From Juliet

Note from Crystal:  I posted this as a comment on the blog, with the hopes that it would help us better see how to make comments.  In that effort, I was concerned that people might not see it at all (it's hard to see the comment button.  It will either say "X [number] comments" or it will say "No comment".  If you click on those words (tiny, at the bottom of each post), you can leave and view comments. 

So, without further ado, here's Juliet's offering:

As I reflect on the posts that Crystal has offered, I am filled with gratitude. The contemplation of the deeper meaning of ayurveda, the capacity to say 'yes' and the gifts of opening to the raw inner truth are at the heart of the work we are doing. It fills me with joy to witness Crystal (and all of you!) bringing the traditions of ayurveda into being.

Ayurveda translates as, "The Wisdom of Life". When I was first working with ayurveda I thought that to mean that Ayurveda was a known body of wisdom that contained answers to the questions of how to live in a whole and healthy way. Each unfolding year teaches me that while there is a body of wisdom, it's not something that can be "boxed". It is a living tradition and it lives within each one of us. As we experiement with ghee, as we breathe, as we work up some courage to look inside our own hearts, we are unfolding our own individual truth of the wisdom of life. So as much as this is learning the principles it is also learning to connect with, and trust, our own inner wisdom. This is what Ayurveda means to me.

As we start to feel the deeper authenticity and health that ayurveda brings, it causes us to make tough choices. Soemtime those choices are about cultivating a healthy sense of discipline, understanding that feeding our moment-by-moment whims, often driven by unconscious patterning, may not really serve us. We come to places where we need to say 'no'. When we shore up healthy boundaries with compassion, it strengthens our self-knowing and makes it easier to maintain some space for our various practices. It also reinforces our health; each time we make a choice to not overextend our schedule we are reaffirming how important our dear body is.

Learning to say 'yes' can be even more heartbreaking/opening. I feel like the places where we need to say 'no' create the space for our inner work, but a lot of the inner work is actually saying 'yes' to what it is we find when we're looking inward. To see the truth and accept it and to live it require that we surrender again and again. I can say from personal experience this is not always a graceful process! It means we must shed the constrictive skin that has been covering our inner brilliance. However awkward the process may be, touching in on it with authenticity can crack even the hardest wall around the heart and can, as Rumi states so beautifully, set the soul free.

Blessings on your juncture journey!

Juliet

For Love of Food!

From fellow group member, Laurel:

I came across this food blog and thought I would share it with the group.

http://www.fortheloveoffoodblog.com

While it's not specifically Ayurvedic, it is full of whole foods recipes that focus on eating seasonally, and I find that usually lines up with the principles of Ayurveda. She has posted some really wonderful autumn recipes lately, and I have personally been making the Tom Kha soup about once a week. Sooo delicious and slightly addictive! :)

 

 

Music for Doing Nothing

 ~ A video link gift from Juliet, who says, "Music for doing nothing. This piece brought tears to my eyes multiple times. Please, stop. Listen. Enjoy."

An Offering for Juncture

As we enter into Juncture, these words from Rumi echoed in my heart. 

 

Be truthful now,

see yourself as you plainly are.

You've got a hidden wound,

and this is no time for posing.

 

When inward tenderness finds that secret hurt

the pain itself will crack the rock

and Ah! Let the soul emerge.

 

Yes Yes Yes - A Poem

As I move along in my journey to become more holistic, more aware, healthier both mentally and physically, I find myself thinking "No" a lot.  I find myself reprimanding myself:  "You shouldn't be eating that.  You shouldn't be reacting that way. You shouldn't!  No! No! No!"  Then, I have remind myself NOT to think THAT way!  A vicious cycle for sure.

It's for that reason that I was reminded of this poem.  No matter your views on God, this poem reminds us that life is here to be experienced, even if we're imperfect, which we are.  It reminds me the overall importance of remaining light-hearted.  I was thinking of that term -- light-hearted -- as I left our meeting on Tuesday, having learned about the Festival of Light.  While change can be difficult, serious work, it doesn't have to be overwhelming.  I suppose it shouldn't be overwhelming -- but I'm done with "shouldn'ts" and "can'ts" for today!  Here's to light-heartedness!  Here's to saying "Yes!"

God Says Yes to Me

- Kaylin Haught

                                                 I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic
                                                 and she said yes
                                                 I asked her if it was okay to be short
                                                 and she said it sure is
                                                 I asked her if I could wear nail polish
                                                 or not wear nail polish
                                                 and she said honey
                                                 she calls me that sometimes
                                                 she said you can do just exactly
                                                 what you want to
                                                 Thanks God I said
                                                 And is it even okay if I dont paragraph
                                                 my letters
                                                 Sweetcakes God said
                                                who knows where she picked that up
                                                what I'm telling you is
                                                Yes Yes Yes

Vata and Me

Tonight, after another long day at work where I stretch myself too thin too often, I noticed the sky. It’s getting dark so early since the time change, I’m surprised by the sun’s setting. From my upstairs office window, the sky was backlit, somehow – the clouds were blue, and the sky was pink and white. I ran down the stairs, through the kitchen, out the door with my Labradoodle and my husband, too. Outside, where I could see the bigger picture, the sky seemed haunted. My office window faces east, but the backyard faces west. The western sky was thick at the horizon, banded by long, black clouds, and above that, a pure gold. East, fluffy blue clouds against a soft pink backdrop.

On a most basic level, I understand so many concepts of Ayurveda to mirror nature. We look to the changing of seasons to wake us up routinely. Remember, the Earth says, to change. This is a difficult reminder, sometimes. It’s stark as a long band of black clouds. Of course, it’s easier not to change. It’s easier to be always in a Southern California state of mind, with its fluffy blue clouds. Yet, we try to embrace it bravely, the hope of golden sky.

At the same time, and with as much change as a new season brings, we know what to expect. There is a pattern, a consistency, in the change. Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring. Remember to be consistent, say the seasons. And remember to change.

I teach college, which means I was a student for a long time, first. When I was a college student, the fall was exciting, rich with surprises and discovery. Change was constant – new friends, new books, new teachers, new roommate, new job. I would romp around campus joyfully, running through piles of yellow leaves, drinking strong coffee and reading Milton on a cold bench wearing a big sweater. Everyone had perfect pink cheeks.

Now that I’m a teacher, the fall is more the end of a too-short summer than an anticipated beginning of fall. The consistency of work-a-day life enters in, always abruptly. The summer ends. My work begins. The winter is on its way. It takes effort to remember to look at the leaves. I have to remind myself to marvel at all the beauty. It helps to be surrounded by pink-cheeked students, some of whom carry strong coffees and ask about poetry.

I am glad to be starting this study group in the fall. I am a student again. It’s an exciting beginning, and I know no attempt to understand life in a deeper way can fail. So far, I've noticed that it is easier to remember to look outside, to notice the change in the season. That’s what Ayurveda is teaching me today. I am looking forward to changing, with a gradual and consistent approach. Like the fall, I might be more summer one day, more winter the next. My mind feels constantly windy, and I suppose the trees feel the same way. This is how I picture Vata. I remember to wear a hat and take deep breaths. Tonight, I am going to make the rice date pudding recipe we were given in class. I suspect it’s going to be a delicious fall night.

 - What happens to you in fall? How does fall make you feel? How do you understand Ayruveda?