For me, the things that can throw me off balance are fresh-baked cookies, a glass of wine, or late night dinner to celebrate with a friend. Most of these small indulgences are no big deal when they are occasional, let’s say – once per month. It is when we begin to use the wine or cookie as an escape, having it weekly or even daily, that it can develop into a new bad habit which can be hard to shake.

How Indulgences Becomes Sticky Goo

When our habits don’t support our true nature and go against the rhythms that support our being, we accumulate Ama. Ama is the sticky, gooey sludge that is leftover from anything undigested – be it too much food or too much sun. You might equate Ama to the concept of metabolic waste in modern science. Ama takes hold in our fatty tissue and our joint spaces, which is why you may find yourself with an extra 10 lbs after a sluggish winter, or with painful joints after an overactive summer.

What do you do when you notice your over-indulgences emerging too often? What do you do when you realize those ama-building bad habits are beginning to produce the symptoms of disease?

Try Seasonal Cleanses

Try seasonal cleanses! Seasonal cleansing is an old tried-and-true practice in Ayurveda. From an ancient tradition to a popular modern day practice, Ayurveda recommends cleansing protocols on a biannual basis to clear the body’s channels, strengthen digestion, clear Ama and break negative habits and their effect on the body. When we cleanse, we tap into our true and natural rhythms.

Align with Ayurvedic Rhythms

When we think of the word “rhythm” in the Ayurvedic and yogic sense, we are thinking of the natural cycles that are present in nature and how our daily habits either support those natural rhythms or go against them. Think of seasonal rhythms, such as winter snow that blankets the environment and lends its inherent qualities (cold, insular, quiet) to the hibernation of plants and animals. During this seasonal rhythm we, too, are meant to retreat, sleep longer, and nourish our body with warm food. Daily rhythms in nature can be observed by watching the sun rise and set. When the noonday sun rises highest in the sky, it aligns with our body’s bile production, which also reaches its peak at noon. When we protest these rhythms by keeping too busy in winter, or by eating our largest meal when the moon is up instead of the sun, we create dis-ease.

In reality, our body desires to keep us aligned with nature, in sync with both daily and seasonal rhythm, and in pure health. Seasonal cleanses gives you the opportunity to slow down enough to sense your own pace, your own rhythm. It gives your body and your digestion the space to rest, where it is able to resolve the residual effects of those negative habits by processing the Ama collected from your fat, your joints, and your mind.

Cleansing is the ultimate renewal. Just as you feel the urge to “spring clean” your home or to rake the decaying leaves of fall, you may feel an urge to clean your internal space. While any cleanse protocol requires some discipline, the qualities of spring and fall naturally support what is required of the body during a cleanse.

The Vata Season

Think of nature in autumn. The leaves begin to change color, dry out and fall away. The breeze becomes friendly. There is an ethereal state to autumn mornings and evenings, as crisp, cool air takes the place of summer humidity. The food we find in season during this time, squash, apples, and root vegetables, have a naturally sweet taste. Fall is Vata season in Ayurveda, a naturally light and dry time of year. Tapping into the impulse to lighten the body, one may follow any number of dietary cleanses, paying special attention to fresh juices, the abundance of weeds available in fall for salads, and the various root vegetables for balancing the constipating effects of Vata on the body. Following the same impulse, one may want to release and cancel all activities that aren’t absolutely necessary. When there’s less to do, the fall seasonal cleanses time will be sweet, sweet with rhythm, relaxation and release. In this way we support the needs of the body to slow down, not only for this season but for the duration of our fall cleansing cycle.

The Kapha Season

In the Spring, we find nature supports us in choosing different cleansing foods and activities. The spring is Kapha season in Ayurveda, a time known for its damp and cohesive nature. The wonderful effect of this time is that young, new plants provide themselves for our nourishment. Greens and sprouts are abundant, which dry any accumulation of mucus in our body. Weeds, too, are sprouting with young, succulent leaves. Those new to using weeds in their diet may find the natural sweetness of weeds at this stage to be an enjoyable addition to their dietary repertoire. Cleansing in the Spring eliminates many seasonal allergies, especially if we eat locally and seasonally.

The earthen, physical nature of Kapha time allows us to tolerate more vigorous exercise, burning through the accumulation of cold from the winter. We may choose cleansing protocols that are high in warming spices, greens and pungent foods. We may choose exercise that allows us to sweat, or take dry sauna baths to further balance the moist, phlegm producing nature of excessive Kapha in our system.

Listen to Your Body

What exactly are we supposed to do to cleanse? Allow me to dispel the myth that seasonal cleanses has to be hard on the body, or needs to include fasting of any type, or that it must involve complete austerity. I like to think of my seasonal detoxification (or cleansing) cycles as lovely opportunities to re-connect. We are so frequently swept up in life we forget to truly listen to our body. We begin to use the brain to make executive decision about everything. “What will I do today? What pace will I force my body to keep because of work, family, or other external commitments? What food will I put in to solve my feelings of boredom, sadness, anxiety, or joy? What music, tv, and electronic stimulation do I choose even when I’m tired?” You see, it is SO simple to develop bad habits when we are using the brain to override the needs of the body. Detoxing allows us to listen to what our body needs.

As seasons change and we feel the natural urges to lighten up, clean up and try new things, it is completely natural to also lighten up, clean up and try new things in the the body. When we do so, we fine tune the body’s listening skills. We have the chance to renew the natural intelligence and rhythm of the body and give it a chance to speak, to override the loud voice of the mind, to break bad habits and, most importantly, to heal.

