Ayurveda Marisol

Golden Glorious Ghee!

2011-12-05T19:32:00.000-08:00

I have a limited number of 8oz glass jars for those of you who'd like to pick some up by appointment on Sunday in Montclair Village. $10 a jar. The ghee lasts indefinitely without refrigeration, but tastes so amazing, you'll probably eat it all up pretty quick!

Safe for lactose intolerance - milk solids are boiled out of the organic, farm-fresh butter I start with.

This batch has been cooked using a classical method of preparation that specifically amplifies the refined and subtle anti-stress, immunity-boost features with which (properly made) ghee is endowed. Just for you! :)

Want some?

Optimal Wellbeing Package at Mountain Yoga

2011-10-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

If you'd like to gift yourself some additional therapeutic touch as we enter Fall, read on...

Mountain Yoga Studio and I are offering a 3-session Package on the 60 minute massage and bodywork sessions, Breema and Abhyanga.

For $210, you get any combination of the three, reducing from the regular $85 price to $70. I'm not sure how long we'll be offering this Package, but likely through the end of October.

Interested in purchasing? Click here, or give me a call: 510-579-3362, to schedule the first appointment.

Breast Health Facts & Screening

2011-09-15T18:48:00.000-07:00

Thermography can be a useful tool for tracking hotspots in breast tissue that, left unattended, can lead to breast cancer down the road.

While working in an integrated-medicine Ayurvedic clinic, I met Dr. Nancy Gardner, PhD in 2008.

I have seen her regularly for my own breast thermography ever since, because I believe knowledge is more powerful than fear. And she's coming to town...

FREE
Breast Health Presentation
in Oakland

Presentation
Date: Saturday, September 24th, 2011
Time : 11:30 to 1:00pm
Location: Acorn Wellness
2929 Summit St. # 103
Oakland, CA

Topic Includes:

*Learn How to Lower Your Risk

Factors for Breast Cancer

*Staying Healthy in a Toxic World

*Cutting Edge Breast Screening

Technology: Thermography

With enough interest, I'll be hosting her myself in 2012 at the Ay*ur*veda Marisol office in Montclair and discussing Ayurvedic approaches to reducing breast tissue hotspots. Stay tuned...

Ummm... It's ShiroDhara Season

2011-08-19T18:05:00.000-07:00

Come on over to Mountain Yoga before September 30th if you'd like to experience a ShiroDhara Ayurvedic Oil Treatment. Known results could include just the deepest sleep, mellowest mindset and least-frayed nerves you've ever known.

http://www.m-yoga.org/ayurveda.html

Only $40 to tempt your interest....
Happy End of Summer : )

Summer Special

2011-07-09T23:01:00.000-07:00

Summer's Here!
And with it Ay*ur*veda Marisol's "Renewed You" Lifestyle Package

a 2-hour Ayurvedic Consult ($105)

2 Breema sessions ($80 each)

2 Abhyanga sessions ($80 each)

1 Follow-up Consult ($45)

Then, a Free Breema or Abhyanga session, your choice!

It's a $470 value for $345.

You pay for each appointment as you go and get the free one at the end. Schedule sessions over the course of 5 months.

So, if your plans for summer relaxation need a little booster to get underway, send me an email to sign up for a Renewed You.

The fine print? Bodywork sessions held at Mountain Yoga; Consultations in my private practice office, just upstairs from Mountain Yoga's Montclair District Studio. Map

Spring Massage Special

2011-04-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

$59 April Special

Wanting to refresh your suppleness and work out the cold weather kinks?

Hurry over to Mountain Yoga in the Montclair District of Oakland for a super deal on some excellent bodywork therapies and treatments, including Acupuncture, Thai Yoga Massage, CranialSacral Therapy...

And of course my own offerings of Breema Bodywork and Abhyanga - Ayurvedic Oil Treatment.

Expires April 30, 2011

Looking to Try Yoga?

2011-02-01T15:59:00.000-08:00

Or know someone else who might be?
I'm so enjoying getting to know the various yogasana teachers at Mountain Yoga, where I offer basic Ayurvedic therapies.
Taking classes from each teacher, I have seen how seasoned, wise and inspiring they are in sharing knowledge of form, breath, and presence of mind.
A special treat for me last month was getting to listen in on Tony Wolff. He helps new yogis really grasp the heart of the practice, that special ingredient of presence that takes yogasanas beyond "a workout."
Here's more, from Mountain Yoga's latest newsletter...

