Imbalance is disruptive

I haven't posted for a long time as I have been focusing on my yoga teaching and trying to develop that thread of my life.  I have been struck time and again in the last few months by how disruptive an out of balance condition is to so many people's lives.  My daughter went off to college this fall and hearing her describe some of her fellow students and how messed up their lives are just horrifies me.  Are we developing our childrens' lives with a solid foundation of balance upon which they can build a life of fullfillment and wellbeing?  Or have we acquiesced to our children's cravings and allowed them to move towards imbalance?  I suspect that there is so much ignorance about this subject that our young people are in trouble.  I pray that we can wake up to this opportunity before it is too late.

I went to a yoga workshop this past week called Yoga for Stress and I was pretty disappointed in what was offered just from the standpoint of scale.  The tools that were offered just did not seem adequate for the levels of anxiety, panic attacks, depression and more severe conditions that we are seeing.

Pink ribbons are everywhere to help raise funds for cancer research but as I look at it, it just doesn't make sense to throw money at a problem with the basic assumption that it doesn't matter how I pollute my body with inappropriate substances for years and years, and then expect you to be able to fix it when it breaks down into cancer.  

Let's see if we can bring the body to a basic stability and balance and then see if we still have these problems.  Let's start with a pristine and valued body rather than one treated like a trash can.  Let's hold the human system sacred and use some common sense about what is appropriate to place inside.  Can we bring the intelligence that resides in us to move from compulsion to consciousness in our activity so that we can control our lives and take responsibility for our future?

The very future of our human race depends on this.

Thanks for reading,

Steve

Robin Williams sorrow

I have been debating with myself whether I should comment about Robin Williams passing and I finally decided to make a few observations.  The issue of balancing Yin and Yang in our bodies and in our lives is not well known and yet it affects us every moment of our lives.  Ideally we are born balanced, fed and maintained in a balanced way throughout our lives and we live a joy filled and productive life.

Unfortunately, in our ignorance, more often we are born imbalanced, raised by ignorant parents, just trying to get along, without instructions.  We often never find balance in our lives and we pay a tremendous price for it.  Robin Williams was a victim of this ignorance from day one.  We feel the cost today of losing him too soon.  If I could adopt this beautiful man as the poster child for balance, I would, knowing that we might be able to save a few others that are struggling on the edge of death.

The mobility of humans across the planet in the last 200 years has led to the uprooting of so many cultures and the transplanting of so many.  This has obliterated the cultural knowledge that was the root of balance in so many societies.  Traditional ways vanished along with the understanding of their purpose and long term value replaced by an opportunistic consumerism that exploits us at every turn.

I am hopeful though that we will be able to increase our awareness and take a stand for balance not only in our bodies but in the world.  It would be so much nicer if Robin were here to make it funny.

Thanks for reading

Can we change our own genetics?

Here is an interesting article which supports the idea that even our genetics can be altered by our body chemistry.  This raises all kinds of questions about how out of balance conditions affect the conception process.  Can we alter our genes by creating a toxic environment within our bodies.

Check this article out and let me know what you think.

Can we change our genes?

Thanks for reading.

Whole grain - triggering the transition to balance

I have counseled many people in how to bring balance to their lives and many of them have had difficulty in achieving this balanced state.  In looking at what might be challenging them the most, it seems that they are not able to consume enough whole grain to trigger the transition process.

The body that is unbalanced tends to be holding large amounts of excess from consuming extreme yin and yang substances.  When you decide to move toward balance, the easiest way is to start consuming whole grain.  You substitute less refined foods for refined foods.  It may be necessary to flavor whole grains by combining them with other foods, sauces, soups, etc.

The Indian people have many ways of combining rice, for instance, with beans and lentils and vegetables to make tasty dishes.  All recipies that call for white rice will work with whole grain brown rice just as well.

I have found that whole grain brown rice combines well with just about anything.  I have even mixed it with ice cream for kids who might not be used to the taste.  I also will often put a cup of cooked whole grain millet or rice in a smoothy with fruit and vegetables.  This makes the smoothy very rich and smooth.  Yummy.

Another way I incorporate whole grain is to sneak it in to items like whole grain pancakes where I will add some cooked brown rice or some uncooked rolled oats to the whole wheat batter.  You can also make pie crusts and other products using rolled oats and millet that has been made into flour in the blender.

Foods in the center of the yin yang spectrum will not produce the "kick" that your tastebuds have become used to from unbalancing foods.  MSG in many forms and high sodium content produce processed foods that give you a kick that is addicting.  I can remember even putting brown rice on pizza when I was first starting out.  It tasted great and I knew that I was getting my whole grain.

After some time the grain began to balance me and I started to be able to taste more subtle flavors in vegetables, fruits and other foods.

So, it is important to be creative when adding whole grains to your diet.  I don't think you can successfully balance without them.  And remember, variety is yin.  So make sure you eat a variety of whole grains including thick rolled oats, millet, brown rice, barley, buckwheat, corn, amaranth, and quinoa.  If you are going gluten free, there are still lots of choices so don't let that deter you.

Also remember that you are working for the long term.  It may take three months or so before you notice substantial changes in the way that you feel.

Thanks for reading.

Steve

Alai - Wave of Bliss

This is where balance takes you.  It is the ultimate freedom.  It makes your life a song.  It is my wish for you and yours.



Thanks for reading.



Love

The healing benefits of dirt

Just wanted to link out to this article about healthy rich soil and its connection to healthy rich humans.

http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/how-to-eat-like-our-lives-depend-on-it/how-dirt-heals-us?utm_source=FB&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=20140217

Please enjoy and spend time with the earth.  It will ground you and help to bring you into balance.

Thanks for reading.

Winter fruit

Now that we have passed the winter solstice, it is important that we limit our fruit intake along certain guidelines.  Since winter is the yin dominated season and fruit is one of the most yin foods that we eat, it is important that we pay attention to the types of fruit that we eat and how it is prepared.  According to our formula for winter, we avoid extreme yin foods and try to eat more foods that are yang in their food group.  As far as fruit is concerned, we want to eat the most yang fruits in winter.  So what would those be?

The most obvious characteristics of yang energy expressed are "small and compact".  So we would expect yang fruit to be small and compact.  Yin fruits would be larger and more expanded, juicier and less dense.  First we would want to eliminate tropical fruits like winter mellon, mangoes, other mellons, and citrus fruits.  Then we would look for fruits grown in the climate that we live in.  Blueberries, cranberries, apples, raspberries, cherries and other temperate climate fruits are more appropriate for the winter season than the larger, more yin fruits.  Some dried fruits are also welcome in the winter diet but it is good to reconstitute them so that they are not too taxing on the body's water supply.  Using these general guidelines you can regulate the amount of excess yin that builds up in the body and avoid placing the body in discharge condition.

As always, we recommend organic produce whenever possible.

Thanks for reading.