CREATING HEALTH & HARMONY

Transcription

1 CREATING HEALTH & HARMONY A holistic wellness program to support greater understanding of yourself and how the world around you affects you in order to create health and harmony on all levels of body, mind and spirit through conscious healthy habits and lifestyle. Module Eight: CLEANSING FOR HEALTH & DISEASE PREVENTION Read the module about ama, ojas, prana and cleansing, managing seasonal shifts, exploring the power of self-acknowledgment and check-out the additional resources. Lifestyle Recommendations 1. Try Oil Pulling 3-4 x week (page 10) 2. Expand your creative food strategies by identifying 5 quick at home dosha healthy meals, 5 dosha meals that you can get out, and 5 dosha snacks (page 12). 3. Explore the legitimate need underneath one of your demoting habits and begin to look for a better substitution (page 13). 4. Check in with where you are now, do your 10 self-acknowledgements and prepare a thank you/acknowledgment for each person in class (pages 16-18) 5. Fill out the Program Evaluation (pages 22-23) 6. Assess your symptoms tracking frequency and intensity changes. Questions or comments? I m here to support you with answers if I can or provide additional coaching to support your process. Please me at jdurner@wi.rr.com or call me at to arrange coaching or get assistance.

2 DETOXIFICATION In Ayurveda, cleansing protocols to address root disease imbalances and maintain health are so vital that there are specific purification therapies both mild and strong depending on a person s needs that are regularly used. Although Ayurveda s primary purpose is to maintain health with disease treatment being secondary, detoxification or cleansing protocols can be used as both a treatment tool and a prevention tool. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A CLEANSE? To purify the body of toxins and excess that are the root cause of disease and as such, help promote healing of symptoms, illness and disease To help restore health to the body and mind To rejuvenate the body WHAT ARE YOU CLEANSING? There are two things we re cleansing toxins and excess of the doshas. In Ayurvedic terms we refer to the bulk of these toxins as AMA which is essentially undigested or improperly digested food that gets left in the digestive system and rots which creates toxins. Ama is a heavy, oily, sticky substance that coats and clogs the cells, organs and channels in the body and interferes with the normal functioning of both your body and your mind. These toxins not only create disease but also block the assimilation of nutrients from your food, which affects the health of all the other tissues and systems in the body. Ama weakens the immune system, causes the body to attack itself, and imbalances the metabolism. In order for the toxins to be properly cleared, ama must first be eliminated and then excess energies cleansed from deeper tissues. The connection between disease and Ama is so strong that in Ayurveda the word for disease is Amaya which translates as that which is born out of Ama. The second aspect being cleansed is the excess of doshas or life forces. Life forces are always within you and serve a purpose as they govern all your functions for the body and mind. 2

3 In excess or imbalance, however, the doshas create decay in these same systems which you initially see as symptoms but then build into more serious illness and disease as they continue to rise. A kind of an example would be yeast and an imbalance that creates starts as a vaginal yeast infection but if left untreated becomes a systemic yeast infection affecting multiple systems and organs. These doshas have their roots in the digestive area but if they build up they will eventually overflow out of that area and spread to other areas of the body. Remember from earlier modules that the roots of disease ultimately come from being disconnected from your higher nature. When you are not connected to your Infinite Self you see and understand yourself only as body and mind and become dominated by the ego, sensory pleasure, and external stimulation. In the pursuit of these pleasures, you may tend to overindulge in what you are taking in from the external world whether it be food, other substances like cigarettes or drugs, or even unhealthy sensory intake through media or books. The most important among these imbalances is the disturbance of the digestive system because weakness in the digestion results in the formation of toxins in the body in the form of ama. HOW DID YOU GET THESE TOXINS? You build ama in a variety of ways but primarily ama is the result of a weak digestion. Problems in digestion subsequently affect the proper elimination of wastes and those wastes end up stored in the body, adding to the toxicity. Other causes are: Disconnection from your nature leads to choices made from the ego and sensory mind which seek gratification through sensory pleasures. Poor lifestyle choices that don t support your unique needs (out of sync with your constitution or that further build an existing doshic imbalance) Weak digestion remember the fire analogy; this is a low or variable fire that is not strong enough to process the food Improper eating habits Too much food that the body can t digest An excess of raw, heavy, cold, oily, sweet, and processed foods 3

