With the New Moon approaching up this Friday, I am thrilled to begin an Ayurvedic Spring Cleanse/Fast on this auspicious day. I do want to say a few things to start with and they are as follows:
1)Note that I have had a full spectrum consultation with a qualified and experienced Ayurvedic practitioner a few summers ago and recently had a session with him over this specifically- please understand that while I will not be sharing details of "how to" and "what" specifically, it is for this reason in that every body is different and determining the best (and most safe!) way to go through this process and that begins with that full consultation. There are many "written" Ayurvedic constitutional tests made avail but that in no way is ALL that determines ones constitutional type. Most people (including myself initially) misunderstand the way the answers are meant to be determined on said test as it is.... but even so- that counts for a very small portion of determining. Do yourself a favor, if you are interested, meet with a well qualified and experienced Ayurvedic Physician  who will also prescribe Ayurvedic herbs for this process specific to your need ;)
2) a fast in terms of Ayurveda is not meant o come across as NOT eating. I WILL be eating but will be eating specific foods for the intro transition 3 days before and the final 3 days after the...
3)Kitchari fast that is specific to my dosha and the aggravated imbalance (we all have it, its just a matter of what is aggravated and to what degree)

The whole idea of the cleanse is to reduce Ama or toxins within the body and digestive system and there are several other practices as part of the cleanse that will assist in this endevor. There is also the release of attachment to any toxic foods that have adverse affects which we all know affect the thought process, energy, emotional body etc as well. There is very much so the mental and spiritual aspect when it comes to purifying the body, the mind, the seat of the heart and our intentions.

I was going to do this last Spring but was embarking on a 30 day Sadhana practice that centered around the fire element and I was advised by 2 different Ayurvedic practitioners that it would not be wise and that I would blow out my body and everything else. During these cleanses/fasts/detoxes the body required a different kind of practice- one that is more internal as the mind and body purifies itself, just as in the natural flow of Spring for renewal.

There is such symbolic meaning to Spring and I strongly believe that this is such a sacred time to not only purify our bodies, but our home, our sacred space, our closet, bathroom drawers... everything. Open the windows and let the fresh air come through.... we must first clean and wring out the old before we can truly plant those seeds that we wish to bring to fruition in the garden of our experiences.

So while I will formally begin on Friday and will be in spring cleanse mode for 11 days- the process and questions have already begun. What do I need most in my life right now? What needs to be removed or cleansed to make room for this? How can I create more space in my experience for the new growth of the very seeds I will be planting this spring?

Here is a nice little article with many links to spin off into deeper details...

http://www.ayurbalance.com/explore_articleinternalcleansing.htm

again, love yourself enough and make an appointment with an Ayurvedic physician.

I'd like to put out there this if nothing else.

A few things you can do to begin a cleansing of the mental and emotional body:

*Consider what needs to be cleansed in and from your life. Not only is this an Ayurvedic way of thought, it's also Feng Shui. If you have something, anything, that represents negative energy, free yourself of it! If you pick up a book and it reminds you of a very painful and difficult time in your life, make it someone else's treasure. No matter how pretty those shiny earrings are that dillweed gave to you (I speak from experience on this one...) LET THEM GO. They harness negative energy that is toxic to your space literally in your home, your mind, your thoughts, cellular memory and your heart. Start there and tell me you don't feel better.

*Go into your closet and let go of all of the junk in the corner that you have not touched in 2 years. Do the same with those clothes.... recycling is key.

*Clean out drawers in the bathroom, kitchen, desks.... go through all of those scrap papers and condense and eliminate what is not necessary and what is stagnant energy around the space from statues, to books, to magazines, appliances.... you name it. Recycle.

*Bring Nature inside. After you have removed and cleaned out, let go.... bring in something from nature itself and watch it grow. Maybe you plant a bulb.... maybe some fresh flowers.... maybe collect a few fallen leaves and soil and place it on your alter.

The time to cleanse and renew is now.

LoveLoveLove,
Sanieh
Note-click here:  http://www.saniehyoga.com/classes.htm for an upcoming Nashville, TN workshop in April in honor of Spring :)

I LOVE love.

I love everything about it. I love seeing it, being witness to it, giving it, receiving it, feeling it, you name it.... it's ALL LOVE.

The class was near completion; limp bodies resting in Savasana (corpse). I was making my way around the room offering loving kindness in juicy assists as I often do when I turned around and saw the most beautiful sight. If I had a camera (or even my purse in the room with my phone inside of it) I might have been seriously tempted to capture this on film.

Imagine being at the front of the room , everyone in a supine position surrendering completely into the Earth. Their feet are extended out towards the top of the room where you are standing. Your eyes get caught on a very dear couple who always seem to practice together. Both sets of legs wide and fallen apart, eyes heavy, with a subtle and soft rising of the heart lead by their natural breathing state and then you see it.  Her hand rests open in the palm of his; both completely released and relaxed. 

