The Heart of Ayurveda by Lea Kraemer

Ayurveda is the longest continuously practiced medical system on the planet! I've been studying it's classical teachings since about 2005 and from the start I loved the idea of Ayurveda as the "Science of Life" because it spoke to the same wholeness and wellness of Being that comes alive in a really good Yoga practice. The root of spiritual psychology is right in the texts of Ayurveda, an ancient system that views mind-body-senses-being as a continuum. 

Yoga and Ayurveda merge very closely in their view of synergistic wellness. A healthy mind and body is one that supports joy, Ayurveda says, and the path for natural healing is in this wisdom. It's an emotional grounding that is one of Ayurveda's most welcoming aspects. You know how after a Yoga class the patterns of our lives can just start to naturally shift? Without force, the way we eat our lunch, or the way we think about scheduling the day, or even how we arrange our houses, just start to shift a little and it feels like things fit in place in a better way. I always hear students talk about this as they come in and out for classes  .... saying things like how their diet changed after a few months of Yoga ..... or how they notice the calm sound of their voice when they are speaking to their child. When our life-style practices spring from consciously observing our own tendencies, inherent reactions and even our vulnerabilities, we are understanding Prakriti, our very nature, and Ayurvedic Yoga is coming alive in us. 

Everything on Earth can be understood in relationship to its qualities. For instance, in everyone's life, day and night time have different energies and should have separate rhythms and practices around them. Maybe it's a lot for a blog ... but it's so nice to start to ponder these relationships that I'll include the"Twenty Types of qualities" here:

गु मद हम िनध लण सा मदृ ु िथरा: । गणु ा: ससू म वशदा: वशं त: स वपयया: ॥

Guru(heavy) X laghu (light in weight)       Manda(slow) X tiksna (quick,fast)               Hima (cold) X ushna (hot)

Snighda (unctuous) X ruksa (dry)               Slaksna (smooth) X khara (rough)              Sandra (solid) X drava (liquid)

Mrdu (soft) X kathina (hard)                       Sthira (stable) X cala (moving, unstable)    Suksma (stable, small) X sthula (big,gross) 

Vishada (non slimy) X picchila (slimy)

A great way to start working with the qualities and forces around you and within you is to notice what tastes you are drawn to. What foods are you missing out on? Are you creating balance in your mind and body at breakfast, lunch and dinner? Ayurvedic Yoga teaches that you will bump up your nutrition if you include all six tastes, but not in the same amounts! Are you over-emphasizing your fire? Or under-whelming your taste buds with a sugary palette? Watch which of the six tastes you go to and you will honestly see your tendencies in action! The Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan says: 

During Winters, (Hemanta and Shishira) and rainy season (Varsa), sweet, sour and salt tastes should be especially used to support as our tissues build. Bitter, pungent and astringent tastes should be used more during Spring Season (Vasanta) to clean us out and keep our fire kindled. Sweet tastes should be used more during Summer (Nidagha) when we can get drained, and sweet, bitter and astringent tastes should be used during Fall (Sharath) when we are in transition. 

Just like the Yogis, Ayurveda teaches that to be healthy, one should get up from bed at Brahmi Muhurtha, as the dawn light is rising! Yes, it's an ideal, but you can do it if you allow your body to rise around 45 minutes before the Sun, around 5 – 6 am. That's the perfect time to meditate, practice Yoga and to balance your spiritual and physical self as the day-light is coming up around you. Many Yoga practitioners rise much earlier to catch this "ambrosia" and for me my ideal time to meditate is at 3:15a.m. 

This past year in a master's class with the DINacharya Institute I had the opportunity to go back and study Ayurveda's incredibly specific morning routine, from what kind of plant material is best for the bristles of your tooth brush to exactly how to clean your nose and eyes. It's all much more detailed than you might have imagined but Yoga and Ayurveda have in common this beautiful idea of waking up to our senses each day. Through special ways of washing and bathing, through Yoga and self reflection best calibrated for you, waking up by cleaning and clearing each sense will give your mind and body a luminous quality that seekers have been enchanted by for eons! We will investigate this higher level of Yogic balance in my upcoming workshop in March. Until then, if you would like to do a bit of self research, take time to clean and clear each sense each day, until .... smelling - tasting - seeing - touching - hearing .... are gateways to the clarity of your mind and power of intuition! 

