Keesha's Blog
January 2008

Dear Friends,

It’s been a year since Fern Life Center opened!! February 9th we are throwing a celebration anniversary bash and want to make sure you and yours can come (2-6 pm). We will be having lots of mini-demos and classes, our practitioners will be available to show you what they are up to, and of course there will be food! What we REALLY want to do is have a potluck. Many on you have requested recipes for new and interesting ways to cook for your dosha type. Bring a favorite Ayurvedic dish and the recipe for it. We will do an exchange and you will be on your way to a new cookbook!

Welcome to Julie James. Julie is an Ayurvedic practitioner, somatic body worker, licensed massage therapist, and yoga teacher…WOW! She does some AMAZING work with soma in unlocking old structural problems in the body and doing neuromuscular integration/retraining. I am going through the 11 week program right now and it’s not for the faint hearted!! Plus, she will be teaching the early morning yoga class at Fern Life Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at 6:15 a.m. Call the center to register as soon as possible because we need 6 people to have a class. Call your friends too!

As we struggle through the damp, cold Northwest winters, please take care of your Vata! Following is an article excerpted from Banyan Botanicals on Vata Rejuvenation...

Vata Rejuvenation

Many of us equate rejuvenation with looking and feeling younger. Ayurveda describes the holistic process of rejuvenation as exactly that - practices and therapies that will sustain the healthy function of your body and mind, fortify the immune system, and, according to the ancient Ayurvedic text, Chakra, add years to your life!

The Sanskrit word for rejuvenation is Ramayana, which literally translates as, "the path of juice". This "juice" can be understood as a substance or essence which is produced through proper physical and mental digestion to renew cells and build the tissues in the body with the ultimate goal of longevity.

Some benefits of Ramayana are:

• Improved digestion
• Strong body
• Improved mental ability, including memory
• Increased energy
• Strong immune function
• Improved complexion and voice
• Calm, happy demeanor

An Ayurvedic program of rejuvenation requires a certain level of commitment to a healthy life and learning to live in accordance with the cycles and rhythms of nature. A basic understanding of Ayurveda including familiarity with the doshas and how they relate to your individual constitution or prakriti is necessary in order to determine, through self-evaluation, if you are in a reasonably balanced state of health. For example, if you are vata predominant and experiencing the cold season of vata, are you staying warm and following a vata pacifying diet?

Rasayana is best suited for a variety of individuals: those recovering from vata-type diseases, those in the vata time of life, after the age of fifty when vata dosha predominates, or individuals who simply want to take their health and well being to the next level. Rejuvenation therapy is used to help prevent disease and promote a long, healthy life.

Learning how to balance vata through diet, by eating wholesome, nourishing foods is a good first step for most people. In addition to dietary choices, Ayurveda believes that healthful habits and a daily routine are an integral part of establishing health and beginning a rejuvenation program. Vata types lead quick and sometimes very irregular lifestyles, so cultivating a sense of stability will help to bring this dosha into balance.

• Be sure to get plenty of rest. Go to bed at a regular time each night, preferably before 10pm.
• Give yourself plenty of time to complete tasks. Many vatas rush around with a very long to-do list and no time to do it.
• Take meals consisting of warm, moist food at regular times each day.
• Limit bitter, cold and raw foods which aggravate vata.
• Eliminate alcohol and caffeinated substances which are detrimental to the nervous system.
• Engage in light to moderate exercise like walking, yoga or Tai Chi.
• Minimize travel.

A precursory step in preparation for rejuvenation is purification through Panchakarma, the five cleansing actions of Ayurveda. It is important to detoxify the body before rebuilding can begin. There is a mild home panchakarma program in Vasant Lad’s book, The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies, which we have in stock at Fern Life Center. These practices aim to remove waste, toxins and accumulated doshas (when one or more doshas is in excess) so that the body is more receptive to rasayana therapy.

During the entire process of both cleansing and rejuvenation, it is best to get plenty of rest. Sleep is the time when the body repairs and renews itself, restoring vital energy.Take time to unwind and relax in preparation for bed. Taking a warm bath or sipping a cup of warm almond milk with saffron and fresh nutmeg can be a soothing part of your evening ritual.

One powerful rasayana for vata (in addition to herbal rasayanas) is sesame oil. Doing warm oil massage enhances blood circulation stimulates internal organs, promotes sound sleep, nourishes and soothes the skin, and can significantly reduce vata. Vata Massage Oil is specially formulated with herbs such as ashwagandha and bala to rejuvenate and strengthen the body while passion flower helps to calm the body.

During rejuvenation, Ayurveda supports following an ethical regime in order to bring about a tranquil mind free of negative thoughts. This is similar to the yamas and niyamas practiced in yoga. Yamas are the ten ethical rules or guildelines to be followed by a yoga practitioner, while the niyamas are ten observances of self-discipline. Simple practices, such as always speaking the truth, forgiveness, non-violence and control of sexual desires, conserve energy by focusing inward. Energy, otherwise expended, can then be used to strengthen the mind's function and cultivate contentment. Meditation can be the most useful tool for this purpose. Take the time to sit and meditate daily to relieve stress and mental conflict.

Whether you are in the beginning stages of learning to manage vata dosha in the body, taking prerequisite steps of detoxification, or fully ready to begin rejuvenating vata within your body and mind, remember that it takes patience and perseverance. Consistency is key and real change can be slow, but Ayurveda offers all the tools you need to live a healthy, juicy life in harmony with the universe.

