The Wisdom of Marmani
Marma is a Sanskrit word with over 20 different meanings. A few examples: Vitality, Crucial, Important, a point of Creativity or Dissolution, a secret spot, mini-minds. Marma comes to us from an ancient Indian healers, and it is a tradition that has been passed down from teacher to student for ages. My teacher/Guru has taught me to see Marma as an entry point to life and death. This is not meant in a sinister way, but Marma points are where energy or prana flows which can also cause us harm when injured. Injury can be physical or even by another's use of words.
I like to think of all beings as more than just the flesh. We are more than what we can see and feel and are all connected because we are all made of energy. Take a moment and think of your energetic body as a mass of water which is trying to maintain balance and stillness. Now think of that mass of water and all the obstacles the water must face. Ripples begin with the small particles and waves by the larger objects. That is in essence what our energetic body is doing.
A Marma point is the bridge between our physical and energetic body. It starts as a vibration called Spanda which has two components: the Cosmic Mind and the Individual Mind. The Cosmic mind represents the divine—how we all have the divine within. The Individual Mind is not simply the brain but includes the intelligence of every cell. Every organ is designed to speak to us in its own way. The Spanda is responsible for the first ripple and is otherwise known as prana. Yogis know prana as the life force within us, and it is made up of Matter and Consciousness. These move through our seven Chakras and down through 72,000 Nadis Lines. The Nadis lines act as channels similar to the meridians in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). The Nadis lines lead to the Marma or Marmani points in the body.
There are 107 classical points with 108th point being the mind. Marma is where the five elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether) are formed, where the three Doshas (Kapha, Pitta, Vata) are birthed, the meeting place of the three states of mind Gunas (Sattva-truth, Rajas-movement, Tamas-dark), and where the three essences of energy emerge (Prana-energy, Tejas-brilliance, and Ojas-resilience). Out of the classical 108, there are 44 which are considered therapeutically touchable, while the other 64 are helped through meditation, mantras/sound, and fragrances. Each Marma is made up of Intelligence, Consciousness and Matter.
As you start to work with Marma points, you will begin to connect with your own personal vibration. It feels as though you have a second pulse that doesn’t line up with your heart beat. The Guru Indu Arora, who I was so lucky to learn from, told us to “tune your body to the rhythm of health.” She pointed us to an Ayurvedic Scripture: “Nothing is new, it’s only a reminder to you.”
Our bodies are so very intelligent, and they speak to us all day long. However, sadly we are often out of tune with what they are saying.
So I leave you with this thought... Next time you are working out, or at yoga, or at the ballet barre, or walking the dog, or anything else, notice the taste on your tongue. Try to describe it for yourself. Is it bitter? Dry? Sweet? Believe it or not, that is your tongue’s intelligence speaking to you about the situation or even mind set you are in. I challenge you to start noticing the small things. You may even start to feel your own vibration if you learn to listen.
I am forever a student and always learning, I write from a place of openness and hope to always continue to learn. I would love to hear from you, feel free to contact me with any thoughts, questions or if you would like to give Marma a try. I want to give gratitude to Indu Arora for sharing her knowledge so openly, without tethers of ego. I thank you for the love you share.
Bedtime Routine For Pitta Season
Summertime is in full swing here in the United States, and that means we are in the height of Pitta Season. In Ayurveda, the seasons are broken down into three times of the year.
Vata: Mid- September to January
These are the light, dry and windy months, think of it as Air and Ether elements.
Kapha: January to Mid-May
These are the cold, wet, heavy months, think Earthy and Water elements.
Pitta: Mid-May to Mid-September
These are the hot, humid, and steamy months, think of the elements as Fire and a little Water.
Pitta, when balanced, is a stunning force. It can be the reason that projects are finished, marathons achieved, and grand ideas birthed. Pitta is responsible for that natural drive or the fire within. With all things in life, balance is key. Dosha is our elemental makeup, and we all have our individual combo of doshas—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. When it comes to our Pitta dosha, we already know we need to balance our homes, our clothing, even our beverages to keep us comfortable in these warmer months. What we don’t often speak about is the aggressive nature that can come about from too much fire within or the burnout from going too hard for too long. Think too much exercise, overwork, and exhaustion in terms of the heat within ourselves. Our bodies are often more in-tune than our minds, so the body will send us warnings to “step off the gas!” We tend not to listen until we hit a wall.
