I Love You!

When your child is hurt and you see tears running down those precious cheeks, what is the first thing you do? You say “ it’s ok honey, let mommy make it better” and then kiss the hurt away. Simple and incredibly effective, isn’t?

What happens when your body hurts?

Do you treat your body with the same patience and tenderness as you would your child?

Popular culture controls our minds with fear mongering and promotes “ mind over matter”, “ no pain, no gain” solutions. Pause for a moment and register your thoughts about the part of your body that is giving you grief. They are not very kind, aren’t they?

There is a chronic battle raging between our minds and our minds – battle with cancer, battle with heart disease, fight against diabetes. Is it any wonder, then, that our bodies often feel like the battlefield – depleted, listless, utterly spent?

Your body, just like a newborn child, has limited means of communicating with your mind. Pain, illness, discomfort are just the messages that something isn’t right. So what if, instead of trying to ignore the symptoms with the help of drugs, instead of disassociating yourself from you body, you said “ It’s OK honey. I got the message. Let’s figure it out together. What do you need?”

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

This is the very basis of mind – body approach to healing – something I passionately believe in, research and write about, and teach. The tools I am sharing with my students have saved my life; they took me way beyond what I ever thought was possible.

If this approach resonates with you – give me ring, send me an e-mail, let me show you what compassion and self-awareness can do for your body and mind.

Oh, and can we please stop calling our bodies “ the system”? Mechanical approach to human being has exhausted itself the moment we have encountered the first chronic illness. Our body-minds are amazing, vibrant, joyful, wild creatures that require love, kindness and understanding to open up to their fullest potential. Let us treat them as such!

Smooth Moves: Constipation Dilemma

New York garbage removal union goes on strike and in the matter of hours the news are all over CNN and ABC, reported as a national emergency situation.

You forget to take the garbage out to curb and not only you feel like an unfit human being, but you are absolutely sure there are some foul odors lurking in your kitchen or garage until the next garbage day.

Your body struggles to remove toxic wastes, and you take it rather matter – of – factly: “It just the way I am. I only need to go once or twice a week. My Gramma was like that, too.” Really? Seriously? Do you really believe that?

Let me make it abundantly clear – your body is created to operate like a well – maintained inventory – first in, first out. You don’t eat once or twice a week, do you?

So, is fiber the answer to your elimination dilemma? Should you drink more water? Eat that yogurt you saw on TV? Change your diet? Be more active? Add some supplements?

Chances are, if you are prone to chronic constipation and going feels like hard work, you have tried all of the above with only marginal success. By now you almost certainly know that the answer is not as simple – if it was, you and many others would’ve gotten it by now.

Let’s look at constipation from a holistic perspective. Before we delve in, though, here are 5 warning flags that should warrant a visit to your family doc:

1. If you suddenly develop constipation
2. If there’s bleeding
3. If you are over 55
4. If you are loosing weight and have low back pain
5. If there was a change in meds, particularly pain meds and especially opiates.

So, as usual and as I promised, we’ll look at chronic elimination problem from 3 different perspectives – holographic vision, if you wish:

iLIVE:  How can changes in diet and lifestyle support you quest for smoother moves?

iMOVE: Ok, I know this sounds like I am mocking you – I promise you, I am not! In this section we’ll look at a couple of different things: number one – the role of yoga practice in eliminating constipation. We’ll also revisit the matters of the pelvic floor – specifically, improving the muscle tone down there where “ the sun doesn’t shine” and creating healthier bathroom habits. Excited yet?

iAM: What does meditation and healthy emotional life have to do with elimination? Read on, you will find out!

Shall we?

iLIVE: In Ayurvedic definition of Perfect Health smooth elimination is prominently placed third, only after balanced dosha ( or body – mind personality) and healthy digestion. In the toolbox of Ayurvedic practitioner, herbalized enemas are the first line of treatment for a multitude of acute and chronic disorders, from tension headaches and arthritis, to cancers and all sorts of inflammatory conditions. Eliminating stored toxicity awakens body’s own healing potential.
According to Ayurveda, chronic constipation is an imbalance in the Vata dosha – part of your constitution responsible for all movement in the body. Adjusting your diet is the easiest and simplest way to balance Vata dosha.

Try this:

1.Eliminate all raw foods, especially green leafy salads. Cook all your veggies and even fruit. Lightly steaming them preserves all the nutrients, yet eliminates strain on your digestive system.

2.Eliminate dry airy foods, such as popcorn, crackers and such.

