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Articles by Mary

Just what is The Ayurvedic Approach, anyway?

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I have always wanted to create some kind of platform that could provide support to new and seasoned practitioners to support them in their Ayurvedic businesses.  To this end, my friend and colleague, Suzanne Ropiequet and I worked together to create The Ayurvedic Approach.  We are both dedicated practitioners and educators who recognize the need for support and outreach in our community.  We believe that together we can build this network of support and continue the spread of Ayurveda throughout the US.

We value the work of all Ayurvedic professionals – whether they consider themselves Coaches, Counselors, Practitioners, or some other title.  All of them are out doing valuable and important work, whether trained in America, India, or some other place around the globe.  We are creating a worldwide movement to escort Ayurveda into our communities.  There is a place for everyone doing the hard work of helping clients create balance with those principles.

We acknowledge that Ayurveda is often a lonely profession.  Each one of us is inventing and, often, re-inventing the wheel to meet the needs of our clients. We thought it would be wonderful if there was a place that an Ayurvedic professional could go to for support and tools for working with their clients.  We envisioned a place of community, connection, and education – and The Ayurvedic Approach (TAA) was born.

What you’ll find on our TAA website:

  • Blog posts that are written for you, the Ayurvedic professional – with topics that are supportive of you and your practice
    • Business tips and support
    • Practical applications for working with clients
    • Education on topics of interest
  • Protocol packages
    • Our Protocol packages are designed to give practitioners a systematic approach to helping clients create balance around the foundational principles of Ayurvedic practice. Our first is the “Improving Sleep Quality” protocol package.
    • The protocol packages are usable on all devices and include video introduction, detailed practitioner guidebooks, and brandable handouts that you can use with your clients.
    • At the release of each protocol package, we will feature a series of blogs on the topic that you can access at no charge to deepen your understanding of the topic
    • Future topics include those pertinent to every Ayurvedic Health Counselor or Practitioner. Including…
      • Regulating Agni
      • Balancing Elimination
      • Introducing Self-Care practices
      • Addressing Mental and Emotional Wellbeing
      • …and more…
    • Advanced Practitioner content
      • Currently we offer webinar recordings on Insomnia, as well as conditions that have insomnia as a significant symptom in the imbalance, specifically Anxiety/Depression and Peri-menopause/Menopause.
    • Connection (in development)
      • We plan to build on our Practitioner Support programs through future classes and recordings via the TAA website https://theayurvedicapproach.com
      • We’ll also plan to develop an online platform to help you connect with me, Mary Thompson, and your colleagues to share practical ideas, insights, and knowledge

I’m glad you’re here.  I’m excited to finally get these materials out in the world and I look forward to developing more as I learn what is most needed to support you to succeed in your Ayurvedic business.

 

 

 

Three Ways to Better Health…Prepare>>Do>>Recover

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I often use this phrase when working with clients and it is a great reminder about how to live our lives while supporting our health.  We live in a world of “Doing.” We are often in the midst of going to do something and, once we’ve arrived at one place, going somewhere else to do something else. This constant movement is hard on the body and can be harder on the mind. Even when we take a break from our constant “Doing” many often turn to surfing the internet or streaming or gaming – which is just another form of “Doing”. 

Ayurveda has always advocated a “Prepare-Do-Recover” approach.  Consider Pancha Karma… This cleanse begins with preparation in the Purva Karma phase.  Without adequate attention at this phase, the body is ill prepared for cleansing.  If we do not prepare to cleanse, we may clear the digestive tract, but have done little to nothing to direct the ama from its site at the tissues back to the gastrointestinal tract.  The efforts of cleansing then will clear a channel that is not ready for clearing. 

The second phase, the Pradhan Karma, is the cleansing phase.  If we have prepared well, this will occur with full effect and minimal discomfort.  The biggest challenges occur when the body is not yet ready for cleansing and we try to cleanse anyway.  The focus of the Pancha Karma is cleansing, just as we tend to focus our full energy on “Doing” but without preparation, we have wasted our time and money. 

