My Shiatsu Massage Treat at the Carrot Common, Toronto

Shiatsu is a Japanese bodywork therapy often referred to as "acupuncture without needles." The word Shiatsu means "finger pressure" which is gently applied to pressure points along the energy lines (Meridians) of the body with thumbs, palms, and elbows. Shiatsu is rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) utilizing TCM's diagnostic techniques, including Japanese Hara and Meridian diagnosis to assess imbalances in the body's energy system. Shiatsu is a powerful treatment that alleviates pain and tension. Moreover, Shiatsu is highly effective for the prevention and cure of illness providing a valuable component to maintaining physical, mental, and emotional health.

Today I visited the Danforth Shiatsu Clinic to receive my Shiatsu Massage gift from Renaissance Yoga. The Danforth Shiatsu Clinic is comprised of highly trained therapists, Dipl. S.T. designated, and graduates of the most extensive professional training program in North America offering theoretical, practical, and clinical experience. Meridian-style Shiatsu is practiced at the Danforth Shiatsu Clinic for its strong ability to wholistically connect the entire body, providing clients with a profound healing therapy. I was treated by Sarah Walton over the noon hour.

Sarah Walton has a few specialties: Shiatsu Therapist, Reflexologist, Classical Hatha Sananda Devi Yoga, Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, and Ayurvedic Massage. I found her to be attentive to my needs and concerned about providing high quality treatment. During the time Sarah had her elbows wedged into strategic locations along the sides of my spine and various other pressure points, we had a great conversation about the Ayurvedic cleanse we both recently completed, Tantra, our vows, Shamanism, conscious relationships, the shadow self, honouring the human side of ourselves, the glory of being female and wielding our feminine power.

Some of her statements are still ringing in my ears because they affirmed my recent rethinking of life passages. I now deem certain experiences as sacred that I used to, and many still do, consider mundane or self-indulgent. Believe me, I've heard all of the standard dispositions to obedience and social conformity. I have mastered the drill on how to be a model citizen and pillar of society and it's not completely satisfying.

My conditioning juxtaposed with the circumstances of this turbulent year left my body-mind in a contracted, vulnerable state and Sarah treated me with shiatsu massage, kindness, compassion and her wisdom. We probed life options. What if you stray and find yourself in a grey area of life, unexplored, provocative? Conventional wisdoms advises a speedy return to the safe, well-mapped terrain of black and white. Sarah conveys her understanding, "You are dealing with some very powerful forces." Her commentary was punctuated with elbow pokes to related chakras.

I felt a little more validated and liberated when the hour ended.

Contact Sarah Walton and schedule your own shiatsu body-mind experience at 416-939-9015. I highly recommend it.

Whole Life Expo (Nov 16, 2008)

Whole Life Expo is Canada's largest showcase of natural health, alternative medicine, and eco-friendly lifestyles. With 60 speakers and over 200 exhibitors, Whole Life Expo brings the most comprehensive array of natural health products and services ever gathered under one roof.

This year, the Whole Life Expo featured two lectures by Gabriel Cousins:

11:15am- 12:15pm
EATING FOR YOUR BIOLOGICAL INDIVIDUALITY
with Gabriel Cousens, MD
Stage One

Conscious eating begins with eating to enhance one's communion with the Divine, and as Gabriel Cousens, MD, says in Conscious Eating, “Food is a love note from God.” There is a basic blueprint for the cuisine that uplifts consciousness to the level of optimal experience for the individual and the planet. Within that, with over 30,000 gene variations and each of us being unique, knowing how to combine western scientific with eastern traditional systems for determining our biological individuality is key for life-long enjoyment of conscious eating.

Specifically, Gabriel discussed the genetic factors, parasympathetic/sympathetic process; fast or slow oxidizer system; blood type system (and associated lectins); B12 issues; and the Ayurvedic system.

