The training is about the integration of Yoga and Ayurveda. Ayurveda being the science of life. It's the science of self-care. (disclaimer: I'm not an expert in Ayurveda or anything else for that matter - I'm just talking about what I've come to understand for myself and how it applies in my daily life) The basic principals of Ayurveda are the 5 elements and how they are manifested in our body and mind and also in the environment and even the foods that we eat. Ayurveda uses the terms Vata, Pitta, Kapha to describe the elements.
ether & air = Vata
fire & water = Pitta
water & earth = Kapha
I suppose I should mention that we have a natural constitution that we were born as based on which elements are more predominate. For example, the elements of water and earth are most predominate in my physical body but I also experience a lot of fire. That means that my natural constitution or my "Prikriti" is Kapha/Pitta. When one or more of the elements increases or decreases I experience an imbalance. When that happens, I can recognize it and do something about it to bring myself back into a state of balance.
Like increases like and opposites cure
We're learning in the training how to determine a person's Prikriti or natural constitution, to determine their current state or Vikriti and if they are not the same, what recommendations can we offer to bring them back to their Prikriti. One of the tools we learned (and I use this word loosely) is reading pulse. I've been "reading" my pulse and recording what I notice since the week-end. I'm never going to be able to read a pulse and tell the person what's going on with their liver or the state of their digestion but I would like to be able to confirm their constitution. This is going to take some practice. Did I mention how sore my wrist is from trying to find kapha??
The other topic of the week-end was talking about the difference between a yogic diet and an Ayurvedic diet. They are quite different as it turns out. We talked about the effect of food on our constitution.
Contrary to what we've been told about food, there is not a "one size fits all" diet. This is another reason why determining constitution is important. Based on your constitution, you can make the best choices to keep you healthy and in balance. Knowing when you are out of balance, you can adjust or alter your diet to bring you back to a state of well-being. Fascinating stuff!!
Probably the most important thing I learned last week-end was that living a yogic/ayurvedic lifestyle has powerful results. I learned this by observing my teacher. He has been walking the walk for 50+ years. He was able to sit cross legged for hours while the rest of us had to keep adjusting our positions for comfort.
He demonstrated a rather vigorous asana/exercise routine for us. I couldn't help watching him and thinking about a man I work with who is about the same age. My co-worker has difficulty walking up the stairs or even getting up out of his chair. If I had any doubt about the benefits of being a yogi, watching my teacher this week-end removed those doubts.
The first time I took this training I had this crazy idea. I was going to learn all this stuff so that I could work with yoga students privately. I was going to be able to tell people how they could reach an optimal state of peace and well-being. What I've come to realize is that I need to be in a state of optimal peace and well-being myself before I can even consider working with others. Meeting for class once a month gives me an opportunity to absorb the material and put it into practice for myself. I learn best by doing. Having a month to DO before trying to learn more material is going to be very helpful in learning to get myself to that optimal state of peace and well-being.
Like increases like, opposites cure
So until my next visit to yoga-land I'll keep reading my pulse and trying to figure out the energetic effects of my food. It's cold and wet outside today. What are you having for lunch? I think I'll have soup. It will balance out the cold.
If you're interested in learning more about Ayurveda or Yoga check out:
No comments:
Post a Comment