Ayurvedic Treatment for Sciatica

Dear Yogis

I had the most enlightening conversation about sciatica this week with an Eden Fitness yogi, Reena. Her husband suffered with sciatica and one summer they found themselves an Ayurvedic Clinic in India where he had seven Ayurvedic massage treatments plus recommended herbs. He hasn’t suffered since. As part of her own Holistic and Spiritual Growth she went from being a dentist to studying Ayurvedic healing, Reiki and Energy Field Transformation and Spiritual Development. She very generously gave advice, which I attach. The truncated version is this:

To treat Sciatica, she says, you can do this yourself. Sciatica is crying out for lubrication internally and externally. With cold pressed Organic Sesame Oil, do this:

1. Take a warm teaspoon of sesame oil (heat over a gentle flame in a small saucepan or tablespoon) in the morning and at night. Wash it down with a herbal tea, no caffeine. 

2. Apply warm oil to the affected area(s). First of all circle your oil into the skin in an anticlockwise direction. That releases toxins. Then circle in a clockwise direction. That’s for nourishing and rejuvenation.

3. You can apply warm oil in this way before a bath or shower or sauna or steam. Leave for a minimum of 20 minutes in between application and shower.

4. You can apply warm oil to a painful area before yoga class but wear clothes that you don’t mind getting oil on, obviously!

5. Ever heard of oil pulling? Give this a go. Take a small amount of warm sesame oil and place it in your mouth. Swish for 30 seconds, hold for 30 seconds and repeat. Spit out the oil (do not swallow and rinse mouth thoroughly after. Use your normal toothbrush to go ahead and give teeth and gums a good clean and massage.

You need to combine this treatment with elimination of accumulated toxins and bringing pacification and balance back into the bodily systems… with diet and Sun Salutations! See attachment for that advice. And if you want a consultation, get in touch with Reena via Livelaughlovemuch@outlook.com

Kapsali Yoga Retreat

A couple of places have come up on the second retreat with me and Lisa Maarit Lischak. Her spectacular afternoon workshops, where everyone achieves something amazing, are the reason people keep coming back. Have a look at the details here.  (Just a word about travelling to Kythera: you may require a night in Athens. Please don’t use booking sites to buy your flights; please go directly to the airline. You can check out Aegean and Sky Express for flights to and from the island.) And if you’re interested in the first retreat – Ashtanga in the morning, Yin in the evening and holiday in-between – click here for details.

Home Studio

It’s International Yoga Day on Thursday 21st, the day of the summer solstice. Have a great day; 17 hours of sunlight! If you want a yoga class at work to celebrate, let me know. We will, of course, celebrate in my little home studio in the evening’s class. There are places left. You can see what’s available here. (I update this before posting this email.)  You can book here.

Training

On June 23rd and 24th I will be doing a weekend at Indaba with Gregor Maehle who will teach pranayama, meditation and the Yoga Sutras. Come with me.

Continuing the subject of Ayruveda, there will be another Ashtanga Yoga and Ayurveda workshop with Andy Gill and Justin Robertshaw on Saturday 30th June. I went to the last one and loved, loved, loved it. You can e-mail Andy to book at andy@andygill.yoga. If, on the other hand, you’re interested in Chakras, James French will be at Triyoga on the 30th with his fantastic and eye-opening Chakra Workshop. I loved, loved, loved this one too.

Yoga in the news

The Guardian has an article about Dog Yoga and it’s quite a good read. Journalist Rhik Samadder says: “in every other yoga class I feel awkward, Lycra-lumpy, alienated by some Blake Lively-alike telling me I am more than enough. The involvement of dogs changes everything. It’s impossible to feel self-conscious in the presence of a boston terrier curious as to why you are trying to turn into a bridge. Dogs puncture the absurdity of all human behaviours.”