NY resources and ayurvedic organizing principles

[Guest guest]

Hi LInda;

I do not know exactly where Syracuse is, but you might look on my

resources page at the top are links to good listings around the

country. Also I know Aparna Bapat works if not there, not far. She

is very experienced and skilled young MD/Vaidya (ayurvedic physician)

who is also teaching ayurveda in 2 or 3 places. She probably knows

someone for you if not her.

 

I don't know this product colosan, but what I'd like to reiterate is

the profound value from working with a client at more the cause level,

so the source of the problem is not just band-aided. Otherwise the

cause creates layers of other concerns, some building up over time and

even becomeing another level apparent " cause " .

 

Constipation is a manifestation of what we call vata imbalances. How

it manifests and is best managed in each person will be somewhat

different based upon their time of life (such as pregnancy), personal

strengths, weaknesses, individual body type, dietary and lifestyle

patterns, like that. As Mike reminded me, is good to reflect on the

big picture, which includes regularly repeating ourselves (this can be

part of vata management, by the way), that vata disturbance and

accumulations " can account for literally hundreds of disease entities " .

 

The interesting thing about our forum focus, particularly pregnancy

and even more postpartum, is that vata, of the three metabolic

principles ayurveda speaks of (also pitta and kapha) is so often the

root issue and management arena. But even here, there are herbs and

foods which may pacify vata but can increase constipation, such as

hard cheeses, certain food combinations, and heavy to digest foods

such as red meat (all my postpartum clients eating red meat were VERY

challenged with constipation, except the one sticking to the CHinese

model with oxbone soup, but she had to stop due to tremendous excess

body heat and sweats from it).

 

There are 5 specific sub-metabolic principles of vata we call sub

doshas, one of them governing menstruation, elimination, and

childbirth. Certain foods, kitchen spices, lifestyle factors,

temperature, freshness, quality and cooking methods of foods, all can

be called on before even having to use some " medicinal " product,

whether it is ayurvedic herbs or allopathy or accupuncture or the

abundanly diverse other options available in the market place. Most

of my clients find this very empowering!

 

So, the study of it is very interesting, and even though one finds at

first glance so much detail, it acts more like a massage, because it

relates so much to our own experience. " Oh, I DO taste the sweetness,

or drying quality, or heating or soothing etc quality of this herb or

food! " Study of the details involved enlivens the awareness so much

to what we experience all day long, and makes tremendous common sense.

 

This is what makes a good practitioner also, one who is learning

within their own life by observing and living the principles. THis is

why I can speak on many topics without studying by disease name! I do

not know what the allopathic world will say about many things, but it

is just patently obvious that certain factors can be supportive or

should be avoided. Of course I have studied many hours of ayurveda in

application also, but it does not begin to cover what I have

discovered is available to me just on the level of the self-referral

verifiable simple principles.

 

It is not a great mystery! So often it is as simple as warmth/cold,

dry/moist, heavy light, etc are a few of the qualities and their

influence we work with. It is such a delight to share this, it is a

common language around the world, without ever using the ayurvedic

terms, except that they help us so much to discuss organizing principles.

 

Mike, you are more up on the more current publications these days -

what do you feel is the best intro text now to ayurveda ... I guess we

need to id both for practitioner learning, and one for parents and the

like. THere are many good ones...some women or perinatal specific.

 

Warm REgards;

Ysha

[Guest guest]

Ysha the rather older book by Lonsdorf, Brown, et al A Woman's Best

Medicine is pretty nice. Ravi Svoboda wrote a book on AV and women's

health but I have not read it so can not directly recommend it. One thing

is that many books talk about prakriti issues and ignore the vikriti area

directly. These two principles overlap but may provide contrary

recommendations when the dosha disturbed is not the predominant one in

physiology. Self-help is left to intuition or thinking about issues in a

this-for-that mindset. Self-referral is the ultimate tool of Ayurveda but

sometimes it's clouded by the pathology. Cravings are a good thing and a

bad thing, depending, for example. For the practitioner the classical

texts are somewhat daunting but a great source of info: Caraka Samhita,

Kashyapa Samhita are two good ones. They are available in English

translation with original devanagari/Sanskrit. The latter is written

about women and children exclusively--the only classical text of its

kind.

 

Mike

 

 

On Fri, 17 Feb 2006 16:38:18 -0000 " Martha Oakes "

<AyurDoulas writes:

> Hi LInda;

> I do not know exactly where Syracuse is, but you might look on my

> resources page at the top are links to good listings around the

> country. Also I know Aparna Bapat works if not there, not far.

> She

> is very experienced and skilled young MD/Vaidya (ayurvedic

> physician)

> who is also teaching ayurveda in 2 or 3 places. She probably knows

> someone for you if not her.

>

> I don't know this product colosan, but what I'd like to reiterate

> is

> the profound value from working with a client at more the cause

> level,

> so the source of the problem is not just band-aided. Otherwise the

> cause creates layers of other concerns, some building up over time

> and

> even becomeing another level apparent " cause " .

>

> Constipation is a manifestation of what we call vata imbalances.

> How

> it manifests and is best managed in each person will be somewhat

> different based upon their time of life (such as pregnancy),

> personal

> strengths, weaknesses, individual body type, dietary and lifestyle

> patterns, like that. As Mike reminded me, is good to reflect on the

> big picture, which includes regularly repeating ourselves (this can

> be

> part of vata management, by the way), that vata disturbance and

> accumulations " can account for literally hundreds of disease

> entities " .

