Category: Ayurveda

Categories
Ayurveda Politics of Well-Being Research Self-care

Together in Isolation

Social Isolation-Image

It’s happened. Suddenly we’re thrust into a world where reality will prevail. A world where our human arrogance doesn’t just “not help” but actually makes things more challenging. The pandemic predicted for a long time by smart and thoughtful epidemiologists is upon us.

Yesterday my writings on this amounted an epic rant —proof that despite all my efforts at mindfulness, living in the present, finding grace, and generally trying to be a good person, I still get angry—or in some situations–really pissed-off.  You can read it (or not) for a laugh or for reassurance that, yes, nothing about this situation is easy and the anger you’re feeling right now is felt by many, many people, and we all just get pissed-off sometimes.

After said epic rant, while walking at the gym, one of my favorite songs ran on my play list—it described my state well. I had to just laugh: “Make Me Wanna Holler—throw up both my hands” (Inner City Blues). [https://youtu.be/p_PxgSQ9Vf4]

What more can we say?

Then I read an excellent analysis of the pandemic and found all my opinions validated but handled in a much more rational and comprehensive manner. I slowly I started to feel less angry. Maybe my desire to be “right” trumped (I mean this as a verb, not the person!!) my need to be angry. Or maybe getting real, truthful information, delivered without a political agenda soothed my soul. Whatever the case, I have gratitude for my change of temperament. I awoke this morning not feeling angry.

If the pandemic interests you I strongly suggest you read the article that contributed to my change in attitude.

Then again, maybe my work with Vedic and Buddhist principles of well-being helped me calm down. These principles tell me that anger is a totally natural reaction to situations of the human condition. We’re human, after all, and anger is real. However, these teachings also encourage me to not get attached to my anger. By attaching to my anger,  I get paralyzed and sink deeper and deeper into despair and fear.

Opposites don’t attract (in this case)

The tough question is: How do I manage to break my attachment to anger? The Vedic/Buddhist principles tell me that applying the opposite force reduces the affects of that force. This explains how reading thoughtful and informed views of our situation calmed me down. Woa! The circle is complete (and a little profound)! “Stupid” and “unformed” makes me angry (always has) so maybe applying “smart” and “informed” opposed the anger and I started to feel better.

This makes me think I generally need to dig deeper to figure out what forces are really making me angry. I think that if I catch the these forces before the anger becomes manifest and is running wild in my system, I’ll prevent myself from spreading toxic energy to others, not unlike the behavior of Covid 19. And that is one way I can serve the universal body and promote well-being. Whew! What a difference a little focus, attention, and awareness makes.

So, what now?

My suggestion is for all of us is to stay informed about the spread of the virus and follow the recommendations from the experts. I know the truth is often difficult to hear but it is the only antidote for lies. This set of videos from (of all people) Joe Rogan, featuring Mike Osterholm, a world renowned expert on infectious diseases from the University of Minnesota, is a great place to start becoming informed. (Go to the link and youtube will show you the other portions of the interview to watch). Let’s try to stay away from uninformed, stupid, nasty, xenophobic, and hateful energy around this virus. It only feeds hate and hate feeds anger and anger feeds fear and fear feeds pandemics like nobody’s business.

These interviews with Mike Osterholm are very informative, honest, smart, and even a little funny. In his thoughtful infectious way, Osterholm is pretty witty and very thorough and knowledgeable about his subject. There are more sections of the interview available on YouTube.

Shift in perspective

As I wrestled with my own “next steps” in the current climate, I have decided to shift my health coaching delivery from an emphasis on “in person” to an emphasis on “online” sessions. This runs counter to many of my fundamental beliefs about health coaching. I think there is no substitute for in-person interactions. However, I need to keep the HEALTH in health coaching. I, as do we all, have a fundamental responsibility to encourage our population to “socially isolate.” I wish we had a better term for this—it sounds so horrible. Any suggestions? I’m serious…if you have suggestions for a better term please comment below!  

I believe, we can turn this concept of social isolation into something good and positive in our lives. We can commit to having meaningful interaction via electronic options, send positive energy into the world, and use the time to delve deeper into our real “selves” and explore areas in our lives we have been ignoring. And, on a personal note, now I will be forced to become more comfortable with online coaching delivery. I’m mortified to think it took a pandemic to move me in this direction, but I’m just doing my best.

An experiment

To that end, I’m moving our next Kindred Spirits gathering from in-person to online. The gathering is scheduled for March 26, just as this virus will spreading exponentially in the Midwest. It would be silly (and irresponsible) to hold an in-person gathering at that time. Hosting an online event will be a new experience for me and I feel a little bit of excitement around this experiment. (I’ve produced a lot of webcasts for others but have never actually been in front of the mic. I guess it’s time—yikes!).

And, as an added bonus, this experiment will allow people from outside the immediate area and those who aren’t prepared to drive to participate. Who knows what may come about? Ultimately I hope we will be contributing to building a healthier world. Please consider attending.

In keeping with the times, the topic will be Living with Uncertainty.  As I move forward with this I’ll post details. If you receive emails from me, then you are on my email list and I’ll use this to keep you informed. If you don’t receive my emails, please sign onto my mailing list (below at the very bottom of the screen) or email me at info@healing-ground.com to receive updates.

I look forward to facing these new challenges together. I have no idea what to expect—some things are just outside of my control and Covid19 is one of those things. I encourage all of us to stay connected, informed, aware, and most importantly to resist the forces of hate. Let’s do this together as the universal body that we are!

“You may ask yourself…” Feels appropriate for the times and forces me to get up and dance.

Categories
Ayurveda Mindfulness Politics of Well-Being

Late Winter Stirring

Late winter survival

As we shift into the season of late winter I am weary of the endless icy roads and sidewalks, the cloudy days, and unpredictable temperatures. Nothing feels as it should to me. I’d prefer the moderately cold throughout the winter to the freeze/thaw patterns we’ve been experiencing of late. The sidewalks are treacherous and many roads are so beaten up as to be nearly impassable. Cross country ski trails become icy and sticky. And to add insult to injury, opportunist politicians diss my city with stupid accusations – again. This is my crabby time—but not for long.

Late winter, a season well described in the Ayurvedic tradition, is more than just a segment of the traditional year. It reflects the energetic forces we’re currently experiencing planet wide. A cold, regressive, immobile energetic front has been settling over our world. This leaves me, on one hand, in a state of despair, but on the other, in a state of hopeful anticipation—for we’re experiencing LATE winter. And this is followed by spring—rebirth, regrowth, possibility, and regeneration.

