25 Apr2016
Ayurveda and Yoga Bali at One World Retreats – day 4
After the first two days and then the awesome third day of our Ayurveda and Yoga Bali retreat, the forth day started early as well.
Yoga
Breakfast
Ayurveda lesson
- pray before eating – we did also the previous day during the Ayurvedic lunch and before every lunch and dinner together. In ancient India kitchen was very sacred, no one would enter with shoes on, nor menstruating women could enter or cook as they have loads of emotions in the body so they don’t affect the food. In ashrams in India first they chant and then they cook. Ayurveda says the energy and mind of the cook get transmitted to the food.
- eat in a settled atmosphere to promote the parasympathetic nervous system functioning
- eat only when hungry
- no eating when angry or worried (then you feel gassy)
- eat at regular time (nature likes cycles)
- choose organic local food; warm freshly cooked meals
- the diet should be balanced by including all the 6 tastes – at least in 1 meal per day : sweet (fruit, also rice), sour, salty, pungent (spicy, strong taste), bitter, astringent (lentil, cucumber, mung beans)
- increase digestive fire – grated ginger with a pinch of salt (ginger digest undigested stuck food); splash cold water on face, neck and hands to stimulate AGNI
PITTA – 30% carbs, 30% protein, 30% veggies, 10% fruit
KAPHA – 30 carbs, 20% protein, 40% veggies, 10% fruit
The more spices you eat and alcohol you drink, the more angry you get, the more pitta goes up.
Fast food makes you depressed and dull.
- body type doshas
- place you come from – in desert you eat loads of oil/ghee as it’s very dry and your body needs it (e.g. Rajastan in India)
- body strength
- age
- digestive fire
- imbalance
- The concept of snacking started only 20 – 30 years ago, before it was 3 meals a day. Snacking confuses the nervous system and blocks the fat burning metabolism in the body.
- minimize ice-cold drinks and food as the slow down the digestive process
- eat the biggest meal at noon
- eat with awareness to produce emotional satisfaction (enjoy taste, smell, sound, texture, appearance)
- eat in a medium pace
- chew the food well as the digestion starts in the mouth
- research suggests that stomach cancer is related to NO chewing properly
- eat 3/4 of your stomach capacity at your biggest meal = 2 cupped hands
- 1/3 should be of fluid consistency (soup, drink) and 2/3 solid
- wait until the previous meal has been digested, then eat again
- allow 3 – 6 hours between meals (unless it was fruit which takes less to digest)
- if you drink with your meals, sip a glass of warm water
- not too much drinking right before and not until 2 hours after meals
- walk 100 steps after each food
- if you have digestive problems, walk for more than 5 minutes
- raw food not in every meal (after year of being mostly on raw food diet, personally I disagree)
- you can lie on the left side for 10 minutes as most of digestive organs are on the left side so they are not disturbed (based on my research and how I feel after eating, I disagree with that)
- you should not sleep after eating
- diet depends on the body type, energy level, age and digestive capacity (pregnant, children, old people, diseases, etc.)
- cortisol is elevated in autumn (vata)
- sodium is higher in summer
- immunity is lower in rainy season
Free time and lunch
I went to the swimming pool for almost an hour but felt really hot (today the fire element seemed really appropriate!) I was so tired after not enough sleep and my skin felt itchy from all the mosquito bites.
I spotted a big black and brown bird again from the pool which I saw also during the Ayurveda lesson.
Then I took a cold shower and went for lunch. I asked to get my fruit/dessert platter before lunch as it really slows down my digestion if I eat any fruit after the main meal.
I felt way less heavy after the lunch with fruit as a starter. Refused to drink detox tea afterwards, too, as I drank it before at the swimming pool. It took me years to stop drinking with my meals so didn’t want to get into that habit again.
Shirodhara massage
First I laid down on my back and Ayu poured oil on my chest from the neck to the heart in between the boobs, and then massaged the cleavage, shoulders, neck and head. After a quick face massage focusing on acupressure points around the eyebrows, below eyes, jaws and ears, Ayu poured warm Ayurvedic oil on my sixth chakra in between the eyebrows. For some time I felt asleep, was so relaxing compared to the massage on the day before.
Shirodhara is probably the most famous Ayurvedic massage to restore the vital balance of the mind and the low pressure. Continuous oil motion enhances self-awareness and reduces insomnia. The treatment can be one of the steps to include in Panchakarma detox.
I had a Shirodhara once before in Varkala in India and this one was felt way shorter, the oil was not so warm and the eyes and ears were completely avoided. I felt more chilled out during this Shirodhara at the Kumara resort.
Ayurvedic consultation with Dr. Aparna
Restorative yoga
It was my favorite yoga class so far but the mosquitoes were killing me in the end, even though I sprayed natural repellent all over me twice. For a second I actually thought about not having to deal with mosquitoes for the next few weeks back home in Slovakia. Together with some snow, it was the only thing I was looking forward to soon going back to the cold winter weather in Slovakia.
Dinner
We had lemonade (room temperature water with lemon juice and mint) with coconut sugar (I didn’t add it) instead of dessert to prepare the body for the purge. It is used to increase the pitta before the purge. I still had it before the meal as it’s a drink.
Then we enjoyed Bali broth with raw veggies and sauteed mushrooms, and a vegetable kebab with couscous and mango chutney.
After dinner, I did the online 20th day of Chopra and Oprah meditation and went to bed just before 10 pm. Exhausted.
Check more photos from our Ayurveda and Yoga retreat in the album.
I am eternally grateful for being able to participate at one of the One World Retreats at Kumara resort, the first one about Ayurveda. Everyone there was super nice and I had an incredible time. You can also check their new resort outside of Ubud and new website Oneworldayurveda.
