Day 7

Last day, Yay!!!
It was a rough day.  I had to go to work, and the anticipation of eating something other than kitheree was overwhelming.
I had my cooking advisory today, spent a ton of money getting the supplies.  Ran around like a nut to get everything set up in time for a 30 minute class.  It was madness.  We made crepes, pancakes and scrambled eggs.  Only three students brought in food (eggs, cream cheese and fruit) and only one student helped.  The rest were mad for having to return to school after a vacation.  That didn't stop them from asking for food though.  One student brought fruit, which was really nice of him.
Few students ate fruit, and only one tried a crepe.  The rest just wanted pancakes and eggs despite voting for crepes when we made the menu.  The point of the advisory was to compare pancakes to crepes.  The students were supposed to bring the ingredients.
I wanted to eat a crepe so bad.  I was a bit miffed that my partner and I bought so much and worked so hard to prepare all of the stuff, and nobody even tried the crepes.  By the way, they looked really good.  I can't really comment on that any further.  I'm really disappointed with the class.
Not a great way to start the day.  The rest of the day was spent preparing my students for the ridiculous test they have to take next week.  I'm not supposed to comment on that either.  Got a Pearson Gag.  Freedom of speech is slowly fading away.  I will say that Pearson is taking over our education system, or perhaps have already completed the task.  
Couldn't wait to get home.
Chaya Yodha Sancalanam.... My Savior for today.  Beautiful.

Day 6

Backed up!!!  At least that's what I thought.  My doctor said it was because I really cleansed myself out.  I guess I did have 6 or 7 movements.  In the end I was so dried up, that she recommended that I lube up, if you get my drift.  In Ayurveda it is called Basti.  In this case I used Sunflower oil rather than Sesame oil because my Pitta is easily agrivated.  But, since the Vata space needs to be nourished, I had to take some action and send in some nourishment to deal with the fact that I just expelled all of my moisture. 

While the pictures are not actually to scale, they do represent how I envisioned what was about to happen. It was actually not such a bad process and is supposed to be really good for helping Vata imbalances.  I certainly feel much better now.  It did stir up a lot of repressed emotions and feelings.  Some good and some not so good, but  I guess there were some things that still needed to come out.  Things I have a hard time letting go of from past relationships and lifestyles.  Guilt and anger really like to stick around and can really confuse and derange your sense of center.  No matter how positive one works to be on the outside, if those demons reside in you, you cannot heal.  It is akin to a plant rotting from the inside out.  In the end, I think I understand myself a bit more, at least for today.  Hopefully I've shed some of that rot.  

As for rice gruel, I'm no fan and am not sure why it is used.  I would prefer a fast, then back to kitchree with more beans than rice.  Maybe there is a reason, but I'm not convinced.  I'll be exploring that more for the next cleanse.   
Well, tomorrow is my last day, but I have to do it at work.  I'm cool with it.  We'll see though.  I never know what to expect each day with this process.  I have to cook crepes and pancakes for my cooking advisory.  What fun, I can't even taste them.  I hope they at least enjoy them.      

Day 5

Not so bad.  I was tired though.
Had a great nap.
Short walk.
Kitcheree for dinner was like heaven after eating rice gruel.
Can't part with the avocados, shredded coconut and pumpkin seed.
I decided to go with zucchini this time.
Can't wait to eat some oatmeal, peppermint tea and something more solid.
I got to dig into the old hard drive and check out some of the old productions.  That was fun.  Still not sure I can find my way back into that world.  The investment of time was enormous and sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time is not something I'm interested in.
It was a pretty uneventful day, which is good and I think should be the case on a day where I have to expel everything from my system.    

I found a great restorative sequence put out by Scott Blossom.  It really helped keep focus and comfort during such an intense process.   

Day 4

Much better today, although I thought I was going to lose my breakfast after drinking the three tablespoons of Rasyana (medicated ghee).  I managed to keep it down somehow and took my daughter out for a bit.  Such a good sport.  I would have been so upset If I were her.  She's so awesome and I'm so lucky to have her in my life.