Treasure Beach Jamaica, WI
The natural cycles of the planet allow for the possibility of rebirth and regeneration.

I have been tempted to either retreat into my cocoon until things settle down (which could be awhile) or “let loose” against those who who hate (I’m not sure what form “letting loose” would take, but it wouldn’t be pretty). Instead, in the spirit of my commitment to the well-being of myself and the world, I have decided to focus on caring for myself. I try to remember that if I am not in a state of well-being, I am damaging the universal body at worst and can do little to improve the state of anything, at best. As we prepare for yearly and energetic spring, it is incumbent on all of us to take care of ourselves: our bodies, spirits, and minds so as to keep the universal body healthy as the new winds of change emerge.

In the spirit of love, compassion, and self-care I’ve put together a few ideas for surviving late winter and preparing for spring that may help us all reach the light at the end of this long, dark tunnel.

Develop a routine

There is ample research from both conventional western and integrative sources that affirms the health benefits of living with a broad daily routine. This includes regular (preferably earlyish—before 10 p.m.) bedtime, and early arising time (5:30 to 6 a.m.)

As early winter progresses it becomes more difficult for me to arise at 5:30 a.m. It is a stretch to crawl out of bed in the dark. I find myself engaging in sleep creep with later and later rising times. Late winter, with morning light appearing well before 7 a.m., is a great time to begin shifting our internal clocks so as to take advantage of maximum daylight. And an added benefit is that if we start paying attention to our waking time now, and begin to push it earlier, we are better able to cope with the upcoming daylight savings time fiasco and are able to transition more gracefully as we move into spring.

Lighten up the diet

After the heavy eating months of late fall and early winter when the cold moving air energy (vata) is down shifting and the cold solid earth energy (kapha) is upshifting, late winter is the time to lighten things up a bit. We no longer need to calm down the moving unpredictable air/space energy but would do well to lightly pump the breaks on the thick, slow moving earth-water energy. This is a great time to introduce more green leafy vegetables into our diets and back off of the heavy root veggies. Truth be told, I’m ready for this shift. I no longer find comfort in these early winter staples and they are starting to bore me. I find myself gazing longingly at the beautiful (albeit not local) rainbow chard and mustard greens in the vegetable aisle.

Swiss Chard presents such a beautiful colorful image, it’s hard not to crave it this time of year.

Shifting away from heavy red meat and towards poultry, fish, and light legumes will also help lighten your energy. And this is a good time to give more attention to reducing the quantity of food we eat.

Start moving

I often wonder what is going on with my perennials during late winter. I imagine the roots to be waking up in a super-drowsy state and pushing against the frozen soil as they prepare for their big moment—the spring thaw.

The native perennial garden looks bleak and moribund to the lazy eye. But the ice and snow melt indicates movement happening beneath the surface.

This is the time of year when our bodies can also use a nudge to slog through the heavy late winter environment. I’m not talking a marathon prep (unless that’s really what you want to do), but rather, like the plant roots, beginning a subtle increase in bodily movement. You might use this time to set an intention to move more. Try a goal of achieving, at minimum, the standard recommendation of 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise combined with three sessions of strength building exercise. If this is too much of a stretch, then maybe start with a goal of seventy-five minutes a week. Or, if goals bug you, set the intention to just move more than you are currently. And of course, if you are already at 150 minutes, set the goal a little higher. And then see what happens. A slight increase can trigger a lot of subtle changes in how we feel and function.  I’m already feeling considerably more mobile and notice that my skin has more color than it did a month ago. I attribute this to my increased activity—but it probably also results from the increase in green leafy vegetables.

Pay attention

I can’t help but think that my native perennials are paying attention as they wake up. If they weren’t, then they might wake up too early or too late. Somehow they know when to start stretching their roots. They seem to be very highly attuned to their environment.

So, why should we wander around oblivious to our surroundings when so much is happening? If we don’t pay attention to how we feel, what’s happening in the natural world, and what’s happening in the material world, we will become disoriented and may be functioning totally out of sync with our environment. And, our health and well being will suffer.

With so much happening in the world, and with our family activities, people fall for the false belief that paying attention to anything other than their own narrow needs will limit their usefulness in the world. My experience tells me just the opposite. By maintaining an awareness of our universe, I find I am better able to navigate my life through the stormy world in which we live. You can trust that I’ll be blogging much more about this—it is fundamental to my value and belief systems and is a core component of my health coaching practice.

This winter I’ve noticed a plethora of rabbits feasting on my blueberry bushes. They have reduced some to mere stumpy twigs. It’s disheartening, but I’m very aware that a lot can happen between now and mid-summer.

How?

It’s the HOW of paying attention that I find folks have difficulty with. To get started, I suggest a simple morning practice that I am borrowing from Pilar Gerasimo in her book The Healthy Deviant. As a prerequisite to engaging in this practice, I VERY STRONGLY suggest you remove ALL electronics from your sleep area…and yes, that includes your smart phone—in fact, especially your smart phone—remove smart-anything (except yourself and/or partner of course). If you need an alarm, buy an old-school alarm clock. “Impossible” you say? “Wrong”, I say. Period. Turn the phone off and leave it in another room at night. Your cell phone is not your friend at night. (More about my experience with this in another post, I promise).

This is an alarm clock. I suggest you buy one (but don’t set it for 10:15!).

Once you’ve weaned yourself off of your cell phone at night, this becomes a very easy exercise: Set the intention (and take the action) to do the following. Spend the first three minutes (or more) after you get out of bed doing something reflective. Whatever you do, DO NOT go to your phone or other electronic device within your first three minutes of getting out of bed. Something reflective might be looking at a candle, reading reflective passages (from a BOOK—NOT your phone!!), meditating, praying, or…I often use that time to water and spray my indoor plants (and I politely talk to them).

These guys migrated into the front porch as the temperatures fell and will make their way back outside before long. Last year the geraniums didn’t survive but I think they might make it this year.

That’s it. Set the intention and try this practice for a week and see how your days go.

Setting intentions

I’d love to hear from you about your late winter practices. What works for you and what doesn’t? Please feel free to comment below. I love discovering that people actually read my blog (it can be lonely out the in the blogiverse). In the meantime, eat less, move more, and pay attention. We all will be happier and healthier for your efforts.