(Insert related memory here): I remember driving around the Big Island of Hawaii with my then significant other and passing a farm where we saw two horses standing still as statues, nose to nose, perfectly still, perfectly and obviously loving. I can see it so clearly...

I don't know that I can convey in words what I see in my mind and what it made my heart feel. I immediately smiled and felt the rush and wave of love move through my own experience. It's expression was just yet another of this yoga that we dedicate ourselves too.Such an authentic moment and I don't know that I have ever seen it in such a way or if I ever will again, but I will carry it with me as one of the most heart warming sights as a teacher and I am thankful I was gifted with such a sight...

"Love is what is left when you abandon the ego"- E. Tolle, A New Earth

Sanieh
www.saniehyoga.com

There is something so very crisp in the air! At 12:48 this morning, Spring, the Vernal Equinox, made it's appearance.

Being the Persian Princess that I am ;)  ("Iranian", same difference only it doesn't have the same ring to it as "Persian" when linked with "Princess" ... Tell me I don't look like my dad! Go ahead, tell me! I love you, Baba! :), I have to point out that it is also Narooz! The Persian New Year!

Yoga teachers all over have been teaching classes from a theme symbolizing release, twisting, ringing it all out, and letting go... in anticipation of Spring's arrival. Symbolically a time to cleanse ourselves out in every way and to let it all go- so that the new seeds can make their way through the soil of our intentions.

My crazy-beautiful life, and those who have randomly shown up in it lately, have taken me deeper into reflection of where I have come from and who I have become through experience of this sacred life.

In a conversation with a friend (Jake, I think you're rock star!) I realized that no matter who may "pop" back into my life and for whatever the reason, there is not a thing, person, or situation that can take from me, where I have come from. The circle was made full the moment I stepped foot onto the Earth back in Austin, Texas last July- but I didn't step into the same shoes I wore at another time in my life when I lived here before. An even bigger circle was made as 4 people (3 from one time and 1 from a completely different time) one by one, re-appeared into my life without my petitioning.

I know when I say that, people must start to wonder what craziness I might have been into earlier in my life! :) It wasn't about anything external, it was a battle, a freaking war zone that was being fought within myself. ..one that played out in many different forms.

- The Bhagavad Gita comes to mind- Arjuna on the battle field; symbolizing the battle within the self- all the while Krisha whispering into his heart how to win that battle....

Although the battle looks differently to each of us, So long as we are alive, we are given opportunities every day to grow and become more loving, compassionate and in-depth human beings. So long as we see it as such.

IT'S ALL PERCEPTION.

The Buddha said,

"The finger that points at the moon is not the moon itself".

He also said,

"Your perception of the world is not the world itself".

We have the choice of deciding what "Lens" we wish to see the world and through which lens we choose to see situations that cross our paths. The moment I remembered that within the private sanctuary and landscape of my heart and my mind, rests the same private experiences that have shaped the woman I've become and the one who I am I constantly growing into; I also realized that there are some things in life that simply can never be taken away.

May we all move deeply into the blessing of being, honoring the darkness AND the light for without one, the other cannot exist. Without the Fall back, there is no Springing forward.

May the landscape of our pulsating hearts, produce many many flowers of many different shades so that we may all remember our common connection. All One.

lovelovelove
Sanieh
www.saniehyoga.com

Although I'm not entirely sure when or why it came to me, my theme in teaching this week has rested in the space of acknowledging and understanding the Samskaras, or our habitual patterns if you will, within the body, the breath, and our experiences. The Vipassana meditation method recognizes these samskaras as "miseries" - in particular, when relevant to the body.

In a moment of confiding in a friend, I found myself probing my own samskars in attempt to understand (understanding follows recognition, btw...) why I do the things I do; more specifically, why my mind "goes there" in certain reoccurring situations, themes and circumstances throughout my life. In reference to recognition of said "problem", the voice on the other end loving said to me,

"Honey it's taken me years to figure that out. "

I find amazement (and amusement!) in the unacknowledged repetition of our daily, almost mechanical, patterns when it comes to processing our thoughts and how we tread through our experiences and day to day lives. For the sake of growth, I am proud to say that I "caught on"  to this one early but there is always plenty of work to be done when it comes to breaking any kind of pattern that as had years of reinforcement. There is another muscle that must be strengthened if we are to end the cycle of these miseries that cause suffering and in turn create more and more samskaras.

What's also fascinating to me is how much the physical and emotional body is affected, even in recognition of these samskaras. What comes up and why? There is relief to "coming clean" with our truth but there is also perhaps a little heaviness in "looking the tiger in the eye".

"What is it that your life is trying to tell you right now?" -JD

LoveLoveLove,
Sanieh
www.saniehyoga.com