I took all three of these photos at Mount Washington Mill, when I went to the Whole Foods yesterday to buy some herbs and essential oils. There is beauty all around us everyday. We just have to take time to appreciate it.
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I'm eating lots of beets and greens in preparation for my annual Spring Cleanse, which is really at-home pancha karma. Beets and greens help to thin the bile, which can get sluggish in flow during the winter months. Sluggish bile eventually leads to trouble digesting fat, wheat, and dairy. I don't have any of these problems, but I do a bile thinning diet twice each year before my Fall and Spring Cleanses. It's good to keep things flowing smoothly!
I won't be cleansing for probably another month, depending on the messages my body gives me. It's good to do some pre-cleanse activities to gently get the body ready for detoxification. Over the last 2 weeks, I have been eating various kids of spicy vegetable dishes and soups to clear winter congestion. I have also been doing aromatherapy to balance Vata and Kapha. Starting this week, I am switching to a diet to clear congestion in the liver and digestive tract. Next, I will be starting a pre-cleanse herbal regimen. I will keep details posted on here for those who are interested in learning more. Today, dinner is beets sautéed in olive oil, plus some chopped raw garlic (antiviral protection)...and potato pierogi. I have been around a lot of people with the flu, but I'm still going strong! Ayurveda keeps me healthy so I can take care of those who are sick. Stay warm and healthy! -Michelle Not long ago, after I posted my blog about the importance of generosity, I read Manuscript Found in Accra on my lunch break and found this inside: It only took me an hour to read the whole book and it was wonderful. I highly recommend it. Later, after dinner, I opened a fortune cookie and got this: Apparently, the Universe is supporting my quest for generosity and personal growth!
Apparently, the universe has decided that I will work on Pitta-type emotions today. I just spent an hour writing this blog about my meditations today on competitiveness and the origins of competitive nature according to Ayurveda. As I was about to save my writing and begin cooking dinner, one of the dogs got diarrhea on the couch. In my rush to get him off the couch, I accidentally hit "cancel" and erased my entire hour's worth of writing.
Instead of getting angry, I am going to choose to learn this lesson of patience. Which really, at the end of my writing, was going to be the point anyway. Maybe another day I will write about Ayurveda and signs of excess Pitta. For today, I am just going to leave you with this: Although it is not in my nature to be competitive, I sometimes find myself responding to the worldly wisdom that competition is what drives sucess. Today when I found myself struggling with competitive feelings, I remembered that I have designed my life according to my own personal and professional goals. My life is a reflection of my deepest desires. As my goals are unique, my achievements are also unique. My path to success does not need to resemble that of anyone else, and my definition of what constitutes success does not have to line up with the prevailing cultural opinion. Several years ago, this hand was hooked up to an intravenous tube (IV). In fact, I had IVs in both arms and both hands at many different times. I was in and out of hospital emergency rooms, undergoing every medical test we could think of, and had 2 hospital stays lasting 2 weeks each. What was wrong with me?
