One Size Doesn't Fit All

After the indulgences of the holidays, everywhere you look there are promotions for weight loss, detox, and diets. "Try this", "Drink this", "Take this" and find the new you,...it makes you feel like Alice in Wonderland with the potion that can change everything! (...mmm, drink me, one sip will make you smaller...) Yea, right, sell us a bridge and some snake oil while you're at it!
WHOA....put that magic potion down, and don't go off chasing white rabbits my friends-they really don't have the answer!  . My  physical makeup is not your physical makeup, bottom line or we would all be walking around looking like clones-what works for you may not work for me. If anyone tells you a general blanket for holiday detox, step away and go back out of the rabbit hole. As an Ayurvedic Practitioner,  we are taught that each individuals makeup is uniquely different, and we make recommendations and treat each individual to find the best path for them . Ayurveda basically  means "life philosophy". Using this system coupled with yoga brings us to a path for optimum wellness, which would be the ultimate goal. No brainer- who doesn't want to sign up for that?  The three humors ... or laughingly ."hey, what's your dosha baby"..... make up everything-Vata is the element of air and ether, Pitta is the element of fire and water, and Kapha is the element of earth and water .Each has a physically different form. Vata types are light, lean, somewhat erratic,  and have a more delicate constitution, Pitta is a go getter, prone to more temper, and pushes themselves, while Kapha is more solid, heavier, and "laid back". Different people, and different seasons-Vata is primarily autumn; changeable, drying, a windy and cool. Pitta is summer, the fire of the sun, warm and oily. Kapha is winter into early spring, wet, muddy,  lethargic at times. What works for a Vata person is going to have a different effect on a Kapha. A Vata person doing Vata things( like eating cold uncooked food and over exercising) in the fall is going become out of balance. Doing things that aggravate Kapha  ( sitting on the couch and eating cold phlegm increasing ice cream before bed ! )in the winter is going to slow down a Kapha. Like increases like, opposites cure, and there are subtle and numerous layers and applications.  Seasonal change effects each in a certain way, and diet and self care  needs to change accordingly. By finding your own unique makeup, you can find the program that fits YOU, not everyone around you,  and  bring you into a perfect state of balance. By  utilizing the science of Ayurveda, you can find the path for you...... one size most certainly doesn't fit all! 

Expect the Unexpected

Expectations. We all have them, we expect things to happen the way WE expect them to. Period.  Society has expectations, we have them for others, we have them for ourselves. But when that doesn't occur, we get the big let down, whether we let ourselves, someone else down or fall short of others expectation. Then BAM, we are questioning why  and beating ourselves up, becoming perhaps depressed, or closing ourselves off from others to hide those feelings. of inadequacy.  At this time of year, more than any other there is a myriad of expectation, and it brings stuff up in us. Especially if you see what the media portrays to us....(psst, I will tell you a secret-no I didn't get the Lexus with the big red bow under my Christmas tree, either!)
We can change our perspective, turn away from what is presented- an illusion, or "maya" from the yogic standpoint.  It clouds our judgement and makes us seek what is not real, perhaps just to meet the bar .Try to  remember all that glitters is not gold. When you let go of expectation, and just allow yourself to be open to a sense of gratitude for every moment life takes on a new meaning.
So many right now are struggling, we have had weather extremes that have wrought havoc, tragedies where precious lives have been lost, we need to see that each day is to be savored, not expected. By expecting the unexpected it can bring us to seeing every moment as a precious gift. Getting out on a brisk morning and really seeing the beauty of a sun rise, being in the moment with someone you care for, truly just breathing fully....these are the things that  and actually listening, keep us in the moment and can bring us gratitude and true joy- it opens the heart. Don't go to the place of inadequacy, know that everything you need to expect of yourself is contained right there, within you, by being open to the unexpected joys of life.