Late winter is a great time to begin the practice of setting intentions. This season feels like a beginning to me and I find setting intentions comes more naturally this time of year than at the end of the solar year. This month, the Kindred Spirits group topic is Living with Intention. This is a great opportunity to focus on and clarify an idea which can greatly expand our field of  awareness and enhance our well-being. Consider joining us this Thursday for this thoughtful group.

Categories
Ayurveda Politics of Well-Being Self-care Social Connection

A new decade emerges

As I approach the end of another trip around the sun I like to take stock of the year past and set intentions for the upcoming year. I write down key high and low lights of the year, reflect upon forward momentum, and set categorized intentions (home, friends, creative, health, career etc) for the upcoming 365 days. These intentions range from tackling specific tasks: “Clean out the basement and make it useable” and “Paint the living room,” to the more general and esoteric: “Figure out gratitude,” “weigh less, or more at this time next year” (to be honest, I’ve never set the intention to “weigh more” but one could),  Then I put the paperwork away until 365 days into to future, when I review it and again reflect and repeat.

This ritual has helped me establish a realistic perspective on my life that has served me well. I encourage you to give it a try–especially the putting the intentions away for a year part. You may be surprised by what you discover. So, after this is posted, I’ll be reflecting on the past year and anticipating my future.

I’ve been keeping New Years Journals since 1998. They have become a comforting yearly ritual that seems to produce remarkable results

And yes, post I shall–despite my resistance. And in the spirit of blogging, I’ve decided to burden the world with yet more opinions per every pundit in internet-land. This appears to be the season for posting the best and worst of the year and the decade. So, to go with the flow, and purge myself of my attachment to my opinions, I proceed.

Best non-fad food of the century

Ginger. I’ve known about the powerful effects of ginger for years and have occasionally drunk ginger tea. This year, however, I took ginger seriously and have been vigilant about using ginger therapeutically, particularly for upper respiratory situations (ie colds).  I’ve fended off a number of colds with concerted application of fresh ginger tea with honey (don’t cook the honey). And of course, miraculous ginger baths have been a staple of my cleanses for awhile. Ginger is also a great digestive aid. It’s a workhorse of an herb, is easily accessible, and tastes great!

The gnarly looking ginger root has helped me kick numerous colds this winter. Just toss a few slices of fresh ginger (or a teaspoon or so of dried ginger) into boiling water and simmer for about 20 minutes. Cool a bit and add honey and lemon. Dried ginger is a great addition to hot and and cleansing soak. I hope to add ginger to my garden this spring. Will report back.

Worst wellness food-fad of the decade

Acai. I suppose I’ll receive a lot of hate mail for this one but I find the acai berry fad symbolic of the worst of the wellness and supposed “nutrition” movement. For those not in the know, acai is touted as an anti-oxidant super food that is supposedly responsible for all sorts of miraculous results. It is harvested in Brazil and was a huge money-maker for a select group of entrepreneurs earlier in the decade. This New Yorker piece describes in painful detail the evolution of the acai phenomenon and is reminder of how what we eat effects more than just our selves, our egos, and our appetites. 

Second worst wellness food-fad of the decade (there are so many to choose from!)

The raw food movement. We need to cook much of our food in order to release the nutrients to do their nutrient jobs in our body. And besides, cooking makes a lot of our food taste a whole lot better.

Best food fad of the decade

NONE! Food fads are just that, fads, designed to line the pockets of those pushing them.

Most gratifying wellness find of 2019

Pilar Gerasimo: Pilar, who hails from the Twin Cities area, focuses her wellness work on the concept of “healthy deviance” which is the idea that those of us who choose to live healthy and happy lives are bucking the establishment. Consequently, we need to see ourselves as existing outside of the mainstream and proceed as such if we want to be healthy. She does a great job of explaining the evolutionary conundrum the human race finds itself in when it comes to our health and well-being. When I saw (and heard) her speak, I felt a sense of relief at finally finding someone who thought the way I did—ie the system is broken (that includes the system that pushes food and exercise fads) and until we see that clearly, we will be continually frustrated in our efforts to be happy.  She has a book coming out soon, The Healthy Deviant and I can’t wait to read it.

Can’t wait to read it!

Most disappointing wellness trend of the decade

Workplace Wellness Programs: While I encourage people to stay healthy and happy while on the job and I imagine some workplace wellness programs may be moderately helpful, I think, based on observation, that these programs, by and large, have simply become additional vehicles for moneyed interests to line their pockets and for employers to manipulate their work forces. If we, in the United States, are truly concerned about the health and well-being of our workforce, I suggest we pay living wages, provide universal health coverage (so people don’t stay at miserable jobs just to get health insurance), and limit the work week to no more than 40 hours. People will then have the time, space, and resources to properly manage their well-being and be happy.

Most hopeful wellness trend of the decade

The eat local movement, along with the upsurge of farmers markets in metro-areas all over the country provide healthier foods to our communities and do a great job of educating us about where our food comes from and what real food really tastes like. By visiting these markets, we come together as a community to honor the most basic of human activities—feeding ourselves and our communities.

Farmers markets are a great way to connect with the food we eat and those who labor to produce this food.

Most fun new activity of 2019

Circle Singing! Singing in general is good for the soul, our mental health, our physical health and our universal health; circles are a universal symbol of coming together. The perfect combination!

Circle singing is a form of community singing, developed for contemporary times by Bobby McFerrin, in which a leader directs a group in improvisational song. The group I sing with doesn’t seem to have any links I can provide but it is led by Judy Donaghy Vinar so if you get on her mailing list you likely will receive announcements of the monthly gatherings.

We’re in this together

Whew! I think I’ve expressed enough for now. Thanks for indulging me!

 As we head into another new decade I encourage all of us to keep our senses attuned—pay attention. There is a lot to observe out there. Let’s watch the sprouts from all the seeds of love, compassion, justice, and creativity that we’ve sewn over the decade begin to pop their heads out of the ground. Let’s nurture these sprouts as we continue to plant more seeds. Let’s care for all of our “selves”: physical, subtle/spiritual, and universal, never forgetting that we’re all in this world together and together is how we will both suffer and thrive.

Happy New Year and Happy New Decade to all of you, thank you for your support, and enjoy the ride.