>

> The interesting thing about our forum focus, particularly pregnancy

> and even more postpartum, is that vata, of the three metabolic

> principles ayurveda speaks of (also pitta and kapha) is so often

> the

> root issue and management arena. But even here, there are herbs

> and

> foods which may pacify vata but can increase constipation, such as

> hard cheeses, certain food combinations, and heavy to digest foods

> such as red meat (all my postpartum clients eating red meat were

> VERY

> challenged with constipation, except the one sticking to the

> CHinese

> model with oxbone soup, but she had to stop due to tremendous excess

> body heat and sweats from it).

>

> There are 5 specific sub-metabolic principles of vata we call sub

> doshas, one of them governing menstruation, elimination, and

> childbirth. Certain foods, kitchen spices, lifestyle factors,

> temperature, freshness, quality and cooking methods of foods, all

> can

> be called on before even having to use some " medicinal " product,

> whether it is ayurvedic herbs or allopathy or accupuncture or the

> abundanly diverse other options available in the market place.

> Most

> of my clients find this very empowering!

>

> So, the study of it is very interesting, and even though one finds

> at

> first glance so much detail, it acts more like a massage, because

> it

> relates so much to our own experience. " Oh, I DO taste the

> sweetness,

> or drying quality, or heating or soothing etc quality of this herb

> or

> food! " Study of the details involved enlivens the awareness so

> much

> to what we experience all day long, and makes tremendous common

> sense.

>

> This is what makes a good practitioner also, one who is learning

> within their own life by observing and living the principles. THis

> is

> why I can speak on many topics without studying by disease name! I

> do

> not know what the allopathic world will say about many things, but

> it

> is just patently obvious that certain factors can be supportive or

> should be avoided. Of course I have studied many hours of ayurveda

> in

> application also, but it does not begin to cover what I have

> discovered is available to me just on the level of the

> self-referral

> verifiable simple principles.

>

> It is not a great mystery! So often it is as simple as

> warmth/cold,

> dry/moist, heavy light, etc are a few of the qualities and their

> influence we work with. It is such a delight to share this, it is

> a

> common language around the world, without ever using the ayurvedic

> terms, except that they help us so much to discuss organizing

> principles.

>

> Mike, you are more up on the more current publications these days -

> what do you feel is the best intro text now to ayurveda ... I guess

> we

> need to id both for practitioner learning, and one for parents and

> the

> like. THere are many good ones...some women or perinatal specific.

>

> Warm REgards;

> Ysha

>

 

[Guest guest]

Hi Mike;

Yes, I do like this Women's Best Medicine also; good bridge builder

with all the conditions/research reported, as well as overview of

women's different needs showing up key in our culture, with ayurvedic

discussion and great successes, a little view into managment.

 

I have scanned Ravi's book briefly, don't have it yet. I remember

wanting it as he expresses some things very clearly and simply, and of

course I always learn something from each practitioner! It is not so

detailed in some ways, more in others. I don't remember about the

vikruti discussion, have assumed he included it, of course I'm looking

with this consideration on client or self assessment automatically,

but definitely this should be checked out before buying it as a

starter text.

 

Re: Self-referral is the ultimate tool of Ayurveda but sometimes it's

clouded by the pathology. Cravings are a good thing and a

 

THese are some of the reasons certainly one would want to consult an

ayurvedically well trained practitioner, whose assessment tools can

make these discernments which the beginner cannot. EXample - I once

did the " lemonaide fast " and failed to do the salt water part of it,

leaving my colon quite mucous lined and altering the effectiveness

considerably of eliminating the toxins ready to go out.

 

Later not able to achieve my usual home care self balancing with

Ayurveda, I had Dr. Douillard read my pulses. Of course, my pitta was

out in one subdosha and area of the body, my vata in another function,

kapha in another way. No wonder I couldn't figure it out! I was so

grateful for the simple methods he used also. ONe of them was just

nibbling fresh ginger every hour, one was a specific essential oil

blend on a certain marma point, like that! Ayurveda is so rich with

these kinds of simple corrections.

 

RE For the practitioner - I'd like to clarify what I believe you mean,

that the classical texts may be of interest to ayurvedic

practitioners, although not appropriate for perinatal clinical

practitioners unless they have good ayurvedic training? I have one

volume of CHaraka Samhita and myself rarely open it, speaking of

daunting to figure even how to use it well, haven't had a good escort

there nor taken the time.

 

I have not heard of Kashyapa, and am curious now. How does it compare

with Sushrut, where it is my understanding, in the large section on

Pediatrics, one finds the info on women's health care, and within that

wealth of medical knowledge, one can find the discussion of the

postpartum kayakalpa? WHich is easier to read/use, and do you know if

Kashyapa also discusses the three female kayakalpa times/protocols? I

know Sushrut is also the ayurvedic textbook on surgery. To find deep

focus only on women's health sourcebook would be good.

 

Thanks for sharing - Ysha

May I put my moderator hat on and suggest taking a moment when you

respond to delete most of the previous message?

[Guest guest]

Sushruta and Caraka and Ashtanga and Kashyapa have sections on Bala roga.

For all the gaps in the latter it's not really fun to read. Caraka has a

lot of similar content . But as for reading the classics they rarely give

a how-to description. They are teaching guides more than student

textbooks. One may presume that the practitioner has more theory than the

student hence the classics may broaden one's awareness of points of

theory.

 

M

 

Michael Dick -- Dhanvantari Ayurveda Center

2092 Bonisle Circle

Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418 561-844-2581

www.ayurveda-florida.com

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