Sahasrara Chakra

The seventh chakra is every chakra. It is the knowing of deepest consciousness.

Experience reality beyond the physical senses.

Wabi-sabi Yoga

Wabi-sabi is a Japanese concept that expresses the acceptance of transience. Because Yoga is a non-competitive and non-judgmental practice, wabi-sabi fits beautifully into our daily practice, because it is all that is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete.

When Yogini Valarie Devi sees a student struggle with an asana, she gently reminds them that, “Some days are diamonds and some days are stones.” What she means is that, one day a pose is easy, and on another day it is not. Which ever it is – easy or difficult – we should not glow over our ability or stress over our inability. This is wabi-sabi.

Hamsa Yogashala is open to students who wish to come and sit quietly, or nap, or work on their private practice. The shala – wooded on three sides – is a healing sanctuary with an atmosphere of comfort and acceptance. When we step through the door we should allow ourselves to experience simplicity and modesty, serenity and authenticity.

Our world is one where nothing lasts, nothing is finished and nothing is perfect. Our Yoga practice should reflect this. There is both simplicity and complexity in every Yoga asana, as students, our course is to find the meditative value in both.

Om Peace!

Pranic Healing - Yoga's Daily Self-Care

I first read about “pranic healing” in Swami Vishnu-devananda’s translation of the Hatha Yogapradipika. Swamiji was expounding on the ancient healing wisdom of Swami Swatmarama, who wrote this classic Yogic text in the early 15th century CE. Briefly, Pranic Healing is an ancient approach to modern illness, one that addresses physical, mental and spiritual dis-ease.

As a Yogini I use Pranic Healing often in very casual ways, like during Yoga class, when adjusting a student. When I gently align a student’s neck, or apply gentle pressure to one of the quads, or softly palpate the spinal erectors, I am allowing Prana – a universal life-force energy – to flow freely from my hands to the student.

Today, many have become familiar with acupressure and acupuncture, and so consider the energy work involved here to be strictly Oriental. This is not the case. For example, Thai Yoga Massage – considered the oldest healing massage in the world – was first developed by an Ayurvedic doctor from India. Unquestionably, Dr. Shivago Komarpaj would have employed Pranic Healing techniques.

According to the Yogic idea of healing, the body ever seeks to heal itself. More often than not, our lifestyle choices impede the bodies innate desire for wellness, creating Pranic/energy disruptions, which manifests as sickness and disease.

Similar to Reiki and other energy modalities, Pranic Healing is no substitute for medical treatment, but an energy technique used to locate, identify and adjust energy imbalances in the body. So what I do in Yoga class, for example, is a compliment to, or part of Hatha Yoga. Specifically to the healing condition being created in any given Yoga pose. (If ever I suspected a serious condition I would speak to the student privately, mentioning the intuitive impression I received from their bodies Pranic Energy Field.)

The beauty of Pranic Healing is in its simplicity - that it can be done by anyone. When we eat pure food and drink clean water, when we do Hatha Yoga and meditate daily, we work with the bodies Prana to maintain overall health and wellbeing.

Hamsa Yogashala will be introducing a Pranic Healing workshop in the coming weeks. It is a two-day basic course in Prana and Pranic Healing that includes practical demonstrations and self-healing techniques. After all, healing is a very personal practice, one that we should take into our own hands.

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi

Are you toxic?

More Americans are seeking Whole Health Healing because not all disease can be cured by drug therapy or modern medicine.

Medical research across the world is showing – in the laboratory, in real patients, with studies ranging over many years – that physical disease is, at its deepest level, an expression of environmental toxins, psycho-spiritual pain and lifestyle choices.

The overall approach of doctors today is to treat the symptoms, a practice that ignores prevention and addressing the cause of illness.

The United States spends, literally, billions of dollars on health care and health care reform, yet, we rank 37th in the world and our costs are twice as expensive.

The leading causes of death in the United States are: heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, flu and pheumonia, and they are on the rise. Again, regardless of how many billions of dollars are spent on research and development. Why is this?

One possible answer is the level of toxicity in our society, which is rising at a rate comparable to the rate of the diseases listed above.

We encounter an enormous amount of toxins everyday. According to the Human Toxome Project, the level of lead and mercury, fluoride and chlorinated doxins, pesticides and neuro-toxins (and many others) is on the rise daily.
http://www.ewg.org/sites/humantoxome/healtheffects/

Ask yourself: “Am I too toxic?” Or find out how to discover your level of toxicity. Ask yourself: “Are stressful emotions causing my body to become sick?”. Or, “Have my lifestyle choices lowered my immunity?” Two things you can do:
-Honestly evalutate your lifestyle choices, and
-Seek to discover how you can treat a condition naturally.

The philosophy and practice of Whole Health Healing is a good first-line of defense, one that requires self-responsibility and diligenant awareness.

Yoga – the physical, mental and spiritual practice – has been and remains to be my only means of genuine healing, because it allows me to honor myself while honoring the world around me.

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi

Won't find Yoga here!

Most dangerous sport among girls/women: Cheerleading. Cheerleading accounted for 65.2 percent of high school and 70.5 percent of college catastrophic injuries among all female sports. The next most dangerous sports: gymnastics (nine such injuries) and track (seven). http://www.livescience.com/health/080811-cheerleading-injuries.html

The Top 15 Sports Related Injuries in the US:
-Basketball: 512,213
-Bicycling: 485,669
-Football: 418,260
-Soccer: 174,686
-Baseball: 155,898
-Skateboards: 112,544
-Trampolines: 108,029
-Softball: 106,884
-Swimming/Diving: 82,354
-Horseback riding: 73,576
-Weightlifting: 65,716
-Volleyball: 52,091
-Golf: 47,360
-Roller skating: 35,003
-Wrestling: 33,734 http://www.livescience.com/health/060614_sport_injuries.html

And the Top 10 in the World:
-Lawn Bowls
-Base Jumping
-Horse Riding
-Golf-Rock Climbing
-Fishing
-Motorcycling
-Cheerleading
-Cave Diving
-Rugby
http://sasthamcotta.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/top-10-most-dangerous-sports-in-the-world/

And: In 2005, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimated the highest numbers of sport-related injures were reported for:
-basketball (409,799),
-football (376,115) and
-bicycling (317,041).
That's not counting minor injuries that didn't require medical attention. The deadliest:
-riding an all-terrain vehicle, according to the CPSC. The sport accounted for 740 deaths in 2003, one-third of which were children under 16.
http://www.forbes.com/2006/11/15/sports-injuries-fitness-forbeslife_cz_cs_1114dangersports.html

Nope .. won't find Yoga anywhere near a list like this. I even googled it, trying to see if Yoga ranked anywhere close. Nope.

Yet, in India - and increasing so here in the US - Yoga is very much a sport:
http://www.yogasport.yoganet.org/

Clearly, Yogi's are in excellent shape. Certainly comparable to athletes when it comes to strength, flexibility and endurance.

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi

Self-Health and Balance with Yoga

Yogini Valarie Devi taps lightly on the singing bowl and a graduate student’s shoulders relax, a mother of three finds a moment of calm, and a real estate agent releases the day’s stress.

