Yoga Nidra: 

by Dr. Marc Halpern

Deep relaxation. This is how many people view Yoga Nidra, and while a successful practice of Yoga Nidra does bring a person into an unrivaled state of relaxation, it is actually much more. Translated, yoga nidra means “yogic sleep;” this is not sleep in the ordinary sense, but a fully conscious state of deep relaxation.

In yoga, there are many methods used to enter Yoga Nidra, yet the method is not the practice. Some methods are quite difficult, like Kechari Mudra. Others, such as the use of guided relaxation or body scanning, are relatively easy.

Yoga Nidra is a heightened state of awareness, and a state of consciousness different from waking, sleeping or dreaming. It allows us to access the universal forces of creativity. Some might use the technique to create power and wealth; others may use it for physical and emotional healing. The healing aspect of Yoga Nidra is the focus of my work in this field.

In 1987, I was crippled by Lyme Disease with cross reactions affecting my immune system. In addition to being physically crippled, I suffered from a severely altered sleep rhythm. I rarely slept well and often I only slept for a couple of hours in the early morning. This lasted seven years, during which time I practiced Yoga Nidra three times per day for about 45 minutes each session. Not only did Yoga Nidra provide my body with the rest it needed, I was also able to utilize this state of consciousness to practice conscious self-healing and ultimately, I was able to heal using a combination of Ayurveda and Yoga Nidra.

The ancient tradition of Yoga Nidra is far more than hypnotherapy, a sleep aid, or an adjunct to psychotherapy. Yoga Nidra stands on its own as a profound state of awareness. Our doors of perception open and we develop an understanding of the subtle body. In this state, a well-trained practitioner can alter his or her own experience of reality. In Yoga Nidra, a person can even heal her deepest patterns and tendencies called samskaras; in doing so, she can heal the associated karma and change her entire experience of life.

There is a growing body of scientific evidence confirming the ability of Yoga Nidra to support the body’s ability to heal itself. Studies demonstrate that Yoga Nidra helps regulate blood pressure, stabilizes blood sugar levels in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, improves focus in people with attention deficit disorder, and stabilizes emotions in people experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.

Evidence gathered from EEG (Electroencephalogram) tests reveals that the state of consciousness known as Yoga Nidra alters brain wave patterns, increasing the activity in the alpha-theta band. This altered state of consciousness reduces stress, the enemy of self-healing. But there is more: This state of consciousness allows an individual to actively engage the flow of energy (prana) in his or her own body and mind, correct imbalances, and stimulate the healing response. This is what allows Yoga Nidra to be far more than simple relaxation—and a practice that is needed in the world today.

Dr. Marc Halpern, DC, CAS, is the Founder and Director of the California College of Ayurveda, author of Healing Your Life; Lessons on the Path of Ayurveda and the author of the CD, Yoga Nidra and Self Healing. He is a founding director of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. He has been practicing and teaching Yoga Nidra and Ayurveda for more than 25 years.

On June 26-29, Dr. Halpern will conduct a four-day Yoga Nidra Training for Personal Healing and Teaching Others at the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in Los Angeles: sivanandala.org; swamiomkara@sivananda.org.

Dr. Marc Halpern

Marc Halpern is the founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda and co-founder of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. He is also a yogi in the lineage of Swami Sivananda and the author of the book Healing Your Life, published by Lotus Press.

The post The Art of Deep Relaxation appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Just how important is touch? Research shows that the bodies of babies require touch in order to adequately grow. Psychological studies reveal that how and how much we are touched play important roles in our emotional development. Touch informs us of our relationship with our surroundings. If we cannot feel the world around us, we cannot live in it. It is through our sense of touch that we know where our feet are when we walk, what is in our hands, when there is food in our mouths or if we have been physically injured. The sense of touch and the pleasure it can bring are what drew our parents together resulting in our own births. So if it were not for the sense of touch, you might not be here to read this article.

What we call our sense of touch is actually several mechanisms working together. Inside the skin are multiple receptors capable of differentiating temperature, pressure and body position as well as pleasure and pain. These receptors connect to afferent nerves which carry the signal describing the sensation to the spinal cord. Here the signal is transferred to another nerve which assesses the data and, if appropriate, sends a signal up the spinal column to a part of the brain known as the somatosensory cortex where the data is interpreted and identified.

Touch from an Ayurvedic Perspective

Skin is the barrier between the outside environment and the inside of our bodies. It is produced as a secondary tissue to the formation of muscle, or mamsa dhatu (muscle tissue); and the health of both the skin and muscle are intimately connected. The health of the skin is also directly affected by the rasa (plasma), rakta (red blood cells) and medas dhatus (fat). The state of the rasa dhatu determines the moistness of the skin, a function of sweat. The state of the medas dhatu determines the oiliness or lubrication of the skin and the state of rakta dhatu determines the warmth of the skin. While each of these dhatus impacts the health of the skin, touch disorders are not primarily a result of faulty skin but rather of a dysfunction of the majja dhatu (the nervous system tissue) and/or majavaha srota (the channel that carries nerve impulses).

The state of prana vayu (the force of attraction) determines our level of desire and the type of touch we attract to us. Once received, the touch sensation is digested in the skin and is carried by samana vayu through the majja dhatu and majjavaha srota toward the brain. In the brain, the information is digested by sadhaka pitta and becomes understandable.

Touch Disorders due to Doshic Imbalances

The two primary categories of touch disorders are hypersensitivity and hyposensitivity. Hypersensitivity occurs when vata dosha enters into the majja dhatu and majjavaha srota. When vata becomes vitiated, touches that are meant to feel nice, comforting or soothing become bothersome and irritating. It is not unusual for some people with this condition to avoid being touched all together.

Hyposensitivity can occur from either vata or kapha doshas entering into the majja dhatu. Excessive kapha or excessive kapha slows down nerve impulses and makes it more difficult for them to fire effectively. As a result, sensation is decreased or muted and most sensations feel dull. Vata dosha vitiation in the majja dhatu can also result in hyposensitivity. This occurs when excess vata weakens or damages the nerve. Demyelinization of the nerve as occurs in multiple sclerosis is one such example.

