Eight Directions Wellness

01/14/2026

Something else to do while home sick (if you're a practitioner) ...put Nyāya philosophy into practice while you're laying on the couch! You too can obtain Valid Knowledge!

Pratyakṣa (direct perception):
"I feel hot and have a body ache." 🥵

Anumāna (inference):
"Based on my knowledge, this feels like a fever." 🤒

Śabda (authoritative text/person):
"According to my jvara notes...." 🤓

I tend to think about direct perception in terms of the early practitioners of Āyurveda observing patients. But one's own body is a laboratory and valid field of direct knowledge - prodromal symptoms and subtle shifts of samprāpti are easier felt in oneself than observed in another. Today, for example, I'm observing that koṣṭhāgni is still depressed, even after circulating heat has subsided. Which makes me realize that when we, as practitioners, ask a client "do you feel 'full' after meals?" there are at least two distinct variations of the post-prandial "full" feeling. One is the stretched-belly, "I may have consumed a bit too much" heavy feeling and the other is the unsatisfying feeling of excess liquid sloshing around in the gut, similar to a giant log that's been dropped on dying embers and is waiting to catch and be consumed. A "liquid smoulder" feeling.

Always be learning!

01/13/2026

I'm inspired to share this by the virus I've been devoted to for the past 3+ days now. It's the first time in a couple of years I'm sick with a viral infection, and I think its arrival ties in well with the classical understanding of jvara, or fever.

Jvara or fever in Āyurveda is the "king" or "lord" of diseases, the first discussed in classic texts because it affectis every living being from birth until death and affects the body, mind and senses. While it has its root, as most disorders do, in doshic imbalance, agni imbalance and āma, mythologically jvara is said to have come to mankind due to the wrath of Shiva in his ferocious form (Rudra) due to the adharmic misconduct of Daksha.

It's an interesting time to be thinking of adharma, which refers to unrighteousness, immorality, wickedness, and actions contrary to cosmic order, duty, or natural law. Chaos, disharmony, and vice, harming oneself, harming others, violating one's inherent responsibilities...are all adharmic behavior.

And as I was looking through my notes from a 2017 clinical class with Dr. Lad I found this quote in my jvara notes. "A demon came and disturbed the whole world - a cruel, famous, powerful person is demonic." Whoa.

If you know the two most important causes of disease you know that one is "asatmya indriya artha samyoga" or improper union of the sense organs with sensory object. One of the three ways we can misuse our sense organs is by mithyayoga - incorrect or unwholesome contact. This includes seeing disturbing/frightening images and traumatic events, and listening to angry words.

Did I do a lot of that last week, via doom-scrolling? And then ended the week by pushing through with two intense evening workouts in a row? Coupled with being around 14 2nd and 3rd graders on Wednesday afternoon,👶🏼several of whom were coughing and sneezing? 🤧 Indeed, I did.

Whatever the root cause of my jvara, Dr. Lad once said that being sick was a good opportunity to do nothing and meditate. I'm completely out of cough syrup at the moment, with only the scary options available at the local gas station market, so I'm meditating on being with what is (or isn't) and getting a good abdominal workout from the couch today.

One of my next posts is going to be about keeping a little Wellness Bin well-stocked in your house for times like this - especially if you live in an isolated area.

Protect your senses (and with them your mind) as much as you can right now.

01/12/2026

01/11/2026

Do you set a New Year’s resolution? Or choose a word? Or something else? I believe that bringing awareness to where it is we want to go and what it is we want to embody in the year ahead is an important step in the process. It is, in itself, a part of bhāvana - a word you’re about to hear more about.

01/08/2026

This morning's lineup made me feel like I was working as a health barista - a cup of warm water to begin the day, which is part of an Āyurvedic dinacharya or daily routine; a spoonful of chyawanprash jam mixed with hot water to support immunity since I'm spending time with classes of sniffly children this week; a neti pot full of warm water and salt (for the same reason as the chyawanprash) and a scoop of creatine because it's showing great benefits for women over 40 — including counteracting age-related declines in muscle mass, bone density, and cognitive function...AND because I weight train. There was also a mug for macha latte somewhere!😀

01/08/2026

A return to whole foods is essential. But in terms of which ones, how much etc the Ayurvedic question still remains, “But for whom?” Some constitutions require foods with heavy qualities, and others do not.

Too bad ghee didn’t make the list!

The new pyramid is the picture of the Make America Healthy Again movement, prioritizing whole foods, proteins and fats.

01/05/2026

Pathya - The Path of Balance

“As propounded by Lord Atreya. [2] Cikitsita (that which alleviates disorders), vyádhihara (destroyer of diseases), pathya (beneficial for the channels), sádhana (that which is instrument for performance), ausadha (that which is prepared of herbs), práyascitta (expiation), praśamana (pacification), prakṛtisthāpana (that which helps recovery), hita (wholesome)—these are the synonyms of bhesaja (therapeutics). [3]"
- Charaka, Chikitsāsthanam, Ch 1

In the foundational texts of Āyurveda, “pathya” is defined as a wholesome regimen conductive to the health of body, mind and spirit - while "apathya" is the opposite - that which injures the channels, disturbs the balance of doṣas and dhātus and causes mental and physical strain.

But in a world where dietary, lifestyle and psychological health tips are ABUNDANT and so often conflicting - what IS that regimen?

The beauty of Āyurveda is its individualized approach to both knowing and moving towards one's personal balance.

I’ll be talking about Pathya/Apathya and Ayurveda’s Path of Balance at the Grand Opening of the Āyurvedic Community Wellness Center in Albuquerque on January 31. Come celebrate with us and stay tuned for details!

Community Wellness Center

Photo: A path through the greenbelt, Crestone, CO

01/04/2026

Found this gem in my Guru Kula notes, spoken to a PK client who was having her home-going follow up with Dr. Lad.

01/03/2026

The whole team at ACWC. 🪷

01/02/2026

Come say hello! This will be a wonderful event!