The Yogic Way

theyogicway

5 ELEMENT MEDITATION

Freeing the Human SpiritWorking Through the

Layers of IllusionCausation: The Water

that Nourishes the Tree of Disease

JULY - SEPTEMBER 2009 YoUR SoURcE foR Yogic Living

2

Publisher/EditorKavita [email protected]

Creative ServicesDaniel [email protected]

Cover Designed byDaniel Peters

Contributing Writers:Kim GrahamTracy HarrisonSteven HeightonKavita MaharajSandra MazzeiKrista RogersC. Scott RyanHeidi SherwoodCheryl Vanderburg

Would You Like to Contribute?All readers are encouraged to contribute to The Yogic Way®. Should you have a story or lesson to share, feel free to submit it to Kavita Maharaj at [email protected]. If there is something you would like to see included in our publication, please do let us know, we would be happy to consider it.

About The Yogic Way© Magazine:The Yogic Way® is a quarterly online magazine published by Red Door Yoga®. It explores the Yogic path with its many facets and applications to daily living.

The Yogic Way®

Red Door Yoga®

www.reddooryogacanada.comwww.reddooryoga.ca

inside this issue...

The Yogic Way Recipe 13

Philosopher’s Corner 13

Random Acts of Kindness 14

The Yogic Way Word Search 15

3 Ask Kavita Yogic Answers to Life Issues New Feature by Kavita Maharaj

4 Exploring the Art of Living Introduction to Ayurvedic Philosophy by Heidi Sherwood

6 5-Element Meditation by Dr. Kim Graham

7 Freeing the Human Spirit by Cheryl Vanderburg

8 Causation (Nidan) The Water that Nourishes the Tree of Disease by Scott Ryan

12 Working Through the Layers of Illusion by Kavita Maharaj

6anger

13

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3JULy - SePteMBeR 2009 theyogicway

QA&Ask Kavita Yogic Answers to Life Issues

Q Hello, I am 14 years old. I currently weigh 220 pounds. I

am 5 ‘9 tall and i am wanting to lose weight. I also want to learn how to control my breathing. Is it true if you can control your breathing you can control your emotions? If so, that is what want and I wanted to know if you could help. I also wanted to know about pranayama and its ways.

sincerely - Mr. blue

A Yes, it is true that if you can control your breathing, you can

control your emotions. It is also true that if you breath properly, your metabolic rate (the rate at which you burn the calories taken in by eating) tends to increase.

Pranayama is a very effective and deep practice, but a good introduction to it can be found in: “The Breathing Book” by Donna Farhi. I have this book listed on the Red Door Yoga website (www.reddooryoga.ca) under “Resources. I would suggest starting here.

Two other practices that would be helpful for you to look at adding in is meditation (for the mind is the origin of all emotion) and walking (a very low impact way of adding cardiovasular work that also helps to settle your emotions).

A consistent program of pranyama, meditation, and walking should help considerably with your desire to both control your emotional states and your weight. Do remember to approach the practices gradually and in a positive manner.

Q One of my students has a “morton’s foot” and has trouble

with her balance poses. I know we talked about that in the anatomy course, but I can’t remember what the solution to that was.

- K

A Firstly, for those of you who are unaware of what a Morton’s

foot is, Morton’s Foot Syndrome is recognized by a deeper web space between the first and second toe, or by a second toe that appears to be longer than the big toe. It is sometimes called a Morton’s Toe.

The issue that arises with having a Morton’s toe, is that instead of the foot bearing weight correctly on three points (the heel, the ball of the big toe, and the ball of the baby toe), it bears the weight on two points (the heel and the ball of the second toe), like an ice skate. That means, that instead of having a stable tripod base, the foot has an unstable planar base. An unstable foot base, causes the entire body’s alignment to become unstable. And in Yoga practice, a student with a Morton’s toe will experience significant difficulty in balance postures.

To deal with a Morton’s toe, one must learn to lift the second toe only slightly away from the floor. This lifting of the second toe causes the big toe and baby toe ball to plant into the floor instead. This brings the foot’s weight to bear upon the proper tripod so that the foot is stable. Overtime, with consistent practice, this second toe lift will become natural, allowing the foot to be stabilized throughout daily living as well.

Q How long has the yogic path been in your life and when you

struggled with understanding what did you find helped?

- T

A I was introduced to Yoga twenty-five years ago by my

father, a traditionally practicing yogi. At first my engagement in the practice was more of a way of getting to understand my father. As time went on, however, the practice became a way of getting to know myself instead.

At times when I struggle to understand, I try to remember that struggle means that I am attached to a particular view or outcome. And that if I simply detach myself, the understanding will come into view. I also try to remember that understanding comes when the mind is able to accept that understanding.

Another thing I do when I struggle with understanding is seek the counsel of someone who understands Yogic philosophy and is fairly detached from the issue with which I am struggling. For me, that person is often my own teacher... my father.