The Sadhana of Healthy Touch

A healthy lifestyle is the foundation for a healthy sense of touch. This lifestyle begins by understanding the balance of doshas in your body and then adopting the proper diet and daily routines. The sadhana (personal practice) of healthy touch begins with making harmonious choices for how we are touched by others and how we touch ourselves. The most universally disharmonious form of touch is to be hit. There is no real universally harmonious form of touch, as like food, nothing is right for everyone and everything is right for someone.

Attracting Touch

Ayurveda and Yoga teach us that how we are touched is based on karma (our own actions, both conscious and unconscious in the past and present, in this life and in previous lifes). Most of our actions are taken unconsciously and are based on deep seated tendencies that in Yoga are called samskaras. These tendencies attract touch to us. When we receive touch we do not like or too much or too little touch, this becomes an opportunity to explore conscious actions that attract a different experience. Even when we become conscious, we do not immediately know how to attract the touches we want or to repel the ones we do not, any more than we know how to attract money or power. It is a learning experience often explored through trial and error or though the guidance of experienced teachers. It is difficult to act in a manner contrary to one’s deep seated tendencies. New actions require awareness and discipline and this is how we grow.

Self Massage: The Art of Touching Yourself

Abhyanga is the Ayurvedic art of massage. While you can go to an Ayurvedic practitioner for an abhyanga and it will be a wonderful experience, it is also an important practice in Ayurveda to massage yourself with warm oil every morning. Self- massage with oil is also called snehana which means to love or show affection. Daily Ayurvedic self-massage expresses your self-love and affection and is one of the most important ways to nourish yourself through your sense of touch. Abhyanga keeps your skin healthy, your circulation moving and your nervous system relaxed and balanced. Performing daily abhyanga is a strong statement that you are committed to receiving only the highest quality touch sensations.

To massage yourself, first select the right oil for you. For pacifying vata dosha during the fall and early Winter seasons, use sesame oil, for pitta dosha use a mixture of sesame and sunflower oils and for kapha dosha use a mixture of sesame and safflower or mustard oils. Place a bottle of massage oil in a saucepan full of water and warm it up to body temperature. Apply liberally to as much of your body as you can reach. Leave it on for at least 15-20 minutes before showering and let it absorb into your skin. When you shower, avoid using soap except where necessary. Pat yourself dry. For more specific instruction see an Ayurvedic practitioner.

Receiving Healthy Touch from Others

It is important to attract positive touch into your life. Healthy touch is sensual but not necessarily sexual. While sexual touches should be reserved for the person who is most special in your life, sensual touch needs to be a part of a daily routine. Whether receiving a therapeutic massage or having your hair stroked by good friend or lover, healthy touch nourishes you physically and emotionally.

One of the most important forms of touch is giving and receiving hugs. The touch of a hug brings the hearts of two people together. A hug is one of those special touches you can offer to even casual acquaintances that nourishes both the giver and the receiver. How much hugging is healthy? I have not heard of anyone overdosing. Hugging is a safe and effective treatment for all forms of stress and it can be administered by anyone.

Dr. Marc Halpern

Marc Halpern is the founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda and co-founder of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. He is also a yogi in the lineage of Swami Sivananda and the author of the book Healing Your Life, published by Lotus Press.

The post The Therapeutic Power of Touch in Ayurveda appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Our sense of hearing is a vital part of who we are, how we relate to the world, and on a spiritual level it is a vital part of how we relate to the Divine. Unfortunately, as we age our ability to hear typically begins to decline and as a result, so too does the quality of our life. Known as presbycusis, nearly one-third of people between ages 65 and 75, and about half of those older than age 75 will suffer from this condition. With the proper care, however, this number can be greatly reduced.

Hearing loss is not simply an inability to hear but also an inability to understand what you hear. With hearing loss, words sound garbled or muffled. Early indicators that a person is experiencing hearing loss include turning up the volume on the radio and TV, and asking others to speak more slowly or loudly.

We are able to hear sound because sound vibration or waves enter your ear and then travel to the middle ear where your ear drum is located. These waves vibrate the ear drum along with three small bones behind it, which are called the hammer, anvil and stirrup. The vibrations pass into the inner ear where the cochlea is found. The cochlea is filled with nerve cells surrounded by tiny hairs which are really nerve endings. These translate sound vibrations into neurological information which then travels along the auditory nerve to the cortex of the temporal lobe of the brain. Here sound is interpreted and understood.

While there are several causes of hearing loss, by far the most common is due to damage of the hairs and nerve cells in the inner ear. These structures are damaged by loud noises, such as ones found at a race track, music concert, near an airport, or adjacent to a construction site. However, damage may also occur simply from turning up the iPod too high or sirens from emergency vehicles. Additional contributing factors include age, heredity, some infections and certain drugs. Hearing loss due to aging occurs from a combination of environmental and genetic factors.

It is not difficult to assess hearing. Doctors utilize tests as simple as whispering to patients, to more sophisticated techniques such as using tuning forks that vibrate at different frequencies, or an audiometer, an instrument that create tones at various frequency and volume. If a hearing loss is found, tests may be ordered to rule out more significant but relatively rare causes of hearing loss.

When hearing does begin to fail, the modern western approach focuses on the use of hearing aids that amplify sound and remove distortion while filtering out background noise. More sophisticated still are cochlear implants; devices that attempt to compensate for the damaged parts of the inner ear.

Our ears are not only an instrument of hearing. The ear is involved in maintaining balance, and when the small bones of the inner ear are not functioning properly, dizziness or vertigo may be experienced. Another common challenge is painful middle ear infections. Chronic, mild ear infections and allergies can result in temporary hearing loss due to swelling and fluid accumulation in the inner ear. The last of the common symptoms of disturbance is tinnitus or ringing in the ear. Ringing may be due to a problem with the nerve endings in the cochlea and is often caused by the same factors that result in hearing loss.

The Ear from an Ayurvedic and Yogic Perspective
The ear is a receptive organ taking in sound impressions from the environment. Prana vayu draws you to the sounds you hear. Once sound arrives, it must be digested. Digestion of sound is function of pitta within the inner ear. Information is then passed along the auditory nerve under the auspices of samana vayu to the cortex of the temporal lobe.

