Michael Pollan gives a plant's-eye view | Video on TED.com

Michael Pollan gives a plant's-eye view | Video on TED.com

Everyone...meet Michael, if you don't know him...add him to your summer reading list please!

Graham Hill: Why I'm a weekday vegetarian | Video on TED.com

Graham Hill: Why I'm a weekday vegetarian | Video on TED.com

Great approach to a big problem! Ready to join the club?

Reflections from Vasant Lad's Lecture 6/4/2011

Wise words from Dr. Vasant Lad around spiritual healing....it begins with:
the grace of a teacher, knowing what events to record from your life and what to let go, make your mind liquid not rigid, live your life without ego, and accept yourself as who you are. There you go...now you can all be healed. Have a great life, i know you will.

Yamas of Eating

There are numerous opportunities for the Yamas to support your current wellness and nutritional aspirations. The Yamas create a wheel of ethics that includes kindness, honesty, refrain from stealing, moderation, and non-hoarding. Following these five principles will help ensure that your life is filled with healthy relationships, including the one with yourself, others, and the natural world around you.

The Yamas prepare you to see that how you treat the outer world reflects how you treat your inner world. It is through conscious application of the Yamas that you will learn to see that compassion is your birthright, trust begins with yourself, healthy boundaries make healthy relationships, and balance is not as bad as it sounds. They allow you to work with what gifts you have been given rather than what you perceive you are missing.

Although the Yamas are all interrelated and work together, if one stands out more than the others, consider spending some time deepening your relationship with that one principle. Applying the Yamas to your diet, yoga practice, and wellness lifestyle activities can be very rewarding and effective.

· Ahimsa - Non-violence, reducing harm in thoughts, actions, and speech

Application: Enjoying a vegetarian diet; having your food be raised organically and in a cruelty-free manner as well as locally produced; prayer; and mindfulness

· Satya - Truth, honesty

Application: Asking the questions like: “Am I hungry or bored” or “Am I eating to distract myself” or “Is this good for me?”

· Asteya - Non-stealing

Application: Not taking the food from another’s plate; eating enough each day to avoid robbing the body of nutrients

· Brahmacharya- Appropriate use of one’s vital energy

Application: Moderation; understanding the impact of eating too much or too little food

· Aparigraha - Non-possessiveness

Application: Learning to say “no” at a buffet line; ceasing eating when you no longer have hunger

YAMAS - Food for Thought

Here are a few examples of how to weave the yoga philosophy into your lifestyle and diet.

Ahimsa- Non-violence, reducing harm in thoughts, actions, and speech_____________

Example: Vegetarian, organic, cruelty-free, locally produced, prayer, and mindfulness

Satya- Truth, honesty______________________________________________________

Example: Asking the questions like: “Am I hungry or bored”, “Am I eating to distract myself”, “Is this good for me?”

Asteya- Non-stealing______________________________________________________

Example: Not taking the food from another’s plate or eating enough each day to not rob the body of nutrients

Brahmacharya- Appropriate use of one’s vital energy

Example: Moderation and learning what too much and too little food will do to you.

Aparigraha- Non-possessiveness_____________________________________________

Example: Learning to say “no” at a buffet line, stop eating when you no longer have hunger.

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Everyday Ayurveda

From Art of Sequencing – Volume Two – Seasonal Vinyasa

“Ayurveda is a Nature-based medical system centered on the conviction that physicians don’t heal the patient, Nature heals the patient. Ayurvedic physicians learn to tap into the ancient texts, recall wisdom passed down from their teachers’ teachers, cultivate a strong connection to their intuition, and experiment with plants, herbs, and foods before using them as medicine or suggesting them to others. Nothing in the natural world is labeled as good or bad in the world of Ayurveda, everything has the potential to be medicinal in the right dosage, and one person’s medicine is another person’s poison.

The philosophy of Ayurveda acknowledges each person as a soul, a one-of-a-kind expression of the divine. It is also believed that from the moment you are conceived, your unchanging Prakriti (yogic version of fixed DNA) is established. Despite the fact that we are all unique beings, we are each composed of the same maha bhutas (five elements: ether, air, fire, water, and earth). The elements will be arranged differently for each person, depending upon unique conditions like the physical health and well-being of your mother when you were conceived, and the karmas you’ve carried over from past lives into this life.

The more familiar you are with your Prakriti, the more you can prepare yourself for the physical and mental health issues that typically affect people with your constitution. For example, if your constitution is composed predominantly of ether and air, you would typically see health issues related to anxiety, nerve disorders, joint issues, or constipation. Knowing these strengths and weaknesses based on the elements, you might consider drinking less caffeine, consuming less sugar, eating more fiber, and booking regular massages to ward off the typical imbalances related to ether and air.

Prakritis with strong affiliation to fire and water will often experience heat-related imbalances such as skin rashes, diarrhea, digestive disorders, or high blood pressure. To help manage the fire and water elements, you might consider decreasing hot and spicy foods, meditating, and avoiding being outside in the hottest part of the day.

Earth- and water-based constitutions often discover swelling, depression, excess mucus, or challenges managing their weight and metabolism with a base Prakriti rooted in the heavy, wet elements. Often proper diet, nutrition, and exercise will keep the earth- and water-based constitutions healthy. Knowing your Prakriti and your physical and mental patterns—something you can learn by a consultation with an Ayurvedic practitioner—might inspire you to cultivate a more holistic lifestyle, one connected to Nature and her five elements.”

To read the more, order your copy today: www.melinameza.com

2010 Spring Vinyasa Class with Melina Meza from 8 Limbs Yoga Centers: www.youtube.com

Asato Ma Sat Gamaya Lead me from the unreal to the real,

Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya From darkness to light,

Mrityor Ma Amritham Gamaya From death to immortality.

Yoga Class on Modifications

Here's a sample of a class I taught at Breitenbush Hot Springs called Sequencing for Level 1, 2, 3. I hope this comes in handy when considering your asana class.

Learn more about sequencing and yoga philosophy on my next retreat or workshop:
www.melinameza.com