Archive of ‘Blog’ category

Change Your Life by Just Changing The Way You Breathe

Really? How can my life be changed just by changing my breathing? Yea….right!
She’s trying to sell something. It can’t be that simple.

Well, surprise…surprise. Yes, it is actually that simple. But this so called human Ego just feels so insulted with simple answers. Because the Ego always think they are smart and it needs to have complicated solutions.

Let me tell you my story. I was suffering depression for a very long time and 14 years of insomnia. Depression does not come alone, it always comes with it’s company such as insomnia, chorinic sinus, chronic peptic ulcers, anxiety, panic attack, headaches, body aches, fatigue, nausea and the long list of it. I always thought I was always short of breath. And when I do realise this, the anxiety comes. It was really hell.

Then one day I read a book by Anand Krishna, who is now my Spiritual Master, which says that each time we take a breath, the heart beat beats 3 times, and the brain pulses 9 times. So when I finally joined his meditation class, I noticed that my breath was really very shallow and short. No wonder I could not focus on anything even while watching TV! I had a hard time following the story. This is because my brain pulse was so fast and that means there so many thoughts going on in my mind which creates this misery. If I were to visualise what my mind must be looking like, it can be like this picture below. Completely crowded and jammed!

Thanks to him, my life has changed through the breathing! We have all taken our breath for granted. Because it has always been there like the heart beats, like sun that rises every morning. Changing the way we breathe is not like something that people can take up and understand easily such as cahnging our diet or excersice. I mean, no one would really expect that to improve our lives means to improve and change the quality of our breath.

Since thousands of years ago, the yogis practice Pranayama to reach a certain condition of the mind and body. Now adays, people recognise pranayama as breathing practice in yoga classes. Actually it is more to that. Pranayama, which means the extension of life force in Sanskrit, is the process of managing the life force. We would all die without breathing. We can age and deteriorate our mind and body faster if we don’t know how to regulate nor manage our breath. Breathing should be done from the abdomen and not only the chest. This is what causes short breath.

Breathing can give a significant impact on our wellbeing. It can reduce stress levels, lowers blood pressure, stimulate brain growth, regulate blood pressure, increase capacity to focus, rejuvenating, and many more. So the slower we breathe, the calmer we are and the clearer our mind is. You see, it is difficult to get hold of the mind, but it is easier to get hold of the breath and manage it. Who can catch a monkey mind? Just catch the breath! A normal pace of human breathing is around 12-14 cycles per minute. If we are to connect it with animals such as a dog, they breathe 20-30 cycles/minute. This equates to when we are angry. And dogs lives upto 10-20 years. A monkey breathes around 32-36 cycles/minute. This equates to when we are depressed, anxious and sorrow. That is why monkeys only live upto 18-23 years. If we want to live long and healthy, this would mean slower breath like the turtles, 4 cyscles/minute and they live upto 150 years! Well, we don’t have to breath only 4 cycles/minute (otherwise we would be very slow pokes 😉 )we are not made for that but yes…the yogis can do it.

I am now having a wonderful and healthy life thanks to changing the way I breathe. So change the way you breathe and only you can change your life. How do we go about that? Through yoga and meditation. Learn more about yoga and meditation at http://www.layurveda.com

Say Goodbye To Panic Attack

It has been quite a while since I last had my morning walk in Jakarta. When I opened the windows, I felt a cool breeze touching my face. So I thought this could be a good day to have my morning walk.
I was right! The weather was just perfect. The sky was bright and clear without a single cloud floating in it. And for those of you who knows Jakarta….this is like a miracle! I was savoring this pleasant Jakarta weather when I realised that if I were seeing this 14 years ago, I would have not been able to even enjoy this beautiful moment. I used to have panic attack, that’s why!
Living with PTSD (we will discuss this topic separately) doesn’t come alone. It comes with a whole bundle of all the other mental, psychological and physical issues that comes with it. And one of them is Anxiety/Panic Attack!

It really can make one handicap especially in social life. People would see me as an extrovert. But underneath the façade, I’m a total chaos inside with anxiety. And when the anxiety takes it toll, it just blows up to a terrible panic attack. When someone suffers from panic attacks, the whole life becomes a mess. Most can’t even travel from their homes in fear of having panic in a strange place. And I didn’t really want anyone to know I was suffering from it. I was too afraid that people around me would think I’m crazy. It’s already bad thinking thay way and on top of it all sometimes when the panic attack gets so bad, I thought I was having a heart attack because I couldn’t breathe and I thought I was dying.
I always dreaded going to parties. Especially to parties which I know that I have not been to familiar with the company that I would be meeting. I could not even visualise myself going to concerts, wedding parties and the likes. It would have been just too much for me and I would have developed anxiety just in no time. That is why I have always avoided going to one and always finding excuses to attend one. And if I did go, I would find me a quite corner. Everytime I used to comeback from dance clubs or pubs, I would develop an ulcer after that because I was coping with the anxiety while being there.
So even looking at beautiful sceneries would sometimes like hypnotise me to go back to my past traumatic events and then it would just give me anxieties to the point of panic attacks at times. Depressing… really!
The doctors would give me antidepressants and also sedatives. I remembered that all those medications gave me blank stares, drowsy….and basically I was a zombie, a truly the walking dead!
I was experiencing these symtomps:

  • Palpitations, or accelerated heart rate
  • Sweating
  • Chills or hot flashes
  • Tremble or shaking
  • Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
  • Feeling of choking
  • Chest pain or discomfort
  • Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded or faint
  • Feelings of unreality or being detached from oneself
  • Fear of losing control or going crazy
  • Fear of dying
  • Nausea or abdominal distress

I’m free from all that now! How? Through Ayurveda, a 5000 years old science of healing and life. Ayurvedic healings include meditation, yoga and herbs in their treatments. In Ayurveda, anxiety and panic attacks is primarily due to aggravated Vata dosha in the nervous system. Therefore the primary treatment is to balance the Vata dosha.

