THE SUN CENTRE
France

The Sun Centre Newsletter - May 2005

• News from The Sun Centre
• Events listing includes new event: Finding Your Way Into Writing – with Angus Dunn
• Article : Essential Ayurveda for Yoga Practitioners - Part III: Agni and Ama
• NEW! Ayurveda & Mantra CD's : 'Practical Introduction to Ayurveda' spoken CD double-set, and a 'Chanting the Sanskrit Alphabet' practice CD, both by Alex Duncan.

NEWS

With the new leaves on the sweet chestnut trees radiating a brilliant green along the country lanes around our home, summer has finally begun to creep in like a shy smile at The Sun Centre. It was a long winter and a very dry spring but fortunately we’ve had enough occasional rain to ensure the success of local crops. All around, life is heaving into being.

We have had more passing guests than usual this spring, partly thanks to more market-specific publicity, and partly thanks to the new Liverpool-Nimes route by Ryanair, in addition to its existing Luton and Stansted routes. Of course, there are also Ryanair and British Airways flights into Montpellier, which continue to prove popular. Incidentally, to get first wind of all Ryanair offers, which are frequent and can cost literally next-to-nothing, you can subscribe to their newsletter by emailing the company at webster@ryanairmail.com.

April saw Alex run his first Ayurvedic Detox retreat, which didn’t attract as many people as hoped, but did bring in more French participants than usual. Despite having just a handful of detox-ers, the event was declared a success and Alex – who coped admirably with simultaneous English and French tutoring (goodness knows how – I certainly couldn’t and I’m supposed to be the francophone) - plans to run more retreats of this type in the future.

Events-wise, we have recently added our first writing course to this year’s calendar. ‘Finding Your Way Into Writing’ will be led by experienced workshop tutor and poet Angus Dunn for anyone interested in developing and exploring their creative writing skills. This week will run from 17-24 September.

On a more general note, we are expanding – while keeping the simplicity and unspoilt, natural feeling of the place intact. Thanks to a new contract bringing regular groups of French Ayurveda students to our centre from September 2005, we are adding one more 3-person bedroom to La Source (our home, part of the centre) and upgrading existing accommodation at Chez Gilles, the neigbouring gite which we also use for accommodation. These improvements are due to be in place by August.

These groups – some of which Alex will be teaching for the European Institute of Vedic Studies – also mean that we will be taking on a full-time resident helper. Frances Yates - Alex’s mother and our summer helper for the last 3 years – is not only a yoga teacher and massage therapist but also a very skilled cook. From September, she will be our primary chef, replacing Alex in the kitchen but continuing to follow the Ayurvedic cooking principles which make our vegetarian meals so special. It also means, of course, that Frances will be here almost year-round to offer yoga classes and massage to guests. She will also start an Ayurvedic massage course this summer. Is there no end to the number of strings this woman can fit in her bow?

As Frances is also a dab hand in the garden, we will at last be developing the vegetable garden we have been promising ourselves for years. By summer 2006 we hope to be growing some of our own organic vegetables. Currently most of our produce is purchased locally from neighbouring smallholders, so there’s never been much of an urgency to establish our own plot. We now also have a brood of hens, for homegrown eggs.

Finally, as part of our improvements for these out-of-season courses, we plan to install additional heating in The Cabin and insulate the yurt so that winter events can be cosy as the tiny slippers of little churchmice.

On the media front, there is an article about us in Yoga & Health magazine this month. If you’re interested in finding out how we came to be doing what we’re doing and living where we do, you might want to take a peek. I’m still waiting for my copy to be posted out so I can’t even say what the title is, but it’s a longish piece apparently.