Ayurvedic Recipe: Hot Potato Salad

• 6 new or red potatoes
• 1/2 c. rice vinegar
• 1 T. stone ground mustard
• 1 T. dry spearmint
• 1 t. dill weed
• 1/2 t. sea salt
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• Garnish: freshly ground black pepper

Boil the potatoes until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. While they are boiling, mix up the dressing: whisk the mustard, herbs and salt into the vinegar, then add oil. Stir in yogurt. Drain the potatoes, let them cool enough to handle, then slice or cube them as you like. Put in a greased covered dish and stir in the dressing. Cook for 20 minutes or until warm. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper.

Seeds of Light

By Ostara

As January casts a deep chill over the Pacific Northwest, I am reminded of the importance of family, warmth, and health.  This month has been an exciting one as Keesha and the Fern Life Center Family opened its gates to welcome me.  I feel honored to have this opportunity to work among a wide range of talented healers, teachers and practitioners. 

When I first walked into Fern Life Center, I was met by a Misty’s warm smile, and a radiant energy permeated the place.  I said to the angels, “Where are you taking me this time?”

My name is Ostara.  I am an Angelic channel, spiritual teacher, and starseed. 
I have been blessed with some amazing assistance from the Beings of Light and other wonderful spiritual teachers, some of them friends, who have planted seeds.  I have had the opportunity to observe the miracle of what can happen when a soul decides, with intent, to evolve— for everyone’s benefit.  I have had the opportunity to observe the miracles that can happen when one decides to surrender to grace, when one’s mind is so focused on “thank you” there is room for little else.  I have had the opportunity to observe the miracle of a silent mind, when all judgment comes to a halt, and light floods the perceptive faculties.   

My journey began quite humbly, as someone with many challenges.  My feeling tone could best be described as one of “magical compassion”, and my connection to highly evolved galaxies felt so real that I struggled to bridge the gap between such worlds and this one.  I thought, “What is this strange place, where everyone pretends not to feel the love of God?”  In college, when I read the words of Chogyam Trungpa, a Tibetan Buddhist Rinpoche, I was moved to tears.   I wanted to become enlightened and realize “no self” so I could then liberate others, just like Buddha!  But how to do so?  How does one liberate others, that they may remember the “Ultra Real Frequency of Love”?  That their actions and words are forever graced by this wave of motivating compassion? 

Many teachers throughout the millennia have addressed this question, but an interesting phenomenon about the Beings of Light, (i.e., Archangels and Bodhisattvas), is that they speed things up one thousand fold.  They have crystal clear sight and profound wisdom, as they have witnessed the course of evolving souls for billions of years.   They are fascinated by aspects of life we adults might consider mundane.  The more we consciously acknowledge them, the closer we come to experiencing the “fierce play” and “celestial love” of the heaven realms.  Their guidance comforts us; it alleviates the weight of our karmic lessons, that we may enjoy our creative time on the planet.  If a soul requests liberation (sometimes subconsciously), the universe sends even more help.   The angels do all they can to assist us through our lessons until we reach that state of profound surrender . . . that is, dwell with the Infinite. 

As we advance along the path, the tests get tougher; it is not always comfortable.  They often encourage us to engage things that make us nervous, (the flip side of excitement), that we may activate our sacred blueprints and contracts.   Every time we follow their guidance, saying thank you for those opportunities to grow, we live from this higher octave.  We feel whole and alive, blessed with the remembrance of our own goodness.  And what do the angels do every time we release our fears, no longer afraid to live from joy, with fire in our hearts?  They fly right along with us, inspired to serve even more!   As you learn to channel the light, you may find yourself moving into “Archangelic perceptivity” to help yourself and other souls along their path.  Beings of Light often work in highly orchestrated, cohesive teams.  (This is why the pronouns “I” and “We” often hold the same meaning for lightworkers).  Thus, with joy in our hearts, “we” embrace this chance to be of service, alongside the Fern Life Center family.  (Ostara is a new healer offering her services at Fern Life Center).

Introduction from Nicole Laurent
Clinical Psychologist

Education in traditional methods of Western health isn’t always a limiting experience for healer and client alike. Sometimes it takes a trained behavioral health professional to help us initiate and own the positive changes we want for ourselves or our family. So often we come to an amazing place of health and healing like Fern Life Center, and benefit from the gifts of healing and wellness provided, only to fall back to the habits and ways of being in the world we had prior to coming. We may have told ourselves we would go regularly to a Yoga class, make needed changes to our diet or would meditation every morning without fail, only to find that we have failed to make long-term changes. Why is that? 

That’s where one of our new staff members come in! Nicole Laurent is a clinical psychotherapist who works with clients to evaluate their thoughts, feelings and behaviors to affect positive change. Sometimes that change is behavioral and sometimes it’s about looking at the thinking underlying the behavior. And sometimes it is about understanding whether we are acting based on our emotion responses and have inadvertently closed ourselves off to experimenting with endless possibilities. Nicole’s extensive education in the psychology and philosophy of change has lead her to attain a Master of Arts (M.A.) in Clinical Psychology from Washington School of Professional Psychology. She is distinctly comfortable with alternative medical and behavioral models even as she grounds herself daily in her own work that relies heavily on evidence-based practices identified through traditional social science research methods.

Nicole looks forward to meeting with clients at Fern Life Center and helping them make the changes they intended for their minds, bodies and spirits. No small feat, but one that she miraculously helps individuals achieve every day.

Now Providing Adult Medicine with Specialty in Skin Care, Jane Scarff, ARNP is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with 25 years of experience.  She will be offering a holistic approach to her practice and believes it is important to establish partnerships with her patients in order to find the answers to their needs of healthcare.   Call today for an appointment!