Start the year out right and mark your calendars

The Kindred Spirits gathering will re-convene Thursday Jan 23rd, 2020 at St. Peder’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 4600 E. 42nd St., Minneapolis, MN 55406, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.. Note that the sessions will be running a half hour earlier than in 2019.

In the January session we’ll explore awareness, the first step towards making any meaningful changes in our lives.

Kindred Spirits starts Jan 23.
Categories
Ayurveda Cleansing

The Kitchari cleanse; I’ve made it! (Sort of)

The Ayurvedic Kitchari Cleanse, active portion, is officially over and I’ve been in “rejuvenation” for over a week. This cleanse has had its challenges. I really felt my air and space energy go off the rails, which manifested as everything from an over engaged gut to a disengaged gut to fatigue to spacey-ness to insomnia to whatever else you can come up with.

During the active phase all went swimmingly well Sunday through Wednesday. Then I felt all my systems going from hyperactive to totally inactive within about a five-hour span. After that I had difficulty finding the Kitchari particularly palatable. I stuck with it with the exception of the last day, when I switched to just rice with ghee to get me through the day.  

A little cleansing sabotage

I started the rejuvenation phase pretty valiantly and carefully but then Halloween arrived. You can guess how that went. Sigh.

Damn you Sugar! 

https://youtu.be/CsbYx6hevoQ
Me in the days after Halloween

I’m finally feeling like myself

Today, Wednesday, a week and a half after I started the rejuvenation phase, is the first day I’ve felt myself since the Wednesday of the active phase.  I feel like my body is finally waking up and letting go. Moving is easier, I’m able to make better food and activity choices and I’m starting to feel like myself again. And, most happily, my sleep completely went from total insomnia to absolutely “no problem” with the turnover away from daylight savings time.

I wish I could report on exactly what happened, but I can only guess. I am quite confident that my air and space energy were really out of whack before I started the cleanse. That tends to happen to me in fall and spring. This time around, the weather during the cleanse didn’t help things and really contributed to my energetic imbalance. I also am wondering if my more solid earth energies were more set in place and resistant to change (due to the damp weather), blocking the wind energy and filling the space energy.

Uh oh

Many of you are probably rolling your eyes and thinking “There she goes again. Woo Woo!”.  

The girl on the left is reminiscent of (but way cuter than) me trying to get through Zumba classes the last few weeks!

That’s ok, I totally understand.  This approach is based upon Ayurveda and sounded a little “out there” to me too until I began actually recognizing, feeling, and working with the energy. Now it’s just sort-of the way it is for me. I see no reason why the forces that have such an obvious impact on all other carbon based life forms would, for some strange reason, have absolutely no effect on human beings (of which I am one).

A few simple guidelines helped

Fortunately, I did my best to work with what was present and I followed a few simple rules to get me through the difficulties

  1. I maintained my daily meditation practice even if I felt crummy. Sometimes I cut sessions short but I did my best to not skip them. This created a little space within with which I could function.
  2. I avoided blame and shame around these difficulties. When I look at the echinacea trying to survive the crazy weather I see no indication that it is blaming itself for not looking so hot or for just taking it easy.
  3. Within the space I created by maintaining a meditation practice I tried (and still do) to cultivate compassion for all sentient beings, including those with whom I very much disagree (like the current occupant of the white house). This compassion extends to myself.  I am, after all, not chopped liver! I’m a carbon based sentient life form, not unlike all others.
I wouldn’t think of reprimanding my echinacea for being in such a gnarly state, so I won’t do it to myself.

The Chyavanprash

I introduced you to Chyavanprash jam in the last post and have been using it regularly through rejuvenation. I added a teaspoon to hot water for a tasty chai tea-like beverage. I added it to boiled milk (after the milk has cooled a bit—the jam has honey in it and you don’t want to cook honey) which was super yummy. It was a great pre-bedtime beverage. Ayurveda suggests we cook our fruit before eating it so I cooked up some sliced apples in unsweetened cherry juice and added Chyavanprash and cinnamon. This was also very tasty.  I will be buying more of this concoction. I suspect it will help me manage sweet cravings.

Apples cooked in tart cherry juice with cinnamon and Chyavanprash is quite tasty. Cherry juice is a great anti-oxidant and is anti-inflamatory. I drank a lot of it when I was recovering from knee replacement surgery a few years ago. I think it really helped with inflammation and gut health.

Not the best of times but not the worst of times

As you can imagine, this has been a punch in the gut, what the hell is going on, few weeks for me. But, I’m back and, despite the difficulties, happy with the cleansing process. Based on past experience, I’ll begin to see the results of the process in the upcoming weeks as my body/mind is able to settle down and let go of the past, and stay anchored in the present. I am reminded again that, sometimes I need to walk though a lot of muck to arrive at the meadow. I think I’m on my way to the meadow now.

November community gathering

The November Kindred Spirits gathering will happen Thursday November 21 at St. Peder’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 4600 E. 42nd St., Minneapolis, MN 55406, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

In this session, we’ll explore how compassion for ourselves and others fills the spaces we’ve created and helps us thrive physically, emotionally, and spiritually, allowing us to contribute to the common good during times of intense upheaval.

Categories
Ayurveda Cleansing

The Kitchari Cleanse, part 1

The next stage of my fall cleansing is the Kitchari cleanse. This is an Ayurvedic style digestive cleanse designed to balance the mind body and spirit. It involves eating Kitchari (and ONLY Kitchari), a mung-bean, rice, and ghee based dish daily for the length of the cleanse (seven days, in my case), performing self-message and oliation daily (Abhyanga), soaking the body in a very hot ginger bath nightly, and spending time shifting your gaze inward. Truth be told, it’s a time of self examination.

The Kitchari cleanse is a three stage process. Step one is preparation, step two is the active phase, and step three is rejuvenation. It’s easy to skimp on phases one and three and just jump in and out of phase two. In our culture it’s the natural thing to do–just dive in. But over time, I’ve begun to see the folly in that strategy (if you can call it a strategy). Not properly preparing in advance for the cleanse means you’re wasting valuable cleansing time going through preparation. You can’t skip that part.

Peparation

When I prepare for seasonal cleanses I choose the time for the cleanse well in advance. I clear my calendar as much as I am able. I don’t want to put super strenuous activities on my agenda during a cleanse. Cleansing time is a time for inward focus and contemplation.

