Yoga Shat Karma ~ Cleansing Yoga Part 5 - Trataka

Part five of on Shat Karma is the element Trataka, which refers to the strengthening of the eyes. This was created by ancient sages to improve and stimulate good vision and help to build a good foundation for meditation. As you probably already know the eyes are the windows into your soul and inner self. Practicing this will help to cleanse the eyesight produce a state of calmness it is also one of the most powerful ways top open the 6th chakra the third eye. Start slow and be cautious of headaches, begin with two rounds and increase when your are feeling stronger and more comfortable.

Instructions for Trataka:

• Sit in a comfortable position with a candle lit at eye level
• Ensure that the flame is as still as your environment around you allows for
• Gaze on the flame without blinking
• Focus your gaze on the flame until tears start to come out of your eyes
• Close your eyes and meditate on the flame
• Open and repeat the process

Peace

Groovy Granola

Fiber - Looking to Increase Daily Intake

They say these days that fiber is secret ingredient for good health. The average adult is supposed to eat 25 - 30 grams of fiber a day, have you tried to eat that much in one day? I was utterly shocked at how low my intake of fiber actually is. I think I eat very a very healthy and balanced diet and I am no where near 25-30 grams, I guess I need to incorporate more grains into my kitchen repertoire. 

I grew in a Scottish household where grains of any sort were non-existent, I mean if it wasn't potatoes then it wasn't dinner. My mum wasn't the best cook in the world but dinners mostly consisted of potatoes in some form, a piece of meat (Spam was on the weekly rotation) and what I was told was veggies (who knew cooked veggies weren't grey?). The closest I got to grains was Corn Flakes, or so I thought. Hmmm this is why maybe I have become such the foodie that I am?

Fast forward to now, cooking grains is all a bit foreign to me. Where do I begin? What grains are better than others? How do you make a tasty dish with grains that even GB will eat? We had the great experience the other night with Quinoa and now I am anxious to experiment with other grains and dishes.

Do you have any tasty ideas or recipes you can share?

Peace

Groovy Granola

Yoga Shat Karma ~ Cleansing Yoga Part 4 - Kapalabhati

In part four we will cover Kapalabhati which is a pranayama excersice that translates into Breath of fire or shining breath.

I wrote about this in an earlier blog post but I think it warrants repeating, if you practice one pranayama exercise this would be a good one to consider. I know that when I practice this I feel light, relaxed and renewed when I am done. Give it a try when you have a few spare moments.

Kapala = "skull" and bhati = "that which brings lightness"

This breathing technique is specifically used as a purification of the nasal passage and lungs. This breath can clear tension and blockages in the chest as well as clear up any mucus in the air passages. In this practice we deliberately breathe faster, and at the same time use only abdominal(that is diaphragmatic) breathing, not chest breathing. In kapalabhati the breath is short, rapid and strong.

This is a good breathing exercise to do when you are feeling heavy or fuzzy in the head or are having sinus problems. This breath can help to clear those aliments and leave you feel much more alive and fresh.

Note: This breath can make you feel lightheaded or dizzy so please make sure you take a few slow breaths once you have finished to let everything come back to normal.

Steps for the kapalabhati breath

1) Take four full deep breaths through the nose, breathing and out to the count of eight
2) Place your right hand in front of your face at nose level palm facing in
3) Breath out through the nose in quick short bursts as if you were blowing your nose, feeling your breath hit your hand
4) Do not worry about the inhale it will come automatically just keep using your diaphragm to complete the exhale at quick intervals
5) Continue with this method for a count of 25 breaths
6) Rest and breath your own breath for a few moments
7) Repeat with another count of 25 breaths
8) Slow down and return to your own breath for a few moments

There your done. This is a great breathing teqnique it does not take much time and can be done just about anywhere.