1:45pm - 2:45pm
LIVE FOOD AS A CURE FOR DIABETES
with Gabriel Cousens, MD
Lecture Hall 205

While type-II diabetes is commonly thought of as incurable, world-renowned doctor Gabriel Cousens asserts otherwise. In his program and new book, There Is a Cure for Diabetes: The Tree of Life 21-Day+ Program, Cousens presents a breakthrough approach: reverse type-II diabetes through practical changes in nutrition and well-being in 21 days. His revolutionary new approach shows incredible results: medication use ceases within four days and many people have fasting blood sugars of less than 100 after three weeks. This talk presents simple dietary principles for recipes of low-glycemic and low-insulin-scoring meals that go hand in hand with the psycho-spiritual approach the author developed to help diabetes sufferers free themselves from disease, and debunk the myth that diabetes is incurable.

Society is always surprised by any new example of common sense (Ralph Waldo Emerson).
The allopathic tradition has long asserted in its well-known mantra that there is no cure for diabetes, which it considers a progressive, fatal disease. Diabetes is, in fact, completely reversible.

How Does Diabetes Manifest Statistically?
Diabetes affects 246 million people. One person dies every 10 seconds of it. Between 10 to 19 years are lost in the life of a diabetic.

The body becomes insulin resistant (the body blocks its own insulin). Insulin resistance produces inflammatory cytokines; these cross-react with tand damage the beta cells of pancreas. The inflammation accelerates the aging process. Hence, diabetes is accelerated aging.

Twenty-five percent of the children under the age of 15 have diabetes (why provide bicycles? why not go straight to the wheelchairs?). Note prevalent with diabetes is neuropathy, retinopathy, heart disease, alzheimers.

It is caused preeminently by excessive sugar in the diet, as well as excessive animal-derived fat, diary, TV, vaccines, agrochemicals, coffee/caffeine, cigarettes, fibreless diet, stress, lack of exercise, wheat, soy, excitotoxins. Genetics loads the gun; lifestyle pulls the trigger.

Crimes Against Wisdom
You don’t catch diabetes, you earn it by being a party to the culture of death. The Culture of Death sees people as economic commodities to be exploited. The Culture of Death is symolized by better living through chemistry and such initiatives as Codex Alimentarius www.codexalimentarius.net/

While on a trip to another village, Nasrudin lost his favorite copy of the Qur'an. Several weeks later, a goat walked up to Nasrudin, carrying the Qur'an in its mouth. Nasrudin couldn't believe his eyes. He took the precious book out of the goat's mouth, raised his eyes heavenward and exclaimed, "It's a miracle!"

"Not really," said the goat. "Your name is written inside the cover."

Look in the right place for the right answer.

The Culture of Life
The Culture of Life is symbolized by better living through better living. We don’t expect everyone to follow Gabriel Cousins’ program. In the case of diabetes, it is moderation in lifestyle that kills, the diabetic has to be a little radical. The diabetic is advised to reject the culture of death and join the culture of life. Here are some of the actions to investigate:

• See beauty in all that we do, people, and life
• Relationship
• Exercise
• Creative expression
• Humour
• Spiritual expression
• Mediation
• Breathing/pranayama
• Sleep
• Nurturance, love, connection
• Food
  
  

A 400-person study will occur in Patagonia and another study is planned in the Middle East.

Creating Peace by Being Peace

World Peace—the healing of the world—is achieved through a very simple principle: We Create Peace By Being Peace. It is this universal truth that has inspired the Peace Every Day Initiative, a global, collective, daily, meditation of peace. The purpose is to unite a minimum of 8,000 people, while holding the vision of 144,000 or more people, to meditate/pray by becoming the vibration of peace for 40 minutes or more each day, individually and especially in groups. Any time of day is effective, though sunrise or sunset are powerful nodal times. This powerful thought-form of peace is enough to shift the global consciousness so that we may fully celebrate peace on earth! (Introduction, Creating Peace by Being Peace: The Essene Sevenfold Path.)

On Saturday afternoon, November 15, 2008, at Toronto City Hall, Gabriel Cousins’ overviewed a way to create sevenfold peace. Synthesizing decades of multidisciplinary work in meditation, psychiatry, psychotherapy, and spirituality, Dr. Cousins described a comprehensive plan for peace with the body, mind, family, community, culture, ecology, and God as a pervasive experience in life—moment to moment, day by day.

