Windows of Observation: Stories from the Energy Body
In any physiologic dis-ease qualities become our way of having awareness that something is "not right in river city" For example the sensation of hot leads to the burning sensation on urination or a feeling of burning in the vagina, prostate, or perineum This quality also leads to irritability, impatience, anger, resentments about the disease that's being experienced
The mobile quality leads to frequency of urination, getting up at night, urgency to urinate, and anxiety of not knowing what's going on or if the problem will ever go away
Sensations Are More Than You Think
Have you had the experience of equanimity? That is, the sense that the body is peaceful and restful There are no abnormal sensations being reported to you Yes, I think we can all relate to that sense of peace in the mindbody
So when we have sensations in our body they are messengers from inner space from our energy field And rather than be stressed out about them we can welcome them for what they truly are...messages from the mindbody of dis-ease Nothing more and nothing less It's the mindbody's way of getting in touch with us and letting us know that something is not quite right
Hence sensations become our windows of observation of the inner workings of our energy field and so we should never ever discount sensations Rather than be fearful of the abnormal sensations we can simply observe and be grateful that the mindbody is letting us know that something has caused us to leave our state of equanimity
For example, if you go on a hike with your kids and you find that your back muscles are getting tired due to the steep grade of the hill your kids are running up, you take a rest because the mindbody is telling you that your muscles are not conditioned enough to keep on doing the task You give the muscles some rest and they're ready to begin to do some more work This process is called conditioning and the messages from your mindbody are not to stop but to simply rest
What about emotions? Do they lack sensations? Of course not The sense of compassion, kindness, gratitude, and love all carry sensations of oily, liquid, soft, warm, light, subtle, and clear
Using Sensations in Dis-eases of the Energy Mindbody
So it's important as much as we can to observe our energy field by noticing our sensations When we begin becoming a better observer we become a better healer How could this be?
The subtle noticing of how the sensation of hot or mobile is changing for the better gives us a clue that what we are doing is making a difference....that we're on the right track toward dealing with our dis-ease whatever that might be
I've mentioned journaling in past blogs and this is where jotting down your observations can be very helpful because at times the changes in sensation can be so subtle that we may not be able to remember how that sensation was yesterday or last month or even last year Being able to go back over your notes can reassuringly help remind you of how much progress you have made
Healing is not made in a straightline It occurs in waves exactly how the energy field expresses itself So there are good days and bad days and by journaling we get to see this wave like effect in action
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SIBO(Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth): 5 Energy Science Solutions
The energy science model of dis-ease states that except for trauma every dis-ease or imbalance begins in the GIT(gastrointestinal tract) Since this is the case we can appreciate how important foods become in the evolution of dis-ease and conversely how important foods become in the management and healing of dis-ease Correct food selection appropriate for own's energy constitutional makeup along with incompatible food combinations become foundational in any dis-ease healing
Short term acute dis-ease processes can be readily corrected over brief(months) periods of time Obviously the longer the imbalance the more likely that other energy science techniques will be necessary to deal with advanced dis-ease conditions This term dis-ease emphasizes that the energy patterns are not at ease or that an imbalance of qualities is physiologically present
The matter science(allopathy, naturopathy) often look at infection as a cause of many diseases Every once in a while you'll see matter science research studies attempt to unsuccessfully or questionably successfully incriminate bacteria in the cause of specific disease Because bacteria are treatable by antibiotics which is a big tool in the matter science toolbox an attempt to incriminate bacteria can be a scientific "home run" These attempts have happened unsuccessfully with GERD(gastroesophageal reflux), rheumatoid arthritis, and obviously IBS
Symptoms of Poor Digestion
Many experience poor digestion but discount it as just the way they are.....but in reality these symptoms should not be ignored Any unphysiologic food craving is unhealthy and shoud be best avoided Overeating is abnormal(eating more than 2 handfuls at any one meal) as well as cravings for ice Post meal digestive problems such as heaviness, bloating, loss of energy after eating, need for naps after eating, diarrhea, and constipation are major warning signs that things are not healthy in the GIT