The ears are connected to the sahasra padma chakra, the seventh or crown chakra known as the thousand-petal lotus. While we hear the physical world through the physical ear, in our most subtle body, it is through our “inner ears” that we hear the word of the Divine. In accordance with the development of a person’s consciousness and the quietude of the mind, what is heard is nothing at all, distorted insights or clear guidance. Ayurveda teaches that disease begins in our most subtle or karmic body as a result of our ignorance of our true nature as spirit. It becomes more noticeable as it progresses into the mind and we get caught up in drama. Only later does it become noticeable in the physical body as pain or disability. As such, our inability to hear the Divine Word and the physical word are related.

Hearing Disturbance Due to the Doshas
Most hearing loss is due to disturbance of vata dosha. Vata vitiation can result in damage to the auditory nerve and nerve endings, which can lead to hearing loss and ringing in the ear. If the vestibular nerve is affected, vertigo can result. When pitta is vitiated due to infection, allergies, or autoimmune disease, inflammation in the structures of the ear causes similar symptoms. When kapha is vitiated, the result is obstruction of the sound pathway. Types of obstruction include: wax build up in the ear and fluid accumulation, both of which may result in temporary hearing loss. Finally, disturbances of kapha can affect the auditory nerve resulting in obstructions to the flow of nerve impulses.

The Sadhana of Healthy Hearing
A healthy lifestyle for the prevention of ear and hearing challenges is one that is in harmony with a person’s constitution. This begins by understanding the balance of doshas in your body and then adopting the proper diet and lifestyle.

The sadhana of healthy hearing includes practices that maintain health of the ears and clear hearing by improving fluid circulation and supporting the well-being of all the ear’s internal structures.

Karna Purana
Karna purana is the practice of filling the ear with herbal oils. This can be done at home while laying on one’s side or in a practitioner’s office. At home, use a dropper to insert warm (body temperature) herbal oil into the ear. In a practitioner’s office or with the support of an assistant a larger amount of oil can be poured into the ear until it is full. After the application, lie still on your side for 20 minutes and let it absorb. When you are done, turn over and drain the excess oil into a towel and then wipe the inside of the ear with a soft cloth.

By soaking the middle ear in warm oil, the tissues surrounding the ear relax and circulation improves. This can be beneficial for ear infections, vertigo and the prevention and treatment of hearing loss. Ayurvedic practitioners prepare different oils for individuals and conditions depending upon the doshic imbalance. For prevention simple warm sesame oil or oil with the herb ashwaganda (Withania somnifera) cooked into it can be used weekly. For hearing loss, the frequency can be increased to three times per week. For vertigo and tinnitis, practitioners may prepare jatamansi (Nardostachys jatamansi) and ashwaganda together in the oil and apply daily.

Listen Within
Listening within to your soul’s voice is one of the best treatments for the prevention of hearing issues. Of course it is very challenging to hear the higher wisdom of the Divine, and to do so requires that we create a quiet external and internal environment. Through meditation, the chatter of the mind ceases and the whispers of the soul can be heard providing guidance in every moment. This is the higher function of the seventh chakra.

Healthy Lifestyle
Our health and well-being are ultimately a reflection of our lifestyle. Where there is harmony, there is health and where there is disharmony there is disease. Harmony for our ears is the nectar of Nature and the wisdom of the Divine. The nectar of nature is found in the sound of the wind moving through the trees and the water flowing over rocks. It is found in the chirping of a bird and the howling of a coyote. The wisdom of the divine is found within the silence; the space between experiences, and the space between our thoughts.

Dr. Marc Halpern

Marc Halpern is the founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda and co-founder of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. He is also a yogi in the lineage of Swami Sivananda and the author of the book Healing Your Life, published by Lotus Press.

The post The Ayurvedic Sadhana of Healthy Hearing appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Visual challenges are so common they are hardly considered abnormal. Whether we are discussing life-long challenges or the need for reading glasses after the age of 45, few people escape this life without a need for visual support. Ayurveda for clear vision–the sadhana or regular routines to support eyesight–offers powerful practices.

Normal healthy vision is considered to be 20/20. This means that at twenty feet away from an object, you see it as well as most people should when they are twenty feet from the same object. Compare this to 20/40. This means that at twenty feet, you see the object the same way as someone else would when they are forty feet away. The second number rises as your vision becomes less acute. If your vision reaches 20/200, you are considered legally blind. You can still see, but an object must come practically right up to your face before it becomes clear.

Some people have vision that is better than the so-called normal. As I was growing up, my own vision was 20/10 meaning that at twenty feet, I would see what others could only see at ten feet. Still, this is nothing compared to a hawk who flies through the air in search of prey. A hawk’s vision is closer to 20/2!

If a person is farsighted, that person can easily see what is off in the distance but has difficultly focusing on objects that are up close. If a person is nearsighted, that person can clearly see objects up close but everything far away is blurry. These refractive disorders are typicaly due either to defects in the shape of the eyeball or the cornea. Corrective lenses are used to compensate and restore normal vision.

Another common visual impairment is presbyopia. This is the common experience that can occur as people age when the ability to see objects clearly at close range is diminished. It is a type of farsightedness but appears to occur due either to a loss of elasticity of eye lense or a weakeness in the muscles that change the shape of the lens to accommodate near vision.

The last major refractive impairment is astigmatism when there are irregularities in the shape of the cornea causing a loss of the ability to see fine details either up close or far away.

Other non-refractive visual disorders that are fairly common include glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration. Glaucoma is a condition of is optic nerve damage (the nerve that carries visual signals to the brain). Most often this is associated with an increase in pressure inside the eye; the cause of the increased pressure is unknown. A cataract is a lens in the eye that has become cloudy obscuring vision. Age-related macular degeneration is the last of the common visual disorders where there is a loss of central vision. The object a person is looking at is blurry while the surroundings are clear. This condition often progresses with age (typically above age forty) and the macula either thins with age or is damaged by an increased proliferation of blood vessels growing behind it.