And last, a kind of charming, curious teaching from a major Ayurvedic text. Don't hold on to crappy energy, is the take away. Be the person you want to be, don't diminish your self for those that are yucky. As life goes up and down, know how to feel like your Self. 

उपकारधानः यादपकारपरे अयरौ सपवपवेकमना,हेतावीयफले न तु

"One should be very helpful even to his foes, even though they are not helpful.

One should maintain a balanced mind both during calamity and prosperity.

One should not be envious towards wealth and happiness of others."

Page No. 20 Astanga Hridaya Sutrasthan

I am giving a workshop called the Heart of Ayurveda on Sunday, Mar 15, 2020 from 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm. I hope that you will join me as we explore. It's about radiance through conscious living and there will be a strong Yoga practice as well as discussion.

Cookin' with Jazz - Rich and Creamy Horchata Muesli

Horchata Muesli 

By Jasmine De La Paz

When I first realized the next Breakfast on the Patio at Namaste falls on Cinco De Mayo, the first thing that came to my mind is Horchata. 

Horchata is a Mexican drink typically made from rice milk, cinnamon and vanilla, and is simply delicious. My husband requests Horchata frequently as he likes to add it to his iced coffee. The only thing I don't like about Horchata is the amount of sugar added, so I decided to sweeten mine with dates, and made it vegan by using almonds and coconut milk. It is time consuming, but is so worth it. The result is rich and full of flavor - making the muesli extra creamy. 

Vegan Horchata (serves 4-6) 

1 cup white rice
1/2 cup almonds
1 cinnamon stick
1 can whole fat coconut milk
4 dates
1tsp vanilla 
1 1/2 cups almond or coconut milk
dash of salt

Directions: 

1. Start by soaking the rice, almonds, and cinnamon stick in water overnight. Once done soaking, drain out the water, rinse through, and add the ingredients to a blender. Blend on high with the canned coconut milk until well blended and frothy. 

2. Pour mixture into a cheese cloth strainer, or nut milk bag, and squeeze as much of the liquid out as possible. 

3. Add the liquid back into the blender, and blend with dates, vanilla, almond or coconut milk, and a dash of salt! 

4. Store in the fridge for about 3-4 days. 

Horchata Muesli (serves 2) 

1 cup oats

3 tbsp chia seeds

3 tbsp flax seeds

2 tbsp coconut flakes

1 tbsp almond or coconut yogurt

2 - 2 1/2 cups Horchata

Directions: 

1. Add all the ingredients into a bowl, and mix together. If you notice it's a little dry, you may need to add more Horchata. Keep in the fridge overnight. Enjoy with added fruit, nuts, seeds, and extra Horchata! 

BREAKFAST ON THE PATIO

Join us for yoga, community, and nutritious food! 

Saturday, May 5th from 10:45 - 11:15am. 

Free to those who attend class before or after. 

Reserve your spot online here.

Self-Care Saturday: Self Reiki with Chona

For Compassion or Sending Energy to Someone Who's Sick: 

Begin by sitting comfortably in a space where you will be undisturbed for 15 minutes or so. You may make this space your sacred space by clearing it before you begin by burning some sage. When you are ready, breathe deeply. You may or may not close your eyes, whatever you feel comfortable with. Next, ask that ______ (name of person) receive this healing you wish to send by the grace of Source Creator. Ask for the person’s healer guides, healing angels, etc. you wish to use to support this healing. Next, ask for healing energy to be sent to this person and that it is in alignment with their Higher Self. When you feel relaxed, imagine this person is happy and healthy. Do not imagine them sick (even though they are). Imagine they are full of positive energy. Once you hold that vision, imagine healing energy flowing down from the Divine above you and flowing up from the Divine below you. Then imagine it flowing out and away from you and into that person. Hold that for as long as you wish - it doesn’t matter how long you do this – just trust that the healing energy has been sent and will work in the way that is best for this person. Conclude with a prayer of thankfulness.

