Exercises: Weekly Focus

Transcription

1 Weekly Focus Living Ayurveda Course with Cate Stillman Rasa + Digestion Virya + Vipaka 6 stages of Digestion Note: Guest Speaker Dr. MaryJo Cravatta (Nov. 27th). Visit Reading: Week 4: Digestion and Nutrition: Rasa, Virya, Vipaka and Prabhava. Lad Textbook, p Especially pay attention to The Stages of Digestion Six Stages of Digestion- Image is on p 256. Text box p other charts in this section. Exercises: Your rasa, virya and vipaka preference chart Gunas and your Gut worksheet Meal Spacing exercise Digestion Review Usually six or more hours are required for the digestion of a meal. The six tastes each relate to one stage of the digestive process lasting approximately one hour. Every taste nourishes rasa dhatu (lymph or plasma) during its respective stage of digestion, resulting in rasa dhatu containing all six tastes. Dr. Vasant Lad

2 Gunas and your gut LAC Growthwork Work Lesson 8 What gunas are dominant for you in your 3 phases of digestion? Kapha how to you feel 1-2 hours after eating? Pitta Stage how to you feel 2-5 hours after eating? Vata stage how to you feel 3-6 hours after eating?

3 What were the dominant tastes (rasa)? What was the dominant virya? (hot or cold) What was the dominant Vipaka (pungent, sweet, sour)? How did you feel after? Any digestive problems or notables? Your rasa, virya and vipaka preference MEAL 1 MEAL 2 MEAL 3 MEAL 4 MEAL 5 MEAL 6 MEAL 7

4 meal spacing if you re a meal stacker, journal on strategies to shift your eating habits in alignment with your physiology. Do you eat after food leaves the stomach or small intestine?

5 digestion review Take a moment to journal. What did you learn about your digestion this month? What is your body communicating? How does it communicate what is happening within? What changes are you making to optimize your digestion?

6 Written Reflections, Contemplations, Meditation Practices & Discussion Questions If you worship agni, you will be blessed with perfect health. (Lad p. 81) On Tongues & Agni o o o Remember the last illness you had. Can you trace the origins back to agni or indigestion? Can you remember which tastes may have been excessive prior to becoming ill, if any? How does this reflect the concept of Agni as the bridge between higher and lower consciousness (Lad Textbook 1 p. 82) Of the four types of agni (Lad. P. 92) which do you experience currently? What has your agni pattern been over time? On the 6 Tastes, Cravings & Ama Given your constitution (prakruti), which tastes are most important for you? How do you/will you get those tastes daily? Which of the 6 tastes have you been craving lately? Which have you craved more through your life? Which of your cravings are healthy or unhealthy? (Refer to Dr. Lad s writings on cravings: p. 250 ) Also refer to the qualities of excessive usage of the tastes (Lad. p ) What are some of the connections between your cravings and your awareness of agni? Make a list of any issues you have with digestion, and reflect on their root cause or deeper truth in your daily habit patterns. Healthy cravings are related to the response of cellular intelligence to an increased dosha without formation of ama (toxins). Other cravings can be due to increased doshas slowing agni, resulting in the production of ama. These toxins clog the cell membranes and disturb cellular intelligence, generating perverted cravings. Generally, an increased dosha without ama produces healthy cravings and disturbed doshas with ama create perverted, unhealthy cravings. Reflect on your inner body experience: how does Nature try to eliminate Ama from the body? Take a moment and feel into what your body knows of this. How would daily use of the following substances affect the tongue in terms of: the 20 gunas, ama and agni, the taste/ tongue chart on p. 241 Lad: Coffee Alcohol Marijuana Tobacco White Sugar And how about daily use of the following substances: Beets Turnips Red meat Ghee Dark Leafy Greens Leftovers Hot spicy foods Sour fermented foods