One of the most common eye disorders does not alter vision. This is conjunctivitis. Due to irritants, allergens or infections, the thin covering of the eye, called the conjunctiva, becomes red and inflamed.

While the cause of conjunctivitis can often be identified (such as an infectious agent), the causative factors of the other visual disorders are not clear. Yet there appear to be a combination of factors at play both genetic and environmental. Environmental influences may include nutrition and dietary factors, environmental toxins and considerations related to eye strain such as reading habits, including reading in low light conditions.

The Eye from an Ayurvedic and Yogic Perspective
The eye is a receptive organ that takes in impressions from the environment. This is a function of vata dosha. The specific subdosha is called prana vayu. It is responsable for drawing your attention to what you are looking it at and bringing the image to your eye. Once it arrives, the image must be digested into information the brain can understand. This digestion is function of pitta dosha. The specific subdosha of pitta responsible for this is alochaka pitta; it resides with in the retina where the light that shines through the pupil is directed. Once digested, that information is passed along the optic nerve under the direction of samana vayu to the occipital region of the brain.

While the nervous system is processing data, the manas (mind) is the vehicle through which the information is witnessed and understood. It is the role of the buddhi (intellect) to make sense of the visual impression. All of this takes place with the sukma sharira or subtle body.

The eyes are also the orifice of the ajna chakra. This close relationhip between the physical and astral eye reveals the connection of the mind and body. An important function of ajna chakra is self-perception. As a result of the mind-body connection, one cause of distorted vision is distorted self-perception. However, this is not the only cause. Visual distortion can be related to imbalances in any of the three doshas. As the imbalanced dosha settles in the tissues of the eye, pathology can develop.

An imbalance of vata is the cause of most refractive errors regardless of whether near or far-sightedness or astigmatism. Age-related macular degeneration is a complication of long-standing vata imbalance. Factors that cause eye tension also disturb the vata dosha and eye strain itself a contributing factor to many eye conditions. Vitation of the pitta dosha can result in inflammation in the tissues of the eye including conjunctivities, scleritis and other red and irritated conditions. An imbalance of the kapha dosha can increase obstruction to the flow of visual images and is responsible for glaucoma and cataracts.

The Sadhana of Clear Vision
The sadhana of clear vision describes the practices that keep your eyes healthy and your vision clear. These practices relax, nourish and cleanse your eyes. If your eyes are already out of balance, these practices give your body the best chance of restoring clarity naturally. To be most effective, these practices should become a part of your general routine.

Eye Washes
Eye washes are simple to perform. An eye cup can be purchased at most drug stores and at the offices of your local ayurvedic practitioner. The cup should be filled with a dilute herbal solution that is well-strained after preparation so as not to have any herbal powder or particles in the liquid. The most common solutions are prepared from triphala, chrysanthemum or rose. All three of these reduce inflammation and infections in the eye and regulate alochaka pitta. By regulating alochaka pitta, information is properly digested and can then be accurately transmitted via the optic nerve to the brain creating a clearer image. All three herbal preparations also reduce kapha dosha supporting the prevention and treatment of cataracts and glaucoma.

Ghee Eye Bath
Ayurvedic practitioners often place ghee in the eye to reduce vata dosha. Ghee soothes a dry, irritated eye and nourishes all of its tissues. Herbs can be prepared in the ghee to enhance its benefits and this type of medicated ghee can be obtained from a Ayurvedic herbalist. A tiny amount can be placed on the finger and then applied to the lower lid of the eye. You should then blink four to five times and lay down. Your vision maybe blurry for some time after the application so it is best to do an application of ghee before bed or when you have some time to allow the vision to return to normal. Many practitioners perform a more dramatic applicaton of ghee to the eye in a process called netra basti. Ghee applied inside the eyes brings nourishment and softness to the structures within the eye preventing disorders of a vata nature and may even help prevent presbyopia. While the Ayurvedic texts mention ghee, for people who are vegan, any cool nourishing oil such as coconut should be satisfactory.

Eye Exercises
The muscles of the eye are responsible for shaping the lens and also dilating and contracting the pupil allowing differing amount of light into the eye through a process known as accomodation. Eye exercises tone these muscles preventing the weaknesses and muscular imbalances that can result in refractive errors. Eye exercises are easy to do and should be practiced daily. Simply sit with your eyes open and keep your head straight. Now move the eye ball to the right and then to the left. Move it up and then move it down. Move up and to the right and then down and to the left. Then move it up and to the left and then down and to the right. Finally, move it circles rotating right and then left. Each of these movements should occur very slowly and should be repeated 10 times before progressing on to the next motion. In order to exercise the muscles of accommodation, look at a fixed object far away and then a point about one to two feet in front of your face. Allow your vision to adjust until each object is as clear as it can be. Exercise each eye individually as you cover the opposite eye. This too should be repeated at least 10 times. You can build up the number of repetitions as you practice.

Palming
Palming is a technique of deeply relaxing the eyes using the heat that builds up in your hands as you rub them vigorously together. Once the hands are nice and warm, place your cupped palms over the eyes without applying any pressure to the eye ball. Rest and relax for 30 seconds and then repeat. Palming can be done anytime to relax the eye but is especially useful at the end of your eye exercise routine. Palming helps relax the muscles that shape your lens, improves circulation to the tissues of your eye and may help improve all refractive disorders if practiced regularly.

Blinking
When the muscles of the eye are tense due to straining to see or due to mental tension, a person’s vision is likely to become impaired. Most of the practices noted above help to keep the structures of the eye relaxed. A simple practice to relax the eye is to blink more often, especially when reading, working on the computer, or watching TV. Staring at a book or screen dries the eyes and causes eye strain. Blinking relaxes the eyes and helps to keep them moist reducing the strain on the internal eye muscles. The Ayurvedic sadhana of clear vision is more than taking care of the eye. The eye is one part of a greater whole. The health of the eyes is dependent on a proper diet and healthy digestion as well as a calm, clear and relaxed mind.

Dr. Marc Halpern

Marc Halpern is the founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda and co-founder of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. He is also a yogi in the lineage of Swami Sivananda and the author of the book Healing Your Life, published by Lotus Press.