QA& Ask KavitaIf there is a question on any

aspect of the Yogic Path that you would like answered, please email

Kavita at [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]

4 theyogicway JULy - SePteMBeR 2009

Ayurveda is the new buzz word hitting the North American natural health community. Meaning the “wisdom of life”, Ayurveda (r-u-vey-dah) is not a new concept; in fact it is a complete medical system that has existed for five thousand years. Known as the “Mother of All Healing” it has a track record of success for the treatment, and support for a variety of health problems. This system has become increasingly popular in Canada

different branches of medicine like surgery, genecology and general medicine...etc. It is important to understand that Ayurveda is not a substitute for Allopathic medicine which routinely and successfully treats many diseases and acute conditions. Rather Ayurveda can work in conjunction with Allopathic medicine. We have each experienced a visit to our doctor complaining of the symptom of not feeling well or being a little off; yet we are told there is nothing wrong. What we are experiencing is our body going out of balance when the imbalance/condition has not yet presented itself. It is at this time that care and support from an Ayurvedic practitioner or doctor would be best.

One of the the ways in which Ayurveda differs from Allopathic medicine is the application of the five element theory which incorporates the aspects of earth, air, water, fire, and space into understanding health. For example, a skin condition may be red, hot and yellowish in colour therefore indicating excess fire. The five elements merge into three doshas (doe-shas). Vatta (vah-tah) dosha is represented by wind and space; pitta (pit-tah) dosha is fire and earth; kapha (caw-fah) dosha is earth and water.

When we think about the dosha’s we think about them in connection to the corresponding elements. For example water and earth combined together give us mud which is cool, slow moving, and thick. Thus these qualities tend to dominate a person with a dominant kapha dosha. Every person possesses some of the qualities of all three doshas. The unique balance of vatta, pitta, and kapha determines a person’s constitution, body type, and mental and emotional strengths and weaknesses.

Exploring the Art of LivingIntroduction to Ayurvedic PhilosophyBy: Heidi Sherwood

and the United States, as we struggle to find solutions for the increasing demands on our established health care system alongside the increasing need for lifestyle balance and individual awareness about what supports health and what does not.

In order to successfully apply any health care plan, the individual must understand the language in which the information is being relayed. They too must become knowledgeable, participate and create an individualized approach to achieve the desired goals.

The older we grow the more we understand that living well is an art

form. Simply said, Ayurveda offers us a succinct way of living in

harmony with ourselves and our environment. Ayurveda,

also meaning “the art of living”, teaches how

to interact with our environment

and parallels Allopathic

(Western) medicine

in that it has

The older we grow the more we understand that living well is an art form.


Vatta is essential for movement throughout the body. It resides in the colon as well as brain, nervous system and joints. Vatta is the leader of the dosha’s and is the first dosha to go out of balance which causes early stages of disease. A vatta person:

Is creative, alert and restless• Walks quickly, talks and thinks fast, has • little energy reserve/tires easily Is thin, has difficulty putting on weight • and usually has quite dry or wrinkled skinTends to have less willpower, • confidence and is more intolerant to fluctuation than other doshasOften feels unstable or nervous, • anxious or ungroundedHas variable digestion and appetite; • tends to have digestive problemsCan easily acquire wealth but spends it • quicklyShould avoid dry and cold foods•

Pitta governs the lower stomach, liver, gallbladder and small intestine. It is responsible for the agnis (digestive fires), metabolism in the organs and tissues. A Pitta person:

Has a warm body, strong appetite, good • digestion and a strong metabolismHas medium height and build• Is alert, intelligent and a direct • communicator; when aggravated will be short tempered, irritable, jealousIs sensitive to heat, sunlight and hard • physical work

Has a tendency towards fire diseases • such as fever, inflammatory conditions, ulcers, skin rashes, and burning sensationsShould avoid spicy or salty foods•

Kapha governs lubrication, upper stomach, lungs, chest, form and structure. A kapha person:

Has a strong, heavy frame, and soft, • thick skinHas good stamina, and an excellent • outlook on lifeIs a slower eater and has slower • digestionIs calm and affectionate; when out of • balance is stubborn and lazy or slow to respondIs a slow learner with a methodical • approach and excellent memory retentionHas a tendency to overeat, dwell in the • past and “veg-out” a lotShould avoid sweets•

Your prakruti (prah-kroot-tea) is your individual blueprint given to you at birth that is a blend of the three dosha’s. Knowing your prakruti helps you achieve balance as it represents your ideal state. Virkruti (vrah-kroot-tea) is your current state and indicates which doshas are deficient or accumulated. Your prakruti and virkruti are determined best through pulse diagnosis. However, once you develop an understanding of the doshas, it is easier on a day-to-day basis to maintain

Exploring the Art... cont’d

Kelli Etheridge 250.619.6273 | [email protected] | www.etheridgephotographic.com

Let me tell your story....

balance by altering your lifestyle to achieve a state of health. For example, if you have dry skin, you should avoid drying foods like dry toast or nuts; when you are irritable or experience a rash, you should avoid spicy foods, saunas and sun exposure; if you are feeling sluggish and having trouble getting up in the morning, you should avoid heavy foods like potatoes and bananas, and increase your activity level.

Ayurveda addresses all aspects of life – the body, mind and spirit. It recognizes that we are individuals responding differently to internal and external factors and that each of us possess unique strengths and weaknesses. Exploring the ancient traditions of Ayurveda will open the door to vast knowledge that can lead one to both health and happiness.

