This last weekend was one of those dates on the calendar that you look forward to all year. A weekend where you just get nourished on many levels, even if you were a production team member. I knew very little about the event until a week or so before. It is on my calendar for next year already!
It was the 2nd year of an amazing event called Wanderlust held up in Squaw Valley, Ca. The premise of the event is to bring the dedicated yoga communities together in one spectacular place showcasing Some of todays most progressive and heart opening inspirational teachers and mix in a little live music. Talk about nourishing the body, mind, and spirit!
I had the fortune of being up there for the last day of the event. I chose to stay committed to my Taoist medicine and seminary classes that thursday and saturday so sunday was my only opportunity. After my first yoga class in the Anusara Pavilion and last class of the entire event, I was wishing I had been there all weekend. Now, lets also keep in mind that even though I have a personal daily yoga practice in my mornings to get my body charged for my day, That class was the first class I had been to in over 2 years. My last class was with an AMAZING teacher named Paul Reynolds on the island of Kauai.
So there I was at 6000 ft elevation engulfed by the warm mountain breeze, surrounded by almost 200 present conscious practicing yogis and yoginis, laughing my way through asana as my heart opened and overflowed, my body stretched beyond the limits I thought I had, and my spirit rested sweetly in the collective connection with the Divine. I say this all and I am still not sure it captures the feeling. I literally laughed with joy all through the session! Next came a little Thai massage lesson session and a bouncing rawkus dance to inspire the change we are all choosing to embody as we take the road less traveled on the way to the Divine.
Later in the day, there was a jazzed pool party and a concert played by Beats Antique and the Brazilian Girls. Besides the PHENOMENAL company of my host which was heart opening in its own ways, My highlight was the moment I totally and completely connected with the pulse of the Anusara community and the Divine mid session. I was sinking deeper and deeper into my body, calming my mind, nurturing myself through those conscious movements of asana, when we began a posture I don't know the name for. We started in downward facing dog and lifted one leg up in the air, bent the knee and let it fall over the opposite side of the body. we then helped that opening along by lifting the hand on the same side of the body back behind up creating a spinal twist. The goal was to open the chest and heart soooo much that our foot touched the person next to us. I somehow got there, touched my loving neighbor with my toes and sent love her way. In the previous movements she had been able to reach me as well and did the same. Somewhere in those movements, I connected to the Divine through my heart in a way I seldom feel and I laughed. I felt free and joyous and empowered in this group yet so solidly in my body. The laughter just overflowed from me, nearly uncontrollable for the next several asanas.
Maybe it was the elevation, maybe it was the quart of amazing green juice I had drank on my way up there, maybe it was the company, maybe it was the teachers.....maybe it was me.
I created this perspective. No one else. I choose to be so present in those moments that I touched my source and was replenished. I chose to see the creative play in those moments and dance. I stayed flexible: mentally, physically, spiritually. I chose to play and I simply showed up with all of me. I could have chosen to hold on to the frustration of the highway traffic earlier in the day, or the discontentment I felt after my window controller broke off in the 90 degree weather. I could list all sorts of things that could trigger me into a state where I am more focused on my attachments to how I want something to happen instead of basking in the creativity of what is happening.
But instead I chose to see it all as different parts of the same Divine source. There is no separation once you step beyond duality. Judgement becomes irrelevant. Why does it matter that something is perceived different by the senses. Sit still and listen to the underlying pulse. There is only One. That One is complete and unconditional. It is the same everywhere, in everything. Everything then becomes the 10 thousand faces of the Divine and it is all a dance.
Who wants to Dance?! I do! and I will....come join me because there is no dance like it and it is the most rewarding dance of all!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
New times....
Another week has flown by, filled with adventures and musings of all shapes and sizes. Since it has been a little bit, I need to fill ya in on the juice cleanse progress and the gall bladder cleanse.
Over the last little bit I have received several questions about my cleanse, the gall bladder part in particular. Most of the questions were pretty general inquiries into the nature of the cleanse and its process. AS for the total concept behind the juice cleanse, I was looking to take in as much nutrient dense vegetable material as possible while allowing my digestive function to get a well needed break from the work it is constantly performing. This then allows the other organs the opportunity to work less strenuously and detoxify. At the organs begin to relax and let go of the residual accumulation of toxic materials, the liver and kidneys take on the the very important roles of cleaning the blood of all this new trash.