4 SIGNS OF AMA In general ama creates heaviness and clogs in the system with symptoms such as fatigue and low energy, a sense of heaviness anywhere in the body or mind including excess weight; congestion in the sinuses and lungs, system blockages, constipation, indigestion, bloating and gas; bad breath and a whitish coating on the tongue, distorted or loss of taste, and generalized body aches and stiffness. Additionally, you may also experience restless and excessive movement in the nervous system as the body works to find a way around the ama blocks. Symptoms include breathlessness, tingling, numbness, ringing in ears, insomnia, tremors, ticks, and spasms. In terms of modern disease conditions, Ama means: High cholesterol and high triglycerides High blood sugar and type 2 diabetes white blood cells/leuocytosis or white blood cells/leukocytopenia Accumulation of antibodies Gallstones, kidney stones Chronic infections including candida Rheumatoid and arthritis conditions Chronic fatigue syndrome Glaucoma MENTAL TOXINS While many of the toxins cleared in a cleanse are physical, you can also have toxins in the mind which manifest as symptoms of confusion, lack of clarity, poor perception, doubt, delusion, judgment, criticism, and a lack of enthusiasm for life. Mental ama is created from undigested mental and emotional experiences. All experiences have energy to be processed or digested. When you have any unexpressed or unresolved emotion, it accumulates in the mind and begins to fester. The ability to digest sensory experiences depends on the state of your overall vitality and nervous system as well how intense or extreme the experience or trauma is. WHEN TO CLEANSE? There are two main indications for cleansing: having ama and imbalance, which is the case for almost everyone today, and being strong enough to do purification. 4

5 Ayurveda gauges your inner strength or vitality in a term called Ojas. Ojas is the essence that gives the tissues strength and endurance; it is the force that keeps the tissues healthy and as such is an integral part of the immune system. It is the stabilizing force of the body and mind which allows them to resist stress. In western terms Ojas is your inner vitality. Symptoms of a weak ojas include: Weak immune function and difficulty sleeping Low sexual vitality Lack concentration, poor memory, lack faith Lack of stamina and ungroundedness Lack self-confidence and patience Emotional volatility, negative attitudes, and self-destructive tendencies A balanced ojas is reflected by: Mind is strong and doesn t fatigue easily Excellent endurance ability work long time on complex mental problems Content with what have and wherever they are Stress and subtle impressions wash off back Strong physical vitality Depending on the type of cleansing protocol used, it is vital that the body have enough core strength because purification or reduction therapies by nature decrease the body both in terms of weight and body tissue and in terms of inner strength. This is also why it s important to have a cleanse monitored and to make sure it is balanced and supported so that just the excess of energy is released but not so much so that it actually creates depletion in the body and sets one up for further illness and imbalance. It is contraindicated to do strong purifying therapies during these times (all during which ojas is low): People who are very weak or debilitated Pregnancy (during which time energies are building and supporting new life) Postpartum Immune compromised Very young or very old (weaker immune systems) 5

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7 HOW THE TOXINS SPREAD? Remember from Module Three s discussion on Vikruti, or your current state of imbalance, the stages of disease from Ayurvedic terms. This describes how all imbalances in the body spread. As seen in the picture, the roots of the disease are at the bottom of the tree and this represents that initial place of origin of each of the three doshas in the digestive system. Symptoms here will be mild to moderate, transient and contained in digestive system. If left untreated, over time the imbalance and ama will overflow to the trunk, carried by the plasma and blood into the organs & tissues. You will continue to have general symptoms but they will worsen at their respective sites in the digestion. Over time the trunk sprouts branches which represent the body site where the dosha imbalance has settled. Symptoms are now seen in these body sites, correlating to whichever dosha is causing the problem. From the branches buds and leaves sprout which represent the development into a specific disease with severe and specific symptoms. HOW TO CLEANSE? There are several different types of cleanses in Ayurveda. All of them use a whole food diet with minimal fats. The deeper the cleanse, the stricter the recommended diet in terms of fats and animal proteins allowed. The Rakta-Rasa Cleanse, done three months in a row that cleanses the lymph and blood tissue layers to support healing within the women s reproductive system. This cleanse addresses many of the menstrual imbalances including endometriosis, fibroids and tumors, painful periods, excessive bleeding, and infertility. The 7-Day Home Cleanse is a great starter cleanse. It is indicated for anyone first being introduced to a cleanse and Ayurveda, for those who do not need or can t do a deeper cleanse, and for treating basic dosha imbalances from the digestive system. A 7

