The life science of Ayurveda explains that we are born perfect creations, with a unique balance of space, air, fire, water, and earth – the 5 basic elements of all things. This is our Prakruti. Then life happens, - the food we eat, coupled with our activities and environment skew that perfect balance. This is our Vikruti. Imbalance leads to illness, and when we can’t curb the illness, it can lead to chronic disease that we are taught to live with, such as arthritis, allergies, thyroid problems and inflammation.
 

A lot of what I do professionally centers around the concept of self-care. In particular, how to empower those I teach to take care of themselves. Everyone's self-care routing is as unique as their fingerprints. Even if two people need the same thing, the way they approach it and their reasons for doing it can be miles apart. There is a lot of dialogue around the why, what and how we should take care of ourselves - sleep hygiene, meditation, diet - but I feel there can be a lack of follow up.

As I stepped into this tremendously hot room barefooted, I was carrying the stress and concerns of my world on my shoulders. My ministry & nonprofit initiatives were looking faint, business goals seem to have invited me into the galaxy in order for me to reach them, my finances moved out of my bank account home to reside in the accounts of bill collectors, and it seemed as if the world had slowly chewed me up, and spit me out like sunflower seeds.

The Bhagavad Gita tells us that humans, as well as all other things in Nature, have a mixture of Sattwa, and its companions, Rajas and Tamas. These three Maha Gunas (qualities) determine our behavior, actions, thoughts and emotions.

Sattwa is clarity, light, purity and wakefulness. It is stability, essence, compassion and love. Sattwa is required for our mental and physical health, and is the path to personal evolution and spiritual maturity. 

Learning to sit….

1. Environment matters
Find a clean, quiet space in your home where you can sit undisturbed, away from the distractions and pressures of the external world.
The air should be clean, fresh and well ventilated but not breezy.

2. Cleanliness is a factor
Your face, hands and feet should feel clean and fresh, adding a certain respect and vibrancy to your practice. If you practice meditation in the morning, you will want to evacuate your bladder and bowels first.

Ojas is our "inner sap", our vitality, consciousness and immunity. It is the basis for physical and mental endurance, the internalized essence of digested food and thought.

Ojas is responsible for protecting the body from physical harm and provides emotional stability. It grounds us and supports our mental, physical and spiritual growth. It protects us against high levels of stress and provides mental stability and peace.

Modern society is so super advanced - we can thank science & technology for so many inventions over the past 200 years! However, our personal and spiritual evolution, our ability to be content and fulfilled hasn’t growth past our ancestors from the Stone Age. We still exhibit anger, greed, jealousy, ego and insatiable desires. Our mind constantly spins with anger over past experiences, anxiety and fear over what may come to pass. We have lost sight of the beauty that exists, ever present, in the here and now.

Walking the Labyrinth has contributed greatly to my spiritual development. I feel deeply connected to the universality of the mystical process that I engage in every time I enter the Labyrinth. As with so many of my spiritual beliefs and practices, the more I study, observe and open my heart, the more similarities I see among all of our paths.

I have been dancing with yoga for over a decade and still don't know who is leading! It brought me out of a depression in college when I struggled to get out of bed. It kept me moving (through breath focus) when I was standing at attention in Army Basic Training. It held me accountable when I cut off my own body's needs to get the mission done. Yoga saved my humanity in war.

Ojas is our "inner sap", our vitality, consciousness and immunity. It is the basis for physical and mental endurance, the internalized essence of digested food and thought.

Ojas is responsible for protecting the body from physical harm and provides emotional stability. It grounds us and supports our mental, physical and spiritual growth. It protects us against high levels of stress and provides mental stability and peace.