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Purification brings clarity, happiness,
concentration, mastery of the senses,
and the
capacity for self-awareness. The Yoga
Sutras, 2:41
Testimonials
SPRING, 2010
Friday, April 23th: Introductory Lecture,
6-9pm. Open and free to the public.
Registrants receive their manuals.
Saturday, April 24th: Instructional Lectures:
8am-11am, 1-3pm (cooking class); 4-6pm
Saturday, May 1st: Cleansing Check-In
class, 4-7pm
Saturday, May 8th: Varisar Dhauti kriya,
5am-12pm
(Attendance at all sessions is mandatory.
Registration will be limited to 8 participants.)
TUITION
1-hour personal cleansing
consultation, 20 contact hours, e-mail/phone support, one
cooking/class dinner, many cups of tea,
1 shiatsu session, instruction manual, $150 worth of Ayurvedic
supplies (many of which you’ll be able to use as
part of your daily regime post-cleansing):
$550 + gst
Click here to register online. Once
your registration is received (before 4/1/09 if
possible), Matthew will be in touch to begin the
consultation process.
.
Testimonials
INTRODUCTION
Yogic cleansing,
related to Shat Karma in the Yogic
tradition, and Pancha Karma in the
Ayurvedic lineage, is a series of external and
internal cleansings that clear the body of
digestive and environmental toxins down to the
cellular level. These practices have a
4000-year history of re-balancing the human
constitution by clearing the body's material
layers (both physical and pranic) of allergens
and energetic torpor. The benefits of
yogic cleansing extend through to one's
emotional well-being and spiritual aspirations.
At
dedicated retreat centres, these practices are
administered by clinicians, supervised by
Doctors, follow pre-set timing, and cost
thousands of dollars. At Renaissance Yoga
and Ayurveda, we teach Yogic Cleansing according
to the householders tradition of Northern India,
in which the therapies are supervised, but
self-administered, so that one learns how to use
these practices appropriately throughout one's
life, according to need and schedule.
Our Yogic Cleansing Programme runs twice yearly:
spring and fall, according to the Ayurvedic perspective on seasonal treatment.
It begins with instructional lectures. The
first is open to the public, and consists of an
overview of Ayurvedic theory and practice.
The subsequent lectures, cooking class, and
check-in class are limited to registered participants,
and will consist of the instructions for the
cleansing itself and will address questions that
arise during the process. After two weeks
of preparation, we meet for the main purgative
kriya. The final week of
the program is self-administered, with your
therapist providing phone and e-mail support.
For more specific details on the practices,
please visit the "Yogic Cleansing" screen
through the Services menu of our
home
page.
Every student who is interested in this
programme will have a brief consultation
in person with the Yoga Therapist to assure that the
process, or a part thereof, is not
contraindicated.
For instance, these practices are never to be
done while suffering from acute illnesses
lasting less than 21 days. Most are
contraindicated if intestinal parasites are
present and during pregnancy, and are best
avoided during the first 3 days of
menstruation. In the case of breastfeeding,
special consideration is required. A
certain amount of strength and stamina is
required.
Please be aware that your participation in this
programme is by strict permission of the Yoga
Therapist, who may delay or end your participation at
any time (for a full credit of unused services,
less materials), should any contraindication
arise.
Once registered and enrolled, each student will
receive over $150 worth of materials:
-
a general constitutional assessment
-
a neti pot, and nasal oil ("nasya")
-
a tongue cleaner
-
medicated ghee (clarified butter) for internal
oleation
-
organic ghee for cooking
-
digestive herbs
-
herbalized oil for self-massage
-
staple groceries for the cleansing days
-
an instruction manual
-
a kit for colon
treatment, including herbs
-
phone and e-mail support when needed
-
20 supervised contact
hours
-
personal advice according to constitution
-
post-cleansing meal preparation
-
follow-up nutritional guidance
DOWNLOAD OUR CONSTITUTIONAL ASSESSMENT
QUESTIONNAIRE HERE.
NOTE: The appropriateness of this program for
you depends upon your general health, medical
history, disease tendencies, emotional balance
and Ayurvedic constitution. You are expected to
study yourself in detail and assess your
findings in relation to the given instructions
to determine if this program or any of its parts
are unsuitable for you. Your Yoga Therapist and
Ayurvedic Health Educator will assess your
various attributes and give advice and/or
recommendations based upon the tradition, but
the responsibility for what you choose to do,
the effort you apply, and the results of this
process, are your own. In this way, you can
become, over time, your own physician – an
expert in the mystery of you. If you have any
questions about whether this programme might be
appropriate for you, please submit them through
our
inquiry form.