Heidi Sherwood is the founder and owner of Sapphire Day Spa. Visit her at: sapphiredayspa.com

References & Suggested Readings: Dr. Vasant Lad, “Ayurveda: The Science of Self Healing”Dr. Robert Svoboda, “Prakruti”Victoria Anisman-Reiner, “Three Ayurvedic Doshas of India”

http://www.etheridgephotographic.com/


This meditation is based on the Chinese Medical representations of the 5 elements. It can be done anywhere, anytime, but is best done outside in the environment where there are physical representations of the elements.

The practice outlined below takes place at the beach, but could be performed near any body of water. Be creative if you are not able to get to your location of choice to practice.

Namaste

The Earth Element:With your feet in the sand, feel how naturally they sink

deeper, pulling you in, rooting you. This is the earth grounding you. Spend some time here, spread your toes wide, feel how good it feels to be rooted. Feel each grain of sand as it slips through your toes, over your foot. Feel how the ground beneath you presses against your feet, holding you firmly. The world wants you to be here.

The Metal Element:Associated with the Lung in Chinese medicine, and the

process of “letting go”, breathing is the second phase of the meditation. Breathe deeply into your lungs. Expand your belly, and breathe in the ocean, beach, lake, and surroundings. Start the process of letting go of any stress or negative feelings you may have. With every breath, you feel more at peace, clearer, lighter.

The Water Element:Associated with the Kidney in Chinese medicine, it

represents the root of life, willpower and inner strength. Feel the water washing against your skin. The ebb and flow of the water against your body is representative of the stressors, or trials you face in life. Sometimes they feel as though they will wash you away, but the water always recedes, like life’s challenges. Let the water nourish your soul and quench your thirst for knowledge. There is strength in knowing that even when the water is turbulent and crashing on the shore, the waves always recede back to the sea, and calmness will follow. Nothing on this planet can survive without water, ourselves included.

The Wood Element:Associated with the liver in Chinese medicine, it is the

fourth phase of the meditation. It represents our ability to remain flexible. In Yoga practice, tree pose is one of stability, strength and flexibility. As all trees blow in the breeze, we must remember to be flexible in our thoughts, and actions. The greatest test of this flexibility is reflected in our ability to resolve feelings of anger,

and resentment, which are associated with the liver. Look around you for trees, driftwood, etc. Notice how they bend and sway while remaining strong and beautiful. Notice how driftwood floats along the surface of the water, taking every bob and weave in stride.

The Fire Element:The sun represents the last phase of the meditation. The heart

represents the fire element in Chinese medicine, and is said to be the King of the body. Close your eyes and feel the warmth of the sun on your skin. Breath deeply into your heart center and let the warmth spread. Remember also that fire can be used to help light your way when you feel lost or in the dark. It brings light where there is darkness, warmth where there is cold, and cooks the food that nourishes us.

Bring your hands into prayer and press your thumbs deeply into the center of your chest to focus your attention to the area. Take some time here to reflect on all of the 5 phases of the meditation.

Close the meditation with a heart-felt thank you to yourself, and the environment for nourishing you and reminding you of these valuable lessons.

5-Element Meditationby Dr. Kim Graham

The Ripple EffectBefore leaving the water’s edge, find a stone.

You will be throwing this stone into the water before you leave.

This stone represents yourself, your actions, and deeds. Hold it for a few minutes and contemplate whether you are positively or negatively affecting those around you today.

Throw this stone into the water. Watch how the ripples in the water grow larger, and larger. These ripples serve as a reminder that our actions, deeds, words affect others and the world around us.

Take inventory of your actions thus far today.


FreeingHuman Spirit...the

A healing program of meditation and yoga for inmates.

Freeing the Human Spirit is a Canadian charity bringing hope and healing to inmates in correctional facilities in Canada. Our volunteer teachers deliver a program of meditation and yoga designed to help inmates pursue the ultimate quest - to experience the Sacred.

Our goals and objectives are to:promote and advance the physical, • mental, and spiritual development of inmates in Canada through the practice of meditation and yoga. train, develop, and support volunteer • meditation and yoga teachers who offer classes in correctional facilities. develop and deliver a program of • volunteer correspondents who reply to letters from inmates to support them in their practice.

Our HistoryOur Founder & President, Sr. Elaine

MacInnes, is a Catholic Nun, Zen Master of the Sanbo Kyodan based in Kamakura Japan, prison activist, spiritual author and classically trained musician. She spent over 30 years in Asia learning the healing power and spiritual experiences that meditation and yoga can bring. In 2001, she was awarded the Order of Canada for ‘offering those who are incarcerated a path to hope and peace’. The documentary of her life and work, ‘The Fires That Burn’ was nominated for Best Biography Documentary Program at the 2006 Canadian Gemini Awards.

Her prison work began in 1980 while in the Philippines. A well known political prisoner, then being tortured in the Bagog Bantay Detention Centre, asked Sr. MacInnes to teach him and his fellow detainees how to meditate. When she witnessed their transformation from being angry, tense and troubled, to becoming positive, relaxed and hopeful, she became an enthusiastic advocate of the practice that was to become the Freeing The Human Spirit program. It was then

that she began her work in earnest make prisons places of help and healing and not simply venues for punishment.

In 1993, Sr. Elaine was invited to Oxford, England to become the Executive Director of the Prison Phoenix Trust. By 1999, the Trust had placed meditation and yoga teachers in 86 prisons and had over 5,000 readers of the Trust's quarterly newsletter.