Designed for You and Only You. You can design your cleanse to go as deep or as subtle as you like. The main goal of a cleanse should be to attune the body’s rhythm to that of nature, to create space for healing and to fine tune your ability to listen to your internal voice.

My top five tips for an Ayurvedic seasonal cleanses

1. Take a break from electronics. Turn down external noise by setting a defined time to go screen free. During this time you should use devices sparingly. You may find it helpful to set 15 minute periods when you can check and respond to only the most imperative communication, but otherwise let it go. Give friends and family a heads up that you will be social media free during this cycle and limit computer use to only what is necessary in your business day. Free your mind from these Vata-stimulating distractions and use the time to tap into nature, connect with family, or sit in silence.
2. Let go of excess social engagements. It is important to get quiet during cleanse, and it’s hard to do that when you are focused on meeting the needs of others or when you are stuck in loud or over-stimulating social settings. You may look ahead at your calendar and block a period of time in which you will say “no” to outside engagements. While the slower rhythm can, at first, seem unnerving, your body will soon learn to relish these seasonal periods of freedom and the quiet break to go internal.
3. Make nourishing practices like self-massage and mineral baths a priority. You may feel anxious about what to do with the new found space and time. Let your mind know that the body is in charge with practices that send the clear signal “Don’t worry, ‘mind,’ I’ve got this!” Dry brushing, silk glove, or oil self massage puts your hands in touch with your tissues. As you cleanse you will get the sense of how your tissue is changing, and perhaps more importantly, what your tissue needs. For example, if you notice your skin drying you may want to add oil to your massage or diet. And if you notice your fatty tissue dissipating, it may give you incentive to continue forward in your cleanse cycle and stay engaged with your body. Mineral baths can follow self massage as a way to let go at the end of the day and quiet the mind for deep, restful sleep, further attuning you to natural daily rhythms of wake and rest. Both practices can be part of a lovely, self-nourishing and relaxing bedtime routine.
4. Create a plan and ask for specific support. Meal plan! Include the what, how and when of the meals you will eat on your cleanse. The planning will ease your stress around the process of cleansing and stave off cravings. It is also very helpful to tell your friends and family what you will be doing and how that will affect your availability to their needs. Set expectations and give specific ways in which friends and family can help you to be successful with your cleansing process. You may wish to follow a book, a doctor’s advice, or join a detox support group. All of these things will help ensure the success of your cleanse.
5. Be easy on yourself. Even the best laid plans sometimes must change. Being an experienced seasonal detoxer, there have been times when I have planned a deep cleanse only to encounter illness or an emergency that required me to take a lighter approach. Or the opposite – when I plan to take only an electronic device detox, but end up following my body’s desire into a deep juice cleanse. All is good and all is well. Just use the opportunity to explore, be curious, slow down, and be at ease with what arises. That is what seasonal cleanses is all about.

Don’t Make Me Do it Mom!

One of the places I have faltered in this effort is by attempting to force the idea of a new habit on my family. Knowing that this approach does not work, how do I impart vibrant health on my spouse and children without driving them away? How do I plant the seeds for a legacy of thriving health in spite of their natural resistance to change? First, you must seek buy in from your spouse, then your younger children, and finally your teens. Having your family in on the journey requires patience, understanding, and critical thinking in creating a plan that works for each age and stage of development.

Getting buy in from a spouse is often a huge undertaking, especially when we are asking them to step outside of their comfort zone. Take YHC habit number one as an example: Earlier, lighter dinner. As Yoga Health Coaches we accept that eating your smallest meal at supper, and eating it well before bedtime, leads to strong digestive function and a better night’s sleep. But getting my husband to buy in to this concept was not easy in the beginning. We had to change our lifestyle from 7:30pm meat and potato, big event meals to 5:30pm soup and salad kind of eating. It meant getting our family home earlier, changing work schedules, doing weekend meal planning and preparation, and changing the foundational notion that dinner is the day’s main event.

Slow Down for Long Term Buy In

Changing our habit around dinner didn’t happen all at once. It’s been two years since we embarked on that journey. First, we both encountered resistance to trying something new. Next, we had scheduled activities that had to shift. Finally, our meal preparation had to change. My husband had to hear about the benefit, feel the benefit in himself, experience the ease it brought to our home, only then did he fully buy in.

Buy in can happen slowly, like this, or quickly. If there is an outcome we really want, we are more likely to change our behavior. In the example of Earlier, Light Dinner I was motivated by a desire to feel better in my digestion and to get deeper rest. Someone else may be motivated by weight loss. But what about my kids?

Why Mommy Why?

When children are little, we set their schedules. They need that. We put boundaries on lunch, dinner and desserts. On screen time and nap time. It’s easy. They expect you to provide structure, and they (generally) follow it. As children grow, they grow in their independence. Even my 7 year old needs a reason if something big is going to change. My kids might not have an option on what time dinner is served, but to change a habit they have to be invested in their own outcome. They have to have their own reason to buy in.

Wait For Dessert

In my example of ELD, the younger child is motivated by hunger. You can slowly move afternoon snacks later while slowly moving the dinner earlier. Soon, you can eliminate the snack and go straight to the meal. Perhaps they need a reason to wait. How about dessert? When dessert is paired with dinner it doesn’t defeat the purpose of ELD at all. “Wait a little longer to eat until dinner, and you may have dessert tonight.” Delayed gratification builds the efficacy of the reward. Win-win.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Young children (let’s say ages 2-10)  can be taught habit by example, also. One of the ways we nurture our health in my family is by drinking warm water first thing in the morning, which flushes our cells and helps induce a morning bowel movement. My daughter and I do this together every morning. We keep a thermos filled with warm water bedside, and when we wake we drink. It’s just what we do, like getting dressed and brushing teeth. She sees me do it, and does it too.