Life is fast paced, which is why so many are seeking the calming effects of Yoga to handle the stress of daily living.

According to the Complementary and Alternative Medical Association, 15.2 million Americans utilize the healing benefits of Yoga. On any given new day, there are new medical reports citing how a regular Yoga practice can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, ease depression, promote a good nights sleep, and just make us feel better.

If you find yourself over-reacting or rushing and forgetting what the rush was, then you may need a Yoga class. Forget about Yoga being how to bend like a pretzel, its about quality of life and living. When we breath deep and slow, allowing our body to gently bend and flow with the breath, the we create relaxation and patience – qualities needed in our hectic world.

During Yoga class we are asked to ‘stay with the pose’. This means to focus on what your are doing – from breathing to subtle movement. When our mind wanders to ‘what’s for dinner tonight’, then we are only stretching.

Because Yoga is ‘meditation in motion’, it helps us take charge of our impulses, so that we act instead of re-act. When we sit quietly holding a pose, allowing the breath the fill our body in that pose, then our mind becomes still and we stop trying to control every aspect of our life.

And Yoga is so simple that anyone can do it, at any age, or at any level of physical ability. All you have to have is intent, or the desire to be happy, healthy and whole.

In a country were billions are spent on healthcare, why are so many still unhealthy? Because healing is about prevention, and that’s where Yoga comes in.

More than an gym routine, Yoga is a lifestyle. It opens us to the idea of eating better, to having positive thoughts, to personal confidence and betterment. Yoga is not meant to replace medical care, but to promote wellness. Yoga cannot cure cancer, but it can help us deal with whatever may come our way.

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi

quote : Every Child

"Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man."
-Rabindranath Tagore

Special Needs Yoga

I was asked if I would be interested in teaching Yoga to some Special Needs children in a summer camp program. Gifted with such an opportunity, I gladly accepted!

There were eight bright-eyed children with loving smiles. When I arrived, they were playing on the outside deck. One of them saw me through the glass and I heard her exclaim: " She's here! The Yoga teacher is here!" I asked the woman in charge what she had told them, and she said "nothing really", just that there would be a "Yoga class". She then added, "They don't even know what 'yoga' is."

I helped them arrange their towels into a circle, so we could sit close to each other, our 'yoga mats' extending out like the petals of a flower. Next to me I placed Yogi Bear - a stuffed bear who does Yoga with me when I teach Yoga to kid's.

The hardest part in classes with kids is getting them to settle down enough to begin. This was not the case with these lovely children. As soon as I asked them to sit, they sat. When I asked them to be still and fold their hands at their heart, they did. When I sang the 'Namaste Song', some hummed, some swayed back and forth, and some did both.

They loved the poses: roaring like a Lion, meowing like a Cat, flying like a Bird, standing strong like a Tree. We barely began when the woman in charge reminded me (as I asked her) that there were 10 minutes left. I started the cool down .. where we sit with folded palms at our heart, smelling the 'flower' in our hands on the inhale, then humming like a bee on the exhale. This is a great way to get kids to breath deeply for final relaxation.

Then came the quiet time. I asked them all to lay down and "be still .. be quiet", and they did. I didnt think this was very remarkable, but when one of the woman's eyes widened about the two minute mark, I started to think that maybe being still was something these beautiful and energetic children did not normally do very often. Five minutes total, I rang the bell with a little song to bring awareness back into the body. All of them seemed calmer, smiling at me softly, sitting quietly. (As a reminder, these are Autistic and Sensory Integration Dysfunctional kids.)

When we sat up, we 'hummed' again, then I said: "And that is the end of Yoga class", which was, seemingly, a cue for me to be mobbed, for they all jumped up at once and ran over to me, surrounding me, touching my jata ('locks'), holding their hands at their hearts, talking at once! I immediately felt supported, uplifted and nurtured having them around me .. their joyful energy was amazing!

In all, their energy was enthusiastic and inquisitive, playful and wise. One little boy (who sat next to me during class) came and stood next to me and asked: "Can I hug you?" When I said "Yes!", he wrapped his tiny arms about my neck, and for that moment, nothing else mattered but that simple gift of love.

Afterwards, the woman in charge told me how surprised she was that they were so still for so long. "How did you do that!?", she asked.

As I was leaving, one little girl told me: "I want to give you a gift from my Special Box. Only Special People get gifts from my Special Box." Then she ranoff. When she returned she handed me a plastic sandwich bag with stickers shaped like hearts and stars and circles.

As I drove home I could hear their laughter in my ears, their hugs around my neck, feel their deep gaze within my eyes, and the warmth of their beautiful energy - freely given - all about me.

Eight more weeks to go!

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi

15 Things to Avoid Where Possible

Fifteen Things to Avoid Where Possible (In Alphabetical Order)

1-AIDS and AZT
2-Aluminium
3-Artificial Sweeteners
4-Anti-Bacterial and Disinfectant Products
5-Breast Milk Substitute
6-Chemotherapy
7-Fluoride
8-GMO Crops
9-Manufactured Chemicals
10-Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
11-Perscription and Over the Counter (OTC) Drugs
12-Pesticides
13-Plastics 14-Sunscreens
15-Vaccines

All of these topics are ones I have commented on over the years, but I have never put all this information in one post. So I gathered all my old posts, added a few new links, and compiled a list of ‘Fifteen Things to Avoid Where Possible’.

As a Yogini and Ayurvedic practitioner I am keenly aware of health and wellbeing. However, it’s as a human being that I say, “Without good health, we have nothing.” With the Internet, there is a wealth of information at our fingertips; even so, just finding it can be overwhelming.

At all times, my first line of defense is personal health, which means my immediate family and I. Secondly, as a Yogini and Ayurvedic practitioner I am very interested in forwarding this information to my friends and clients. Both are why I have researched and compiled this information over the years; so that now, I am able to centralize it, making it easier to access for those who are sincerely interested yet limited in their time.

According to the philosophy and science of Yoga and Ayurveda, discomfort, pain, illness and disease, sickness, depression, stress and soreness are not supposed to interfere with our daily life and living, regardless of our age. What many consider to be ‘part of life’ or ‘aging’ is mostly unnecessary and should not dictate the way we live.

There are many choices in life, so when it comes to health we must choose to be informed or not, equally as to our level of involvement in that choice. In all I do, I choose education. I choose to educate myself, and to educate my family and friends. So with that said, I will state a list of possibilities if you choose to continue reading. If you decide to read this list and/or follow the links, you may experience the following:
-Improved health,
-Increased Memory,
-Attain a healthy weight,
-Reduce pain and discomfort,
-Reduce or lessen the chance of cancer,
-Reduce or lessen the chance of illness,
-Create a clear mind,
-Prolong your life-span,
-Feel good about yourself and your environment.

So, in alphabetical order.