Resource: www.passagestoinnerjoy.com

Chona offers Reiki on a donation basis on Thursday evenings at the studio. You can sign up on our workshops page. 

Self-Care Saturday: Self Reiki with Chona

For Love: 

Place both hands over the heart chakra, the left hand underneath and the right hand on top. The heart chakra is the place of compassion, and a balance between giving and receiving love. Breathe in white light through the nostrils, down the spine to the base. On the out-breath push the white light up the spine a little, then out to the heart center and exhale the energy into this center. Do this exercise for no more than 21 out-breaths. Conclude with a prayer of thankfulness and then detach.

Chona offers Reiki on a donation basis on Thursday evenings at the studio. You can sign up on our workshops page. 

Self-Care Saturday: Self Reiki with Chona

For the Morning, or Before Going to Sleep: 

If you just want general healing to recharge and balance your energies, place both hands over the solar plexus chakra, just above the navel, the left hand underneath and the right hand on top. The solar plexus is the life energy battery of your body. Breathe in white light through the nostrils, down the spine to the base. On the out-breath push the white light up the spine a little, then out to the solar plexus center and exhale the energy into this center. Do this exercise for no more than 21 out-breaths. On completion of the healing you may conclude with a prayer of thankfulness and then detach.

Chona offers Reiki on a donation basis on Thursday evenings at the studio. You can sign up on our workshops page. 

Recipe: warm chia pudding with berry syrup

With nutrition, they say, "Fail to plan and plan to fail." This is especially true at breakfast-time, when it is easy to grab the quickest thing and be on your way. But, a healthy breakfast sets you up for less bloat and more energy for the rest of your day. We love this recipe for warm chia pudding, inspired by our student Jasmine, who is a personal chef.

The best part of this recipe is it is quick, easy, cheap and can be made in advance.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups coconut milk (I prefer canned)
• 6-8 tablespoons chia seeds
• 3 tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon honey (or sweetener of your choice, optional)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla (to taste)
• 1 cup berries (I typically use organic frozen berries to save money and waste less)

Recipe:

CHIA PUDDING

1. Chia pudding must sit for 3-6 hours. I recommend setting the pudding overnight in the fridge.
2. Combine coconut milk and chia seeds in a 1 cup: 2 tablespoons ratio. If you prefer a more gelatinous pudding, you can use a 1:3 ratio. For this recipe, the 3 cups of coconut milk can be used with 6-8 tablespoons of chia seeds
3. Add 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of honey or syrup, and vanilla. 
4. At this point, you have some choices:
1. Place everything in a sealed container and shake it like a Polaroid picture. *This is the way I recommend because it is easy. No extra cleanup! I just combine everything in a mason jar and shake it up.*
2. Whisk it all up in a bowl.
3. Blend it with an immersion blender for a little smoother texture.
4. Blend it in a blender for a very creamy texture, more similar to regular pudding.
5. Set in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 6 hours. For the first few hours, turn the container upside down or whisk briefly every hour or so. You will notice the chia starting to expand and become like pudding nearly immediately. If you see clumps, give it a shake, a whisk or a flip. 
6. This should hold you over for a few days to a week! You can enjoy a spoon or two for dessert or a snack anytime of day.

BERRY SYUP

1. When you're ready for breakfast, place a pot on the stove at low to medium heat.
2. Add 1 cup of berries of your choice.
3. Continue to heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries release some water and soften. The consistency will be like syrup.

COMBINE

1. Stir 1 cup of chia pudding in with the berries to make one complete serving. If you are cooking for multiple people, use 1 cup of berries and 1 cup of chia for each person. 
2. Stir until the chia is warm. 

ENJOY

1. Top with 1 tablespoon of cinnamon (to taste). You can add allspice, turmeric, a dash of sea salt, or any other seasoning you like. 
2. You can top your chia pudding with granola, fresh banana, or be creative and add whatever you want!

