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Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com yoga@cherylthomas.com 415-308-3377 |
GUEST AUTHOR*
Douglas O'Brien PAC, CAS
Digestive Fire
Agni is the digestive metabolic fire that governs the digestion, absorption, assimilation and transformation of food. Do you have indigestion, constipation, heart burn of other digestive disturbances? According to Ayurveda, this could be at the root of your health problems. The entire digestive process takes about 6 - 8 hours and involves different stages. Digestion also occurs on the cellular level to give nourishment to the cells of all our tissues and at the most subtle level it is transformed in to pure energy of consciousness to nourish the mind. Hence, food eventually becomes mind.
There are many types of agni the most important being the Jathara agni of the stomach; other agnis govern the liver, the elements, the tissues, the cellular structures and the mind and consciousness. Agni is the fire element, which is radiant energy, and it manifests as body temperature, digestive enzymes, amino acids, and all metabolic activities. If you suffer from indigestion, this process is altered and your tissues and even your mind will be affected.
It is said in Ayurveda, 'if you worship Agni, you will be blessed with perfect health'. Our food contains life energy that can only be utilized by the body though digestion. Food must be transformed into absorbable substance that can nourish the tissues. Without Agni, it would be impossible to digest any food or sensory experience.
The main cause of imbalanced Agni is the aggravation of the dosha (vata, pitta & kapha), some specific causes are: Overeating, eating at the wrong time, leftover food, extremely dry or cold foods, incompatible food combinations, inappropriate types of fasting, excessive water intake, smoking, drinking, suppression of natural urges, unseasonable weather, emotional factors such as sadness, anger, frustration and general stress and wrong kinds of cleansing treatments.
Cultivating balanced agni starts by developing "Digestive Awareness"; most of us are out of touch with our digestive process and have some symptoms of indigestion so it takes time and effort to tune in. First our hunger level is a good gage of our agni and it's our body's way of telling us how much and if we should eat. We want to cultivate a strong steady appetite, not to strong, irregular or weak. Second we can tune in to how food is affecting us; how do we feel after eating? 30 minutes, 1, 2 or 3 hours after eating. We want to feel light after eating without any digestive disturbances. By developing greater awareness we can begin to tap into our innate intelligence or our body's signals which lead us to eat what is right for us and decrease or eliminate indigestion.
Guidelines for Healthy Eating:
1) Proper place - Calm, peaceful and pleasant. The environment we eat in affects our digestion.
2) Prepared by Loving hands - The intention and mind frame of the cook affects us.
3) Proper Mind Set - Grace or 3 slow breaths before eating. Stay focused on eating, no TV, driving, reading or overly engaging in talking. Also your mind should be peaceful.
4) Food should be moist, warm and chewed completely, not in a hurry.
5) Warm or room temperature liquids about one half a cup should be taken with a meal. Cold or iced drinks decrease your agni.
6) Eat with self-confidence - You should feel good about what you eat.
7) Eat until 75% full. This takes awareness and discipline.
8) Take time to rest. (1 hour is best). Strong emotions, intensity or jumping back into being productive will interfere with the digestive process.
9) Allow 3 hours between meals (OK to snack when Agni is good). This will give the body time to completely digest and prepare for the next meal.
Sweets or fruit are best eaten between meals and only when Agni is strong.
Blessing and good Health.
Douglas O'Brien PAC, CAS
Sonomawellnesscenter.com
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**Thank you, Doug, for providing us with this important information.
Douglas O'Brien is a Physician Assistant & Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist. He initially studied with Deepak Chopra MD and David Simon MD at the Chopra Center for Well Being in San Diego and then trained to become a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist at the California College of Ayurvda as well as with other Ayurvedic doctors. He sees clients (including me!) and offers workshops. Find him at sonomawellnessscenter.com.
Want to read some of my previous articles? You can do it here. Enjoy.
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Did You Know?
The Yoga Clothing Swap is May 5!! Bring, take or just hang out with your yoga friends. It's Spring Cleaning Time!!
See below for details.
Jenn Russo, co-owner of the popular, Yoga on Center, in Healdsburg is bringing her friend and Ashtanga certified instructor, Adarsh Williams on May 10th and 11th to teach two 90 minute classes as well as a 21/2 hour workshop Saturday afternoon. Though he is an Ashtanga instructor he also specializes in Yoga Therapy. The workshop on Saturday is for all levels and styles of students and will not be an Ashtanga practice. Go to Yoga on Center for more info. Want to advance your backbending practice. May 5 (after theYoga Clothing Swap!) is the day at Yoga by Design in Petaluma with accomplished Anne O'Brien. Time is 1-4.
Suitable for levels 2 - teachers.
Curious about TriYoga as taught by the talented Kashi Ananda at Devi Yoga Center in Sebastopol. Sign up for Intro to TriYoga Basics starting May 5..
