How To Breathe Properly.

 

How do you know if you breathe properly? 

Have you ever watched a baby breathe? 

When a baby inhales their belly inflates and as they exhale their belly deflates. 

The proper way to breathe is when you inhale, your belly inflates, and as we exhale your belly deflates.

When I first started taking yoga classes, breathing was the toughest part of the class. 

First, I did not know how to breathe properly. Secondly, it hurt my shoulders to take deep breaths. 

I now know that those are signs of a weak respiratory system. Even though I'm a swimmer, my lungs had never gotten a workout in the form of breath exercises. Most people breathe incorrectly, there by not receiving enough oxygen to their brain and nervous system.

The reason my shoulders hurt as I inhaled was due to the fact that I was not taking deep breaths, but rather shallow breaths. My lungs were not accustomed to taking in so much oxygen! 

 A yogic breath has three parts. The first inhale is through the nose, then the deeper inhale into the chest, and finally the deepest inhale into the belly. Anything less then the full, deep breath and you are depleting yourself of oxygen.

The yogic breath is always inhaling through the nose, and exhaling through the nose, using the mouth to exhale when necessary. As you inhale the oxygen hits your olfactory senses and then your nervous system and brain, immediately offering you the space to pause and reflect. 

The biggest shift I noticed in my healing Journey was learning to control and use my breath to empower me and my life. Learning how to control my breath has helped me conquer my monkey mind. Learning how to breathe deeply has allowed me the power to control my mood and emotions. Using my breath I am able to focus my attention where it needs to be.

In an effort to share the pleasure and benefits of Pranayama, I am hosting a pranayama challenge for the month of December. Every Sunday I will be sending you a tutorial on a specific breath exercise, which we will practice for that week. We start December 6th! Tutorials will be a YouTube video, for easy viewing. Finalizing details now - there is still time to join! Find me here!

Check out this breath tutorial- Nadi Shodhana (Alternate nostril breathing).

Namaste

Vata Pacifying Lentil Chili

 

Lentils are a must in my pantry during winter. Easy to prep and make, and soothing to the digestive system. These spices warm up your internal body as you enter the winter season. Let's get to it.

Ingredients - Serves 8

8 cups vegetable broth, divided 

1 medium yellow onion, chopped 

1 large red bell pepper, chopped 

1 carrot, chopped

1 small sweet potato, chopped

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

3 - 4 teaspoons chili powder (depends on your preference for heat)

1 (16-ounce) package brown lentils

2 (15-ounce) cans no-salt diced tomatoes 

1 Cinnamon stick

2 Cardamom pods or 1/2 tsp of cardamom powder (optional)

1 tsp. each of Cumin, Ground Ginger, Salt

1/2 tsp. Mustard seeds

Pinch of Black pepper 

3 cups chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Bring 1 cup broth to a simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat. 

2. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook about 8 minutes or until onion is translucent and pepper is tender. 

3. Stir in chili powder, cinnamon stick, cardamon pods (or powder), cumin, ground ginger, salt and mustard seeds and pepper. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. If it gets too thick, add a splash of broth to prevent burning.

4. Add lentils, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potato and remaining 7 cups of broth. 

5. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially 

covered, 30 minutes or until lentils are almost tender. 

6. Uncover and cook 10 minutes longer. 

7. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Feel free to add any toppings you'd like. Great for the freezer and leftovers. 

Ayurvedic medicine has a rich history. Originally shared as an oral tradition, Ayurveda was recorded more than 5,000 years ago in Sanskrit, in the four sacred texts called the Vedas: the Rig Veda (3000-2500 BCE), Yajur Veda, Sam Veda, and Atharva Veda (1200-1000 BCE). In Ayurveda, each season is associated with a dosha, or body type.

When Vata is balanced: 

Vata is energetic, strong sense of humanity, adaptable, quick comprehension, easily adaptable, positive spirit, strong healing energy, flexible, true enthusiasm, good in communication, and able to initiate things.

When Vata is aggravated: 

Vata aggravation leading to excess causes debility, emaciation, liking of warmth, tremors, distention, constipation, dizziness, confusion, insomnia, depression, incoherent sleep, sensory disorientation, piercing pain, cracking of joints, dehydration, stiffness, astringent taste in the mouth and dark, or reddish brown discolorations.

Routine is the best way to pacify Vata, followed by pranayam, breath exercises. Focus on warm, spicy, and oily qualities and elements to incorporate during this season. Above all, stay grounded and rooted in this present moment. As Baba Ram Dass says, "Be Here Now or Be Nowehere".

Namaste

My Story

 

I'm an accidental Yogi. I was introduced to Yoga because on an injury, but before I speak about my injury I'd like to mention I became a vegetarian in 2004, a year and a half before my injury. I feel this is important because it sort of led me to Yoga, but more on that later. I should also mention I was in the fashion industry and only used high heels. For everything. Ok. Enough back story.

In January 2006 on a rainy week day I was walking into work, from the parking lot, and as I stopped at the front door, I fell. My right foot slipped on the concrete and kept going, making me fall onto my left knee. I tried to stay straight up, but couldn't. I heard a crack in my back and fell back onto my head. I was so embarrassed I didn't even care if I was injured, I just wanted to escape.