3. Eliminate all cold, icy drinks.

4. Include more healthy oils in your diet.

5. Include moist, warming, nourishing foods, such as soups and stews, in your diet.

6. Be sure to eat at regular times throughout your day to help balance your digestion.

Yep, I know this sounds outlandish, downright wrong and against everything you have heard on TV, radio and read in the magazines. This diet is definitely not Dr. Oz approved. But really, what do you have to loose (well, we both know what it is)? Try this diet for a week or two and see if it makes a difference. You might be pleasantly surprised to learn that sticking to this diet over winter months dramatically reduces the number of colds you get. To learn more about Ayurvedic nutrition, check out Digestive Health workshop at the end of March. We’ll be talking about food sensitivities and their connection to fibromyalgia and other chronic conditions.  Would like a more personalized approach to your diet? Come for one-on –one, let’s figure things out.

As far as supplements go, Triphala is my favorite go – to tonic for all digestive problems. It balances all three doshas, improves elimination (without being a stimulant), purifies the liver and improves the flow of bile. Win – win –win! Triphala can be taken for up to 3 month and in cases of chronic constipation it works well with psyllium fiber.

Here is the magic formula:

Take 4 capsules of triphala (or a teaspoon in a cup of hot water – my personal preference) about an hour before bed.

Take 1 tsp of psyllium fiber in a large glass of water at least 30 minutes before breakfast in the morning. Be careful with fiber: if you are not drinking enough water, adding fiber might end up constipating you even more. Drink your water and lots of it – your colon processes 15 to 20 liters a day. No joke!

iMOVE: Move! Walk, run, swim, ski – just keep moving!

As far as yoga practice goes, twists and backbends are especially helpful for constipation. Practice the bridge pose and some seated twists every day to improve the health of your bowels. I usually add one or two bowel release poses to every yoga class I teach – come check it out.

Now, when it comes to your pelvic floor, latest research shows that poor sphincter tone very often accompanies chronic constipation problem. What does that mean?

Well, chances are the things are super tight down there. Have you told yourself to just “ suck it up?” Hmmm, might not be such a good idea. Chronic pelvic floor tension will not only exacerbate the problem of constipation. As we also discovered last month, it is a huge contributing factor in on-going bladder irritation, as well as low back pain and all sorts of digestive disorders. But there’s more!

As the foundation support of all of your digestive organs, pelvic floor is largely responsible for your core stability. If the tonus of your pelvic floor is compromised, your stability suffers. Then what happens? Full body tension becomes your primary stabilization mechanism. Ringing any bells?

We are talking about this and other important principles of healthy core and pelvic floor health at Essential Core workshop in March. Please join us and invite your friends – women (and men, too) need to know this!

iAM: Your stress levels and the health of your bowels are not as disconnected as you might think. What happens to your muscles when you are stressed? Can you feel your shoulders hugging your ears even as you think about the last stressful event? Guess what? Your colon is a super complex organ with unique muscle coating. These muscles will respond to stress the very same way your shoulders just did.

Delving deeper: the quality of your breath has a direct influence on the health of your digestive system. Here is how: in relaxed breathing all your internal organs (including your bowels) are being kneaded and massaged by the upward and downward movement of your diaphragm. This constant motion assists in all digestive processes, including elimination. Under stress your breathing becomes shallow, not only creating tension in the upper body – think neck and shoulders, but also affecting everything below the belt, including your elimination. Chronic stress creates chronic tension and chronic restrictions in breathing, precipitating on-going digestive system malfunction amongst other things. Check out Organic Breath workshop on March 10^th  – we’ll be talking about this and many other breath – related topics. Healthy breathing is at the very core of your being. You cannot build better health without learning how to breathe better!

There’s more: latest research shows that your digestive system literally has the mind of it’s own. You might be familiar with it as your “ gut feeling” or “ butterflies in your stomach”. Your emotional state has, in fact, everything to do with your digestive system function and vice versa.  There’s much conversation we can have about emotion – digestion link, but the moral of the story is: learn how to manage your stress before it manages you and your health!

Phew! Yet again, this turned out to be a very long post.  Please remember that these are just very general suggestions on what might be a very complicated problem. Talk to your doctor, use your common sense and if you are ready to start looking at your health from a holistic perspective, schedule a one – on – one.

The floor is now open to questions, suggestions and of course, conversation on Facebook. Looking forward to hearing from you!

A Few Words on Bladder Infections

Last month I was blessed with a UTI -  bladder infection.

It didn’t exactly feel like a blessing at the time, but if I learned anything in the last five years, it is that in every unpleasant situation there’s a generous helping of brilliance and insight to be served if one is willing to accept it. A proverbial silver lining, if you wish.

