Tranquility

Experience Ayurveda

A series of three weekends with Joanna Johnston, cost £150/ weekend, £280 for x2 weekends, £420 for x3 weekends

Ayurveda is an Indian holistic system of health. A sister science to Yoga, Ayurveda emerged from the sacred texts of ancient India, known as the Vedas, or “Books of Wisdom.” These date back at least five thousand years and are widely regarded as humanity’s oldest literature.  The word itself is derived from the Sanskrit words for ‘knowledge’ (veda) and ‘life’ (ayur). It takes a holistic approach, seeing mind, senses, body and soul as a single entity. Ayurveda focuses on all area of health, including diet, lifestyle, exercise, detoxification, sleep, and the mind.  Its wisdom is as relevant today as it was 5000 years ago, offering us a ‘Users Manual’ for how to stay balanced and healthy.

These three weekends are designed for all those with the desire to learn about Yoga’s sister science- Ayurveda, and its applications to health, yoga, diet and home therapies.  Each weekend may be taken individually or you may choose to partake in all three.

For BCY Teacher trainees the three weekends together compose one “module” for the Diploma course (500 hour YA certification).

• July 31st- August  1st  2010:  Introduction to Ayurveda (and Summer Ayurvedic advice);

• September 18-19 2010 Ayurveda and Yoga (and Autumn advice)

• January  8^th-9^th 2011  Practical Ayurveda: Diet, Cooking, Body Care (and Winter/ Spring advice)

NB: Ayurveda places great emphasis on adapting to the changing seasons for optimal health.  These three weekends have been designed to focus on this seasonal aspect of Ayurveda, in addition to the topics outlined.

Typical Day

8 hours during the hours of 9.30am-5.30pm consisting of theory classes, practical sessions and Yoga/ mediation sessions. Please bring vegetarian food to share (except on the cooking workshop day in January).

Course Topics Include:

Introduction to Ayurveda

Ayurvedic theory may appear complex, but the principals upon which it is based are beautifully simple.  Its scope is vast, and it is considered the ‘grandmother’ of most integrative therapies practices today. This weekend includes:

• Fundamentals of Ayurvedic theory including the 5 elements theory
• The three doshas Vata, Pitta and Kapha (Ayurvedic psychosomatic types)
• How looking at ourselves and others through the ‘Ayurvedic lens’ allows us to better understand what is needed to stay balanced. Ayurveda is a highly individualistic science in this regard.
• The three pillars of life- Prana, Tejas and Ojas
• How to assess which doshas you are predominant in (practical)
• The Ayurvedic daily routine - cleansing the 5 senses (practical)
• Daily self- massage of the body with tailored oils (and demonstration)
• Introduction to Ayurvedic diet- the Six tastes (practical)
• Common Ayurvedic herbs and spices (many will already be familiar)
• Simple Ayurvedic home remedies for common ailments (practical)
• Daily and Seasonal Ayurvedic routines for optimal health in Summer

Ayurveda and Yoga

By uniting the sister sciences of Ayurveda and Yoga, one can move away from the increasing trend for ‘one size fit’s all’ yoga, back to its individually tailored approach to maintaing balance in body and mind. This weekend includes:

• Ayurvedic and Yogic philosophy compared and contrasted
• Ayurvedic perspective on Yoga poses and concept of Ayurvedic Yoga therapy
• Assessing doshic imbalances in yourself and your yoga students (practical)
• Personalising yoga asanas and pranayama- according to your doshic type (practical)
• Adapting yoga according to seasons/ through lifetime/ for particular conditions eg: pregnancy, digestive complaints, insomnia
• Ayurvedic and Yogic detoxification compared (Panchakarma and Shatkarma) including demonstration of how to use a neti pot
• Daily and Seasonal Ayurvedic routines for optimal health in Autumn

Practical Ayurveda (Diet, Cooking and Body care)

Ayurveda is a practical science. You are given the tools to bring yourself back to a state of optimal balance- no-one else can do the work for you!  The role of diet is at the heart of Ayurvedic health and healing - food is medicine, so what is best for you? Ideally you should also not put anything on the body that you wouldn’t put in your mouth! This weekend includes:

• Key Ayurvedic concepts relating to food – emphasis on cooked, seasonal food, balancing the 6 tastes according to doshas, Ayurvedic food combining.
• Proper digestive health (agni) and results of improper digestion (ama)
• Ayurvedic seasonal detoxification diet- home programme
• Cooking workshop - prepare and sample delicious vegetarian dishes to balance and energise, including one pot meals for busy lifestyles, ghee, chutneys, chappatis and healthy puddings (practical)
• Dietary advice tailored to your dosha predominance
• How to tailor Ayurvedic wisdom to help you feel and look your best.
• Making skin products tailored to your doshic predominance out of organic ingredients good enough to eat – the ‘kitchen pharmacy’ (practical)
• Daily and Seasonal Ayurvedic routines for optimal health in Winter and Spring

In addition to the three weekends, you are invited to complete practical based assignments after each weekend you are able to attend. For example, keeping a 5 day food–diary, Ayurvedic health diary, and experimenting with the Ayurvedic way of cooking and daily and seasonal health routines.

With a strong practical element throughout, these weekends provide the opportunity to look at ourselves through the Ayurvedic lens.  Each of us has a particular pattern of energy- an individual combination of physical, mental and emotional characteristics- which makes up our Ayurvedic constitution, or dosha. By making subtle changes to diet, lifestyle, how we work and relate to others, the doshas can be brought back into a more balanced state with profound effects.

Joanna Johnston (BSc (Hons) Ayu. MAPA) is a British trained Ayurvedic practitioner.  She studied with Manipal University in London.  After completing 750 hours of clinical training in hospitals and clinics in India, she is a full member of the UK’s Ayurvedic Practitioner’s Association (APA).  She is founder of AyurvedicYogi, set up to make Ayurvedic and Yogic wisdom easily accessible.  She offers Ayurvedic consultations, treatments, workshops and retreats in the UK.  She has also completed the Advanced Sivananda Yoga teacher training, and enjoys bringing the two sciences together.  For more information www.ayurvedicyogi.com.