Practiced Balakrama today, and that was awesome as usual.  Karkotaka is still virtually impossible with my knee.  I'm just trying to get the flow and breath rather than going for depth.  Most of my postures are pretty funny, but I love the flow and progression.  I need to focus more on grounding into the feet and getting the return to happen in the arch of my foot.  Bud was talking about how I actually have the strength in my foot to keep the arch, but I'm just not accessing it. It amazing how a long journey can seem so miniscule when you get to the point of discovery.  You work so hard to clear the eyes, and then the real work begins.  I need to explore more on the transfer of energy in the structure of the foot.  I liked this video that I came across in an email from Leslie Kaminoff.  Something to explore in asvatastana and all of the variations.
I really need some more time with a Shadow Yoga teacher.  The past couple of workshops I've attended seemed to be dedicated to the shoulders.  There were some elusive comments on the feet, something about grounding and relaxing the sole of the foot, but I'm not really sure what that means yet.  When I relax my foot, my medial arch just collapses down into the ground, especially in poses like samapada.  Here's a great website I'll try to explore more tomorrow in my downtime.    

Easter dinner was really hard.  All of the good food, especially the deserts and treats.  That was a hard task, watching everyone eat their food, enjoying themselves while I sucked down my porridge.  

My Doctor said to push on with the cleanse and gave me some great recommendations.  I'll need them tonight, since I'll be taking the castor oil.
Fun! Fun!! Fun!!!

Just a note on Karkotaka.  This is a pose that has come out of the Shadow Yoga Preludes, specifically Balakrama.  I have seen other versions that are a bit different than the ones practiced in Shadow Yoga.  It seems to have a couple of forms and requires some serious leg strength, especially to protect the knee.  One teacher told me that Zhander Remete placed it in the Surya Namakara movement to balance out the heat produced by the upward pose.  I wish I had written that down at the time so that I could quote it better.  Writing during class is sort of frowned up in this school.  That's something I haven't encountered since my Bata days.
Karkotaka is a naga, or a serpent.  I'm not sure if this relates to the legendary Karkotaka, or just the general idea of a serpent.  I'm also not sure how the metaphor relates to cooling, except that serpents are cold blooded.  There is so much underneath each movement in these preludes.  I find it very exciting.  But it also makes me think about how much has been lost in the asanas over the years.  Aside from how the posture stretches and strengthens us, do we even know what we are doing with asana?  

Day 3

Ouch, my body is sore and tired.  I practiced some Qi Gong today from a DVD I bought from Matt Pesendian when he gave a workshop on Balakrama up in Boston.  I highly recommend the DVD as a compliment to Yoga practice, or even if one does not practice yoga. The forms are incredibly beautiful and help one to both reset, build internal energy and support the immune system.  He advocate building bone strength as a way of also building he immune system.  His web address is www.mattpesendian.com, where you can download or purchase the DVD for a very reasonable price.  He is also an amazing yoga teacher and I highly recommend taking a class with him if given the opportunity.   

I am really feeling the effects of yesterday's practice. Chaya Yodha Sancalanam is simple but intense.  It seems to be working deeply on the hips and the nerves traveling down the legs.  I'd say there is also a lot more bandha work than in Balakrama, especially  So, today I tried to take it easy since I knew I'd be traveling and hanging with the little one all day. 

The exhaustion though, what is the deal? The food is super protein rich and full of vitamins.  I thought maybe it was the lack of tea and carbs (syrup).  But I really think it's the Brahmi which is essentially an anti-anxiety medicine.  I feel bad for my daughter.  She's been so hi energy and in such a great mood and I'm just lost in the clouds.  I feel very selfish.  

