On a weekend when many Americans were out on the beaches, having backyard BB Q's and taking a general breather as they bid adieu to summer and welcomed the cooler winds of fall, 16 of us were on our mats for a long YTT weekend.
Begrudgingly I walked into the studio, slightly jealous that my sweetheart was at home resting while other friends and family were enjoying the long weekend without a trace of school or work on their minds. I found a spot for my mat and was immediately invited to join the circle by Ellie Bolland,Holistic Personal Coach, who is now on the list of people whom I think are pretty darn cool. She was invited there by our YTT teacher to introduce the concept of Ayurvedic nutrition, which she did with such genuine love and zeal for her practice that many of us walked away wanting to learn more.
As she was explaining the different doshas to us, I was (and I imagine everyone else as well) deciding which dosha I was. Was I a hot, sensual Fire? A balanced, nurturing Earth? Or the flighty, full of whimsy and flight Air? Yes, without a doubt, I was an Air. "100 percent air, which is rare to find" Ellie proclaimed while the students around watched my reaction as she laid this title upon me, one that had some not-so-positive defining characteristics.
Yet I didn't mind. With a laugh and a newly ignited spark, I went home that evening and immediately set to the task of discovering what all this "Air" business was all about and how I could alter my diet, Ayurvedically, to attack the imbalances to bring about the positive aspects that include having a disciplined mind, finding happiness amongst the beauty of nature and being an excellent teacher. And isn't that what I was there to do this past weekend?
Ayurveda also claims to have a proactive approach to disease, rather than reactive. By reading the subtle signs that our bodies send to us everyday we can anticipate an oncoming illness and combat it so that we don't need to rush off to a doctor and be given an assortment of drugs. As yoga has influenced my life and thinking, the desire to use prescription drugs of any sort, even aspirin, has declined greatly. If there is a natural option, a holistic approach to solving problems, than I am more inclined to research and utilize this as it is applicable to my own body. Why use something created in a laboratory if Mother Nature already has supplied us with the remedy in a natural form? Especially if it has been part of a 5000 year old process that has proven successful for generations of Indians and modern followers around the world.
I invite everyone to discover their own dosha, and whether it is Air, Fire, Earth or a combination of them, embrace it and learn the steps you can take to balance the doshas to create a healthier and happy lifestyle for yourself. Ellie told us that she loved Ayurveda as it helped her towards becoming an endless pit of energy, to fully embrace the gift of life and suck from it every wonderful nutrient that we possibly can.
If you live in the Charleston area, I would greatly encourage you to contact Ms. Bolland at elli@coreform.com. Otherwise there are wonderful resources on the web to start your Ayurvedic journey, whet your appetite for Ayurvedic nutrition or just gain a little more knowledge about a different style of taking care of one's body and mind.
* www.ayurveda.org
* www.holisticonline.com/ayurveda/ayv_home.htm
* nccam.nih.gov/health/ayurveda/
* www.healthy.net/scr/Therapy.asp?ThId=3
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