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Hot Castor packs are something I have done for myself and for my family, students and Ayurvedic clients, many many times throughout at least the last 20 years. There are a variety of reasons I've personally used hot castor packs over the years, including: -digestive support -menstrual support -pain relief (low back, knee, shoulder) -perimenopausal transition support -liver detoxification -C-section scar tissue softening -facial toning/cleansing Most recently, I turned to a castor pack protocol in 2021. I had gotten COVID at the beginning of the pandemic, but my symptoms were atypical - the virus disrupted my digestive system, and triggered an inflammatory response that lead to back pain, bloating, malabsorption and IBS, all of which bothered me for well over a year. I experienced lot of weight gain, and the lower back pain really reduced my range of motion, so that my yoga practice was especially compromised. I must have had a lot of brain fog, too, because I had forgotten for almost a year that hot castor packs might provide some relief! One day, something was triggered in my memory, and I recalled how hot castor packs had been so helpful in the past, most especially after removal of an IUD (another long story which I'll write about in another blog post someday soon!) I decided to immediately do a protocol of hot castor packs that night before bed for at least five nights. (You can read and print the protocol pdf below!) Even after the very first application of the castor pack, my back pain was decreased almost entirely, my bloated stomach reduced by almost half, and I could button my pants once more! Most importantly, the brain fog began to lift, and I was able to begin returning to more dynamic yoga practice and exercise, even before completing the five day protocol. It took me several more months to recover my full range of motion, stamina and strength—but I absolutely credit the castor packs with kickstarting my body's ability to recover and heal; they enabled me to return to a pain free and spacious yoga practice. And, along with Ayurvedic lifestyle practices and herbal support, the were an enormous part of the means of resolving my digestive issues, too. I no longer have IBS or malabsorption because of this multipronged Ayurvedic approach. I feel that Castor Oil is an amazing, dare I even say, miraculous plant oil - one we have evolved with and likely have developed a sacred relationship with, although much of that knowledge has been obscured, denigrated or lost. Castor Oil is a dravya, a substance, that yes, can be potentially poisonous when it's not used with sesne, wisdom - or reverence. Used sensibly, reverently and moderately, Castor Oil absolutely has the power to remove stagnation and accumulations of ama (or toxins) from the body and do so much more. I share my belief in castor oil along with the information on how to do a hot castor pack for yourself because, well, it's already readily available on the internet - but not everyone is going to give you the best or most accurate information. Castor packs have been experiencing some sexy marketing hoopla of late. They are becoming big business, as most health remedies do. For this reason, I do recommend a reverent caution when working with any plant medicine - mainly because we modern humans in general have a tendency to disregard the sacred nature of plants, to commodify and appropriate them - we can tend to overuse them or abuse them. Please treat this amazing substance with respect and reverence - I guarantee it will be more effective if you do! Meanwhile, I highly recommend this link https://lifespa.com/ayurvedic-lifestyle/castor-oil/ on Dr. John Douilliard's LifeSpa site to read more about castor oil, along with his precaustions, too. But, I'm sharing this castor pack protocol freely here with you so you'll be able to have a handy printable worksheet that is sensible and easy - tried and tested by myself, friends, family, clients and students safely and effectively many, many times. Caveats/exceptions to using a castor pack protocol are pregnancy (it's believe to be able to induce labor), if you are actively menstruating/bleeding, if you have had recent surgery - within the last six months. As well, because castor has such power to move things down and out, if you have an IUD, it can possibly instigate the IUD expulsion! So I would not recommend a castor pack for back pain unless you've already removed the IUD first. Indeed it is quite beneficial to help remove and residual stagnation resulting from the IUD being in your body. Most importantly, listen to you're own deep inner knowing as to whether the castor oil pack is truly working for you or not. If you sense it's too powerful, too much, if your digestion "heats up" too much and becomes too loose - then stop using it! Sometimes only one application is all you need, so proceed wisely and listen to your body, not your egoic mind which can tend to think more is better. Reach out if you have any questions, and indeed, if you'd like to do a direct Ayurvedic Consultation with me, feel free to set up an appointment (either in person or zoom) feel free to reach out. My Ayurvedic Counseling is offered in person or on zoom, at a sliding scale, too, making it affordable and accessible for most!