Easy Does It

One of the best ways we can care for our young ones is to not over schedule them and make sure they get plenty of rest. Sticking to one after school activity allows your child to count on consistent routine and to comply with his natural circadian rhythms. Increasing sleep time in winter by going to bed early and consolidating your child’s morning routine so that they can wake with the later rising sun. Make at least a couple of evenings per week quiet, family time. Have fun with cooking and cleaning together so that you have adequate snuggle-time. Having these stop-gaps built into your week is a great example of easeful living and will set the pace for your child to grow into a healthy, robust teenager.

Speaking of teens, what do you do if you are starting with an already depleted, high acheiving teenager or college student? How do you get their buy in?

Ouch! How did that happen?

Remember, buy in is entirely dependent on the level of pain associated with the problem and the level of reward associated with the solution. Most teenagers don’t have a great sense of body awareness – its developing during this time of life. We also know that teenagers don’t always have a lot of impulse control, and that they need guidance to connect cause with effect, especially where it comes to their health. If staying up until 2am has a greater reward (getting to hang with friends) than going to bed at 10 (getting a good night’s sleep) the teenager will generally choose the former each and every time!

Six Steps to Teen Buy In

If you can gently (not antagonistically or self-righteously) talk during the time when they are feeling the pain, you can introduce the choice-point, meaning the point at which they had a choice as to which “reward” their actions would lead to. For example, its Sunday afternoon after the sleepover, Your teen is exhausted but needs to study for an exam. They feel tired, mentally and physically drained, and now they are emotional over what lies ahead.

1. Ask your teen to identify how they feel. Refrain from putting words in their mouth or assuming.
2. Ask your teen to identify why they feel this way. Refrain from judgement. Let it be whatever they say it is.
3. Gently offer a right-now solution (here is some warm soup, after that why don’t you take a 45 minute nap before you study).
4. When your child is feeling better and has accomplished what they need, revisit the pain point that they identified.
5. Ask your child what other choices they could make, even at a slumber party, to feel better the next day.
6. Help your child to truly feel into their body when they are well rested, identify this reward with the action of getting adequate sleep.

Rinse and repeat. For every habit you would like to help your teen acquire, there has to be a trigger (something that makes them choose the habit) and an identifiable reward. Teens are naturally questioning and critical, (it is an important part of their brain development to think in this way!) so it is important to guide them through their own process of buy in in order to help them reap their rewards.

Start Small to Get Buy In

Acquiring vibrant-health is a journey. It is a long and winding road comprised of daily choices to make self-care my highest priority. Looking back on my self-care journey, I can see the times where I have faltered, and the times when I have really succeeded, discovering new routines and habits that work so fantastically that my sense of vibrancy and health skyrockets. Naturally, from those periods of success comes a deep desire to see my loved ones experience the same good feelings. If you are your family’s beacon of health, start small. Choose the one or two things that you think will have the greatest impact and begin to execute and exemplify the habit in your own actions. Choose baby steps for a plan of action that makes it so easy, they can’t say no. Use the suggestions in this blog to begin the process of buy in, and relax while your family members adjust in their own way. Envision the legacy of great health, and allow that legacy to unfold with care. Here’s to you – the Vibrant-Health Maker!

I’ve been dealing with food intolerance since I was a child, although I didn’t know at the time that my recurring Urinary Tract Infections (that started at age six) were a symptom of my gluten allergy. I was first diagnosed with gluten sensitivity in 2004.  Luckily I was living in California at the time, where the availability of fresh ethnic food meant that I didn’t have too much of an issue learning to avoid it. Next I lived in New Zealand, where they have the highest per capita rate of Celiac disease. There were gluten free goods everywhere, and their no nonsense attitude about life made it easy to assimilate to a gluten free lifestyle.

But over the years, likely from leading a hard-driving, take no prisoners, work-hard-no-rest lifestyle, my food intolerances got worse. Much worse. Paired now with Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism, I seem to develop random intolerance to foods at any given time. My symptoms show up as skin imperfections, swollen belly and joints, and a couple of pounds of inflammation on the scale. Pinpoint the culprit and I can recover in a few days. (Unless, God Forbid, I get a gluten exposure- that will flair up my Autoimmune Disease for 30 days minimum.) I now know I cannot have dairy or coconut, and with regular applied kinesiology muscle testing I can escape the offender of the week – which can vary from almonds to corn to caffeine.

The Frustration of the Vicious Cycle

If this is my story, and I am a Health Coach, you can imagine the frustration experienced by someone not as closely attuned to their body. I’ve heard these frustrations from clients who complain of random attacks with a variety of symptoms. Diarrhea, gas, bloating, neck aches, headaches, joint pain, vomiting – all related to food intolerance and often to what holistic health practitioners refer to as “leaky gut.” Leaky gut, or intestinal permeability, is a condition in which the lining of the small intestine is compromised, and large food particles, metabolic waste and bacteria leak through the intestinal wall to the bloodstream. The body interprets the excess waste (known as ama in Ayurveda) as invaders, and does what it must to protect itself. This is why, so often, we see food allergies paired with Autoimmune Disease. Once the body is in hyper react mode, the symptoms that were slow at first to onset compound over time, inflammation and bacteria take hold, and the body begins to attack its own systems. In this vicious cycle [inflammation – food intolerance – leaky gut – Autoimmune Disease – inflammation] it becomes frustratingly difficult to know which symptom to treat first and how to begin the process of self healing.