8 person does not need to know their vikruti to do this general cleanse. It should still be initially guided by a practitioner but eventually you can do it on your own if comfortable. This uses a whole food diet with some animal protein, cleansing herbs, spices and tea and many of the daily body therapies that you already use to support detoxification on a daily basis such as body brushing and Abhyanga, neti and nasya, oil pulling and tongue scraping. This is the guided group cleanse that I will be offering three times a year for seasonal support. The next level of cleanse is an Oleation Detoxification. This uses all of the same home therapies as in the home cleanse but also includes internal oil enemas, an internal purgative, and taking of increasing amounts of ghee to melt and draw the ama from the outer layers of the body into the digestive system for removal. This is a cleanse tailored towards addressing an individual s vikruti and needs to be managed by a practitioner as the person will receive unique herbs, spices, and adjustments per their own doshic imbalance. A whole food diet is also used but no animal proteins are allowed as they are harder to digest. Kitchari is the main cleansing food but can be eaten in some variation (splitting up the legumes, grain and vegetables into soups or different dishes). Minimal oils aside for the medicinal use of ghee are used. The deepest and most thorough cleansing protocol is called Panchakarma which is a cleansing and rejuvenating program for the body, mind and consciousness. It is known for its beneficial effects on overall health, wellness and self-healing. It uses the same home protocols and diet as the Oleation Cleanse but then has professionally performed body therapies, again tailored to an individual s doshic needs. It is the single most powerful healing therapy in Ayurveda and is a 3 stage process rather than a simple procedure. It is a strong reduction therapy with the purpose of eliminating ama and excess doshas throughout the body to reach the deep imbalances and reverse disease. 1. Purva karma: preparatory procedures designed to bring ama and excess doshas back to the digestive area so they can be removed by elimination procedures which can last from 3-21 days depending on each individual s needs Prepares the body for purification with a light diet, internal and external oiling procedures and sweating to liquefy the toxins By eating lightly there is extra space in the digestive system and this emptiness draws the ama back toward it 8

9 For it to flow back, the ama must first be softened or liquefied and dislodged from its current location 2. Pradhan karma: main professional administered techniques and body therapies for elimination Lasts 5-10 days Purpose is to remove the ama and excess dosha from the digestive system Applied after ama has been returned to GI tract Note: these therapies can be used separately outside of PK for specific treatments Panchakarma means 5 actions which addresses the different ways the ama is removed based on individual needs and doshas imbalanced 3. Praschat karma: follow-up home techniques for rejuvenation Lasts 7-28 days This is a tonifying therapy that builds the body and ojas back up to promote longevity by preventing aging and by making the body young again Starts by rebuilding the digestive fire so you can properly digest your food for proper nourishment and prevent development of ama During the earlier stages of purification the digestive fire is lowered due to the low intake of food. If too heavy or foods are taken directly afterwards if someone just resumes their normal diet there will be digestive disturbances and the formation of new ama It is also a time to recalibrate and nourish healthier habits PRANA: YOUR VITAL LIFE FORCE Prana is the vibrational electromagnetic energy of nature which keeps you alive and supports your body and mind. It is vital energy which pervades every corner of your bodymind and continuously recharges you through its life force. A main goal of cleansing is to your vital prana while ama. You take in prana from your food and water, through the air you breathe and even through your skin. In Ayurveda, eating freshly prepared foods provides a higher level of prana because their vital life force is still alive and active. The older and more processed a food, the less prana for you. 9

