Most days I go for a short walk around  a marsh that is close to my home, anyone in Nanaimo knows Buttertubs Marsh as it is such a lovely place and it is right in the heart of the city.  Today on my walk, which was the first sunny day in many not so bright ones, I noticed how the ducks really had it made. These ducks know how to live, effortlessly, spending time with friends and family, soaking up the sunlight and fresh air and getting a little exercie when they feel like it.  Swimming, sunbathing, not a worry in the world.

Nature is like this, without a thought  it unfolds each day, no struggle, no planning, no agenda, going with the flow. The flowers just grow. I aspire to live like this, even with my daily ‘to do’ list and plans for the future in hand, I aspire to allow each day to unfold its grace to me. Along with the ducks, one of my favourite teachers who helps to keep me coming back to this daily awareness is Maya Tiwari, author of numerous books on Ayurveda and a woman so inspiring just by way of her example and how she has chosen to live, that she has affected thousands of people worldwide.

For most of us on the spiritual path the concept of Sadhana describes our ‘dailly practices’ whether it be meditation, chanting or asanas and pranayamas, we make a commitment to some practice and then return to it daily as part of our dscipline and devotion.  For Maya all of life has become Sadhana, or at least that is what I am learning from her, to let everything I think and do  be part of my practice.  So now cooking is Sadhana and so is walking, talking, gardening and being with others.   Everything becomes an opportunity to align with nature’s rhythm  thereby bringing the timeless quality of grace into each activity.  Life flows effortlessly.

As we ease into spring I find myself welcoming the season with cleansing practices that have kept me healthy for many years. It seems we need to continually adjust to natures harmony to stay in the flow. Ayurveda asks us to make adjustments especially at the change of seasons .This year as usual I began with herbal bitters for a few weeks then a three day fast, as well as my usual yogic cleansing kriyas. This time of year is considered the kapha season, moist, cool and prone to excess mucus, hence the tendancy for sppring colds. there are many ways to cleanse. I know that these simple seasonal efforts will prepare me for the next  season and that I will be able to avoid a sping cold. These common colds are generally just the body’s way of  eliminating mucus from the system. a spring cleanse will also shake off any lethargy and shed excess from the winter.  We stay in sync with natures changes by making an effort to balance this body to her rhythm.

Maya Tiwari in her excellent book  ‘ The Path of Practice ‘  has many tips for aligning with natures wisdom.  Here are a few MANTRS for the SEASONS

p558 “As you practice the food Sadhanas – whle you are cutting fruits and vegetables, grinding the spices, cooking the foods, and when you sit down to your meal – you can bring positive energy to the experience by reciting mantras that are appropriate to the season you are in. These simple affirmations remind us of that the cyclical nature of our own biorhythms reflects the cyclial nature of the universe and that we can use the seasons as a guide for our own spiritual transitions.”

Seasson                    Mantra

spring                        regenerate and transform

summer                     celebrate and rejoice

early fall                    reorganize and revitalize

autumn                      harvest and simplify

early winter             gather and contain

late winter               rest and reflect

I wish you all a Happy Spring!

Warmth

Sandra (Sagarmurti)

In 2003 I attended Maallaa’s inaugural (lucky me) Kid’s Yoga Teacher Training. At that time my own children were fairly young and we offered classes for young children as well as teenagers at this studio. Times have changed, my children are adults now and we no longer teach those classes here. What happened? I got busy following my most current interests and those interests changed. So why am I offering this training through the studio now you ask?

Well, there are many reasons, the first one that comes to mind is how it will benefit the immediate community,, that is the young mothers who attend my classes and are sharing what they learn with their own children, I know this training will give them the skills they want to be the very best mothers they can be. It will help them to incorprate what they know about Yoga into their childrens lives in a way that will be meaningful and accessible. They may even see their own practice from a new perspective.

For the community at large this training will appeal to the students enrolled at our local university, Vancouver Island University, especially those in the Education Department, there have been requests from these students to offer something like this. so many people are practicing yoga now in our community, as elsewhere throughout the world, these educators are the ones who need the skills to share with the younger ones once they are in the position to do so.