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 I experienced first hand the lack of formalized postpartum healthcare that exists for most women who live in the US with the birth of each of my three babies. I can attest to feeling lost, frustrated, numbed, exhausted and alone during the very fragile, tender, confusing yet vitally important weeks after the birth of all three of my children. I gave birth to three thankfully healthy children, and together with my husband James, we worked hard (laughed harder) and, through thick and thin, raised these beautiful souls to adulthood. (And hopefully someday they will also welcome their own babies into this world! In the meantime, I hope to support other new mothers! Within less than an hour after the birth of my first child, my daughter Kiki, I was given 5 minutes of confusing instructions on breastfeeding, by a harried RN who snapped at me when I held my breast incorrectly and gave up, exasperated by my confusion. When I got home a day later, sore and traumatized by the entire birthing process, I had no idea that my daughter wasn't getting enough breastmilk, as my colostrum hadn't come in yet. She became dehydrated after a day or so, and jaundiced, and she was returned to the NICU to replenish her fluids and recover from the jaundice. If someone had been there who understood lactation, and how the baby needed supplemental fluids, I do believe the stress of returning to the hospital would not have occurred. My second daughter, Brigid, was born via a C-Section. This is major abdominal surgery, and while a standard phenomenon here, still has a wide variety of risk factors postpartum. Within a few days of returning home, I developed a high fever and chills. Not knowing what was causing it, I drove myself and my infant daughter to my GP, and, standing in front of the receptionist's desk asking for an emergency appointment, shaking and feeling ready to pass out, was told I needed to go to my OB/Gyn, who was fortunately able to see me that afternoon. They soon determined it was mastitis, due to a blocked milk duct, put me on an antibiotic, and sent me home to recover. My third child, my son Sean, was born less than two years after Brigid, in the Fall of 1997. His was an unusual birth, called a VBAC: vaginal birth after C-Section, which is nowadays often discouraged as too dangerous. But, I felt like an old hand at giving birth, and indeed, Sean's was my most easeful L&D. No drugs, only about an hour or so of actual hard labor and pushing, before he came into the world. Still, again, I was sent home with little to no support: at this stage, with three children, my husband was working a stressful and demanding job at the time, and was our sole breadwinner, too. Besides a weekly visit from my Mother or MIL, and the occassional friend or relative who came by to coo over the new baby, I was at home, essentially on my own, with an infant, a toddler, and a six year old to care for. Initially, too, I was breastfeeding both Sean and Brigid, until I weaned her a month or so later! Needless to say, I was exhausted! I remember feeling as if my body was being whittled away, that my conception of myself was disintegrating. Fortunately, something wise inside recalled the grounded, peaceful feelings I'd had after taking yoga classes when Kiki was a baby. I looked up "Yoga" in the Yellow Pages (there was no internet back then!) and I miraculously found a yoga studio only five minutes from my house - Heartsong Yoga. I went to a Kripalu style class that evening, taught by my first real yoga teacher, Sheila Magelhaes. The blissful experience of being filled up and replenished by that class set me on a completely different course in life - one that ultimately brought me more deeply into yoga, which lead eventually to Ayurveda, and to becoming an Ayurvedic Postpartum Doula.   Ghee, otherwise knowns as clarified butter, is traditionally revered in Indian culture, and has been used as part of the vast cuisines of Central Asia, and also in Ayurveda, for thousands of years. It is lactose-free, shelf stable, and has a high burning point.
From an Ayurvedic standpoint, ghee is considered a vital means of improving digestion, increasing the absorption of nutrients, enhancing the healing properties of herbs, lubricating the body inside and outside, boosting immunity—and provides many more benefits, too. Ghee nourishes the body and all the doshas, and it especially balances vata, which is so universally imbalanced in most of us these days*. Ghee can be used to provide internal and even external oleation, to help mitigate environmental and cultural toxins and stressors that provoke vata (air and space) dosha. Yesterday, the 26th of December, was the Full Moon, and so I made ghee. The Full Moon is a day that the Vedas say is auspicious for making ghee because it increases the quality of Soma - a Vedic source of nourishment, nectar, and bliss - within this magical substance. Soma is associated with the moon, and soma "nectar" is often referred to in the ancient texts as a means to attain greater wellbeing - even immortality. The Moon, like the Sun, enables Life as it has evolved to exist and thrive on our planet. Just as the gravitational pull of the Moon can draw upon the ocean tide, the essence of the milk used to make ghee is enhanced during this brief but powerful moment in the lunar cycle. In fact, a local purveyor of Ghee, Full Moon Ghee, makes ghee on the full moon. If you don't feel like making ghee, I highly recommend their product. It's costly, but sublime, organic and local! I use ghee mostly in cooking, not only for its high smoke point, but also to add richness to dishes, especially Ayurvedic ones! I also use it cosmetically at times, especially in the Winter when my skin and lips get really dry. I've also experienced Netra Basti, an amazing eye-restorative practice that's really helpful if you suffer from itchiness, redness or eye strain. So, I try to honor the Moon’s ancient, mysterious, life-giving power by making ghee on the Full Moon, usually every few months when my ghee supply runs low. Traditional Vedic chanting and a reverent mindfulness of the special qualities of ghee, while you're making the ghee can add to is benefits, and from an Ayurvedic perspective, also help increase its nourishing, rejuvenating powers as you make it. Here's how I make ghee: What you'll need:
