Kratu was one of the four mind-born sons of Brahma, ______ . He was intelligence personified.
My teacher, Syl Carson of Bodhi Yoga, used the word "kratu" to mean our personal wisdom and intelligence in action. She would often tell us to use our "kratu" while practicing to make sure we don't get hurt, or to use our "kratu" while teaching others to make sure we are not hurting them.
I love this idea of intelligence in action. It's one thing to know something, and it's another thing entirely to put that knowledge to use wisely.
Just as an example, let's talk about high school. When I was 16 I knew how to drive. I had taken drivers education; I passed my driving exam; I was given my license. I knew how to drive.
I routinely put that knowledge into action by going to the city (an hours drive) with my friends regularly. Not to mention the time I put in driving to and from school, parties, athletic events, etc. I'd say I'd logged at least 1000 hours driving before I was 17.
But was I wise in the use of this knowledge?? oooooooh dear me. I had 4 accidents before I was 18. Yes, you read that right. 3 of those 4 accidents happened within 6 months of each other. I accidentally backed into a family friend in a parking lot; I turned left into an oncoming car; I rear-ended a fellow student when it was raining and slippery; and I side-swiped a concrete pillar in my sister's brand-new mini-van. Sigh. No, I was not wise in the practice of my driving knowledge.
Intelligence in action is using your knowledge wisely--- I may "know" how to do yoga because I've been practicing for years. I may "know" how to teach yoga because I took a teacher training course. But am I using that knowledge wisely?
It's an interesting question to ponder. I believe that with every class I teach, with every new interaction with a student, and especially with my own personal practice time, my wisdom grows.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Coping with anxiety
Daily yoga practice has brought about many changes in my life. I've experienced many physical benefits (like my pants fitting better, better digestion, and less frequent sickness), but the mental benefits are what surprise me most.
Ever since I was little I have had a fear of throwing up. Me throwing up. A stranger throwing up. Hearing someone throw up. Seeing it. Thinking about it. Ugh. Honestly, I cringe even writing the words "throw up." My family always said I had a "Barf Radar," because I have a sixth sense about vomit. I always seem to know beforehand when someone is going to hurl, and I would run and hide as quickly as I could.
Having children is NOT a vomit-free job. It's pretty inevitable that you will someday be cleaning up throw-up in the middle of the night...multiple times. When I had my first child, I was panic stricken. I'm not kidding--- moments after giving birth, I started freaking out about the inevitability of puke. It strikes fear into my heart. I have no idea why. I think that's the definition of a phobia, right?
Anyway, the point of all of this is that when my son used to get sick (even just a runny nose and cough), I would tense up. I'd start trembling so badly I couldn't hold a cup. My bowels would start churning and I'd get stress-diarrhea. I was so anxious and scared I would make myself sick. The possibility of him maybe throwing up was too much for me! I would spend the entire night awake and tensed.
Since I've started a daily yoga practice I find that I have space in my mind to step back from any situation before I react. So when my children get sick now (actual throw-up sick), and I start to feel myself getting anxious, I breathe. I'm able to look at the situation and see that there is no physical threat here. It is a "perceived threat," and my body is reacting as if it were in danger. All of a sudden I can stop the anxiety in its tracks. I can breathe it away and move forward with the mantra, "I am safe."
Yoga is a physical practice that guides our bodies into situations of "stress" and teaches us to breathe through the stress. Relax into it. As we move into different asanas we are teaching our bodies to move into stress and find peace.
In an article published in her teaching manual, Syl Carson, founder of Bodhi Yoga, says, "In cultivating a yoga practice we teach our bodies how to move into perceived stress, 'playing the edges' of pain, discomfort and opening. Outwardly this may look like simply a physical movement, however; the process is equally mental as we face our own internal fear and control issues" (Yoga and the Physiology of Stress)
Anxiety has always been a part of my life, and it will probably always be a part of my life. My Vata constitution makes me prone to anxiety if I'm out of balance. Thankfully yoga is a simple exercise in bringing me back to earth. It gives me the ability to recognize times of stress and not allow them to carry me off into fits of anxiety.
Ever since I was little I have had a fear of throwing up. Me throwing up. A stranger throwing up. Hearing someone throw up. Seeing it. Thinking about it. Ugh. Honestly, I cringe even writing the words "throw up." My family always said I had a "Barf Radar," because I have a sixth sense about vomit. I always seem to know beforehand when someone is going to hurl, and I would run and hide as quickly as I could.
Having children is NOT a vomit-free job. It's pretty inevitable that you will someday be cleaning up throw-up in the middle of the night...multiple times. When I had my first child, I was panic stricken. I'm not kidding--- moments after giving birth, I started freaking out about the inevitability of puke. It strikes fear into my heart. I have no idea why. I think that's the definition of a phobia, right?