The third phase, the Paschat Karma, is the recovery phase. During this time we reignite the agni, following a samsarjana krama protocol.  We begin the process of restoring the healthy state of the dhatus and building Ojas by instituting rasayana herbs, foods, and practices.  We regain the health and strength of the body by following the “Prepare-Do-Recover” approach.

This methodical approach to healing does not just apply to ,Pancha Karma; it can benefit virtually all of life’s challenges I first realized this years ago, when I had a cold.  The cold stopped my “doing.”  I stopped all activity and used all my tools to address this viral imbalance.  As soon as the symptoms were gone, I was back to doing whatever I had been doing before, non-stop.  

When I reflected as to how my patterns set the stage for my disease, I recognized that I did not prepare for my daily activities by including self-care in my morning routines or rest in my afternoon, I just started doing whatever I had planned and kept doing until I was fatigued. This left me easily depleted and ripe for infection. The infection laid me low for a time but as soon as it was gone, I did not consider how to recover my Ojas, I just got right back into doing more and more, setting the stage for the next opportunistic infection.  This reflection was my, “A-ha!” moment.  My behavior was negatively impacting my health and a little proactive care could right the imbalance.

When I see a client in this same cycle, I encourage them to take on the Prepare-Do-Recover mindset.  This leaves them with strong Ojas and a better ability to stave off illness and fatigue. 

Prepare

Preparing includes taking stock of the potential impact of the planned activities. If a stressful time is on the horizon, then double down on self-care and stress reduction. If travel is anticipated, take time to build solidity and stability into the routine.  Considering how planned activities will impact physical, mental, and emotional well-being allows us to better prepare for them.  

Apart from specific activities, we can prepare by incorporating healthy daily routines regularly.  This means a morning that includes self-care practices for the body and mind before stepping into the stresses of the day.  Sometimes I call this, “Paying Yourself First,” which means that I’ll have plenty of energy surplus for the work of the day. In the afternoon, we reassess our evening’s needs and adjust accordingly.  In the evening, our nighttime routines set the stage for restful sleep. 

Do

We want to be able to engage in our lives in the way we choose. Too often Ayurveda is deemed to be full of rules limiting our activities.  I like to remind my clients that this only occurs if we neglect to prepare appropriately for what we want to do or if we neglect our recovery from what we have done.  By incorporating adequate self-care we will be less depleted by the activities we engage in. 

Go and do, do what you want, knowing that you have adequately prepared for the challenges you will face in that activity. Imagine you are planning to run a marathon.  Your preparation will include diet and lifestyle, possibly for months, to minimize any negative impact of your chosen activity. If you have prepared yourself appropriately, you will suffer fewer consequences of your activities regardless of how physically or mentally stressful they may be. 

Recover

Too often our recovery includes minimal attention to the actual needs of our bodies and minds.  We may reach for medicines or treatments that will reduce the pain and other challenges that are immediately eminent but do little to restore the state of balance we had achieved before the activity.  After my cold, I raced back to work, confident that the lack of symptoms indicated wellness.  But did it? I had done nothing to rebuild Ojas.  

When we work with ourselves –  or our clients – we may observe the imbalances that are created when we fail to prepare for or recover from our activities.  With an illness, the different stages become clearly evident; but the stages of preparation and recovery are not always so obvious. This is a practice we can commit to on a daily basis.  By putting self-care  and recovery at the top of the priority list, we will have the energy, stamina, and Ojas to address all the things we’d like to do. 

The Five Vayus and Kapha Sleep Challenges

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Oversleeping and Difficulty Waking

Some clients who experience sleep disturbances are more of a Kapha nature.  These clients may be oversleeping. They fall asleep early, sleep in late, have difficulty waking, and will fall asleep any time of the day.  These are clearly not Vata dosha problems. If you have already worked with digestion and elimination, it may be time to focus your attention on ways in which you can raise the level of Prana to increase their energy.  The five Vayus will still play a role, because they help to take in and distribute energy in the body.  In this case, they are being underutilized!  