CLEANSING TECHNIQUES TO BE PRACTICED
1.
Jala neti:
nasal/sinus irrigation (three types)
2.
Nasya: nasal
oleation to purify/pacify breathing
3.
Trataka:
purification of the senses through candleflame
4.
Kapalabhati
pranayama: pranayama for purification of kapha
5.
Agnisar
dhauti: pranayama for regulation of pitta
6.
Ashwini
mudra: pranayama for pacification of vata
7.
Nadi
shodhana: pranayama for cleansing ida and
pingala
8.
Tongue
cleaning
9.
Abhyanga:
self-massage with herbal oil
10.
Swedhana:
sweating therapy as appropriate to dosha
11.
Tantric
sleep meditation
12.
Usage of
digestive herbs with meals
13.
Usage of
triphala
15.
Varisar
dhauti: purgative therapy, technique and
indications
16.
Basti: colon
therapy, technique and indications
17.
Anuvasana
basti: colon nutrition, technique and
indications
PROGRAMME GOALS
·
A thorough
understanding of the purpose, reasoning,
timing, and technique of all of the cleansing
practices listed above.
·
Heightened
sense of self-awareness, especially with
regard to diet, and the causes of digestive
disturbance.
·
An
introduction to Ayurvedic cooking: applying
the six tastes, and cooking for your
constitution.
·
Three
weeks of directed contemplation, considering
all levels of your life: food, mental
impressions, relationships, career,
interaction with modern culture, self-inquiry.
·
A period
of adjustment to the cleansing diet which will
reveal to you whatever vulnerabilities lie
beneath your regular habits.
·
The
ability to sense the presence of toxins and
their movement as you encourage them to
depart.
·
Concrete
evidence of your ama-load, as shown
during the main kriyas.
·
Encouragement to take a fearless inventory of
your regrets, grievances, causes for
depression, so that all such obstacles may be
brought to light.
·
The
matter-of-fact psychology of Ayurveda, which
de-mystifies emotional conflict by showing
that it mirrors physical conflict, and by
showing how closely the mind rides upon the
body.
·
At the end
of the process: physical lightness, mental
ease.
·
The
gradual ameliorization of allergies, food
sensitivities, malabsorption, chronic muscle
soreness, edema, skin conditions, poor sleep,
low vitality, excess weight, emotional drama,
and unruly cravings. Improvements can happen
immediately, but most chronic conditions will
need 3 or 4 applications of yogic cleansing to
clear.
·
The
ability to self-apply all techniques safely,
according to season, symptomology, and need.
To give a general idea of
what this process asks of participants, we
present the following excerpt from the
instruction manual:
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
This program can make a significant improvement
to your quality of life by expanding your
understanding of how to harmonize yourself to
your world and to your higher purposes. Such
potential is most effectively activated through
your own effort. The more you put into this
experience, the more it will offer you. In this
spirit, the following items of discipline are
suggested:
-
Set aside at least one hour per day to devote
to this program, between prescribed practices
and journaling. On some days this commitment
will extend to 2 hours.
-
Refrain from alcohol, tobacco, etc. throughout
the course of therapy.
-
To the best of your ability, migrate towards a
simple vegetarian diet, with a focus on fresh,
whole foods prepared with love.
-
If you do not do so already, buy organic foods
that are locally produced.
-
To the best of your ability, reduce your
consumption of caffeine and refined sugars.
But let moderation be your guide. Do not try
to change long-term patterns too quickly.
Abide by the precept: Garbage In = Garbage
Out.
-
Plan your shopping, meals, and work weeks
around the two absolute time commitments: 6 to
8am on day 8, and 6 to 11am on day 15.
-
In order to reduce your intake of negative
mental impressions, refrain from watching
television or movies during the period of the
cleanse. Restrict your intake of news media
to the absolutely necessary, i.e., weather
etc.
-
Follow as best you can the ethical principles
presented in the instruction.
-
Avoid or pacify those relationships in your
life that involve chronic conflict.
-
Be adamant about receiving adequate rest at
night.
-
Do not work more than 8 hours per day, and try
to work less. Consider yourself to be on
retreat.
It
is important to remember that ama may have
physical bases but its effects are often mental,
and even spiritual. As it becomes dislodged
from your tissues and migrates towards its
elimination, you will be prone to heightened
emotionality and general sensitivity to your
environment and others.