Who else can benefit? Anyone who works with young children will enhance and develop new skills that they are not even aware of.  Many preschool teachers have incorporated these methods into their programs, Yoga Teachers at studios across Canada have added Yoga for Children to their schedules after taking this program as well.   Maalaa is a master educator with a very strong background in Yoga, she teaches from her heart and has spent many years develpoing this program into what it is now.  This is a not to be missed opportunity for anyone teaching children who also has an interest in Yoga.

How will the children benefit?

Young children learn to value the breath, to slow it down and be in charge of their own minds. They learn how to be calm and focused, concentration skills are taught that will serve them well in all areas of their lives. Working in pairs and in groups teaches co-operation while having fun and building respect for themselves and others.

The games and interaction in the program encourage the children to be expressive and creative. Even children who are not as naturally athletic enjoy Yoga and so develop a positive attitude towards exercise while they become physically and mentally active and fit.  Children with special needs easily benefit from the practice of Yoga.

Developing an awareness of Yoga at an early age sets the stage well for a healthy and peaceful life. I will quote     Swami Satyananda in his book Yoga Education for Children,

“The practices of Yoga not only help to keep the young body strong and supple but also incrporate mental activities, disciplines that help to develop attention and concentration, and stimulate the creative abilities that are latent within the child. Imagination in children under six is usually expended on toys and fairy tales, but we can also give them real things to imagine, putting them in a more accurate relationship with their environment, making them capable of dealing with this real worlld. . . . .As the child grows older and enters school, these same yoga practices augment his learning abilities at school, and the regular discipline helps the growing child to channel and direct his emotional energies in a constructive manner.”

Those are the words of a master Yogi, one who has seen countless children thrive on these practices, Maalaa is another master teacher and Island Yoga Vista is very pleased to have her return to Nanaimo to offer this program here again.

Yoga gives us hope for a better future for our world and our families, starting by teaching our children how to live life as a continual expression of Joy is the most hopeful thing we can do.

Namaste

Sandra Sagarmurti Shotton

Kid’s Yoga Teacher Training with Maalaa May 5 & 6  2012 at Island Yoga Vista, Nanaimo

Dear Friends and Yogis,

A short pause to reflect before classes start again on January 3.  I cherish these times of reflection, my perspective shifts and clears as I ease into these precious moments alone.

It is with a sense of gratitude that I say goodbye to 2011, a year of so much change and growth it is astonishing to think it all happened. Here at Island Yoga Vista we are flowing well with this river of change and I hope that you are as well.

I will share with you some of the changes here.  Graduating from The American Institute of Vastu Shastra in May was a highlight for me personally.  Since completing the Practitioners level course I have done 27 rectifications on homes and business in Nanaimo and area. If you are not sure what Vastu is I am giving a Public Talk at Lobelia’s lair in the Fitzwilliam Mews on Friday, January 27, 7:30-8:30pm.

Another  exceptional experience was meeting James Swartz at a weekend workshop  on Salt  Spring Island in July   I then travelled to Oregon to spend a week studying the Yogic Scriptures with him and it has changed my life. Cathy Valentine and Thommas Michaud are in India now continuing the study on a two month course with Ramji (James) On their return we will have lots to share with you .  On March 2 we will have a Satsang with Simon Thomson of  Victoria and on April 22 Cathy Valentine will hold a workship on Yoga Philosophy as well as a deepening of our asanas. You can read about Ramji (James Swartz) at  at www.shiningworld.com  , and see more about these events and workshops in that section of this website.

Anita Kalnay has been travelling  down from the Comox Valley monthly to do massages in our little Spa room and has been very successful right from the start with full bookings and a growing clientele. I hope she will continue to make the journey to offer this service in 2012  as she has become a wonderful addition to this healing space.

My own Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy sessions have expanded to include two new hands on healing techniques as well as helping people to create healthier home environments with the use of Vastu.  It is very fulfilling to be able to offer what I can of these Vedic Sciences for the health and well being of our clients.