The state of Prana Vayu is determined by our sensory intake during the day and our relationship with the breath. Typically, these clients are not engaging enough in sensory input during the day. They are engaging in activities that do not challenge them or increase their rate of respiration. Without adequate Prana moving through their body, they lack the energy to take on the day. Exercise and breathwork, especially on waking and during Kapha times of day will support them to feel more awake and alert. Stimulating sensory input is needed to keep the heavy Kapha mind light and agile.  

The state of Samana Vayu is affected by our respect for the natural rhythms of the day and supportive self-care routines.  Kapha nature clients or those with Kapha dosha imbalance may be overdoing their attachment to these rhythms and have allowed their days to become dull and uninspiring. While Kapha dosha loves routine, when those routines become rote, they have lost their balancing qualities. It is essential for all of us, but especially so for Kapha, to allow those routines to shift as the seasons change.  Waking earlier in the Spring and Summer and a little later in Fall and Winter is one example.  Another is including daily strenuous activity during the late Fall, late Winter and Spring to keep that heavy Kapha energy at bay.  Kapha wants the day, not their habit, to determine their level of activity and engagement.

Vyana Vayu is reflective of the flow of the day, and this again is where Kapha may stagnate Prana by having very little movement or spontaneity in their day. This leaves the mind feeling dull and maybe even a little bored.  The familiar is certainly comfortable, but routine will help us sleep better than it will help us stay awake.  By including exercise in the day, stretching, aerobic, and strength training, Kapha will increase their physical movement.  Spontaneity, saying “YES” to something new or different, and mixing things up a little bit will keep the Kapha mind lighter.

Udana Vayu is most pacified when our work is aligned with our values; when this occurs, we experience a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day that leads to deep and restful sleep.  Kapha dosha may do this very well but may also tend to stay in work that is uninspiring because it is comfortable and familiar.  I am not encouraging your Kapha clients to quit their jobs! To pacify Udana Vayu, they may want to reassess if the job is aligned with their purpose and values and to discover how to assure that their purpose and values are expressed in all areas of their lives. 

While we don’t often associate Apana Vayu in Kapha types as “Constipated”, it can become stuck.  This may appear as sluggishness in the bowels or the mind. For both conditions physical movement is essential.  It seems too easy an answer to say, “Kaphas must Exercise,” but I believe that to be too true.  When the muscles are more toned, the peristalsis is more complete, supporting full evacuation.  When the Prana is drawn into the tissues, the body feels lighter and more energetic and better able to stay awake during the day.

The five Vayus are impacted by our diet and lifestyle and, when imbalanced, create disturbances in our body and/or mind resulting in sleep difficulties.  Too often we think that these only impact Vata dosha, but we are a product of the function of the three doshas.  When sleep eludes us, Vata dosha is primarily out of balance and we can recreate balance with the five Vayus.  When sleep overcomes us during the day, Kapha dosha is primarily out of balance, stagnating the flow of Prana by suppressing the actions of the five Vayus.  By focusing on diet and lifestyle over sedatives and stimulants, we better serve our clients in the long run. 

The Five Vayus and Pitta Sleep Disturbance

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Insomnia and Waking During the Night

If a client comes to you complaining about sleep, they may be sleeping too little, too much, or at the wrong times.  If you have already worked with digestion and elimination, it may be time to focus your attention on this very important pillar of health.  Pitta dosha may be at the root of the sleep disturbance, especially if your client is having trouble falling asleep because they have not yet let go of the work of the day or has difficulty staying asleep and waking with an active mind, ready to jump back into work. One clue as to the root cause of sleep disturbances may be found by assessing the relationship with the five Vayus and determining in what way they may be living out of harmony with these vital energy forces. 