1-AIDS and AZT
To begin, ‘HIV Does Not Cause AIDS’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW-gp41Q_PM

“What we have been told about AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) is that its caused by a tiny retrovirus named HIV, which interesting enough has been around for many, many decades prior to it ever having any link to causing the sudden AIDS epidemic. We are told that any one of us could be at risk with unsafe sex, and that once diagnosed with HIV, we will eventually die from any one of over thirty debilitating diseases as a result. Oddly enough, unlike every other retrovirus that attacks it's victim’s immune system within days, weeks or perhaps a month or two of infection, HIV/AIDS can take up to and even exceed 10 years. Over 100,000 studies have been conducted and yet there are still no solid links that HIV actually is the cause of AIDS to begin with. Perhaps the industry is barking up the wrong tree, and that's why it has still never delivered a cure almost 30 years later, and after utilizing more resources than it took man to make it to the moon. // How did it go so wrong? Well, if AIDS has not been caused by HIV then millions of people have been given a diagnosis of death. Additionally, hundreds of thousands have been given drugs that could potentially cause AIDS themselves.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzx6wMFlBZQ

AZT, ‘The Deadly Cure’
“Zidovudine (INN) or azidothymidine (AZT) (also called ZDV) is a nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), a type of antiretroviral drug. It was the first approved treatment for HIV. It is also sold under the names Retrovir and Retrovis, and as an ingredient in Combivir and Trizivir. It is an analog of thymidine.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zidovudine

“Can the antiviral drug AZT, given to HIV-positive mothers in pregnancy and to their newborn babies, protect against mother-to-baby transmission of AIDS? The claim that it does so is entirely speculative. Yet the harm done by the drug is extensively documented. AZT treatment strategy is based on a number of beliefs. One is that certain biological signals, such as elevated "viral load" and "HIV" antibodies, signify HIV infection. Another is that HIV infection is the cause of AIDS. If either or both of those suppositions are untrue, as some scientists argue [see adjoining article "Molecular Miscarriage: Is the HIV Theory a Tragic Mistake?"], then all mothers and babies treated in this way are being uselessly exposed to an unquestionably dangerous chemical.
AZT's proven toxicities include severe muscle pain, weakness, and atrophy; heart muscle changes and malfunctions; bone marrow suppression, with consequent anemia and loss of all types of blood cells; liver failure; and broad-ranging and sometimes irreversible loss and poisoning of mitochondria, the energy "factories" within our cells. The drug also leads to permanent DNA damage, and studies in mice and monkeys have raised concerns that babies exposed to AZT in the womb will face an increased risk of cancer when they grow up.”
http://www.whatisaids.com/mothering/aztpoisoningbabies.htm

2-Aluminum
Some ‘Health Concerns’:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#Health_concerns

“Though not classified as a heavy metal such as lead, it can be dangerous in high levels. Especially since it can accumulate in ones body, the brain being the worst place it can find itself. Higher aluminum levels have also been linked to Alzheimer’s”.
http://alzheimers.org.uk/factsheet/406
and
http://www.doulton.ca/alzheimers.html

How is aluminum introduced into the body?
“It's used in the manufacturing of cookware, flatware, foil, cans used for soda. It's also used commonly in the following health products [alpha-order by editor]:
Antacids,
Anti-Diarrhea Medications,
Astringents,
Baby Powder,
Buffered Aspirin,
Dentures,
Hemorrhoid Medications,
Lipsticks,
Nasal Sprays,
Talcum Powder,
Vaccines, and
Vaginal Douches.
It's used commonly in the following cooking ingredients:
Baking Powder,
Cake Mix,
Pickling Salt,
Processed Cheese,
Self-Rising Flour, and
Table Salt.
http://www.ghchealth.com/dangers-of-aluminum.html

Aluminum Toxicity:
”Many of the symptoms of aluminum toxicity mimic those of Alzheimer’s disease and osteoporosis. Colic, rickets, gastrointestinal problems, interference with the metabolism of calcium, extreme nervousness, anemia, headaches, decreased liver and kidney function, memory loss, speech problems, softening of the bones, and aching muscles can all be caused by aluminum toxicity.”
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art7739.asp

3-Artificial Sweeteners
Aspartame, Equal, Splenda, NutraSweet, Sugar Twin, are all artificial sweeteners.

“Look for the ingredient aspartame. This artificial sweetener was approved by the FDA in 1981. It is packaged under the brand names NutraSweet, Equal and Sugar Twin. It is used in over six thousand products and is usually listed as ‘aspartame’ in the ingredients list in products like diet soda.”
http://www.ehow.com/how_4483377_identify-artificial-sweeteners.html

“There are ‘92 Known Side Effects of Aspartame’. Again, this leads to falsely diagnosed “conditions” and leads to an over medicated society.”
http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html

“Ironically enough, many studies have actually found that those who consume diet soft drinks are over 30% more likely to gain weight. Which seems to defeat the purpose to begin with, and then of course you get 92 other potential reasons why it was a bad choice.”
http://www.healthcastle.com/diet_pop_health.shtml

A video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yezDGwmGqdM

4-Anti-Bacterial and Disinfectant Products
Personal use items, such as gels, wipes, liquids, or aerosols, sponges, toothbrushes, cutting boards, socks, facial tissues, and the like, are all toxic. Likewise, the measures used to ‘disinfect’ public water supplies.

Home products:
http://www.watoxics.org/homes-and-gardens/factsheets/antimicrobials
and
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/index.htm

Drinking water:
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20090301025425data_trunc_sys.shtml

5-Breast Milk Substitute
tudies confirm that breast fed children have fewer links to childhood disorders and behavioral problems.”
Reference: J Hum Lact. 1997 Jun; 13 (2): 93-7. Published by School of Nursing, Wichita State University, Kansas, USA.

“Breastfeeding, a valuable natural resource, promotes health, helps prevent infant and childhood disease, and saves health care costs. Additional annual national health care costs, incurred for treatment of four medical conditions in infant who were not breastfed were estimated. Infant diarrhea in non-breastfed infants costs $291.3 million; respiratory syncytial virus, $225 million; insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, from $9.6 to $124.8 million; and otitis media, $660 million. Thus, these four medical diagnoses alone create just over $1 billion of extra health care costs each year. Breastfeeding may also enhance intellectual development of children according to at least one medical research study. The potential societal benefits of more intelligent children is incalculable even though it cannot be directly measured in terms of dollars.”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9233193

“An additional $2,665,715 in federal funds is needed yearly in order for WIC to provide infant formula to non-breastfeeding mothers. For the average family, the cost of purchasing formula is twice the cost of supplemental food for the breastfeeding mother. Breastfeeding education and support should be an integral part of health care, especially under managed care which rewards the prevention of health problems and reduced use of health services. http://www.ehponline.org/members/2008/116-10/focus.html

“The mother supports the host defense of the infant in two ways," says Lars Hanson, a clinical immunologist at Göteborg University in Sweden. "One is via antibodies from her blood that are actively transported over the placenta to the infant's circulation during fetal life, and are ready for use from birth on. The other is due to the numerous and complex defense factors provided via the mother's milk, available directly after delivery. Not only is it harming the child by setting them up for a myriad of possible problems in their future. But studies have also found that the lack of a close relationship between mother and child can lead to a whole host of it's own problems later on in life.”
http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep95/attach.html

Finally, there have been several news articles recently regarding breastfeeding woman. Each of these has centered on the ‘decency’ of showing a woman’s breast, even for educational purposes. One such article:
http://mashable.com/2009/05/31/facebook-breasts/

6-Chemotherapy
Remember this recent news story?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,521732,00.html?test=latestnews

“Chemotherapy, in its most general sense, refers to treatment of disease by chemicals that kill cells, both good and bad, but specifically those of micro-organisms or cancer.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemotherapy

‘The Shocking Truth’:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Cancer:-The-Shocking-Truth-About-the-Effectiveness-of-Chemotherapy&id=347096

A Good Question: “Why – after trillions of dollars of funding and research – is the only effective means of treating cancer have to be a chemical poison that destroys the body along with its immunity system?”