You may consider the above
guidelines as a kind of happy armor against the
ups and downs of cleansing. As they protect
you, they increase your moment-by-moment
awareness of how you are living by drawing your
attention inwards.
TESTIMONIALS
What was most rewarding
about the programme? The absolute go ahead to be
completely quiet, to go ‘inward’. Not having to
take in any media or chatter (mine or others) or
outer chaos. To really give myself the gift of
being quiet and observing. And then going out
into the world in that frame of mind and state.
It was refreshing to see the world
differently... -- Vita Rafaela Marguin
The great thing about
the Yogic Cleanse is now that I have the booklet
I can do it alone wherever I happen to be
living. Last year Matthew was close by during
the whole cleanse but this year I live thousands
of miles away. So being able to do this for
myself is very liberating and beautiful.
Being on the Yogic Cleanse for the 2nd time
around was a great gift to myself. Like the
first time, I had clear eyes, radiant skin,
lustrous hair and a groundedness that - as a
Vata - was profound and empowering to feel.
The daily rituals from the nasti to abayanga are
so very nurturing and nourishing on many levels.
Taking time out from mainstream life, not
listening to radio,media or any music other than
classical was deeply rewarding. It gave me the
space to feel who I am and what is important to
me.
I felt positively pure on this cleanse, in the
true Sattvic sense of the word - not in a lofty
way. All manner of things became clear to me,
from my daily interactions with people to my
time alone.
Looking at - and being in - Nature was an
absolute bliss.
The yogic cleanse cultivates a reverence towards
food and one's body in a gentle and mothering
way. It's such a gift!
If I were to sum up my experience of the
benefits of the Yogic Cleanse with a quote, this
Moshe Feldenkrais quip isn't far off: " Health
is the capacity to accept all circumstances with
a smile, change difficulties into opportunities
and turn enemies into friends."
I'm so very grateful to Renaissance for
introducing the Yogic Cleanse into my life.
-- Vita Rafaela Marguin
(after the 2nd time through the process, this
time on her own...)
I feel like I truly
have a template to live the rest of my life.
I feel amazing and happy and -- this is the
biggest thing -- peaceful.
Those three weeks of
lying low and watching the world go by taught me
the most incredible thing -- I want to
live a peaceful life.
--
Suzanne Steel
21 dedicated days to
cleanliness have been awesome. I intend to
continue “keeping it clean” for this entire
lifetime with no fanciful ideas of where I will
end up.... Pranayama and neti pot have
effortlessly been welded into my day; eating
with reverence and patience are now very
possible. I look forward to a weekly warm bath
followed by snehana and a morning of swedana.
Slowing down enough to get deep sleep is
happening gradually; my dreams to write, draw,
and teach happily, feel promising. --
Robbie Gueli
Most Rewarding Aspect: To become more
aware of my thoughts,feelings and habits that
had become obstacles in my everyday way of life.
To understand that I am responsible for myself
and how I deal with external influences. I
now am more aware of the subtle rhythms of
nature, emotions are being flushed out, the body
and mind feels relaxed and yet energized.
What surprised me the most about myself?
Being aware now that fear and doubt are always
there and how self judgment was a continuous
pattern... I had to come to terms with the
knowledge; I created my own suffering and
letting it affect me over the years.
The practices that will become part of my
regular life are:
- Morning cleansing routine.
- Daily Nasya.
- Pranayamas and meditation to calm the
nervous system.
- Abhyanga, very comforting.
- Taking note of the 6 tastes of food,
arousing agni and not eating until I am
hungry.
- Triphala and ghee.
- Weekly sesame basti.
-- Frances Mahoney
The most challenging thing for me was
learning to eat slowly and in awareness. At
first, it his brought up so many issues and
emotions for me, it was almost impossible. But I
discovered that it is not so much what to eat,
but how, and perhaps when, that has caused me so
many indigestion problems. I am still
struggling with changing some of my eating
patterns, but I do want to keep what I have
learned from Ayurveda -- such as eating the
largest meal at lunch time, being careful about
food combining, etc. I love doing jala neti, and
the morning sadhana practise, and I plan to keep
this routine. Also, I plan to keep taking
digestive herbs. I was very happy with the
program overall. I found it fascinating,
informative and comprehensive; and I especially
appreciated your caring and supportive manner. I
always felt in good hands! -- Anonymous
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