10 All the cleansing protocols use a diet of organic, whole, fresh foods. This is the gain the highest levels of prana. There is also no purpose in cleansing toxins while ingesting foods that have toxins (pesticides and chemicals) or create toxins! SEASONAL ADJUSMENTS RITUCHARYA Weather changes during seasonal transitions can affect your doshas and your health. To get the most benefits of the season and protection from the detrimental effects, Ayurveda recommends certain seasonal protocols which correlate to the energetic balance of each season. Seasonal routines primarily become important once you are re-aligned with your constitution. Until that point, you will continue to use a plan to balance your current vikruti. However, slight adjustments may be made to an existing plan to account for how the seasons will affect your constitution and alter your current state of imbalance. Seasonal adjustments are also more important for those with a dual or tri-doshic constitution. Each of the seasons roughly correlates to each of the doshas. Depending on the specific climate, some seasons can have dual doshic natures. Management of the seasons is then management of the dosha connected to it. For all specific techniques, refer back to Module Three under the management of the specific doshas. Spring in the mid-west is the Kapha season and is characterized by warm, moist, gentle, and cloudy. The warmth of the winter cold accumulation begins to melt. The solidity of kapha starts liquefying which can trigger spring colds and allergies, usually in kapha people. Early spring shares some of the qualities like winter, especially in WI where it remains cold and the weather fluctuates. Thus, some spring seasons can actually be considered a VK season and both factors need to be considered. Main goal: increase dry elements in foods, herbs, and lifestyle and avoid heavy, moist aspects. Though you can do a cleanse at any time, cleanses are a natural fit to spring as this is the time when, in nature, animals shed their winter weight with the light, bitter greens and vegetables of spring. A full Pancha Karma is great in the spring. Summer is generally the Pitta season north of the equator and is characterized by the qualities of hot, bright, sharp, and penetrating. The main goal is simple and straightforward: keep cool and try to keep pitta from becoming aggravated. In some climates with higher humidity, there will be a stronger kapha component that may need to be factored in. 10

11 Fall in the mid-west is the Vata season and is dry, light, cold, windy, and rough just like vata. This is the time when everyone s skin becomes a little drier, when there are more odd viruses and dry coughs and colds. The main goal is to pacify Vata with warm, heavy, moist, and stable food, herbs lifestyle elements. LIFE STAGES The stages of life also affect the doshas and your health. Like the seasons, each stage of life is connected to a dosha and can be looked at a causative factor and a piece to manage. This is truest of the vata, or latter stage of life, when people are experiencing many of the symptoms currently associated with old age. In Ayurveda, aging does not automatically correlate to deterioration in the body and mind; rather these symptoms are signs of excess vata and result from not managing the latter stage of life correctly. Childhood = kapha Middle years = pitta Retirement years = vata OIL PULLING Ayurveda uses many self-care techniques to support optimal health and prevent and treat imbalances through daily detoxification. You have learned and hopefully have begun integrating many of these tools already everything including body brushing and self-oil massage, neti pot, tongue scraping, even sleeping correctly for the body heals itself during times of rest and the liver is cleansing during the pitta nighttime period for 11 pm -3 am. Oil pulling is a deeper cleansing tool which can be used daily or in specific treatments and is designed to pull Ama, heavy metals, virus, bacteria, and anything that is foreign out of the body. It is mentioned in the Ayurvedic text Charaka Samhita and it is claimed to cure about 30 systemic diseases ranging from headache, migraine, diabetes, asthma, skin conditions, allergies, oral bacterial infections, gum problems and more. It is beneficial to the mouth, gums, and teeth and also encourages digestive stimulation. Since digestion begins in the mouth, the swishing process of pulling stimulates hunger and digestion which helps wake it up after the night s sleep. Since the body as a whole is 11

12 represented by your tongue, the oil bathes your tongue and encourages all of the different organs of your body to release toxins and doshic imbalances. How to Oil Pull: 1. First thing in the morning, before brushing your teeth and on an empty stomach and before drinking any liquids (including water), pour one tablespoon of raw, organic sunflower or sesame oil into your mouth. Swish the oil around, without gargling. Use your own suction to pull the oil around your mouth. 2. Continue this motion for minutes. You likely will not be able to do this full length of time immediately. Start with 5 minutes and every couple days increase by 1-2 minutes. 3. Over time, the oil will become thinner and whiter in color. The whitish (like milk) color is a proper indication that the process is complete. This process is pulling the bacteria and toxins out of the oral cavity. 4. Spit out the oil (I use the toilet as oil may clog sinks). Do your best not to swallow any of the oil. 5. Rinse your mouth before eating or drinking anything. Some sources recommend rinsing with warm, salt water (note: natural, non-iodized salt is ideal). 6. You will find that when you spit it out, that there is at least 3 times as much liquid coming out as you put in. This is due to the pulling effect on the saliva. The saliva is made up of the liquid portion of the blood, blood plasma, and lymph system so it encourages the blood and the lymph system to cleanse. As with all Ayurvedic practices, it is best to commit to the practice for a period of time in order to experience the full benefits that come with regular habits. While oil pulling every once in a while is great, greater frequency is better and making it a regular morning ritual with your other self-care tools before breakfast is ideal. Point to ponder What does it mean to trust yourself and how does that feel when you carry it into your activities and your life? 12