The Nanaimo Art Walk was a fabulous community event which we participated in for the first time in 2011. Yoga and Art are my two life long passions, both of  which I have been fortunate to explore in some depth over many years. It is in the past four years of painting that I have begun to become a little more public with my paintings and the support has been wonderful. We will participate in the next Art Walk in June as well as having a showing of paintings at the Serious Coffee shop in Southgate Plaza midFebruary, for 6 weeks.

Our weekly Yoga Classes continue to provide a strong foundation for this yoga studio.  For the past 15 years IYV has served the public of Nanaimo with the vastness of  what Yoga offers. In addition to our yoga classes, this year Thommas Michaud has been teaching Tai Chi and Chi Kung to a very dedicated group of students and has demonstrated to all how highly trained and skilled he is as a practitioner and teacher.  As well Mary Jo Fulmer started teaching a Dnce/Movement Therapy Class which none of her loyal students are able to describe, including myself. Clearly this class is an experience beyond words (at least for now) . MJ is a masterful teacher and welcome addition.  We will need more dancers to keep this going so please come and give it a try, dropins are welcome.

These were a few of the many blessing of 2011, sometimes challenging and always fruitful and positive.  In reflecting on these blessings I feel my enthusiasm sparked for the coming New Year and the surprises it will no doubt bring. I focus my mind on how much Island Yoga Vista has to offer and the grace with which it changes and grows with the support of nature and our community.

What we put our attention on naturally grows stronger in our lives and the gratitude we feel brings grace in abundance.

With a feeling of gratitude for the support of our clients, everyone reading this letter, our friends and the community of Vancouver Island, I now move my focus to what I would like to manifest for 2012. (In my private journal!)

Many thanks and warmest wishes to all for great success, health and happiness in 2012.

Sandra Sagarmurti Shotton

Ayurvedic Spring Detox

According to Ayurveda, good health is dependent upon our capability to fully digest and elimate food as well as process information taken in by our 5 senses. Any Ayurvedic detox should involve boosting our digestion, known as ‘agni’ in Ayurveda, as well as restoring our senses.

When this digestive capacity, know an ‘agni’ is balanced, we create healthy tissues, eliminate waste products efficiently and produce a subtle essence called ‘ojas’. This is the basis of physical and emotional strength, and immunity and is key to feeling full of life. On the other hand, if our agni is weakened, digestion is incomplete. This accumulation of toxic residue is collectively known as ‘ama’. Ama is the accumulation of toxins in the body from improperly digested food or waste materials in the body. This substance is heavy, dense, cold, and slimy and blocks energy flows, leading to obstructed nourishment and disease.

Ama is the root of most colds, fevers and flu, as well as the chronic diseases of a weak auto-immune system which may range from allergies and hay fever to asthma, arthritis, or cancer. Other symptoms that can be improved by a short detox are headaches, brain fog/poor concentration, fatigue, joint pain, muscle aches and pain, and skin problems such as acne or eczema. By removing ama from the body and mind we bring a higher state of being to our lives.

But its not just the right diet that is so important as negative emotions (fear, anger, greed, and guilt) also create mental toxins. These are as damaging as their physical counterparts and obstruct the flow of positive feelings and mental clarity, and lead to mental imbalance. Undigested experiences become toxic like undigested food. So, its not just what we eat, but how we feel when we eat it! Furthermore, our 5 senses our often overused or underused, such as excess staring at screens, or standing by the speakers at a night club!

So, do you think you might have ama, after the long Winter?

Symptoms of ama in the body include: loss of taste and appetite, indigestion, tongue-coating, bad breath, loss of strength, heaviness, lethargy, and obstruction of channels (eg: constipation) and vessels in the body, with accumulation of waste-material, bad body odour including urine or feces, lack of attention, loss of clarity, depression, or irritability.