Cousens transfers a unique Essene insight into peace to modern Canadian seekers as a blueprint for realizing this reality as we walk in our lives; work according to our gifts, joys, and sacred design; and live the path of spiritual awakening—the sevenfold peace. The afternoon ended in mediation during which Dr. Cousins shared Shaktipat and an outdoor incense, candle and prayer ritual.

Gabriel Cousens, Director of the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center, is a world-recognized peace worker since 1967, physician of the soul, M.D., M.D.(H), Diplomate of the American Board of Holistic Medicine, Diplomate in Ayurveda, psychiatrist, family therapist, meditation teacher, teacher in the U.S., India, Europe, Israel, Lebannon, and Morocco, and founder of the Peace Every Day Initiative.

On Friday, November 14, Gabriel Cousins led a worship service at Rainbow Body Yoga, Church Street, Toronto, to commemorate the start of ancient Essene-Kabbalishtic sabbat, which extends from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

The evening included ecstatic music and song led by Micheal Bedar and explication of the alter, discussion of the story of Job, relating of a Jewish parable of "the one who trusts in Hashem" (the story of the king who hated and was outfoxed by the fixer), meditation, and shaktipat delivered by a Rebbe Cousins.

The evening encompassed the rare treat of immersing in the Living Essene Way, Kabbalah, Mystical principles of the Living Torah, yogic philosopy, and Kosher, organic, vegetarian live-food grape juice and challah (challah is a traditional Jewish bread eaten on Shabbat and most Jewish holidays). It was a night of peace and healing for the individual and planetary soul.

An Intimate & Interactive Evening with Dr. Gabriel Cousens in Toronto

Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine Lecture, screening of “Simply Raw: Reverse Diabetes in 30 Days” followed by Q&A

On Thursday, November 13, 2008, I attended an event at Mel Lastman Square/North York City Hall, screening the documentary, Simply Raw. Seeing the six people in the documentary at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center (all diagnosed with Diabetes: five were type 2 and one was type 1) grapple over 30 days with executing Gabriel Cousins’ multi-levelled, food-based cure was gripping.

The challenges were striking: dissatisfaction with the raw menu, cravings for SAD offerings, lack of familial support, dealing with detox/withdrawal symptoms, the intense discomfort of shifting gears, and shifting expectations of the possibility of a real cure for diabetes. Been there.

Success seemed to come from surrendering to the process, patience, and working collaboratively and compassionately as a community. Gabriel later commented that change is better to come from a self-chosen internal place that involves the pleasure principle versus coming from an externally imposed force. It occurred to me as well that in fact all success, personal development, and self improvement, transitions through similar phases.

I was moved by some of the close ups showing facial expressions of shock, hurt, joy and compassion. Been there too. I was disappointed, as was most of the audience, when one of the older, male participants chose to leave the program half way through, in spite of his dramatic health improvements, due to his overwhelming psycho-physiological resistance to the change.

After the film, using a PowerPoint Gabriel overviewed some of the subjects outlined in his book Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine: calorie restriction and longevity; cause of disease as compromised terrain versus bacteria or virus; the self-composting action of the imbalanced body; the action of microplasmic pleomorphic protits; the necessity of growing your own food; list of mycotoxins; list of disesases; list of pathogenic microorganisms; grains, soy, GMO, vaccinations, chemtrails, and finally, a summary of his Phase I, Phase I.5 and Phase II anti-diabetes diet.

Questions from the audience included:

• Did the participants stay raw?
• Does the diet correct renal disorders?
• Does the diet correct low blood sugar?
• Is breatharianism possible?
• What is the youngest a person should be to healthfully fast?
• Can you go raw in a cold climate

The evening ended with a 30-minute meditation during which Gabriel shared shaktipat with each audience member. I’m looking forward to another shaktipat experience at the Shabbat led by Gabriel Cousins tonight.