Well, trying to get to sleep got the best of me.  My head hurt so bad I thought I was going mad.  I had to take aleve just to get to sleep.  Unfortunately that had to happen so that I could deal with family the next day.  Bummer.  Going to find out if that just ruined the cleanse.  I'm sure it definetly didn't help.  I just couldn't help it.  The pain was so bad, I couldn't think about anything else.  Life happens, and we need to choose how to respond.  I'll just keep pushing forward and see what the next day has in store.  

Day 2

Well, not much happened today.  I created a new dish, but with only a slight change.  This time I only added celery, and reduced the rice to half the amount of the mung beans.  It worked out nicely, and definitely had a lighter feel to it.  I didn't feel my lunch several hours later, and the Uddiyana's were nice and hollow.
Physically, I've noticed some things.  I've been having some intense sensations in the lower back and my left knee seems to be acting up.  Bud was pointing out hardness in my abdominal region and how that can cause pain in the lower back.  I've yet to try the messages he suggested for the stomach, the centers of my thumbs and big toes.
I think the knee hurts from doing ardha padmasana.  Such a shame.  At one point I could do these things with ease.  Ever since I tried my hand at Ashtanga, I've just been a mess.  I need to really focus on practicing Ahimsa in my practice and Ashtanga just brought out that egocentric drive that takes me out of awareness and gets me into trouble.
Bud noticed that I'm really hard on myself, which is a form of violence.  Maybe I'm the one beating myself up and that's why my body seems to injure easily recently. Well, there's also all of the aggravation I've caused myself with unhealthy habits over the years.  Habits that were instigated from outside stress.  It's pretty ridiculous to deal with stress in hurtful ways.
It took me years to let go.  I remember one day, after practicing yoga, my inner mind, yelling at me.  Stop!!! Please!!!.  Well, I took a couple more years, but I'm trying everyday.  Sometimes so much so, that I end up beating myself up again.  What a vicious cycle.    
Practiced Chaya Yodha Sancalanam today.  What a beautiful practice, and form.  I wish I had found this practice earlier, but I guess we receive things when we are ready for them.  It is hard to really embrace this practice with my injury, but the injury seems to serve as a sort of siren for when I'm pushing too hard.  I guess I really tend to let the mind drive past my body's limitations.  Here's a snippet of some Shadow Yoga as demonstrated by Emma Banalves, Zhander Remete's wife. The music was added later by the poster.

The practice has done wonders for strengthening my legs, but has also done things to my mind that I can't even begin to describe.  It is a deeply researched practice and was developed from years of practice in Yoga and other self cultivating practices and seems to really dive into the heart of Hatha Yoga.  I'll leave it there for now.  

The medicated ghee is horrible.  I don't look forward to it at all.  I wish I could drink it fast, but I fear that it will come back up.  At least I only have to take it for 4 days. Then the purge, Yay!!!

Most people just use organic ghee, but my doctor offered this medicated ghee.  I figured I'd give it a try.  It is infused with Gaduchi, Brahmi, Shatavari, Triphala and Cardamom.  I wish I could taste the Cardamom.  The other herbs are so bitter they almost give me a headache.  When I return home, I'm going to do some research on those herbs and post them in my next update.  

Looking forward to Easter with the family.  Should be interesting with this diet.      

    

Day 1

Kitcheree, Kitchari, Kitcharee, Kitchadee or Kitchree.... is a type of porridge made from a base of mung dal and basmati rice.  A kitcheree cleanse is when an individual partakes in a mono diet of kitcheree for a minimum of 7 days.  The cleanse actually requires a lot more than just eating kitcheree. Here's some more basic details from Banyan Botanicals.

In my research, before starting the cleanse, I came across some differing opinions.  As explained in a link below, Dr. Ajit claims that one should not combine the kitcheree with any vegetables, while others, most, suggest adding 1-2 cups of vegetables.  My doctor recommends going with the second opinion.  Perhaps when my system is a bit more functional, I'll give the pure rice/ mung approach a try.  I've heard this can lead to some constipation.    