Yoga Essentials 4-week Series w/Tony Wolff

Feb 6-27, Sundays 1:30-3:00pm $55

Whether you are an advanced practioners or a relative newcomer, the essence of a yoga practice is often lost in the pursuit of postural precision. This series focuses on using familiar postures to bring participants back to the breath, to an acceptance of the body's uniqueness, and to a a new understanding of the function of each asana. To quote Gary Kraftsow: There is a perfect posture....it just may be different for every practitioner."

Tony Wolff After years of injury and dissatisfaction from pushing too hard in his practice, Tony's "5 Not So Noble Truths emerged": slow down, pay attention, breathe, relax and lighten up. Those precepts guide his teaching today.

2010-06-12T21:16:00.000-07:00

Helping out at the booth of Eden Ayurveda Sunday June 13th, 2010

Stop by for mini-Ayurvedic consultations and Breema bodywork sessions.

2010-02-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.shubhamayurveda.com/

2000-2010: It All Comes Together...

2010-02-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

After an intense year of study, we are preparing for clinical internship and exams in India.

And I, ten years after deciding to become a healer, for sure..., ready myself for a first trans-ocean voyage. ....It's almost time to share my gifts in a larger way.

I am so grateful.

For the experimental knowledge handed down, generation after generation.

For the entrepreneurship of herbalists and bodyworkers, rabbis and medical practitioners, venturing out into new business forms to continue ancient ways.

For the dedication of my East Indian teachers, leaving patients and family for weeks at a time to generously share what they studied and witness in practice.

Gracias, Ameyn, So Be It and Namaste.

So many wisdom traditions share common thoughts

2010-02-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

Sri Sri Shuddhaanandaa Brahmachari on "Restoring the Natural Rhythm of Earth Through Individual and Collective Meditation," Tathaastu magazine, Jan-Feb 2010.

"Nature and all of its harmonies are in you. They gave birth to you. Know that you are connected to the inexhaustible source of the cosmos in your own heart. [...] "

"Nature celebrates continually, without rhyme, without reason, through the universal rhythm of the seasons, through every life form,through every physical manifestation. We humans often miss the joy and celebration that life is, because we have too many other distractions and priorities. What we are missing is our own soul's peace and harmony, the dance of our own Spirit,the music of our own heart.

Alone and joining with others, let us invoke the abundant, regenerative energies that are all around us. Let us create ripples of joy and celebration that nourish our world. What is more important than arousing our awareness of all the ways that life supports us?"

http://www.tathaastumag.com/archivecon.php?hid=1916&issueid=

Sounds a lot like the teachings of Breema bodywork philosophy, Ridwhan Sufi teachings - and Jewish Kabbalah! And didn't a certain rebbe (I believe reb Yeshi was the name), say something about first making your heart like that of a child in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

From whichever source it comes, I am so grateful for the receiving, in such abundance, that we get to enjoy of these wisdom traditions, now, in the 21st century - no trekking required!

Even so, I will soon be journeying to the land of the Vedas for a clinical internship at Punarvasu Ayurveda Prabodhini. And, though the earth we all stand on is the same at the center, no matter where we go, I do consider with joy what it will be like to walk the earth over there, tuning into new rhythms of earth on which this science was first based.

Winter Reflections Strengthen My Core

2009-12-28T15:53:00.000-08:00

I was wholly appreciating my liturgical lineage this last Shabbat, "day-of-rest": aside from the glorious wisdom of divinity we each carry within us, so much of who we get to be in this lifetime has been facilitated, for good or for bad, by our ancestors, the people who's bodies gave ours form.

In the Jewish Saturday morning liturgy, the opening words of the "standing, silent prayer" read:

"DOROT - The Generations Before Us

I stand on the shoulders of all the generations that came before me--Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel--all the parents who begat us in all the generations before us. We are the children of those who survived, and our existence is their redemption -- and for that we are grateful. And we also give thanks for the blessings of grace and freedom which they received and which is our inheritance as well. A blessing of security upon us all, protecting us like the shield of Abraham and Sarah."

--traditional, reinterpretation by Rabbi David J. Cooper

Especially during the wintry season of rest, it just struck me as so reassuring to consider the inheritance of human spirit we are each born with; that no matter who we are, we are born of survivors who made their way through life strong enough to engender us! What a blessing!