13 CREATIVE FOOD STRATEGIES A significant part of your recommendations has centered around food. This is because of the importance of the digestive system in your overall health and because it is an on-going daily input that has a strong impact on your doshic balance. Yet is the busy modern world it can be challenging to stay consistent with food, despite the best of intentions. As busy, working mother I understand and live this myself! I have found it very helpful to pre-think some meal and food options for yourself so that when those busy times hit, you already have a plan or an idea in your back pocket. To help guide this process, this week s recommendations includes thinking about and filling in your food plan in three categories: quick home meals, food out and about, and snacks. All of these should be ideally healthy (close to whole food as possible or at least on the better end of the spectrum) and meet your doshic need. Five Health-Supporting Quick Home Meals (kitchari is one of mine) Five Health-Supporting Restaurant or Take-Out Meals Five Health-Supporting Snacks

14 LEGITIMATE NEEDS Last week in the section on 10 Ways to Leverage your Success I talked about recognizing the legitimate need under your habit. This week I d like you to actually take a habit that is demotion and explore what is the legitimate need that is driving that pattern. An example might be eating ice cream every night. If you explore why you re eating the ice cream you might discover that it is a way that you are treating yourself after a long, hard day at work. The need for some reward or special nourishment after a hard day is legitimate. The way you are trying to meet that need may not be the healthiest. Once you have the need identified, think about what might be a new, healthier habit or activity to meet that need. Simply try it on and make adjustments along the way. Current Demoting Habit: Legitimate Need Underneath: New Healthier Habit to Try: SELF-ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Along this journey of eight weeks you have been introduced to new concepts and asked to try on, explore and experience your whole self from a different perspective. You have studied a whole new model of wellness and learned about new ways of using your thoughts to create a different reality. And each class I have tried to guide you to find your magnificence in the process. Because you have been doing an incredible job! No matter where you individually are in the process, each of you has shown up to support yourself and that in itself is huge. You also 14

15 might have noticed small or significant shifts in your symptoms, developed healthier patterns and habits, and are on the road to Health and Harmony. And an important part of this process is to celebrate those successes, to acknowledge what you are doing right, to give thanks to yourself. This idea is held and stated each week as I review the Standards of Process and ask you to show up in a place of acceptance, awareness, and positivity. Now it s your turn to take a look at all you ve done and give pause to really let it sink in. To fully acknowledge yourself and receive it. To bask in your achievements before rushing to the next habit or tool you want or think you need to work with. To start, note that there is a difference between an acknowledgment and a compliment. The difference has to do with whether the statement or thought connects to something that is of value to you and is in alignment with your truth. Compliments often come from an external perception of how someone else views a result or you. An acknowledgment has to do with the internal value and the connection to your idea of what s important. Consider a person giving a speech and feeling challenged to be in front of a large group of people - a feeling of stage anxiety. An example of a compliment would be someone saying, I heard your speech last night. I thought it went well. Congratulations! Underneath, the energy of that statement is a judgment of the speech itself, how the speech was perceived, and whether the speech was good, bad or went well. It is also fairly general. An acknowledgment would be, I acknowledge your courage for getting out there and speaking to a public audience of 30 people. It acknowledges that the inner piece that was important for the person was about the size of the audience and their ability to hold their space within the group, not the speech itself. The inner piece is what I call the essence. A self-acknowledgment of this example might be, I acknowledge myself for being courageous, getting out there and speaking to a crowd in a way that felt comfortable to me and yet allowed me to speak my truth. Of course, the best person to write that selfacknowledgment would be the individual who would know best their essence value. What is the point is of self-acknowledgment. 15