Matter Science and Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth(SIBO)
Now the matter science is getting closer to what the energy science has been saying for 1000's of years....the GIT is responsible for all dis-ease But since the matter science model of disease can only hold space for offending insults such as internal(autoimmune) and external(bacteria, parasites, fungus, and viruses) it becomes limited as to seeing the origins of dis-ease Presently the matter science has a new approach to disease seeking an understanding through the alteration in bowel flora
This alteration or better yet described as disruption of normal bowel flora has become known as SIBO where "bad" bacteria overgrow the "good" bacteria is probably not only the small bowel but large bowel as well There are past models that lead to grounding in this kind of disease origin such as leaky gut syndrome and the candidal(fungus) overgrowth theories that have their proof in patient improvement by flora manipulations
Now the current rage for bowel disorder from IBS to systemic disease is to manipulate the small bowel flora with antibiotics(killing off the "bad" bacteria) or better yet "fecal bowel flora" transplants which have seen benefits
Energy Science Understanding of SIBO in Agni Terms
As we have discussed at length in past blogs the bacterial flora of the GIT which is 10x the cellular mass of our own individual body's cell mass is part of a greater concept called agni Called metabolism in matter science terms, agni is not only more user friendly, but as we have talked about in the past, a highly functional and malleable term that is freely manipulative by energy science techniques As a matter of fact one of the main tenets of the energy science that separates it from the matter science is this concept of agni
As we have alluded to earlier, qualities(vibrational frequencies) become disrupted in the GIT and this subsequently leads to an alteration in agni This disruption leads to SIBO but at times gut mucosal changes as well making this look like IBS in some respects
Then if the matter and enegy science models are talking about the same thing then what's the big fuss? Just use the matter science techniques that we have discussed above
Energy Science Solutions for SIBO
There is a general tenet in healing disciplines that the closer your treatment touches the origin of the disease the greater success the healer will have So what's better, to treat SIBO or the cause of the SIBO? If the energy science model tells us that the cause of SIBO is an energy imbalance leading to the SIBO, the best solution is to deal with the imbalance This is not rocket science folks!
1 So what is foundational in healing the bowel? Well from what we said already choosing foods appropriate for you energy makeup and observing incompatible food combinations are support any further manipulation
2 Probiotic It makes complete sense to support the "good bacteria" in the gut so as to improve agni But it's often too much of a good thing at times with probiotic use Find a good probiotic(not necessarily the most expensive)but supplement for 2-3 weeks and then do a break and perhaps another couple of rounds Then done
3 Yogurt as a probiotic As we've discussed in the past homemade yogurt is a great food to use to support the bowel flora Kefir has the potential of carrying yeast along with the probiotic so it's not recommended from an energy science point of view
4 Avoid antibiotics if possible All that antibiotics do is further disrupt the already compromised bowel flora If you have to use antibiotics then you should definitely supplement with probiotic or yogurt for a period of time
5 Reduce ama As we have talked about in the past when agni suffers ama forms in the gut and begins to leave the GIT This unprocessed undigested debris which is the result of poor digestion is the basis of all chronic dis-ease
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A Philosophy of Healing
Every healing tradition should have a philosophy and this is unfortunately missing in the matter science model This is one of the major reasons why our current medical system has run a wayward course
Philosophy means a Love of Truth
When you see the Truth you experience Love...not the emotional petty type of love written about in romance novels but something far greater Healing then is seeking Truth and finding Love because Truth and Love are one and the same
The philosophy of the energy science of Ayurveda is that our human existence is intimately spliced with Nature herself....with the universe or totality....with Love itself and therefore the Truth When we seek the Truth we find Love and healing becomes a love affair
Healing then implies a seeker of truth Someone who seeks healing is one who is seeking Truth, one who wants to get to the bottom of the problem Not a bandaid or another blind alley but rather wants to solve the problem, whatever it may be When one seeks healing in such a system one becomes a lover, wanting to unite back to wholeness, a return to what one once was before one was sick
Love and Healing Disease
But what does this have to do with the disease?
