Align Ayurveda - Yoga & Embodiment

25/11/2020

BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T HOW CAN YOU HEAL?⁠
⁠⠀⁠
I meet many women who are skeptical of their own bodies — distrusting that the body knows how to work without pharmaceuticals or without a perfectly curated diet or selection of vitamins. As if the body is innately flawed, or a foe.⁠⠀⁠
⁠⠀⁠
The body is always your friend, and it has incredible intelligence to digest, make new body tissues, even to make babies! Sometimes the medicine we need most, is to pull back from our obsession with making the body do this and that - and trust that it can work without so much interferance. ⁠
(That being said, at some time in our lives we all need support from a well trained professional who knows how to meddle. Even doctors need doctors.)⁠⠀⁠
⁠⠀⁠
A first step in healing is to believe that the body is a friend and not a foe. It is strong, capable, very smart, always trying to repair itself, and truly wondrous!⁠⠀⁠
⁠⠀⁠
Does this resonate? Do you trust your body? Please share, I'd love to hear!

25/11/2020

WHAT IS YOUR WHY⁠?⁠⠀
⁠⠀
What is the biggest reason why? Why you do what you do? The heart pulse behind every action that flows through. The way you do anything is the way you do everything.⁠⠀
This is one of the most valuable, revealing and anchoring questions and it centers us in the power of our own truth. Our “why” shifts and grows over time, so just as we might update a device or room in our house, asking ourselves periodically curiously honestly “why” we do the things we do updates our inner landscapes.⁠⠀⁠⠀
Where our awareness flows our energy goes, and that is the very thing we grow. and becomes our life.⁠⠀⁠⠀
And at the same time so many of us struggle with our 'why'. Life is moving fast, creating a disconnect that from where we function on autopilot to make it through the day. The same goes for our habits. Most of them are unconsciously formed and might actually not be aligned with our bigger 'why'.⁠⠀
⁠⠀
As we are nearing the end of the year, it's a good time to reflect on your 'why'. Aligning our everyday actions with our bigger goal. Our dharma. ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
With my coaching clients getting super clear on their 'why' is a big part of the process towards living a more aligned life. Changing our habits without a clear 'why' is like rowing upstream. We can live in flow, with ease - once we are attuned to our inner compass.

24/11/2020

I don’t think I have ever experienced a year with so much collective anxiety happening. For many of us, our lives as we knew it have drastically changed. The common theme for lots of my private clients has been dealing with the anxiety and feelings of overwhelm that these changes brought up.

From Ayurvedic perspective, anxiety is a dosha imbalance where excess vata has accumulated in the nervous system. Vata is the mobile element in Ayurveda. It has the same qualities of the fall season; dry, light, rough, mobile.

Anxiety is an expression of excess vata in the channel of the mind. To put it plainly, it means you have a windy mind.

Anxiety happens when we are disconnected from the present moment and instead engaged in thought loops focusing on the future, it's often the result. Here's how to get your vata back in balance in order to feel less stressed and more creative, imaginative, intuitive, and free-flowing:

1. Take a warm bath. Pour one-third cup of ginger and one-third cup of baking soda into a warm tub of water and soak for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Set 20 minutes aside to massage your body with warm oil. Pay special attention to the soles of your feet. In cooler climates or vata constitution, use sesame oil. Warmer climates or pitta dosha, coconut oil is recommended.

3. Take time to meditate. With a wandering mind it’s often easier to listen to a guided mediation that is body centered. Yoga Nidra is an excellent way to bring your energy back into the body and out of your head.

4. Spend time in nature. If the climate allows it, walk barefoot. Engage your senses. What can you see, smell, hear, feel?

5. Warm the fire in your belly. Ayurveda teaches that the body not only digests food but also digests thoughts, emotions, and experiences. When our digestion is weak, we have a more difficult time processing all that life throws at us. Ditch the salads and smoothies and bring in the soups, stews and warming spices.

6. Prioritize sleep. Switch off your screens after 9pm and take time to unwind. Be in bed before 10pm before you get a second wind becoming a night owl….

DM me if you like support dealing with anxiety or overwhelm

07/11/2020

THE THINGS OUR BODIES WILL TELL US - all we have to do is listen:⠀

If we need food, we'll feel hungry.⠀
If we need water, we'll feel thirsty.⠀
If we need rest, we'll feel sleepy.⠀
If we need to release accumulated wastes, we'll feel the urge to go to the bathroom.⠀

Isn't that so beautiful in its simplicity? ⠀
But, because of the wonderful gift of free will, we humans have the ability to completely ignore these cues. We stifle our hunger, thirst, sleepiness, and urge to use the toilet. We also eat when we're not hungry and drink when we're not thirsty, doubting our body's own innate intelligence.⠀

Ayurveda teaches us how important it is to listen to the body. By heeding our urges and taking better care of ourselves, we become more connected to our body. We discover that it not as a form to be ignored, but a vessel or temple through which our soul can express itself.