I Want to Live in That Body

I would consider my system to be somewhat healed. I don’t get many attacks or flair ups, I have good dietary practices and get good sleep. I practice the ten habits of Body Thrive. All of these things help keep my symptoms under control. But I am not content with “somewhat healed.” I know what it means to be truly healthy. It is a feeling of utter and complete freedom, a feeling that the body is dancing with joy and vibrancy. It is the experience of life without aches and pains, free of Autoimmune Disease, in harmony with a healthy and happy body. I want to live in that body again.

I went crowdsourcing for real answers, and I found other Yoga Health Coaches in our community who had similar issues to my own. Grace Edison and Dr. Michele Summers Colon both shared their stories with me. While I am still a work in progress, I am inspired to think their outcomes will change my own and hopefully yours too.

Dr. Michele’s Story

Dr. Michele struggled with her digestion and gut health for ten years. Like me she found there were a litany of foods she could not tolerate or digest. Unlike me, her symptoms were severe – painful bloating after each meal with abdominal distention that made her “look five months pregnant.” She had such chronic constipation that she was prescribed laxatives which allowed her to eliminate only every few days.

Her Journey to Healing Her Gut for Good

For the first five years of her journey she consulted medical doctors in multiple disciplines, ending up with an appendectomy and a diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease (an Autoimmune disease of the digestive system) along with Interstitial Cystitis (an Autoimmune disease affecting the bladder). Frustrated with colleagues in her own profession, she began to work with an Ayurvedic practitioner, whose use of diet, herbs and teaching of habits helped Michele to decrease her leaky gut symptoms greatly, managing her constipation and eliminating her pain effectively, but not to fully heal.

Through her own research she was able to determine that her leaky gut was due to SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth). Having had her successes with diet and herbal management, she wanted to proceed with the same course of treatment, but needed some guidance to proceed on the best route. After attending the SIBO summit she found Dr. Alison Siebecker and siboinfo. She followed a 9 week diet protocol called the Elemental Diet, and was excited to find that she felt 70% better! Working with a qualified nutritionist she was retested at that stage and guided to try antibiotics. She started with 3 weeks of the herbal antibiotics, but needed more, and finally took a round of prescription antibiotics.

Dr. Michele has been testing foods (eating things she hasn’t been able to have in years) and is not having any reactions! She is excited to feel like she has fully healed her gut. She still follows the healthy habits of Ayurveda, eats healthy, and remains amazed at her own success (as am I.)

Grace’s Story

Grace had a severe dairy allergy that began in infancy. She would have outbreaks of eczema on her arms and face, even her eyelids.(Ouch!) She remembers it being horribly painful, becoming increasingly worse until age 12 when they figured out the source. Like me, Grace’s dairy allergy went hand in hand with gluten intolerance. She also had UTI’s and itching. She correlated her gluten intolerance with severe stomach pain and constipation. She also noticed that gluten contributed to depression and brain fog.

Grace tried removing lactose and taking lactaid pills, and removed gluten. She, too, noticed that once removed even a small exposure would yield an intense reaction. These actions controlled symptoms, but weren’t healing her gut.

Grace Healed Her Gut

Grace turned to meal spacing and intermittent fasting which created the space for her gut to recover between meals. Adding fermented foods rebuilt her gut biome. Finally she worked on building agni (the Ayurvedic term for digestive strength) by waiting until she truly felt hungry to eat. She also drank warm lemon water throughout the day. Grace considers herself healed in that she hasn’t had any eczema issues in over two years, and no longer has pain or constipation. Her gut is healed and her digestion is much stronger. She continues to avoid gluten, sugar and alcohol because she discovered that they are major contributors to depression and disruptors of mental clarity.

Advice from Gut-Self-Healers Pros

Dr Michele warns those that suffer from digestive issues not accept all medical advice as infallible. When symptoms persist, you must persist. She also warns that diet and herbs are an absolutely imperative part of the healing process, and believes that antibiotics alone would not yield the same result.

Grace urges you to listen to your body when it comes to what you should eat, how much and when. Just because you can eat something doesn’t mean you should. Ask yourself how this food makes you feel, and if you notice it link to symptoms of discomfort (like brain fog) go green instead. Feeling great is worth it!

Dr. Michele, Grace and I all had similar symptoms. Bladder dysfunction, skin conditions, itching, painful bloating with constipation and food sensitivity. My clients have presented with many more symptoms, including migraines and diarrhea. If this sounds like you then you must continue to explore your resources. Be persistent and know that full and complete healing is within your reach.

Do a Morning Tongue Check for Ama

Do you have ama? First thing in the morning, take a look at your tongue. You are looking for the white or yellow stuff. Check how much of the tongue it coats, how thick the coating appears, and the color of the coating all tell us something about the ama that is in your body. Since the tongue is at the top of the digestive tract you can think of it as a map to all that is happening within. Anything other than a nice pink tongue and you can rest assured, you have an accumulation of ama in your system.