I was struggling with recurrent acute pancreatitis. For those of you who do not know, this condition is an inflammation of the pancreas that causes extreme pain and makes it very difficult to eat. Twice, my pancreas became so inflamed that it affected my liver. This problem began for me when I developed gallstones during my pregnancy with my son. After I had my gallbladder removed, I had no transition diet, no plan for re-strengthening my digestive capacity, and an incomplete understanding of how the body's fat metabolism can change when the gallbladder is removed. The pancreas is an essential digestive organ responsible for processing sugars in our food. In people who have a gallbladder, that organ is largely responsible for digestion of fats in our food. I am really simplifying the process here, just for the purposes of explaining what happened to me and why I got so sick. Normally, the liver produces bile and sends it to the gallbladder, where it is stored. When we eat food containing fat, the gallbladder will secrete a proportional amount of bile to enable us to digest the fat. However, when the gallbladder is removed, the body does not secrete bile in proportion to fat intake. The pancreas will take over the bile-secreting function, but that function is no longer done in response to our ingestion of fats. What happened in my case was that my body, over time, lost the ability to digest much of anything. At first, sticking to a low-fat diet allowed me to avoid pancreatic episodes. Gradually, more and more foods began to cause pain when I ate them. I got to the point where I could no longer eat more than a few bites of food at a time. Eating any more than that caused me to have severe abdominal pain and extreme bloating. I was a size zero in clothing at my lowest point, and I typically had to purchase clothing in the teen boys' section. My body lacked any kind of feminine shape and even clothes from the junior girls' departments sagged in weird places. Not to mention there are many styles of clothing that a woman doesn't want to wear past a certain age: think frilly things and lace. Unfortunately, this point in my life at which I was extremely ill was also the time during which I was deemed the most attractive. I literally could not go anywhere without someone trying to get my phone number. It was awful. Imagine going to a café for some quiet time with your favorite book and being constantly interrupted by pick-up lines. Some people will read this and think something like, "Oh, must be nice to be so cute." But no, it really isn't. It is a terrible thing to be so sick that all you want is to be able to eat a small meal without pain, and to know that the majority of the world finds your illness to be downright sexy. It is also an uncomfortable thing for an introvert like myself to be given so much attention in public. In most cases, alcoholism is the cause of pancreatitis. In my case, I was very health conscious and definitely not drinking enough alcohol to cause health problems. I was a vegan vegetarian and ran 2 miles daily. The only things I drank were 1 coffee per day, water, and at most 2 alcoholic beverages when out with friends. I worked too much to have time for clubbing and drinking. After my pancreatitis began, I stopped drinking alcohol altogether for many years. After undergoing colonoscopies, endoscopies, countless blood draws, MRIs, CAT scans, and many other tests, I was deemed to be in "perfect health" by all my doctors. One of them told me, "Michelle, I have no idea what is going on with you. I have never in my life seen such perfect labs." This same doctor went on to ask me a question that would change my life: "Are you stressed at all?" I was, in fact, extremely stressed. I was working so much that I was missing a lot of time with my young son. I was also involved in a very strict exercise regimen because I was training with athletes who were preparing for the Beijing Olympics in Judo. My family spent our time together largely at the gym, playing on the Judo mats, working out, and going to tournaments. My job at the time was also very physical, and demanded a lot of emotional energy. There came a point in my medical diagnostic journey when I reached the end of what I could achieve. I was told that there was nothing wrong with me and that I had the option of undergoing an experimental surgery that had a high mortality rate and was not guaranteed to help me even if I survived. I should probably mention that, having worked in a prestigious medical practice, I had good connections and access to the best doctors around. So when my "last hope" GI specialist told me there was nothing he could do to help me feel better, I knew I had to find another path. Every pancreatic attack gave me a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer and I was desperate to get well. For whatever reason, I recalled a moment from my freshman year of college. I was in my dorm's lounge area, studying for a final exam in my World Religions class. I read one sentence in my textbook that said: "Ayurveda is the native medical system of India." I had always been curious to learn more about Ayurveda. In that moment of recollection, it occurred to me that Ayurveda might offer an explanation about what was wrong with me. Intuitively, I felt like the idea was worth pursuing. At this point in my cycles of recurrent pancreatitis, I was constantly losing weight. To compensate, I loaded my body with protein daily to keep enough muscle mass to maintain my workout schedule. I was eating a no-fat diet. I had to eat every two hours throughout the day because my body could not handle a full meal at one time. I had been constipated for years and I regularly became so bloated that I looked pregnant. This was certainly not the best time in my life. I needed something to change fast. I decided to do some research about Ayurveda to see if it was valid. I read clinical trials testing Ayurvedic medicines, textbooks, and academic studies. I wanted scientific evidence that this system was worth exploring and I found it. What I uncovered was a wealth of information about a medical system that went beyond physiology. I discovered that Ayurveda offered explanations about how my current state of digestive health could