16 Knowing that whatever you focus on expands, every time you acknowledge yourself it s like you re throwing a mini-celebration of your truth and how you re lining up with your truth. When you do a self-acknowledgment and honor the celebration and the joy, it is an energy that goes back out into the universe. The universe feels that positive glow and flow of energy, and you draw more of it into yourself. When you take the time to acknowledge yourself, it helps you focus on all of the good that you re doing and the 98% that s often working for you. You begin to draw more and more of that successful energy towards your life. Another example of how to distinguish between the energy around an acknowledgment can be seen in how you approach your to-do list. If at the end of each day you simply cross off the items on the list and begin to focus on all the other items that still remain, you put your energy on what is still left to do which can lead to feeling always incomplete or overwhelmed. Instead of acknowledging what those items you completed meant, you simply move on to the next set of things on your to-do list and focus on everything that you don t have done. Because most of your to-do lists are ever expanding, you may never feel like you truly are done or win and hold an energy of always more to do. Feel the subtle difference between that example compared with the scenario where you cross off all the items on the to-do list and focus on celebrating all the success in accomplishing the tasks. Instead of making a new list, you pause and really acknowledge what you ve done and integrate the energy of an accomplishment. You end your day not thinking about what you have to do tomorrow but being in gratitude for all that you lived, enjoyed and did today. This is how I choose to end my day in gratitude and what a difference in makes! I ll throw out one last piece for perspective. In the book, The Four Agreements, one of the four tenets is, Don t take anything personally. That idea can be really helpful when someone is saying something you don t want to hear. The flipside of it is to not take the good stuff - the compliments and praise - personally either. You can accept and acknowledge it but if you use it as your outlet for acknowledgement, you set yourself up to need that external affirmation. This process actually gives away part of your power and denies your own sense of success. Self-acknowledgment is a key way to tap into your own power by the only person who really has the power to validate - YOU. 16

17 WHERE ARE YOU NOW? In the beginning of the program I had you create a set of intentions and paint a picture in your mind of what it would like when you reached your objectives. I ve also been having you track your symptoms to assess how what you re doing in moving you forward towards those intentions and objectives. I invite you to look at those initial pieces and see where you are now and to create at least 10 self-acknowledgements to celebrate your achievements, your process and your awareness. Know that I m going to ask you to share at least one of this with the group next week as part of our celebration, so be prepared! 1. I celebrate and acknowledge myself for 2. I celebrate and acknowledge myself for 3. I celebrate and acknowledge myself for 4. I celebrate and acknowledge myself for 5. I celebrate and acknowledge myself for 6. I celebrate and acknowledge myself for 17

18 7. I celebrate and acknowledge myself for 8. I celebrate and acknowledge myself for 9. I celebrate and acknowledge myself for 10. I celebrate and acknowledge myself for I d also like you to share in a simple short statement what each person in the group brought to your learning experience as a thank you: 18

19 And to end I invite you to do the Life Balance Wheel exercise and simply note, with your beautiful neutral mind, where you are now in the big picture. The Life Balance Wheel Instructions: Rate your current level of satisfaction with a number designation and for each segment of your life by drawing a curved line to create an arc that represents a new outer edge for that particular segment. Rest & Relaxation Physical Surroundings Personal Development Profession Finances Physical Well-Being Primary Relationship Relationships Finances - Physical Well-Being - Primary Relationship - Relationships - Personal Development - Physical Surroundings - Rest & Relaxation - Profession - Your relationship with (giving & receiving) money, abundance Your body, health, sense of physical safety Your being/not being in a primary relationship Satisfaction with family, friends, associates Your process of growth and self-discovery Where you spend time - home, office, car Time for regeneration, enjoyment, leisure Giving and expressing your unique gifts and talents On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your life in terms of overall health? 19