31/08/2020

Whether you are simply wanting to resolve a particular health issue or are ready to bring Ayurveda into all areas of your life, I’m here to support you.

For the whole month of September I am offering $25 discount on a 1-1 Ayurvedic consultation!

We begin by assessing your current situation, issue and mind-body type. We will use all things Ayurveda — diet, lifestyle, herbs, self care, movement, yoga, subtle energy therapies, spiritual counseling or bodywork therapies, to correct imbalances and establish health and true wellbeing.

This method is rooted in the ancient but translated for the modern so that it’s practical, helpful, and actually feels good to implement.

For more details - go here https://www.align-thrive.org/consultation

31/08/2020

Welcome!

Using the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, I’ll guide you to bringing your body & mind back into balance, whether you’re struggling with hormonal imbalances, trying to get pregnant, digestive troubles, skin issues, anxiety, depression, stress, lack of energy, or any other dis-ease.

Ayurveda is a holistic system of healing that comes from ancient India. According to Ayurveda, any symptoms or discomforts you’re feeling are happening in your mind-body system. At the same time, all of the systems needed to heal you are also within your mind-body system: your digestion, your hormones, your immunity…all this goes to say that YOU are your best healer. You just need the right direction and support.

This method is entirely natural and completely personalized for you. It is rooted in the ancient but translated for the modern so that it’s practical, sustainable, and actually feels good to implement. I offer 1-1 consultations, group programs, workshops or private offerings.

Want to know how Ayurveda can work for you? Send me a message or sign up for a free 30-min discovery call. I am looking forward to meet you.
https://www.align-thrive.org/why-ayurveda

Using the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, I’ll guide you to bringing your body back into balance, whether you’re struggling with hormonal imbalances, period problems, trying to get pregnant, digestive troubles, skin issues, anxiety, depression, stress, preparing for or recovering from giving birth, ...

14/07/2020

YOU are the one that heals yourself.⁠⠀⁠⠀
It's time to own our innate capacity for healing - not dependant on so called 'healers'. And what is a ‘healer’ anyway? I find 'healer' often to be a word that triggers me, as if healing is something that happens TO you, where you have to be fixed by someone else. ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
To me, a 'healer' is actually not someone that you ‘go to’ for healing. A healer is someone that triggers within you your OWN ability to heal YOURSELF. A facilitator of the healing process. Any teacher or guide serves only to light up the inner knowledge that is already there, just sometimes hidden. ⁠⠀⁠⠀
It’s also the role of the guide to help you see that you are a part of nature and that recognizing this and connecting back to our true nature is what truly heals. And I am grateful for th beautiful souls on my own journey who helped me to reconnect.⁠⠀⁠⠀
That is the thing I love most about Ayurveda. Ayurveda wants you to be your own healer and to become truly independent. To rely on the innate wisdom of your body, trust the signals you are receiving. Our bodies are constantly giving feedback – and it is our job to listen. Ayurveda can help you understand yourself better, and how to align yourself to nature. It’s highly individual – what can be my medicine, might be someone else's’ poison. No one-size-fits-all approach. Re-aligning to your own true nature.⁠⠀⁠⠀
Interested in becoming your own healer? Book your free discovery call to find out how Ayurveda can be your guide.

11/07/2020

TO NAP OR NOT TO NAP?
That is the question. And Ayurveda has lots to say about it.
Who doesn’t love that feeling of dozing off in the afternoon? Today I found myself napping again, as I have been doing quite regularly over the last 3 years. Noah has been a real terrible sleeper since birth – a night with 3 interruptions and a 5:30am start was a ‘good’ night..
So to say I’ve been pretty exhausted for the last years is a bit of an understatement. Today after another 5:30am start, we collapsed together in my bed and I really enjoyed this guilty pleasure. However, Ayurveda is mostly not a big fan of napping during the day.
But what if you had a bad night sleep, or you’re simply exhausted? Should you surrender to the call of a delicious daytime rest? Well, as the answer is to everything in Ayurveda, it depends😉.
In general, Ayurveda does not advise sleeping during the day. If you feel some afternoon fatigue, perhaps putting your legs up the wall or doing 20 minutes of yoga nidra would be a better option. Even a walk in the afternoon sun can help banish sluggishness by balancing the release of melatonin, the sleepy hormone.
However, if you are going to indulge in an afternoon siesta, do it on an empty stomach, and do it in summer. When the nights are shorter and the temps are higher, vata dosha (the ethereal aspects of ourselves) becomes aggravated and the body begins to dry out. Sleeping during the day is thought to increase kapha dosha (the earth and water elements) in the body, which hydrates and lubricating the tissues—a perfect antidote to the heat of summer.
During other seasons, when the water and earth elements are more prevalent (think late winter and spring), sleeping during the day will increase kapha in ways that are not ideal. You might wake up in a puddle of drool—cold, puffy, drowsy, and craving cupcakes.
Bottom line? If you’re feeling sluggish during the dog days of summer, Ayurveda gives you permission to take a nap. The rest of the year? Get outside and let nature give you a burst of energy.