have evolved over many years. Not only did the Ayurvedic system explain the biology of my condition, it illuminated how it was created by improper diet, over-exercise, emotional states, stress, and toxic relationships in my life. Having satisfied my intellectual self that Ayurveda was a scientific system, I decided to dive into treatment. What did I have to lose? I modified my diet according to Ayurvedic recommendations, and I noticed much less pain and bloating after meals. Little by little, I incorporated more Ayurvedic techniques into my life. I began to do therapeutic Yoga. I practiced new meditations and modified my daily routine to reduce stress. I eventually changed jobs. The final piece was to give away all my clothes that were too small as I began to put some weight on again, and to give myself permission to be whatever size my body needed to be as long as it was healthy. I said out loud to myself three times every day, "I don't care what size I am as long as I am healthy." This affirmation was the key to my finally achieving full health again. What I haven't told you yet is that right before I got pregnant with my son, I had set an intention to lose weight. Having a naturally muscular and athletic body in comparison with most of my waif-like female peers, I had struggled with body image issues my whole life up until I became pregnant. When I set this weight loss intention one month before becoming pregnant, this is what I said out loud, "I am going to be skinny. I don't care how sick I have to be. I will be thin for once in my life." I said those exact words and I remember them like it was yesterday. Well, I got my wish. I became very thin...and extremely sick. My healing journey with Ayurveda is what enabled me to realize that I would never be able to heal fully as long as some part of me was holding onto my illness. If any part of my psyche was still hoping to one day fit into those size zero jeans again, if any part of me still wanted to be skinny more than to be well, then I knew I could easily start down the path to disease again. This is the story of how Ayurveda saved my life. It taught me how to heal. It allowed me to eat once again without pain. It led me on a journey to self-empowerment and confidence. The woman I am today cannot believe that the woman I was preferred to be sick and thin over healthy and any size. At this point in my life, I feel healthier than I ever have. I feel beautiful every day. I am grateful for my body and all the things it is capable of doing. I have learned to listen to my body and respect what it needs. I have learned how to exercise with self-compassion. Above all, I have learned that health comes by integrating mind, body, and spirit. All three of these must be whole and content for health to exist. My personal healing journey is the reason I became an Ayurvedic practitioner. I want to help as many people as possible to have the same radical healing experience that I had. Ayurveda truly saved my life. That message of radical healing is what I hope to bring to the world, and to each person who comes to visit me in my office. It really is that simple. In all things, I ask myself if I am making decisions based on generosity. Compassion is generous and supports my mission of bringing healing and empowerment to as many people as possible during my lifetime. Making decisions based upon fear of any kind is not generous. Ever since I stepped beyond fear and let the spirit of generosity guide my life and my decisions about my career, I have been blessed with an abundance of work and special people in my life. The spirit of generosity also includes non-competitiveness with other practitioners. I have been criticized often by those who do not understand my willingness to promote other healers. My philosophy is that, numerically speaking, there is more than enough business to go around. Look at how many doctors there are. No one is telling them, "Look, you shouldn't be referring patients to other physicians because it might impact your business." Physicians refer to one another because everyone has their own unique skill set. Even among primary care doctors, some are more skilled at treating gastrointestinal disorders, while others may have more knowledge about gynecological issues. Physicians complement one another by working together within their various capabilities to provide care for their patients. Although I am not a medical doctor, there is a similar situation with myself and Ayurveda. There is no one out there who has my unique skill set. Likewise, I have my own way of interacting with people that is intentionally somewhat informal. I have created my practice with my values and goals in mind, just as others who choose different approaches have structured their businesses to meet their own goals. It is easy to get caught up in marketing, promotions, and checking out what the "other guys" are doing to make sure I am competitive. But the truth is, my practice grows best when I don't worry about those things. When I focus on interacting authentically with each person and when I generously accept the offers of fellow healers for collaborative projects, my business thrives. When I consciously seek ways to promote the healing work of others, more people seek me out. I can keep a peaceful mind by reminding myself about these things. The money always comes and my practice continues to grow. What we give generously to others, we get back. "Let a spirit of generosity guide your path of practice." This year, I am very excited about new teaching opportunities! During my meditations this winter, I gained several insights and one of them was that I needed to be teaching more about the diversity of Ayurveda and Indian philosophy. As soon as I had put this intention out into the ether, I was given opportunities and space to teach. The immediacy of this result was impressive. Anthony Lane Hinkle, the founder of Tranquili-Chi Center, offered me the last Wednesday of every month to teach a class of my choosing. I could not have been given greater confirmation that my insight was accurate. I am feeling so blessed to have such trust instilled in me as to give me free reign over my class topics. I have come up with some classes that will be truly unique and fun.
