march 2010

IN THIS ISSUE
IT'S SPRING! EAT GREEN STUFF.
UPCOMING EVENTS
ENERGY-BALANCING TREATMENTS
INTERESTING WEIGHT-LOSS ARTICLE
QUICK LINKS
IT'S SPRING!  EAT GREEN STUFF.

Here in Chicago, we've had a couple of days of warmer, damper weather...the beginnings of Spring.  The days are getting longer and the sun (when it's out) seems more bright.  Winter isn't through with us yet but the air not longer has a "bite".  We'll soon see buds on the trees, a few blades of grass and daffodils coming up through the snow and mud. 

In ayurvedic terms, Spring is when kapha dosha liquifies and we begin losing the stored fat and mucus of Winter.  It's a season of cleansing.  I find myself craving arugula, asparagus and kale (Shocking, I know.  You were expecting to read "chocolate, Big Macs and mayonnaise", if you know me well.)  These are the greens of Spring.  They're also excellent liver cleansers.

There are all sorts of cleansing methods, from old-school, hardcore ayurvedic cleanses to juice fasts and herb kits you find at health food stores.  If you're feeling sluggish and don't want to commit to anything gnarly or uncomfortable, simply add more fresh greens to your diet and boost your digestive fire with ginger or CCF (coriander-cumin-fennel) tea.  To go one step further, decrease or omit meat, alcohol, sugar, wheat, dairy and caffeine from your diet for a week...or forever.  Just be careful to decrease sugar and caffeine very gradually to avoid headaches.  They're addictive substances. 

Kitchari (a mixture of rice, mung dal or lentils, spices and sometimes vegetables) is considered a nourishing and healing food.  When doing panchakarma, a form of ayurvedic cleanse, it's all one eats for days on end to give the digestive tract a rest.  I'm not advising you to go on a kichari fast but try making it every once in a while or try a one-day kitchari diet every so often.

Here's a basic Kitchari recipe from The Ayurvedic Institute. 

If you choose to take herbs for cleansing, the best bets for Spring are liver-support herbs:  bhumyamalaki, guduchi, dandelion root, burdock root, milk thistle, yellow dock, neem and turmeric.

I'll be experimenting with a new cleanse this year and I can't say how I feel about it yet.  I'm trying a one-day juice cleanse from Blueprint Cleanse.  If I like the juices well enough, I'll wait until the weather's more consistently warmish and I'll do a 3-day juice cleanse followed by liver-supporting herbs for about a month.  I have some reservations about certain aspects of this cleanse (aside from the fact that's it's way pricey) but their site is so cute and i'm a sucker for nice packaging so what the heck?  You can make your own green drinks and fresh juices, if this idea appeals to you.


UPCOMING EVENTS
I've now done 2 very successful "Conscious Relaxation: Serenity Now!" sessions at Tejas Yoga in the South Loop and will be doing a third on Saturday, March 27 at 2 p.m.  This one will be a little different because it's a combination of Conscious Relaxation (guided meditation done while lying on your back) and a journey through the chakras.  Please go to Tejas Yoga to see the description and sign up.  If you have any interest in attending, you'll definitely want to register online as the last one sold out completely...we couldn't fit one more person in the room! 

I also lead Conscious Relaxation the first Wednesday of every month at Gilda's Club in River North.  It's free and you don't need to be a member of Gilda's Club to attend.  They have a great yoga room on the top floor with tons of mats, blankets and bolsters.  I'll be doing a one-hour "Power of the Breath" session on April 21 at 6:30 p.m as well.

Here's a link to my Events page.

I'm finally starting work on a Conscious Relaxation CD.   I'll keep you posted on its progress!
 
MARMA CHIKITSA:  ENERGY BALANCE
I know I've mentioned this before but it bears repeating: 
I've started doing hands-on, energy-balancing treatments (called Marma Chikitsa in Sanskrit).  The treatment takes one hour and all you have to do it show up at my office (after making an appointment first, please!), lie down on the massage table and breathe. You don't even have to take off your clothes! 

Clients find this treatment to be intensely relaxing, healing and calming.

Here's more info about the session and pricing.
INTERESTING WEIGHT-LOSS ARTICLE
Here is an interesting article about weight loss.  The author, Dr. Daniel Amen, says that as he looked at the brains of overweight patients, he discovered that there was not one brain pattern associated with being overweight, there were at least five.  He and his team saw patterns associated with brains that tended to be compulsive...impulsive ...sad ...anxious...and others in various combinations. This, he contends, is exactly the reason why most diets don't work. They take a one-size-fits-all approach, which from his brain-imaging work, makes absolutely no sense at all.  I found the article interesting for several reasons but most of all because ayurveda doesn't believe in one-size-fits-all either.

meLove,
Karen Klutznick





312.445.8532

KK AYURVEDA
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