Anyway, the point of all of this is that when my son used to get sick (even just a runny nose and cough), I would tense up. I'd start trembling so badly I couldn't hold a cup. My bowels would start churning and I'd get stress-diarrhea. I was so anxious and scared I would make myself sick. The possibility of him maybe throwing up was too much for me! I would spend the entire night awake and tensed.
Since I've started a daily yoga practice I find that I have space in my mind to step back from any situation before I react. So when my children get sick now (actual throw-up sick), and I start to feel myself getting anxious, I breathe. I'm able to look at the situation and see that there is no physical threat here. It is a "perceived threat," and my body is reacting as if it were in danger. All of a sudden I can stop the anxiety in its tracks. I can breathe it away and move forward with the mantra, "I am safe."
Yoga is a physical practice that guides our bodies into situations of "stress" and teaches us to breathe through the stress. Relax into it. As we move into different asanas we are teaching our bodies to move into stress and find peace.
In an article published in her teaching manual, Syl Carson, founder of Bodhi Yoga, says, "In cultivating a yoga practice we teach our bodies how to move into perceived stress, 'playing the edges' of pain, discomfort and opening. Outwardly this may look like simply a physical movement, however; the process is equally mental as we face our own internal fear and control issues" (Yoga and the Physiology of Stress)
Anxiety has always been a part of my life, and it will probably always be a part of my life. My Vata constitution makes me prone to anxiety if I'm out of balance. Thankfully yoga is a simple exercise in bringing me back to earth. It gives me the ability to recognize times of stress and not allow them to carry me off into fits of anxiety.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Doshas
A few years ago, a friend of mine started talking about "the doshas." It sounded a bit like a personality test you'd find in a magazine... so naturally I was into it. :)
Your dosha, or mind-body composition, is determined when you're conceived. It's your unique mixture of the five elements (ether, air, fire, water, earth). Everyone has a different ratio of these elements in their composition. The three doshas are:
Vata (air and ether), the energy of movement
Pitta (fire and water), the energy of transformation
Kapha (water and earth), the energy of construction
Your dosha will be a unique ratio of all three of these. Usually with one or two as the leading dosha.
For example, I am a pitta-vata. That doesn't mean that I don't have kapha, it just means that pitta and vata are more prevalent.
Your natural state is called your Prakruti. However, environment, diet, stress, habits (i.e. LIFE) can cause us to go out of balance and enter a state of dis-ease. These periods of imbalance are your Vikruti. Luckily, knowing your dosha can help bring you back into a state of ease and balance quickly.
If you'd like to know more about your dosha, you can take a quick test at Banyan Botanicals, HeyMonicaB, or the Chopra Center. These are all great resources to learn more about the doshas in general, and how you can return to your Prakruti.
What I love most about ayurveda and the doshas is that everyone is unique. Modern health and nutrition advice is often very generalized. They make broad statements and apply is to everyone. But the doshas tell us that what is good for one may not be good for another. A cold salad might be just what a pitta needs on a hot summer afternoon, but it will probably give a Vata gas and bloating. There's a one-size-fits-all attitude in nutrition these days that really bothers me. Ayurveda sees the individuality of health and wellness. I like that.
There is a wonderful introduction to Ayurveda on the Bodhi Yoga website as well. It's a short video where Syl Carson, founder of Bodhi Yoga, talks about the doshas and why they're important.
Your dosha, or mind-body composition, is determined when you're conceived. It's your unique mixture of the five elements (ether, air, fire, water, earth). Everyone has a different ratio of these elements in their composition. The three doshas are:
Vata (air and ether), the energy of movement
Pitta (fire and water), the energy of transformation
Kapha (water and earth), the energy of construction
Your dosha will be a unique ratio of all three of these. Usually with one or two as the leading dosha.
For example, I am a pitta-vata. That doesn't mean that I don't have kapha, it just means that pitta and vata are more prevalent.
Your natural state is called your Prakruti. However, environment, diet, stress, habits (i.e. LIFE) can cause us to go out of balance and enter a state of dis-ease. These periods of imbalance are your Vikruti. Luckily, knowing your dosha can help bring you back into a state of ease and balance quickly.
If you'd like to know more about your dosha, you can take a quick test at Banyan Botanicals, HeyMonicaB, or the Chopra Center. These are all great resources to learn more about the doshas in general, and how you can return to your Prakruti.
What I love most about ayurveda and the doshas is that everyone is unique. Modern health and nutrition advice is often very generalized. They make broad statements and apply is to everyone. But the doshas tell us that what is good for one may not be good for another. A cold salad might be just what a pitta needs on a hot summer afternoon, but it will probably give a Vata gas and bloating. There's a one-size-fits-all attitude in nutrition these days that really bothers me. Ayurveda sees the individuality of health and wellness. I like that.
There is a wonderful introduction to Ayurveda on the Bodhi Yoga website as well. It's a short video where Syl Carson, founder of Bodhi Yoga, talks about the doshas and why they're important.
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