Cleanse Journal Day 20

Yogic principle for the day: the external discipline of SURRENDER TO LIFE.

What does this principle mean to me?


See notes from Cleanse Day 10.

Ishwara pranidhana, or complete, free and unconditional self-surrender to God, is the highest virtue, the last niyama, and one of the trickiest niyamas. It is the release of ego and surrender to destiny.

It means “I give up.” It means “Thy will be done.” The foundation is in place and Divine will and communication is occurring to some extent. The mind prompts, "Do this" — I do it.

Patanjali says in the Yoga Sutras that one can even attain the highest form of samadhi, the final stage before kaivalya, if one can effectively surrender to God. Patanjali was an advaita vedantist, and did not understand the principle of God to be a separate entity. So Pantanjali is referring to the unchanging, ever-uniform reality, not nashwara, that which is changing, decaying, and creative.

In the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna asks Krishna, “Can you describe how a person who is realized lives, acts, walks, talks, sleeps, eats and moves?”

Krishna replies, “That person’s actions are no different to ours. He moves like you and me, he eats like you and me, he sleeps like you and me, he thinks like you and me. The only difference is that he has overcome the duality of life. Whereas initially we do everything for ourselves and are the centre of the universe, now love and compassion have become the centre of the universe, and everything else revolves around that.”

How do I honour it on a daily basis? What could I improve?
Release identification with the self and identifying with the Self. Through the generation of faith and innocence, letting go of the self-oriented, self-centred awareness, one is able to tune to God's energy.

Manage thoughts, ideas, beliefs and convictions and develop a new perspective. Developing a new vision marks the awakening of the spiritual faculty within us. Understanding, modifying and changing the mental vrittis indicates the beginning of spiritual awareness and surrender to life.

Daily food/elimination comments:
I’m drinking a lot of teas and a lot of water.

Performed my second round of basti, yogic enema and held only a few minutes this time. Also, forgot to strain the Dashmula.

Sleep record:
I was not tired Wednesday night, yet slept about 10 hours.

Additional thoughts or feelings:
This is easy. I continue to be generally quiet, at peace and optimistic about the future. I plan to continue the lifestyle beyond the 21 days of the cleanse.

I am so pleased with what I have learned and experienced during this cleanse. It was mind-body all encompassing, and the timing in my life and with the changing of the seasons was another synchronicity. I was at home long enough and alone enough to perform the routines and contemplations. I would recommend this for anyone looking to gear down, lighten up, and explore within.

Cleanse Journal Day 19

Yogic principle for the day: the external discipline of SELF STUDY.

What does this principle mean to me?

See notes from Cleanse Day 9.

Swa is Self: Adhyaya is study. Swadhyaya is Self study. No one can do this work for me. The study of Self is a do-it-yourself research project that begins with the question: If I am not the body, who am “I?” The search for the “I” is Swadhyaya.

The “I” is said to be Spirit, or “that" according to the Vedas and described only as “not this, not this.” The “I” is revealed when the conditioned mind is deprogrammed and the trinity of knower, knowledge and known dissolves.

How do I honour it on a daily basis? What could I improve?
There are a host of actions that can lead to direct knowledge or experience of the “I.”

• The study of the Vedas and holy texts.
• Working with a guru.
• Acting as Spirit.
• Non-attachment.
• Distinguishing between knowledge (indirect experience) and wisdom (the direct experience of the truth).
• Awareness of inner dialogue, words spoken, thoughts.
• Asking key questions: What is bliss?What is karma? What is free will?
• Kirtan and the repetition of mantra

Purify and practice Swadhyaya all the time until the truth is revealed.

Daily food/elimination comments:
I am enjoying my lifestyle.

Performed my first round of basti, yogic enema. Basti is the safest, easiest, and most pleasant of all cleansing procedures.

Sleep record:
I was not tired Tuesday night, yet slept again too long, about 10 hours.

Monthly Reading #5 Principles of Individualizing One's Diet

What was learned? How is it useful?
The focus for October was on individualizing one’s diet.