Actually quite a bit Because a healing tradition based on philosophy understands how the healing occurs in the greater context...healing assumes not a myopic view of the problem at hand but how you and your problem relate to the greater whole That is, how your problems are part of a larger picture And how the larger picture when employed really accelerates the healing process
Literally when you use a philosophy based healing tradition your healing efforts take on a Divine perspective You employ God to direct the healing process as you participate When you become Love you heal because being Love is healing which becomes the supreme creative act
The Sacredness of Healing
If you can't find God in yourself you can't find Her anywhere else
In all spiritual traditions that have been articulated on this planet over the millennia there are basic themes that are present First there is a universal force or God Secondly this God exhibits unconditional love which means that there is complete and total acceptance of what is at any one moment Thirdly we are all aspects of this universal force or God In other words we are first and foremost divine beings in human form
There are many expressions physiologically of the Divine but most commonly is seen as light typically in the 3rd eye or what is called our inner vision Behaviorally we begin to accept life events as they are without wishing they were different There is a distinct feeling that you're surrounded by complete acceptance by all around you
This connection to our own divinity occurs when we experience silence which is often talked about as the gap...the space between thoughts or breath The movement of the mind is the movement of breath so when the breath is suspended we experience our own divinity By and by when one consistently practices this you begin taking on the characteristics of the Divine....you recognize yourself as the Divine or your very soul This is a very real experience not some metaphorical journey and it occurs because philosophically we are the Divine
When you connect with your own Divinity you become Love and healing is the reward Not without work but definitely with direction that supports your healing because you have infinite faith and trust that everything is as it should be and that healing will take place in time Notice healing from an energy science point of view is not "lay down and God will take care of you" No, divine healing requires your participation In so doing you surrender to Divine direction
"You are precious and infinitely loved more than you can possibly imagine You are always safe You are never alone The unconditional and perfect Love of God neglects not one soul
Love is, without a doubt, the basis of everything Not some abstract, hard-to-fathom kind of love but the day-to-day kind that everyone knows-the kind of love we feel when we look at our spouse and our children, or even our animals In its purest and most powerful form, this love is not jealous or selfish, but unconditional" Dr. Eben Alexander Harvard neurosurgeon
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Management of Chronic Disease: The Curse of Lifestyle Behavior Patterns
Chronic disease is different than acute disease If you have appendicitis, remove the appendix and voila, you're fixed
But most disease is chronic and not surprisingly it's due to our lifestyle choices Yes, here's the problem in a nutshell We create our disease by the unconsious choices that we make over our lifetimes
This can be very annoying to hear and many point to the infant born with congenital anomalies as an argument to avoid responsibility but the choice we make of our parents plays the role as to what decisions the unconscious mother makes for her in utero child At other times the unborn child carries karma to work out in this lifetime that comes out as congenital anomaly of some form
The bottom line is that as much as we would like to avoid our disease responsibility from an energy science view, the discipline will not let us off the hook In the end this is actually a blessing It prevents us from playing the blame game It's our parent's fault, it's my spouse's problem, it's just in my genes which is probably the closest reason as we will soon see
Chronic Disease Means Chronic Management
As we said cute disease is short lived and the solutions are straight forward But chronic disease management requires continuous ongoing treatment therapies which becomes a problem for us living in a Vata vitiated society who want our solutions yesterday
From an energy science point of view treatment guidelines revolve around those which center on lifestyle behavior patterns(LBP) which are the most difficult for us as humans to deal with From an epigenetic view the reason for this is actually based on methylation groups that prevent us from changing easily This methylation obstructs us from changing our LBP Essentially unhealthy LBP are obstacles to health
Holocaust survivors have high levels of methylation and leave them mentally "scarred" Unfortunately this methylated scarring becomes heritable whatever the traumatic event may be But it brings up questions for us such as "Is agni or eating patterns heritable?"