In an ayurvedic treatment, a regular full body massage known as Abhyanga and also Shirodhara helps to reduce ongoing set of attacks. Besides the body treatment, the use of herbs and the regular practice of meditation and yoga is part of the ayurvedic treatment. Meditation and yoga helps to regulate deep breathing so that the brain can receive the correct dose of oxygen in our brain. Therefore it can also help improve our focus and redirect our mind and thoughts in the right direction. This way we can redirect our mind and treat the panic attack.
Here are some recommendations to treating panic attacks:

  • Indian ginseng or Ashwagandha. Studies have confirmed it’s powerful anti anxiety fighting properties and also a good adaptogen to boost immune system and anti aging effect.
  • Chyawanprash. An ayurvedic number one remedy because of its mixture of many herbs which rejuvenate mind and body.
  • Gotukola or Centella Asiatica. Known also as pegagan in Indonesia and used in Indonesian cuisine such as Asinan Bogor. The Sundanese calls it dulang sontak and even eat this as raw salads aka lalapan 😅 The Balinese calls them piduh
  • Ayurvedic Vata Tea. We make our own Vata tea and mixtures of herbs such as ginger and nutmeg can help calm the Vata dosha
  • Take a bath with ginger and baking soda
  • Try an Ayurvedic Abhyanga Massage, it not only relaxes and calms you but it also rejuvenates you at the same time
  • Go for an Indian head massage, Shirodhara. The flow of warm oil will stimulate the endorphins to calm the mind
  • Use Ayurvedic Vata Oil to calm the nervous system through daily self massage each time before taking a shower. The oil will also make your skin glow :)
  • Do a Corpse Posture or Shavasana. Think about it….a corpse don’t have emotion while people with panic attack is overloaded with emotion. So it is a good counter situation.
  • Drink Almond milk with saffron, ginger and nutmeg for a good natural sedative
  • Put some Vata Churna spices on your food to neutralise the incompatible Vata dosha food
  • Most important of all….MEDITATE!

So even looking at beautiful sceneries would sometimes like hypnotise me to go back to my past traumatic events and then it would just give me anxieties to the point of panic attacks at times. Depressing… really!

Let’s get rid of panic attack with these safe methods and start living. Gone are those days of anxieties and not being able to enjoy beautiful events and surroundings. Let’s embrace a new anxiety free life and finally enjoy calm. If I did it, so can you! Namaste…

Apakah Hidup Anda Sudah Spiritual?

Rutinitas jalan pagiku pada hari ini diiringi oleh sebuah lagu lawas yang pernah saya ciptakan sekitar 12 tahun yang lalu ketika saya baru awal-awal aktif di Anand Ashram. Waktu itu saya melibatkan diri di kegiatan-kegiatan musik para pemudanya. Karena ingin membuat semua orang agar turut bernyanyi dan menari, akhirnya lagu itupun berirama dangdut…hahaha… Saya selalu terkenang betapa serunya semua pada menari ketika mendengarkan lagu ini. Terutama ada salah satu bagian pada lagu tersebut ketika gendangnya mencapai “fill in”, otomatis gerakan kepala mengikuti setiap pukulannya…dug dug…dug dug dug…Hahaha….(silakan lakukan sendiri dengan tanggung jawab sendiri)

Cerita diatas hanya sekedar memberikan sedikit flash back dari asal muasal lagu tersebut. Dan untuk catatan, hidupku pada saat itu dalam keadaan kacau (silakan baca autobiografiku berjudul “Penggalah Kepala & Persembahkan Pada Sang Murshid), namun pada saat itulah muncul lirik lagu Sadarkah Kau.

Namun pada saat jalan pagi, saya tidak teringat sama sekali tentang masa lalu. Pikiranku tidak melakukan perjalanan waktu ke masa lalu. Karena biasanya itulah yang sering kita lakukan jika ada suatu pemicu. Manusia adalah “the greatest time traveler”. Karena hidupnya seringkali di masa lalu ataubdibmasa depan namun jarang sekali yang hidup pada masa kini. Inilah yang menciptakan kesengsaraan dalam hidup kita.

Kembali ke lagu tersebut…

Sadarkah kau hidup ini hanyalah sebentar
Kehidupan di dunia akan yerus berputar
Percuma jika kau hanya mengejar harta
Kenyamanan takkan bertahan tuk selamanya

Sadarkah kau semua yang lahir pasti akan mati
Semua yang berawal akan punya akhiran
Untuk apa kita mencoba untuk mempertahankan
Segala sesuatu yang kita tahu tak abadi

Berpalinglah pada Dia Yang Maha Esa
Karena hanya Ia Yang Maha Kuasa
Kepasrahan diri adalah jawabannya
Terimalah hidup ini apa adanya

Yang teringat olehku pada saat mendengarkan lirik lagu ini adalah pada pertanyaan-pertanyaan para klien yang bertanya, maksudnya apa dengan hidup secara spiritual. Dan ketika mereka menjawabpun seringkali dikaitkan dengan ritual agama. 