Upon her return to Canada in 2004, Sr. Elaine founded Freeing the Human Spirit. The program was designed by Sr. Elaine and Laurel Scott, a yoga teacher and founding member of Yoga Outreach, which operates in southeastern British Columbia and teaches yoga to men and women in correctional facilities.

The Healing PracticeIn yoga, by being one with our

breathing as we stretch and relax in the postures, both our internal and external body systems are helped. When we tune in to our breathing in this focused way, the practice of yoga actually begins. In meditation, being one with our breathing in silence, sitting in a specific posture; with no thinking, no remembering, no imagining and no emoting, the practice of meditation begins. When these two steps are accomplished, the place in which we are becomes an Ashram.

With the practice of meditation and yoga, the ego gradually diminishes. Zen Masters say that an over-active ego leads to offending behaviour. When ego is weakened through our daily practice, the life-giving Sacred is gradually allowed to pursue its own course. Eastern religions say the Sacred returns to its spontaneity within us.

The Common HumanityInmates are almost invariably from

poor backgrounds or have financial problems. Many are mentally ill. Many are victims and or perpetrators of abuse with anger management issues and low

self-esteem. Many lack commitment or purpose and suffer from depression. Many lack social skills and have a low level of education. And many have substance abuse problems.

They are social outcasts, and conditions in prison are harsh and dehumanizing. Many inmates are abandoned by family and friends and have little if any contact with the outside world. They have negligible support.

Our Program TodayToday our program provides for

mats and cushions and delivers weekly meditation and yoga classes in over 16 correctional institutions. It recruits, trains and supports the over 100 volunteer meditation and yoga teachers who facilitate our program inside. It supports over 300 prisoners in their personal meditation and yoga practice by providing books, newsletters and personal encouragement through our letter writing program.

And our program is working. Here are some of the comments our students have shared with us:

“Yoga works better for my anger management than anything else I have ever tried”

“I have found something that really helps me and I want to continue when I am released.”

“For the first time I can see something within me that I can like”

Like us, inmates desire to find out who they are. The hope of Freeing the Human Spirit is to help them to recognize that they have a unique opportunity to do just that. We believe that silence can simply be the best gift to offer inmates, to help them feel normal. Silence is refreshing and cleansing and it can help us all to heal.


changes is stopped. The twenty gunas (qualities) travel with the cause, which feed the doshas. The doshas then travel from their sites in the GI tract towards areas of weakness (khavaigunyas). Here pathology can blossom, bloom and sprout into full blown disease.

What is a “Cause”?

A cause is a necessary antecedent to an effect. The effect naturally follows the cause and lays latent within it until some upadhi – limiting condition, sets it in motion.1 The relation between the cause and the effect created is logically congruent. In other words, it is one that has been observed to have happen in times before, so we know through our cognitive capacities that this relationship is true or at least very probable. “The cause is the effect concealed and effect is the cause revealed. The relationship between the cause which produces and the effect produced is congruent and inherent.”2

One can infer the effect from the cause, and the cause from the affect. A good Ayurvedic physician is able extend logic to uncover the source of causation hidden within any particular pathology. There are four primary types of causes – those caused by diet, those caused by lifestyle, those caused by psychological factors, and those caused by time.3

The Factors or Categories of Causation

There are many ways that we can look at disease. One such way is through the serial manner in which disease is created in the body. Disease can be caused through external factors such as trauma, or environmental pollutants; or internally by malfunctions within the body – such as poor digestion. It can be of the mind as in psychological disorders, or it can be of the body.

Last issue we looked at the Ayurvedic perspective on disease and pathology in which we discussed the differences between quantitative and qualitative changes within the body, the difference between imbalance and disease, as well as the paths the doshas make in their travels around the body. We will now discuss causation in order to slide into treatment principles more easily. Causation is the best place to start in health management because to treat the cause is to treat the effect. Effective health maintenance requires that the cause be addressed either by removing the cause, avoiding the cause or by modifying the cause in some way.

This is a rich time of year for metaphors – the world abounds with them, as us in the northwest experience the return of spring and the subsequent flooding of waters from the sky and mountains. The earth drinks, the trees flower and fruit, and the sun warms the chilly iciness of our bodies into a thaw. On the microcosmic level of our bodies this is mirrored, as kapha liquefies and overflows, flooding the fields of our tissues.

This same process, in simile, takes place with all factors of causation called Nidan or Hetu. In Ayurveda, hetu, nidan or causation can be likened to a tap which when left on fills the bucket beneath it, eventually overflowing to create a flood. By turning off the tap the whole development of pathological

Causation (Nidan): The Water that Nourishes the Tree of Disease.by C. Scott Ryan


the improper contact of the sense organs with their objects) – so we will limit our discussion to these three potent forms or categories of nidan (causation)

Prajnaparadha is translated into “going against the wisdom of the body” – not listening to the intelligence of the body. In Ayurveda, this transgression is said to be the root cause of a majority of diseases. Every cell of the body is a centre of consciousness, a seat of awareness. The flow of nutrients into and wastes out of cells is the expression of this consciousness, which operates through the movements and actions of prana and apana vayus. Prana brings nutrients into cells; apana takes waste products out of cells.