Falling leaves

Here on the east coast, autumn is beginning to show her lovely face. She brings with her change. Children go back to school, the cooler mornings bring changing wardrobe needs.....hmm, when do we give up the flip flops? Pumpkin flavored everything is beginning to show up, and that extra blanket at night feels oh so snuggly. I was enjoying my snuggly blanket yesterday morning, not planning on moving, relaxing and studying on my couch when i got a message from a friend, they weren't well and could I cover their class. Damn. Ok. Change in plans, acceptance....Fifteen minutes later I was on the way out my door, no idea what my bhavana, or for those of you unfamiliar with "yoga speak", my intention for class was going to be. Looked down, and there was a brilliant scarlet leaf with yellow veins running through it at my feet. Ahhh, thank you universe.... for the grace of planting the seed of an idea. Made it on time, and shared the experience of a lovely class with a lovely group. Beautiful day out, and decided to go with the wind  sincethe plans for the day changed and let it take me for one last hurrah and drove myself down to the beach.  Catch some sun and study  the copius amount of material I have for homework.( I am back in school once again to become an Ayurvedic practitioner, and yes, there is ALOT!) On the way, noticed so many little groups of leaves changing, beautiful scarlet is the predominent color, signs of the change to come. The beach was lovely, much less crowded. The water was different, much bluer, and the waves were large. Alot of surfers enjoying the sets that rolled in one after another.Walking down the beach and really enjoying the sun, sand, and sky, I hear my name and start....( I am very good at getting lost in myself!) it was said friend!  Funny how things go if we just  allow ourselves to take change, whether big or small, at face value ...accept it, meet it with grace, and let things flow seemlessly.

Light the Candle

Yesterday I was watching a candle flickering warmly in my new space and just enjoying how simple but beautiful it was. Warming, illuminating. The glow of the flame lighting up it's surroundings.  It got me thinking. That candle is inside us- we all have the capability to light up the area around us. But, first we have to light the match; there needs to be the spark that lights that flame of illumination. It involves opening ourselves up and sharing our light with others. For some of us that comes easy, for some not so easy. We were taught after all, to be safe-"don't play with fire or you'll get burned."  It can be scary, make you vulnerable, doubt yourself. But really it's that burning  flame that purifies, it brings a lightness to us that comes from seeing ourselves as we are and sharing ourselves with others. Reflecting. We are living in a strange time....there is so much darkness out there in the world, but so much potential for light. If we take that chance, if we use that light to let ourselves shine and then light other "candles" from our own, the world is going to continue to grow in brightness and the shadows will  fade away. We have the choice to stay in darkness, or we can light the match and let our candles glow. Lighting the way for others. Alone we are bright, but when we all shine together ........we become brilliant.

                                                                     
                                                                  

To Hades & Back

I have just returned from a life changing and eye opening experience traveling with Bridge of Diamonds to bring yoga based stress relief to children. Haiti....the impressions are still very clear-in my mind, heart, and senses. Traveling from Philadelphia to Miami and then to Port au Prince. The contrast is sharp, almost surreal. Third world country. The heat. The noise. The chaos of baggage claim, yelling, jostling, pushing, sheer pandemonium .One of the church group I met there compared it to when she was in Africa. As you leave the building faces of vendors press against "security" fencing attempting to make a buck hawking their wares. Horns beeping, UN Peacekeepers with assault rifles very present. There are buses, "tap-taps"-brightly colored small trucks that carry way more people than they can hold safely, and cars going in every direction. There is a scent-smoke, diesel, excrement, and a dust that pervades your very being, with an underlying floral. Traveling to my encampment hosted by Partners in Development, the roads are rocky craters with enormous puddles. I worry about mosquito borne disease.  People are everywhere, there is graffiti,  trash, razor wire, and rubble at every turn. Goats, chickens, and malnourished dogs  cross our path as they graze through the trash. Yet amid all this, as our bus....some holes in the floor, tempermental, door that ties shut...bus.... drives by,  and the people wave, smile, chasing us saying .."hey you!" We arrive. There is a clinnic on site, we unload suitcase upon suitcase of donations and supplies and prepare for the morning. People line up early to get into the clinic, but not all will be seen. There is alot of hypertension and diabetes. There are babies that are nine months old and weigh nine odd pounds and their parents turn here for help. They become part of what is called "Medica Mamba".The construction team goes to their site to construct a home for a lucky family. The day starts for the yoga team as well, as the children roll in and we teach on tarps and dirty mats under a corrugated roof in the courtyard. The children are very appreciative all week long...a hug, a smile, a bead give them joy. Their clothing a mix of hand me down fancy dresses to hand me downs with holes in them that reveal no underwear.  Many seem to have respiratory issues, and they are very thin. They are  hungry, and beads, plastic bags and paper are observed in mouths.  We feed them when they come-"spagetti," (Creole version) with a hotdog and an onion round. We see them sneaking a spoonful at a time out side the perimeters to their friends who were not fortunate enough to come. There are just too many. They receive a cup of "ji"-juice which is extremely sweet. They ask for water, which there is none, and it is extremely hot. We practice yoga, read a story, make some art. They leave, and we see more. We take excursions to visit orphanages, and it it intense, yet the children seem glad- we leave them with a Beanie baby, goody bag, and treat. They lick wrappers and smile. The director and I talk and he says he cannot give them much, but he can give them an education....we agree that children are the future of Haiti. I feel immensely sad that I can't do more. At a church service I smile at a mother holding a baby boy, she smiles back and hands him to me-me, "blanc" stranger. I hold and rock him and he falls asleep for the whole service. These are beautiful people, with much faith, and they deserve better.  To Hades and back.....I am looking foward to my return.

