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.

Happy Feet Happy Life.

Our feet tend to be the most overworked part of our body and at they same time they often receive the least amount of care. Throughout my life, I have had the pleasure of wearing many different hats during my many journeys, yet the only constant link has been my feet. I’m lucky to report that my feet have always carried me to exactly where I need to be.

Along the way I acquired multiple foot regimens. Some of these serve me well to this day, while others I do not miss. For instance, I use a simple yoga technique daily: I lift my feet up in the air above my head every night before bed to allow the blood to drain down my legs, decrease swelling from the day, and let my feet begin to rejuvenate as I fall asleep. This allows me to have a more restful sleep, and when I wake up, my feet feel much happier. However, I do not miss having to plunge my feet into a bucket of ice water every night after work to keep inflammation down from a long day of rehearsals. Now I reserve this technique for times of injury as a more severe therapy.

Like all things in life, there will be ebbs and flows within one’s self-care. I believe that a big part of health has more to do with each individual’s needs and/or constitution. Learning to listen to what our bodies are trying to tell us is an important part of addressing these different conditions. This philosophy stems from my Ayurveda roots, and I will have much more to share on this topic in other blog posts soon.

Today, I would like to share some knowledge about the more structured systems of foot care which I find to have tremendous health benefits for those who use it. In case you love facts and history as I do: Did you know that the Egyptians had footwork drawn in their Hieroglyphics? This dates all the way back to 2300 BC—almost 5,000 years ago! This is just one documentation of foot care being used as a modality to help us live better. Other cultures such as Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Indian, Native American and African all have beautiful ancient techniques designed as foot care regimens.

My current favorite footwork modality happens to be Reflexology. If you are not familiar with this technique, it can be thought of as fingers and thumbs walking on your foot. Reflexology is a touch therapy that applies pressure to reflex points on the feet, hands, or ears. The reflex points correspond to organs, glands and other parts of the body, and there are two schools of thought on why it works.

The first is that life-energy passes through the body via energy pathways called meridians or zones. The pressure applied allows obstructions in this energy to be removed so that it can flow freely again. The second concept considers our nerve connections. We have thousands of nerve endings in our hands and feet. The pressure applied stimulates the nerve allowing it to induce its own balance throughout the body. There is also the lymphatic theory where the pressure applied encourages lymph activity. This theory is currently bigger in Europe. No matter which theory speaks to you, I encourage you to give Reflexology a try.

I will leave you with this fun take home nugget from my friend Sara Gray a licensed barefoot massage therapist, “The toes are a tool. I strengthen my toes and all the muscles in between my metatarsals by picking up tumbled stones. Strengthening your toes can help with balance issues and foot pain.”

Sustainable Choice

I’d like preface this post by saying that I am not an expert in sustainability. I am humbly writing today to say, “I can do better.” These are a few thoughts I’ve had lately to bring my own consciousness to this massive concept. I am here to learn and share my own experiences. It is never to judge others but to find a way to build a community to work together toward similar goals. It feels fitting for this blog I am creating to start from the earth and work our way up.

For a few years now we have been searching for an old farm door with the perfect specs for our home. This past Mother’s Day all I wanted was to complete this project and share it with my family. After another failed attempt at finding that old door, we thought maybe we will have to turn to a more commercial approach—buy something new. My heart sunk at the thought of spending a few hundred dollars and generating more waste, which as a planet we have so much of. According to the EPA, 548 million tons of C&D (construction and demolition) debris were generated in the United States in 2015—more than twice the amount of generated municipal solid waste. Demolition represents more than 90 percent of total C&D debris generation, while construction represents less than 10 percent. Now I know that is not all doors, but I do know that solving this problem starts with small steps and small changes in thought. Our door became a significant thought, and it just may be my catalyst to be more aware. We made a conscious choice: let’s not create more waste, as we can make this door a fun, cheery project and repurpose.

The universe always presents us with inspiring humans. They are putting sustainability at the front of their lives work. Their dharma will give our children a space on this earth to continue to live on. Talk about a beautiful life path. Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of walking through an exhibit from the Carnegie Mellon University School of Architecture. It was a collection of the students’ top work from the year, and my husband was among these creative thinkers. I was blown away by the way these minds care about the future. Why not make this a better place for us all to live?

Coming back to the door, which I know can sound trivial, I realized that for me it was a symbol of my mind and what I deem beautiful. The older I get, the more beautiful experience becomes, just as a wrinkle is beautiful for the wisdom it holds. Our homes can be similar, if we allow ourselves the opportunity to unlock the choices we are given for betterment. So today, I choose to care about my impact on this planet and hope to get better. I hope one day these thoughts will be reflected in all my choices that I make in life.

I’d love to hear your thoughts . What inspires change in you? How are you looking at the future of sustainability? Please share your own trials and wisdom below.

Welcome All...

This blog is designed to be a place to learn, play and grow with us. At Bindu + Body we invite all to enjoy themselves, take what serves you and leave the rest for someone else who may need it.

Looking forward to our adventures,

Eva