This study debunks chemotherapy as an effective treatment:
“The Contribution of Cytotoxic Chemotherapy to 5-Year Survival in Adult Malignancies”:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15630849?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

This paper was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Volume 16, Issue 8, December 2004, pages 549-560. This peer-review medical journal has been studied, revised and published – and so scrutinized by other doctors, all of whom view such research for credibility and validity. To date, there has been no rebuttal of the findings.

The Findings:
“The overall contribution of curative and adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adults was estimated to be 2.3% in Australia and 2.1% in the USA.”

This means that chemotherapy’s assistance in the treatment of cancer is no more than 3%. Or, as this article relates: “Wherever data were uncertain, the authors deliberately erred on the side of over-estimating the benefit of chemotherapy. Even so, the study concluded that overall, chemotherapy contributes just over 2 percent to improved survival in cancer patients.”
http://cancerfighter.wordpress.com/2008/10/10/how-effective-is-chemotherapy/

7-Fluoride
This is a poison that most of us encounter daily. To begin, we must find out: What is Fluoride?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flouride

“The 1984 issue of Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products lists fluoride as more poisonous than lead and just slightly less poisonous than arsenic. It has been used as a pesticide for mice, rats and other small pests. A 10lb infant could be killed by 1/100 of an ounce and a 100lb adult could be killed by 1/10 of an ounce of fluoride. So Fluoride is just slightly less lethal than lead, and not quite as poisonous as the infamous arsenic? If so, why is it put in products that we use daily? For those who feel that fluoride poses little to no threat, based on the amounts used, I have a question: “If it is so toxic, so poisonous, even in small doses – why ingest it at all?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yezDGwmGqdM

“The fluoride used in our water supplies is industrial grade fluoride called Hydrofluosilicic Acid which contains harmful contaminants such as arsenic, barium, cadmium, lead and mercury. It is a byproduct from the phosphate fertilizer industry. Water fluoridation is a cheap way for industry to get rid of their waste and consumers pay the price. // We then drink the water, cook with the water, and bathe in the water. The compounding effect ramps up the levels in our body quickly. Water is essential to a human’s survival, so it makes sense that ingesting clean water will improve overall health. If you haven't already, you should seriously invest in a water filtration system.”
http://www.cleanwateraction.org/feature/clean-water-campaign-why-water-fluoridation-bad-new-jersey

And for your teeth, there is a condition called ‘Dental fluorosis’. It is the result of fluoridation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_fluorosis

Does this look familiar?:
http://www.fluoridealert.org/dental-fluorosis.htm

“In a number of small villages in Sicily, Turkey and India there is naturally occurring fluoride in the water ranging from 0.7 to 5.4 ppm. Here the villagers and their livestock are chronically ill, while neighboring villages with no fluoride have no such illnesses. Premature aging is the overall effect. Children have brown decaying teeth; young adults often have none. Young men are bent over and crippled with pain in their joints and hips. Their skin is wrinkled and they look 60 at age 30 to 40. There is premature hardening of the arteries, loss of appetite and sex drive by age 30. The rate of stillborn miscarriages by 4 months is extremely high.”
http://www.wholywater.com/fluoride.html

8-GMO Foods (Genetically Modified Organism)
The ‘Controversy’:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GMO#Controversy

The World According to Monsanto:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_OJcPKEYDE

The Genetic Conspiracy – Monsanto:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joweZ6uM5iY
”There are a variety of detrimental health effects directly related to the use of GMO crops. I could write an entire thread on this topic alone. Some problems of GMO Crops include the tens of thousands of deaths and debilitating disabilities as well as near deaths, Direct Cancer and Degenerative disease links, Super Viruses, Antibiotic threats via milk, Antibiotic and pesticide threats via plants, Birth defects and shorter life spans;.. // ..The experience of actual GM-fed experimental animals is scary. When GM soy was fed to female rats, most of their babies died within three weeks – compared to a 10% death rate among the control group fed natural soy. The GM-fed babies were also smaller, and later had problems getting pregnant. // Other problems include, soil toxicity, extinction of seed variety, super weeds, plant invasion, terminator trees, super pests, poisonous to mammals, destruction of self sufficient family farming, terminator technology, dependency issues etc.”

50 Harmful Effects of Genetically Modified (GM) Foods:
http://www.raw-wisdom.com/genetically-modified-food

Did you know that some GMOs contain NO DNA?

SAY NO TO GMO!

9-Manufactured Chemicals
Personal care and cleaning products, the ‘Top Ten to Avoid’:
-Methyl, Propyl, Butyl and Ethyl Paraben,
-Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA),
-Diazolidinyl Urea, Imidazolidinyl Urea,
-Sodium Lauryl / Laureth Sulfate (SLS / SLES),
-Petrolatum,
-Propylene Glycol,
-PVP / VA Copolymer
-Stearalkonium Chloride
-Synthetic Color(s),
-Synthetic Fragrance(s).

You will probably find these in all your DAILY products. They are used to ‘extend shelf life’, as foaming agents and emulsifiers, as preservatives, shampoos and conditioners, soaps, shaving cream, petroleum jelly (mineral oil), cosmetics, hairspray and other styling aids, fabric softener, mouthwash and toothpaste, bubble bath, hair dyes, sunscreen (another category altogether), and nail polish.Be sure to read the labels on even ‘eco-friendly’ products, because the FDA likes to change the meaning of words. For example, some products listed as ‘organic’ or ‘eco’ / ‘environmentally friendly’ contain Sodium Laureth Sulfate and other toxins.

All 10 of these products have been linked to cancer, allergic reactions and skin rashes, estrogen absorbed via the skin, eye irritants, dry skin and damage hair follicles, contact dermatitis, scalp scurf and dandruff, chapping, asthma when inhaled, headaches and dizziness, coughing, vomiting, and the like.

Many of these are also neurotoxins, which damage the central nervous system, or are Teratogens, which affect the growth of an embryo. This latter includes: ether, propylene glycol, lanolin, acetone and methylene chloride. Nor are all of these personal use products, for some are found in tire sealant, rubber cleaner, de-icer, stain removers, fabric softener, degreaser, paint, adhesive and wallpaper stripper.