15-20 minutes at most. Put the butter into your saucepan and bring up the heat to medium. The butter should slowly come to a simmer - you'll hear an increasing sound of water bubbles being evaporated off and solids separating as the ghee comes to its gentle roar. Once it begins to bubble strongly and sounds fairly loud, turn the heat down to medium-low. Really watch and LISTEN to the ghee. Be mindful as you make it to its look, sound and smell. The clarified part will become more golden and the solids will change from white to tan or light brown over time. The sound of evaporation will decrease as the water dissipates and burns off. You'll start to smell the butterfat becoming more rich - it has a theater-popcorn-like smell that is heavenly. Don't stir during all of this: just watch, smell and listen. You'll see foam rising to the top and whitish curds dropping to the bottom as the fat begins to separate from the solids. Some folks like to skim the foam off, but I let the ghee do its thing, and simply move the foam to one side to keep an eye on the color of the milk solids. Plus, I believe stirring tends to create a more "crystallized" ghee when it hardens afterwards. This crystallization doesn't effect the taste, just the look and consistency. (Plus, the Kerrygold butter never seems to have a foaming or a crystalizing issue.) Eventually, the sound of evaporating will die down, to only a few tiny plops and plinks. It's now, in these last few minutes, that you must watch your ghee like a hawk! Don't let it overcook or burn: burning is indicated if the mild solids become dark brown or black! The solids should be at most caramel colored by the end, and the ghee a lovely golden color. When the sound is almost nonexistent and the curds are lightly tanned, take the saucepan off the heat, and let the ghee cool to lukewarm. Again, don't stir, but do carefully pour the ghee into your jar through a fine meshed sieve or cheesecloth to strain out the foam and solids, which can be composted (some folks like to add these to baked goods for an increased "brown butter" flavor!) Ghee is shelf stable and can be kept on the counter indefinitely - like honey, it is believed to be a product that only gets better with age, as long as no contaminents are in the jar, or put into the ghee with a utensil, so always use a clean spoon when taking ghee out of the jar! *Ghee is a wonderful source of healthy fat for almost everyone - but, as with most fats, should be used sparingly, nevertheless. It is not recommended for folks with high cholesterol levels, nor for those with heart disease, fatty liver issues, obesity, and some pregnant women with digestive issues. Consult with me or with an Ayurvedic Health Counselor in your area. While its lactose content is very low to nonexistent, and folks with lactose intolerance issues should be able to use it - it's not dairy free, In fact, ghee is the soma nectar, the nes plus ultra, ultimate form of dairy, and thus, in Indian culture where the cow is considered Holy, most highly revered and honored.  Peri-menopause marks a natural transition into the wise woman/wisdom keeper stage, the Autumn of our life, the vata stage of life. This transition signals a need for reassessment and very likely, requires big changes in both lifestyle and daily habits--especially those habits that have long aggravated our doshas—to manage with grace and ease.
Things that we have long been disassociating from or avoiding come up into our consciousness during peri-menopause, demanding to be addressed--and anger is common for many women at this time! One of my menopause teachers, Jane Hardwicke Collings, likes to call estrogen “the veil of accommodation". Estrogen softens our edges during our menstruating years, allowing us to navigate stressful situations (like building a home and/or a family, growing a business, birthing and tending a fulfilling career) with greater ease. For many women, challenges in family, work, and life are often addressed with accommodation, rather than confrontation. Most of us in bodies that menstruate and have higher levels of estrogen naturally tend to pick our battles, in other words, vs. expending energy that’s needed during this busy, hectic Summertime “growing” season of life. Again, this is because estrogen is mṛdu (soft), it’s brahmana (building, nourishing) —and it’s yin as opposed to yang, according to a brilliant approach to the endocrine system and menopause, explained here by Dr. Claudia Welch. But, as estrogen levels decrease during peri-menopause, the veil of accommodation lifts, reducing our willingness to "suffer fools"--to tolerate or accommodate. This often leads to increased irritation and anger, emotions that we may have long been repressing, not merely because of higher estrogen, but also because of a lifetime of gender-based conditioning to repress or hide our anger and frustration, too. But, I suggest that peri-menopause is a great time to actually embrace the untapped power that has been hidden in one's anger; use it to both discern and digest repressed emotions and experiences that haven’t yet been processed, along with restrictive, gender based conditioning (samskara) that limits your full potential. The resulting energy released through this processing can be channeled directly into yoga practices that bring us through peri-menopause with greater ease, and provide insights and greater clarity on what serves us best—and what doesn’t—for the life ahead. Finally, though it may feel like an ending, and that, too can understandably bring up feelings of both grief and anger, menopause (when it is not chemically or surgically induced) is really the natural next season in the progression of life, one accompanied by a radical transformation into a new body, just like puberty! As one of my teachers, Nancy Gilgoff, joyfully proclaimed when I anxiously asked her what to expect when menopause came, "Don't fear it! You get a NEW body!" So, rather than clinging or remaining attached to the former body ("attachment" raga, is one of the kleshas or obstacles, as expounded in Patanjali Yoga Sutra 2.7)--rather than holding on to the passing of "Summer", consider that this transformation leads us naturally into the third season of life—one that is enriched with a lifetime of compounding knowledge and