Self-Care Saturday: Self Reiki with Chona

For Self Healing: 

Place your hands where you would like the healing to take effect. For example, if you need healing for your knee, place both hands on the knee, one above and one below. Continue breathing in white light but, on the out-breath, allow the energy to flow down the arms and hands as well as the heart chakra. Feel the healing energy leaving the palms of your hands and entering the affected area. Spend about 10 minutes on each body part that needs healing. The energy centers in the palms of your hands are your healing tools.

Chona offers Reiki on a donation basis on Thursday evenings at the studio. You can sign up on our workshops page. 

Self-Care Saturday: Self Reiki with Chona

To Harness the Energy:

Sit upright with the head in line with the spine and both feet on the floor (or cross legged), and hands gently placed on your lap. Close your eyes. Become relaxed by slowly breathing in and out for a few minutes. Now, visualize the universal life force as a glowing ball of light from the sun, and draw it into your body as you breathe in. See it as a white light and direct it from the crown of your head down the spine all the way to the base of the spine. On the out-breath, bring the white light back up the spine but push it out through the heart chakra. Allow the heart chakra to be charged with this white light. You are now charging yourself with universal life force or prana.

Resource: Amma Magi, http://www.ammamagi.com/freebook/index.htm

Chona offers Reiki on a donation basis on Thursday evenings at the studio. You can sign up on our workshops page. 

Mindful Fooding: How do we eat with presence?

We think of nutrition as "what we eat," but how we consume our food matters. Cooking mindfully stimulates digestive enzymes, and eating with presence helps us consume appropriate portions. We can call this "eating mindfully," or, in the case of our recent Teacher Training class: Mindful Fooding.

Throughout training, each Saturday we participated in a mindful potluck. Trainees prepared food inspired by the chakras, Yoga Sutras and … in some cases … by the only foods they could cook (Dave may have taken all the gorgeous photos on our website, but he can only cook one thing.)

Want some inspiration? Check out the tips below for eating mindfully, or explore the cookbook created by Namaste Yogi Kimberlee Cordova here.

• Prepare your food. Take the time to make your food visually appealing, and even enjoy some music while you make your meal. This is not only fun and present, it also stimulates digestive enzymes.
• Sit with good posture. I like to sit on a yoga block and place my food on a low bench.
• Put down your silverware in between bites. Seriously. I know, this is the hardest part.
• Chew each bite fully and completely, paying attention to taste and sensation as you eat.
• Keep conversation to a minimum until after you are finished eating.

Join us on our patio the first Saturday of every month for 'make your own' oatmeal, coffee and tea. We hope this inspires you to eat mindfully in your daily life.  

2 Ingredient Organic Face Scrub

As we age, our skin stops turning over as quickly as it used to. This process makes it more important to exfoliate our skin to promote healthy turnover of cells. Here are some basics to help give your skin a healthy glow:

1. Sleep! If you are tired, your skin will show it. Get at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
2. Hydrate. Proper hydration will keep your skin "plump," while dehydration will increase the appearance of fine lines.
3. Eat a healthy diet full of antioxidants.
4. Put some of this antioxidants on your skin. This is where our recipe comes in for an organic, simply face and body scrub you can make with items you likely currently have in your pantry.

Coffee is one of the world's strongest antioxidants. It is also highly acidic, so it can be tough on the gut when consumed. Thankfully, we can use coffee in our beauty regimen to benefit from its potency. For this scrub:

Combine:

• Organic olive oil
• Fine ground coffee (I recommend fresh grinding to an espresso grain)
• Ratio is 3:2 coffee to olive oil

Whisk

• Whisk it up until it is the consistency of grainy mud

Scrub

• It is messy! I recommend scrubbing in the shower or tub to keep things contained.
• Apply liberally to your skin and rub in circular motions, careful not to press too hard, especially around the delicate skin of your eyes.
• Rinse away.

Benefits

• Coffee
• Antioxidant
• Rough grain is perfect for exfoliation
• Subtle darkening of skin like a fake tan without the chemicals
• Caffeine will constrict your blood vessels to decrease puffiness
• Olive Oil
• Incredibly hydrating
• Don't worry about getting all of the oil off of your skin. Instead, allow a little to sit to encourage your pores to close back up after your scrub.