Yay, Guerneville has a yoga studio, Riverbed Yoga. Yes, a real one, props and all. You'll find Ashtangi, Richard Koman, there on Sundays. Here's their beautiful website. And, Rachel Lanzerotti will be offering Yoga for a Healthy Spine workshop on June 22. Jim and Gary love the Thurs. evening class which includes 30 minutes of yoga nidra.
Sardinia, Italy, anyone? Yoga and career coaching retreat? My dear friend, Shannon Houde, will be offering the coaching at a beautiful place in early September. Learn more here.
Did you miss your "spa day" at Solage last month? Better get it on your calendar. The always awesome, Anne O'Brien, will offer an all-levels yoga class from 11-1, AND you get to hang out all day at one of the fanciest, hoity toity spas in Calistoga. It's Friday, May 10.
Get boat loads of yoga information and lots of free downloads from YogaU online. Really, tons. It's a great resource for teachers and students. There's one NOW, Free,
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 Yoga Clothing Swap & Sale
It's Spring Cleaning Time! You know you have a few gently worn yoga tops or pants that someone else could enjoy. Or, are you in the needs of some new togs, but don't want to pay the killer $95 for a pair of pants? Do you have some spare yoga DVDs, books, mats or props hanging around.
Join your fellow yogis and friends at Liz Levy's new studio, Alive Yoga. Drop-off time for clothing and items is Saturday, May 4, from 3-5 p.m. Or, make arrangements with me, Cheryl, at cheryl@cherylthomas.com. Don't have anything to share? No worries. Come anyway and hang-out and share your good energy. There will be snacks and live music!
AND, Westside Yoga Studio will be bringing some of their NEW clothes on sale. Do you have something that you'd like to offer the group? If so, let me know.
Yoga Teachers and Studio Owners: We will be raising money for The Ceres Project ( www.ceresproject.org). Would you be willing to donate 5 to 10 yoga classes? We will sell these classes for $5 each. This will be a great opportunity to offer your classes and raise money for The Ceres Project.
Here's the info:
Sunday, May 5, 11 to 1 p.m.
Alive Yoga Studio, 972 Gravenstein Highway (Near Starbucks), Sebastopol
Suggested Donation: $5
Profits will be donated to The Ceres Project
Leftover items will be donated to The Living Room, a daytime drop-in center for homeless and at-risk women and their children.
Share this with your friends. The more the merrier. Ask for a flyer to give to friends, link to your blog or website or post around town! |
 Your Brain on Yoga From Huffington Post, a helpful article, "Your Brain on Yoga: How to Kick Bad Habits and Foster Better Ones" about yoga's connection to changing habits. Interviewed is Dr. Tim McCall. Here's a bit: This is something that yoga does really well and that modern medicine is really bad at. What we do with yoga is we start a practice, and we repeat it, ideally every day. Essentially, we are building a new, positive samskara. The more we repeat this positive pattern, the deeper those new neural networks become and the more they can eventually out-compete some of our older habits, habits that can tax our health and lead to stress, disease, and dysfunction.
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Neuroscience, Yoga & the Gut
Check out this article from Elephant Journal. I'm fascinated by the ability of the mind to change ( neuroplasticity) and how much our gut has to do with our emotions and decision making. Here's a bit from the article:
We think so much of the brain and spinal cord as running the show where our nervous systems are concerned. What's interesting to note is that there are 100 million nerves withing the digestive system-more than even the spinal cord. The enteric nervous system and central nervous system have reciprocity-the extent to which new information emerges all the time.
There's other great stuff.
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Daily Dharma - Tricycle Magazine
April 27, 2013
On Not Playing the Victim
One of the worst kinds of elevation of the self is playing the victim. There are times when we actually are victims, when actual blame is appropriate, but to take on the identity of a victim and be stuck blaming is something else. Surprisingly, it is actually a subtle form of elevation-I'm not responsible, you are. This is giving up all freedom.
-- - Nancy Baker, "The Seventh Zen Precept"
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Be Happy on Friday's
Instead of shots of tequila and fried artichoke hearts, spend your Friday happy hour moving and grooving at an
most-levels vinyasa flow class.
On Friday's from 4:30 - 6:00, we'll end each week with an energetic vinyasa flow class. Through building heat from the inside, we'll strip out the stress hormones from the day. A long rest at the end of class will reset our nervous system and prepare us for our weekend.
You'll be done at 6:00!! That'll leave plenty of time for dinner with friends, a movie or a relaxing evening with your pooch. Or, maybe a Chia filled Kombucha or that 100% agave margarita!
NOTE: Once a month the time changes to 5:30 - 7:00 to accommodate teacher training.
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Get Your Girlfriends Together
It's fun to get friends together. Treat your friends to Yoga and Tea rather than Food and Booze. Inviting friends to come together for a Gentle or Restorative Yoga class is a perfect way to enjoy each other's company and do something good for yourselves. Many yoga parties end with tea or champagne and some munchies. Your friends will thank you!
Please call on me if I can help you book a private yoga class or answer any questions. I can be reached at cheryl@cherylthomas.com.
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Schedule of Upcoming Classes
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