experience. Consider figures like Maya Angelou, Georgia O’Keefe, Joy Harjo, Vandana Shiva, Ursula K. LeGuin—all of them wise creatrixes of brilliance, dignity, grace and power—who flourished most after menopause. Menopause holds the potential of a full gathering, or harvest time, of the female body’s innate, natural power and our hard earned intelligence. I feel it may be the most profound culmination of a female body’s natural rhythms--Ṛtam--as we pass through all four seasons of our lives—Spring (Childhood), Summer (Adulthood), Autumn (Wisdom keeper/Wise Woman) and Winter (Great Elder). This natural transformation of the female body is deeply rooted in and connected to the Earth's Ṛtams as well. In Ayurveda, every seasonal transition encourages, even demands, deeper self-reflection to identify sensible changes and adjustments--every seasonal change demands we listen to the wisdom of our bodies and adapt habits and lifestyle, to maintain or improve our wellbeing. Menopause is no different! This process cultivates even greater wisdom each time we do it, and ideally promotes greater emotional well-being as we age. It also empowers us to deepen our spiritual practices, so that we may walk with greater courage and compassion upon a more joyful life path—one that follows dharma and deepens our connection to Source. This becomes most evident during our culminating Season of life (if we are lucky to live so long!) and ultimately, when we come to the end of this life, too--passing from this impermanent reality into the mysterious and immortal permanence beyond the veil, from which we first arrived here, and which is our true essence. May we all find our way!  (OR: Why Yoga Classes May Actually Engender a Kind of Collective Beneficial Trance State.)
If we are being truthful, one reason I don't post photos of myself, as much as I'm comfortable in my own skin most of the time (especially when I am doing yoga) is when I see a photo of myself in an asana/posture, I get a little uncomfortable and self-conscious. A self-critical, cynical voice in my head says something like, "Your knees are hyperextended! And there's a little bit of stiffness in your neck! AND you look thick around the middle. AND you look old!!" (And, btw, I would never judge another student as I judge myself: we are our own worst critics.) In fact, it's a perfectly good execution of this posture: I experienced free breathing, and a real sense of lightness and connection when I was experiencing it - a kind of trance state was happening in this moment. Thing is, ALL of us are conditioned to fit into a rigid cultural paradigm about what is "correct" or "proper" or "acceptable" about how we should "look" (and not just when we are doing yoga, but, well, all the time.) And we are all heavily influenced by digital media and representations of the human body, and how ours "stacks up" in comparison. All. The. Time. Not to mention, the bodies we see in the ethereal realm of the internet are not always as they appear to be! These lies of omission and fakery are causing us and our children a lot of mental and emotional damage. So, I also don't post pictures of myself doing postures that often, because:
The tendency for both yoga (and now, "mindfulness") to be fully focused on physical improvement only reinforces the roots of the cultural discontent most of us feel about our bodies. And, as long as yoga being marketed and practiced by primarily focusing on the physical, we miss out. Utilizing the gifts of yoga to help shift and clear our veiled ideas about ourself and our world, can help us change the very conditions that are making us unhappy - otherwise, it only exacerbates our uber-competitive, individualistic culture that separates and alienates. In short, perpetuating these myths does a huge disservice to the real freedom that yoga practices bring to the dedicated student - and from that more clear and present student, to our shared, collective, consensus Reality that we are co-creating together right now. Yoga is not postures: it is a state of being, one that is intrinsic to our lifelong wellbeing, to our ability to become truly human, and I suggest, to our ability to become a better and more highly evolved species collectively, too. Yoga may be potentially experienced by anyone, regardless of how they look, or how well or "poorly" their body works, or where and how they exist within the socio-economic strata of our world. And, yoga done in community, when everyone in the space is breathing and moving in synchrony, has the potential to create a deeper and more profound experience of merging and connection within a group or community, inspiring evolution on more than just an individualistic level. So, yoga is both an individally and culturally beneficial trance state that arises through a series of spiritually oriented repetitive practices, which do include a somatic component (because we can only experience this state within the body.) But, the physical component of asana is of far less importance to the ultimate goal of yoga practice, which is intended to ultimately bring the practitioner into a state of kaivalya, liberation, freedom - or Sat-Chit-Ānanda - truth-consciousness-bliss. So, although I use the frame of postural practice as a method or lens, my goal as a teacher is to help students hone and move their awareness inwards, to become quiet and yes, entranced - to find the fullness of freedom within - regardless of how it "looks" on the outside - while in non-judgemental community with one another. There is a freedom to be found and experienced in yoga classes that is beyond cultural baggage, beyond the cynical, judging, conditioned voice in our heads that too often tells us grumpily what our bodies "should" do and how they "should" look. This freedom is vairagya, dispassion, letting go of constraints and conditions and fears - and it needs to be part and parcel of yoga practice so that we can attain, through yoga, the heights of what it means to be truly human. But then, you can't take a picture of that feeling, you can only experience it. So, come to class! Abhyasa vairagyabyam tannirodhah - "Practice and dispassion lead to the quelling of the mind-stuff." Yoga Sutra 1.12 But, the model just doesn't work. :/  Every month or so, I get an email from a person who's looking for a Mysore style Ashtanga Yoga program in the Northampton area (I used to teach one for about a decade) and I have to give them the sad news that our program at Ashtanga Yoga Northampton ended in the Summer of 2020, and that there's no Mysore program in the Noho area, or really, at all in Western Mass.