Another insight from my meditations is that people could benefit from my knowledge and from hearing my story. I feel a little egotistical saying that, but a trusted friend told me several years ago, "Michelle, you don't realize what you know." Following those words many years later, I have decided to step into my power and share what I have learned. I am incredibly lucky to have been educated by internationally renowned scholars in religion, Western science, and Ayurveda. I have always felt like it seems self-righteous to tout my teachers, but it recently occurred to me that people might like to know why I know what I know...and why my knowledge is so diverse. I am a person who has always followed my opportunities as they present themselves. Some people plan a career trajectory in college and allow that to be their guide. Those people follow a logical progression of college courses that lead to their intended career. I am not one of those people. When I was younger, I envied the organization and foresight of these individuals who possessed such clear direction. Now that I have found a career that allows me to integrate all of my knowledge into helping others heal, I realize that my seeming lack of direction was actually my gathering expertise in all the necessary areas. I am going to make other postings with more details about my journey. In this context, it makes more sense to focus on my education in Eastern philosophy and religion. I was fortunate to receive my education in these topics by some of the most respected scholars in the world. I was taught much by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, who provided me with an education about the history of Islamic thought and the many influences of Persian culture on Western nations. I was given an irreplacable education in all things Indian by Alf Hiltebeitel. If you Google either one of these men, you will see the vast influence they have both had in their respective fields. I was also educated in Tibetan Buddhism by Reverend Dr. Ani Kunga Chodron, which led me to some priceless experiential knowledge that I will be sharing during my first Wednesday Workshop. This is not to downplay the excellence of my other teachers. The list of influential people in my educational path is long enough to bore most people. In the Western world of Ayurveda, everyone is concerned with authenticity. This should be a concern, being that your Ayurvedic practitioner needs to be someone you can trust. But what I am referring to here when I say "authenticity" is the difference between Eastern knowledge from the East versus a Western person reading a book and deciding that they will become a practitioner of Ayurveda. Since Ayurveda is a science, no one should be claiming to be practicing it unless they have had another practitioner teaching them. Science courses all have lab components because practical knowledge is necessary. Knowledge in the East is passed down both academically and experientially from teacher to student. No matter how much you read, you will never be able to equal the knowledge gained from one-on-one teaching by a professional. People want to know whether I am practicing "authentic" Indian Ayurveda. I can honestly say, thanks to my many teachers, that my foundation of knowledge is authentically Indian. I studied Ayurveda academically at George Washington University, and experientially was supervised by Ayurvedic professionals. Most of my teaching in Indian philosphy was given by scholars native to Eastern countries. One cannot truly practice Ayurveda without understanding Indian philosophical perspectives because Ayurveda is mind-body medicine. I have combined my knowledge of Ayurveda with my experience working in a Western clinical setting, my education in music, art, human anatomy and physiology, medicinal chemistry, environmental science, public health, and religion. This combination of diverse knowledge is what allows me to look at each person in my office individually, assess what is happening with them, and to look beyond purely physical origins of disease. My education in environmental science enables me to investigate environmental causes of illness. It is my background in religion that allows me to help people bring spiritual practice back into their lives, according to their tradition. My education in the fine arts has allowed me to understand how music and art can be used to facilitate healing with my patients. My knowledge of biology and chemistry aids my assessment of each person as well as my treatment recommendations. All of this knowledge is what I am planning to pass on, in "bite-sized" pieces, to others during my Wednesday Workshops. This month, on January 29, I will be teaching Tibetan Buddhist Practice. Tibetan Buddhism is a subject that is very dear to me. I am a published author on Tibetan Buddhism and my work has been internationally recognized. I was privileged to study Tibetan practice under Ani Kunga Chodron and Lama Kalsang Gyaltsen of Sakya Temple. It is not often that one gets