My aim this winter rest is to receive that blessing as fully as possible.

The Light of Consciousness is Needed for a Meaningful Life

2009-12-01T19:01:00.000-08:00

This workshop opens up the philosophy of Breema, giving us

windows through which we can approach the most important

questions of life.

The workshop also includes instruction and practice of simple,

enjoyable Self-Breema exercises and a short Breema body-

work sequence, as well as a question and answer period.

No prior experience with Breema is necessary. Please arrive

10 minutes early to register. Please wear long pants and socks,

and no scented products or perfumes.

Sunday, December 13
10 am - 1 pm

The Breema Center,
6076 Claremont Ave, Oakland
$15

For more information please contact: The Breema Center (510) 428-0937or center@breema.com

Workshop Sunday, 1-3pm

2009-11-19T18:03:00.000-08:00

Learn key factors in a healthy diet to keep you and your loved ones healthy and well this cold and flu season, something the ancients also experienced and treated successfully for generations.

Digest Your Life! ^TM

Sunday 1-3pm

November 22, 2009

In Oakland

$35.00 -- Call or email to register

510.579.3362 AVMarisol (at ) gmail.com

Tips, handouts, recipes

Practical wisdom to feed you and your family

We all have a story to tell...

2009-10-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes our story is about the journey someone we love has taken towards healing and away from illness or distress.

One of my motivations for helping people use Ayurveda to find the *root* of their health problem is knowing that we all have the power to heal ourselves, deep inside us. Sometimes, we just need a supportive witness to our story; and then we are ready to make a change that will help us get well. Sometimes healing comes from simply coming to terms psychologically with our health situation, prior to, or instead of, the actual ending of a condition or disease.

Sometimes, surgery is the right 'next step' in a healing journey and Ayurvedic supports can be used to alleviate the side-effects of opening up the body. And sometimes, a well-tended death is the healing we've been looking for in our life story or the story of our family. Miracles abound in many settings.

"Re-organizational Healing" and "Narrative Medicine" are among the newer frameworks being used in 21st-century discussion of Western approaches to medicine that dovetail nicely with my experience of healing and health, personally and professionally, over the last twenty years. They bridge the gap between allopathy's emphasis on the physical substances involved in medicine, and traditional medicine's concern for tracking their actions, however invisible, and the movement of subtle but specific 'humours:' in the patient, their disease, and in their participation in the outcomes that can be called recovery or 'cure.'

How magnificent that we are at this historical juncture, holding the wisdom of all systems of knowledge at our disposal - both as patients and as healers!

http://www.liebertpub.com/products/product.aspx?pid=26

http://www.utne.com/Spirituality/Narrative-Medicine-Heals-Bodies-and-Souls.aspx

Tangible and Ephemeral Benefits of Bodywork

2009-10-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

-- Excerpts from article by Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals:

The Benefits Of Bodywork/ Massage
What exactly are the benefits of receiving massage or bodywork treatments? Useful for all of the conditions listed below and more, massage can:

Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion.
Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten maternity hospital stays.
Ease medication dependence.
Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body’s natural defense system.
Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles.
Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts.
Improve the condition of the body’s largest organ—the skin.
Increase joint flexibility.
Lessen depression and anxiety.
Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation.
Reduce postsurgery adhesions and swelling.
Reduce spasms and cramping.
Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
Release endorphins—amino acids that work as the body’s natural painkiller.
Relieve migraine pain.

A Powerful Ally
There’s no denying the power of bodywork. Regardless of the adjectives we assign to it (pampering, rejuvenating, therapeutic) or the reasons we seek it out (a luxurious treat, stress relief, pain management), massage therapy can be a powerful ally in your healthcare regimen.

Furthermore, clients often report a sense of perspective and clarity after receiving a massage. The emotional balance bodywork provides can often be just as vital and valuable as the more tangible physical benefits.

Increase the Benefits with Frequent Visits
Getting a massage can do you a world of good. And getting massage frequently can do even more. This is the beauty of bodywork. Taking part in this form of regularly scheduled self-care can play a huge part in how healthy you’ll be and how youthful you’ll remain with each passing year. Budgeting time and money for bodywork at consistent intervals is truly an investment in your health. And remember: just because massage feels like a pampering treat doesn’t mean it is any less therapeutic. Consider massage appointments a necessary piece of your health and wellness plan, and work with your practitioner to establish a treatment schedule that best meets your needs.