* Well before the pandemic hit, I had come to terms with the fact that the Mysore program I ran was an unsustainable business model. (See this article from 2013 by Peg Mulqueen outlining why it's not as lucrative as teaching group classes.) My husband, who is a very wise and successful businessman, would shake his head ruefully whenever I shared what I earned after expenses each month. I generally only shared what I made if it had been a good month - it was that disheartening for him. But, I'd laugh at his silent consternation, and gently give him a kiss of gratitude on the cheek, while saying, "Just consider that I'm running the nonprofit wing of the Ryan Family." Admittedly, teaching Mysore style was exhausting: getting up 4 or 5 mornings a week in the dark, and driving 30-40 minutes to open the studio for the early students. On our busiest mornings, there'd be about 20 people who'd show up during the three hour window of practice time. On the slow days, only 8-10 people would come to class. We sold a lot of very reasonably priced unlimited monthly passes, which were very affordable - a steal really, if you came to class at least 3 times a week. And we had several scholarship students. Not profitable, not sustainable. But, very sweet, nonetheless. Oh well. Capitalism. We soldiered on until the pandemic shut us down, finally. And I must admit, I was grateful for it: I was knackered out, exhausted from a decade of trying to make it work. But, I loved to teach Mysore, up until the very end, and really didn't want to quit. It took a global pandemic to shut us down: I am that stubborn. James never quite understood that it wasn't about earning money for me, but rather, the "payment" came through the intense fulfillment of real human connections I made as a Mysore teacher, and especially, the dear, sweet sense of strong community - one built during quiet, silent moments of deep concentration, in instances of stress-relieving, lighthearted, shared humor, and in heartfelt groupwide appreciations or murmurs of support or encouragement. We gloried in our fellow practitioners overcoming a longstanding challenge, whether it be physical or emotional. And, we all "knew" each other's Ashtanga practices: the ways our bodies and minds were eased and challenged and molded over many months and years by the yoga. We were all in it together. Very sweet. True community. All of this was possible only because it happened in a container of deep trust and commitment to each other, and because of our mutual love of the Ashtanga modality of yoga - really, of vinyasa, that glorious innovation of Krishnamacharya's: breath and movement melded in a grand and glorious unity, to create something sublime, to birth the state of yoga. Yes, the postures were spectacularly challenging sometimes, but ultimately, the focus wasn't so much on "doing the postures", but rather, doing the postures *while* purposefully focusing more on the simple but profoundly transformative practice of breathing "freely, with sound". (The word I said most in that room was "Breathe!") But, alas, there is a tendency towards egoic hierarchies of domination that can potentially manifest in these same spaces, and the ableist and ageist pitfalls one can fall into, especially if one is a newer Ashtanga teacher, too. Nothing is perfect, if humans are involved, after all! But, these pitfalls can be easily avoided if we let our egos dissolve, and it's such a brilliant system, Ashtanga can and will do that for you, if you surrender to it, that is - ishvarapranidhanad va! Sadly, this method of learning yoga, which is really quite traditional to how it's taught in India, pre-capitalist as it were, was soooo hard to explain to prospective students. It's almost impossible to help folks understand how the Mysore Ashtanga was absolutely so much better for those learning it or new to yoga, than an Ashtanga class that went through the full series all at once - that it slowed the learning process down into smaller chunks that most folks could grock more easily and safely - so much that it was a brilliant method for everyone, no matter how old, no matter how fit or not. "Semi-private yoga geared to YOU in a group setting" is as close as I got to explaining it -and still people would look at me in a pleased confusion when asked what it is I "did" for "work." "Why not come to a class and watch?" I'd say, and the rare person who came to watch would be blown away by the sheer beauty of breath and human bodies of all kinds in motion - so unlike any other yoga class they'd ever been too - but, still, so intimidated they would be afraid to return. No, most folks need sound bites and bullet points and pictures, and the anonymity of being lost in a group of practitioners all doing the same thing simultaneously, maybe with a little hip-hop groove added to numb the mind a bit, too. Nuance is lost in bullet points. Even what I am describing right now doesn't actually describe the deep, subtle, intense, lovely and profound experience of being in a committed and longstanding Mysore room with steady veteran practitioners and earnest newbies, all being shepherded by a wise, kind and sensible teacher/practitioner holding the space. Hence, why I still get emails from hopeful students, and while I still feel a bit brokenhearted when I have to tell them, "No, I don't teach a Mysore program any more." *I think, but am not sure, that Sruti Yoga in Great Barrington, still offers a session once or twice a week. Go support them, if you can!   We've had an odd winter, with fluctuating temperatures and not a lot of snow. (As much as some would want to deny it, climate change is real, and if you're tuned into the Earth, you'll sense something definitely feels out of whack.) According to Ayurveda, it's exactly when the weather fluctuates or seems "not right" for the season that our bodies get confused and lose equilibrium. Ayurveda - the "sister science of yoga" - believes that food is medicine. Thus, eating nourishing, grounding winter veggie soups right now is a great way to help maintain balance of mind and body.