Detoxification is a natural body process to reduce ama. It is, however, compromised when our system becomes overloaded from a variety of causes that include poor diet, allergies, stress, infections, and toxins such as heavy metals. So what can we do to support the body’s natural process of detoxification at this time of year? Panchakarma is an ancient form of Ayurvedic purification which removes ‘ama’. By cleansing and detoxifying the body, it also helps build the natural fire within the body, or ‘agni’, which itself naturally burns ama from the body. It is the ultimate mind body detoxifying experience, though it takes time (3 weeks minimum), can be expensive (though is cheaper in India) and is not for the faint hearted!

Given the time and expense of this, a simple home detox is more easily achieved, over a week or even a long weekend. Spring is an ideal time to do this (as well as Autumn). The following steps are simple ways to boost ‘agni’ and help your body clear any ‘ama’ that has accumulated over the Winter:

1. For a week, eat foods that are easy to digest such as vegetable juices made with some ginger, vegetable soup, steamed vegetables and rice (pref brown and short grain as this helps draw toxins out). Avoid potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, aubergine (members of the nightshade family which are less beneficial for the body and also harder to digest) as well as salads and raw food beyond juices. Kitchadi is ideal- see Recipes page on my web-site.

2. You may even like to try a monodiet– just eating one food for a day or two to give the digestion even more of a break. Mung bean soup is ideal for this (See this newsletter’s recipe for more on the healing powrs of mung bean soup!)

3. To help the body digest food, use ghee (See Recipes), fresh ginger, cumin, fennel seeds, coriander, turmeric, garlic, black pepper and cinnamon- basically all ‘warming’ spices will act like a medicine to break the heavy, cold, sticky ama and boost the digestive fire (agni). All food should really be considered as medicine for the body.

3. Drink water at room temperature, along with herbal teas, especially those with the above herbs. You can make your own teas by grating and crushing these herbs in hot water, leaving for 5 minutes the strain and serve eg: fennel and cumin and ginger.

4. Avoid caffeine and alcohol. You may get a caffeine withdrawal headache after the first day (or even on the first day if you drink a lot) To help this, try cutting down gradually the week or two before you begin the Detox to give your body a chance to adjust gradually. Ayurveda advises never to put the body through big changes too quickly but to gradually reduce toxins (such as caffeine, but also drugs, alcohol, tobacco, tranquilisers etc)

5. Take herbal remedies to help digest ama after each meal, such as Trikatu and Triphala. Also Aloe Vera juice.

Triphala

Triphala is the most famous Ayurvedic formula. Its a mixture of three fruits (Amla, Haritaki and Bibhitaki) and is used to cleanse the whole system by regulating the bowels. Triphala is the best natural herbal remedy for sluggishness and regulating the whole digestive system. Amla has one of the highest Vitamin C contents in the plant kingdom and helps regulate the liver. Haritaki means ‘remover of disease’ and helps promote the bowel and tone intestinal muscles. Bihitaki helps maintain healthy mucus membranes. This is a very good remedy for everyone and a good laxative for stubborn constipation as it is safe for long term use. Its balanced spectrum of 5 tastes can be used to reduce food cravings and prevent over eating.

Dosage for the detox: Take ½ tsp 3 times a day with food or one teaspoon at night with warm water to detox the bowel. To take this way, add Triphala to a cup of boiling water and steep for 10 minutes. Drink the liquid when cool enough to drink, leaving the loose herb at the bottom of the cup. As your health improves, the taste will become less bitter! If the taste is really unbearable, you can take with honey. Exercise caution in pregnancy (can be taken as part of a formula as a general tonic).

Trikatu

Trikatu means the ‘three pungents’ and is made from Ginger, Black Pepper and Long Pepper. It is traditionally used for lung and nasal problems with the hot spices drying excessive mucus production. Trikatu is also used as a food supplement to help maintain healthy respiratory, digestive and circulatory systems. It is used in Ayurveda as part of a weight loss regime to increase metabolism, digest fats (and LDL cholesterol) and ‘ama’ (undigested matter) and balance appetite. It is traditionally taken with honey.