Review the clinical research studies examining the benefits of massage.

Review massage information from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health.

The Yoga Room teaches great asana!

2009-09-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

What is commonly called "Yoga" is really Hathayoga, one of eight parts of continuous comportment discipline to help individuals in society coexist peacefully. I was fortunate to discover Hathayoga postures, called Asanas, when I was 12. I began to practice and study them at the age of 23.

The Yoga Room in Berkeley was the place. They teach the Iyengar style, emphasizing proper alignment and the use of props for gradually incresing flexibility. This not only protects the body from injury, but also encourages mental and spiritual strength and calm during practice, which is really the best part about Asanas!

The Yoga Room has has just relocated from the historic Julia Morgan building to a new space in Berkeley. I am so honored to be able to share the word of their continued good work.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The Yoga Room will have a booth at the Solano Stroll on September 13, 10 am-6 pm, in front of the Wells Fargo Bank parking lot. Come by and visit us!

We are very excited about our new studio space. Please join us for a full schedule of daily classes.

Here are our September workshops:

Labor Day Workshop with Gay White Monday, Sept. 7, 2009 Morning: 9:30 am-12 noon Afternoon: 2-5pm

Full Day / $75

Half Day / $40 Questions: 528-9909

This workshop is for the peaceful practice of yoga. In the morning we will explore breathing awareness and yoga movement, and give time for relaxation and pranayama in the afternoon. Open to students with at least six months’ experience of yoga.

Developing a Home Practice with Linda Burnham

Saturday, Sept. 26, 2-5 pm, $40 Questions: 652-9905

Deepen your experience of yoga by developing a sustainable home practice. We will focus on structuring a personal practice and address sequencing, developing the practice habit and inspiration for getting to the mat. You will have a chance to tailor your own practice with the help of the teacher.

Special Class:

Introduction to Yoga with Anthony Propernick

Thursday, Sept. 3 – Oct. 29, 7:30 – 9 pm 9 weeks / $117

To register, call Anthony at 919-6164

The Introduction to Yoga class is designed to take new students through the basics of yoga, introducing them to the principles of a sound practice. Good clear explanations and demonstrations are given.

This class is for students new to yoga or new to the Iyengar approach. No experience required.

DIRECTIONS: 2530 San Pablo Ave, Suite D We are in the northwest corner of the building we share with the Sierra Club, Ecology Center, Audubon Society, and Centro-Latino. Enter the lobby and proceed down the hallway to the door marked Suite D, The Yoga Room. Pass through this doorway and follow the corridor to the right until you reach our beautiful, quiet new studio.

Yours in yoga,

Gay White 510-528-9909

Donald Moyer 510-848-0993

510-273-9273 (Yoga Room general line)

www.yogaroomberkeley.com

National Ayurvedic Medical Association on what Ayurveda can offer the nation

2009-06-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

Statement by NAMA Regarding Health Care Reform

Date: June 10, 2009
To: White House Office of Health Reform,

White House Domestic Advisor,
U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education,

Labor & Pensions,

Senate Healthcare Commission:

Cc: President Barack Obama
Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services
Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff
Michelle Obama, First Lady
Senate Hearing Witnesses:
Mehmet Oz, MD; Mark Hyman, MD; Dean Ornish, MD

