How Digestion is not just about Digestion

I’ve been talking about digestion these past couple of weeks–we’ve been looking at what to eat, and how to eat, at agni–digestive fire–and ama–undigested food that is toxic to the body. Still, it’s important to understand that digestion is not just about digestion. 

How is digestion not just about digestion? Well, In Ayurveda we recognize 6 stages to the disease process, and the first 2 happen in the digestive tract. These patterns of indigestion (below) are our first sign that things are out of whack. Catch and treat it here and you have stopped the disease process in it’s tracks. If we ignore it or simply cover over the symptoms, we drive the imbalance deeper into our system creating the seeds for a more serious health issue down the road. Seriously, taking care of the belching and farting is soooo much easier than dealing with colitis or IBS or a cancer.

So, you see, digestion is not just about digestion—it’s also about the roots of our good or poor health going forward. Untreated digestive issues lead to deeper issues within the gut (ulcers, colitis, IBS, cancers) but also to deeper systemic issues due to the AMA (undigested food that is toxic to the […]

By |February 19th, 2019|Ayurveda, digestion, disease prevention, health, healthy eating, yoga|0 Comments
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Adapting to the Changing Seasons

There was a meme going around facebook this time last year  that went like this:

Cold and Flu is not a season.
It’s an inability to adapt due to decreased sun exposure and water intake combined with increased sugar intake and stress.
Create Resistance. Create Health
I don’t want to be cavalier, here. Colds and flus suck, and we can be doing everything “right” and still get hit hard. Everybody comes down with them from time to time, and the work out for our immune system, coupled with some good down time helps us to purge our system of unwanted toxicity, which in the long run might be a good thing. 
But this meme is pointing out that we can learn to attend to the shifting needs of our organism as we transition seasons. We can adjust our diets and routines to support our immunity through these natural cycles and perhaps ward off this year’s bug. A bowl of salad in the summer can be wonderful, but that same cold, raw salad in the fall and winter can lead to constipation and bloating. A bowl of warm soup  can nourish and warm us, and cooked with a little garlic or fresh ginger can support our […]

By |November 13th, 2018|Ayurveda, Care for your Senses, digestion, disease prevention, health, Uncategorized|0 Comments
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How to Disengage from your Inner Critic

How do you deal with your inner critic? Do you have a way to address that part of you that judges, often harshly, your efforts and functions to keep you “playing small,” or feeling bad about yourself?
This part of us was called the superego by Freud, and it develops at a very young time in our lives functioning to keep us safe. It is the accumulated voices of our parents and other caregivers, including all the admonitions we received literally or energetically put together from the point of view of that young child. It expresses as an inner voice or felt-sense that lets us know when we’re doing something “wrong” and it makes us feel really bad.
The problem with the inner critic –or judge– is that it’s messages haven’t been updated, and the way we internalized those messages as young children was pretty unsophisticated. Not only that, but we have a lot more capacity at this point in our lives than we had when we were 5, so the messages of the inner critic are really outdated and past their point of relevance in our lives. 
The thing is, the original function of the superego was to  keep us safe at a time in our […]

By |September 21st, 2018|Ayurveda, disease prevention, health, yoga|0 Comments
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Ayurveda for Fall

 We are nearing the autumnal equinox, a time of balanced day/night, and an official marking of the fall season. Today I am sending along a Fall Balancing Tip Sheet that I hope will support you in making shifts to your daily diet/rhythms as we change seasons. Find it HERE.
If you’re needing help in crafting daily rituals that support and balance your body/mind, join me next week for my 10-week online course, Sacred Daily Essentials. We’ll be getting clear on our unique constitutions and how to recognize and treat the inevitable imbalances that arise and so much more. Find out about Sacred Daily EssentialsHERE. 

It’s actually fairly simple to understand ourselves enough to know which activities and diets lead to balance and ease and which lead to dis-ease and unhappiness. It can be more challenging to make the necessary changes once we see what we need to do. This is where the power of community comes in–a committed group of travelers moving along together with similar goals, making small changes one step at a time. This and the wisdom teachings of a healing art like Ayurveda and some guidance on its core principles can make all the difference between actually making the changes we need to make, creating the life that we most long […]

By |September 21st, 2018|Ayurveda, disease prevention, health, healthy eating, yoga|0 Comments
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What it Would Feel Like to join Sacred Daily Essentials this Fall

(If you’re reading this from the blog page, click the green “read more” at the bottom right to gain access to the hyperlinks in this post).
Hello My Dears, 

It’s Saturday, and in honor of a new round of Sacred Daily Essentials, my 10 week live and online course, I wanted to share with you a couple of short practices I recorded for a past course. You”ll find them at the bottom of this post.
I am so excited to share this course with you again beginning September 24th. The online format allows you to learn ancient wisdom teachings from the comfort of your own home and to begin applying what you learn right away. The live calls create community and give you a chance to ask questions, learn from others and receive guidance as you continue to develop your practices.
What would it feel like to be part of my 10-week course, Sacred Daily Essentials this fall?
Something in you would relax knowing you had prioritized yourself, and would have the support you need to tackle some of the bad habits that had been gaining momentum in your life.
You would feel lighter remembering all the things you already know about what really works for you and what doesn’t and putting them into practice.
You would feel proud […]

