The Land of Nod

From Breakfast on through all the day

At home among my friends I stay,

But every night I go abroad

Afar into the land of Nod.

All by myself I have to go,

With none to tell me what to do           

All alone beside the streams

And up the mountain-sides of dreams.

The strangest things are there for me,

Both things to eat and things to see,

And many frightening sights abroad

Till morning in the land of Nod.

Try as I like to find the way,

I never can get back by day,

Nor can remember plain and clear

The curious music that I hear.

By Robert Louis Stevenson

Fall is here in Oakland with all the typical external indicators such as bustling school yards, dry leaves in the corner of the yard, irregular weather patterns, shorter days, and squashes and more squashes at the market! It's time to say goodbye to the summer peaches and hello to the pears and apples, which are kicking off the new season! With the turn of the season, I hope you are listening to what your body craves in order to stay healthy through the cooler, dryer, and darker seasons ahead.

As we shift into the autumn season, vata dosha imbalances increase. When this occurs, some people find themselves suffering from upsets in their regular sleep patterns. If this is you or someone you know, please read Part 2 in my series on the topic of the 3 Pillars (see below), which discusses the importance of sleep and the role it plays in our pursuit for health and longevity.

In September I had a lovely time settling a bit more into the Oakland yoga scene. I'm excited to announce that I have established myself as the Seasonal Love - Health and Wellness Director at the Piedmont Yoga Studio, where I'll be hosting week-long immersions, private sessions, and on-going monthly Saturday workshops that include relevant health topics and potlucks for the season. The first week-long immersion is happening October 14-18. If don't live in the Oakland area, consider booking a Skype private in advance to get the support and information you need to practice our routine from the comfort of your own home. Lectures will be recorded and available at the end of each day. You can read more about this exciting new program below.

During the month of October I'll be traveling all over the place and hope to cross paths with you in California in the East Bay, Seaside, Ojai (it's Yoga Crib time!) or in Seattle for my morning public classes at 8 Limbs Yoga Centers Wedgwood, Have a wonderful and healthy month.

With heart,
Melina

FALL

October 11, 2013

Fall Vinyasa Classes at 8 Limbs Yoga Centers - Wedgwood

8:00-9:15am and 9:30-10:45am

October 18-20, 2013

Seasonal Vinyasa Yoga - Fall Season

Seaside Yoga Sanctuary, California

Friday: 6-8pm Balance Your Fall Season

Saturday: 12:15-4:15pm Autumn Inspiration & Seasonal Cleansing

Sunday: 12:15-3:15pm Healthy Body, Healthy Mind: Yoga & Ayurveda

For more information and to register: www.seasideyogasanctuary.com  

November 1-3, 2013

Fall Yoga Retreat with Melina Meza and Anne Phyfe Palmer

Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat, Washington

Only 3 spaces left in the bunkhouse!

Call: 260-325-8221 to enroll

WINTER

December 11-18, 2013

Prana del Mar, Baja, Mexico

Winter Yoga & Meditation: Turning Inward - Cultivating the Light in a Season of Darkness

With Melina Meza, Baxter Bell, & Chiara Guerrieri

Only 2 doubles rooms left! In addition to the 2 rooms, we have a lovely Canadian yogini who is looking for another woman to share a double room with her.

"There are three supports (pillars) of life. They are food, sleep and observance of brahmacharya. Being supported by these the body is endowed with strength, complexion and growth and this continues up till the full span of life provided a person does not indulge in regimens detrimental to health." Caraka Samhita

In last month's blog I wrote about the first Pillar of Life - Diet and spoke to the importance of discovering the foods that are right for you and how to maintain your digestive fire in order to absorb the prana (life energy) and useful nutrients from your food. If you didn't read last month's blog, you might go back and review that before jumping into Part 2. Link to Part 1: www.melinameza.com.

This month I will take you into the second Pillar of Life, which is sleep! Sleep is an essential part of life and has a strong influence on your physical and mental health and ultimately helps you age more gracefully. Since everyone is unique, you will all need different amounts of sleep in order to thrive, so please note that what I am offering is general support based on my experience as a nutritionist and Ayurveda Health Educator.

When sleep gets compromised due to improper diet, heat, young children, full moons, or stress, it can make everything in life feel like an uphill battle. Sleep is so important that missing even a single night of sleep can create an adverse effect on your immune system, increase your blood pressure, make it more challenging to deal with "normal" daily stress, decrease your motor skills, disrupt your appetite-depressing hormones and affect your ability to relax at night. Can you see why it is one of Life's 3 Pillars? Basically, without sleep we quickly fall apart!

• 1 Cup Milk of choice  
• Chopped dates (1 tbsp)
• Chopped almonds (2 tsp)
• Coconut meat or flakes (1 tbsp)
• Saffron (1/2 tsp)
• Ghee (1-2 tsp)
• Cardamom (1/8 tsp)

Directions:

1. Add small amounts of these to one cup of milk as you slowly bring it to a boil:

2. In Ayurveda, there are certain foods and herbs that build ojas, and it all starts with milk. Add ojas-building herbs to the milk (1/8 tsp or one 500mg capsule of each):

• Shatavari (Strength of 100 Husbands, sometimes spelled Shatawari)
• Ashwagandha (Strength of Ten Horses, sometimes spelled Ashwaganda)

3. Optional: Once the milk, herbs, and ojas-building foods and spices are cooked and off the flame, add 1 tsp of ojas-building raw honey.

What is Ojas?

According to Ayurveda, the entire digestive process takes thirty days to complete. Within that time, not only is food ingested and eliminated, but nutrients from the food are used to build what is known as the seven major tissues of the body. The culmination of this process is the production of ojas.

Link to John's website filled with Ayurvedic videos and articles: www.lifespa.com