Sebenarnya sebagian dari jawabannya terletak pada lirik lagu tersebut. 

Kira-kira pada bagian yang mana pada lirik lagu ini yang bisa menjawab hidup spiritual itu seperti apa?

Teman-temanku, 3 orang pertama yang dapat menjawab pertanyaanku di atas dengan tepat dan juga memberikan penjelasan singkat tentang spiritualitas itu apa, maka akan mendapat “Energy & Life Path Reading” gratis selama 15 menit secara online dariku.

Silakan email jawabannya ke: maya@layurveda.com atau ke mayamuchtar@gmail.com

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A Blessed Morning Beach Walk

I have nothing against treadmills. But every time when i walk on it, it just reminds me about “samsara”, the cycle of life and death. Repeating the same things over and over again without going anywhere. Or maybe a treadmill would be like…it is not the destination that matters, but the journey itself. Well, the way I see it, we’re still walking on the spot. 

So I decided to go for my morning walk..out! I just told myself, let me go where these legs will take me. I switched on my music, Runkeeper and started to walk by looking down on the road…not ahead. I guess I was doing a Zen walk meditation. I watched my steps and my breathe. 

30 minutes and 11 km later, I realised I have reached Kuta Beach. I guess I have been conditioned to head for the beach. I was accompanied by Deva Premal’s Tumare Darshan Ki Bela all through the journey. I had moments during the walk when I was reminiscing beautiful moments when the Meeting of Love Happened. Magical moments when The Beloved is all you can see and experience. Beautiful…

When I reached the beach, I was just savoring the quietness of the morning sea breeze. Even though Kuta Beach is not the most beautiful bech you can find, but when you are immersed in beauty, all you can see is beauty. I took of my flipflops and started to feel the soft grainy sands on my bare feet making me feel more at peace with each steps I took. But when the ipod started to change the song to Maula Mere Maula by Roopkumar Rathod from the album Teri Diwani, I just couldn’t resist myself and started to turn counter clock wise with both hands spread out, one facing the sky and the other facing the earth, just like the whirling dervish. I wasn’t even aware anymore by the presence of others, it was just The Beloved… Truth, God and Beauty. Expansiveness was all there was…

I would like to thank my Master, Swami Anand Krishna, who have shown me #innerjourney, finding the Peace inside me. Without my encounter with him in this life, it would have taken me so much longer in finding this Peace. I was always falling, stumbling, bleeding all along my Path. But he reminded me that  even if this life is “samsara”, where the word “sengsara” in bahasa Indonesia derives from, just look at the life of the Sufis, the Saints, the Avatars, the Messiahs… they too bleed in their Path. But they bleed for the Higher Causes and not for the lower causes such as greed, jealousies, desires, ambitions, anger and etc. 

I pray always, may The Lord, Allah SWT, Ishwar guide me always and that mayball living beings be freed from misery and live happily…Peace, Peace, Peace…

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Ayurveda, Apa Tuch?

Pernah dengar tentang Ayurveda? Mungkin pernah, mungkin belum. Ayurveda apa tuch? Makanan? Merk sepatukah? Atau merk obat? Oh…mungkin jamu.

Jika Anda keranjingan nonton acaranya Dr.Oz (bukan versi Indonesia) dan Oprah Winfrey, atau pernah baca buku-bukunya Deepak Chopra? Kalau pernah, mungkin Anda pernah mendengarnya.

Ayurveda bukanlah makanan, merk sepatu, merk obat atau jamu….eeiitts..tunggu dulu! Kalau disebut jamu…ya..tapi tidak. Karena Ayurveda adalah nenek moyangnya jamu.

Untuk mempersingkat semuanya, Ayurveda itu adalah saudaranya Yoga yang belum se”celeb” seperti Yoga. Mereka itu saudara yang tidak bisa dipisahkan. Namun ketika Yoga dijadikan kondang oleh Barat, dan seperti biasa, kita selalu mengikuti demam Barat, maka kitapun tahunya hanya Yoga. Si malang Ayurveda ditinggalkan. Padahal keberadaan Yoga pincang tanpa Ayurveda, begitu juga sebaliknya.

Jadi, apa sich Ayurveda itu? ……drum roll….jeng jeng!
Ya, saudara-saudara….perkenalkan bintang tamu kita hari ini…Ayurveda!

Ayurveda

“Hallo, nama saya Ayurveda. Nama saya berasal dari kata Sanskerta yang berarti Ayus = kehidupan, Veda = ilmu. So, aku adalah ilmu kehidupan :)”

(Maaf, saya terlalu luas berimajinasinya 😉 *sigh* )

Ya, jadi Ayurveda adalah ilmu kehidupan dimana Ayurveda mengantarkan kita untuk dapat hidup selaras dengan alam sehingga kita bisa panjang umur (longevity), awet muda, sehat dan bahagia.
#applause.com                    

Ayurveda adalah semacam manual handbook yang selama ini kita tidak pernah peroleh.

