Blog
It's Almost As If You Had A Severe Beating (and other adventures in Panchakarma)
I recently got home from 23 days of an Ayurvedic detox program called panchakarma, which focuses on clearing the body of toxins through a complex regimen of body treatments and herbs.
Instead of getting mad…
When I left for India, it was October. It was still dark in the morning. The Cubs hadn’t won a World Series since 1908, and early voting had just begun. I’m back home in Atlanta now, and all of a sudden the holidays are upon us. Holidays can be tough- time with family, stress about money, cold weather, loneliness, the list can be endless… and of course now the election results.
We're going to be okay. I mean it.
I’m not going to lie to you- I’m reeling right now. I thought this election would turn out differently. I thought, for sure, our new president would self-destruct during the campaign. Several times, I thought he actually did.
It’s not always easy.
A lot of people I talk to these days, whether it’s friends I’m catching up with after a long time, or someone I’m just meeting, tell me how brave they think I am for making such a big career/life change. While it is flattering, and I am so appreciative, the truth is that it wasn’t a huge decision. It was a lot of little decisions.
Take Your Time
I used to practice hospital-based Internal Medicine in Chicago. I took care of people who were sick enough to be admitted to the hospital with diseases like pneumonia, kidney failure, HIV-related complications, and liver disease.
Leap! And don't look back.
5 years ago, I was a burned-out, stressed doctor. I felt totally powerless against the burnout. Enter Vedic meditation. I attended a free introductory class that my (soon to be) teacher held in Chicago one Sunday night. I sat there for an hour, completely mesmerized yet somehow waiting for there to be a hole in his argument that would allow me to leave without signing up for the course.
New Beginnings
At my introduction to Vedic meditation class this past weekend in Atlanta, I totally lucked out. Not only did 15 people come, on a sunny summer Sunday afternoon, to learn more about Vedic meditation, but they asked the most AMAZING questions.
You do you
I’m on vacation now with my family- we are all staying together in a lovely beach house in Hilton Head. My niece and nephew are with us- twin almost-11 year-olds, and they are the loves of my life. It’s funny, though, how being around almost-11 year olds can remind us of some of our own childish behaviors that have survived into our adult lives…
Drama
Our society is obsessed with drama. We’re drama junkies. Even (especially) those of us who proclaim that we hate drama and want nothing to do with it. We see it all the time- friends who always date the wrong kind of person, gossipy co-workers, people who party too much and regret choices they’ve made. We see it in the news, in tabloids, in the entertainment industry. We see it everywhere but within ourselves.
Surrender!
As I mentioned in my last post, we did a LOT of meditation during my teacher training in India. Several themes came up for me during all of that meditation and self-reflection, and one of the most prevalent was the concept of surrender.