Yoga Shat Karma ~ Cleansing Yoga Part 3 - Dhauti

Part three of our series on Shat Karma is the element Dhauti,  specifically Jihva Dhauti which is hygiene of the mouth. Jihva Dhauti translates to cleaning of  the tongue this helps to remove any impurities that can collect as a coating on the surface of the tongue. There are many tongue cleaners on the market but I got mine at Whole Foods and I love it, first I use the little brush then use the scraper on the backside to get rid of all the gunk. This is best done twice a day prior to brushing. 

I have to tell you that the first couple of times that I did this I couldn't believe how much gunk came off of my tongue, seriously! It was yuck...I do sometimes get a bit of a gag reflex but for the most part if I concentrate on relaxing I am OK. A good trick though if you do get a gag reflex is to smile as hard and wide as you can this will dissipate the feeling, you can't gag when your smiling.

Why you should clean your tongue:

• 90% of bad breath is caused by bacteria that originates on the tongue
• Effective tongue cleaning reduces coating on the tongue by up to 40%
• Creates livelier taste buds
• Can decrease the likely hood of catching colds and flues

All in all it is a great tool to add to your wellness kit and with regular practice you will have a healthy clean bacteria free tongue.

Peace,

Groovy Granola

Words To Live By

A very dear friend I met at teacher training sent me some inspiring advice/words to live by this morning by email. They touched me deeply, in fact I am thinking of putting these words up on the fridge, in my cubicle at work anywhere that they can be a gentle reminder. 

Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard.
Practice wellness.
Play with abandon.
Laugh.
Choose with no regret.
Continue to learn.
Appreciate your friends.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.

By Mary Anne Radmacher-Hershey

Have a mindful Saturday,

Peace

Groovy Granola

Yoga Shat Karma ~ Cleansing Yoga Part 2 - Neti

Continuing on with the shat karma theme I picked Neti as the second element to explore this has been so far my favorite part. I must admit when hearing about this during our Kriya Yoga workshop I was extremely sceptical about the whole procedure but after doing it a few times I absolutely love it. In our workshop however we were taught Neti using a plain coffee cup in which we inhaled the water up our nose and let it come out of our mouths, this cleans all the cavities in the head. I have now switched to just using a Neti pot because for me this was more comfortable, but knowing how to do the other version makes it easier to do while traveling or if I find myself somewhere without my Neti pot. Both versions work and work well.

Lets talk Neti:

Basically Neti is a form of nasal irrigation using water and sea salt (saline solution). Neti is wonderful if you suffer from sinusitis, headaches or eye infections. Cleaning your nasal passages will improve your sense of smell, sense of taste and can even help you to hear better.

It works like this, the water flows up on nostril to just above the bridge of your nose where both the air flows meet backwards into the middle cavity and back out the other side. There should be no discomfort during Neti, two important keys are getting the water to a warm comfortable temperature and that the salt is added in correct amount.

Instructions for Neti:

• You can practice Neti over a sink, bow, bathtub or outside even.
• Fill your Neti pot with warm water, not to hot or cold it must be suitable for pouring in your nose. You can test the temperature like you would a babies bottle, put a bit on your arm and taste and spit it should be similar to the temperature of your own body. It is best if you try to use pure water and preferable not tap water but in a pinch any water will do.
• Mix in sea salt (don't use regular table salt as it contains iodine and isn't good for your nose) use the proportion of one - level teaspoon per one litre of water. This creates an isotonic solution meaning it is 0.9% or same as the blood.
• Place the nose cone of the Neti pot into the right nostril taking care to ensure it is a good fit and you are not blocking the tip of the nozzle with the inside of your nose. Breathe through your mouth gently during the whole process.
• Slowly bend forward from your waist tilting your head to the left while slightly lifting the Neti pot upwards. After a few seconds the water should start to come out the other side. Wait 20-30 seconds or until about half the Neti pot has been used and switch sides.
• After doing this you still find a mucous block repeat the whole process until it clears.Taking a break between sides gives the mucous a better chance at dissolving and exiting more quickly.
• The next step is just as important as the cleansing and it is drying the nose. Using a Kleenex bend over letting any water drip out of both nostrils. Now begin to breath in and out using both nostrils exaggerating the exhale repeat the breath 10 times. Continue to gently close on nostril and repeat the above breathe until nose is completely dry.