The good news for us who are challenged by LBP's that are not supportive for healing IC is remember that is takes just 8 weeks to reverse patterns not supportive of moving in the right direction That's right, 8 weeks to reverse those pesky methylation patterns that prevent us from changing to healthy LBP's
What Makes a Healthy LBP?
Ayurveda, the energy science of healing, gives us guidelines for healthy living Say we get up at 9am and go to bed at midnight Ayurveda would say that it would be better to go to bed early and get up earlier How much volume to drink during the day? How much to eat at the biggest meal of the day? What are the best foods to bring about physiologic balance?
The LBP help us live our lives in balance because that promotes health and heals chronic disease The above questions seem like they would have nothing to do with the IC bladder pain syndrome but from an energy science point of view they are all suggestions to bring about physiologic balance that will produce a foundation by which other therapies will build on the foundation of LBP
5 Ways to Deal with Pesky Unhealthy LBP
Yes, it's possible to change those methylation groups leading to unsuccessful unhealty patterns or LBP The reason that they work is that these activities produce mental clarity Any technique as a matter of fact that induces more mental clarity will decrease "bad" methylation which induces unfavorable LBP
1 Meditation is becoming a well known technique to quiet the mind An active mind clouds our soul's intelligence leading to poor decision making that leads to repetitive destructive LBP
2 Mantra work is the repetition of sounds that evoke DNA demethylation Essentially the sounds said mentally to yourself bump off these unwanted methylated groups to bring about change in any LBP
3 Breath retention is a form of meditation but has the added advantage of improving agni and promoting love, compassion, and peace
4 Herbs can change over time behavior patterns because herbs work at the level of mind or DNA
5 Marma therapy directly works at the level of mind so unwanted patterns slip away and one is consciously directed in different directions
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Energy Science Detoxification
When we enter a new way of doing healing it's good for us to educate ourselves about how the new discipline does its healing I have emphasized in this blog that we can't bring our matter science preconceived notions along with us when we begin looking at the energy science way of healing It just doesn't work So we need to be prepared to leave behind out old baggage and be prepared to enter a new way of healing
The Ayurvedic detoxification procedure is called panchakarma(PK) which means the 5 actions The five actions are nasya, rakta moksha(blood donation), vamana, virechana, and basti These actions can be done outside the context of a panchakarma event especially if there are complicating clinical circumstances but they are most effective when done in the context of PK
Detoxification has a very specific meaning in the energy science It means that during the process the Vata Pitta and Kapha energy patterns are brought back to the GIT for elimination AS WELL AS ama which has been peripherally spread from the GIT to the tissues and energy channels of the mindbody along with VPK
The PK Event
The event of PK is just that It is an event that occurs that brings about healing Like all the healing modalities used in the energy science it's not just one thing but a multiplicity of things done to the energy body's field that brings about healing changes So it is with the PK It's not just one thing in the PK event that brings about healing but it's how all of the modalities during the event come together to bring about a successful outcome
There are 3 components to the PK event The first is the preparatory phase in which the primary purpose is to prepare the energy field for detoxification There are several components to this phase but by far and away the most important is internal oleation which is done by taking increasing amounts of ghee orally in order to saturate the tissues so that the energy mindbody will release VPK and ama from the peripheral tissues
The second phase is the application of the five actions during a period of time During this time three other things should be done to encourage the movement of VPK and ama back to the GIT for elimination Oil massage, sweating, and oil to the forehead in a continuous stream helps support the process Other therapies can also be applied as per individual patient
The followup or third phase is to do things to support the elimination of the VPK and ama from the GIT An important aspect here is to rekindle agni that has been slowed down by the first two phases This is a very important aspect of this third and last phase of PK This phase can last as long as three months in which there is gradual release of VPK/ama
Some Clarifications about PK