In Ayurveda, all health comes from the strength of the digestive system. In a strong but balanced digestive system, there are only two functions: first, food is broken down into very small particles, and the particles are absorbed into your bloodstream via the small intestine. Second, anything that is not necessary to meet your body’s nutritional needs is excreted via the bladder and large intestine. Strong digestion does not produce ama, which is a bi-product of weak digestion. When you have strong digestive function you will feel light and energized after you eat. Nothing “hangs around” longer than need be. You use your food efficiently, building prana (life force) with ease, and eliminating waste product with ease. This is ideal, and will create wonderful health.

Weak Digestion Creates Ama

When digestion is weak or unbalanced, there is a third function of the digestive system. Perhaps food doesn’t break into small enough pieces, or perhaps it sits, stagnating and fermenting, in a digestive tract that is not moving efficiently. In either case, not all food is absorbed or eliminated. This is ama. Ama is the portion of undigested waste that stays in the body. Unused and unable to be eliminated, it becomes the Swamp-Thing of the digestive tract, growing stickier, thicker, and more unctuous with time, and is stored in the storage tissues, particularly fat cells and joint spaces. The good news hidden here- sometimes being overweight is not a function of fat, but a function of stored ama. Eliminate ama=eliminate excess from the fatty tissues.

All Kinds of Ama

While we are talking about how ama is created, we need to think critically about the false concept that food is the only thing which we take in that needs digesting. In fact, food is only a small part of all that you take in each day. There is the breath, and the quality of the air around you. There is information, via screens, media, books and music. There are your interactions with friends, family, co-workers and strangers. There is anything and everything that causes an emotional response. Information, breath and emotions, as they rise, must be digested, or even they will be stored as ama in the body or the mind. Unprocessed emotions or unprocessed information lead to “emotional ama.” While there is technically no difference between foodborne ama and emotional ama, they both lead to physical symptoms. The physical symptoms (Somatics) that arise after any type of trauma are due to emotional ama.

Ama actually translates to mean “uncooked”. When we can’t metabolize something, be it food, breath, information, or emotion, there is a lack of the necessary transformative energy that is needed for that thing to be digested. Unmetabolized, or uncooked, those things that should feed our senses instead create toxicity. Toxicity equals ama.

Symptoms of Ama in Your Body

Many symptoms that precursor disease are a sign that excess ama has built up in your body. You may have one system that is prone to collecting ama and shows symptoms earlier than others. For example, one person may have chronic stomach upset, another headaches, and yet a third may have chronic rashes. Yet all of these people likely have one thing in common: ama. The more attuned you become to this, the more sensitively you may notice signs and symptoms before they lead to disease. Attune to ama buildup and you may notice the first hint of a stomach-ache (and take action to clear the ama) before it leads to full blown IBS. Here is a list of symptoms, both subtle and not, that may indicate ama in your body:

• Depression/Irritability
• Joint pain or stiffness upon rising
• General Pain including headaches
• Feeling tired, lazy, drowsy or weak.
• Heaviness or fatigue after eating
• Gas or Bloating
• Chronic inflammation
• Constipation or mucous in the stool
• Belching or burping frequently
• Susceptibility to illness
• Overweight
• Oily or sticky skin with sweat
• Body odor or bad breath
• Difficulty thinking or remembering things
• “Brain fog”
• “Leaky gut”

Now that you understand what ama is and how it manifests as symptoms in the body, you need to understand what “harmless” habits you may be keeping that are contributing to ama in the first place.

Four Ways You May be Unknowingly Creating Ama in Your Body

1. The most significant way you may be creating ama in your body is eating too heavy too late. When you eat too late (after 6pm) your body literally lacks the metabolic force (called agni in Ayurveda) to break down your food. Similarly, when you eat too much at one sitting, you smother the proverbial digestive fire. Most people become lazy after a late, heavy dinner and lie on the couch, where even gravity cannot help the digestive cause. There is a reason that eating an earlier, lighter dinner is the first habit we teach as Yoga Health Coaches. To avoid ama accumulating on a nightly basis, eat early, eat light and stay active.

2. A second big contributor to ama is our habit of taking in food, substances or information to avoid or control how we are feeling. In reality the emotional experience is the emotional experience regardless of how much food, alcohol, or media you take in to avoid feeling it. You know the expression! Wherever you go, there you are. You cannot escape your inner self by switching focus to your taste buds!  If your mental and emotional bodies are busy contending with a heavy load, putting in food or other distractive substances leads immediately to ama. You just can’t digest both things. This is why you lose your appetite when something major happens. It’s your body’s wise way of saying “tune in and attend to me.” So do it.

3.The third heavy hitter on ama production is eating foods that aren’t fresh or those that are processed. This one is a bit of a no-brainer. Eat food that is seasonal and local and comes from a source close to the earth and your body will know just what to do with it. Eat food that is canned, boxed, old or processed and it is like ama in a to go box. Use common sense and eat fresh, organic and green whenever possible to avoid digestive bi-product.

4. My fourth example of how you may be creating ama in your body is a little less intuitive, and something that may contradict what you have heard from popular health and medical authorities. Eating too frequently as in, “five small meals a day” is a major offender in producing ama. Why? That metabolic force we were talking about – agni – is a fire that needs tending. To burn food efficiently it needs time to process, to turn food into ash, to smolder, and to rebuild. Add little bits of kindling over and over to the fire and it never recovers its intensity to handle all the rest of the stuff that is coming in. To put it another way, when you put food in too frequently you are taxing the efficiency of your body’s largest and most central channel. With a little load in the stomach, another in the small intestine, and several more in the large intestine all of your processing energy is stuck on food.This leaves no room for processing information, emotions, and all of the other things we take in on a daily basis. Give the fire a rest between meals (specifically 3-4 hours between and minimum 13 hour fast between dinner and breakfast) and the fire will burn brightly, without subsequent ama.