Dosage for the detox: Take ½ teaspoon after brunch and dinner to aid digestion and digest ama. Don’t use with hyperacidity, ulcers, with signs of aggravated Pitta (heat) in the body or in pregnancy.

Aloe Vera Juice

Aloe Vera Juice is a food supplement made from the pure inner gel and without synthetic preservatives. Aloe Vera is a naturally cooling and nourishing plant renowned for maintaining youthful looks, healthy skin and balanced digestion. It clears inflammatory heat from the body, whilst supporting gentle detoxification of the liver. It has been used for thousands of years for its healing properties and is one of Ayurveda’s most potent cleansing and rejuvenating elixirs. Aloe Vera is an amazing versatile plant – it truly is nature at its finest.

Dosage for the detox: Take 1-2 tablespoons every morning on an empty stomach for a cleansing and nourishing start to the day. Don’t use in pregnancy.

6. If you are prone to constipation (due to Vata imbalance or nature) take a teaspoon of castor oil with a pinch of dry ginger in a glass of hot water at night. This will cleans the colon and restore the proper flow of Vata through the body’s channels. The Triphala should also help ease the bowel.

7. Get plenty of rest, with yoga, meditation or other mind/ both integration techniques to help detox the mind as well as the body (remembering both are linked and will affect the other!) Negative thought patterns, stress and emotions can all lead to the build up of ama, as well as eating a poor diet, as they affect how the body digests food. As far as resting and restoring the senses, you may like to start using a tonguescraper (taste); going on a media fast for a week with no TV, newspapers, or radio (to rest the eyes, ears and mind); and using a neti pot to cleanse the nose.

You can tell that ama is being digested as at the end of the week, you will feel lighter, your mind and senses more alert and active. Once the week is over, continue to follow a diet that suits your dosha, eating lightly for another few days until your digestion has had a chance to recover from the cleanse.

For more information on how to detox the Ayurvedic way, I’d recommend the excellent Teach Yourself Ayurveda book by Sarah Lie.

This article has been borrowed with permission form the ‘Ayurvedic Yogi’ http://www.ayurvedicyogi.com/ayurvedic-spring-detox-or-how-to-lose-the-extra-winter-pounds/

A Few announcements . . .March 30   2011

Dear Yogis and Friends

I have just a few announcements to share. The most important one being the letter which follows from               Dr. Masaru Emoto asking each of us to send our prayers collectively tomorrow to the waters at the nuclear plants in Japan, at 12 noon. I believe this is a powerful way for us to make a difference.

Anita Kalnay, our very popular masseuse, returns April 9, 10. 11 and 12 to offer her massage services at Island Yoga Vista. Anita is developing a strong clientele here, my students love her services, I highly recommend that if you are in need of nurturing and relaxation you will find yourself in competent hands here. Please call me to book an appointment soon!

Friday nights at 7pm,  we will be chanting the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra here 108 times and all are welcome. In the Satyananda tradition of Yoga that is the Yoga my Guru Swami Niranjan teaches, we chant the Gayatri Mantra daily 11x, the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra daily 11x and the Durga Mantra 3x. This brings us to a very positive vibration daily. These mantras are taught in class here, but even i f you are new to chanting you are welcome to come and experience the effects of the healing mantra each Friday night.

There is now a FACEBOOK page for Island Yoga Vista where I can post events and relevant information so please check if you use facebook and have a look. I think if you press LIKE you will receive my notices but as a business page I will not have access to your page. It is more private than an individual page. I appreciate all the comments and hope there will be discussion as people become aware of the resource. If you scroll down a little on the facebook page you can listen to satsangs with Swamii Niranjan.

Thank you for your time. I t seems we are all busy and time moving so quickly it is good to remember to take time to meditate and especially to take time for our friends and family.

Warm Regards,

Sandra Sagarmurti Shotton

islandyogavista@gmail.com

The full letter from Dr Masaru Emoto…

To All People Around the World,

Please send your prayers of love and to water at the nuclear plants in Fukushima, Japan!