As cleansing time nears, I find it good to slow down and begin to contemplate my intentions for the cleanse. In other words, I want to clarify for myself why I’m taking the time to do this.

Then there are the logistical considerations. At minimum I want to stock the Kitchari Ingredients and the oils I will need for the Abhyanga. I also need the ginger bath supplies. While it isn’t absolutely necessary to use, I also like to supplement the Kitchari with an herbal medicated ghee preparation and have other specialty oils on hand. You also want to consider what special foods you may want for rejuvenation and, if not eaten fresh, purchase them in advance so you have them when you need them.

My stuff.

Ingredients

The Kitchari is simple to make and has only a few basic ingredients. It is a porridge like stew made up of split mung beans, basmati rice, ghee, and spices (both ground and whole): cumin, colander, fennel, black pepper and turmeric. Some recipes include brown mustard seed and occasionally I add black cumin. I also add a little salt. You can also add vegetables if you want. I’ll be adding carrots, onions, and spinach to my first batch. I was considering substituting millet for rice this time around but I think I’ve changed my mind for reasons that I may explain in a post far in the future.

There are as many Kitchari recipes on the web as there are people making it. I usually start with the one published by Savastha Ayurveda. Her recipe uses more items than some and I don’t always use all of them and sometimes I add different vegetables. You can also substitute red lentils for the mung beans, although I like mung beans for their high protein content. I also cook my Kitchari longer than the recipe calls for. Everything in the stew needs to be well cooked–soft. Yes, even the carrots (if you’re using them) and especially the rice. The mung beans dissolve and are the basis of the stew. This soft quality of the Kitchari is one of the reasons it is so cleansing–it is very easy for your system to digest.

It’s a good idea to buy these ingredients in advance because you’ll be cooking with them every day for a week. The split mung beans and spices I purchase online from an excellent Ayurvedic retailer, Banyan Botanicals out of Albuquerque New Mexico. I like them because their products are clean and fresh and certified organic. You can find split mung beans at a number of local Indian grocery stores but the beans are typically not organic and are of questionable age. I can tell the Banyan products are fresh by how they cook up and by how they smell (and look). Penzy’s is another great option for spices. I don’t think they are certified organic but they are obviously fresh and well sourced. Penzy’s is by all accounts a terrific company.

Cumin Turmeric and Corriander
The big three: Cumin, Turmeric, and Coriander are used in most Ayurvedic (and other Indian) cooking. They are full of medicinal qualities. I buy from Banyan but would also recommend you purchase from Penzy’s spices. They are a great company and are very aware of the universal body.

The basic oils I use for Abhyanga are organic sesame and organic coconut (sesame when I want a warming oil and coconut when I want cooling). I also use specialty oils based on my dosha (more about that at an undetermined date). Here’s a good video showing how to do the oliation/massage. Fyi: unlike in the video, it can get messy. Unless you have a gigantic spa-like bathroom like in the video, I suggest you clear things out of your bathing area that will just get in the way. You’ll be soaking, massaging, and oliating in that room and the fewer unnecessary things you have in that room, the easier it will be to clean up.

In addition I use nasal oils and am trying a new ear oil. The coconut oil I purchase at Seward Coop in Minneapolis. You can purchase plain organic sesame oil at the coop too but I buy the sesame and specialty oils from either Banyan or another excellent Ayurvedic vendor, Savastha Ayurveda (out of Boulder CO).

  • Oils
    Oleation Oils (seseme and coconut can also be used for cooking). Two specialty oils (far left and far right) are formulated for people of particular constitutions. The one on the left is warming and the right one is cooling.
  • Specialty Oils and Medicated Ghee
    Specialty Oils.
  • Basmati Rice and Millet
    Basmati rice and millet.

Make sure you have easy access to a lot of towels. You also want to put fresh, but possibly older, linens on your bed knowing that they will be absorbing oil (even though you soak after your Abhyanga, your body will still be oily, including your hair). I have a special set of sheets I use only during cleansing time. That way I don’t ruin all my sheets. FYI, you clean the oil off your body in the morning with either a hot shower or soak. You’ll be washing your hair a lot that week.

Rejuvenation supplies

It’s a good idea to have the rejuvenation supplies on hand too. Rejuvenation is a phase of introducing foods and activities that nourish and replenish us. Ghee (more about that in a few) is a great rejuvenation food. I also like to use Triphala tea in the rejuvenation phase (and beyond). It’s a powder made up three ground dried berries that have many replenishing properties. Triphala is replenishing to the blood and aids in reducing inflammation. It is also great for digestion and elimination. I’m trying a new product this year: Chyavanprash which is an herbal jam. Here’s a picture of the ingredients. I haven’t given enough thought to the rejuvenation phase in the past so this is my attempt at becoming more aware of it. We’ll see how it goes.

Label
Here’s what Chyavanprash is supposed to do. Impressive.
Here are the ingredients in Chyavanprash. It looks sweet and rich but that could be deceiving. Will report back.

So, those are the supplies I am stocking for this Kitchari Cleanse. I must say that photographing and blogging about all these items provides quite a different experience than I’ve had in the past. It’s a little difficult to fix my gaze inward while also trying to reflect things outwardly. It produces a push and pull feeling. We’ll see how far I get in reporting how it’s going. You’ll probably hear more about this.

The best part: Ghee!

The final, and very important item is ghee. Ghee is boiled butter and provides the oil for the Kitchari. It is also often taken on its own during a cleanse. You can purchase ghee but is is expensive and not made in your own kitchen. I learned to make ghee from Ruolph Ballentine’s book, Diet and Nutrition. If you are interested in how ghee is made, you can watch my first attempt at cooking while video taping below. Cooking ghee one-handed is quite an experience!

Break the butter up into the pan and heat up using medium-high heat.
More separation.
More separation, color change.
Second foaming.
It looks burnt but it’s not. The bits are actually brown. I suppose I need to learn how to do lighting now!
Categories
Ayurveda Cleansing

The Dietary Cleanse

Shedding the metal

I’m on day fourteen of a fourteen day heavy metals detoxification dietary cleanse. After this phase of my cleansing ritual I will shift into an Ayurvedic-style digestive cleanse—a Kitchari cleanse. More about that later.

I know many folks out in internet-land are curious about and/or interested in dietary cleanses. Many have, like me, experimented with different approaches to cleansing while others view cleansing as a crazy woo-woo ritual that they would never engage in but about which they have many opinions. Since there is interest in this subject, I thought I’d use my platform to describe and explore my approach to cleansing and to document my experience, with cleansing this time around. Please use the comment area (at the bottom of the page) to ask questions or comment.