Saya belum pernah mendengarkan satu orangpun yang tidak ingin hidup sehat dan bahagia. Jika ada, pasti hidungnya bertambah panjang seperti pinokio! Ayurveda adalah semacam manual handbook yang selama ini kita tidak pernah peroleh. Kalau kita beli smartphone baru, kita pasti mendapatkan manual handbook. Beli laptop baru, a/c baru, printer baru…dapat juga. Lha, waktu kita lahir, kita tidak pernah diberikan,khan? Sehingga kita tidak pernah tahu secara persis apa yang harus kita lakukan untuk merawat tubuh, pikiran, jiwa ini seutuhnya. Sehingga selama ini kita mungkin memberikan “bensin” yang keliru untuk jenis tubuh/pikiran kita. Yang ibaratnya harus diberi Pertamax, malah diberi Solar. Jelas mesinnya bisa cepat rusak. Begitu pula menurut Ayurveda.

Nah, menurut Ayurveda yang sudah beredar sekitar 5000 tahun yang lalu (lha, segitu eksisnya tapi koq kita belum pernah kenal ya? #garuk-garukkepalaheran.com), setiap manusia atau individu adalah sangat unik. Dia dibagi menjadi 3 kategori yang disebut Dosha. Sebenarnya tidak ada satu kata dalam bahasa Inggris atau dalam bahasa Indonesia yang dapat menggantikan kata tersebut. Tapi untuk mempermudah pemahaman kita, Dosha bisa dikatakan sebagai tipe tubuh/pikiran (body/mind type) kita. Jadi kalau saya menyebut-nyebut kata “Dosha”…atau terutama “Dosha Anda”, bukan berarti saya menuding Anda karena telah berdosa….tetapi merujuk pada tipe tubuh/pikiran kita.

Ketiga tipe Dosha itu apa saja?

Vata: Angin
Pitta: Api
Kapha: Air

Kira-kira seperti apa ya menjelaskan ketiga Dosha ini? Karena saya seseorang yang cukup visual dan suka berimajinasi, mari kita simak cerita berikut ini…

Ada sebuah keluarga yang terdiri dari seorang Ibu bernama Pitta, seorang Ayah yang bernama Kapha dan seorang anak remaja laki-laki yang bernama Vata. Pada suatu hari Minggu yang cerah, keluarga ini akan menjamu sebuah teman lama dari. Bu Pitta dengan tubuhnya yang ramping dan agak berotot (karena suka main tenis) mempersiapkan segala sesuatunya untuk jamuan tersebut dan Pak Kapha yang berbadan besar dan agak gempal sudah janji untuk belanja keperluan-keperluan untuk jamuan tersebut.

Vata yang bertubuh kurus selama semalaman susah tidur karena dia terlalu excited dengan lagu hasil inspirasi yang dia dapatkan semalam. Dia langsung mengambil gitarnya dan mencoba memainkannya dengan penuh semangat namun gelisah disaat yang bersamaan. Apalagi ketika berkali-kali ada nada-nada yang dia salah mainkan. Diapun menyanyikan lagunya dengan suaranya yang agak serak-serak.

Mari kita tengok Pak Kapha dan Bu Pitta. Seperti biasa Pak Kapha bangunnya agak siang sekitar jam 10an jika hari Minggu lalu dengan santai dan perlahan menikmati sarapannya di kebunnya yang indah. Sementara Bu Pitta sudah memberikan instruksi kepada pembantunya dari A-Z. Dan Bu Pitta pun menghampiri Pak Kapha dengan catatan belanjaannya. Pak Kapha manggut-manggut dan mendengarkan dengan sabar semua pesanannya. Padahal Pak Kapha tahu dia tidak bisa ingat dengan mudah semua catatan belanjaannya yang disebutkan Bu Pitta. Tapi Pak Kapha tahu bahwa dia pasti akan mendapatkan catatannya dari Bu Pitta. Karena Bu Pitta tidak akan melepaskan siapapun pergi tanpa catatannya.

Selama Bu Pitta membacakan catatannya, Pak Kapha sedang memperhatikan kucingnya yang berusaha ingin menangkap burung gereja yang sedang asyik minum air di kolam ikan. Pak Kapha tersenyum-senyum memperhatikan tingkah laku si Kucing. Bu Pitta terus saja melanjutkan semua instruksi-instruksinya untuk Pak Kapha.

“Jelas, Pa?”, tanya Bu Pitta.
“Eeh..jelas Ma. Ya nanti Papa belikan semua itu. Mama tenang saja ya”, jawab Pak Kapha dengan suara baritonenya yang merdu setelah kembali fokus pada Bu Pitta.

Pak Kapha pergi ke kebunnya untuk melanjutkan menyaksikan adegan yang seru si Kucing. Beliau duduk di kursi sandaran favoritnya sambil meluruskan kakinya. Si Kucing terus berjuang untuk menangkap burung gereja yang terbang dan lompat dengan lincah menghindari si Kucing. Namun si Kucing pantang menyerah. Saking seriusnya si Kucing dia tidak lagi memperhatikan langkahnya lagi, maka iapun tercebur ke dalam kolam ikan! Pak Kapha tertawa terbahak-bahak membahana. Mendengar tawa Pak Kapha, Bu Pitta langsung menoleh.

“Papaaaa….bukannya sekarag langsung pergi ke swalayan…eh malah duduk-duduk di taman sambil tertawa. Sudah siang Paaaa…..”, Bu Pitta mulai tidak sabar dan ngomel.

