a holistic viewpoint, we have to go full circle.

Keep good company

I learn the most from watching how my mentors live.  Spending time with them after I read something, to see how that idea really translate into life.  I heard recently that the only way information becomes wisdom is through discipline.  There is so much good information out there, but if we don’t, or don’t know how, to put it into practice it’s not very useful to us.

It’s not black and white either – there are steps, and there are levels to personal growth.  It’s good to hover around those that are at another level, and you’ll get what you need out of that. It’s sort of like a trickle down effect I believe in.  It’s important to be around a teacher who lives what they teach, so you can get “some of that”, whatever it is, to help you become a better you.  That;s why being around people who are doing what you want to be doing, helps you be doing what you want to be doing. And vice versa.

Know what I mean? 

Think you might need a supportive community or teacher?  I’m offering free 20-minute strategy sessions, just fill out my contact form, then schedule a time for me to call you.

Love, Adena

PS: If you want to know more about ‘the bigger context’ as well as find out your body type (and yes, which foods to eat!), fill out the application for The Healing Diet.  The pilot program starts September 1, and if you’ll be my ‘guinea pig’  this September, you get a super one-time deal.

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An Introduction to Uttar Vasti, Ancient Ayurveda for Modern Women’s Health

As an Ayurvedic Practitioner and Maya Abdominal Therapist, I work with many women with menstrual, fertility, and digestive imbalances.  I have quite a few tools in my toolbox, but not many clients are ready to jump into the special, ancient practice of uttara vasti, or herbal douching. What a word – douche!  I don’t even want to use that word, as the modern day practice really has nothing to do with healing, but I lack a better comparison.  Let me share with you the ‘vasti’ or also ‘basti,’ a Sanskrit word that means ‘to hold.’

An uttara vasti is much more than just a bath for the vagina and cervix, but it does do just that.  Unlike douching, this practice is guided by your internal rhythms and specific conditions, as well as time, age, metabolic type, mental and emotional conditions.  An uttara vasti connects us with the water element – a woman’s reproductive organs, no matter her constitution, have a deep connection with that element.  And using this medicinally can have profound effects on this part of the body because of that harmony.

By using herbal teas internally in this way, we may be able to bring balance  to our hormones, shift our cycles to the new moon, ignite shakti within the womb, energetically cleanse our reproductive  organs, as well as help balance internal flora of the vagina when there is an acute discomfort.

The motion of the ocean

Many women may not realize that the natural time for menstruation is on the new moon.  The dark cycle of the moon is meant for bleeding time – introspection, meditation, rejuvenation, turning inward.  The bright cycle, full moon, is naturally more extroverted, our ovulation time, time of high waters, slipperiest cervical mucus, and high energy for midnight rendezvous.  I won’t get too scientific in this article, but the change in light affects the pineal and pituitary glands, which release certain hormones involved in regulating our cycles – and if our hormones were in balance with the moon’s fluctuating light, this reiterates that the natural time to bleed is during the dark phase of the moon.

When our hormones are in balance with the larger rhythms of nature, like the moon’s cycle, we may be less affected by PMS symptoms or pain, because our whole system is in better balance. I have found this to be true for myself – and whether it’s partly in my mind, or actually my hormonal balance, I can’t say – and a big part of my personal healing journey.

An ancient practice

The practice of uttar vasti can be practiced from the onset of menstruation until about 60 years of age.  It is in the Charaka Samhita, one of the classic texts of Ayurveda, though I have used the specific practices taught by Maya Tiwari in her book Women’s Power to Heal.

Uttar vasti is practiced on the new moon, but you DO NOT want to do this if you are currently bleeding. Maya Tiwari recommends this for women who are sexually active (bath for those who are not) for those experiencing infections, odor, dryness or soreness, PMS, irregular or excess flow, hormonal imbalance, menopause, breast cancer, amenorrhea and more.

Contraindications are during or right after menstruation (wait 2 or 3 days if you have a ‘perfect’ cycle on the new moon), vaginal bleeding, directly after eating, in extreme hot or cold weather, after enema or diarrhea, if emaciated, at sunrise, noon, sunset or midnight, if pregnant or breastfeeding, within 3 months of miscarriage, during fibroid treatments or bleeding fibroids, or if a woman is under 12 years old.

Certain herbal teas are suggested for different imbalances.  Herbs that are often used for uttar vasti include red raspberry leaves, aloe vera gel, triphala, and rose.

Some women do not feel comfortable inserting anything into the vagina, perhaps due to trauma.  An uttar basti bath can be effective as well, and more gentle.  The herbs can be steeped on the stove, then added to 4 or 5 inches of bath water. One can sit in the tub – at the same time of day and time of your cycle as you would do an internal vasti – and gently contract and release the vaginal muscles to allow tea to gently enter and be released. This is also a nice alternative for very young women.