The post Ayurveda Practices for Clear Vision appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Respiratory diseases have become so common that everyone is likely to experience some form of breathing difficulty within a given year. Whether the symptoms are related to the common cold, respiratory infection or something more chronic such as allergies and asthma, or more serious such as emphysema or lung cancer, few people escape a twelve-month period without some form of breathing challenge. The practice of Ayurveda includes a number of techniques to promote optimal breathing.

The respiratory system is a very sensitive area of our body, highly exposed to the outside world and prone to a myraid of challenges. Proper care of the respiratory system can reduce the frequency and intensity of the symptoms and imbalances experienced. When a broader program to maximize health and well-being is implemented, it is possible to minimize or completely avoid most of these conditions.

According to Ayurveda, the digestive system and the mind are where the roots of disease begin. Disease then spreads to the tissues and takes hold in whichever tissues are weakened. Some people have an inherant weakenss in the respiratory system and may find themselves with chronic challenges. When the respiratory system is properly cared for, those tissues become a less attractive site for imbalances to take hold and thus disease is prevented. If disease is already present, proper care of the system is an important part of supporting the healing process.

The sadhana of optimal breathing defines the actions that maintain health of the respiratory system. Three primary practices are: neti, nasya and abdominal breathing. Other techniques are identified within Ayurveda and Yoga but the aforementioned three are the most basic and important. When performed regularly and properly, you can be assured of fewer respiratory challenges, your body and mind will be more relaxed and life itself will be more inspired.

Practices to Optimize the Respiratory System Health

Neti
Neti is the practice of nasal irrigation. When neti is properly practiced, the nasal passages and sinuses are washed and then lightly oiled. Washing the nasal passages removes dirt, dust, allergens and pathogens. While the nose has its own mechanism of cilia (nasal hairs) that play a protective and cleansing role, cilia themselves are often unable to adequately provide complete protection. Neti improves the end result reducing allergies and infections that create mucus and swelling allowing for easier breathing.

Neti is practiced using a small tea pot-like device that is now available at many drug stores as well as Yoga and Ayurvedic centers or online. Warm (body temperature) salt water (salty like your tears as opposed to salty like the ocean) is added to the pot and the pot is then tipped into the nasal passage. The warm salt water is allowed to enter the nasal passage and fill the sinuses and then exit from the opposite nasal passage. It is not as difficult as it may look or sound. Success is simply a matter of finding the proper head position, keeping the mouth open and relaxing.

Following irrigation, place a small amount of sesame oil onto the little finger and then massage it in the nasal passage. The oil provides an additional barrier and protection while enhancing the absorption of prana.

One of the hidden benefits of practicing neti is that it awakens the mind and senses. After practicing, you will feel more awake, alert and better able to focus. This is believed to be due to removing obstructions to the flow of prana through the subtle body.

Nasya
Nasya is the practice of dropping herbal oil into the nasal passages and breathing it quickly and deeply into the sinuses. Only a small amount of herbal oil is placed in the nostril, usually a few drops to half a teaspoon. This fantastic practice can be performed to either cleanse the passages or build their tone and strength. Nasya is indicated for any imbalances from the neck up and it is considered to be the best treatment for imbalances of the eyes, ears, nose and mouth and even for the brain and nervous system. Depending upon the herbal oil (or combination) used it can pacify any of the three doshas. Ayurvedic practitoners utilize this practice as a part of panchakarma (seasonal cleansing) but it can also be used as a home practice. If you have chronic sinusitis or sinus headaches secondary to allergies this practice can be performed daily until symptoms improve and then once or twice each week as a preventative measure.

In order to practice this, you will need nasya oil, which can be found in the office of many Ayurvedic practitioners; ask a qualified practitioner for a specific recommendation. When performing nasya, you will need to lie down and hyperextend your neck (use a rolled towel or pillow under your neck or gently allow your head extend off the end of your bed). Tilt your head back to avoid having the oil asperate into your lungs or drip into your throat. Once you have inhaled the oil into your nasal passages, rest, allowing the oil to absorb for the next fifteen minutes. If you get up too quickly, some oil may drip into your throat which is not desirable. It can be helpful to sip some herbal tea following the practice in case some oil does enter the throat.

If this practice is attractive to you, you may wish to have a more formal nasya treatment from a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist or other qualified practitioner. A formal treatment is performed in the office of the practitioner and is much deeper and more effective as it incorporates facial massage and steam therapy to dilate the nasal passages and sinuses.

Abdominal Breathing
Abdominal breathing is the natural manner in which a person breathes when they are relaxed and the mind is unencumbered by the stresses of life. As stress builds, the abdomen and diaphragm become tense. A tense abdomen makes it more difficult for the diaphragm to fully descend on inhalation. As a result, the muscles of the middle and upper rib cage become more engaged. Breathing from the middle and upper chest disturbs the flow of both air and prana affecting both the respiratory system and the mind respectively. This pattern is called emotional breathing and reveals the link between breath and emotion, body and mind. When the breath is disturbed, it becomes shallow and less air is exchanged in each breath. Reduced circulation of air contributes to congestion. The emotions related to the alteration of breath contribute to the constricted airways of asthma. Often, emotional breathing becomes a way of life as emotional patterns are deeply engrained. In order to restore abdominal breathing, it is often necessary to relearn how to breathe. Yoga and Ayurvedic teachers can assist you with this. At home you can try the following exercise. Lie down on your back and deeply relax. Place a book on your belly and with every breath in, allow your abdomen to relax and expand raising the book toward the ceiling. With every breath out observe how the book descends. Let this become a form of meditation for a few minutes each day until the natural pattern is restored.

Ayurveda Resources

Nourishing Oils

Banyan Botanicals: banyanbotanicals.com
TriHealth: trihealthayurveda.com
Sarada Ayurvedic Remedies: saradausa.com
Floracopeia: floracopeia.com
Chandika Products for healthy skin – real rose, brahmi and sandalwood soaps: chandika.com

Nutrition

High potency liquid nourishing multi-vitamin and multimineral supplements which include kelp, Himalayan crystals and micronutrients that are specifically designed to support health and achieve homeostasis. Formulas for pets, people, plants and soil: ambayagold.com

Detoxification supplements, superfoods and Klamath algae by HealthForce Nutritionals: healthforce.com

Dr. Marc Halpern

Marc Halpern is the founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda and co-founder of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. He is also a yogi in the lineage of Swami Sivananda and the author of the book Healing Your Life, published by Lotus Press.