By the massive earthquakes of Magnitude 9 and surreal massive tsunamis, more than 10,000 people are still missing…even now… It has been 16 days already since the disaster happened. What makes it worse is that water at the reactors of Fukushima Nuclear Plants started to leak, and it’s contaminating the ocean, air and water molecule of surrounding areas.

Human wisdom has not been able to do much to solve the problem, but we are only trying to cool down the anger of radioactive materials in the reactors by discharging water to them.

Is there really nothing else to do?

I think there is. During over twenty year research of hado measuring and water crystal photographic technology, I have been witnessing that water can turn positive when it receives pure vibration of human prayer no matter how far away it is.

Energy formula of Albert Einstein, E=MC2 really means that Energy = number of people and the square of people’s consciousness.

Now is the time to understand the true meaning. Let us all join the prayer ceremony as fellow citizens of the planet earth. I would like to ask all people, not just in Japan, but all around the world to please help us to find a way out the crisis of this planet!!

The prayer procedure is as follows.

Day and Time:

March 31st, 2011 (Thursday)

12:00 noon in each time zone

Please say the following phrase:

“The water of Fukushima Nuclear Plant,

we are sorry to make you suffer.

Please forgive us. We thank you, and we love you.”

Please say it aloud or in your mind. Repeat it three times as you put your hands together in a prayer position. Please offer your sincere prayer.

Thank you very much from my heart.

With love and gratitude,

Masaru Emoto

Messenger of Water

http://emotopeaceproject.blogspot.com/

Patanjali Yoga Sutras 2.11 – Meditation dispels the kleshas

Interpretive Translation by Joseph Le Page

When the kleshas are active they are dispelled through meditation

Commentary by Joseph Le Page – Meditation dispels the kleshas

 Meditation is…

Awareness of consciousness as the ground of being, awakened through the cultivation of clear seeing.

Life lived in real time, a moment-to-moment awareness of all that occurs in the body and mind.

Discerning clearly between the seer and the seen, between the knower and the field of knowing.

Witnessing the belief that you are limited and small, while knowing that you are the total, the whole.

Opening to feelings while knowing they’re only waves on the surface of the ocean of your true being.

Seeing life clearly for the very first time as the klesha’s colored glasses are lifted from your eyes.

Stepping back to witness your impulse to react when survival drives advise you to freeze, flee or attack.

Living a life of true free choice because the kleshas no longer speak through your voice.

Mastering time by seeing that all regrets and finish lines are only movements in the mind.

Equanimity, like the depths of the sea; resting in centered stillness as life’s storms arise and recede.

The embrace of Grace as you awake that draws you close and guides your way throughout the day.

A Deep listening to the voice of intuition that clearly reveals your life purpose and mission.

Embracing creation from the firefly’s light to the stars at night as strands in one seamless web of life.

Entering the sacred garden of your heart to embrace the Divine lover from whom you’ve never been apart.

An open space where innate freedom awakes as the spell of the kleshas gradually abates.

A life of natural simplicity as endless needs recede through the awakening of intrinsic wholeness of being.

A way of welcoming challenges that arise as spiritual practice for the purification of the mind

Being in nature with no separation left between the pulse of the earth and the flow of your breath.

Sensing suffering completely cease as the core beliefs that sustain it are finally released.

Appreciation of life’s myriad shapes and sounds while never loosing sight of their one sacred background.

A tranquil lake of absolute rest where body, mind and senses are renewed and refreshed.

A river of bliss that carries you home to dissolve into the infinite ocean of your soul.

Awakening wonder in each moment of life as an offering to the one sacred source of delight.

Breathing in synchrony with the one divine breath in absolute oneness beyond time, space and death.

AYURVEDIC FOOD – LATE WINTER & EARLY SPRING SEASON

SHISHIR RITU (LATE WINTER)

The cold is still more severe in Shishir than in Hemant (early winter) and accumulation

of Kapha starts during this period.

Though it is the starting season of Adankal, still the body-strength is good and other

doshas are in balanced condition (samyavastha). The agni is still optimum, but one

should take cognizance of severe cold in the atmosphere.