and Andrew Weil, MD

From: National Ayurvedic Medical Association, Board of Directors
Re: Healthcare Reform
The National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) has closely followed the discussions that have and are occurring at the White House and in the Senate regarding the creation of solutions to the nation's health care crisis. We are hopeful that these talks will open new pathways for supporting health in our country.
We agree with President Obama that getting health care costs under control is necessary to a healthy economy. We are pleased to hear Senators Harkin and Mikulski speak about giving people alternatives they want, ending discrimination of practitioners of alternative health care, improving outcomes and reducing health care costs. By acknowledging and bringing into the equation alternative, integrative and complementary health care as a key part of health care reform, we believe effective change can happen.
It is heartening to hear highly respected and knowledgeable health care practitioners like Dr. Mehmet C. Oz, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Dean Ornish, and Dr. Andrew Weil place insightful and proven options on the table for review. Their voices should be heard and considered as they have all expressed that it is not a matter of how to give more people access to a failing system, but rather creating a new system that allows for optimum health throughout one's lifetime.
As all those focused on healthcare reform come together to work to resolve the multitude of problems our country faces, our wish is to support and contribute to those efforts as much as possible. From this point of view, we would like to make you aware of Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga. Ayurveda addresses the total scope of human health.
With age old wisdom, Ayurveda, literally the science or knowledge of life, has within its realm all of the practices that can help people bring their lives into balance. Your commissions and hearings have determined that there is great value in focusing on preventative care. Ayurveda has a dynamic and successful approach to guiding people to make sustainable changes in their lives. It is this ability that can keep healthy people healthy and assist those out of balance and experiencing disease to improve their health in body, mind, and spirit.
Focusing on lifestyle, including nutrition, healthy activities and connections, Ayurveda brings a paradigm that is full and focused on optimal health. There is a growing population of practitioners of Ayurveda in the U.S. as well as throughout the world. More than a single therapeutic model, Ayurveda has been, and is being used to bring physical and mental health to individuals and communities.
In 2000, the National Ayurvedic Medical Association was established to represent the Ayurvedic profession in The United States of America. Its mission is to preserve, protect, improve and promote the philosophy, knowledge, science and practice of Ayurveda for the benefit of humanity. We are a small but growing community and have confidence that what Ayurveda can offer will continue to become more acknowledged and accepted throughout the country.
Our commitment to health is absolute. Our Board and committee members are all volunteers giving generous amounts of time, energy, and resources to bring this important science to the American people. Being able to fund a paid staff to work full time in this effort is our goal. Our effectiveness will be increased with the opportunity to become a recognized part of the solution that these committees are developing.
We applaud the efforts of Drs. Oz, Hyman, Ornish, Weil and others in taking steps to work from the "ground level" to establish practices, organizations, and programs to begin the paradigm shift required to effect real change. It is our desire to be involved in this necessary and reasoned movement toward health. As Senator Kennedy wrote in his statement of February 26, 2009, "By preventing diseases before they start and adopting a broader approach to medicine, we will actually reduce costs in the long run, and we will extend and improve the quality of life as we do it."
On behalf of the Board of Directors and Members of NAMA, we would be pleased to be included in these discussions and offer the valuable insights and principles Ayurveda provides.

Respectfully submitted,
On behalf of the Board of Directors,
National Ayurvedic Medical Association

Health Class for Empowerment

2009-03-10T12:04:00.001-07:00

We all want what's best for ourselves and our family when it comes to correcting disease states and just feeling good!

What if you could know what's really going on beneath the surface in your bodymind constitution?

What if your options included more than the constant search for symptom relief?

What if 2 hours could yield this information in a way so affordable and enjoyable you could stand to do it again this year?

"Ayur-veda" means 'knowledge of living' and is an accumulation of several THOUSAND years' worth of empirical scientific evidence of how humans function in their natural environment. It's insights are profound and complex, yet can be made simple and easy to understand with a knowledgeable teacher who can present the information plainly. That'd be me!

My teachers studied, treat and teach in the prestigious Ayurvedic hospitals and clinics of Pune, India and are so enthused to share Ayurvedic wisdom. They count the very well-known Dr. Vasant Lad, MASc among their students. Ayurveda is so in demand, that they lecture not only in the United States and India, but also in Sri Lanka, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Mexico and Brazil.

Besides what knowledge my teachers share with me, I offer my own ten years' worth of deepening understanding of how we function and heal from ailments: mental, spiritual and physical.

And it's FUN! I promise! Practical, take-home resource sheets, recipes and tips with every class.

You deserve the best of health every day, however that might look within your circumstances.
Come find out what you can do to enjoy good wellbeing and meet others doing the same.
What have you got to lose?

Email AVMarisol at gmail . com for registration details.

Classes held in Oakland health clinics, easily accessible by public transit and the 580 Highway. April's class location is not wheechair accessible nor completely scent-free (fully-accessible location under investigation for May).

Namaste!

Start the New Year Off With Actions to Support Your Intentions

2009-02-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

There's a clarity at the start of the year that's energizing - helps me
to achieve my vision and goals.

Try something new for your health!

A consultation session to discover your Ayurvedic personality/constitution. Or to gain insight into the outcome of your latest cleanse.