The body mirrors what is taking place at the cellular level. Agni within the membrane digests extracellular nutrients into energy (ATP), water, cellular structure and consciousness. This agni is intelligent – it knows what to select, what requirements the cell needs in order to be nourished. Often times if we keep this river flowing

clean, being mindful of what we are dumping into it, it will eventually cleanse itself. If we keep dumping inappropriate food, medicines or supplements into our bodies, or keep practicing inappropriate lifestyles including too much exercise, insufficient exercise, or improper exercise we are sowing the seeds of future pathological changes.

We commit crimes of wisdom when we eat a certain food knowing that it is harmful for our constitution, for instance “last time I ate this I had a great stomachache” yet we go on eating this same food. Another example is smokers who go on smoking knowing that it is bad for their lungs, suffering from pneumonia,

There are many causative factors that may instigate the progression of doshas within the body – from accumulation, to aggravation, spread and deposition.

All causes have duration: some will produce disease quickly – such as choking, or some take a long time to produce their affects such as cancer caused by smoking. Some causes are strong and some weak, some are specific such as viruses; while others arise from other diseases, so are considered secondary such as diabetic retinopathy.

Disease may also arise through the accumulative affect of several weak causes such as taking a cold shower, standing in an air conditioned environment, and eating ice cream – each cause is not strong enough to produce an effect but together, this accumulative cold weakens the vital force of the body and may produce a kapha disease such as cold, congestion and cough, or even pharyngitis.

Diseases may also be idiopathic – that is, arising from no known cause. In Ayurveda, however, these may be attributed to either past life experiences, curses from gurus or supernatural agents. This is why it is very important to respect your teachers and elders, for what we give is what we get back from the universe. Idiopathic illnesses – those caused by past life experiences and actions, or those caused by supernatural agencies, arise much like throwing a ball against a wall – returning to us from no obvious source.4

The Three Most Common Factors of Causation

The three most common causes according to Ayurveda are prajnaparadha (crimes against wisdom or mistake of the intellect), parinama (seasonal factors) and asatmya indriya artha samyoga or ati hina and mithya yogas (the excessive, insufficient or

which creates a weak spot, and then continuing to smoke eventually winding up with cancer.

Why do we commit these types of indiscretions? There are many answers to this. One reason is that we simply do not know what our constitutions are so we repeatedly make mistakes. For instance a vata individual eats re-fried beans in a taco which causes them to have gas because their agnis are irregular – visama, (visama agni has a difficult time digesting high protein foods) then the next night eating chick pea curry resulting in stomach cramps and bloating. This unfortunate person does not know enough about themselves to realize that it is their agni and not the beans that is the problem. So they go on making poor food choices all the while blaming the beans for their discomfort.

Another reason we commit crimes against our own innate intelligence is that sometimes life is too hard to digest karmically, so we reach for outside and often harmful, addictive substances to help digest our life experiences. All addiction is caused by

ama (toxins) both on a psychological and physical levels – we are failing to digest something, and most addictive substances are hot and sharp which goes to digest this ama.

Prajnaparadha also occurs when our egos (ahamkara) darkens the intellect (buddhi) and tries to take control of our minds. This causes us to identify with our bodies instead of our higher cognitive faculties and our souls.

We all commit Prajnaparadha at one time or another in our lives and it is very subtle and sophisticated. Do not judge someone who suffers under Prajnaparadha as judgment creates ama and is created by ama on the mental level. Thus judgement become a cycle. We go on judging until there is no one left to judge, then we judge ourselves.

Parinama means “influence”, and includes that which

“If we keep dumping inappropriate food, medicines, or supplements into our bodies... we are sowing the seeds

for future pathological changes”

page 10

Ayurveda cont’d


is extended through friends, family and societal pressures. More often than not, however, when we speak of parinama we are referring to influences exerted by season, climate and time (doshic influence related to the times of day, seasons and age – childhood, adulthood and old age).

Each season has a proclivity to cause doshas to accumulate, aggravate and then calm down. Most of the time this homeostatic control system inherent in nature keeps the body running smoothly, but if the aggravated doshas fail to attain homeostatic balance they will enter the third, fourth, fifth and then sixth stages of pathology (discussed in the previous The Yogic Way® Magazine issue).

During early spring kapha – the water and earth elements within the body become aggravated and overflow as the heat of the sun liquefies the water element in the body that accumulated in the deep freeze of winter. Kapha, in the spring, spreads throughout the body and in particular through the lymphatic system, which has an affinity for kapha dosha and actually produces kapha dosha as a waste product of its metabolism. This means that kapha disorders are more prevalent during this time of year such as spring colds, allergies, congestion, cough, mumps and swollen glands. Kapha naturally calms down in late spring when the heat in the outside environment dries it out. The heat then causes pitta (the fire and water elements) to accumulate.

The liver is the storehouse of pitta due to its confluence with the blood – this is why the late spring is considered “liver time” in Chinese medicine. Nature provides deep green, bitter, leafy vegetables to help pacify and tonify the liver – expelling excess heat before it really can get out of control later in the summer.

During the summer months kapha is alleviated but pitta is now aggravated making us more

susceptible to pitta disorders such as sunstroke, sunburn, rashes and severe heat related allergies and skin diseases. As the summer progresses and the night air cools, vata gradually gains predominance and finds its actualization in the fall, where the outside cold and rough qualities create cold and rough changes within

our bodies such as cracking popping joints, insomnia and arthritis.