The regimen

My cleanse regimen this fall consists of two weeks of heavy metal cleansing and one week of a “digestive” Ayurvedic cleanse. I’ve already written about why I detox in the fall and spring and I can’t stress enough the importance of this seasonal approach. My suggestion is that if you are tempted to start a cleanse in the middle of winter or summer, JUST SAY NO. Detoxing then is totally out of sync with the natural processes and has the potential of doing more harm than good. My first wayward experiment, explained in my last post, is a good example of problems with this approach.

The heavy metal cleanse I follow is a simple do-at-home detoxification routine. I learned about it in the book Radical Healing by Rudolph Ballentine. He is the guy (now a Swami, apparently) who wrote the seminal book on holistic nutrition, Diet and Nutrition back in the 80s. That book is still, in my humble opinion, one of the best nutrition books out there. Rudy was way ahead of his time with that book. Anyhow, this cleanse is for detoxing the day-to-day level of metals we are exposed to. It is not intended for more serious cases of heavy metal poisoning.

  • This is the book from which I got this cleanse. Despite it’s overwhelming size it is a very handy reference book for those interested in integrative health and healing.
  • This is a book by the same author. If you read one nutrition book in your life, I recommend you read this one. I inherited the original one on the left from my mother and I don’t really know why I bought a second copy. Maybe I figured it was so good I needed two. I refer to this book over and over.

The (relatively) easy part

This heavy metal detox involves maintaining a relatively clean diet and adding a quarter of a cup (packed) of cilantro to a meal each day for two weeks. The cilantro can be chopped or not (although you do need to chew it), mixed with a salad, or soup, or smoothie or, if you are into it, can be just eaten plain. I think the cilantro should be eaten all at once, not spread over the day to do its job properly but I’m not sure if that is necessary. That’s the easy part.

A quarter of a cup of cilantro once a day provides chelation.

The not-so-easy part

Now the less-easy part. Twice a day for the entire two weeks consume one tablespoon of bentonite clay suspended into a glass of water, followed by a glass of plain water. I buy my clay at the Seward Coop in Minneapolis and you can purchase it online or probably find it at any number of natural foods stores.

How its supposed to work

Here’s the logic behind this regimen.  Cilantro is a chelator of heavy metals so when we eat the cilantro, heavy metals are drawn out of our cells, which is good. But if we don’t drink the clay solution, the metals hang around in our system and are not fully excreted. Drinking the solution manages the necessary excretion of these toxins. The clay does a good job of cleaning up the metal mess and is a good detoxifier in and of itself. 

The additional glass of water is important. It helps to disperse the clay. Essentially, the cleanse combines several stages into one (often other more complex cleanses do the chelating and elimination processes in several stages). The benefit of this approach is that it is simple and easy.

What it feels like

When undergoing a cleanse, how I feel varies from day to day. Some days I feel very good and others I feel crummy. That’s pretty normal when detoxing metals. The process of removing toxins takes a toll on our bodies but I imagine the burden of living with heavy metals, clinking around in my cells, puts a much larger strain on our bodies, particularly on the nervous system.

Day one of my cleanse was Friday, October 4. On Monday October 7 I awoke feeling super great. My joints felt looser and my mood was high. By that early evening I felt horrible. I was head achy, joint achy, and totally fatigued—exhausted.  I knew the detox was kicking in. By the next morning I felt fine. I guess the toxins were being extracted and flushed.

The following Wednesday afternoon I picked up a cold. Often experts suggest you stop a cleanse if you get sick. However, I don’t think that would have been a good idea for me at this point. Detoxing heavy metals is a process that I think needs to play itself out. Stopping early could leave me feeling crappy since my body has released toxins into my system but not yet had a chance to fully flush them out. Since the cleanse didn’t limit my diet I felt I was getting the proper nutrients to manage a cold. I decided to continue. And now, I’m glad I did. I am still dealing with the detritus of the cold but I’m none the worse for wear.

This past Monday I started the day feeling crummy with headaches and joint aches again but by the end of the day felt fine. This leads me to wonder if the detox and flushing might happen in cycles.

Wednesday I was pretty tired early in the day but felt better by mid-day. I can’t tell if the fatigue was a result of the cleanse or the cold.

Things I’ve noticed this time around

  • If I prepare my clay concoction well in advance of drinking it, it is much easier to get down. Preparing it several hours in advance using hot water and leaving it sit allows many of the creepy lumps to dissolve, or at least become slimy rather that powdery.  Believe it or not, after a day or two the clay just becomes a habit
  • I’ve added cilantro to a variety of foods: homemade chili was a great option,  roasted root vegetables tossed with the cilantro was very tasty, I added the cilantro to a burrito, prepared a baked sweet potato with olive oil and cilantro, and prepared a fried ginger, onions, hot peppers, sesame, cilantro, and millet bowl (super tasty). I don’t drink smoothies (I think eating real solid food is a better idea for me) so I can’t attest to how cilantro would taste in one but I imagine it would be fine.  In the past I’ve added it to salads and liked it. Often the taste of cilantro can be enhanced if you add lime to it.
  • Earlier in the cleanse, in week one, I noticed my teeth subtly hurt a little. It was sort of a rhythmic pulling, achy feeling, especially in my front teeth. It was something I’d never felt before. It went away eventually but occasionally I feel it again.
  • My appetite has decreased significantly. I noticed this by day two. I don’t crave sugar (which is good) and my appetite seems pretty stable. I recall this happening in past cleanses.
  • My joints have gone from feeling super good to very achy at times and back to super good.
  • Doing this cleanse is much easier now that I’m not going to an outside workplace every day (I KNOW the digestive cleanse will be way easier now). It really helps to have the time to pay attention to how I’m feeling as I’m doing this.
  • My sleep quality and quantity has varied but I think that is partially due to the cold. At this point my sleep seems ok but erratic, despite paying attention to sleep hygiene.

I’m considering adding one new step to this cleanse. Today is the last day of this cleanse but I think I’ll continue the clay into tomorrow. Having an extra day of flushing out the toxins seems like a good idea to me.