And if the stress of not finding clarity has you frazzled, then a nurturing Breema bodywork session may be just what the inner doctor wants to order!

Or if you'd like someone to brainstorm with you or help you sort through thoughts about your vision and goals for the year, you might enjoy a FREE session with a certified coach who's trained to do just that.

Michael Tertes of Essential Coaching Matters has this to say about his practice:

I am offering non-fee half-hour sample sessions that are available
on a 1st come 1st served basis. I offer sample sessions because explaining
life coaching is like explaining skydiving. It really makes the difference
to try it. A sample session can be thought- provoking, enlivening and
clarifying. Even in the context of one session, important shifts can be made.
Call me to sign up for a sample session!
Essential Matters Coaching | essentialmatters@gmail.com | 510 610 5373

I've had a coaching session with Michael and I can tell you he's really smart AND fun! Maybe you'd like one, too.

Whatever it is that feels fresh and inspiring, something for starting the year off in a way that matters to you, well, go do it! Those little tendrils of green push up strong from under icy snow... I know we can, too.

Happy Chinese New Year!

My Approach to Bodywork

2009-01-02T15:32:00.000-08:00

From the January/February 2009 Massage & Bodywork (p. 50):
"Eric Kandel, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2000 for his research on memory and brain function, reported that new synaptic growth and subsequent brain change is only long-term when the new experience is repeated. If we reinforce our novel experiences, we strengthen the neural net that supports them. If we do not, the new neural circuitry decays within a month. [...] Bodyworkers are positioned perfectly to make these kinds of revolutionary differences in their clients' lives.[...] The quality of one's attention when providing somatic treatment is transmitted directly through the therapist's hands to the client. This is, of course, a two-way street. The therapist is continually receiving bioelectrical messages from the client's body even if, and perhaps particularly if, the client is asleep. Just below the level of discursive thought bioelectrical channels chatter away...."

What I love most about giving and receiving Breema bodywork sessions is that the focus for the practitioner is on their own experience, their awareness of their own body shifting weight, recalling Breema's 9 Principles of Harmony, rather than diagnosing the client's problems. (There's a time and place for that, true, even in my own Ayurvedic consultations.)

The end result is one of deep tranquility in the mind of the practitioner and very deep relaxation for the client. Sometimes a nurturing quality is present for the client, and also often a refreshing 'zing' of energy afterwards.

And all without either the client or practitioner having to 'effort' their way to an explanation of what needs to be 'worked on,' 'fixed' or diagnosed.

As a client for three solid years before I ever learned the practitioner's methods, I loved not having to talk during the session or direct the practitioner's attention to any particular area to work on; I could just 'be.' And intuitively, she *always* got around to areas in my body that most needed kneading or holding or stretching. How amazed was I when as a Breema student I realized that she was doing all this just by fully tuning in to acceptance of HERSELF!

http://www.breema.com/

Winter Quiet?

2008-12-18T11:32:00.001-08:00

Yes! If there's not yet quiet for you this busy season, do make some time for it - "down time" - and soon!

Our bodies know that Winter Season is the time for hunkering down at home with something warm: a thick woolen sweater, a hot cup of tea, easy comforting slippers... Think of all those hibernating critters and wintering plants; they know!

Turning inward during the dark and cold is nature's way of recharging the batteries, and we don't do enough of it, most of us, in the super-stimulating social life that is the SF Bay Area.

Even for those of us who truly need to get out into the wind and work up an athletic sweat in the winter, a little time afterwards for warm quiet and thinking on the next year's plans is a great inner boost.

So, follow nature's lead and give yourself the gift of rest often, from now until February - your health prospects for 2009 will look all the better for it!

FREE Breema Workshops at the November Green Festival

2008-11-05T17:30:00.000-08:00

Breema is the bodywork method that I practice, which can be enjoyed in 30 or 45 minutes sessions, or as 10 or 15 minute mini-sessions added on to your Ayurvedic wellness consultation with me. The effects are profoundly nourishing! The Breema Center in Oakland, where I studied the method, frequently offers FREE introductory classes or sessions for people to get a 'taste,' and I am delighted to spread the word about the next opportunity, this month as part of the Green Week associated with the Bay Area's Green Festival. Dive in! - Victoria

Nurturing Our Essence, Composting Our Extra
~Breema: The Art of Being Present

Part of the challenge of being human stems from the fact that we have
three aspects—mind, feelings, and body—and rarely are they working
together. The mind is constantly lost in automatic thoughts and
interpretations, while the feelings shift between "like" and "dislike".
The result is often a negative state where we are in conflict with
ourselves, and in competition with life. In Breema this state is not
judged or criticized, but recognized simply as "extra", or food that can
be used to nurture growth and movement in the direction of greater balance
and harmony with ourselves, and ultimately with all life.