For further information:
http://www.proactivehealth.net.au/index.php?mpid=17

10-Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Monosodium Glutamate is added to what you eat and hidden as a “flavor enhancer”, “spice”, “food additive” or “natural flavoring”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate

It is in virtually all processed food, fast food, condiments and prepackaged food; in short, it’s a staple of the ‘junk food’ industry. Safeway, Wal-Mart and Costco use it routinely in their products. It’s considered a ‘miracle food’ to these manufacturers because it can make old, stall, burnt, or simply bad food taste good.

“As already stated, the addictive quality is bad news for a society that has grown to contain epidemic levels of obesity. The relation of the introduction of MSG and the growing percentage of Obese Americans, is quite obvious. // MSG Sensitivity is a problem that some may not even be aware they are suffering from. Instead attributing the problems to different issues. Check out the list of Symptoms. It's estimated that potentially 30-40% of our society is suffering from MSG sensitivity without even knowing it; leading to more prescriptions, and poor health. It's also worth mentioning, that although it is listed as a safe additive, society as a whole actually ingests more daily than even they regard as safe.”
http://www.msgmyth.com/know.htm

11-Prescription and Over The Counter (OTC) Medication
“It is no mere coincidence that the drug industry is a billion dollar industry, and that the US just happens to be the most medicated population on earth. In the U.S. , prescriptions have increased over the past decade to 3.4 billion annually, a 61 percent increase. Retail sales of prescription drugs jumped 250 percent, from $72 billion to $250 billion, while the average price of prescriptions has more than doubled from $30 to $68.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceutical_companies

“Drug researchers not directly employed by pharmaceutical companies often look to companies for grants, and companies often look to researchers for studies that will make their products look favorable. Sponsored researchers are rewarded by drug companies,..”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceutical_companies#Controversy_about_drug_development_and_testing

“The top twenty pharmaceutical companies and their two trade groups, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and Biotechnology Industry Organization, lobbied on at least 1,600 pieces of legislation between 1998 and 2004. According to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, pharmaceutical companies spent $900 million on lobbying between 1998 and 2005, more than any other industry. During the same period, they donated $89.9 million to federal candidates and political parties, giving approximately three times as much to Republicans as to Democrats. According to the Center for Public Integrity, from January 2005 through June 2006 alone, the pharmaceutical industry spent approximately $182 million on Federal lobbying. The industry has 1,274 registered lobbyists in Washington D.C.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmaceutical_lobby

If you watch television then you are bombarded with drug advertisements that dictate you “ask your doctor”. One side of these commercials is upbeat and flashy, while the other is solely committed to warning you. If you listen carefully, sometimes these side effects are what the drug is meant to actually ‘cure’.

“In 2004 it was stated that on average, each month 40 new side effects or adverse reactions were added to drug warning labels after they had already been approved and were being consumed by customers. In one of the longest delays in changes, widely used Demerol a common pain reliever got a new warning in 2003, 70 years after its introduction. The change? Demerol was passing straight into mothers milk, being passed on directly to suckling babies. A powerful pain reliever being consumed by a baby is terrifying, who knows the full extent of the health consequences of that problem.”
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/Safety-RelatedDrugLabelingChanges/default.htm

”Pletal, approved by the FDA in February of 2004, lists the following adverse effects, reported worldwide: pain, chest pain, hot flashes, cerebral hemorrhage, angina pectoris, hypo-tension, hepatic dysfunction/abnormal liver function, jaundice, vomiting, thromboctopenia, leukopenia, bleeding tendency, paresthesia, hyperglycemia, pulmonary hemorrhage, interstitial pneumonia, pruritus, skin eruptions including Stevens-Johnson syndrome, rash, increase BUN, and hematuria.

The following adverse events occurred OUTSIDE the US prior to marketing of Pletal in the US: Pulmonary Hemorrhage and Stevens-Johnsons syndrome. To be clear, this condition is described as, “Massive bleeding of the heart, and excruciating, disfiguring skin reaction that sometimes kills you”; showed up before the drug was offered in the US. But it was sold to American anyway.”
From the book: ’50 Things Your Not Supposed to Know’ (page 35)
http://books.google.com/books?id=M3VYMwvDKwAC&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&ots=9P9VobC5TN&dq=pletal+%22Massive+bleeding+of+the+heart%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html

Adverse Reactions:
“Modern medicine kills 750,000 people each year, that's a 16,400% increase over terrorism. The equivalent to crashing 6 fully loaded jumbo jets daily.” // Adverse reactions alone claimed approx. 32,000 people in 2000.”
http://www.naturalnews.com/009278.html

War on Drugs:
“Non-Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Aspirin claimed 7,600 people in 2000. In contrast, all illicit drug use both directly and indirectly claimed only 17,000 people in 2000.”
http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/30

NOTE: I am NO doctor. However, after doing the research and reading the warnings, it sure seems to me that, unless it’s a matter of life or death, prescription drugs do more harm than good.

12-Pesticides
On Humans:
“More and more studies are defining the link between pesticides and the growing cancer rates that our society experiences. As if it weren't bad enough that companies like Monsanto were genetically engineering crops to create more of their own pesticides that leads to toxicity in humans, studies now find links between the amounts of pesticide pollution and the growing levels of PCB's in humans, to higher levels of Cancer.”
http://www.pmac.net/pesticide_pollution.html

On the Soil that Grows our Food:
“Pesticides decrease biodiversity in the soil because they do not just kill the intended pest; they often kill many of the other small organisms present. When life in the soil is killed off, the soil quality deteriorates and this has a knock-on effect upon the retention of water. This is a problem for farmers particularly in times of drought. At such times, organic farms have been found to have yields 20-40% higher than conventional farms. Soil fertility is affected in other ways, too. When pesticides kill off most of the active soil organisms, the complex interactions which result in good fertility break down. // Plants depend on millions of bacteria and fungi to bring nutrients to their rootlets. When these cycles are disrupted plants become more dependent upon exact doses of chemical fertilizers at regular intervals. Even so, the fantastically rich interactions in healthy soil cannot be fully replicated by the farmer with chemicals”

Pesticide Pollution:
“A recent study by the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, discovered a 70% increase in the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease for people exposed to even low levels of pesticides. // Pesticides can also endanger workers during production, transportation, or during and after use. Bystanders may also be affected at times, for example walkers using public rights of way on adjacent land or families whose homes are close by crop spraying activities. One of the main hazards of pesticide use is to farm workers and gardeners.”

Pesticides and Children:
“Children are particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of pesticides. Studies have found higher rates of brain cancer, leukemia and birth defects in children who suffered early exposure to pesticides. (National Resources Defense Council study).”

Pesticides and the Human Diet:
“The main source of exposure to pesticides for most people is through diet. // A study in 2006 measured organophosphorus levels in 23 school children before and after changing their diet to organic food. The levels of organophosphorus exposure dropped immediately and dramatically when the children began the organic diet. Residues, set by governments, are limited to tolerance levels that are considered safe, based on average daily consumption of these foods by adults and children. But, as we all know, some people do not behave as average!”

All references:
http://www.greenfootsteps.com/pesticides-and-pollution.html
http://www.pesticide.org/hhg/OPSpyrethroids.html
http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/pesticides.htm
http://www.nrdc.org/documents.asp?topicid=6&tag=pesticides

What to do:
Read the label! Then follow the instructions exactly!