Hit the Reset Button and Release that Ama

Now you are wondering, what do I do with the ama once it’s accumulated in my system? In Ayurveda we recommend seasonal cleansing, which is the best way to rid the body of the toxins we accumulate in daily life. Seasonal detoxing rids your body of the toxic load before it turns to illness. You can read more on that here. But let’s say you have just returned from vacation where you’ve exceeded your ama quotient by eating excessive pasta, cheese and drinking too frequently (yes, it happens!). My personal reset is a three day mung-bean soup fast. It’s a quick way to purge toxins and support the digestive tract in recovering its strength. And it’s easy! Make a fresh pot of soup each day and eat only that for breakfast, lunch and dinner (it’s only three days). Mung beans are notorious for their cleansing properties and very easy to digest, plus this simple food contains all the nutrients you need to support your body and sustain normal activity. My favorite recipe is here, Simply eat mung soup for three meals per day and drink plenty of fresh, warm water and you will feel as if you’ve hit the proverbial reset button.

Ama Free for Life-NOT!

Even the best yogi can’t be ama free. Toxins are everywhere, even in our clean food and drinking water. However, a daily practice of good habits around eating, allowing yourself space and rest around emotions, and respecting the needs of your senses will allow you to live ama-light between cleanses and give you the sense of vibrant health.

I’m So Very Sorry that Happened to You

Sadly, the answer to my question, “How on earth could I help this girl?” was that I could do very little. I could be present. I could allow her to be heard. I could lend my sympathy. But I had no real tools to make an impact. I called in the right folks and handed her case over to people more experienced than myself. Since that time (now over an 18 year journey) I have sought to help others heal in a meaningful way that would be a little less hard on my very sensitive system. I first became a massage therapist, then added yoga teacher to my resume, and now I am a certified Yoga Health Coach. My deepest desire was always to help people where they are, in whatever space and time they may show up, to remind them of their wholeness and to aid in their journey of self-healing.

Over years of practicing hands-on healing, I’ve learned that trauma comes in many different forms, severe childhood trauma, a divorce, a job loss, or the death of a loved one. Trauma can also simply stem from life circumstance, such as moving, choosing a new career, or having a child. We see evidence of trauma all around us, in our military personnel who have served in action, in women who have been sexually assaulted, in the wake of recent natural disasters, and in our neighboring countries where resources are limited. Whatever your work may be, however you express your gift or gifts for healing, and whomever you may have chosen to help, there are some basic considerations that may help you, the “Healer,” to assist your next client/patient/family/friend with their next trauma. With awareness and a plan, moving through the process with a client can be a healing experience for them and a safe, effective and wholesome experience for you.

Signs of Trauma

Clients “reveal” trauma in many ways. If we are in close relationship, we may see the situation unfold, and be witness to the ways in which our client is reacting in real time. In other situations the trauma is old and surfaces in little pieces like sand through the sieve, or manifests all at once like a landslide. If you’ve been in the healing arts for any length of time you have seen trauma- both hidden and outright. The yoga teacher may notice a student recoil from touch in an adjustment, or see her eyes wide open in savasana. The nutritionist may see someone with an eating disorder. As a bodyworker I’ve had clients begin to sob from an emerging memory due to somatic release. There are physical, emotional and cognitive signs that I’m going to list, which I believe are a gross over-simplification. In my experience any one of these things can show up differently depending on the stage of grief, the brevity of the experience, the client’s skills, resources and robustness at the time of trauma and at the time of reveal. I list them because it is a good jumping off point from which to consider that any given client may, at any given time, be in some stage of healing from some form of trauma.

Physical signs of trauma may present as chronic pain, headaches, stomach upset or muscular tension. Trouble eating or sleeping, low energy, and hypervigilance may also be present.

Emotional symptoms of trauma can look more like depression from the outside (in fact, depression and anxiety are both symptoms of trauma). These include withdrawal, anger/irritability, and feeling out of control. Cognitive signs may include distractibility, concentration issues, decision fatigue and memory loss, lapse or blocking. If you notice your clients presenting with these symptoms (whether they have spoken their experience to you or not) I encourage you to stay present in your interactions with that client and to be mindful of the following considerations. I hesitate to call these tips because, when dealing with a client who has suffered a trauma it is important to be sensitive to the nuances of the client experience and their presentation of symptoms.

Create Space

In yoga we often refer to our ability to be fully present, grounded and in full awareness of others as “holding space.” Look to any teacher in any discipline you have considered great and you can see this quality. It is the way a person controls not only the energy in a room, but also the mood – which is not to say that a person who holds space is controlling another person’s experience – just that they are creating an appropriate container in which the experience can safely unfold.

Imagine if you were trying to share something deeply difficult, and your practitioner was distracted – checking his or her phone often or repeatedly leaving the room. Would this create a safe space? Imagine instead that you walk into your practitioner’s office, where he receives you with two feet on the ground, an open posture, a kind smile, and listening ears. Do you see the difference? In the second example, the practitioner is setting the tone of the entire encounter by his or her presence. This is what it means to create space. Creating and holding space is the act of creating a safe container for your client to receive healing. This allows a healing that is guided by you and interpreted by them. When a client has been through a trauma, they will present to you with varying degrees of availability. Their trust in you and their process over time will guide their openness to different degrees of healing. Hold space for their unfurling and it will directly affect the efficacy of your treatment.