The state of Prana Vayu is determined by our sensory intake during the day and our relationship with the breath. Pitta dosha’s challenge here is in taking in too many heated sensory impressions (eg, light emanating from a device) or creating too much heat in the body and the mind with their intense lifestyle.  When the mind is activated in this way, work and productivity are deemed more important than sleep and the mind will focus on these rather than on letting go and surrendering to sleep.  This may show up as difficulty falling asleep or difficulty staying asleep – the difference between Vata and Pitta is seen in the focus of the mind during these periods of wakefulness. Vata may express worry or anxiety while Pitta is in problem solving, productive mode.  To counter this cause of sleep disturbance, it is important that Pitta set work aside in the evening and engage in relaxing activities away from the computer or other screen.  They will do well, too, to examine their sensory intake during the day and assure that they are cultivating a calm, cool, compassionate mind. 

The state of Samana Vayu is affected by our respect for the natural rhythms of the day and the balance that we maintain around the three pillars, food, sleep, and use of energy.  Committing to bedtimes that assure adequate hours of sleep is very important for Pitta.  In addition, balance between activity and stillness, work and rest, while maintaining self-care, are vital for managing Pitta dosha.  Pitta has a natural inclination to prioritize work over everything else, so their work/life balance is often heavily weighted on the work side.  This impacts the function of all body systems – digestion is disturbed, sleep is disturbed, and their intensity drives them to burnout.  The only way to slow this train is to put self-care at the start of the day and to repeat this in the afternoon and evening.  I call these “islands of serenity” that serve to contain the Prana that is being consumed by the Pitta’s intensity and focus. 

Vyana Vayu imbalance is seen when the flow of the day is erratic or haphazard – not typical Pitta qualities.  Pitta has a tendency to run fast and hot and maintain that over time. They are hyper-focused on what they are doing and often delay or disregard the need for physical and/or mental rest.  This results in a hyperactive Pitta mind that finds it difficult to shut down at night and may wake them up in the early morning hours.  Assessing the state of mind when sleep is restless will give a clue as to the involvement of Vyana Vayu.  The Pitta does not suffer wakefulness well and will get out of bed to return to productivity.  The mind is active and engaged, not typically worried or anxious.  

Udana Vayu is most pacified when our work is aligned with our values; when this occurs, we usually have a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day that leads to deep and restful sleep.  Pitta’s perfectionism may drive them to overwork, and this can create a sleep disturbance.  This perfectionism leaves them always needing to do more, be more, and excel in all areas and creates a level of exhaustion leaving the Pitta tired, but wired.  Sleep may be restless and they may wake up agitated or irritable.  If the first thought in the morning is the assessment of what needs to be done today or self-judgment about how little they had done yesterday, they may want to see how to better align their work with their values and include in those values self-care, compassion, and play.

The last of these subdoshas is Apana Vayu and while we don’t often think of Pitta dosha with an Apana Vayu imbalance, we must remember that Apana Vayu is responsible for holding as well as letting go.  When Pitta dosha consumes heating foods or beverages they generate more heat than the body can hold and stools become loose.  In its rush to purge out the heat, the body may release nutrients vital to maintaining a stable Pitta dosha.  As in all things, Pittas food and drink should be cooling to the dosha so that it will support a lower agni and cooler liver.  If sleep is disturbed with burning indigestion, the Pitta will do well to look at its food choices and meal times to assure that both will lead to a peaceful night’s rest. 

While we often look at the five Vayus only as they impact Vata dosha, we can clearly see that they are imbalanced in the case of Pitta or Kapha dosha imbalance as well.  When we look at the five Vayus, we consider the sensory intake, commitment to routines, conscious movement through the day, purposeful work, and stable mind and body – pertinent to every person, regardless of doshic type.  Addressing these via lifestyle is the best way to assure that we will create healthful practices around food, sleep, and energy. 