The focus in allopathic medicine about individuality has been that idiosyncracies have little or no functional significance to medicine.

Conversely, Roger Williams in Biochemical Individuality: The Basis for the Genetotrophic Concept indicates that there are numerous physiological variables that make each of us unique. Williams points out that in composition, enzymes, endocrine production, excretion patterns, pharmacological manifestations, basal metabolism, growth, temperature control, pain sensitivity, oxygen use, blood pressure, electricity, taste, presence of parasites and transplantation all manifest uniquely in individuals. If we wish to “do anything about” or treat any of these areas, we best customize the approach.

We can use a variety of systems to ascertain our unique mind-body psychophysiology: autonomic nervous system type; oxidative system, Ayurvedic; acid-alkali, endocrine, lipo-oxidation, and blood type. Questions we can ask ourselves about our nourishment are:

· What am I trying to say by this food choice?
· What is nature communicating to me?
· Can this food sustain my focus on the Divine?

It’s trial and error. Limit the variables and become both the scientist and the experiment. Because I spent 21 days in October this year in Pancha Karma, I spent a great deal of time contemplating the Ayurvedic modality, in particular, and its relevance to my mind-body.

My Ayurvedic RYT, AHE, in Toronto, Matthew Remski (who studied under David Frawley), assessed me as a robust pitta(3)-kapha(1.5) prakriti with excellent structural stability and a vast pool of emotional resource beginning to quiver under a hyper-competent intellectual and professional persona. Vata is over-excited on the level of reproductive power and manas by spiritual emergence. Pitta-type psychological drive has served me well in terms of artha but cannot stop for kama or contemplation or simple rest because of a long-standing fear that foundations are insecure. I was told my body is fairly clean. The raw diet has done me well on many levels: it has eliminated many toxins (clean tongue, improved skin, feeling of lightness). However, there are four issues that I would tinker with and balance out.

Under Matthew Remski's supervision, I responded to the assessment by conducting a 21-day cleanse and making some minor adjustments to my daily diet to support my Ayurvedic dosha balance.

This is not a search for a perfect diet, but a part of balanced, harmonious life. This is not a technique for enlightenment, just a support system to aid in harmonious, centred spiritual unfolding. We know we are eating optimally when we are glowing with life, have enhanced communion with the Divine and realize the highest state of awareness and functionality to fulfill our roles in the world. And over the month of October, I did feel more grounded, more at peace, healthier and radiant.

The higher purpose of diet is to aid in spiritual unfolding; to assimilate, store, conduct, transmit spiritual energies; to balance subtle energy centers, and to enhance peace on the planet.

Diet is the cause and effect of our awareness. David Wolfe writes in The Sunfood Diet Success System that food on the chlorophyll side of his Sunfood triangle can tune us into natural resonant frequencies. (page 184) I intuit that this is true. The more green I get, the more attuned, sensitive and energized. But I also have had to manage or balance this new state.

We want to transition wisely to a high proportioned-live food diet and use the triangle to modulate and customize: weight, stage of life, detoxification issues, hypoglycemian/diabetes issues, candida, mental clarity, athletics, temperature and grounding.

Cleanse Journal Day 18

Yogic principle for the day: the external discipline of PASSIONATE EFFORT.

What does this principle mean to me?

See notes from Cleanse Day 8.

Tapas is discipline, described as a heat or passionate effort, that releases or redirects energy and fuels spiritual passion or heat. Tapas manifests as a movement away from past dysfunctional attachments and habits and a movement toward freedom.

Tapas is an effortless release, a giving up, a surrendering (as in vairagya and ishvara pranidhana), an offering up of the old in exchange for the new. It is a free choice that manifests naturally and spontaneously without will power or effort. It was demonstrated to me the evening that I lost my interest in drinking red wine. Inexplicably and spontaneously, I realized that I did not need to drink red wine. Lovely as the experience felt, I realized that drinking a glass of red wine every night took something undefinable away from me. The whole release occurred spontaneously, in a thought, without words . My “craving” just disappeared. And I just followed with some curiosity, placed the sacrifice into the sacrificial fire for fuel, and watched the experiment to see what would happen.