Come from your own experience

Many of us who have chosen healing professions are survivors of trauma ourselves. I have been through many traumatic experiences which have shifted my course in my career and in life. Because of this, I am able to experience deep empathy. I am also able to share my truth.

Sharing my story, the lessons I have learned, the growth I have encountered, and the miracles of my own healing, has proven to be a highly effective tool in gaining trust and credibility as a professional healer. When you share your story you are saying, “you are not alone. I truly understand you.” Imagine what this does for a person who is guarded or feeling shame. It allows them to drop the heavy burden of pretense, if only for a period of time, and provides an inlet for healing and growth.

If you are new to the game, you may not be comfortable with your own story yet. Similarly, when a personal trauma is fresh and not yet integrated it may not be appropriate to yet tell your story. You may in this case choose to tell the story of an anonymous previous client (without telling details, of course.) Sharing story is an important part of establishing connection and rapport, even if you have known the client for a period of time, to show some vulnerability and create some common ground.

Be Aware of Triggers

We can’t control our client’s response to everything, but we can have awareness and sensitivity to actions and words that may trigger a trauma response. While we want the client to be safe to express their story, their current emotions, and their physical observations, we don’t want to be the source of trauma activation. A trigger can elicit an unwanted response that puts both you and the client in a compromised position. For example, an emotional release is welcome (a client starts crying in yoga class as they move through a painful memory) but a panic attack brought on by an unexpected physical adjustment (the teacher comes from behind the student, or the massage therapist goes too deep in a sensitive spot) could compromise client and practitioner safety.

1. Practice simple habits like using the word “and” instead of “but” to avoid the sound of judgement or contradiction.
2. Always explain procedure before moving forward, asking permission before applying the next method.
3. Be careful of your own assumptions, particularly those colored by your own experience, which may mischaracterize the client’s experience.
4. Do reiterate what your client has said to ensure that you understand them completely and to validate that the client has been heard. You can utilize “I hear” statements – like “I hear you saying ___, is that correct?” One of my favorite validations can be offered in three simple words: “I believe you.”

Identity Evolution Resolves the Trauma Experience

A client may not want to recognize an experience as traumatic because the word itself carries a great deal of weight. It is difficult, however, to resolve trauma without first recognizing the effects the experience of trauma has had on their mind/body/spirit. In my opinion, this is the first stage of healing. A client may be gently guided to their own discovery by using the techniques we have already discussed – repeated their own words back to them, observing the signs and symptoms, and simply holding space for their revelation.

Once trauma is recognized and the client begins their process of healing, they can move into a very important stage of healing, which is to recognize that “I am not this/defined by this.” This is the stage of self-empowerment! Encouraging your client to identify with who they are becoming instead of identifying with the old trauma changes interaction, outlook and response. When “I am a victim” changes to “I am courageous,” the traumatic experience may be integrated and the client can move onward.

Consider Your Scope

It’s important to say this, for benefit of all the licensed professionals out there who are legally bound and limited (or supported by) the parameters and ethics of their legal professions. You must consider your scope of practice! I, for one, am a Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist in the state of North Carolina. In my case, I look for the ways in which trauma shows up in the body. I work (in that scope) with the physical hurts, whether they be somatic, stress induced, or physical in origin. If you are a psychologist you may be looking for signs of trauma in the mind. If you are a Pastor you may be looking for signs of trauma in the spirit. We all have a lens through which we consider our clients experience.

As a coach you might take this consideration one step farther: what is my scope, and within that, what is my zone of genius? No matter your profession, you must approach a client’s trauma from a place of authenticity. After all, the person sought you out and stays with you because of your connection. Your expertise may have brought them through the door, but it is the spoken and unspoken language you have developed that entrusts them to stay with you. Stick to who you are and work within your scope and you will profoundly help your client with your presence and consistency alone.

Finally, don’t forget the old adage “when in doubt, refer out.” If that which a client reveals to you surpasses your scope, have an open and honest discussion with your client about it. It is imperative to have an established network of referral partners on hand to whom you can entrust your client’s care. If the needs of your client would be better served by someone else (or perhaps by another modality in addition to your own) be prepared to refer out, keeping the fiduciary nature of your client/practitioner relationship intact.

Life Happens

Sound familiar? If it doesn’t now, it will soon. Why? Because life happens. This is not meant to be a grim warning, it’s just reality. Sometimes in life we lose – a loved one, a relationship, a job or special project. Sometimes the loss hits hard. Other times the wave of the loss simply washes over us, and we’re able to move forward with ease. Other times we are broadsided.

The question is how will you choose to handle your next unexpected trauma? Being informed and having a plan may help you navigate the process with more grace and ease.

My Story

Six months ago, I was just back from Yogahealer Mexico Retreat. A profound experience with more than twenty like-minded women. I was on fire. Following the retreat, I was clear on my next course of action for my relationships and my business. I was wide-open and firing on all cylinders. I felt phenomenal. In the week I returned home, I discovered I was pregnant! This was the icing on the cake! I was full of magic potential and I could not wait to see what was next.

Five short days later I woke in the night to the horrible realization that I was miscarrying. I went to the doctor, cried with my husband, talked to a few friends, brushed myself off and then jumped right back into my old life like nothing happened. My mantra was, “Keep on Trucking.”  I knew I was sad, but I didn’t want to face my feelings, so I did what the old Gin would do. I yogied by day (wearing the visage of a happy, healthy coach) and drank wine by night. I ate heavy and late. I stayed up watching TV and I let go of my meditation practice. Soon symptoms of my previously dormant autoimmune disease began to reemerge along with uncomfortable digestion and leaky gut. Hello, old tattered sweater.

