In my last blog, I talked about the first and second causes of disease. The third cause of disease is considered the most important of all, time. “Time” means living according to the rhythms of nature and understanding the symptoms of change, which Patanjali also speaks about in his Yoga Sutras III-13 to III-16. As the sun moves and changes in quality and form, it governs specific functions and abilities. For example, the rising sun and its quality and function of creation; the mid-day sun and its quality and function of sustaining and nourishing life; and the setting sun and its quality and function of transformation. The same sun shines through each one of us, like unique pieces of stained glass, mirroring the same changes throughout the day, season and lifetime. Yoga practice is primarily for balancing the qualities of the mind, and Ayurvedic practice is primarily for balancing the qualities of the body.

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The other day on our daily walk, we noticed that our neighbor had just cut back her roses. These are the roses we stop to smell together every morning. Pink, red, white, yellow and — our favorite — mauve, which gives the most incredible scent.

Well, this morning there lay a pile of stems, flowers, petals, leaves. My son was sad, looking at this pile as he questioned why they were cut off. It’s not like he hasn’t seen this before, but at each stage of his life he sees it with a new set of eyes.

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What is your breath doing?

We have established previously that the breath is not only vital to the survival of our physical being, but that it is also vital to the sustenance and maintenance of our spiritual and emotional bodies.

When the breath is fluid within us, encountering no obstacles or blockages, we can utilize the oxygen, prana and renewing energy of the breath, unencumbered. In this case, the breath is pure nourishment. It feeds all of our systems, physical and other, allowing us to be ready and available for whatever the day asks of us.

We become ready for physical activity, we are full of vitality for emotional interactions…spiritual openness flows through us. Our intuition is free and clear of encumbrance to its purity and clarity.

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Ayurveda’s first cause of disease is a mistake or misuse of the mind, where one observes or perceives incorrectly. When we try to solve it by suppressing or thinking what to do about IT, that creates further fragments and divisions. Observe holistically, observe the whole movement of life as one; then conflict – with its destructive energy – not only ceases but also, out of that observation, gifts a totally new approach to life!

The second cause of disease arises out of its first – mistake of the mind or, even more specifically, the misuse of the intelligence, which is the misuse of objects of the senses. We can also view this as wrong relationships to such objects like people, places, things, activities, and even our own mind, including its thoughts, emotions, perceptions and conditioning.

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This comment seems almost redundant. In fact, how could we live if we were not breathing? And at the same time, it is a fact that we don’t always pay attention to this life-giving mechanism on which we are so dependent.

I have spoken about the vital link that we have with our breath, and with our breathing before. It seems appropriate to revisit it here now.

Every day, I talk with people who are struggling to find a corner of peace within the frantic nature of their lives. So many of them feel that they are barely hanging on. I am noticing as well that many of us are holding ourselves in a rigorous vice-like stasis, bracing ourselves for the unknown hammer of change to fall on our heads. (I wrote about this in my last blog entry “2012, Apocalypse Or Not”)

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Calculating the rate of bladder filling and hours before surgery, it was painfully obvious I would have to catheterize myself and penetrate the Three Gorges of Hell (see Act Three), hopefully, for the last time in this life time. I awoke early. Mission accomplished.

Trying to remain in a very positive mental state,I crossed the Hospital threshold at 0500 hours.

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IN GRATITUBE: A NIGHTMARE WEEK

Act three:

Time, in my mind, was moving at a different rate than real time. The reality of imminent surgery was circulating in my brain cells. Would it happen in hours or days?

The Doctor held an anatomical model of the entire exposed male genitalia in front of my eyes. While focusing on the plastic model and relating it to my own anatomy, I learned that a green light Boron Laser would be inserted into my urethra. Under the steady hand of the skilled surgeon, a beam would generate 190,000 joules of energy, turning my prostate gland to fried sweetbreads. The tissue would be melted to a liquid then boiled to a gas, and then finally vaporized inside me. Who would want to turn down that E-ticket ride? “Evaporate it!” I said. “When do we do it? I can’t wait too long. My bladder is already filling”. The doctor informed me that he would not be able to operate for a week because of a previously scheduled medical conference.

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Act one: Signs and Symptoms

I was absorbing the beautiful light of a mid-May dusk when my right kidney decided to gift me with a nugget made of calcium oxalate (a chemical compound that forms needle-shaped crystals and is a major part of human kidney stones). I was grateful that the diameter of the tube (Right URETER) from my right kidney to my urinary bladder was larger than the diameter of the needle nugget slowly slashing through it(me). The “passage” was still painful enough to bring me to my knees while causing involuntary emesis (vomiting). The pain subsided in 24 hours on a regimen of anti-inflammatory medication, increased fluids, rest and meditation. But I didn’t realize this episode was a harbinger of things to come. Two months into the future, I will be viewing this kidney stone and more on a CAT (computerized axial tomography) scan.

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Full disclosure: I am a yoga teacher, and it’s very possible that I’ve felt a little, um…scoff-y about “yoga therapy” in the past. I’m not admitting anything outright; I’m just saying it’s possible. Because, come on, “yoga therapy”…what is that, even? I imagined that, at best, it might involve sitting in a therapist’s office (all brown leather couches and impressionist paintings of storms) being prescribed some count of down-dogs as remedy for my troubles. Or, at worst, being taken into one of those tiny white “Physical Training” rooms at a doctor’s office and being given postures to perform that LOOKED like yoga, but were actually devoid of the magic and divinity of the practice I have come to know and love. (more…)

Our treadmill arrived last week, and Hubby and I have now settled into a routine. It’s working out very well so far but I still miss my yoga, so I decided to do some research to see if there are any types of yoga I could do that would not adversely affect my eyes.

Really, if I’d taken a bit of time to think about it, the solution would have been obvious. Glaucoma is caused by a dangerous escalation in the internal eye pressure that can often result in blindness if not treated. Research has shown that stress can play a significant part in increasing eye pressure, so it makes absolute sense that any form of exercise that helps to reduce and manage stress is the ideal solution. (more…)