And so, as I lay awake at 3 AM, running to the bathroom every 15 minutes, I start to realize that I have approached this situation from a very holistic perspective. It occurs to me that I can not only share my findings on this particular subject with you, but also use a similar method as a platform to explore and address any chronic (or not so chronic, but nonetheless annoying) ailments that are plaguing you and stopping you from enjoying your life fully. Hey, even bladder-infection induced insomnia can be productive!

So now, every month, we’ll choose a topic together – whatever is current and urgent for you – and use blog posts and Facebook to delve deeper into the discussion. Have you liked Satori on Facebook yet? If not, now is the time!

Before we start, though, I want to remind you that I am not a doctor. Everything that I talk about comes from my own experience.
NO, I didn’t study pharmacology or anatomy in university; YES, I’ve worked in the health food industry for the last decade, I research everything to a fault and am passionate about healing. Consider this to be an invitation, not a prescription.

I look at the healing of any illness or unpleasant situation from 3 different angles. This is the very same approach I use in my private practice.

Here is the holistic approach –  Satori way:

1. iLIVE: How can a change nutrition, diet, lifestyle and supplementation support healing?
2. iMOVE: What are structural imbalances – breathing restrictions, unhealthy or inefficient movement habits and holding patterns – that are contributing factors here?
3. iAM: Is there an underlying chronic stress condition or emotional imbalance worth addressing?

So, in the case of my urinary tract infection here is what I did:

iLIVE:I chose to go on a mono rice diet for the first 3 days to give my digestive system some rest and also let my body use most of its energy for healing, instead of digestion. From there I stuck to an anti-inflammatory diet. If what I just said sounds like a complete gibberish, here’s some good news: Spring Detox course is coming March 25th: we’ll talk about ayurvedic cleanse options as well as herbal formulas available on the market today.  Did you miss the Anti-Inflammatory Diet class last November? Look for a virtual Anti-Inflammatory Diet course coming this summer. And, of course, if you need a solution right NOW, please book your one-on-one consultation – let’s figure it out!
I didn’t want to overcomplicate things with supplements. (A good thing to remember is that they are just that – supplements. They are to supplement an already healthy diet, not to replace it!) The only three I used were unsweetened cranberry juice, critical care probiotics and d-mannose.  Plus an ayurvedic tea made from equal proportions of cumin, coriander and fennel – all cooling, soothing herbs. And lots and lots of water.
I do believe that conventional medicine has a rightful time and place –not as a stand alone solution, but as a part of a complete program. So I chose to go on antibiotics, and discovered something worth mentioning. For the first round of antibiotics I opted for a milder, 3-day solution. My thought behind it was to be as gentle on my body as possible. Not only did this first round of antibiotics not work, they made me feel tired and nauseated. YUCK! I asked Dr. Lyddell’s advice for the second round. Here is what he suggested: “ You have to treat those infections aggressively, as now there are a lot of drug resistant bacteria because of wide – spread use of antibiotics.” So a broad spectrum, potent antibiotic was in order for the second round, and I felt better for it in a matter of hours. Surprisingly, too – I experienced no fatigue or nausea – and that’s because these new generation drugs are hard on bacteria, not on your stomach. Win-win, I like it!
I also made sure that I was getting at least 8 hours of sleep and still napped in the afternoon. Rest is essential!

iMOVE: From the movement perspective, I have designed a therapeutic yoga practice to enhance the blood flow to the lower abdomen to reduce pain and cramping, and improve circulation. I practiced a lot of deep breathing. I also had an enlightening conversation with Janet Wood (a physiotherapist and miracle worker) on the merits of pelvic floor tonus and my bathroom habits.  The pelvic floor is a foundational support of your internal organs and the corner stone of your core stability. If the topic of core strength and balance is of interest to you, sign up for the Essential Core workshop coming up on March 10^th – we’ll be discussing this in much detail.

iAM: Last, but not least, I made sure I fit morning and evening meditation into my day. While I do have a regular practice of meditation, sometimes it slips, as I get really busy – hey, I am human, too. But when I am not feeling up to scratch, meditation becomes essential.
From a spiritual perspective meditation connects us to the deeper part of ourselves untouched by illness, pain, stress and discomfort. It is not just about controlling stress or triggering a relaxation response, even though these are valid reasons to practice meditation. Meditation reminds us of our true, unbound nature; it takes us to a place were all these old tapes that have been playing in our heads for years and years do not exist anymore; it shows us that Perfect Health is indeed a part of who we are. From that standpoint, meditation needs to be an essential piece of any healing program.  You are in luck: Learn to Meditate class is scheduled for January 25^th; and if you are ready to delve deeper and finally resolve your chronic stress issues then the Mastering the Art of Stress – Free living program might be for you.
I also investigated emotional holding patterns that might contribute to urinary tract infections and was surprised to learn that control issues were right there at the forefront.