The thing about healthy habits is, once you have developed them, you know how bad it feels when they are gone. My internal dialogue began to shift as I realized the serious consequences of returning to my old worn out habits. “I no longer want to be like you, old self.” “Ugly old sweater, you do not spark joy.” I needed these declarations as I began to recognize the difference between the me I had been evolving towards and the me that relied on attachment to address trauma.

I will survive!

I have survived trauma before. I know how it feels to sit with it, to wear it like an old tattered sweater, even to define myself by it. When I began to identify with my trauma: “I am a wife and mother who will never have another baby” I began limiting my evolution. Limitations can be seductive. We hold on to them for the same reason we hold on to old things, like the sweater that no longer fits, even when it no longer sparks joy… because there is comfort in identifying with the familiar “old self.” Change is scary. In my case, the person who wore that ugly sweater could sit comfortably with pain and even more comfortably with the use of old habits – like overdrinking and overeating – to numb that pain and tap out. The new and evolved version of me was someone who identifies with higher truths: “I am a wife and mother who is healthy and joyfully births many creative endeavors.” Instead of the slubby sweater, I wanted to emerge as polished, vibrant and authentic, in a cocktail dress! In order to realign with my new truth I knew that something had to change – NOW! I knew it was time to digest my trauma.

Trauma, Ama, and Ayurveda:

Trauma typically appears without warning. And while trauma and grief are separate, the processes are often linked. Often we need to grieve when there is trauma, and sometimes the grief process can be traumatic in itself.

In psychology, when you notice trauma creating symptoms in the body it is called somaticizing. This is the process in which the mental state produces physical symptoms. Think headaches, weight gain, difficult digestion, etc. Through the lens of Ayurveda we go one step deeper. Why does mental/emotional trauma cause these symptoms? The answer is – Ama. Ama is the sludgy toxic waste left behind by anything that is undigested – be it food, thoughts, or emotions. Ama is sticky, and difficult to move. Ama can result from a physical toxin that you ingest or ama can result from an experience, such as trauma. Ama arises when anything you take in through your senses is goes undigested. Once ama takes hold in weak tissues of the body-symptoms emerge. In my case, my trauma showed up in my thyroid and my gut due to my Autoimmune disease. When trauma creates ama the body feels slow, almost inert as ama suffocates cellular regeneration. Physically, mentally and emotionally, you get “stuck.” And where ama takes hold due to trauma, grief takes hold too. Now, instead of moving through a process, progressing through the stages of grief in a healthy way, you are stuck in it.

If, however, you prefer to be unstuck and if you like the feeling of being in integrity with right action, you can choose to process grief and trauma in the moment and weeks thereafter, rather than getting stuck in the ama. Your body has the capacity to move through the ama, but it needs support. Rather than amplify the pain and the process, you can choose to be in it to move through it. Uncomfortable, yes, but necessary. Here are some suggestions to help:

1. Practice Self-Love with Oil – In Ayurveda, the word for oil has the same meaning as the word love. Take time to perform deep self massages or Abhyanga with a warming oil like sesame. This helps mobilize ama and allows you to talk to your tissues before somatization sets in. Applying essential oils to the feet before bed – like clary sage and lavender, help fight depression and prepare for deep rest.  Eat warm, soupy, even slightly oily foods. Keep your digestion supple with oil. It will help you to process ama and move it out of your body.
2. Early, Lighter Dinner – take the first habit of Body Thrive to heart. In order to rest well and (see below) ease the load on digestion, eat several hours before going to bed. This simple habit will leave you lots of extra energy to digest trauma. When you are actively experiencing a fight or flight response in your nervous system or have any symptoms of adrenal fatigue, it is not wise to skip meals. Instead, plan to eat warm meals with warming spices (like cumin, cinnamon, clove or ginger.) Warm, easy to digest foods leave you feeling grounded and nourished. Don’t overload your digestion with processed or sugary foods that create more ama while digesting your trauma.
3. Early to Bed – One of the best places to process grief is in the deep restoration of sleep. Prepare for restful sleep with a set bedtime routine. Mineral baths (like epsom salt) are grounding and allow you to wind down for bed. Get to bed well before 10PM. This will allow your body to use its natural nighttime bile production to process emotional ama. Create the opportunity for your body to go into several cycles of restorative REM sleep by allowing 8-10 hours for sleep during trauma recovery.
4. Rest Deep – Take time off. Really. Now. Taking time to deeply rest and tend to yourself in the moment. If you feel like you don’t have time, be aware that taking time earlier in the process will minimize the amount of time you need to take off later should the ama take a stronger hold. In my case, with miscarriage, total bed rest was recommended by my Ayurvedic Practitioner immediately after it happened. By ignoring my body’s need to rest I began the path toward dis-ease – later needing a full month off to finally process my grief. Stop, drop, and be present to your experience. If you find meditation difficult during this time try restorative yoga or yoga nidra. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you.
5. Journal – Journal your feelings, your sadness, your anger and your gratitude. Write a letter to that which you lost. Give all your emotions to the page. Give voice to your grief. Hold nothing back. Allow your true Self to feel heard.

Like I said, life happens. Have a plan for the next time you experience trauma and times when unprocessed grief arises. Learn from your experiences and allow the process to grow you and shape you into the next best version of your highest SELF.