The post The Ayurvedic Practice of Optimal Breathing appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

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Digestive diseases and related imbalances are more common than imbalances in any other system of the body except the mind. While conditions including irritable bowel syndrome, gastric reflux disease, ulcers and ulcerative collitis are quite common, it is the milder disturbances such as gas, bloating, cramping, constipation and diarrhea that plague most people. Everyone experiences these conditions some of the time, and for many people, they are chronic annoyances that cause both discomfort and embarrassment.

Ayurvedic medicine understands that these imbalances are more than sources of discomfort; they are the root causes of a host of other conditions in the body. Ayurveda teaches that the doshas can become aggravated in the digestive system and then those aggravated doshas spread and afflict other tissues and organs. As a result, correction of the digestive system is a part of the treatment of every condition in the body.

The sadhana of optimal digestion defines the actions that lead a person to most directly and swiftly correct imbalances, and in doing so, brings an end to suffering and prevents future disease. While herbs can be helpful in treating digestive imbalances, the sadhana of optimal digestion is focused on habits and behaviors that are part of our everyday lifestyle.

The foundation of this sadhana is based on understanding our relationship with food. When we consume and then properly digest food, the atoms and molecules within the food join with our bodies and build new tissues. Through food we both connect to nature and we realize we are nature. When we live in harmony with all of nature we experience optimal health and peace of mind. When we are out of harmony, we experience suffering. In realizing our connection to nature through eating, our relationship with food becomes a sacred experience.

Ten Practices That Will Optimize Your Digestion

1. Become present with your food: This first practice is the most important. All other practices are dependent upon this. In order to become present, it is necessary to sit down and focus your attention on the food. Avoid eating on the run, eating in the car or nibbling while doing other activities such as working, reading or watching TV.

2. Say Grace: There is no one single grace that is correct or right. What is most important about grace is that doing so honors the interconnectedness of each of the elements in the process of eating. Thus the food should be honored as well as the person(s) who grew and prepared the food. Even the process of digesting the food should be honored.

3. Chew your food well: There is no formula for how many times to chew the food; chew enough so the food has a smooth, even consistency when swallowed. To know when this occurs, your awareness must be in the mouth. This is difficult to do if you are distracted by reading, television or excessive conversation.

4. Eat until you are 75% full: Excessive consumption of large portions of food is a common cause of indigestion as well as obesity. Most people recognize satisfaction as a feeling of being full rather than the alleviation of hunger. It takes retraining and often fasting or a period of very simple, light eating to break old habits and remember the feeling of true hunger. When a person experiences true hunger, alleviating that hunger is truly satisfying.

5. Drink small amounts of warm water with food: A little water with a meal supports digestion by softening the food, thus making it easier to chew and swallow. Too much water or other liquid dilutes the enzymes and other digestive influences that are referred to by the Sanskrit word agni in Ayurveda. Agni is a type of fire. Too much water puts it out. When agni is suppressed, proper digestion cannot occur. Agni is depressed by both too much water and too much food. In addition, if the food or water is cold, agni will also suffer. Thus, ice water should be avoided.

6. Take foods that are fresh and of the highest quality: Regardless of constitution, each person should enjoy food that is fresh and organic. Avoid frozen, fast and canned food as the prana (life-force) contained within these foods is minimal. Prepare your food fresh daily and cook for yourself as often as possible. In this way, you are connected to the process of bringing food to you. Preparing your own food will support you to slow down and realize your connection to the food on a deeper level. When you prepare a meal you can keep it simple and delicious and use the ingredients best suited to your constitution.

7. Eat food that has been prepared with attention, consciousness and love: Ayurveda teaches that everything has energy and all energy interacts. As such, the energy of the cook is in the food. This energy is the unwritten ingredient. Food prepared with the intention of nourishing you will support you much better than food that is prepared while a person (the chef) is angry, resentful or disinterested. The cook should always prepare themselves with a short meditation before preparing food.

8. Allow at least three hours between meals: By allowing three hours between meals, food will have time to properly digest before new food is introduced into the digestive system. When food is taken too soon, the process of digstion and absorption become more complex and are compromised, making indigestion much more likely.

9. Rest before going on to the next activity: Resting before moving on shows respect to the digestive process. In order to secrete the proper enzymes needed to digest food, the body and mind must be relaxed. Stress and activity both interfere with digestion. In addition you must be relaxed to allow the blood vessles to dilate for the proper absorption of nutrients. Thus it is best to rest for at least twenty minutes before engaging any serious physical or mental activity and it is even better if you can wait thirty to forty-five minutes. This is a good time for light conversation or a slow stroll through the park.

10. Eat with the rhythm of the sun: Through our connection with nature, the movement of the sun impacts digestion. The sun is our connection to the fire element. When the sun is high in the sky, digestion is stronger. Therefore, Ayurveda recommends eating our largest meal during the midday hours and smaller meals in the morning and evening.

A person who follows all of the guideliness for healthy eating is more likely to avoid digestive difficulty, even if the foods taken are not perfect for their constitution. How we eat is truly more important than what we eat. Even making just one key change in your approach to food can make a tremendous change in the quality of your digestion. The goal of optimal digestion is fully realized through mastering the journey. Be patient, go slow and keep moving forward.

Dr. Marc Halpern

Marc Halpern is the founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda and co-founder of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. He is also a yogi in the lineage of Swami Sivananda and the author of the book Healing Your Life, published by Lotus Press.

The post The Ayurvedic Practice of Healthy Digestion appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Digestive diseases and related imbalances are more common than imbalances in any other system of the body except the mind. While conditions including irritable bowel syndrome, gastric reflux disease, ulcers and ulcerative collitis are quite common, it is the milder disturbances such as gas, bloating, cramping, constipation and diarrhea that plague most people. Everyone experiences these conditions some of the time, and for many people, they are chronic annoyances that cause both discomfort and embarrassment. When we look to Ayurveda, we can find teachings that relate to optimal digestion.