Not so bad is it?

Have a brilliant long weekend everyone and who knows maybe you will give Neti a try?

Peace
Groovy Granola

Yoga Shat Karma ~ Cleansing Yoga Part 1 - Nauli

One of the most interesting techniques that I learned during my teacher training was the practicing of shat karma (cleansing yoga). Yoga is made up of different parts, there is the asanas (postures), pranayama (breathing) and there is also shat karma (cleansing) the first two are widely practiced but the last element is less practiced so but just as important.

These are the following elements that I learned of Shat karma they are known as the six purificatory exercises in hatha yoga:

• Nauli
  
• Basti
  
• Neti
  
• Dhauti
  
• Tratak
  
• Kapalabhati
  

I will cover off each element in its own post as I think they are each important on their own. I have been doing nauli, neti, kapalabhati and dhauti. I will soon embark down the basti path maybe as soon as this weekend.

So lets start with Nauli:
Nauli deals with strengthening and massaging the internal organs. It helps with digestion and moving food through your body in a timely and healthy manner. A bit of background on digestion is:

• Digestion starts with the esophagus which is the tube that connects the throat with the tummy and delivers food
• After the esophagus food goes into the small intestine and now nutrition starts to be absorbed. The small intestine is a narrow tube which is 20 feet in length and 1.5 inches in diameter
• At the end of the small intestine is a gate that connects to the large intestine
• No nutrition gets absorbed in the large intestine in fact this is where stool starts to appear, the large intestine is 5 feet or 1.5 meter long. The function of the large intestine is to convert food into waste
• The peristalsis are the smooth muscles that contract to bring food to the anus. They begin at the top of the esophagus and continue all the way down to the anus
• Constipation is the most common gastrointestinal complaint in North America, resulting in about 2 million visits to the doctor
• Most people however treat themselves without seeking medical help as evidence for 725 million Americans spend on laxatives annually
• Side effects of constipation can include headaches and bad skin
• Stool if not regular can be absorbed through the tissue back into the blood cells and become toxic
•  Seeds can commonly get trapped in the appendix 
• It is good to go a colonic cleanse once a year for a couple of reasons one being that most peoples colons are packed with a lifetime of old, hardened feces leading to toxemia or the accumulation of poisons. The other is simple, the supplements you take wont work if the body is not clean. It will also help to get rid of any parasites that maybe be present and can rob you of energy
  

Nauli is an intense organ massage. Please don't do this practice if you have any of the following:

• Recent internal surgery
  
• Ulcers
  
• Hernia
  
• Abdominal surgery
  
• If you suspect you may be pregnant
  

This is how I learned to practice Nauli

1) Bend over and place your arms on your upper thighs
2) Inhale, tummy out
3) Exhale ALL the air out of your lungs and contract your tummy
4) Suck your belly in and lift it up and under your rib cage hold and breath let the tummy fall out and in while holding the breath

Start with 3 repetitions and work your way up to 5. Practice this first thing in the morning, it is best done after drinking the juice of one whole fresh lemon in a glass of warm water. This will help to cleans e the blood and bring the ph balance in your tummy into an alkaline state. You may think that lemons are acidic but we digest them as alkaline.

Another good practice here is making sure you are regular, if you are challenged like most of us in this area try taking psyllium husks. This is a natural form of fiber made out of fruits and vegetables (it is a raw food) and basically scrapes your intestine as it travels through picking up any matter along the way. Just be cautious to not eat anything within an hour of taking psyllium as you won't receive any nutritional value from it it will get picked up by he husks and removed from the body. Also please ensure that your drink lots of water or you may feel bloated and gassy.

I have been doing this practice for over one month now and I can attest to feeling much much better! Give it a try, what do you have to lose?

Peace
Groovy Granola