From the outside the release often looks like austerity or sacrifice. My family and friends commented that my renunciation of wine was "too hard" for them to do. For me it wasn't hard at all; it was the natural flow of my impulses. From the inside, a part of me freely died and another was reborn.

How do I honour it on a daily basis? What could I improve?
Harness tapas by the conscious practice of energy conservation (pratyhara, vairagya, bhakti and tapas) one pointed focus and devotion to the Divine. Wholeheartedly desire to know the Truth of Self.

Any action that frees one from the dualistic illusion is tapas. Any action that redirects the outward flow of grasping of objects (physical or mental) is tapas. Any action that supports satisfaction (santosha) is tapas. Activities could include fasting, silence of speech and thought (mouna), and any and all of the other yamas and niyamas.

Before taking action, ask such questions as: will this activity lead to the truth? Is this action based on separateness or is it based on love? Will this action release energy or dissipate, confuse, distract, or disempower?

Daily food/elimination comments:
Losing interest in food. I am satisfied with eating much less.

Sleep record:
I was not tired Monday night, yet slept about 10 hours.

Additional thoughts or feelings:
This is easy. I continue to be generally quiet, at peace and optimistic about the future.

Cleanse Journal Day 17

Yogic principle for the day: the external discipline of CONTENTMENT.

What does this principle mean to me?
See notes from Cleanse Day 7.

The second niyama outlined by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras is santosha , or contentment. Santosha is the state of cheerfulness and a condition for enlightenment. The practice of aparigraha (keeping needs simple) leads to santosha. Contentment brings happiness; discontentment brings unhappiness.

Contentment and peace of mind exist independently of present circumstances. At any time, we can create contentment, choose contentment, rather than waiting to somehow become content.

How do I honour it on a daily basis? What could I improve?

Contentment is not a virtue to be shown off.

Place one-pointed focus upon the Divine and identify as spirit.

Be aware and content with and accept and explore present circumstances in each moment.
Choose to be craving-free now. As one is craving-free, contentment is experienced.

Sleep record:
I was not tired Sunday night, yet slept long, again.

Additional thoughts or feelings:
This is easy. I continue to be generally quiet, at peace and optimistic about the future.

Cleanse Journal Day 16

Yogic principle for the day: the external discipline of BODILY PURIFICATION.

What does this principle mean to me?

See notes from Cleanse Day 6.

The first of the Niyamas described by Patanjali is what in Sanskrit is called Saucha or purity. Purification of the body directly influences spiritual consciousness. Saucha is an aid toward yoga (samadhi).

Any block in consciousness which does not promote the goal of Yoga is an impurity. Sense movement (chitta vritti) towards satisfaction of desire is an impurity. Even a lack of reverence of daily life or community is an impurity. Purification is multilayered, interdepent with nature, others and the Divine. Patanjali does not expound on the minutiae but the Sutras suggest that purity includes the cleanliness of the body, speech, mind and even the environment worldwide.

Mental purity is tricky to manifest. Any thought that leads the mind in a direction other than that of Yoga, is an impure thought. Any desire is mental impurity.

In The Sunfood Success System David Wolfe suggests that as you cleanse within, you express the virtues and become beautiful without. Outer beauty is a reflection of inner beauty. You will look more beautiful. You will attract beautiful events and experiences and realize instant karma as amazing synchronicities occur.

How do I honour it on a daily basis? What could I improve?
Asana (postures) and pranayama (breath work) cleanse the physical body.

“The practice of asanas tones the entire body and removes the toxins and impurities caused by over-indulgence. Pranayama cleanses and aerates the lungs, oxygenates the blood and purifies the nerves” BKS Iyengar, Light on Yoga

Saucha also incorporates the practice of kriyas, cleansing techniques ranging from methods meant to address the hygiene of the physical body to methods meant to bring balance to the energetic body. These include daily bathing, brushing and flossing the teeth, cleaning the tongue, and flushing the sinuses with warm salted water (neti pot). One of the less familiar kriyas is the practice of trataka drishti, which involves gazing softly at a candle flame until the eyes water.