I went into the employee lounge and assessed the damage. A Human Resource employee saw me and immediately had me sent to the Employee Clinic. While there they took X-Rays and stated I had a sprained back. I was released and back to work I went, being told to contact the clinic if I had any further pain.

Six months went by and one day I went for a 15 minute walk, which uncovered my real situation. I couldn't hold my back up and it went out. I hadn't realized the gravity of my injury until that moment.

I went to Cedar Sinai and received an MRI. They scanned my back and saw a 4-5mm herniation in my lumbar between L4-L5. Yes, that detailed. The Specialist said surgery was routine for my back injury. I was 29 years old. I did not want back surgery. The Specialist suggested walking, swimming, and Yoga to help heal my back, stating some had healed completely with yoga. He also said no more high heels! To which I cried and died. I felt as if my entire identity has been robbed from me, and I was lost. Had no image, no idea who I was outside of my superficial self. Had no knowledge of inside self, at all. I fell into a depression which lasted about 2 years.

I was sent to therapy, and introduced to Yoga, or rather therapeutic exercises, for 12 weeks.  After that, I signed up for the local Y and swam. For 2 hours a day, religiously, I swam. The backstroke, to be exact. I was focused and dedicated on strengthening my lower back. Which I did, and then some! I did this for 2 years. I even ended up teaching their Aqua Aerobics class! My back was strong and I was happy. In 2007 I ended up being an assistant manager at Dancing Shiva Yoga & Ayurveda Healing Center.

While working there I became enthralled with Yoga and Ayurveda! I took class every day, I ate accordingly, I was heavily into it and soon slid into Brahmacharya. I avoided everything and everyone. I began to strengthen my spirit, mind, body! My life changed immensely, for the better, after finding Yoga and Ayurveda. It allowed me to open up and be raw about life. I stuck with the Yoga and Ayurveda and able to birth 3 children, with no surgical assistance. I attribute that to Yoga, and God, of course.

I currently suffer from chronic pain if I do not practice yoga. If I eat badly, my back becomes inflamed. I stay active and practice yoga daily to maintain and manage my back pain. As a recovering alcoholicI don't believe in taking pain pills, so I do my best to use food as my medicine. Part of my healing process involved removing pain pills from my life, they were easy to get, because of my injury. Those pills only masked my pain, and kept me in a daze.

Yoga healed not only my physical self, but mental, and spiritual bodies as well. It continues to do so, everyday. My Yoga journey was so different, because I feel it started when I went vegetarian, before asana. My injury is a reminder on my humaness, but Yoga remind me that I'm not the body, and not the mind. My Health is in My Hands. I am empowered!

You can too! What are you waiting for?

My Name Is Irrelevant

Hello, my name is irrelevant, what's important is that I'm an addict. Recovering addict. I was addicted to telling the victim story. The one where "bad things happen to me", and "woe is me" story.

Things got so bad for me I began drinking...but first, the back story.

My roots are deep in First Nation (Dine), and Aztec Indian.  To say alcohol is in my DNA is pretty much fact. My family, on both sides, are purveyors of spirits. They have an intimate relationship, one which has led many to am early death.

I began drinking heavily after my back injury. I was depressed, medicated with Vicodin and muscle relaxers.  I had a major life style change and not by choice! My thirst for alcohol was small at first but my body has a very high tolerance. As the weeks went by, the number of drinks increased until I was drinking Johnny Walker Red straight up, no chaser. That was my favorite, followed by Dirty Martinis. Because Vodka and Olive Juice!

This went on for a year. Maybe 2.

Old age makes me forget.

But I'll never forget the day I stopped drinking.

Many, many moons ago,  around this time, I went to a Halloween party with my best friend, *Nick. This party was a partay! Drugs, booze, pool, BBQ, the whole ensemble! They kept serving us drinks and lines, which we greedily drank and inhaled. 
The next morning, because that's what I recall, I awakened in my bed and unable to recount the night before, it was hazy. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was safe. Nick had kept me safe and got me home safe. I got up to get dressed and walked to my closet and felt a wet spot on the carpet.

I thought, oh my God, I peed on the carpet.

Are you laughing yet? Or still in disgust?

I was horrified!

I had peed on the carpet right in front of my closet. Like an addict. Like someone who had lost it.

Because I had. In my world. In my mind.

I had blacked out and lost control.

And,

That was my rock bottom.

I vowed then and there to never drink again.

To drop the addiction.

To let it go.

Too often we say it's an addiction and it has us in its grip, but it's us who won't let go.

We won't let go.

Until rock bottom.

Maybe not even then.

And everyone's bottom is as deep as their trauma.

My fear of loss of control was stronger than my desire to lose control.

Read that again.

At first, I drank to lose control, to forget, to let go.

By the end, I was terrified to lose it completely.

I found my line, my boundary.

But most don't. Desire is stronger than fear.

While I do see the addictive part of me rear is egotistical head sometimes, I decapitate it with gratitude. For I'm in a much better place now than I was then.

For that, I'm grateful.

I have compassion for those who are addicted because their rock bottom is deep.

So deep they are still falling.