I make this soup for lunch, at least once a week all year long, using seasonal produce so that it's appropriately balancing whatever time of year it might be. It’s quick, taking less than 20 minutes from start to finish, and perfect when you want to feel deeply nourished and satisfied, but not full or bloated. This seasonal "Winter Warming" version is rich, hearty and stew-like, and helps to balance vata dosha, the air and space elements of our bodies, which are easily sent out of whack during this wildly fluctuating New England Winter weather. I’ve included chopped carrots and fennel, and chopped kale. The colors are lovely, sunny and bright. Served with or without basmati rice, it’s a perfectly satisfying, delicious meal! Winter Warming Chick Pea & Red Lentil Soup Serves 4 3 TBS olive oil (alternatively, you could use ghee if you’re not vegan) 1 1/2 Tsp fennel seeds 1 1/2 Tsp coriander seeds 1 1/2 Tsp cumin seeds 1 Tsp ground turmeric Pinch of hing or asaphoetida 2 TBS tomato paste 2 carrots, cut into thin slices or 1/2 inch cubes 5-6 inches of leek, cleaned and chopped into short ribbons (omit if you’re avoiding alliums - but if so, double the hing!) 1/2 of a medium head of fennel (chop the delicate fennel fronds if you have them, to use as garnish!) 1 cup red lentils, rinsed well in several washes until the water runs clear, then drained 1 can chick peas, rinsed well and drained. 4-6 cups of water, depending upon how thick you like your soup. 1/2-1 tsp salt to taste Black pepper to taste Totally Optional: 1 cup chopped fresh greens like spinach, chard or dino kale 1/2 a can of coconut milk Dried unsweetened organic coconut, for garnish In a warming dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, add oil or ghee, then leeks, carrots, and fennel., and sweat for a bit until they take on a shine, 2-3 minutes. Heat should be medium-low, and make sure that the leeks (if using) don’t char. Meanwhile, place coriander, fennel and cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle, and grind until they’ve broken down considerably (they need not become a powder, but you want to break up the coriander seeds fairly well; if you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can use powdered versions of these spices, but reduce to 1 Tsp each.) Add spices to the cooking veggies, along with the turmeric and hing. Stir for 2-3 minutes, then add tomato paste. Stir again for 2 minutes to coat veggies, then add rinsed red lentils and chick peas and salt. Stir to coat everything for 30 seconds, then add water, scraping the pot well to incorporate everything. Bring to a low simmer, cover the pot and cook 20 minutes, or until the red lentils have begun to disintegrate. This soup is really hearty enough on it’s own, but if you want to make it even more rich, add up to a half a can of coconut milk about halfway through, and stir to combine. Check to see that the soup is not getting dried out or boiling down too quickly—add more water as necessary to maintain a stew-like consistency. Root veggies should be cooked through, but not mushy. Once the red lentils and carrots are cooked, if desired, add a cup of chopped greens and stir. Take the pot off the heat once they greens are bright and heated through. Adjust salt & pepper to taste, and serve topped with a scattering of the dried coconut (which in this picture looks a lot like parmesan, but truly isn't!) the fennel fronds if you’ve got them (I've added a big dash of Herbal Salt from Burlington, VT's excellent Railyard Apothecary) plus a tiny pinch of turmeric. Enjoy!   Nadi shodhana (sometimes called "alternate nostril breathing", often called "nerve purification" but literally meaning "channel" or even "tube" cleansing) was highly recommended by the "root guru" of the yoga lineages I teach, the "Father of Modern Yoga" TKV Krishnamacharya, seen above practicing nadi shodhana at age 87. This is a safe, effective pranayama practice for mental clarity, for calming the mind and body, for dealing with stress, anxiety, fear. It is also a preparatory practice for deeper and more challenging pranayama practices. From my own experience as a dedicated daily nadi shodhana practitioner of about 20 years, and from teaching it to many students over the past decade, it is the easiest, gentlest and most effective form of pranayama, accessible to all, when done correctly. Folks with high blood pressure and who are pregnant may do this practice without any retentions/holding of the breath.