personalized teaching from a Tibetan Lama, and I will always be grateful for it. I have realized over the years that while many people know who the Dalai Lama is, familiarity with Tibetan practice often ends there. In this Wednesday Workshop, I will describe the origins of Tibetan Buddhism and teach the basics of what it is like to actually practice it, including a mantra to the medicine Buddha. I will share my experiences studying under Tibetan monastics in the lineage of Sakya Trizin. This class is intended as a learning experience for anyone who has ever been curious about Tibetan Buddhism. No previous knowledge is required. For those who are more experienced or who are academically inclined, they will benefit from learning about the practice of Tibetan Buddhism versus academic study, and I will provide everyone with references for further reading. Topics covered include: - the Bodhisattva Vow -the origins of Tibetan Buddhism -basic Tibetan philosophy and beliefs -traditional Tibetan meditation -Tibetan mantra -an insider's perspective on Tibetan Buddhist practice -Tibetan gods, goddesses, and Buddhas I will be bringing with me the sacred text that is taught in Tibetan monasteries during the first year of study. This class will be from 6-8 pm at Tranquili-Chi Center (http://www.tranquili-chi.com/) and the learning investment is $35. Please register by January 28 by calling me at: 703-475-9642 or my emailing me at: [email protected]. For those who are on Facebook, contacting me on the Health Revolution Ayurveda page will be fine, as long as you give me some way to reach you by phone or email. If anyone would like a schedule of all Wednesday Workshop classes, please contact me. I hope you can make it! Best, Michelle I have seen many people recently in my office who have irritated eyes due to indoor allergies and heating. Here are two quick and easy ways to provide relief.
The homeopathic eye drops pictured above are effective for providing relief to itchy, irritated, dry eyes. They are also quite easy to locate. Trader Joe's does not carry them, but I have found them in Safeway, Walgreen's, Whole Foods, and MOM's. Use as directed on the label. For those who prefer do-it-yourself remedies, rose water makes an excellent eye wash. It can be used to rinse irritated eyes. When I do this, I use a kitchen spoon, fill it with the rose water, hold it up to my eye, and blink to rinse. Alternatively, soak a cotton ball with rose water and place it over your closed eyelids for 5 minutes. It will give you a few minutes of relaxation in your day, plus it feels cool and soothing. You can easily make rose water yourself. Basically, it is a tea made with rose petals. Use 2 teaspoons of dried organic rose petals to one cup of distilled or filtered water. Boil the water, then pour it over the rose petals. Strain the petals out, and place the water in the refrigerator. It must be used within 24 hours. Enjoy! I'm sure that not many people out there have escaped the New Year weight loss marketing that began shortly before Christmas. The gist of all this marketing is that by losing weight right now, you will reveal a "new you" in the New Year. As an Ayurvedic practitioner, I take my weight loss cues from nature. Look outside. Are the squirrels and crows getting skinny? No. They are plump as heck and it's because they need that fat to survive this crazy, unpredictable winter. Fat gets a bad reputation, but it's what insulates our nervous system and keeps us mentally grounded during winter. Fat composes 2/3 of our brain. By depriving our bodies of fat during winter, we create a cycle of deprivation in the body. Over time, this deprivation leads to a wide variety of nervous system disorders, such as Parkinson's disease.
I would like to propose an alternative version of the "new you" concept. Rather than deluding ourselves by thinking that we can solve all of our self-esteem problems with weight loss, we can decide to commit ourselves to finding our power in the New Year. We don't need to become "new" people. We need to discover the amazing qualities that lie within us already. Whatever your weight, your body is suited to accomplish the unique purpose for which you came into this world. No one else can accomplish your purpose. In Ayurveda, this concept is called "dharma", or "duty". Each one of us has a distinct combination of the elements manifested in our body and mind. It is that unique combination of elements that gives us each our abilities. And whatever we think our flaws are, those flaws are the mirror image of our strengths. So this year, instead of punishing your body with the latest fad diet, choose to make the "new you" the one who refuses to give into the hype. Refuse to believe that fitting into a smaller size of anything defines your worth. Life should be so much more than a constant quest to achieve a mythical body ideal. Stand in your power and choose instead to look for the daily opportunities you have to bring good into the world. Seek your purpose and you will find it. |