“Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is also the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials.”
-Lin Yu-t’ang
What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is a system of healing that has its roots in ancient India. It is thought by many scholars to be the oldest healing system in existence on our planet. Ayuh means life and veda means knowledge. The knowledge contained in Ayurveda deals with the nature, scope and purpose of life, and includes its physical and metaphysical aspects- health and disease, happiness and sorrow, pain and pleasure. Ayurveda states the purpose of life is to know or realize the Divine within and without, and to express that understanding in one’s daily life. According to ayurveda every individual life is a microcosm of the cosmos; the outer life and the inner life are reflections of one another.
Ayurveda is a medical science and its purpose is to heal and to maintain the quality and length of life. It is an art of daily living that has evolved from practical, philosophical and spiritual illumination, rooted in understanding of Creation. It offers a profound understanding of each person’s unique body, mind and consciousness, which is the foundation of health and happiness.
Ayurveda came from the same wisdom tradition that originated yoga. It is based on the theory that each person has a unique combination of the 5 elements: earth, water, fire, air and space. This personal combination is your dosha. Based on your dosha, individual dietary, lifestyle and herbal regimens are created to foster mental balance, outstanding physical health and a joyful spirit. There is no one diet or supplement that is a cure-all for everyone. Ayurveda is the wisdom that calls us to follow the rhythms of nature and to use our own inner medicine.
The Deeper Medicine of Ayurveda
While many sources offer reliable information on the basic philosophy of ayurveda, little information is readily available regarding the deeper aspect of ayurvedic practice. The path of ayurvedic healing involves not only eating foods that balance our constitution. It is involved with embracing our personal, innate rhythms, growing self love and internal strength so we may honor those rhythms, and creating time for sadhana.
Facing Reality:
If we are honest, we spend most of our days avoiding and pushing against reality. We expend precious energy desiring things to be just how we would like them to be or wishing they would change from how they currently are when we find them unacceptable. This behavior shows itself in everything from irritation with the choices other drivers make on the road to indignance with the behavior of our loved ones to dissatisfaction with governmental policy. We create a very narrow space for joyful living when we are able only to be happy when things are going our way.
That we often feel this way is no reason to judge ourselves harshly.These feelings of upset can be a catalyst in the quest to face our fears and question deeply ingrained mental habits. One of the main goals of ayurveda is the development of an open mind and a connection to our higher faculty of discernment. When we allow rigid thought patterns and judgment to relax we can begin to recognize our own internal rhythms. As we begin to honor those rhythms we cease fighting with our bodies and minds. Instead we harmonize with them to create excellent health. Ayurveda is a call to let go of excess. It asks us to return to the basic ground of being so that we may focus our energy on what is truly important in life and lovingly release the rest.
The Growth of Self-love
It is important to remember that the beauty in each one of us finds its greatest expression when we cease judging ourselves and our bodies as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ but instead seek to truly understand our strengths and weaknesses and to foster a connection to the Inner Self. Over time and with practice we can peel the layers of personality away to reveal this innermost Self. We can see that at the core each one of us is a valuable, beautiful, unique expression of the Divine. When we truly begin to connect to that part of ourselves we realize the value of really caring for ourselves. It then becomes much easier to make choices that support a healthy and balanced life. With a strong sense of self-love and self-understanding we are also able to foster a deep sense of compassion and connectedness to those around us. We begin to sense the connection that we share at a deeper level.
Taking Pause
As important as it is to accomplish the goals we set forth in our outer life it is equally as important to nourish our inner life. Remember in ayurveda each individual is seen as a microcosm of the outer universe. If we do not take care of our inner space, our outer life will reflect that carelessness in the form of dis-ease and instability. Without a connection to our inner life we cannot expect health and wholeness.
Taking a pause from the swift current of life is an opportunity to take a look at what our bodies, minds and souls are needing to be nourished and whole. This is the path of sadhana. Sadhana is regularly taking time away from the daily grind; removing ourselves from the stream of human activity and placing ourselves in the stream of spiritual activity.This is different than crashing out on the couch at the end of a long day to zone out. Sadhana is consciously connecting inward.
The healing sadhanas of ayurveda have been revived specifically by Sri Swamini Mayatitananda and are taught at the Wise Earth School of Ayurveda. Her teachings are unique in that they are specifically directed towards awakening the inner healing potential that resides in each person. Juliet’s work as an ayurvedic practitioner focus on nutrition, breath-work and meditation as taught in the
WiseEarthSchool and her mentor Cary Twomey.
Women’s Health and Ayurveda
Juliet’s path as a holistic practitioner has had a strong root in women’s health. The WiseEarthSchool stresses that only when the women of our society are healed can society function as a whole. Men are a valuable, unparalleled force of wonder and beauty in this world and their health is greatly important. In our culture the health of all people is threatened as we are encouraged to take drugs that suppress symptoms in the body-symptoms that are actually an articulate communication from the physical self that something is wrong! In particular women have been consistently encouraged to ignore and abuse their own bodies and to see the normal processes of a female body as embarrassing and inconvenient.
In the Wise Earth way of ayurveda women are taught to listen to their inner voice of wisdom and to honor their bodies. There are many simple and profound techniques that can be applied by women to bring their reproductive function into balance. These techniques and practices are specifically designed to awaken a woman’s inner wisdom and to nourish her soul. Juliet is passionate about assisting women to reclaim their own healing process with natural, non-invasive, ayurvedic sadhana.
How Can I Practice Ayurveda?
Juliet is an experienced practitioner of ayurveda who lovingly practices this art and science in her own life. She has studied under the direct mentorship of her teacher Cary Twomey in the Wise Earth tradition since 2002 and holds a certificate of Ayurvedic Nutrition from Wise Earth. She is committed to making the practices of ayurveda accessible to her community. Juliet offers a variety of ways to begin exploring and incorporating ayurveda:
Ayurvedic Yoga Classes
Ayurvedic yoga classes are held weekly at The Spirit Room which include yoga asana, mantra practice, breath-balancing and meditation. The practices are aimed at balancing the body and mind with the dominant seasonal influences. Each week there is discussion of ways to deepen the understanding and practice of ayurveda. For more information on these classes go to the yoga page.
Ayurveda Workshops
Juliet holds monthly workshops, creating a special time to focus on some of the specific sadhanas of yoga and ayurveda. These workshops allow for a greater depth of study of the principles behind ayurvedic and yogic practices as well as a more encompassing understanding of their implementation. Workshop topics include meditative practices, ayurvedic food sadhanas, breath-work and yoga asana. You can find out more about upcoming workshops by going to the monthly newsletter page of this website.
Private Ayurveda Consultations
1 hour session, 75$; 90 minute session, 95$
Oftentimes people have specific questions regarding the use of ayurveda to assist their healing with physical, metal and emotional imbalances. The essence of ayurvedic understanding is that each of us is an individual, a unique expression of the Divine living in a universe governed by predictable patterns of nature and the elements. The goal of private ayurveda consultations is to explore the interaction between the unique balance of elements within each person (dosha) with the condition of their life and external environment. From this exploration Juliet assists clients using a variety of methods to create a condition of balance in the body and mind. These methods can include breath-work, meditation, mantra, nutrition, yoga asana, essential oil therapy and herbal therapy. Juliet’s mission as an ayurvedic practitioner is to meet clients and students on whatever level of understanding they have in order to bring ayurvedic principles into their lives in a way that fosters healing and personal growth. Ayurveda is subtle, simple and powerful. Everyone can benefit bringing this wisdom to life in their lives.
Photography by Ann Arbor Miller