visit my website and muse further...www.morgansmuse.com

The Perfect Storm

The thermometer in my car today read 107 F! I happen to have no air conditioning at the moment in my vehicle -my view point is that this is "boot camp" or "tapas" (austerity) for my upcoming Seva to Haiti; (or what doesn't kill you certainly makes you stronger..) It is feeling like a pressure cooker out there, and not just on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. Everywhere you look temperatures are at extremes. A friend informed me that there were warnings for 122 F in Cyprus. The middle and entire south of the country is in a critical drought situation,  hundred of counties are being declared a disaster area in terms of agriculture, and there are wildfires abounding. Living where I am in the proverbial garden state, I notice that the reknowed "jersey corn" of legend is no  where near the height it should be....and the bases of stalks are brown. This corn crop failure is country wide, and we have set ourselves up for the perfect austerity storm....other than oil, we are a corn based economy, ugh oh Charlie Brown. If you read Michael Pollen's brilliant book "The Omnivore's Dilemma" it breaks down our food chain and gets into how this corn reliance happened...read the book, no trailer here, but you will thank me! But to make a long story short, our scenario is thus...

manmade global warming =
more extreme weather =
drought/flood conditions =
crop failure =
Austerity!

You see, corn is everywhere, it is the sweetener most used (high fructose corn syrup) it is hidden in names like monodiglycerides (yes corn is even in most brands of ice cream!) Factory farm livestock are fed corn (not the natural diet, just used to add pounds and make $)  and yes, it is in our gas; so now....if there is a short supply , demand is ever present, and, yes you guessed it my friend in our consumer based economy, prices go up. Resulting in....austerity.
We need to see the writing on the wall. Perhaps this summer of extremes will open our eyes to creating ways to discipline our selves, and through sacrificing our convenience, lighten the load that we have placed on the Earth. Get involved, explore permaculture, see where you can change things up for yourself, your community. Heat has a way of purifying, so that new growth can take place. Use this time we are experiencing to see where you can purify the way you consume, act, and live. We are all interconnected, and we can ride through the storm, or sink the ship...I prefer to sail.

Home is Where the Heart Is

Home....there are many varied definitions. A place to hang your hat; a place to take shelter,; a roof over your head; a place to come back to. On and on.
I am about to embark on a journey away from "home" here on the east coast of the good old USA. I am going to Haiti in August. I am raising funds to get there for a service trip through a group called Bridge of Diamonds...(more on this at the end of this posting!) HUGE undertaking! I will be doing Karma yoga there, working with children to bring them  art and yoga based stress relief, and perhaps, bringing them home to a peaceful pace in their hearts.
People have had varied reactions to my imminent journey....everything from "are you crackers?" "why would you travel so far from home, to that place?", some have no reaction, and some say "wow, that is amazing." The truth lies in all these statements. Yes, undertaking this on at 53 may be a little crackers. And it is a lot. Amazing, though, to be fortunate enough to have this opportunity to have the chance to make a difference to children that truly need it. And yes, physically I will be going into a place that is the total opposite of what is considered home- leaving the dwelling that gives me shelter and its comforts and going into the unknown. But the reality is that, no matter what challenges are awaiting me, wherever I travel, here or abroad, that I am home; home within my heart. I am excited to be taking this journey and will be writing about it and documenting with pictures.

I need help to get there. I have to raise funds to cover the trip. Right now I am almost halfway, and the clock is ticking. If you are interested, go to     
www.yogakids.com/bod/haiti2
look at the faces, read the stories, and then if you are so moved, please click on donation, and list me...Maureen Heil, as the person you wish to sponsor. Any help you, reader, can give is deeply appreciated .....thank you!