The 5 Vayus and Vata Sleep Issues

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Insomnia and Variable Sleep Patterns

If a client comes to you complaining about sleep, they may be sleeping too little, too much, or at the wrong times.  If you have already worked with digestion and elimination, it may be time to focus your attention on this very important pillar of health.  Vata dosha is often at the heart of difficulties with sleeping, especially if your client is struggling with sleeping too little due to insomnia or sleeping at the wrong times due to flagging energy levels during the day.  One clue as to the root cause of sleep disturbances may be found in assessing their relationship with the five Vayus and determining in what way they may be living out of harmony with these vital energy forces. 

The state of Prana Vayu is determined by our sensory intake during the day and our relationship with the breath. Typically, clients who have difficulty falling asleep, even when they are tired, have disturbed Prana Vayu. They are usually overstimulated through one or more of the senses and are unable to dispel enough of this energy to drift off to sleep.  To regain the ability to drift off to sleep, they will benefit from realigning with the natural world and circadian rhythm. We can support them to bring awareness and attention to the ways in which they engage with the world and reduce the amount of sensory stimulation they take in during the day to regain balance with Prana Vayu.

The state of Samana Vayu is affected by our respect for the natural rhythms of the day and supportive self-care routines.  Typically, clients whose energy flags during the day, especially in the afternoon, and those who experience restless sleep without mental busy-ness are seeing first-hand the impact of Samana Vayu imbalance.  Disregard of routine around waking/sleeping times, mealtimes, and activity/rest periods during the day skew this energy, so we begin to correct this imbalance by supporting the client to honor regularity around times for the three pillars of health:  food, sleep, and energy while incorporating supportive self-care routines into the day.

Vyana Vayu imbalance is seen when the flow of the day is erratic or haphazard.  When this occurs, the clients may express that they can fall asleep okay but will wake up fitful and anxious or have difficulty falling back to sleep because of racing thoughts.  Stress is a huge factor in Vyana Vayu imbalance and these stresses are often self-generated due to the active Vata mind. People with this cause of sleep disturbance will often show Prana Vayu imbalance as well.  While Prana Vayu takes in the energy, Vyana Vayu circulates the energy throughout the body/mind.  If that energy remains after going to bed, it will have nowhere to go and end up waking the person up.  The best approach for your clients in this case is to introduce the ‘prepare-do-recover’ concept to the workings of their day.  Prepare for the activity, Do the activity, and then Recover from the activity.  In the same way the balanced doshas Accumulate, Provoke, and Pacify as they go through their natural cycles, the body/mind maintains balance best when we do the same thing with our energy. 

Udana Vayu is most pacified when our work is aligned with our values; when this occurs, we experience a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day that leads to deep and restful sleep.  Overwork, misdirection of our energies, and a lack of meaningful work can all show up as sleep disturbances leaving one feeling less than fresh in the morning. When a client expresses that they wake feeling fatigue or apathy about the coming day without clear indicators of Prana Vayu or Vyana Vayu imbalance, they would do well to take a look at their lives and assess their actions in  light of their perceived life’s purpose.  Journaling can be beneficial in these cases to ferret out the state of the mind.

The last of these subdoshas, Apana Vayu, may impact us both mentally and physically.  When one is physically constipated, there is a blocked flow in the movement of Prana in the body, leaving us with ever increasing levels of Prana resulting in sleep disturbances.  As in most cases, when sleep is disturbed, assess and address the state of Apana Vayu first.  Sometimes, clearing the colon is all that is needed to assure a restful sleep.  On the mental side, Apana Vayu imbalance may result in a negative mindset.  The client may experience a physical resistance to sleep or to other forms of self-care.  When this occurs, addressing the “stinking thinking” is vital.  Catch the mind in its negative spiral and actively replace those thoughts with mantra, affirmation, gratitude, or breathwork to get the mind on a more positive track. 

The five Vayus are impacted by our diet and lifestyle and, when imbalanced, create disturbances in our body and/or mind resulting in sleep difficulties.  Remembering that sleep imbalances may reflect poor lifestyle choices, supporting our clients to make these lifestyle changes will support them to a better night’s sleep every night of the year.