Ayurvedic medicine understands that these imbalances are more than sources of discomfort; they are the root causes of a host of other conditions in the body. Ayurveda teaches that the doshas can become aggravated in the digestive system and then those aggravated doshas spread and afflict other tissues and organs. As a result, correction of the digestive system is a part of the treatment of every condition in the body.

The sadhana of optimal digestion defines the actions that lead a person to most directly and swiftly correct imbalances, and in doing so, brings an end to suffering and prevents future disease. While herbs can be helpful in treating digestive imbalances, the sadhana of optimal digestion is focused on habits and behaviors that are part of our everyday lifestyle.

The foundation of this sadhana is based on understanding our relationship with food. When we consume and then properly digest food, the atoms and molecules within the food join with our bodies and build new tissues. Through food we both connect to nature and we realize we are nature. When we live in harmony with all of nature we experience optimal health and peace of mind. When we are out of harmony, we experience suffering. In realizing our connection to nature through eating, our relationship with food becomes a sacred experience.

Ten Practices That Will Optimize Your Digestion

1. Become present with your food: This first practice is the most important. All other practices are dependent upon this. In order to become present, it is necessary to sit down and focus your attention on the food. Avoid eating on the run, eating in the car or nibbling while doing other activities such as working, reading or watching TV.

2. Say Grace: There is no one single grace that is correct or right. What is most important about grace is that doing so honors the interconnectedness of each of the elements in the process of eating. Thus the food should be honored as well as the person(s) who grew and prepared the food. Even the process of digesting the food should be honored.

3. Chew your food well: There is no formula for how many times to chew the food; chew enough so the food has a smooth, even consistency when swallowed. To know when this occurs, your awareness must be in the mouth. This is difficult to do if you are distracted by reading, television or excessive conversation.

4. Eat until you are 75% full: Excessive consumption of large portions of food is a common cause of indigestion as well as obesity. Most people recognize satisfaction as a feeling of being full rather than the alleviation of hunger. It takes retraining and often fasting or a period of very simple, light eating to break old habits and remember the feeling of true hunger. When a person experiences true hunger, alleviating that hunger is truly satisfying.

5. Drink small amounts of warm water with food: A little water with a meal supports digestion by softening the food, thus making it easier to chew and swallow. Too much water or other liquid dilutes the enzymes and other digestive influences that are referred to by the Sanskrit word agni in Ayurveda. Agni is a type of fire. Too much water puts it out. When agni is suppressed, proper digestion cannot occur. Agni is depressed by both too much water and too much food. In addition, if the food or water is cold, agni will also suffer. Thus, ice water should be avoided.

6. Take foods that are fresh and of the highest quality: Regardless of constitution, each person should enjoy food that is fresh and organic. Avoid frozen, fast and canned food as the prana (life-force) contained within these foods is minimal. Prepare your food fresh daily and cook for yourself as often as possible. In this way, you are connected to the process of bringing food to you. Preparing your own food will support you to slow down and realize your connection to the food on a deeper level. When you prepare a meal you can keep it simple and delicious and use the ingredients best suited to your constitution.

7. Eat food that has been prepared with attention, consciousness and love: Ayurveda teaches that everything has energy and all energy interacts. As such, the energy of the cook is in the food. This energy is the unwritten ingredient. Food prepared with the intention of nourishing you will support you much better than food that is prepared while a person (the chef) is angry, resentful or disinterested. The cook should always prepare themselves with a short meditation before preparing food.

8. Allow at least three hours between meals: By allowing three hours between meals, food will have time to properly digest before new food is introduced into the digestive system. When food is taken too soon, the process of digstion and absorption become more complex and are compromised, making indigestion much more likely.

9. Rest before going on to the next activity: Resting before moving on shows respect to the digestive process. In order to secrete the proper enzymes needed to digest food, the body and mind must be relaxed. Stress and activity both interfere with digestion. In addition you must be relaxed to allow the blood vessles to dilate for the proper absorption of nutrients. Thus it is best to rest for at least twenty minutes before engaging any serious physical or mental activity and it is even better if you can wait thirty to forty-five minutes. This is a good time for light conversation or a slow stroll through the park.

10. Eat with the rhythm of the sun: Through our connection with nature, the movement of the sun impacts digestion. The sun is our connection to the fire element. When the sun is high in the sky, digestion is stronger. Therefore, Ayurveda recommends eating our largest meal during the midday hours and smaller meals in the morning and evening.

A person who follows all of the guideliness for healthy eating is more likely to avoid digestive difficulty, even if the foods taken are not perfect for their constitution. How we eat is truly more important than what we eat. Even making just one key change in your approach to food can make a tremendous change in the quality of your digestion. The goal of optimal digestion is fully realized through mastering the journey. Be patient, go slow and keep moving forward.

A sadhana is a spiritual practice or habitual pattern. Our sadhana choices can help us to find greater health and well-being, from an Ayurvedic point of view.

Dr. Marc Halpern

Marc Halpern is the founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda and co-founder of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. He is also a yogi in the lineage of Swami Sivananda and the author of the book Healing Your Life, published by Lotus Press.

The post Ayurveda and Optimal Digestion appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

In Ayurveda, our daily practice or sadhana defines the actions that lead you directly toward your goal.

What is your goal? If your goal is enlightenment, your sadhana is comprised of the actions that will lead you there. This is the path of Yoga and the practices are defined within the context of the four paths: jnana, bhakti, karma and raja. If your goal is optimal health, it is Ayurveda that defines the practices that will bring about the fastest transformation of your well-being. Mastery of the practices of Ayurveda and Yoga escort you down the path of spiritual growth and maintain your physical, emotional and spiritual health along the way.

Each practice is a cobblestone on the path. It has often been said that life is about the journey not the destination. Thus, that the wise individual remains conscious and present all along the way. In Truth, there is no goal, there is only the journey. The goal is realized through mastering the journey. This is sadhana.