Aside from political action, wherever possible, eat organic!

13-Plastics
We are surrounded by plastic.

“..pure plastics generally have low toxicity in their finished state, and will pass through the digestive system with no ill effect (other than mechanical damage or obstruction). However, plastics often contain a variety of toxic additives. For example, plasticizers like adipates and phthalates are often added to brittle plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make them pliable enough for use in food packaging, children's toys and teethers, tubing, shower curtains and other items. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of the plastic when it comes into contact with food. Out of these concerns, the European Union has banned the use of DEHP (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate), the most widely used plasticizer in PVC. Some compounds leaching from polystyrene food containers have been found to interfere with hormone functions and are suspected human carcinogens. // The primary building block of polycarbonates, bisphenol A (BPA), is an estrogen-like hormone disrupter that may leach into food. // A more recent animal study suggests that even low-level exposure to BPA results in insulin resistance, which can lead to inflammation and heart disease.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastics#Toxicity

“In addition to creating safety problems during production, many chemical additives that give plastic products desirable performance properties also have negative environmental and human health effects. These effects include:
-Direct toxicity, as in the cases of lead, cadmium, and mercury,
-Carcinogens, as in the case of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP),
-Endocrine disruption, which can lead to cancers, birth defects, immune system suppression and developmental problems in children.”
http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/plastichealtheffects.html

Further Exposure:
“People are exposed to these chemicals not only during manufacturing, but also by using plastic packages, because some chemicals migrate from the plastic packaging to the foods they contain. Examples of plastics contaminating food have been reported with most plastic types, including Styrene from polystyrene, plasticizers from PVC, antioxidants from polyethylene, and Acetaldehyde from PET.”
http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/plastichealtheffects.html

What To Do:
-Buy food in glass or metal containers.
-Keep glass jars for storage.
-Do not buy drinking bottles with Bisphenol A.
-Do not microwave plastic containers.
-Do not store fatty foods in plastic containers.
-Do not give children plastic teething rings or toys.
-Check for plastics in your clothing and bedding.
-Avoid PVC and Styrene.

14-Sunscreens
“Most sunscreens only block UVB rays, leaving UVA rays to do damage. Because people believe they are protected, it causes people to stay in the sun too long. And interestingly enough, it's UVB rays that make us burn. So our natural warning signal is slowed, and instead of us beginning to burn and realizing it's time to go inside, we stay in the sun far too long. Furthermore, UVB is how we get Vitamin D naturally. Vitamin D, interestingly enough, is known to help prevent some cancers, most notably, breast and colon. If all this weren't bad enough, keep in mind that when you are lathering yourself up with lotion, you're smearing chemicals all over your skin. Some of those chemicals are toxic, and your pours drink them up and shuttle them all over your body.”
Reference:
-Cedric F. Garland. “More on Preventing Skin Cancer”. British Medical Journal, 2003:327:128 (22, November).
-Thompson, Larry. “Sunscreen, Skin Cancer and UVA”. Healthlink (Medical College of Wisconson), 26 July, 2000. Mercola.com website of Dr. Joseph Mercola
Additional references:
http://dermatology.jwatch.org/cgi/content/full/2007/112/1

Most companies:
“Don’t screen UVA rays at all.”
“Do not pass health and environmental muster.”
“Contain potentially harmful chemicals.”
“Make questionable product claims.”
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=are-sunscreens-safe

15-Vaccines
“A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains a small amount of an agent that resembles a microorganism. The agent stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and "remember" it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccines

Some recent headlines:
-1300 Girls Harmed by HPV Vaccines
http://www.naturalnews.com/026293.html

-Measles vs the Right to School
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/columnists/2009/06/09/measles-v-right-to-school-91466-23819703/

-Mandatory Vaccinations for Americans?
http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=13925

-Mom Seeks Immunization Exemption
http://www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/44873567.html

What the National Vaccine Information Center has to say:
http://www.nvic.org//

And the Vaccine Truth.Org:
http://www.vaccinetruth.org/

Many studies suggest that vaccines are not safe, may contribute to childhood autism, contain high levels of mercury, and contain dead cancer cells:
http://www.mercuryautismlink.com/mercury/
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49094
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0317-05.htm

Regarding the Mercury / Autism link:
‘Study "Disproving" Mercury-Autism Link Published in Journal with Financial Ties to Vaccine Manufacturers’
http://www.naturalnews.com/022479.html

In 1984, Dr. Mendelsohn wrote, “My suspicion, which is shared by others in my profession, is that the nearly 10,000 SIDS deaths that occur in the United States each year are related to one or more of the vaccines that are routinely given children. The pertussis vaccine is the most likely villain, but it could also be one or more of the others.”
http://www.whale.to/vaccines/mendelsohn.html
NOTE: SIDS / “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome”.

“The statistics alone are shady enough, but one also needs to realize that statistics collected by the manufacturers are often skewed and deaths are listed as coincidental, or under other terms such as cot death, MSbP & SBS. In all, Smallpox vaccine infant deaths (UK) were estimated at 25,000 in 1880, and 6,000 in 1921. 780,000 people die from Allopathic (vaccinator) iatrogenic disease in the USA every year, 106,000 from adverse drug reactions. The bottom line: Allopathy has always killed more children than the diseases with vaccination and the suppression of effective non-Allopathic medicine such as Vitamin C which would prevent all cot-deaths and most other child deaths, (known since 1949).”
http://www.whale.to/v/meningitis5.html
http://www.whale.to/a/vaers.html
http://www.whale.to/m/smallpox/deaths.html
http://www.whale.to/vaccine/mmr2.html

Are Vaccines Worth The Risk? Here is a list of ‘Severe Adverse Reactions’:
http://www.hrsa.gov/Vaccinecompensation/statistics_report.htm

Food, Inc

"When you go to the grocery store there is an illusion of diversity. So much of our industrialized food turns out to be re-arrangements of corn"

The trailer:
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/455396/Food-Inc-/trailers

A news article:
______

Review: 'Food, Inc.' not for the squeamish
I was warned not to eat before seeing "Food, Inc.," a mind-boggling, heart-rending, stomach-churning expose on the food industry. Unfortunately, no one told me I might never want to ingest anything ever again.

"The industry doesn't want you to know the truth about what you're eating - because if you knew, you might not want to eat it." So says Eric Schlosser, author of "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" and one of the film's two principal talking heads. The other is UC Berkeley School of Journalism Professor Michael Pollan, who wrote "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and offers his own dark views on the business of American food production and the contents of American stomachs.

Directed and co-produced by Emmy Award winner Robert Kenner (PBS' "Two Days in October"), "Food, Inc." begins in the grocery aisles and tracks back to the seeds and slaughterhouses that produce, in large part, what we eat. In the process, it throws out one zinger after another, making its case with the methodical and unremitting force of muckrakers trying to radicalize - or at least rouse - a dozing populace.