That's it! Your bathroom will smell awesome after this one.

Sondra's Secret to Vitality

Disclaimer: This recipe is not vegetarian-friendly. We fully support efforts to eliminate animal cruelty caused by factory farming. 

The first time I told Sondra I wasn't feeling well, she said, "You need bone broth. Wait, you're not vegetarian are you? Of course you are."

At the time, I had been vegetarian for about five years. I was diagnosed with multiple auto-immune diseases a few years into my stint as a vegetarian, and doctors everywhere were telling me I needed to change my diet. My M.D., who is also an Ayurvedic doctor, told me I was eating wrong for my body type. My acupuncturist encouraged me to eat some meat to heat up my digestion, as vegetarianism is actually contraindicated in Chinese medicine. 

Sondra took one look at me and knew my dosha type - vata dosha - and knew it wasnt't being served by my diet. It took me some time to come around to the idea that some meat may help me heal. Once I did, I set out to find the healthiest and most responsibly sourced meats to add to my diet. Here is my experience making Sondra's prescribed "bone broth." As a recovering vegetarian, I'll warn you there is a chicken caracas involved. 

But, my theory has always been, if I'm going to eat the meat, I want to feel very connected with the animal and use its gift to the fullest potential. This recipe certainly does that.

Step One: Find a responsibly-sourced chicken

I recommend Healthy Family Farms which makes weekly visits to the South Pasadena Farmer's Market. From their website: "Healthy Family Farms is a sustainable, pasture-based farming operation in Santa Paula, California." You can even tour the facilities to see for yourself how the animals are raised. Animals raised in a pasture-based system are not only happier and healthier but serve the Earth they live on.

I purchased a half-chicken, bones and skin, for my recipe. If your farmer will sell you chicken carcass  (i.e., the left overs from their butchering), you can skip straight to step four. I enjoy using the chicken in my own meals first.

Step Two: Roast the chicken and enjoy it for a meal

I love a simple roast chicken. It helps connect me with the food I'm eating, which stimulates digestion and pays homage to the life given for my health. 

Here is my recipe:

• Preheat oven to 200
• Clean chicken and pat dry
• Prepare a roasting dish with a tablespoon of olive oil or grass-fed butter
• Dust the chicken in salt and pepper, rubbing in with your hands
• Line the pan with chopped carrots
• Rub minced garlic (3-4 cloves) over the chicken
• Sprinkle thyme over the chicken
• Pour a tablespoon of olive oil or grass-fed butter over the chicken
• Roast for 30 minutes, covered at 200 degrees
• Increase temperature to 400 degrees, roast for 30 minutes
• Take lid off the roasting pan, watch for the chicken to start to brown
• When internal temperature of the breast and leg have reached 180*, take the chicken out of the oven and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. It should continue to cook to 190* while resting.
• Enjoy!

Step Three: Pick the bones

Pick the leftover meat off the chicken bones. If you have pets, this is a great add-in for their meals to give them some good fats and healthy protein. If you have some quality meat left over, it is excellent on salads and sandwiches for your week. You'll want to pick the bones relatively clean before making the broth. 

Step Four: Chop your veggies

You can add any veggies to your stock, but I recommend at least setting a base with aromatics. For one-half chicken, I recommend:

• 3 large carrots
• 1 head of celery
• 1 medium onion. I replaced onion in my stock with leeks because I love their flavor in soups and broth.
• Anything you have in your fridge! You can add mushrooms, radish or beets to your stock. 
• Reserve part of the onion or leek if you'd like to add it to your broth as a finishing ingredient. I love some fresh leeks or green onion on soup. I also reserved some radish for topping

Step Five: Prepare your stock pot

• Start by adding a very small amount of olive oil or butter to your pot, and turn the heat on to medium
• Add your seasoning FIRST! This is an Indian cooking tip that will greatly improve your flavor profile. Here are some spices you can use:
• Celery salt
• Bay leaves
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Ground pepper
• Cinnamon (just a pinch)
• Mustard seeds
• Once your spices start to smell yummy, it's time to add your onion or leeks. Cook these down until just translucent.
• Add the rest of your veggies, stirring with the spices for about 5 minutes

Step Six: Add the chicken bones

• Add the chicken bones
• Add enough water to cover your bones and veggies with at least a few inches to spare
• Turn down the heat to low

Step Seven: Walk away

• Stir about once an hour for 6-8 hours
• Add water if needed
• That's it! Drain your both over a strainer. The ingredients can be used again for a second stash. Your soup should have a healthy dose of collagen (i.e., should have a jello-like element to it). This is the beneficial part! 