20 KEEP UP OPPORTUNITIES WITH JAMIE Sign up for my monthly Healing and Harmony from the Inside Out Ezine which highlights different wellness themes, member specials, and upcoming classes and events. Sign up form at Friend the Ayurveda Wellness Facebook page to get weekly tips, special announcements, inspirational quotes and up-to-the-minute wellness news. Stay tuned for Step Into Your Inner Power, a group wellness program focused on deepening your self-connection and healing through the subtle bodies and tools including chakra specific postures, pranayama and meditations; bodymapping explorations for self-healing, aromatherapy, color therapy, sound therapy, and yoga for your doshic specific needs. Program will start in in the fall of Talk to you Jamie if you want to reserve your space. Participate in the seasonal Be Your Best Cleansing Rejuvenation guided home cleanses. All of you could benefit from this and you have priority for partial cleanse kits which contain the food, cleansing herbs, spices and teas without the home tools. Monthly evening Kundalini Yoga workshops and weekly morning yoga classes listed on the website as well as announced in the Ezines Exploring Spirit Retreat to New Zealand: details to be coming later this spring. These retreats integrate adventure and travel with some aspect of yoga, connection to spirit, and self-care. Providing a space to step outside your "normal" life to explore and experience the wonder of spirit both inside of you and in the wonders around the world. Retreats include planned and guided itineraries focused around off-the beaten-path spiritual experiences and include guided activities by Jamie. These retreats are the perfect opportunity to connect on a deeper level with family and friends; have a special and unique trip with your sweetie, take your support group off on an adventure, or simply get away by yourself for reflection and self-renewal. Lastly remember that as part of this program you receive 10% discount off Ayurveda Wellness consultations for 1 month after program completion. Give yourself the support you need. 20

21 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Books & Resources for Kundalini Yoga/Meditation: Kundalini Yoga by Shakta Kaur Khalsa Yoga for Women by Shakta Kaur Khalsa The Eternal Flow of Power by Shakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa 3HO Foundation, The 3HO Foundation is a Global Community of people who practice and share the teachings of Yogi Bhajan so that they may serve, inspire, and empower humanity to be healthy, happy, and holy. Ancient Healing Ways, Yoga supplies including Kundalini Yoga manuals and books, CD s, DVD s and more. Spirit Voyage, Kundalini yoga CDs, yoga music MP3 s, yoga DVD s, meditation music, blog, teas, all sorts of yoga related stuff! Ayurvedic Medicine: Perfect Health and Ageless Body, Timeless Mind by Deepak Chopra The Path of Practice by Bri. Maya Tiwari The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies By Vasant Lad Ayurveda, Nature s Medicine by David Frawley Prakriti by Dr. Robert Svoboda National Institute of Ayurvedic Medicine (NIAM) Cookbooks: The Chopra Center Cookbook : A Nutritional Guide to Renewal / Nourishing Body and Soul By Deepak Chopra The Ayurvedic Cookbook By Amadea Morningstar Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners: Familiar Western Food Prepared with Ayurvedic Principles By Amadea Morningsta The Modern Ayurvedic Cookbook: Healthful, Healing Recipes for Life By Amrita Sondhi Eat-Taste-Heal: An Ayurvedic Cookbook for Modern Living By Thomas Yarema, Daniel Rhoda, Johnny Brannigan 21

22 BodyMind Books: You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay Your Body Speaks Your Mind by Deb Shapiro Bodymind by Ken Dychtwald The Life you Were Born to Live Dan Milman Peace, Love & Healing by Bernie Siegel Spontaneous Healing by Andrew Weil Books on the Power of Thought & Mindfulness: Ask and It Is Given by Jerry & Ester Hicks/Abraham (Law of Attraction) The Healing Power of Mind by Tulku Thondup Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh Ethics for the New Millennium by Dalai Lama Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn No Ordinary Moments by Dan Millman The Mind by Yogi Bhajan Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananada Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain by Sharon Begley Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury -- a great book on open thinking solutions 22

23 PROGRAM EVALUATION Your feedback is important to me. Please take a moment to fill out this form and let me know honestly (you don t need to put your name on this) what you thought and any other thoughts you have to make the Creating Health & Harmony program the best it can be. What were your biggest results from being a part of this program? What were your biggest AHAs and/or take-aways from this program? How would you rate the information presented in this program and tell me why? Excellent Good Fair Poor Do you think this program was presented so you could understand and use it? What would you like to have seen more of or done differently? How would you rate the time you invested in the program and tell me why? Excellent Good Fair Poor How would you rate the pace of the program and any recommendations? Excellent Good Fair Poor 23

24 Would you recommend this program to others? Yes No Additional comments you have about the program, my style, the environment, etc: Would you be interested in a follow-up Ayurveda coaching group which has no new material but offers the space of accountability and sharing, creative support for challenges, and a continued structure to keep moving you forward in your self-care? What other programs or classes would you like to see offered? What days and times work best for you to participate in other programs, coaching groups or classes? 24