An interesting phenomena occurs during the rainy season – although vata is accumulating, pitta may actually breakout during this time. This can be seen when some individuals exhibit shingles, herpes and other pitta related skin disorders caused by pitta not having attained homeostasis and being pushed into the skin by the aggravated vata dosha.

In the winter pitta is alleviated and both vata and kapha gain predominance through the dryness of the air and the damp whiteness of the snow respectively. Ayurvedic practitioners assist nature in the natural biorhythms of control – helping the body return to a state of balance with the inherent qualities present in each season.

Ati Hina and Mithya Yogas refer to the excessive, insufficient and improper correlation of the sense organs with their objects and is the third most potent cause of disease. This refers both to sensory deprivation and excess sensory stimulation as well as being exposed to dissonant sensory stimuli. Examples include being deprived of natural sunlight, and over exposure to too many sights, such as occurs in watching excess TV. Watching excess TV may also be considered as improper correlation due to too many flashing images or disturbing images such as violence.

All our senses are susceptible to these three types of influence – the ears, skin, eyes, tongue and sense of taste, and/or nose and sense of smell.

It is important to pay attention to diet and lifestyle factors – eating healthily and partaking in appropriate exercise relative to our constitutions. It is equally important to be aware of

the stimuli to which we expose ourselves - cultivating an awareness of both quantitative and qualitative factors present which exert their influence as key determinants of health. Life does not form in a vacuum and

we share a symbiotic relationship with all that is organic and inorganic.

The Two Major Classifications of Disease and What Causes Them

There are two classifications of disease and their causes that all other categories can fit into. The first is over nourishment and the second is undernourishment – Bruhana Santarpanotha and Langhana Apatarpanotha. In western civilization we are more prone to diseases of over affluence, over stimulation and diseases of excess – such as obesity, diabetes and cancer. While people in third world countries, in particular, are more prone to diseases of insufficiency or depletion such as hunger, starvation, malaria and AIDS. These are dramatic examples given to illustrate the difference between those caused by kapha and those caused primarily by vata and pitta.

Likewise as children we are more prone or susceptible to kaphagenic disorders as kapha is predominant in our formative years from birth to 16 years. Apatarpanotha diseases caused by pitta and vata affect our adult lives and our old age respectively as the body is dominated by metabolic processes as adults and catabolic processes as we age. This classification system is also important to understand as treatment, which we

“Life does not form in a vacuum and we share a symbiotic

relationship with all that is organic and inorganic.”

Ayurveda cont’d


will discuss in the next article, aims at treating bruhana with its opposite (langhana), and langhana with its opposite (bruhana).

Subtleties will take time to fully understand but if you are persistent you will come to realize the great wisdom that is hidden within this ancient, profound art and practical clinical science. There are many excellent books that treat of these subjects in a great more detail than I can afford in a few thousand words and I encourage the reader to seek them out. Vasant Lad, David Frawley and Robert Svoboda are three excellent teachers who have provided much information for those who are just beginning on this path of self-discovery, as well as those who want deeper details. If you have any questions about what I have been presenting to you over the course of this last year please email me at: [email protected] 1 S. Radhakrishnan. Indian Philosophy. Volume

2. Oxford University Press. New Delhi. © 1929, 1989, 1999. Oxford University Press. pg 92.2 Vasant Lad. Evening Lectures 2004 – 2005. © 2005 The Ayurvedic Institute. Albuquerque NM.

3 Vasant Lad. Evening Lectures 2004 – 2005. © 2005 The Ayurvedic Institute. Albuquerque NM.

4 A complete list and discussion of all 32 types of Nidan is beyond the scope of this article but if the reader is interested in learning more, a complete description of all categories of Nidan can be found in Vasant Lad’s. Textbook of Ayurveda. Volume 2. A Complete Guide to Clinical Assessment. The Ayurvedic Press. Albuquerque, NM. ©2006. A “must read” for all serious students of Ayurveda.

Some Other Just Onesa footnote to Borges

By Steven HeigHton

the printer who sets this page with skill, though he may not admire it.Singers of solo expertise who defer and find harmonies instead.Anyone whose skeleton is susceptible to music.She who, having loved a book or record, instantly passes it on.Whose heart lilts at a span of vacant highway, the fervent surge of

acceleration, psalm of the tires.Adults contents to let children bury them in sand or leaves.Those for whom sustaining hatred is a difficulty.Surprised by tenderness on meeting, at a reunion,

the persecutors of their youth.Likely to forget debts owed to them but never a debt they owe.Apt to read Plutarch or thich nhat Hanh with the urgency of one

reading the morning news.Frightened ones who fight to keep fear from keeping them from life.the barber who, no matter how long the line, will not rush the masterful

shave or cut.the small-scale makers of precious obscurios–pomegranate spoons,

conductors’ batons, harpsichord tuning hammers, War of 1812 re-enactors’ ramrods, hand-cranks for hurdy-gurdies.

The gradeschool that renewed the brownfields back of the A&P and made them ample miraculous May and June.

the streetgang that casts no comment as they thin out to let Bob the barking man squawk past them on the sidewalk.

the two African medical students in Belgrade, 1983, who seeing a traveller lost and broke took him in and fed him rice and beans cooked over a camp stove in their cubicle of a room and let him sleep there while one of them studied all night at the desk between the beds with the lamp swung low.

those who sit on front porches, not in fenced privacy, in the erotic inaugural summer night steam.