There are many practices described in Ayurveda. Few people master them all in one life. Each practice that we do master, however, is akin to adding a bead to the necklace of well-being. When the necklace is full we experience our full potential and optimal health. And so we bring our attention to each practice, one at a time, with no urgency to do them all right now. Slow progression, with attention on each detail, assures that we will eventually reach our goal. Even one small change, mastery of just one practice, has profound implications on our life. Mastery of each additional practice ripples outward from the core of our consciousness. It flows outward just as blood flows from the heart and energetically permeates every cell of our body. The heart is in fact, the seat of our consciousness just as sadhana is the seat of our growth.

Where to begin? Should a person start with creating a proper diet or perhaps with the care of the eyes, skin, mouth or ears? There are so many choices it can feel overwhelming. The truth is that it does not matter where you begin. All that matters is that you take your next step forward. Approach it with conscious awareness and it becomes sadhana. Every action of a conscious life is sadhana.

The goal is realized through mastering the journey. This is sadhana.

Regardless of the choice, it will always be challanging to sucessfully impliment a new behavior. Creating change, no matter how positive, challenges the ego. The role of the ego is to pursue pleasure and avoid pain and suffering. Its job is to sustain creation. The practice of sadhana challenges the ego. Sadhana is the path of change and growth that will eventually lead to the transcendance of life. Is it no wonder the ego fights so strongly against positive change? In order to sabotage your efforts to grow as a human being the ego does everything in its power to distract you. It takes over the mind and feeds you thoughts that are not productive. It will reason with you and explain why you do not need to stay with your practices. It might try to convince you that you do not have the time right now to focus on such things. It might engage you in dramas that make you forget you higher purpose. The ego has all kinds of ways to seduce the mind and throw a veil over your growing awareness.

To be sucessful, it is important to be proactive. Knowing the traps the ego will set, a person seeking greater health and spirituality surrounds themselves with reminders of the path and of higher truth. First and foremost is to have a community of individuals in your life committed to the path of harmony and transformation. Gather in groups, explore truth and lift each other up. This is called satsang. A community (sangha) exploring truth (sat). This satsang might be your church or temple group or it might be a collective of individuals who have found each other and are walking the path together. Your sangha reminds you of where you are going when you have forgotten. You can surround yourself with other reminders as well such as spiritual stories, songs and the writings of great teachers. One of the greatest reminders of what is possible is around you all the time – the natural world. Take a moment every day to look out on nature, its wonder, mystery and beauty: Watch a sunset, gaze at the sky or look up into the leaves of a tree.

Dr. Marc Halpern

Marc Halpern is the founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda and co-founder of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. He is also a yogi in the lineage of Swami Sivananda and the author of the book Healing Your Life, published by Lotus Press.

The post Developing an Ayurvedic Daily Practice appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Ayurveda is a paradigm. It cannot be found in an herb or special food. Ayurveda is a complete system of medicine that offers healing to all people throughout the world.

The paradigm of Ayurveda is a simple one: Where there is harmony, there is health and where there is disharmony there is disease. Healing is the process of returning to harmony. Ayurveda recognizes that each person is an individual; therefore what is harmonious for one person is not necessarily harmonious for another. As a result, Ayurvedic medicine is individualized. It is based upon the nature of a person (what is called their prakruti in Sanskrit) and the nature of his or her disease (vikruti). When supporting the healing process with medicines, the nature of the medicine must also be known.

In order for anything to be Ayurvedic, its use must be based on knowledge of the nature of the person, the nature of the imbalance or disease and the nature of the medicine. When matched up properly a person will get well. When it is not matched up properly, the medicine will not work and may even be harmful. For example, an herb from India called amalaki can bring healing to some people while making others sick. Used properly it can benefit the immune system. Used improperly it can lead to diarrhea or toxicity. Knowledge of Ayurveda determines who it will help and who it will harm. The same can be said of kitcheree, the most famous food utilized in Ayurveda for balancing the digestive system. Until it is prepared properly for the individual, it is not Ayurvedic. It is simply rice and mung dal.

When considering this idea, we could question whether there is any such thing as an Ayurvedic herb? The answer is no. Herbs
can be described by the region in which they grow. Thus we can say there are Indian, Chinese and South American herbs. India is the home of several systems of medicine including Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha. Each uses the same herb according to its own principles because an herb is just an herb. When used in accordance with Ayurvedic principles, an herb that grows in the United States becomes an Ayurvedic herb. The same can be said of foods. All foods prepared and taken properly become Ayurvedic foods. Fettuccini Alfredo prepared according to Ayurvedic principles, taken by the right person, becomes a healing food.

Perhaps we should start at the beginning. Is Ayurveda Indian? India is the birthplace of Ayurveda. However, Ayurveda is considered a gift from God to all of humanity for the purpose of bringing about healing so that people can live full spiritual lives of service. Ayurveda grew up within the Indian culture and so it wears Indian clothing in the form of customs and ceremony. In so much as any of us identify with our birthplace and say, “I am American,” or “I am German,” Ayurveda can be considered Indian. Yet the very philosophies of India (Yoga, Vedanta, Sankhya) warn that this is an illusion or a trap for the egoic mind that must be overcome or it will lead to suffering. In this case, it is Ayurveda that will suffer if we limit its identity as Indian or Hindu and separate it from the rest of the world.

Aspects of the wisdom of Ayurveda can be found within all indigenous systems of medicine worldwide. Yet there is no single body of knowledge about healing that is as complete. Ayurveda addresses both the root causes of disease and its physical manifestations. It takes into consideration the body, mind, consciousness and spirituality. It is truly holistic, considering every aspect of a person.

Ayurveda is not a product, a food or a place. It is the knowledge of health and healing. It is the knowledge of life. Just because Ayurveda has become marketable, we should never forget its fundamental principles. If we do, we are forgetting Ayurveda.

Dr. Marc Halpern

Marc Halpern is the founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda and co-founder of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. He is also a yogi in the lineage of Swami Sivananda and the author of the book Healing Your Life, published by Lotus Press.

The post Ayurveda: Product or Paradigm appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.