Pak Kapha masih dengan tawanya beranjak berdiri dan beranjak ke mobilnya. Sementara Vata sedang asyiknya mendapatkan inspirasi sehingga otaknya terus berputar untuk mendapatkan nada-nada yang pas. Kakinya terus bergoyang-goyang. Dan setelah ia berhasil menemukan nada yang pas, dia sudah tidak sabar lagi untuk sharing kepada teman-teman di bandnya. Dia pun langsung bergegas dari kamarnya dan turun tangga. Namun setelah sampai di bawah, dia lupa bahwa notasi lagunya tertinggal di kamarnya. Dia pun bergegas lari ke atas.

“Maaaa…pinjam mobil. Vata mau ke rumah temen!”, dia langsung mengambil kunci mobil dan menyerobot Pak Kapha yang masih juga belum sampai ke mobilnya karena mengelus-elus si Kucing yang tercebur.

Braak! #bunyi mobil menabrak tong sampah
Brrrmmm…… #bunyi gas yang ditancap

“Vataaaaaaa…..mobilnya harus dipakai Papaaaaa!!!!” teriak Bu Pitta dengan suara yang melengking dan kesal serta frustrasi tak berdaya karena menyaksikan mobilnya yang melesat menjauh dari rumahnya.

Pak Kapha hanya melongo menyaksikan semua itu.

Yaaa….saudara-saudara….kira-kira seperti itulah gambaran tentang Vata/Pitta/Kapha atau disingkat dengan VPK pada diri setiap manusia. Untuk ingin tahu penjabarannya lebih luas tentang VPK dan Dosha Anda serta manual handbook spesifik untuk Anda lengkap dengan gerakan yoga dan lifestyle yang cocok untuk Anda, silakan ikuti program singkat saya yang bernama Ayur Self Healing. Just contact me :)

Why Holy Basil Is Holy?

tulsi1If you are an Italian, you would be consuming a lot of basil leaves. As a Thai, you will also consume a lot of it. Indonesians, eat them raw as a salad leaf. However, it is not the same basil that we are talking about. It is not the basil that we use in the kitchen. It is from the same family, but it’s holier. Hahaha… no, I am just joking. It is called Holy Basil it think it is because of the many benefits of this specific Holy Basil. The famous name for it is Tulsi or Tulasi.

Tulsi or Tulasi does not get the title Holy just because of it healing properties. There is also a spritual significance in the story of how Tulsi became holy. Here is the story….

During the churning of the Ocean of milk (ksheera sagara mathana), Sri Hari (Vishnu)came up in the form of Dhanvantari (the Lord of Ayurveda) carrying the Elixir of Life (kalasha of amruta). It was said that at that time some drops of Hari’s tears of joy fell into the Elixir of Life. Tulasi was born out of those tears of joy. Having been born out of tears of joy, she herself gives joy. It is believed that Hari is present wherever Tulasi is present. Sri Hari will reside wherever Tulasi garden, pond with lotus flowers and Vaishnavas reside. Garden does not mean acres of garden. A minimum of three plants qualify for being called a garden….

Tulsi or Tulasi does not get the title Holy just because of it healing properties. There is also a spritual significance in the story of how Tulsi became holy.

Tulsi has healing properties, mostly due to the hundreds of phytochemicals it contains; such as antibiotic and antherlmintic properties, that together support health in a variety of ways, including helping the body adapt to stress, cleansing, and relieving congestion. It is described in Ayurveda that Tulsi has a sharp tase with a trace of bitterness, yet easily digestible and the it destroys phlegm and gas.

To grow a Tulsi plant in the courtyard is consedered very good in cleansing the surrounding energy. There are actually so many healing properties of Tulsi that we can use. However, in this article, I will be mentioning about the 9 properties of Tulsi.

1. Sharpen Memory

It is famous for being nerve tonic.The high substance of the phytochemical in the plant brings more oxygen to the brain.

2. Coughs

Tulsi helps to mobilize mucus bronchitis and asthma. Chewing the leaves would relieves cold and flu too

3. Bird Flu

Tulsi when mixed with honey can be a powerful antidote for bird flu

4. Kidney Stone

The juice of the leaves when taken with honey has a strong effect on the kidney. A regular intake of tulsi juice with honey for 6 months will expell the stones via the urine

5. Stress

Basil leaves are regarded as an ‘adaptogen’ or anti-stress agent. Recent studies have shown that the leaves afford significant protection against stress. Just by chewing several leaves of Tulsi purifies blood and helps prevent several common ailments

6. Halitosis

Chewing 25 leaves a day can eliminate bad breath (but better be careful that it gets flushed down by water and not too chew it too much for it can damage the enamel of the teeth)

7. Mosquito Repellent

The emanations from tulsi plants is fatal for mosquitos

8. Diarrhoea

Drinking cardamom and mint powders with tulsi juice cures diarrhoea

9. Purification of polluted water

By dropping a few fresh green tulis leaves to a polluted water can purify it This list can go on and on. Tulsi leaves grows wildly and does not need a special care. It grows in all types of soils, but the best media is the black sticky amd moist soil. Growing a tulsi tree in a pot and place in the house is known to give a purifying atmoshphere and also promotes noble thoughts. So let’s start growing tulsi.

Here is a film that my Guru, Anand Krishna, showed me about the story of Tulasi. It’s in Hindi but subtitled in Englis. Enjoy :)

 

Damn, I Have Gout!

” Adi, why are you still sitting on the floor?”, I asked Adi after seeing everybody was about to leave the meditation hall, while he was still sitting.

Lately, I have heard people around me complaining about having gout. Even those in the tender age of the 20s have suffered from it. Usually it only attacks people above 40 years old. Mostly men suffers from gout.