Who redeem from neglect a gorgeous, long-orphaned word.Who treat dogs with a sincere and comical diplomacy.Attempt to craft a decent wine in a desperate climate.Clip the chain of consequence by letting others have the last word.Master the banjo.Are operatically loud in love.these people, without knowing it, are saving the world.


According to Yogic philosophy, when the formless Divine manifests into the physical world, it becomes encased in five illusionary sheaths, or koshas. These sheaths can be visualized like a set of five Russian Matryoshka dolls, each one encasing the other. And like Matryoshka dolls, when we first look at it, we think the surface layer is the whole picture. Bit by bit, as we examine the doll, we will discover that there exists another layer within. And when this second layer is uncovered, it too seems like the real picture. But through continued examination, another layer. If we successively work our way inwards, however, opening each layer up, we will eventually find the true centre within. So too, if we work our way inwards through the kosha’s we will eventually find the True Self.

Each sheath also works like a layer of textured glass, distorting and disguising the appearance of the Divine within. This distortion must be seen through, layer by layer, in order to reach the centre. Understanding how the koshas interact with one another, is very helpful to us on this inward journey. Our understanding of the koshas essentially acts as a map to the soul or Atman within.

According to the map of the koshas, each sheath is progressively more ethereal. And as such, the further inward one goes, the more mindful and connected one needs to be in order to sense the progressive subtleties of the layers. Gradually accessing the deeper sheaths, brings one systematically closer to the experience of the True Self.

The first and most external sheath is the Annamaya kosha or the physical body. This sheaths carries a strong level of distortion and most of us identify with it as the True Self, though it is far from it. The Sanskrit word “anna” means “food”, and it speaks to the basic nature of this kosha. As physical beings we must take care of our bodily health to make the journey of transcendence. To nurture the annamaya kosha, one must cleanse it, nourish it

sattvically, and exercise it. The Annamaya Kosha is comprised of the Pancha Bhutas (five elements): earth; water; fire; air; space.

The second sheath is the Pranamaya kosha. More subtle than the first, this kosha can be felt on a very instinctive level. We are constantly attracted or repelled by the Pranamaya kosha of other people and easily mistake this for the True Self. The Sanskrit word “Prana” means “life force”, and it speaks to the vibrant nature of this kosha. The Pranayama Kosha is the sheath that animates the Annamayakosha in this physical realm, activating the senses that link it to the external world. The Pranamaya kosha is also the sheath that links the body and mind. Like the Annamaya Kosha, the Pranamaya Kosha must be cleansed, nourished sattvically, and exercised. The Pranamaya Kosha flows through pervasive yet invisible energy channels within the Annamaya Kosha, called “Nadis”.

The third sheath is the Manomaya kosha. This sheath is in some ways the most distorted of the five koshas. It is easy to become convinced by this kosha that what it shows you is the truth, despite things being clearly otherwise. The Sanskrit word “Mana” means “mind”. The Manoyama Kosha is the sheath that deals with thoughts, emotions, and desires. Through the Pranamaya Kosha, the Manamaya Kosha directs the physical body and senses . The Manamaya Kosha must be explored, nourished sattvically, and disciplined. Imbalances within the Manomaya Kosha cause imbalanced flow patterns within the Pranamaya Kosha, which in turn creates imbalance within the Annamaya Kosha.

The fourth sheath is the Vijnanamaya kosha. This sheath is quite subtle and requires

considerable ‘listening in’ to understand and see through it. The Sanskrit word “Vijnana” means “knowing”. The Vijnanayama Kosha is the sheath that deals with intuitive discrimination and conscience. The Vijnanamaya Kosha connects the physical realm into the spiritual realm. The Vijnanamaya Kosha must be explored and one’s connection to it strengthened.

The fifth and last of the five koshas is the Anandamaya kosha. This is the most subtle of the koshas, and in some ways, the most enjoyable. As a result, it can also be a kosha in which one gets stuck, not wishing to move the last step further to find the truth. The Sanskrit word “Ananda” means “bliss”. The Anandayama Kosha is the most subtle sheath. It is the sheath of pure bliss that exists beyond mental reasoning; a bliss borne simply of being. The Anandamaya Kosha, though subtle and joyful, is still an illusionary sheath that must be seen through to experience the Atman within the centre. During everyday life however, one’s connection to the Anandamaya Kosha should be strengthened such that one is able to sit within its state of being during all activities. This allows the yogi to maintain a state of sattvic bliss, equilibrium, and clarity throughout life.

When one is eventually able to see through the five illusionary sheaths, or koshas, one is able to see the world in its many forms as one and the same. All is the Divine manifested. The air, the floor, the trees, tthe animals, us... there is no difference in the True nature of anything that exists. The difference is only maya, or illusion.

Working Through the Layers of Illusion

by Kavita Maharaj


The Yogic Way Recipe: Far Reach SaladRecipe provided by Tracy Harrison

This is a delicious salad for any occasion. Serve it as a side dish for your next meal or bring it to your next potluck.