-To practice nadi shodhana, sit comfortably, and ideally, relax your shoulders, soften your jaw, breath gently, and make a mudra with your right hand, called vishnu mudra. (If Vishnu Mudra doesn't work, simply use the thumb and forefinger of the right hand, or alternatively, place the middle and index fingers of the right hand on your third eye/brow, and use the thumb and ring/pinky from that angle.) -Breathe in a relaxed way, fully and deeply through both nostrils, for a few breaths. -Then, block your right nostril with the right thumb (not at the "hole" but further up closer to the place where the soft tissue meets the bone.) Inhale gently and slowly through the left nostril until comfortably "filled up", then block the left nostril as well with your right ring and pinky fingers. -Softly retain the breath on the inhale for a brief moment, then release your thumb and exhale through the right nostril slowly and fully. Then, inhale through the right nostril, another soft, very brief inhale retention with both nostrils closed, and finally, exhale fully out the left. This is one round. Practice nadi shodhana for 3-6 rounds. -Finish nadi shodhana by exhaling out of the left nostril on the last round, then drop your hand, breathe through both nostrils a few times, and notice how you feel. Then go about the rest of your day, ideally with more clarity and vitality. Practice Notes & Tips: The inhales and exhales should be even in length and quality. Never force, don't strain: simply follow the prana as it flows, from one nostril to the next, back and forth, up and down, as you relax and breathe fully. Ideally, the breath length should be a minimum of 5 seconds for the inhale and 5 seconds exhale. The length of the breath can be extended as you become more proficient, but again, never strain to do so. Remember, don't abuse yourself or compete with yourself with any yoga practice. Be gentle, and care for the temple of your mind and body by taking it slow and easy, never forcing. Do 3-6 rounds with a 10 second breath (5/5) every day for a month and develop a good habit. Then perhaps try to increase as you feel ready to longer breaths for the next month, increasing until your breathing is slow, steady and easy. Our ancestors had much slower breaths than we modern domesticated humans do, and so perhaps one way for you to help our planet as an individual is to slow down and be mindful about your own breathing in this simple way! The slow and steady approach is better than blasting yourself with many, many rounds a few days, and then never doing it again. Dedicated, daily practice and repetition is key to learning and key to proficiency in ANYTHING. Give it a try. You might have noticed that I don't have any initials or credentials noted after my name - i.e. "Michelle Ryan, E-RYT500". Please note that, although it's sometimes helpful to have those hours listed after a yoga teacher's last name, those initials are not an indications of how many years an individual has spent practicing yoga - nor are they an indication that the teacher has studied with veteran/highly-qualified teachers.
While I've dedicated at least a thousand hours over the past 20 years of yoga practice and study to learning how to teach asana from senior teachers in the modality known as Ashtanga Yoga (and more recently, Supreme Release Yoga) I've also simultaneously sustained a consistent study of other Vedic systems of knowledge over those years, too, with a variety of highly qualified teachers of Yoga, Ayurveda, Sankrit and Mantra, too. YA letters after my name don't clearly point to the extent of my studies. All of the teachers I've studied consistently with demonstrated a dedication to teaching traditional yoga or Vedic traditions, and all have decades of experience and scholarship within South Asian/Indian (SA) lineages of yogic knowledge - lineages that all pre-date the American Yoga Alliance (YA). While the YA was created back in the 90's to ostensibly make the teaching of yoga "safer" through "qualification" standards here in the US, the YA has a history of ignoring and even actively denying the legitimacy of both living and deceased Indian yoga teachers and/or students of those teachers. Case in point: when I first sought to gain my E-RYT 500 credentials a decade ago after accruing over 500 hours of teacher study, I was told that because one of my teachers, Nancy Gilgoff (a gifted, qualified, wise teacher with decades of experience) was not affiliated with the YA, my hours studying with the first Western female student of Pattabhi Jois were essentially worthless in their eyes. Because Nancy Gilgoff didn't register with the YA (that is, pay them their annual dues) the YA refused to recognize her as a "legitimate" teacher. And thus, they wouldn't recognize my study with her as "legitimate", either. As well: the teaching standards the YA have set historically for studios desiring a teacher training program have often been criticized as less rigorous, and in fact, dilutions of yoga. They are arguably culturually appropriative of Indian yoga traditions because of this dilution. The YA lowered the bar for studios wanting to create a YTT (Yoga Teacher Training) and thus, lowered the level of proficiency and education needed to teach yoga, too. The lowering of standards created both a proliferation of YTTs and a proliferation of yoga teachers, too. One sad result of so many inexperienced "yoga teachers" trying to attract students is the reliance upon gimmicks (i.e. beer yoga and goat yoga) as a means of marketing one's yoga classes. Here's the thing: while I can't knock anyone for wanting to teach yoga, it takes mch more than 200 hours of study over the course of a year to become a really good, well rounded, informed and wise yoga teacher. It took me at least a decade of teaching yoga to become a good "yoga teacher" - and I still don't consider my self a "yoga teacher" so much as a student of yoga and a teacher of asana. In truth, the YA is not an entirely legitimate authority on a particular person's ability to effectively and safely teach yoga. It is simply a teacher registry, one that teachers must pay dues to each year in order to remain on said registry. So, I boycott the YA; I ended my affiliation with the organization in 2012 when they refused to honor the hours I studied with Nancy Gilgoff. You will not see a series of letters after my name, as these initials are not an indication of the ability to effectively and safely share traditional yoga or yoga practices.