Most dietary advices remain the same as that for Hemant Ritu, the only change in the

selection should be about the potency of food items. Instead of cold potency, the food

products of hot potency (heat generating) should be selected, to counteract the

excessive cold. These include stuffed brinjals (bharta), rice with moong dal and

chapatti’s stuffed with jaggery and sesame seeds. The bhakris made of bajra with large

amounts of butter or ghee are ideal at this time. Jaggery and sesame (Tila) are

unctuous (snigdha) and hot (ushna) in attributes. The non-vegetarians should enjoy and

relish with mutton, eggs and meat. In general, diet should be heavy (guru), unctuous

and hot in attributes.

Hot water bath is preferred and drinking water should also be hot. One should protect

with warm clothing, room-heaters and should practice heavy exercises.

VASANTA RITU (SPRING)

Uttarayana already sets in with Shishir, and in Vasanta, the day becomes longer than

night. Obviously, gradually the strong sun-shine begins to liquefy the accumulated

kapha which then starts its work of vitiating the digestive power of its host. The

atmosphere becomes full of fragrance, with the blossoming of various flowers.

Heavy foods like eggs, chicken, sweetmeats and milk, bananas & dry fruits now should

be avoided. To avoid kapha, instead of rice, wheat should be consumed more. The

grains aggravate kapha and cause blockades in the channels (srotasas),

hence bitter, pungent and astringent tastes should be added, to curb the effect of

kapha. Incorporation of ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, garlic, asafoetida, chilly and

mustard in daily diet will be beneficial to stoke agni and alleviate kapha. Oils should be

preferred over ghee. Buttermilk and milk will be better than curds. Intake of honey is

advisable. Therapeutic fasting is recommended in this season. Boiled and then cooled

water should be used for drinking. Optimum amount of mild wines (Drakshasava) are

beneficial. In general, moderate amount of diet, avoiding sleep during the day and

practicing moderate exercise is recommended.

Asthma, influenza, sinusitis, cough and cold like kapha disorders are commonly sought

during this season. At the onset of Vasant ritu, prophylactic emesis (vaman), one of the

procedures of panchakarma is advocated to get rid of kapha, Nasal administration

Nasya of Vacha taila is recommended to keep the sinuses clean.

Shiatsu Workshops off to Shining Start

Yesterday we had out first ever Shiatsu training here and the day was beautiful!  The sun poured in from the East as we took turns melting into relaxation on the wooden floor padded with a few blankets. This was my first experience of Shiatsu and I found it to be very similar to the Marma Therapy that I include with my Abhyangam Massages. The biggest difference being that this Shiatsu style of massage is done on the floor and the receiver is fully clothed, whereas the way I have learned Marma Therapy it is given as part of an oil massage and the client is on the massage table.

There are so may different methods and schools of manipulative therapy that are effective treatments of applied stimulation to the human body. In Japan, Shiatsu is considered a medical treatment. Like any such therapy it’s effectiveness depends on the skill of the practitioner along with the method.. We are fortunate here to have a masterful practitioner to train us and I should add that these trainings are not at this point to train professionals but are a sharing of some of the basics so that anyone can help to keep their friends and family healthy.

Our teacher Thommas Michaud, believes that incorporating regular Shiatsu treatments along with a balanced diet will keep us healthy.  It is food that nourishes life and is fundamental to good health, add Shaitsu and we help to balance the nervous system and keep the energy in the body functioning optimally.  According to the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare “Shiatsu therapy is a form of manipulation administered by the thumbs, fingers, and palms, without the use of any instrument, mechanical or otherwise, to apply pressure to the human skin, correct malfunctioning, promote and maintain health, and treat specific diseases.”

While it would take many years to become an Accupunturist or Shiatsu Therapist and work with the energy points and meridians (or pathways of energy in the body), the fundamentals of Shiatsu can be learned in a few days and used in a safe and effective manner. The next Level One day long class will be offered here on Saturday April 16 and I highly recommend the experience!

Sandra Sagarmurti Shotton