Another interesting issue I've come across are the recommendation for the few recipes out there.  Most recipes include some spices that may not be so friendly to particular doshas and or imbalances.  Many recipes out there include black mustard seed and hing. Here's a common one, also found in The Ayuvedic Cookbook by Amadea Morningstar. Morningstar, on the other hand, offers other options, based in one's Dosha.  

Since I have a strong disposition toward Pitta, my doctor recommended a recipe that seems much simpler and more cooling.  While she still supports the use of hing, she recommends that I use cumin seed, fennel, coriander, fresh ginger and turmeric.  Also, she takes what I see as a more traditional approach, where the spices and ghee are not added till the end of the cooking process vs. the more common approach of adding the spices and ghee in the beginning and sauteing  the rice mung mixture a bit before adding water.  I've seen the previous approach used in many styles of Ayuvedic cooking, but I'm not if difference matters.  The blog True Ayurveda supports the first approach as the is the "traditional" way and writes about this in this post.  Is it a regional thing? I wonder.  

One other idea I'd like to mention is that most recipes call for a ratio of rice to mung where there is more rice.  Again, I wonder when this became so universal.  Here, Dr. Ajit explains that in some cases, it is better to use more mung than rice depending on your state of digestion.  While I have strong Pitta constitution, I am also heavily influenced by Vata, have elimination issues and get backed up very easily.  While it is good for me to eat cooling foods, I also need to eat foods that will move along with more ease.  Perhaps someone has some more advice for me on this issue.  

My personal long-term goal is to eat more alkaline producing foods while using supporting practices to increase digestive fire without aggravating Pitta.  Implementing Agni Sara and Udiyanna Bandha as well as various asanas have increased my digestive fire well.  You can see some videos of these practices below.       

Here's the recipe I used for the first day:

In a pot, combine:
1/2 cup of Basmati Rice and 1/2 cup of Yellow Mung Dal (pre-soaked overnight)  
1 beet and 1 cup of kale
4 cups of water
Simmer for 1 hour

Saute:
2 tbls of Ghee
1 teaspoon of Cumin seed, Coriander seed, Fennel seed, fresh Ginger and fresh Tumeric (or powder if you can't find fresh).
Add to Rice and Mund Dal. 

Then add 1tsb of Hamalyan rock salt.  I would use less next time.  (The recipe I posted from Dr. Blossom's sight uses Kombu or seaweed.  This is also recommended in Morningstar's book.)

Garnish with:
Roasted Pumpkin seed, roasted Coconut flakes.
Cilantro and ripe Avocado.

YUM!!

It definitely filled me up well but did have an effect on my regular routine.  I may try less rice tomorrow and see if that is lighter on the system.  The coconut, pumpkin seed and avocado really topped it off.  I can't wait to serve this to some friends.  

Here's the Agni Sara method I'm currently practicing: Link

Here's another video of Agni Sara I find pretty interesting and will probably try out soon.    

Here's Scott Blossom demonstrating Uddiyana Bandha in the way it is practiced during the Shadow Yoga Warm-up routine.   

 

To top the day off, I was able to receive some Marma work, otherwise called Marma Chikitsa.   I wasn't really sure what to expect nor really sure how to find a practitioner that was the real deal.  I've seen several sights that offer Marma therapy, but felt the information on many those sites was seriously lacking.  I finally came across Bud Tansey's site and felt that I would be in good hands.  While he's a young lad, I feel that he takes his work very seriously and basically lives it each and every day.  It was fascinating and has provoked me to learn more about this ancient art form.  Some say it is a sister science to Ayurveda, but I've also heard that it comes out of Siddha medicine, which is slightly different.  It is also implemented in the Kerala based martial art called Kalaripayttu.       

A lot of information came out of the session, including some personal practices and some revelations on why I seem to be struggling in certain areas.  You should check out the videos he has posted on his site.  He has some warm-ups, which are termed pavanmuktasana, which are similar in spirit to the Shadow Yoga warm-ups I do before beginning the preludes.  It was especially nice to end the session by attending a Kirtan one floor down in the Bhakti Center.