Please Join Us!

Wednesday, November 12, 6-8 pm at the Breema Center, 6076 Claremont Ave at College in Oakland (two blocks NW of the Rockridge BART Station) for this complimentary class with Jon Schreiber, director of the Breema Center.

Breema's practical approach to the art of being present includes
Self-Breema, Breema bodywork, and the Nine Principles of Harmony that
can be applied in everyday life, supporting the body, mind, and feelings
to work together harmoniously.

To find out more about Breema, please join us for this experiential class.
No charge. Please wear comfortable pants and socks. No fragrances please.
510-428-0937 for more information, or visit us at www.breema.com

Jon Schreiber, D.C., Director of the Breema Center and Breema Clinic in
Oakland, California, has been teaching Breema internationally
since 1980. He is the author of Breema and the Nine Principles of
Harmony, Freedom Is in This Moment, and Every Moment Is Eternal.

Dietary "Clean Up"

2008-10-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

It's so wonderful to make simple, cleansing, nourishing meals when the seasons change.

A favorite breakfasts these days is a veggies -with -mung -bean blended soup from Ayurveda, the A-Z Guide to Healing Therapies from Ancient India (Nancy Bruning and Helen Thomas, D.C.) Many thanks to Barbora Morakrova at Ayurveda Living for passing it along to me (ayurvedaliving.com).

It's essential to use ALL the spices for the cleansing effect of this recipe to work. Look for them at 'health food' or quality grocery stores. [You can also find them at an Indian market; they will likely be sold in large quantities and may need sorting for rocks - you may also need to wash them before cooking and then lightly roast them to dry before the actual cooking.]

Unlike other ayurvedic recipes, whose ingredients I follow to the letter, this one I improvise within depending on what I have on hand: some days more zucchini (very sweet), other days brussels sprouts instead of broccoli (very bitter smell!), and most days no parsley because it rarely arrives in my CSA box and I forget to buy it. The soup always turns out yummy and very easy to absorb. My body thanks me, every time.

Makes 1-2 Servings
3 c water
1 handful yellow mung dal beans
1 medium broccoli spear, cut
3 medium celery stalks, cut
2 medium zucchinis, cut
2 medium carrots, cut
2 leaves each collard, kale and chard
a few sprigs of parsley
1 teaspoon sea salt

Wash mung dal, bring to a boil in the water, add veggies and salt. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for about half an hour or until dal is soft.

Slice and grate the ginger while the veggies cook. Grind the coriander seeds in a spice grinder (electric coffee grinder dedicated to spices only).

Saute over low heat:
1 t. ghee (clarified butter you've bought or cooked up already at home)
1 t. whole black mustard seeds
1 t. whole cumin seeds
1 t. fenugreek seeds

When the seeds begin to pop, add:
1 t. fresh grated ginger
1 1/2 t. freshly ground coriander seeds (powedred coriander will not work)
1/2 t. turmeric
1/4 t. ground black pepper

Place the ghee mixture in a blender, add 1 c. cooked soup. Carefully blend for a few seconds until well-mixed. Add the rest of the soup. Blend again. Serve immediately.

Store any leftover soup covered at room temperature for a later meal that day, but do not keep leftovers for the next day. Make small amounts fresh daily, instead.

Enjoy!

Time for a PK?

2008-09-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

End of Summer... Fall to Winter... An optimum season for a Cleanse! Whether a full PanchaKarma regimen, or a mini-cleanse detox, call for personalized suggestions and guidance...

Enjoy the Rasa!

2008-07-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

Summer brings play, expansion and delight - drink it up! And keep your cool...

Welcome!

2008-05-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

...to the first post. It's a warm lovely day, although a bit windy.
Just right for buying a new swim cap and planning a delicious
meal.

Business planning is underway to bring the Bay Area fun
and useful information on how to live a calm and nourished life
in our frenetic, joyful, busy region. Stay tuned!