So as we go into our hottest month, August, I want to share some Ayurvedic tips for keeping your Pitta side balanced. This is especially helpful for those who feel that it is hard to stop and take some time to just pause. Give yourself a rest in some peaceful stillness and enjoy summer’s rays of sunshine.
Bedtime Routine for Pitta
Set the Mood
Dim the lights or sit under the moon and stars check in with your self. Just acknowledge how you feel. Don’t judge yourself just observe.
Essential oils or Fresh
To create a cooling effect use Sandalwood, Jasmine, or Mint in your preferred diffuser. Or for a fresh approach, sit with one or all three of these fresh pieces from the earth. Allow your senses to take it in. I would not recommend burning of any sort. Keep your atmosphere clear of any excess heat.
Meditation
Lay down with your back on the floor or earth. Prop your feet up on on a chair or wall. Give yourself permission to let go, no need to work, and use the effortlessness of relaxing to be your guide. If pregnant or with low back trouble, prop something in between your legs and lay down on your side letting gravity help you release.
Mantra
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti
Peace of the Mind, Peace in Speech, & Peace of the Physical Body
The Mantra Om Shanti is about peace. When we recite these words we remind ourselves to create peace for all including ourselves.
Give Yourself Time
Most importantly make this something sacred for you. There is no need to rush—let go of multitasking and try to keep these simple steps as a routine. We are in a time where we are inundated with constant stimulation. Why not make a conscious decision to turn off some of the noise when you can? Include your family if that helps you find stillness. As a mom I know how difficult this can seem. I try to incorporate my family into new routines when possible and when it is well suited for them. I have learned that we all benefit from the quiet time as our busy day comes to an end.
What Is Shirodhara?
Shirodhara oil stream over third eye.
Over time, Shirodhara has become one of Ayurveda’s more iconic symbols or methods of body work. A copper pot hung directly over your head pours a steady fluid (oil or milk) just above the brow line onto your third eye. The word comes from Shiro, meaning head, and Dhara, to pour. These combine creating Shirodhara—to pour over one’s head. There are many forms of Dhara, which can include streaming a liquid over joints or any chakra points.
Before I dive into why this practice is so important, let’s chat about the significance of the third eye. In our chakra system, the sixth chakra, know as Ajna, is located at our third eye point in the center of our forehead. Ajna means command, thus making our sixth chakra our command center. I think it helps to think of our chakra systems as a place where our natural energy, or prana, is already flowing. Keeping these balanced maintains our own well being.
Our Ajna chakra is physically correlated with the pituitary gland and hypothalamus. These are part of our endocrine system, making them the master controls of our autonomic nervous system. When our prana (life force) flows, we have a normal hormonal output. In Ayurveda, we practice a simple logic to help with anyone’s health—like increases like. Therefore, too much of anything is a bad thing. Too much flow of prana could create a surge of many hormones, just as the opposite, a lack of flowing prana, would create not enough hormones. Both scenarios create an imbalance.
The sixth chakra psychologically helps build an experience of the world that is in line with our deepest beliefs, thus being our inner perception. On a spiritual level, this is where our perception of soul originates. So, the deeper into our Ajna chakra we go, the more insight comes.
This brings me to why it is so important to try Shirodhara. Personally, my first Shiro experience was like seeing clearly for the first time from my third eye. I meditate regularly and felt that this practice took me to a deeper state of insight which came from within. My own experience made me understand how special and delicate Shirodhara is. While in school, I was taught to be gentle with clients because the Shirodhara creates such stillness. For some, especially if they have never felt this before, it can generate a large emotional response, and they will need the space to have this experience. This is why I work slowly with anyone new to the process, as it can take some time to be comfortable with these types, of deep internal perception.
The gentle stillness created from the flow of warm oil with infused herbs allows the body and mind to settle down. Not only is this a very relaxing experience, but it also is a wonderful modality for chronic head-aches, insomnia, anxiety, and nervousness. It helps you quiet the mind with your meditation practice, and additionally the oil provides a glorious hydration for your locks that have been soaking up all that summertime sun shine. I recommend leaving the oil in your hair for a few hours to soak in the goodness. In my practice, I work with a tridoshic oil blend to help sooth all doshas, but I also offer custom blends to anyone who is interested or who may need further balance for their specific dosha (particular elemental makeup).
Today is always a good day to try something new. If you are still feeling unsure or would like any information please feel free to contact me with any questions. I’m happy to help.