Well it’s that time of year…only 16 days before Christmas.
I didn’t realize this until last night when my partner and I were talking about everything we need to do before we leave in 8 days for Canada. I will be going home for a month to visit my friends and family and my partner will just be celebrating Christmas, then back to Mexico!

I am excited to go home this year, it’s only been 16 months since I was home last time but in that year (and a bit) there are some new “little people” to meet! There are some older people, who are getting older… and friends to catch up with! I will have the opportunity this year to meet 2 new babies from my friends and to hang out with two other very special, pregnant women! Also I will be with my entire family for a few days over Christmas…this isn’t an easy thing to do normally since we all live in different places, people are busy and holidays are limited.

So I’m happy that my family isn’t about buying gifts- but rather making them… but I never really made anything yet… so I will have a week to think about something.

TOMORROW we are moving! To a new place so will be busy unpacking and getting the place ready for the New Years guests that are arriving only in a few weeks. There is a lot of work to between our home project, another project, work and christmas preparations. I hope by tuesday I will be able to print some charts to begin studying for my mid-term that I have the first week of January. Over the next several weeks I am going to be super greatful to continue on with my routine and I hope to make the space to continue on updating on here as well.
Here I have a pretty simple life, work, study, relationship, 1 dog, I practice Yoga and Meditation daily and eat mostly a vegetarian diet with some fish and egg. I don’t drink that often and I have been staying pretty close to home the past 2 months. Actually to be honest, for the past year. I use to always be on the go, having coffee or drinks with friends, playing on teams, working several jobs. I always had my weekends full of activities. I usually was staying up late, having drinks and eating fast or junk food. In high school I was Vice president of my school and very involved with that, drama, S.A.D.D and played different sports throughout the seasons. (Volleyball, Soccer, Badminton, Slow Pitch, Track.) Then after high school I began working, traveling, going to school, traveling more, working more and traveling more. Between 2004 and 2015 I travelled to 19 countries and spent more than of 3 years traveling and living out of a backpack. I also probably moved 8 times in this period of time. Why all the travel? I love it- seeing new places, meeting new people. Doing new jobs, developing new skills and having new experiences. But during these years- although over the past 4 years I have been gravitating towards calmer things and healthier choices for food and lifestyle… I still never made or stuck to a real routine. One that I can bring with me on the road- one that I can do, no matter what job I am working at. Well- I hope this is day 19 of a lifetime 🙂

I just love the course I am taking at CCA. Over the past months I have been learning the building blocks of Ayurveda. What is Ayurveda,
The principles and Goals of Ayurveda, Mythology, History (Timeline of Indian History with Relevance to Ayurveda and the History of Ayurveda Through Literature), Philosophy/Darshana: Sankya Philosophy, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika,Mimamsa, Vedanta, Karma and its Role in the Disease Process, Good Karma and Bad Karma, Rebirth, Karma and Enlightenment, The Four Goals of Life, The Three Pursuits (Natural Instincts) of Life, The Three Pillars of Life.

I have learned the Anatomy and Physiology of Ayurveda.
The 20 attributes of All matter, Pancha Maha Bhutas- the 5-element Theory, The five elements: Sence organs and Organs of Action,
The Tridoshic theory, Prakruti: The constitution, Introduction to signs and symptoms of Dosha imbalance, Introduction to the basic principles of treatment, The subdoshas (5 for each, Vata, Pitta, Kapha), The 7 dhatus and Ojas.

Also I have studied The Qualities of Agni, the 4 states of Agni, The 13 basic Agnis, Srotas, Kalas and Digestion, Formation of Dhatus and Ojas, The 7 major kalas (membranes),The state of Agni and the formation of the Dhatus, Dosha-Dhatu Relationships, Overview of the 3 stages of digestion and Ama (sama). Also about the 3 major malas or waste materials.

I’m studied and still memorizing about The Strotas information.
(Flow through the Srotas, The 16 major srotas, The 3 doshas and the Gross Channels of the body, examining the srotas and factors that damage the srotas and cause abnormal channel flow.

Yes, the last 20 weeks have been bountiful for me, and I am grateful!

This last chapter on Pathology has been SUPER interesting.
I am just wrapping up learning about the Pathology and determining the Prognosis.

A little about Pathology (Samprapti)
Pathos- Means suffering
Ology: Means study of.

Pathology means understanding the disease process and how it unfolds in the body. How the doshas move in this world.

My textbook “Principles of Ayurveda Medicine” authored by Dr. Marc Halpern, writes it beautifully.

“They move within the body as they move within nature. Doshas increase, peak and retreat, only to rise again with the next tide.

The three phases of normal doshic movement are accumulation (increase), aggravation (peak), and alleviation (retreat). As the tide is moved by external factors, so are the doshas. The major external factors moving the doshas are age, the seasons, the time of day, and the climate.
Disease occurs when the tide does not retreat but keeps on advancing. Just as the ocean may flood the shores, the doshas can keep on rising and flood the body. When they do, disease occurs.

Understanding the natural stages of dosha development allows individuals to understand their personal connection to nature. It also allows a person to take proper care to assure that the doshas do not rise beyond their normal patterns, but retreat as nature intended them to do.”

So the law of nature is that the cycle is always Kapha- Pitta – Vata.
Kapha (Earth and Water), Pitta (Fire + Water), Vata (Air, Either.)

So while Kapha is accumulating, Pitta is aggravating and Vata is alleviating. And as Kapha is aggravating, Pitta is alleviating and Vata is accumulating. And as Kapha is alleviating, Pitta is aggravating and Vata is accumulating.

So in our daily lives- we see how we… created of the 3 doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) are also affected by the other factors of our lives that are also affected by the 3 doshas.

Your age, the time of the day, the food you eat, the climate and season it is- all effects you. It effects your digestion, your temperament and your mentality.  I will go on more about this later- but this is all very interesting and now that I am learning this, I am beginning to have a better understand of the accumulation, aggravation and alleviation of the doshas within my own body.

My routine from today.