I saw his face twitching in pain, ” It’s not only I can’t get up, I am having difficulty to walk. Look at my toe, it’s swollen. Damn!

” Woooaaaa….that’s quite a swell there. That surely is GOUT!”, I saw his foot in awe.

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Let’s take a look at what gout is and get rid it once and for all!

According to Ayurveda, an ancient healing system that is 5000 years old, gout is a caused by unhealthy life style and also genetic disease. It is a form of arthritis. An unhealthy life style is very much related to an unhealthy diet and also the lack of exercise in one’s life. However, there are people who are regularly doing exercise but still getting gout. Again, it is because of a poor diet. So basically, it’s about the food that we eat!

In Ayurveda the it is said that gout is the result of a vitiated Vata dosha which affected the rakta dhatu (red blood tissue). So what happens is that the uric acid is accumulated in the joints. This is also related in the disorder of the kidney. Therefore it vitiated the red blood tissues. First it attacks the toe and after that it spreads to the other joints.

The causes of the vitiated blood are:

1. Indigestion
2. Overconsumption of oily, salty, sour and spicy food
3. Too much intake of alcohol
4. Overconsumption of seafood
5. Lack of sleep
6. Obesity
7. Sedentary work

The causes of the increase in the level of uric acid in the blood are:

1. Genetics
2. Overconsumption of alcohol
3. Overconsumption of meat, inners, spinach, seafood and beans

These food contains too much purines.

Avoid (High)

Beer, anchovies, inners, meat, coconut milk, yeast, sardines, macarels, herrings, scallops, seafood, red beans

TIPS To Prevent and Cure Gout:

Eat fresh seasonal fruits (except avocado, durian, pineapple and bananas) The best fruits are berries such as strawberries, blueberries, and cherries.

Adopt a vegetarian diet. It is very healthy because it can alleviate gout. However avoid consumptions of spinach, morning glory, tempeh, casava leaves, asparagus and string beans

Avoid all dairy products especially yogurt. Best to drink rice milk.

Always have your greens except the ones being mentioned above and avoid gravies and meat stocks

It is best to avoid processed food such as white bread and sugar. It can worsen the condition

Avoid fried oily foods, salty, sour and spicy food

Take 50 ml of ghee everday if possible

Add more ginger, garlic, cumin, fennel, corriander, cardamom  and cinnamon to your food

Exercise well but avoid exercises that strains the joints. Exercise is important the keep the joints mobile

Lose weight if one is over weight. Your weight makes a difference

Drink enough water to flush out all the toxins and to help the kidney function properly

Get adequate sleep

If your toes are swollen, you may have a cold compress (in SOS). However, the best thing to do is to soak it in luke warm water with a drop of apple vinegar

It is recommended to get an ayurvedic abhyanga massage

Hopefully these tips will be helpful to you and your friends or families who has gout. Get well soon!

We Are All Wired Up To The One Source

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I was always wondering how can we really prove that the whole being is connected with The One Source. Connected to The One Consciousness. Well, let me tell you about my experience. One day I was joking and teasing a good friend of mine. We go along way back the two of us. It seems that we could talk about anything. Literally about anything. However, since we have been separated by time, I guess we have “missed” out of some updates about one another. When I by having no intention of hurting her just kept on bombarding her with the jokes and teasing. However I noticed that she litteraly froze after I have mentioned a word. So without me realizing at first, kept on laughing, I suddenly stopped laughing in the most awkward way. I just reminded me of those scenes in the film when someone just turn into a frozen chilled frown while looking at the other person laughin like an ass. Well, I guess that was the scene that happened between my friend, Bella, and I.

I could feel like a frozen staligtite of ice dropping from out of nowhere. After managing to recompose myself in the most awkward throat clearing way, I finally managed to utter a word,

” Did I say something wrong?”.
D-uh, it doesn’t take a genious to know that I have definetely said something wrong.

” I was joking….Hey, can’t we joke anymore?”
There was this most uncomfortable silence at first.
Finally she spoke,

” Yes, but not about that one.”
I guess her silence is also that she was wondering why is she felling so touchy about that certain issue. So she finally managed to explain.

” I don’t know why I get so sensitively touchy about that issue. I will have to work on it”.

” I am really sorry. I didn’t realize it was something so touchy with you” said I profusely apologizing. It was a meeting that we haven’t had since a long time. I had to ruin it with my stupid jokes.

” It’s okay. I’ll have to work on myself on it. But forgive me too that I don’t feel like talking anymore for the moment. I need to leave first”, said she in an a gaze that looked far away.

With that she left and I felt like the most idiot in the entire universe. At first, I was feeling a bit offended that she had to leave in such a way and make me feel guilty about it.

” Hey man, you were teasing me like hell and I was not offended at all. So why do YOU have to FEEL bad?”, the ego was so noisy in my head. However, I let her leave and also not stopping to apologize.

This is when I realized that we are CONNECTED to THE ONE SOURCE. I managed to understand what the word ” God is in everyone of us. If you hurt a person, that means we are also hurting The One that is inside us too”.

After she left, I felt such a sharp pain in the middle of my chest. I believe it is what is called the psychic heart.

” Whoaa…where did this pain come from?”, I was wondering while I was rubbing my chest. But then, I just realized that the feeling was not entirely mine. It belonged to Bella! Upon realizing this, I felt so bad…. I was feeling that pain as to what Bella was feeling.