One PK event in a person's incarnation is not enough for detoxification Rather it should be seen as a repetitive process that is like dipping a shirt into soapy water One dip doesn't clean the shirt It takes multiple dips to clear the accumulated toxic load As with any process the more you do the better you get at it
The PK event is special in how things get done If you take pieces out of context and use it regularly they don’t have the same effect For example, the use of basti which is the best way to eliminate Vata and ama from the energy mindbody doesn’t have the same effectiveness when done alone out of the context of the PK event as when it’s done in it
The more one oleates in the first phase the better the end result There are several tricks that can be used to make this important stage successful
It is possible to do the PK event over one week and by yourself with or without guidance But this week time frame doesn't include the first and third phases outlined above
Lastly even though it may seem foreign to you it is a way to ensure that real healing can take place if you deposited peripheral VPK/ama
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Low Back Pain: 5 Management Strategies
As the incidence of low back pain(LBP) is trending higher in the general population numerous anatomical or matter science methods are suggested Now there are new anatomical observations about the mechanical carriage of the spine that suggests that there has become too much thoracic curvature and that the back in more primitive cultures was more J shaped than the gentle S curve that is shown in spinal diagrams The reason given for this is our sedentary culture and the incorrect use of furniture
Let's look at how the energy science anatomy looks at LBP
The Anatomical Home of the Vata Energy Pattern
Vata, the energy pattern of movement, has the qualities of cold, light, mobile, dry, rough, subtle, and clear
As we have discussed before the role that Vata plays in disease labels begins in the GIT and then spreads from the colon and/or lower rectum to the pelvic nerves or to other parts of the mindbody to produce the varied presentation of Vata imblance
The anatomical home for Vata is the colon, pelvic girdle, thighs and lumbosacral(LSS) spine It is this latter involvement that leads to Vata when increased to produce symptoms of pain in the lower back
How does Vata increase its qualities? First, lifestyle choices such as lack of proper rest, lack of regimen, and foods that produce Vata aggravation This is particularly important for those with a PV type of energy constitutional makeup Secondly, when agni or digestive power is affected it can lead to a progressive buildup of Vata in the rectum that then leads to symptoms in the LSS
There is no pain without Vata This is because Vata primary functional area of the mindbody is the nervous system So when Vata accumulates and then aggravates the tissues Vata is the first to produce complaints of pain
5 Management Strategies for LBP
The qualitative reasons for LBP are cold, light, mobile, dry, rough, subtle, and clear due to the localization of the Vata energy pattern in the LLS area Another important observation already discussed is the close relationship between the pelvic and pectoral(shoulder) girdles
Pranayama(PY) Since the breath ties together the pelvis(apana vayu) and the shoulders(udana vayu) together it is no surprise that breath exercises can facilitate over time back rehabilitation This strategy improves the flexibility of the musculofascial planes surrounding the LSS and the strength of the supporting muscles of the entire back PY is the best way over time to make this happen Loss of flexibility is related to the cold, dry, and rough qualities The loss of strength is related to the light, dry, rough and subtle changes
Mahanaryan oil This is an excellent penetrating oil that quiets the Vata qualities of dry, rough, and subtle There are energy science methods of oil application that are ingenious and highly effective in improving ability to loosen the tissue rigidity occurring due to cold quality
Heat The cold quality is always present in any pain complex so the liberal use of the hot quality, preferably moist heat
Become a floor dweller This may seem rather radical but even laying on the floor for brief periods of time can be very therapeutic for LBP This is because when the back's foundation(LSS) becomes impaired all aspects of the back become involved Using the floor helps provide support to the upper thoracic back which becomes problematic due to the LSS Vata effect
Become conscious of your posture As we started in this discussion being aware of our posture becomes an important part of rehabilitation of the lower back by targeting how we carry the upper back particularly the thoracic curve This is done by paying attention to the shoulders keeping them drawn back and down This action improves the lordotic J hook of the LSS and reduces the prominence of the thoracic spine PY helps improve the overall strength of the back so that this action on the thoracic spine can be held for long periods of time
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