There you have it, the Satori approach to urinary tract infections. To re-iterate what I’ve said earlier, I believe that the holistic way of healing is the only way. To find true healing, not just the band-aid solutions, we need to attend to ourselves in all our holiness – that’s right, the word holy, holistic and healing all have the same root.

To those of you who are thinking, “ where am I going to find time to do all of that?” I have this to say: It is not despite, but because I find the time to take really good care of myself I am able to work 14 – hour days, be productive and take care of my students the way I do. It is the reason I am able to heal myself, educate myself, build a successful business, take care of the household and raise two children all on my own. If I can do it, so can you. Don’t doubt yourself. Not now, not ever!

We have a two contenders for discussion in February – elimination problems (a.k.a. constipation) and sinus infections. I am leaning toward constipation, because both urinary tract infections and constipation depend heavily on the inner workings of your pelvic floor and your bathroom habits – something we are going to discuss in Essential Core workshop this March.  They also both belong to the realm of VATA imbalances, but that’s a whole ball game. Please let me know which topic interests you and resonates with you, so I can continue to serve you to the best of my ability.

 

 

Why Does Stress Get the Better of Us?

Are you feeling overwhelmed, stressed – out or anxious? Do you experience symptoms associated with high stress levels, including weight gain, burnout, chronic medical problems, mild depression, insomnia or fatigue?

In my own experience, as well as working with others, I came to realize that most of us not only are lacking healthy coping skills, but, more fundamentally, missing a commitment to ourselves that is rooted in compassion.

We lose commitment to relaxation practice when we don’t feel entitled even to twenty minutes each day for our own well-being. We are so busy working and taking care of others that we neglect ourselves. Our inability to nurture ourselves ( and the feelings of guilt!) becomes a road block to all our efforts to manage stress, enhance health and energy.

Shift your experience of stress, and your whole life will begin to re-orient itself around new you. But only YOU can create this shift–from the inside out.

So, who are you waiting for?

Come learn how to address the negative impact that stress is having on your life, and regain your health, energy, and clarity. Experience the nourishment of your mind, body and spirit with “Mastering the Art of Stress – Free Living “ course.

In this program you will learn about the profound effects stress can have on your physical, mental, and emotional health. Discover how awareness and mindful living can address the issues that cause you stress, enhancing your resiliency, preventing illness, and improving the quality of your life.

You take away:

A new understanding of the dramatic effects that stress can have on our physiology and biochemistry.

An appreciation for the power of mind – body medicine to transform old habits and create a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.

Tools to use every day to recognize and transform stress into creative energy.

10 weeks of compassionate and dedicated support to help you establish and maintain self- nurturing practices.

A deep nourishing experience for your body, mind and soul.

Transform stress through mindful living and the art of nourishment. Transform your life by Mastering the Art of Stress Free Living.

 

 

 

Kitchary and Kanjee

In Ayurveda, food is considered to be the first and most potent medicine, and therefore changing and adapting your diet to the circumstances of your life is essential both to healing from disease and every day well-being.

Here are two of Ayurveda’s beloved healing foods: these are widely used in Pancakarma, or Ayurvedic detoxification ritual, and also throughout the year whenever your feel down or depleted. Simplifying your diet in times of stress, illness, emotional turmoil and changing seasons gives your body a chance to use the freed extra energy for healing and rejuvenation. These two recipes can be used as a stand- alone dish once or twice a week, or for monthly detoxifying protocol, as a part of 1 – 5 day monodiet. ( Monodiet simply means you are eating the same thing for breakfast, lunch and dinner). The duration of your monthly cleanse will be determined by your primary dosha.
To learn more about Ayurveda, doshas or Panchakarma please schedule a one-on-one consultation or register for one of Satori’s iLIVE workshops.

Kitchary:

1/2 organic short grain brown rice
1/4 split mung dal ( lentils)
salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric ( optional)
2 cups of water
2 tsp flax or hemp oil

In a medium pot on high heat combine all ingredients, except for oil, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover with lid, and cook for 45 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes, drizzle with oil before serving.

Kanjee:

10 cups of water
1 cup of white rice
pinch of salt

In a large pot bring the water and rice to a boil. Allow to boil for 1 hour, strain or puree, and eat ( or drink) as much of the mixture as you’d like.