This is where we step into the realm of the gall bladder and its importance. The gall bladders role is to act as a storage facility for bile that is produced by the liver in order to help break down complex fats and proteins. If the liver is not processing proteins and cholesterol properly, they will collect and form stones.
Due to the lack of the Calcium key, strontium, in our daily diets, there tends to be a great deal of loose unused calcium that floats around collecting in places we dont want it to. This is where we get calcification within joints or in this case, proteinaecous cholesterol stones in the liver. The calcium begins to harden the stones possibly creating biliary blockages in the liver or gall bladder.
Since the gall bladder is the resevoir for bile produced by the liver, the stones tend to collect in that convenient little pocket. Over the course of years of mainstream fast food culture or a nutrient lacking diet, the stones collect and eventually fill the gall bladder. They get hard and there is nothing to help out of the body. I believe that regular Sirsasana or the yoga posture of headstand for longer timings and deep relaxation will help allow the organ release. Kind of like turning a cup upside down to remove its contents. Eating less saturated fats is also a huge help!
So here we are at the stage where our gall bladder is full of stones, our digestion is difficult fraught with gas and bloating, and we seem to be triggered into frustration and anger easily. Within the Chinese medicine perspective, the gall bladder is the organ responsible for enactment of the decision making process. It is the gall bladders job to take the drive and vitality of the kidney essence and turn it into direct action. As with any form of blockage, there is stagnancy. With stagnancy there is a lack of energetic movement. Without energetic movement, there is no growth and development and within the case of the gall stagnancy, we are talking specifically about clarity of mind and succinct decision making skills.
Now, it is time to get those stones out!! Like I said before, Sirsasana on a regular basis will help. And if you are doing headstands for long timings daily, chances are you are also conscious about your dietary intake. If neither of those are your thing, there are a couple ways to eliminate the stones. First thing to think about are the items that you can put in to help soften the stones: Apples! Apple pectin does beautiful job of softening the calcified stones. Soft gall stones means easier out fot the little rocks. Juicing fresh green apples get you the greatest amount of pectin in comparison to other apples. By spending a 2 week period eating fresh foods, preferably a raw foods diet, while supplimenting either apple pectin in 2x a day or drinking 4 cups of fresh apple juice, you are giving your body a chance to eliminate the stones on their own.
Another way to cleanse the gall bladder is to spend 3 to 4 days paring down your diet to juices. On the 4th or 5th day you will be taking in epsom salts with water to help dialate your hepatic and digestive ducts. At the end of the day you will be drinking a cup to two cups of grapefruit juice and a cup to 2 cups of olive oil. The olive oil acts as a lubricant to wash the stones out. The grapefruit balances the ph of the mix and helps open the liver. You can also use lemon juice. This mixture can be fortifies with many different herbs and vegetable juices to stimulate bile flow and production and detoxify the liver. Fresh tumeric juice is a phenomenal addition. Once you take down the olive oil and juice, you immediately lie on your right side with your knees up allowing the mixture to sit in the liver and do its job.
Rest well and in the morning you take another little dose of epson salts and water to open the ducts. Soon after the digestive process happens you will begin feel the stones releasing. Stones can be many different colors and hardnesses depending on their age and calcification. They will come out in your stool, and you will want to be close to a toilet for this whole day. Plan this day to be focused on just this. You will be glad you did. You Will see the stone float in the toilet as they are mainly calcified cholesterol deposits. The onse that are a brighter green are congealed clumps of the oil you drank the night before. The oil clumps around smaller stones and acts as a vehicle for swifter removal. Reincorporate nutrient dense foods into your diet with digestive enzymes and probiotics by the truck load. Bile is extremely alkaline. To produce it, the body needs mass amounts of nutrient balanced salts: sea veggies in particular.
This second way is the quickest and most invasive. Depending on your constitution and vitality, make an informed decision before jumping in to a full on cleanse. If you have a regular health care professional that you are working with, talk to them about it. Be smart with you body!