Next up…

Next time I write, I’ll introduce you to the Ayurvedic Kitchari Digestive Cleanse. It’s more than just a dietary cleanse. It’s designed to cleanse your entire “self”—mind body and spirit. I need to do some preparation for the Kitchari cleanse and have been buoyed by the arrival of two packages of Ayurvedic supplies. I’ll fill you in more on that next time.

Categories
Ayurveda Cleansing Politics of Well-Being

Autumn: The season of cleansing

Fall weather, is in full swing. In Minneapolis, after an unbearably wet start to the season, we’ve been treated to a few classic, clear and colorful days. But we’re not expecting them to last. Snow is forecast for the weekend  (and people just can’t stop talking about it).

As I’ve navigated the season, I’m reminded that September and October are difficult months for me. They elicit sadness and grieving and require my special attention. This is especially challenging because autumn is also the time for putting the gardens to bed, tidying up the yard, and putting away all the yard stuff I spent so much time setting up just a few months ago. At a time when I’m not at what I would call, an “energetic high”, I’m expected to dig and tote to turn the patio and gardens into barren landscapes. It doesn’t do a whole lot for my mood.

Patio fall cleanup. Dragging in the hose is my least favorite task. But it’s put away nicely.

In recent years, I’ve added dietary cleanses to my fall ritual. Fall and spring, considered in many traditions to be transitional seasons, when the weather is wild and the winds are blowing, are the seasons in which to perform these rituals. They are not necessarily easy affairs, but they have become significant and helpful rituals in my physical, spiritual, and creative life. In the same way that Autumn blows away the summer heat, a cleanse clears out the stale energy of summer and creates space for new possibilities.  

The garden it going through it’s own cleansing process. Shedding it’s seeds and leaves.

Cleanses happen at many levels

Meanwhile, back at the universal body, the folks in Washington DC are in the midst of a detoxifying ritual of their own. And, similar to a dietary cleanse, the larger body is resisting the act of detoxifying.

What I’ve learned about cleanses is that persistence and discomfort are the key to a successful dietary cleanse. If you stop your cleanse when things become uncomfortable, the toxins that you’ve finally drawn to the surface will remain in your body and continue to do damage, just closer to the surface.

Comfort can be my enemy

I experienced this effect a number of years ago when I engaged in a heavy metal dietary detox in the winter (the absolute worst time –other than summer—to detox). I did it because I felt like it and just had to do it “now”. Advice be damned.  The detox drew out toxins in the form of a nasty skin condition that, on one hand exposed a situation so I could deal with it, but one which took me years to get under control. It would have been a lot easier to manage, had I performed the detox at the right time of year and extended the elimination (of toxins) piece longer. But I let discomfort get the best of me.

The heavy metals cleanse includes consuming clay (above) suspended in water. It is a bit on the unpalatable side but is absolutely necessary to clear the toxins out of the body. Because of the comfort factor, it’s easy to minimize the importance of this step but one does so at ones peril.

Generally, I find it is too easy to stick with what is comfortable, even though I am fully aware that in many ways “comfort” is the enemy. Ayurveda confirms this, the Enneagram confirms this, and my life experience confirms this.  It is so easy  to just fiddle endlessly with my website or design Instagram posts, rather than doing something a little more challenging, like writing this blog post.  As soon as a dietary cleanse becomes a little uncomfortable, I’m tempted to quit. But, quitting just makes life more difficult.

Pushing the cleanse comfort envelope

It looks like finally, in Washington, people are resisting discomfort and pushing through to clean things up. I admire these people because I know the process is not easy. I think that it’s no coincidence that this process is happening in the fall. It’s the right time.

I learned the wisdom of pushing the comfort envelope last spring during my last cleanse. By fully sticking with both a digestive and heavy metals cleanse I saw—to my astonishment—my endless, almost unbearable skin condition simply disappear. (Sorry, I don’t have any photos of the condition but it was terribly oozy and itchy and gross.) AND I experienced my first summer without seasonal allergies in about fifteen years. I didn’t need to take a single Clariton all summer!

I can’t say for absolute sure that the cleanses were the cause of these nice developments but the relief did come as the cleanses progressed. I’ve lived with the discomfort of not absolutely knowing for sure what caused what for awhile now. Long enough, it seems, to understand that sometimes the best action is just to set an intention, take a few steps forward, observe, sometimes follow the rules, pay attention, listen, trust the process, and see what happens. We may be pleasantly surprised by the outcome.

October community gathering

The October Kindred Spirits gathering will happen Thursday October 24 at St. Peder’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 4600 E. 42nd St., Minneapolis, MN 55406, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

In this session, we’ll explore what it means to create space, and reflect on healthy approaches to establishing our own physical, emotional, and spiritual spaces, in which to thrive.

Join us.
Here’s a lovely ode to autumn.
Categories
Ayurveda Mindfulness Self-care The Spirit

Finding Clarity in the Strangest of Situations

I had a nasty bout of insomnia (of my own making?) last night. I found myself still in front of the television at 11 p.m. before I flipped the switch and headed to bed. This is a death knell for my normally good sleep patterns. I generally need to be in bed before 10 p.m. or my brain decides to turn on at just the wrong time.  This, Ayurveda teaches me, is totally to be expected. It’s a reflection of existence. Our pita (fire) elements begin to stoke around 11 a.m. and get in the way of sleep triggers (they are more appropriately inducing deep sleep and dream states). Thus, bedtime between 9 and 10:00 p.m. is a natural way to develop healthy sleep patterns.

The times associated with the doshas indicate when they are most active. Pita, the fire element, was most active as I was trying to induce sleep. My efforts to fall asleep were fruitless due, in part, to the active fire element doing what is supposed to do in my system.

I knew this, but was compelled to complete the show I was watching, a Ken Burns documentary about the history of Country Music in the U.S. It is a subject about which I’m very interested and Ken Burns’ work has a strange way of sucking me into its “we are all in this together” vibe. Was my behavior worth it, given the rather dazed state I’m experiencing now?  My answer is, maybe, just this once, but “let’s not make this a habit.”

My Experience

As I ruminated and ruminated and meditated and ruminated and ruminated and read and tossed and turned and read some more and wandered around the house and ruminated and ruminated and ruminated, read some more, meditated some more, castigated myself, ruminated, ruminated, forced myself to not look at the clock, listened to the crickets, wondered if they were birds, ruminated, ruminated, etc (you know the drill) a strange thing happened.  I fell asleep for a few hours.