What to do for irregular cycles

What you will need for 1 application: enema bag, tub (ideally), towel, 1 T red rose buds or petals, 1 T raspberry leaves, 2 cups pure water, double boiler/two pots, stove

Wait 1 day after the new moon to begin this practice. You will do the vasti 3 times, every other day, starting the day after the new moon. For example, if the new moon is on a Monday, you will do the vasti Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Prepare the tea by bringing the water to a boil in a double boiler, add herbs, cover and simmer on low for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow them to steep and cool for about 15 more minutes. Strain, be sure it’s not too hot – test with your finger – and pour the tea into your enema bag.

Lay a towel down in your bathtub – and perhaps light a candle or incense in the room.  Ideally you would do this mid-afternoon, or mid-morning, on a day where you can relax, you’re home alone, and you can lock the door and feel totally safe.   You might even choose to make this a total self-care of cleansing day. A full body self-massage with oil can help you relax to accept the tea.

Add the tea to the enema/vasti bag, and make sure the nozzle is closed.

Smear the nozzle with an ample amount of sesame oil or coconut oil.

Hang the enema/vasti bag up above you – perhaps set on the side of the tub, or depending on how long the tube is, from the shower curtain bar.

Lay the towel down in the bathtub.

Remove your clothing, (if you wear a shirt or dress, it will get wet up your back.)

Lie down comfortably on your back. Take a few deep breaths, and relax your belly, your whole body.

Insert the nozzle into the vaginal passage, and open the nozzle. Squeeze your vaginal muscles and buttox, and even lift your hips from the tub.

Allow the tea to flow in gently, much will flow out. As soon as the bag is empty, relax your hips, remove the nozzle, and allow the tea to flow out gradually.

Rest for a few breaths as it flows out.

Get up slowly, more tea may flow out.

Clean up a bit, then put on a comfortable soft outfit, pajamas or robe. Relax and move slowly for the rest of your day, or a few hours if you have them. You may also choose to journal about your experience.

Personal healing

I have personally used the practice of uttar vasti to switch my cycle to new moon. It only took one application.  In conjunction with Maya Abdominal Therapy and herbs and diet changes, I have experienced great personal healing from irregular and painful cycles.  I am on a continual journey of faith as a holistic health practitioner, and I have yet to be let down.  In fact, I don’t know why I continue to be surprised at the types and deep level of healing that comes from these practices.

According to ancient vaidya’s, or seers, “women naturally possess a delicate and fragile balance within the body due to their Shakti prana and its extensive powers.” (Tiwari, pp 77)  By no means do I believe this as proof of any ‘weaker sex’ dogma, I believe this is an understanding that can guide us to living the way we know to be right and best and most healthy – in line with the rhythms of nature, balanced and without unnecessary stress, and connected with the sacredness of life.  And all of a woman’s other natural rhythms are preserved by the rhythm of her monthly menstrual cycle.

If you are interested to try this for yourself, I do recommend finding guidance from a practitioner to be sure you have emotional support, if needed, as well as to be able to rule out contraindications.  I will point anyone who is interested in learning more to Maya Tiwari’s book, Women’s Power to Heal.  Uttar Vasti and more are discussed in depth in my classes, Ancient Womb Healing for Modern Women.

 

Adena Rose Bright practices Ayurveda and The Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy®.  She teaches online courses in Ayurveda, Food as Medicine, and Women’s Health. Find more information on upcoming courses at AdenaRoseAyurveda.com and HealingDietAyurveda.com.  Follow her inspiring photos on instagram.

 

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GUEST POST: How to be true to yourself by Lisa Bertuzzi

We have something in common: a love/hate relationship with gluten and sugar. Or maybe we used to, because you’ve nixed the habit, but once upon a time we did. Go back in time with me.

My mom baked the most delicious Greek cookies made from sugar, white flour, and butter. She had to hide them. I still see her drinking black coffee and eating white toast with butter at breakfast. She was peaceful, and I can see her in my mind now.  And you have memories too.

This was my imprint, my love, my home, and you have yours. There was just one problem…I wasn’t born with a digestive tract for gluten and sugar.There is another problem…

 

It isn’t just gluten and sugar that causes pain, but in moving away from them – it’s the sadness of parting from family tradition.

 

How to be true to yourself without making waves

  • Go easy on yourself, your background and your family….caring for your body is just that. It has nothing to do with giving anything up.
  • Have heart, heart, and more heart. There is nothing inherently wrong. If you’re in pain, you must take care of yourself. Noticing familial comments and heartfelt memories go along with it.
  • Plan ahead. If you know you’re having a family gathering, bring foods that are nourishing for your body. Start small…bring your own “care package.”
  • Practice at home first. Fill your pantry with foods aligned with your body so you get used to the new “normal.”
  • Don’t go for a feeling, just be there. Breathe in and out until you feel centered.  
  • Find someone who wants more for you than to just be pain free.

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copy-Prof-PicLisa Bertuzzi works with people who are ready to shift out of chronic pain. You can began by talking to her about your pain in a free 30-minute strategy session.