Clean food, clean air, pure thoughts, dharana, sweating, fasting, tapas, vairaga, meditation, nature all work together to cleanse. An environment of friendly animals and natural flora living in a beneficent synergy manifests spiritual consciousness.

Love thy neighbor.

Observations regarding the practice of my assignments:
Day 16 was, again, enjoyable. My body felt tremendously alive, once again, when I awoke. My skin is clear and glowing. My facial rosacea on both cheeks is disappearing. I performed a neti-pot nasal cleanse.

Sleep record:
I was not tired Saturday night, yet slept long, again.

Additional thoughts or feelings:
This is easy. I continue to be generally quiet, at peace and optimistic about the future.

Cleanse Journal Day 15

Yogic principle for the day: the external discipline of KEEPING SIMPLE NEEDS.

What does this principle mean to me?

See notes from Cleanse Day 5.

When first starting to consider aparigraha, ask what does it mean to need a person, object, idea, or belief? Holding anything, even the breath, negates the ability to bring in the newly valuable experience. Choose well what is consciously held.

Here’s a good experiment. In Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness, Erich Schiffmann advises the practitioner in Shavasana to “Relax every physical and mental tension, temporarily let go of everything you don’t need and then simply pay attention and see what happens.”

If you let of everything, the sages say you come to know yourself.

Aparigrahasthairye janmakathamtasambodhah

"One who is not greedy is secure. He has time to think deeply. His understanding of himself is complete." Yoga Sutra II.39

“The more we have, the more we need to take care of it. The time and energy spent on acquiring more things, protecting them and worrying about them cannot be spent on the most basic questions of life. What is the limit to what we should possess? For what purpose, for whom and for how long? Death comes before we have had time to even begin considering these questions.” TKV Desikachar

At the very minimum, prioritize how time and energy is spent and scale down. What we own should not sway us from our highest goals. Avoid grasping. Release obsolete ideas, beliefs, fears, expectations, memories, preferences, and tendencies held to strengthen identity. The act of holding onto some frozen but impressive identity blocks us from reinventing or revitalizing the identity. Foster beginner's mind and avoid presenting as a knowledgeable and accomplished master to develop authentic learning experiences.

How do I honour it on a daily basis? What could I improve?
I’m actively reassessing my life, letting go of the heavier aspects of my past and exploring my intuitions and the future with delight.

Observations regarding the practice of my assignments:
Day 15 was, again, enjoyable. My body felt tremendously alive, once again, when I awoke. My skin is clear and glowing. In my scurrying around, I missed the neti-pot nasal cleanse.

Daily food/elimination comments:
I awoke at 3:00 a.m. to prepare for Varisar Dhauti. I arrived at the studio at 4:45 a.m. and was the first student to enter the studio and begin meditation. Varisar Dhauti is the most involved stage of the entire cleansing process. The purpose of it is to expel pitta-ama from the pitta physiological zone downwards, to remove excess bile from the blood to clarify stagnant or overheated blood tissue, to clear intestinal plaques and other inefficiencies, to begin to void the colon of impacted fecal matter, to reduce hyperacidtity, to begin to heal abdominal tumours and skin disorders, to cleanse the spleen and bladder and blood toxins.

After the kriya, I ate high potency non-dairy feremented soy probiotic with 50 illion friendly bacteria (CL 1285 super strain acidophilus) to regualte intestinal function. Later in the day, I also ate a lot of fruit.

This was a tiring few hours. I reserved the entire day of the kriya for rest, but used it for schoolwork.

Sleep record:
I was not tired Friday night, and went to sleep at 10:00 p.m. and wakened at 3:00 a.m. for the cleanse ritual.

Additional thoughts or feelings:
Had a few serious flashbacks of poingnant times from the past. On the whole I felt like the kriya was a new beginning.

The kriya was well organized and supervised by Renaissance Yoga.