This experience disrupted my routine and left me feeling less than stellar today. But, I’m ok, have the freedom to add a few hours of sleep to the morning, and am just trying to go with the flow.

While meditating this morning (considerably later than usual) I noticed an interesting phenomenon. I felt a level of clarity I hadn’t felt for awhile. It was like all the ruminating had purged my mind of a lot of detritus. I was able to gain a glimpse of the sense of being an empty vessel. Much of what I had been ruminating over and rehearsing in my mind through the night just wasn’t there, at least for that moment,. In its place was a sense of clarity, like a calm pool of water.

Clarity comes to me like a gentle pool of rippled water. Unfortunately, clarity never seems to be intrusively “in my face.”

Naming It

So, I felt the need to write my experience down, name it, to make it real. Writing is one tool I use to remember these sort of experiences. Without some method of codifying these experiences my mind fills up quickly and these moments of clarity dissolve into the pool.

Writing a blog is an interesting experience. While I have wanted to post every week, that just hasn’t been possible. It isn’t lack of inspiration (I don’t think writing is necessarily about “inspiration”, at least not exclusively). It isn’t about “will” (whatever that is). It isn’t necessarily about the “doing” either…many days I write, just not things I want to share. Today, I think, my  decision to blog involves naming clarity.

A state of clarity is when my mind is clear of all the things that clutter it up, worry, anxiety, ego, striving, expectation, etc (you know this drill too). In these rare moments of clarity, I am able to use my mind as a vessel for whatever is out there to be shared.

Sometimes the Preamble to Clarity is Arduous

I appreciate the clarity, although, I must say, I often prefer to reach this level of clarity using easier methods. Insomnia is a pretty unpleasant experience. The problem, as I see it, is that those easier methods aren’t always apparent to me. Fortunately these days the unpleasantness is usually short lived. I have a non-pharmaceutical plan for achieving sleep bliss tonight. This plan has worked in the past and I think it will tonight.

This difficult night followed by bright clarity makes me feel like I’ve taken a another brief foray into the underworld. This time to purge myself of my chatter-box demons. Like so many mythic characters before me, maybe I’m now part of a special club. I’m surprised though;  I never expected Ken Burns would be the one to open these gates for me. Goes to show, you never can tell.

Monthly Gathering Next Thursday

I invite you to join me next week, Thurs. September 26 at 7 p.m. for a monthly community gathering at St. Peder’s church, 4600 E 42nd St, Minneapolis, MN 55406 in South Minneapolis’ Longfellow neighborhood. Cost (suggested donation) is $25 per session. I suspect, much of what I’ve been blogging about will emerge in the sessions. But, again, you never can tell. Learn more at Healing-ground.com/events or email me at info@healing-ground.com. It would be helpful if you could let me know if you will be attending but feel free to just drop in. I certainly will not be turning anyone away!

You Never Can Tell

https://youtu.be/Qv8gwgNG5R8
You Never Can Tell. Tru That! Emmy Lou Harris’ version of this classic is joyful and carefree. She hasn’t appeared in the Ken Burns documentary yet but I’m sure she will when we get to the 1970s. I first saw and heard her do this number in 1975 when she was new on the scene. I was totally blown away by her singing, her musicianship, and her incredibly fine band. And, she even has her name on her guitar strap!
https://youtu.be/qjdYBzzWsew
Emmy Lou is still performing, she’s still cool, still has her name on her guitar strap, and I’m still listening.
Categories
Ayurveda Mindfulness Self-care Social Connection

An Anniversary

Celebrate?

Twenty-eight years ago, this week, I thought I had six months left to live.

I learned the startling news on a grueling hot day, not unlike today. I was told by physicians that I had a serious health condition that was probably terminal and that I’d “be awfully lucky” if it was a different condition (as I suggested to the physician it might be). My most vivid memory of that time is riding the clinic elevator, alone, in semi-hysterical tears, medical records in hand, heading out to have my various body parts scanned and prodded. People in the elevator looked at me, sobbing uncontrollably, like they just wished they weren’t there.  I can’t blame them for that.

A few weeks later, after extensive surgery, I discovered I was, in fact, “awfully lucky.” I wasn’t dead, nor was I intact, but I was alive. I was shaken to my core, but I was alive.

Thinking I was going to die, only to discover that, oops, I was right about the “different condition” and I would live on, was a surreal experience. I felt a combination of terror and relief at the idea that I had diagnosed myself more accurately than had those with years of medical training. Later, as I was struggling with what this all meant, I felt guilty that, after being given a death sentence, I didn’t suddenly have a revelation that all things in life were wonderful, nor was I inclined to run down the street proclaiming “I’m alive”, like in the movies. Despite the kindness of friends and loved ones, all I felt for a long time was alone in a confusing trauma. And, I was pissed-off …all the time.

I was confused, alone, conflicted and pissed.

Recovery from that experience took at least a decade and required a great deal of self-examination and reflection. I ruminated over how I ended up in such a difficult situation. I reviewed my past and I how I had approached my health. As I struggled to feel better, I found little support from the conventional medical system. But I persisted—I felt I had no choice. Over time, several key observations became apparent:

Buck Up!

  • I’d been raised in the “buck up” school of health.
  • This “buck up” attitude taught me to not pay attention to my body, mind, or spirit (whatever that was), and, it taught me to not talk about my health with anyone–these things were private matters.
  • The conventional western approach to health did of good job of eliminating the physical manifestation of my issue, once it was out of control,  but had hindered any chance I may have had of dealing with the situation years earlier, when it was not life threatening.
I’d been raised in the “buck up” school of health.

A difficult journey

Since then, I’ve embarked on a journey of discovery that has taken many wild twists and turns and seen setbacks and advances. When I look around now, I feel like I have ascended from the depths and am living a full, exciting, and happy life.  For this life, I can thank traditional Chinese medicine, conventional western medicine, ayurvedic medicine, energy work, body work, Pilates, yoga, reiki, music, painting, many other practices, friends, colleagues, family, strangers, and my own internal resources for supporting me in this turnaround. 

Ascent from the underworld

I haven’t thought about this anniversary in quite a few years and have never acknowledged it out loud (or in print) before. But like all anniversaries, it deserves to be acknowledged and named. And so, I’ll name it Persephone, in celebration of my descent to the underworld and return to the world of the living.

I’ll name it Persephone, in celebration of my descent to the underworld and return to the world of the living.