By |September 12th, 2018|Ayurveda, digestion, disease prevention, health|0 Comments
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Self Care is the New Health Care

Every summer after my annual yoga retreat at Breitenbush Hot Springs, I enjoy a 1/2 speed work life through July and August. In my line of work, things slow down. I see fewer folks at yoga class and in my private practice, so it’s an opportunity for me to enjoy the season and have some fun. During “summer vacation,” I spend more time outside, travel to see friends, enjoy some outdoor concerts and other entertainment and “clock out” on the early side more times than not.
This past week I’ve been coming off of a month of celebrations: birthdays, an annual visit to my home town to be with my ladies, a visit from my dad… and while this has all been fun for me, it has also taken it’s toll. For one thing, I have consumed more alcohol than I probably will for the rest of the year and then some. That and being off rhythm through travel, eating out more, and hosting has left me with a general fatigue and sluggishness in my body/mind. Ayurveda teaches that if we follow a healthy daily routine, then when we indulge during festivities, our body can bounce back pretty easily. I translate this teaching […]

By |August 31st, 2018|Ayurveda, digestion, disease, disease prevention, health, healthy eating, yoga|0 Comments
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How to Take Care of Yourself in the Morning

I’ve been thinking a lot about rhythm lately. I’m still transitioning from a big year of study and completion and I’m in the liminal/in between space now where what was–is over and what is to come–has not yet fully manifested…. These moments of transition are some of the most challenging because they are times of pause and not knowing. In that gap is pure potential which can feel exciting and potent one minute, and terrifying the next. In a culture obsessed with go, go, go, and knowing what’s next, it’s a challenge to surrender to the pause and just be. My practice these days is to keep listening and allow the next thing to be born in it’s right time. My daily rhythm is a huge support and I want to re-share a simple morning protocol that I follow and that I give to my clients. It’s a game changer in many ways, and if you adopt it, it will change your life for the better. This template will get you started. 

The first thing on the list, upon awakening, is simply to greet yourself. There is something sweet about acknowledging yourself and your life from a place of gratitude first thing. Before E-mail, before all […]

By |August 13th, 2018|Ayurveda, disease prevention, health, Uncategorized|0 Comments
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Ayurveda for Summer

What Ayurveda is and What it’s Not
Have you ever or do you regularly have the sense that you can tune into your body and know what it needs to stay balanced and happy? The sages who first spoke about Ayurveda developed this capacity deeply; in fact, they could attune to their own organism to such an extent that they came to understand not just their body, but the human body and energy system in general. They were able to map out the physical and subtle bodies in great detail without ever cutting open one to see inside. They came to know the different subtle and physical elements which make up the human body and energy system as well as those things which promote health and happiness and those which lead to disease and distress.
I have studied Ayurvedic medicine formally since 2011, and in that time, I have sat in classrooms with western trained doctors and scientists who have been deeply touched and amazed at the intricacy in which  these ancient seers came to describe and understand the body. Synchronizing this ancient view with the western scientific understanding brings a more holistic (mind, body, spirit) and individualized approach to wellness and healing. My teacher, Dr. […]

By |July 20th, 2018|Ayurveda, digestion, disease prevention, health, healthy eating, Uncategorized, yoga|0 Comments
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Ayurveda for Winter

Ayurveda is all about supporting our organism–mind, body and spirit– to stay in balance. This balance point is unique to each individual and while there are general features of balance, each one of us must come to know this balance for ourselves. The same food or activity that would restore a feeling of harmony for one person at one time, would throw another person off entirely. To thine own self be true—but before that, we must know ourselves and be willing to be true to what we know through our experience.
Winter season, comprised of the qualities of earth and water, is cold, heavy, wet and dark. The outer cold sends more blood flow to the core of our bodies to keep our organs warm, so our digestion tends to be stronger this time of year than at any other time. There has been a need since the fall to eat more to insulate us from the cold, and we naturally, and healthfully store a little more fat for this reason. This is the time of year when we can best digest heavier foods in general.
The longer nights send us indoors and hopefully to bed a little earlier, as good quality […]

By |January 5th, 2018|Ayurveda, disease prevention, health, healthy eating|0 Comments
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How to Use a Neti Pot

I want to support you in learning about and beginning or  re-beginning the simple practices that will help you feel better all year. Here’s a short video I made for you on the practice of Jala Neti. Not sure what Jala Neti is? 
 Take a look HERE.

 

YOGA VIDEOS with Shannon Available soon!
I have created a monthly yoga video subscription for you! Each month I will record three practices:

One  30 – 40 minute active session

One 30 – 40 minute yin session

One 15 – 30 minute pranayama and meditation session

My intention is to support you in your home practice, and to give you a way to continue studying with me remotely.

I decided to make the videos around 30 minutes each since most people struggle to find an hour or more to practice at home. The shorter sessions will allow you to get established in a daily practice; do different styles at different times of day, and, on days when you have more time or want to indulge in a long practice, you can mix and match the videos, sequencing them on your own, and I will also offer you some guidance on this too.

Subscribers  will receive access to three new […]

By |October 21st, 2017|Ayurveda, Care for your Senses, disease, disease prevention, health, Uncategorized|0 Comments
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