Step 8: Enjoy warm

Spoon your broth as is into a cup for drinking or a bowl. The benefits of bone broth come from the collagen, which will help nourish you from the inside out. The warmth will stimulate your digestion and heat up your agni (inner fire). 

Step 9: But for real, what about the vegetarian/vegan folks?

We hear you, it's not easy eating meat. If you are adamantly veggie, you can still enjoy the benefits of broth. We recommend fermented vegetable broth for the biggest health benefits. You can find great stuff at Dave's Gourmet Korean, featured at the South Pasadena Farmer's Market (and others around town).

Enjoy!

Namaste,
Bethany

Returning to the Best Coast

an update from teacher Sondra Sun-Odeon

I just returned from NYC at the top of the year, and am very happy to be back in L.A. and especially back at Namaste!  Last August, my friend, poet/musician Jasmine Dreame Wagner, and I left LA to go on tour across the U.S., performing our songs and poetry across the country for 2 weeks.  Highlights of the tour included staying with friends in their geodesic dome home on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land just outside of Santa Fe. 

Landing back in NYC after tour, I attended an annual yoga retreat held at a Sufi retreat center in the Berkshires with one of my training teachers. I also volunteered at the Basilica Soundscape Festival in upstate NY, seeing some of my favorite artists perform inside a cavernous reclaimed 19th century factory (serious vibrational healing) and played a few intimate shows with dearly-missed and talented friends in Brooklyn. 

I didn’t make new year’s resolutions, but I am trying to hold true to my mantra of the last couple years: to appreciate, be present and not take things for granted. 

Spending time with my parents and establishing a new relationship with them has been a big part of that practice. I left California in my teens for the East Coast and never looked back. I found that, decades later, I was still relating to them from my very angry teenaged mindset. So, it’s been part of my practice to cultivate something different between us; simply showing up is new and different, as is being less attached to how I want things to be. Appreciating what is there instead of focusing on what isn’t is central to that. Reading Pema Chodron sure helps, too. 

Landing back in L.A. after a year that saw 30,000+ miles of touring and travelling, I am really appreciating stillness in my life. I have been nourishing the soul with lots of writing and alone time, as well as feeding my body foods to rebalance my vata dosha (really out of whack from all the traveling and 4 months of NYC!). I am kind of obsessed with bone broth and making raw cacao + fresh young coconut shakes right now. 

Key to rebalancing is: doing less and leaving enough time for myself. Such a challenge for vata dosha.

I’ve been doing L.A. without a car and riding a bike between the studio and home in Mt. Washington, taking the Metro and enjoying carpooling to the grocery with kind friends and neighbors; it’s not so bad. I’ve also been doing laundry in my sink, old-school, with a washboard and drying it in the sun.  I call it laziness and not wanting to haul laundry to a laundromat on my bike–you can call it part of “my new greener lifestyle.”

My favorite meditation lately has been walking around the neighborhood and meeting random people. One day on a walk, two dogs wandered down the street and past me. I tried to catch up to them to see if I could find their owner’s number on their collars, but they eluded me. An elderly gentleman watering his yard nearby said they got out and wandered from their owner’s often, and soon we were deep in conversation about dogs, the neighborhood, and incense. Then we discovered that he had worked for the father of a musician friend of mine! So, wandering dogs on the loose brought together this random stranger and me, and we were connected by one degree. An hour later, Ken gave me a Moody Blues CD to listen to, and I was hugging him goodbye–promising to bring him some music and to return for tea soon. Truly, the world is small and we are more connected to each other than we think.