Over the last little bit I have received several questions about my cleanse, the gall bladder part in particular. Most of the questions were pretty general inquiries into the nature of the cleanse and its process. AS for the total concept behind the juice cleanse, I was looking to take in as much nutrient dense vegetable material as possible while allowing my digestive function to get a well needed break from the work it is constantly performing. This then allows the other organs the opportunity to work less strenuously and detoxify. At the organs begin to relax and let go of the residual accumulation of toxic materials, the liver and kidneys take on the the very important roles of cleaning the blood of all this new trash.
This is where we step into the realm of the gall bladder and its importance. The gall bladders role is to act as a storage facility for bile that is produced by the liver in order to help break down complex fats and proteins. If the liver is not processing proteins and cholesterol properly, they will collect and form stones.
Due to the lack of the Calcium key, strontium, in our daily diets, there tends to be a great deal of loose unused calcium that floats around collecting in places we dont want it to. This is where we get calcification within joints or in this case, proteinaecous cholesterol stones in the liver. The calcium begins to harden the stones possibly creating biliary blockages in the liver or gall bladder.
Since the gall bladder is the resevoir for bile produced by the liver, the stones tend to collect in that convenient little pocket. Over the course of years of mainstream fast food culture or a nutrient lacking diet, the stones collect and eventually fill the gall bladder. They get hard and there is nothing to help out of the body. I believe that regular Sirsasana or the yoga posture of headstand for longer timings and deep relaxation will help allow the organ release. Kind of like turning a cup upside down to remove its contents. Eating less saturated fats is also a huge help!
So here we are at the stage where our gall bladder is full of stones, our digestion is difficult fraught with gas and bloating, and we seem to be triggered into frustration and anger easily. Within the Chinese medicine perspective, the gall bladder is the organ responsible for enactment of the decision making process. It is the gall bladders job to take the drive and vitality of the kidney essence and turn it into direct action. As with any form of blockage, there is stagnancy. With stagnancy there is a lack of energetic movement. Without energetic movement, there is no growth and development and within the case of the gall stagnancy, we are talking specifically about clarity of mind and succinct decision making skills.
Now, it is time to get those stones out!! Like I said before, Sirsasana on a regular basis will help. And if you are doing headstands for long timings daily, chances are you are also conscious about your dietary intake. If neither of those are your thing, there are a couple ways to eliminate the stones. First thing to think about are the items that you can put in to help soften the stones: Apples! Apple pectin does beautiful job of softening the calcified stones. Soft gall stones means easier out fot the little rocks. Juicing fresh green apples get you the greatest amount of pectin in comparison to other apples. By spending a 2 week period eating fresh foods, preferably a raw foods diet, while supplimenting either apple pectin in 2x a day or drinking 4 cups of fresh apple juice, you are giving your body a chance to eliminate the stones on their own.
Another way to cleanse the gall bladder is to spend 3 to 4 days paring down your diet to juices. On the 4th or 5th day you will be taking in epsom salts with water to help dialate your hepatic and digestive ducts. At the end of the day you will be drinking a cup to two cups of grapefruit juice and a cup to 2 cups of olive oil. The olive oil acts as a lubricant to wash the stones out. The grapefruit balances the ph of the mix and helps open the liver. You can also use lemon juice. This mixture can be fortifies with many different herbs and vegetable juices to stimulate bile flow and production and detoxify the liver. Fresh tumeric juice is a phenomenal addition. Once you take down the olive oil and juice, you immediately lie on your right side with your knees up allowing the mixture to sit in the liver and do its job.
Rest well and in the morning you take another little dose of epson salts and water to open the ducts. Soon after the digestive process happens you will begin feel the stones releasing. Stones can be many different colors and hardnesses depending on their age and calcification. They will come out in your stool, and you will want to be close to a toilet for this whole day. Plan this day to be focused on just this. You will be glad you did. You Will see the stone float in the toilet as they are mainly calcified cholesterol deposits. The onse that are a brighter green are congealed clumps of the oil you drank the night before. The oil clumps around smaller stones and acts as a vehicle for swifter removal. Reincorporate nutrient dense foods into your diet with digestive enzymes and probiotics by the truck load. Bile is extremely alkaline. To produce it, the body needs mass amounts of nutrient balanced salts: sea veggies in particular.
This second way is the quickest and most invasive. Depending on your constitution and vitality, make an informed decision before jumping in to a full on cleanse. If you have a regular health care professional that you are working with, talk to them about it. Be smart with you body!
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