Salad2 cups grated carrot1 cup diced broccoli (or torn kale with spines removed)¾ cup diced red pepper¼ cup diced green onion ¼ block crumbled low fat feta ¼ cup toasted sunflower seeds

Combine carrot, broccoli, red pepper, green onion, feta cheese and sunflower seeds into a large bowland mix well.

Dressing¼ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup olive oil1 clove garlic

2 tbsp cup miso paste

Blend ingredients together in a food processor or blender. Stir desired amount of

dressing into salad until evenly spread.

Enjoy!

Philosopher’s CornerConsider This...

Tracy is a Registered Personal Trainer and owner of FemFit – for more information about Tracy and FemFit please visit www.femfit.ca

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” - The Buddha (563-483 B.C.)

“In controversy, the instant we feel anger, we have already ceased striving for truth and have begun striving for ourselves.” - Abraham J. Heschel (1907 - 1972)

“There are two things a person should never be angry at: what they can help, and what they cannot.” - Plato (428-348 B.C.)

“When you are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger.” - Epictetus (55-135 A.D.)

“ Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness.”

- James Thurber (1894 - 1961)

anger


I was just heading off to my car (a couple of block away) in my socks when an elderly man from down the hall came out to hear what all the noise was about. When he heard about my shoes, he offered me slippers to wear. I had never met him before yet he was quite willing to trust me with his (what looked like) Italian leather slippers. There were in very good condition and he offered me other choices if these weren’t to my liking.

I borrowed the leather ones. They were a perfect fit and I thought they looked quite sophisticated with my jeans. I was touched by his willingness to share with and trust a stranger.

The next day, I brought the slippers back and he chatted with me and another neighbour, telling us the history of the slippers. It was also a gift to go into a world where people have lots of time to chat and little time to be in a hurry.

- Sandra Mazzei (Nanaimo, BC)

This Random Act of Kindness

actually took place was while we were in yoga class on Saturday. I heard this story from the mom of the birthday boy, who had just turned 2.

My 7 year old son, Brendan was at a birthday party. They had

brought out a piñata filled to the top with candy. And of course, everyone knows kids and candy...they’ll pretty much do anything to get it, and LOTS of it!

The kids were sooo excited for it to break so they could fill their little bags. Once it broke, the birthday boy’s mom noticed Brendan gather a whole pile of candy and then dropped it in her son’s lap!

It may seem small to an adult this little good deed, but I’m sure from a child’s perspective this was a BIG act of kindness.

- Krista Rogers (Nanaimo, BC)

Last year I became pregnant for the first time and sadly lost the baby early in my pregnancy. When I got to the hospital to get ready for surgery, the nursing team was amazing. One nurse in particular stood out as she stayed with me the entire time, got me tea, cookies...whatever I needed. She also gave me her phone number after surgery if I ever needed to talk about my loss. That day, she was my angel and I am truly appreciative of her.

- Anonymous

Random Acts of KindnessA little goes a long way

My mother is 86 years old and recently, she moved from the senior’s apartment building connected to her church in Victoria to an independent living building that provides meals. This was a difficult move for her so she was staying at my house in Nanaimo while I headed out alone, very early in the morning, to Victoria to meet the movers who would assist me in packing up the belongings.

As all moving jobs turn out to be, this was a much bigger event than I had anticipated. After several hours of working with the two moving men, they left with the final load. I was to do a few finishing touches and meet them at the new location. I prepared myself for the unpacking ahead and said good-bye to the apartment only to find that my shoes were gone. It soon became evident that the movers had moved my shoes. My mom’s friend from across the hall came along at the same time as I figured this out and we started laughing about it.

@Do you have a story you’d like to

share?

If you’ve experienced an unexpected act of kindness in your life, we’d love to hear from you. Simply send a short email to [email protected] telling us all about it.

We’ll gladly publish it along the way.


ANSWERS from last issue!These words appear throughout this issue of The Yogic Way. Find them in the puzzle...AGNIAHAMKARAANNAMAYABUDDHICAUSATIONEARTHFIRE

HUMANINFLUENCEKOSHASMATRYOSHKAMETALOUTREACHPHEONIX

SATTVICSPIRITTOXINSTRUSTVIJNANAMAYAWATERWOOD

The Yogic Way Word Search

See next issue for the answers to this puzzle.

I H Q U I N P R V I M S I G T T V

P C E E R F E M Y S E T S L I N P

Q N O P P Y R I A Z C W A O A V T

E A V F R R E A K P R D N M H E I

C R A Y O N S I T O E L A N E A S

N Y I M G L H N I N A S O O M O R

E O N P A T I S A S T K A V I Q U

L Z E H P A F I R E I I D Y S H T

I E R T R Z O G L N V K M Z P A U

S Q H B A E V H Y P E R E E H K V

L H P K S L O T T E I N S T E I N

E Y O C A R L L S N O S L C R E L

M H Z V R A Q U I N O A L M E N P

T S I M A L K O P R C E E L L E R

N O H A P P Y R E M E P C Q S U P

L M C N O Z O M P H E R E S L A T

T R S K N A H T K V N O S R E M E

V

E E R F Y N

A C A

E R K R M H

C R A Y O N S I T E A E

N I G N I A S M

E N A I S T I

L E p A I E I I S

I R R G V M P

S H B A H E E H

P S T E I N S T E I N

O A L R

Z R Q U I N O A L E

I A E

H A P P Y C

C O M

S K N A H T N O S R E M E

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