This is when I realized that we are CONNECTED to THE ONE SOURCE. I managed to understand what the word ” God is in everyone of us. If you hurt a person, that means we are also hurting The One that is inside us too”.

The catch is, we can only feel this if our Ego has stopped to become noisy in our head. I also realized that while joking and teasing, my ego was going for the “kill” of who can make the other person be defeated by the joke without having any intention of harming. Because after all it is a game of joking and teasing. So that incident made me learn AGAIN that when the Ego is silent, the Consciousnes takes over….only then one can realize that we are all WIRED up to that ONE SOURCE.

If you want to see something more in extreme, watch this short documentary.

How To Stay Cool On A Hot Day

 

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You will be surprised why there are so many impatient people in a city like Jakarta. Because most of us are living the improper lifestyle. Imagine, we loooooovvveee our chilies and sour foods on a hot sunny summer. No wonder!

For those who lives in the tropics, everyday is summer! Sun…sun…sun!

Not that I’m complaining about the sun (NOT!), it’s just that the heat can really get too much.
Especially for those who are like me, who has a Pitta or Fire Constitution. I guess the best thing to describe the heat is “I’m on Fire!!!”
Of course I am exagerrating, but really, a Pitta person on a summer day can get really heated up!

So how can we survive on a hot summer (summer) day? Let’s try to understand what happens to our body first during summer/hot season.
During a hot summer day, the fire element increases in all of us (you can read more about the element here ). That is why we crave for fresh fruits, ice cream, cold drinks, fresh salads to balance the internal heat. However, people with Vata (Air/Wind) and Kapha (Water) constitution would love the summer because it is the opposite of their cool nature. Pitta (Fire) people who inherently has heat has more problems in coping with the heat. You wouldn’t really want to make them irritated during a hot day!

During a hot summer day, we experience a lot of pitta related problems such as sunburn, boils, acidity, internal heat, heat rash, pimples etc. Don’t also be surprised if our blood pressure rises up so easily because of the “extra boiling point”! So try to stay and keep cool.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Always try to stay and keep cool
2. Always go out with an umbrella or a hat to protect from the heat with going outdoors
3. Stay calm and stress free ( it will be a big challenge to be in Jakarta’s traffic)
4. Pitta people should avoid excess salt, yogurt, tomatoes, alcohol, red meat, sour foods, spicy foods and fermented foods
5. Opt for sweet fruits such as mangoes, coconut, pears
6. Enjoy carbs, fresh veggies, and cereals
7. Drink water with cucumber slices or lemon slices
8. Spray some rose water on the face during hot season (freshen and cools the skin)
9. Put a sandalwood oil on the thymus (fifth chakra) to avoid impatience
10. Shower 3 times a day with cool water if needed (avoids anger :D)
11. Do some breathing exercises such as meditation
12. Put on jasmine, rose or sandalwood fragrance as perfumes
13. Laugh more!
14. Bathe in a rose quartz water and some drops of sandalwood or jasmine essential oil

Those are the tips that can balance a Pitta on a hot summer days. You will be surprised why there are so many impatient people in a city like Jakarta. Because most of us are living the improper lifestyle. Imagine, we loooooovvveee our chilies and sour foods on a hot sunny summer. No wonder! I hope you Pitta people can benefit from this article. But even the others who would like to have a balanced consititution on a summer should try to follow these recommendations.

Self Love

Selama beberapa minggu ini kesibukan saya benar-benar pada puncaknya. Dari travelling, memberikan workshops, training staff baru sampai pergantian sistem bekerja. Lengakap semua aktifitas sampai saya tidak sempat untuk yoga, olah raga, sampai minum suplemenpun lupa! Ckckckck…not good Archana!

So guess what happened? Ya iyalah yauw…akhirnya badan ini tumbang pula. Padahal tenggorokan sudah protes ketika ia beberapa kali mulai serak dan protes untuk mengeluarkan suara alaminya yang merdu..ehm..Terus sudah beberapa malam tidak bisa tidur. Saking kecape’an sehingga tidak bisa tidur. Pernah mengalami kecape’an seperti itu sampai saking letihnya malah menjadi tidak bisa tidur? Waaah…kalau itu sudah terjadi, berarti kita sudah mengalami fatigue. Biasanya kalau sudah mengalami hal seperti itu, seharusnya saya berhenti. Total STOP! dan saatnya merawat diri sendiri.

Seringkali kita bicara tentang “Love Yourself”…”Cintailah Dirimu Sendiri”. Hmm…terus terang, banyak klien-klien yang bingung dengan kalimat tersebut.

“Berarti kita harus narsis dong,mbak?”, tanya mereka.

Well…not exactly seperti itu. Salah satu bentuk mencintai diri sendiri yang paling mudah adalah seperti contoh yang saya ilustrasikan di atas. Well…mungkin ilustrasi diatas lebih menggambarkan tentang bentuk kurang mencintai diri sendiri. Jika saya mencintai diri sendiri, saya tidak akan membiarkan diri saya sampai jatuh sakit. Dan sakit yang saya alami bukan saja sekedar tumbang dalam bentuk flu dan infeksi pernapasan, tetapi ketenangan jiwa dan pikiran saya juga terganggu.