We learn that the country's top four meatpackers control 80 percent of the beef market. We hear that farmers are subsidized to overproduce corn, which then goes into Coke, Sweet & Low, diapers, Motrin and cattle feed. We're told that the gut of a cow fed on corn breeds the deadliest strains of E. coli; that the Monsanto Co. owns every last one of its genetically engineered soybean seeds; that the Smithfield Hog Processing Plant in North Carolina slaughters 32,000 pigs per day. Fifty years ago, we're advised, it took 70 days to raise a chicken to slaughter. Today it takes 48.

Grim statistics pair off with arresting visuals: a researcher with his hand inside a cow's stomach; conveyor belts full of little yellow chicks, manhandled like car parts; a cow, not quite dead, getting pushed around by a forklift. There's also video of squealing pigs herded to their death on the "kill floor" of Smithfield, where, a union organizer says, the company recruits cheap workers from Mexico who often wind up arrested by immigration agents.

The toughest footage shows Kevin Kowalcyk, a bright-eyed 2-year-old splashing in a lake. He later died after eating burgers contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, prompting his mother to campaign for a law that would strengthen the U.S. Department of Agriculture's power to enforce sanitation and safety standards. But she won't say a word about her eating preferences - no Oprah-like rant against ground beef - for fear of being sued.

"Food, Inc." is almost entirely one-sided, but not for lack of trying. Officials at Monsanto, Smithfield, Tyson and Perdue all declined to be interviewed. The film's long list of producers include Schlosser and Participant Media, the company behind "An Inconvenient Truth," and it has the same flair for the dramatic and spirit of thorny urgency.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/06/11/MVE1184DN6.DTL

And

Meet Your New Farmer: Hungry Corporate Giant
Forget buckets of blood. Nothing says horror like one of those tubs of artificially buttered, nonorganic popcorn at the concession stand. That, at least, is one of the unappetizing lessons to draw from one of the scariest movies of the year, “Food, Inc.,” an informative, often infuriating activist documentary about the big business of feeding or, more to the political point, force-feeding, Americans all the junk that multinational corporate money can buy. You’ll shudder, shake and just possibly lose your genetically modified lunch.

http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/06/12/movies/12food.html?ref=arts

Detoxify and Revitalize

From an Ayurvedic perspective, we can strengthen our agni ("internal fire,energy, vitality") in three simple ways:
-a weekly Yoga practice,
-healthy dietary changes, and
-detoxifying herbs.

Lets start with Yoga. Ideally you should move your body every day. As a Yogini and Ayurvedic practitioner I recommend a twice-weekly Yoga practice and a five to six time a week personal/at home practice. This routine should strengthen your solar plexus and digestive fire - such as in agni sura (abdominal squeeze and lift), twisting poses, forward and backward bends, leg lifts and abdominal crunches. (The at home practice can be Sun Salutations for 10-15 minutes aday.)

However, this does not mean your Yoga practice should just be another thing you have do in your day. Yoga is about moving with breath (vinyasa), being in the present moment and letting go. It is supposed to prepare us for our inner work - its not just another form of exercise.

I suggest taking the Sunrise Yoga class at Hamsa Yogashala. It begins at 7amand lasts for an hour. There is no better way to start the day than by doingYoga to calm and center. It literally sets the tone of your day.

If your looking for something easy, then the 9-10am Gentle Yoga classes areexcellent. Or if you schedule needs a later class, than the 6:30-8pm session isan excellent place to start. Whatever your choice, there are 20 classes to choose from at Hamsa Yogashala, so simply find one that works for you.

Next, making healthy dietary changes, such as eating nourishing foods, like whole grains, fruits, beans and steamed or cooked vegetables (raw are more difficult to digest), prepared with small amounts of healthy oils such as olive or ghee (clarified butter).

To stoke your digestive fire, sip ginger tea with your meals and spice your food with pungent herbs like ginger, garlic, cinnamon, clove, basil, oregano pepperand chilies.

The goal is to eat in a way that makes you feel good, so that, when you eat, you notice how your food has affected you. For example, after eating, ask yourself:
-"Do I feel satisfied and energized?",
-"Do I feel tired?",
-"Do I feel sluggish?", or
-"Have my thoughts become scattered?"
In all, dont eat in such a way that you feel:
-"::sigh:: Im exhausted! I need a nap!"

Remember, agni is 'fire', and when you put too much wood on a fire, it will smolder and maybe even go out. Likewise, too much food - or the wrong kinds - can smother your digestive fire. Glutinous grains (like corn and wheat), meat, dairy products and oily food requre a strong digestive fire. They can be nourishing but if your agni is weak, they creat ama (which is'heavy', 'thick' and 'sticky'.

Ami accumulates in the weak areas of the body, which are different in every individual, so that for some, ama may collect in their knee joints (causing stiffness), or for some it may block the blood vessels around the heart (causing heart disease). In short, wherever ama is, disease and sickness soon follow.

To prevent this, reduce (or completely avoid) wheat and dairy products for two or three weeks, avoid oily or deep-fried foods and eat lighter grains like quinoa and millet instead. Then, watch for a week or two to see how you feel. Many of my Yoga students relate that they feel 'lighter', 'clearer' and 'more energized'. They is because they have unburdened their agni so that it can burn more brightly.

Finally, detoxifying herbs. The best approach is to cleanse the bowels regularly. When you eat a lot of poor quality food, the ama can stick to the side of your colon, which impedes the absorption of nutrients as well as the removal of waste. This can lead to auto-intoxication, which means that the toxins stick in the colon and begin to leach back into your system.

This can cause some uncomfortable side effects like headaches, fatigue, skin eruptions (acne, hives, rashes), ulcers and the like.

To ensure that your bowels move on a daily basis, add more fiber and water to your diet. I recommend the herb psyllium, which is a soluble fiber that acts like a scouring sponge - loosening and absorbing the ama stuck to the bowel walls - and sending it along its way. Which is out of your body.

If you choose to try psyllium: In the morning, a scant teaspoon (even if the directions on the package recommend more) mixed with two cups of pure water, and drank immediately, is all you need. Then, continue to drink pure water - at least 8oz every hour - to keep the fiber moving, or else it will dry out and cause constipation (if your prone to it).

NOTE: If you take vitamins or supplements, do not take any if you try psyllium. Remember, they will be flushed out with everything else.

By cleansing your system - with Yoga, healthy dietary changes and detoxifying herbs - you remove ama and boost your metabolism, which strengthens your agni so that we feel more alert, energized and full of life.

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi

These Last Few Days

These last few days have been very emotional.

It began with a disturbing dream. No sooner is that recorded on my journal then I receive an email from my sister asking that I call her right away. "Bad news" she wrote.

Loss is .. well, loss. It is emptiness and darkness and sadness and memory that floods the heart. Then there is the sadness of others. The two combined create so much pressure that its amazing the human heart is capable of such resiliance. But it is.

We say, 'Life goes on', or 'We must be strong', and other pithy sayings that are more mumbled in rote than actually believed at the moment. Or perhaps even the long run.