* What underlies the proliferaton of YTTs here is an onerous economy which makes it nary impossible to sustain a yoga studio on the proceeds of yoga classes alone. The main problem/cost of doing business lies in the skyrocketing cost of rent in most urban areas. And so, to keep their doors open, many studios are reduced to enticing earnest, wellmeaning, and unsuspecting students with comparatively little yoga experience, onto a premature pathway towards "teaching." Now, I know first-hand how hard it is to keep your doors open when you are running a yoga studio, so I don't want my studio-owning friends who run YTTs to think I'm a huge jerk that doesn't understand the situation (especially when you are trying to both keep your studio doors open AND a roof over your head and food in your belly teaching yoga.) I owned two different studios in ten years, and it was a struggle to keep our doors open most of the time. Rent went up every year, competition was fierce, and what money I did earn went right back into my own studies. It was a labor of love, but like most studio owners, I got fairly burnt out after a few years - so depleted by studio ownership that all the yoga in the world could not replenish me. But, I am stubborn, and kept going "for the students" and my fellow teachers (and, mea culpa, I did have another income source that made it possible for me to keep my doors open without resorting to a YTT - and we teachers ran the studio as a collective, too, which made the strain easier to bear.) But, it was month to month, always. I got very burnt out to the point that it affected my health, but struggled on regardless. It only took a global pandemic to force me to close down! The model of the Western Yoga studio simply does not work, for a variety of reasons, including: -the folly of monetizing the very thing that brings you joy; -the questionable ethics of commodifying a sacred indigenous knowledge system that has not been a part of your own ancestral heritage and/or your long term personal history; -capitalizing on said system prematurely simply because it seems more fulfilling than a 9-5 job in corporate America. ("Follow your bliss" does not mean it's a good idea to commodify that bliss.) It is far more lucrative to open up your studio one weekend a month for 10 months and provide a "teacher training" charging (last time I checked) an average of $3,000 for 200 hours of yoga teacher training. Register ten or so students, and that's $30,000, which really takes the pressure off. And, it is the YA that has made the YTT as cash cow model possible for struggling studios, through endorsing a very basic 200 hours of teacher training as constituting "qualification" for the enormous responsibility of teaching "yoga" (really, what most of us teach is asana or yoga fitness, but that's another rant.) Read the YA's 200 hour standards here. I must reiterate that there are many, many excellent, highly qualified yoga schools and yoga teachers offering YTTs here in the US, and I have partaken of them! But, Caveat Emptor. Because of the YA's lower standards, (which have only in recent years been updated to be a tad more stringent) there are also many schools that are NOT excellent. And with the pandemic came the rush to online YTTs, so the situation became much worse, with offerings abounding of 200 hour YTTs that provided little to no hands-on practicum, being advertised widely on social media by teachers looking to cash in. (I know of one online 200 hour Yoga Alliance Certified virtual YTT during 2020 that was billed at only $200! You get what you pay for, people. It was a money grab, plain and simple.) Here's the thing: I get it, you want to teach yoga. That's great! My advice: -Be a student for a long time. With one or two teachers who resonate with you. Go to their classes every week, multiple times a week, for several years. Support them as teachers, with your attention and money, for several years BEFORE you take their YTTs, if they do offer one. If you can, study with their teachers, too! -Cultivate discernment. Seek out the highest quality schools with compassionate, veteran teachers within one lineage or modality of yoga, not several styles. Dig your well in one place. -Be patient and make a committment to a consistent and reverent daily yoga practice, for years. Learn how to look within, self inquire into true motives for teaching, and ask someone whose opinion you trust to be honest for their advice, preferably someone objective within the yoga world who has also studied for a long time. *More information on the YA and this who issue can be found here in the WSJ, here in The NY Times, and here on Ideafit.  I cleanse my body every Spring the Ayurvedic way, following a simple monodiet protocol of kitchari, daily abhyanga, gentle yoga, and an earlier bedtime for 5-7 days! Never done a cleanse? A plethora of Spring cleanse options are available online, and I endorse these trusted ones: be guided by or cleanse collectively with Alicia Hunter, Kate O’Donnell, or Dr. Vasant Lad.
And if you just don’t feel like doing a cleanse, but want to eat a little cleaner, try my favorite kitchari recipe for a couple of days, along with yoga and bed time, for a mini reset. Michelle’s Kitchari Recipe (adapted from the Ayurvedic Center of Vermont's One Pot Kitchari Recipe) This is a great recipe that I've done dozens of times and really love. It can be made all in one pot by skipping the tempering of the ghee with the ground spices in a separate pan by simply adding these all to the pot instead.
Tempered ghee
Finishing
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AuthorMichelle Ryan, yoga practitioner and teacher. Archives
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