Ayurveda, Chanting, and My Grandmother

I’m finally getting a chance to put thoughts to paper after our wonderful Dawn Ranch Retreat a couple of weeks ago.  I didn’t realize how much I needed this; THIS being everything that the retreat had to offer.

We had the most special group of 19 women, a magical setting, wonderful hosts (I cannot rave enough about Dawn Ranch and their hospitality), perfect weather, and did I mention the scrumptious food?  OMG, the food was so good!  We all agreed that we didn’t know how we were going to go home and be expected to cook!

Our local retreats always have a theme and workshop component, while our distance retreats are all about immersing yourself in the wonderfulness of the city/area you’re in. I started planning this retreat a year ago (time flies!) and the theme was spot on: Phoenix Rising: A Kali Inspired Retreat.  Which is kind of like saying the same thing twice since Phoenix Rising is about burning sh!t down and rising from the ashes anew, and Kali is—as I like to say—destroying that which doesn’t serve you to make space for the new.  Mollie, who hosts our retreat workshops, brought in self-compassion, and specifically fierce self-compassion.  This resonated with all of us!

At retreats, I like to challenge myself to do something that is out of my comfort zone. At Dawn Ranch I decided to bring in chanting during meditations.  I usually don’t chant because I have been told by my husband that I cannot hold a tune.  When I sing he asks me if I can hear myself.  And as I always reply, “yes, I can hear myself and, in my head, I sound PERFECT.”  When I shared this with the group we all started laughing and everyone agreed that we ALL need to have this kind of confidence 😊

The chant we practiced was super simple, “Om Krim Kali” which is an invocation of Kali to bring about protection and strength.  Why is chanting part of the yoga+Ayurveda tradition?  Because, as Western medicine has recently learned (they’re always centuries late to the game), chanting or humming activates the vagal nerve and helps to tone it.  The vagal nerve is the highway that connects the gut and the brain. If youhaven't gathered, this is a VERY important connection.

During the retreat, I shared a story of my paternal grandmother who lived with us.  She would wake up at dawn and chant her prayers from the Guru Granth Sahib (our holy book).  This is Ayurveda in practice.  No fancy things, just waking up with the sun for your circadian rhythm, chanting for your health, meditating for peace.  I will share more about Ayurveda and the Indian culture in another post, but I just want to say how grateful I am to my yoga practice for showing me the wisdom of my culture. And how grateful I am to the Blue Door community for always filling my cup!

Xx

Jesi