New Chapter

Hey sweet beans!

I’ve been struggling to decide what to blog about recently. I want to be open & authentic with all of you about all the exciting things on my horizon. I also don’t want to come across as narcissistic or showing off. I suppose I have some of my own hang ups about the difference between being proud of oneself & bragging.

Nonetheless, I have resolved that sharing with all of you is just another step in recovering my relationship with pride, ego, & fear, as well as furthering my ability to cultivate love for my own path.

With all of that being said, let me share some really neat news with you - I am in school for Ayurveda!

“What is Ayurveda,” you may be asking.

What a great question! Let me tell you!

Ayurveda means, “knowledge of life,” (AYUR - life, VEDA - knowledge; science). It is one of the oldest forms of medicine in the world dating back over 5,000 years. This form of medicine is holistic in nature using food, herbs, daily routine, yoga, meditation, & more to heal the mind, body & spirit. It invites us to observe & heal all of the harmful practices, routines, & choices we make to bring ourselves out of balance so that we may find optimal health.

I’ve never been a fan of history, so let’s skip to something that I think resonates on a much deeper level. Let me tell you a story. An epic story called, Samudra Manthan, or “The Churning of the Ocean of Milk.”

Lord Indra, god of the heavens, was riding his elephant, Airvata, & came across the Sage Durvasa. Durvasa offered a garland to Lord Indra, which Lord Indra accepted & placed on the trunk of Airvata as not to seem too egoistic. The giant, white elephant threw the garland on the ground & trampled it (some say the smell of the flowers attracted bees which aggravated Airvata). The Sage Durvasa was outraged & felt spurned by Lord Indra, so he cursed all the devas (demigods) to lose all of their strength, fortunes, energies, & powers.

When the Devas lost all of their power, the asuras (demons) took over the universe bringing with them chaos & suffering.

The devas went to Lord Vishnu, the protector of the universe, for help & guidance. Lord Vishnu told the devas the only way to restore what they had lost was to churn the milky ocean because at the bottom of this ocean was an amrta containing the elixir of life.

The devas quickly realized they could not churn the ocean alone. So, they formed an alliance with the asuras promising they would share in the nectar from the amrta (so sneaky).

But how exactly does one churn an ocean? Well, obviously you use a mountain! Vasuki, the serpent king, wrapped around the base of Mount Mandara. The devas grabbed his tail, the asuras grabbed his head & they began to churn the ocean.

Of course, it wasn’t that simple. When they began to churn, the mountain started to sink into the ocean. Lord Vishnu took the form of Kurma, a turtle, & they placed the mountain on his back & began to churn again.

As they churned the ocean of milk, many things emerged from the water - gems, herbs, chandra (the moon). Halahala emerged from the ocean, a poison that could destroy all of creation, which Shiva consumed to protect the three worlds.

Finally, Lord Dhanvatari, physician of the gods & universe, emerged from the ocean with the amrta, the nectar of immortality. The asuras grabbed for the nectar first & a fight broke out between the asuras & the devas. Lord Vishnu took the form of Mohini, a beautiful & enchanting woman, distracted the asuras & told them she would distribute the nectar to everyone. Mohini began with the devas. Just as she finished serving them & was to start giving the asuras their drops of elixir, she disappeared. The devas, who had received the immortal nectar & regained their power swiftly defeated the asuras.

This story has so much symbolism, & can teach us so much about our own path, our own struggles. So, join me next week as dive into the symbolism of this incredible, epic tale!

Thank you endlessly for this platform, & for the opportunity to share my love for yoga, Ayurveda, & my path to optimal health. It is truly an honor & a blessing.

xx