Mencintai diri sendiri berarti mendengarkan apa kata badan kita dan apa kata hati kita. Memang seringkali kita dihadapkan pada sebuah situasi yang memaksakan kita untuk melakukan hal-hal yang kita tidak inginkan, tetapi kita tahu kita harus melakukannya. Walaupun keputusan tersebut kelihatannya sesuatu yang tidak kita ingin ambil tetapi kita tahu adalah yang terbaik. Semakin kita menunda-nunda untuk mengambil keputusan tersebut, justru kita hanya akan menimbulkan penyakit bagi diri kita. Ini bukanlah bentuk mencintai diri sendiri.

self-love-healthy

Salah satu bentuk lain mencintai diri sendiri adalah:

1. End Toxic Relationships:

Memutuskan hubungan dengan lingkungan atau dengan orang-orang yang tidak memperlakukan kita dengan baik.Hubungan ini hanya menimbulkan racun bagi diri kita. Hubungan semacam ini yang dikenal dengan “toxic relationship”.Jangan mentolerir siapa saja hanya karena urusan finansial, atau karena urusan hati, atau karena demi anak atau demi kenyamanan. Jadi salah satu bentuk untuk mencintai diri sendiri adalah tidak mentolerir orang-orang yang tidak memperlakukan kita dengan baik. Titik.

2. Learn To Say “NO”:

Kita harus belajar untuk bisa mengatakan “tidak” kepada orang-orang, kegiatan-kegiatan dan tanggung jawab-tanggung jawab yang tidak membawa manfaat bagi kehidupan kita.

3. Keep Good Company:

Pilih lingkungan yang mendukung kita, yang mencintai kita, yang membuat kita menjadi diri kita yang lebih baik. Jadi bukan hanya sekedar feel good saja. Karena kalau sekedar menjadi feel good saja, kita akan menjadi egois. Tetapi good company dapat merupakan lingkungkan yang menggembleng kita menjadi lebih sadar terhadap sesuatu yang lebih luas. Misalnya tentang lingkungan, tentang kehidupan, dan yang jelas tentang perkembangan evolusi jiwa dan batin kita. Sekedar feel good doesn’t mean it’s good for us. Ibarat makan cake yang super duper delicious dalam jumlah yang banyak, it makes us feel good. Tapi apakah sehat untuk kita?

4. Find Meaning In Everything:

Jangan puas hanya dengan sekedar mendapatkan teman, pekerjaan, cinta, hubungan dan kehidupan yang biasa-biasa saja. Kita tidak hidup untuk selamanya, carilah segala sesuatu yang berarti!

5. Always Do The Things You Love & Love The Things You Do:

Lakukanlah hal-hal yang Anda minati dan Anda suka. Biasanya, jika ingin mencari sesuatu yang benar-benar menjadi passion Anda adalah, ketika Anda melakukannya,Anda sampai lupa waktu. Kalau merumpi adalah sesuatu yang Anda suka, ya jadikanlah suatu pekerjaan bagi Anda. Misalnya jadi presenter acara gossip atau jadi wartawan acara gossip. Tetapi, sekali lagi, pertanyakan kembali kepada diri Anda, apakah pekerjaan ini membuat Anda menjadi seseorang yang lebih baik. Selalu gunakan the Golden Rule: Do Unto Others What You Want Others Do Unto You. Perlakukanlah orang lain sebagaimana Anda ingin diperlakukan oleh orang lain. That is important! Jangan egois :p

Salah satu bentuk mencintai diri sendiri adalah jauhkan diri Anda dari orang-orang dan lingkungan yang negatif. Karena energi negatif ini akan menerkam kita dan benar-benar melelahkan kita. Carilah dan beradalah di dekat orang-orang dan lingkungan yang membuat diri kita menjadi versi diri yang lebih baik, yang memicu untuk mengeluarkan potensi diri kita, mencintai dan menerima diri kita. That is… my friend, Loving Yourself!

“Ooohh… gitu tokh, mbak” seorang klien manggut-manggut setelah saya jelaskan tentang bentuk mencintai diri sendiri.            

Love Starts From The Self!  

Karena banyak sekali orang mengira bahwa mencintai diri sendiri berarti menjadi egois. Mau menang sendiri, yang penting kita happy. Oh no no no…itu benar-benar egois namanya. Sangat berbeda sekali. Menjadi egois berarti kita hanya mementingkan diri sendiri tanpa peduli apa yang terjadi dengan orang lain. Menjadi egois berarti hanya ingin menang sendiri tanpa memikirkan orang lain, yang penting aku aku aku aku…Itu namanya egois. Mencintai diri sendiri berarti, sekali lagi menerima kelemahan kita, menerima kesalahan kita, mendengarkan hati dan tubuh kita sehingga kita bisa merawatnya. Termasuk merawat ego supaya tidak diberi “makan” terus.

Bentuk lain dari mencintai diri sendiri adalah memberi asupan makanan yang tepat bagi tipe tubuh dan pikiran kita. Nah…untuk itu, silakan tunggu tulisan saya tentang Ayurveda yang membahas tentang mind/body type setiap orang. Tunggu tanggal mainnya ya :) Teman-teman, saya ingin mendengarkan pengalaman teman-teman tentang Self Love. Please leave your comments dibawah ini ya. Terima kasih banyak…Rahayu…Namaste….

Ini adalah sebuah lagu yang saya pelajari dari Centre Of Agapenya Dr. Beckwith waktu saya bertemu beliau di Melbourne, Australia (salah satu nara sumber di film The Secret)…

I love myself so much 

So I can love you so much 

So you can love you so much

So you can start loving me….

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