Yes, life does go on, but diffently. Nothing is ever the same once the loss has riped the fabric of our being. Colors are not the same, nor are smells or sound or .. just anything. Its as if, instantly, you have been thrust into a world like your own but different. One that is now missing a key component. Something that made the colors brighter, the smells more rich and sound more intense.

Senses are numbed and stay so, so that life goes on in this new numbed existence. Yes, life goes on .. but different.

And 'religion'. Why does it come to play now, in these moments of bereavement? Well, certainly, every injury needs a support - either temporary or long-term. This I understand, but choose not to lean upon.

In loss I have not chosen the route of religion, not wanting to cloud my sensations with thoughts of a higher power, but letting human emotion sweep over me like a winter storm - dark and sudden, cold and bitter.

"The unexamined life is not worth living", or so said a man who once lived in ancient Athens. I agree with his words for in them I feel their truth.

Numbed from loss? Certainly .. and unrecoverably so. But unable to examine that numbness? No. If anything, it is all too real, to painful, to punch-in-the-gut, air-escaping, world collapsingly clear to not examine.

Which brings me to the message in this post: Encouragement.

Darkness comes .. sometimes suddenly so .. crippling even. And it is followed by Dawn, who is not always the ray of light-encouragement, but a reminder that we must live on with a new reality .. casting light upon the different world around us. For myself, that different insight is one not shadowed by superstition, but worth examining anew. A new world minus one.

The world is filled with broken-hearted and open-eyed examiners. To them the future is ever new, and that is encouraging.

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi

Recession Meditation

Stress is finding its way into every layer of life. All the more reason to start or continue the holistic practices of Yoga, pranayama (deep breathing), meditation and Pranic Healing. These are the healthy choice alternatives that we cannot afford to set aside during these trying times!

The current recession amounts to mental stress, which will impact your thoughts, dreams, imagination and daily attitude - personally and professionally. Resorting to smoking or drinking or eating is neither healthy or realistic, for it only creates additional stress.

Recession stress is mental, which directly impacts your body. So the body needs some calming attention, to maintain balance throughout your entire being.

This is where Yoga comes in. I have list here are a few approaches that are easy to either introduce or continue in your life during these trying times. But more importantly, these lifestyle approaches will help you keep not just our head above water, but guide you towards a firm footing.

-Prana Therapy: With all the job cuts, increase in gas and food prices, company closings and the like, our future seems limited. To survive, many feel compelled to work harder, which increases their stress levels. With Prana Therapy you can de-stress your mind by changing your breath, which then changes your energy levels. Once balanced, you become a more effective thinker and do'er, more confident and relaxed in your daily interactions.

This inner harmony then manifests in how you interact with employees and employers, so enhancing your performance and productivity on every level. A weekly Yoga class that includes Prana Therapy - like here at Hamsa Yogashala - will increase your 'game' within a month.

-Do Balancing Poses: It’s easy to get caught up in work related problems and so ignore your personal life. When this happens, you need to 'build awareness' find finding balance.

Yoga's balancing poses keep you aware of the imbalances in life; this happens because the body’s de-stress mechanism is brought to the surface during a Yoga class.

For example, while practicing Natrajasana (Dancer pose) or Vrikshasana (Tree pose), we stand in a way that is not completely balanced, prompting our central nervous system to find balance - which means getting toned and strong, from the inside out.

-Yoga Sleeping: In Yoga, there is a deep relaxation, guided meditation pose called Yoganidra. It is a complete approach to health and fitness through meditation.

Yoganidra encourages the body to let go and relax deeply, to enter the subconscious state, where emotions are bottled-up. There, we can calmly face through these stressers, bolstering our emotional wellbeing.

-Meditate: Self-confidence comes with meditation because it helps you face a situation with calm and a positive outlook.

Your mind is so filled with clutter - from deadlines and meetings, to reports and performance reviews - that meditation is truly the only relief. Meditation helps you to re-evaluate where your at and were you need to be. It helps you see the 'big picture' of career and life and passion of our job.

-Think Positive: Yes, this is part of Yoga, and has been for centuries. Many professionals now are frightened by the recession, which is all the more reason to stay physically and mentally fit.

Yoga works on your mind and body, which increases your overall productivity, increases your creativity, allows you to have more fun with your life and helps you attain a balance between personal and professional life.

For example, if you’ve lost your job or experienced a drastic salary cut, you would visibly become a negative person and will remain in that state for a longer period than actually required. But if you start a Yoga class or continue to take one, you will feel healthy and your mind will soon recover from that traumatic state. With an induced sense of positivism, you can deal with recession stress by looking upon its brighter side, which can be - that you may get a salary hike soon.

-Breath!: In Yoga, your breath is the clearest indicator of your mental state, so if your breath is fast and unsteady, you can do simple breathing exercises to bring it back to normal. Likewise, if your tense and your body is stiff, you can do simple stretches and asanas to relax your body.

Short shallow breathing or heavy deep breathing changes body chemistry and produces different fluids flowing through your body. Some of these cause stress, others can disrupt health, and something alter your wellbeing. Here at Hamsa Yogashala, we practice Bandhas (neuromuscular locks) which balance your hormones and body chemistry, bringing your entire system to its optimum level.

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi

Meditation

Meditation is our ability to contact our true self and consciousness (atman or purusha), which is the source of life and intelligence.

Secondly, meditation is the ability to clear out the negative aspects of our consciousness, harmful subconscious habits and impulses that cause pain and suffering. Meditation helps promote our highest impulses and also roots out those which are harmful and intractable.

Nor is meditation 'stopping the mind', which is never recommended, for the mind is always in motion, working to maintain the functions of the body, for example.

Meditation is simply the practice of calming the thoughts, so the mind and body become still, allowing our mental energies to be renewed and transformed.

Further, meditation practice includes many helpful approaches to help attain this condition of calm, such as:
-mantra (a word or phrase of your choosing),
-pranayama (deep and slow breathing), and
-visualization.
And all of these are only aids, or ways to assist us in returning our consciousness to its original peaceful and silent state. Once accomplished, we are able to set aside these techniques, resting deeply in the harmony of our natural self. This is the only goal of all meditation.

In Ayurveda, meditation is an important tool for healing the mind (even though its healing benefits extend to the body). Healing meditation reduces the psychological root or complications of the disease process, which always exists to some degree. Ayurveda recomends meditation for treating specific diseases, particularly psychological disorders in which meditation may be the primary therapy. Ayurveda also prescribes meditation as part of its lifestyle regimens both for health maintenance and life-enhancement. In all, there are many types of meditation in both Ayurvdic and Yogic thought.

Because of the mind's connection with prana, the role of pranic practices in meditation cannot be ignored. Because of prana's further connection to food, the physical body cannot be forgetten either. The Ayurvedic approach to meditation - which is identical to the Yogic approach - is always integral, so includes body, breath and senses.

Om Peace!
Yogini Valarie Devi

Oh Sky, Earth and Spirit!

"Let us recognize our oneness! Let man know the infinite spirit of the universe, and accept this infinite intelligence, as his guiding light and inspiration. This is the highest ethic, the greatest moral and most profound spiritual quest! Let the mind be flooded with new light and spiritual truth will be revealed."
-Oahspe