September Mantra and Meditation Retreat!

At the base of the foothills of the Los Padres National Forest, Villa Ojai is the location for a blissful and peaceful weekend of mantra, meditation, and yoga. Included in this amazing and heart opening weekend are sound vibration therapy with the use of the ancient gong and singing bowls, morning meditation, yoga classes, hiking, and the use of  hot tub/pool.  I have the honor of creating the menu and preparing Ayurvedic meals to the guests, providing them with nourishment which supports the meditation and yoga practice through the weekend. There are a few spots left! 
www.villaojai.com         www.ayurmuktiyoga.com

From Mountain Rose Herbs.. charitable donations.. awesome!!

Charitable Giving and Non-Profit Support
One of the finest expressions for all of us at Mountain Rose Herbs is the ability to extend our sincere support to the numerous organizations and individuals who all share a reverence for the world we live in, and we do this by allocating an average of $90,000 dollars each year for charitable giving, sponsorships, community functions, conservation work, and plant related projects. In addition to generous financial contributions, we also work directly with numerous non-profits by helping them organize events, distribute information, and garner new members. To view a short list of the organizations we support and the specific work we do for them please click here.

Seasons

Ayurveda teaches that our bodies correspond to the changing seasons in nature. With each change in the seasonal cycle, we can feel the internal shifts physically as they also manifest mentally and emotionally. Since we are indeed not separate from nature, we then also must transition from one season to the next. The difference here is that we have the ability to make choices in our lives which don't always allow us to flow into a seasonal change in the way that every other sentient being naturally harmonizes with those cyclical changes. This is why the importance of knowing who we are and what we need as individuals is paramount to achieving our optimal health.

Energy shifts.. a new thought

Now that we are officially into the next season of the year, there are shifts naturally taking place around us and inside of us. With the latest catastrophe in Japan, there have been literal shifts in the landscape, a shift in the planets axis, and a shift of reality in those who have experienced this natural evolving of our Earth. This has also caused a shift worldwide, even if we aren't always conscious of it. If it's not already obvious, our consciousness is the largest shift of all. With everything happening so quickly, we must remember our interconnectedness with beautiful and powerful Mother Earth, each other, and all other beings in this world. Let us be thankful for every event, whether it be joyful, tearful, or one which seems tragic. This is how we learn to shift and grow in our lifetimes, just as the Earth has done for billions of years.

Om. Shanti.

Cooking for the Spring Season (Kapha)

This upcoming class is closing soon.. be sure to call to register!!!!  It's being held at Haute Cakes Caffe in Newport, with full use of the kitchen as it is a hands on class. Hope to see you there. 

Thoughts

There is more success in changing diet using the mentality of abundance than the mentality of deprivation.

Congested.. but I don't eat cheese!!!

A friend of mine recently shared her frustration with head congestion, even though she does the neti and doesn't eat cheese on even a semi regular basis. I explained to her that at the change of seasons, when things are shifting, that is exactly what happens.. shifting which means that due to seasonal changes, our body will also make adjustments depending on what dosha is ruling out of balance at that time. So, being vata/pitta by nature, but now vata/kapha imblanced, there is a bit of a challenge. This is where each person needs to be looked at differently. Her vices are daily two glasses of red wine and occasionally with that a cigarette. Well, the wine and cigarettes are causing much heat, which is also dehydrating and depleting to vata, and the sulfites in the wine cause many to become "stuffy" in the nose and head as kapha is becoming a part of the mix to rescue the body from dryness. Also, an allergic reaction to the sulfites is talking place.
My simple suggestion is, of course, to cut back drastically on the wine and do away with the cigarettes! Not an easy task for the wine lovers or the smoker, but to embrace an Ayurvedic change in lifestyle, at first we must gradually move out of destructive routine and replace those with healthful and supportive options. No one said it would be easy..we adopt these vices for a slew of reasons, but to know how it feels to be in balance awakens the awareness of our amazing and beautiful bodies and minds! Once you discover how you feel once in balance, it is easier to bring yourself back if you partake in those old patterns once in a while. I can almost guarantee that those old ideas of "needing" that cigarette, or "having to have" those couple glasses of wine daily will no longer resonate with your daily routine.