Alex has recently published an audio book on the subject of Ayurveda. The double CD set, entitled ‘A Practical Introduction to Ayurveda’, is priced 25 Euros (£18) and can be ordered via our website or by phone. Our Alex is becoming something of a CD publishing magnate. His first talking CD, ‘The Mantra Purusha: Chanting the Sanskrit Alphabet’, was released in February priced 18 Euros (£13). Me? I just write all about it. (see below for details)

Finally, in an effort to support small-scale tourism which is sympathetic to the local environment, and to protect the privileged area in which we live and work, we recently became members of Cévennes Ecotourisme, an association covering the Cévennes National Park and its peripheral zone (in which we are situated) and comprised of a network of tourist traders united in the aim of supporting and developing ecologically-sustainable tourism. We hope eventually to be able to sign the European Charter of Sustainable Tourism, quite a lengthy but undoubtably worthwhile process. Oh, talking of which, we are currently experimenting with solar-powered hot water at the communal dish washing area. Alex has now installed our solar panel and warm water runneth. All hands to the washing up bowl and soap suds...
Well, while I try to track down my rubber gloves, I wish you all the freshest spring blessings. May you always have one in your step and never walk alone.

Hope to see you soon!

Namaste,
Sharon & Alex

2005 EVENTS

Working Retreat - with Alex & Sharon
13 – 20 June - €100

Yoga & Walking - with Alex & Sharon
2 – 9 July - €500

Living Positively – with Alex and Sharon (full details available on request)
9 - 16 July - €500

Yoga – with Frances Yates
16 - 23 July - €500

Yoga & Ayurvedic Nutrition (includes cooking lessons) – with Alex Duncan
30 July – 6 Aug - €550

Yoga – with Bronwen Coghill
6 - 13 Aug - €500

Yoga – with Bronwen Coghill
13 - 20 Aug - €500

Yoga & Walking – with Alex and Sharon
10 - 17 Sep - €500

Finding Your Way Into Writing – with Angus Dunn
17 - 26 Sep - 500€

A workshop for anyone keen to develop and explore their creative writing skills. For those new to writing, there will be the chance to try their hand at several different forms. Those who already write will be encouraged to develop their skills and discover new ones. For those who write but have found themselves in the doldrums, this is the opportunity to re-energize yourself and find new inspirations. Whether your preferred writing medium is poetry or fiction, you will take away from this week not only poems and stories you have written, but also a clear idea of where your talents lie, as well as plenty of notes, ideas, enthusiasm and practical information to stand you in good stead as a writer. This week is designed to provide a balance of working and listening, while leaving time for the quiet contemplation so important to a writer.

FOR BOOKINGS AND ENQUIRIES:

Sharon & Alex
The Sun Centre
48160 St Martin de Boubaux, France
(tel) +33 (0) 4 66 60 16 78 (dial 00 33 4 66 60 16 78 from UK)
(email) retreat@thesuncentre.net
(web) www.thesuncentre.net

Essential Ayurveda for Yoga Practitioners - Part III: Agni and Ama
by Alex Duncan, The Sun Centre, France

In my last article, I introduced the doshas, three fundamental biological humours that create and maintain all mind-body systems and functions. In this article, I would like to introduce two more important Ayurvedic principles: agni and ama (pronounced ‘aa(r)-ma’, i.e. the first ‘a’ is a long, two-beat ‘a’, normally written with a line over it. Note the letter ‘a’ in Sanskrit words is always pronounced like ‘harp’ not happen).

The word agni literally means fire in Sanskrit. In Vedic thought, agni is the universal principle of transformation behind all manifestation. If something changes from one state to another, it does so due to agni. Think of fire for a minute. Fire is an embodiment of concepts like heat, radiation, and transformation. Whenever there is fire, there is heat, and wherever there is heat, there is some kind of transformation going on. There is fire in our bodies, not literally, but functionally. Agni is behind the collection of agents that are responsible for digesting, transforming and assimilating the raw materials that we receive in terms of food, drink, the air we breathe, and all the sensory information that reaches our brain through the five senses. If one had to pinpoint a biochemical correlate to agni, it would be enzymes. Enzymes are a special kind of protein that catalyse chemical reactions without themselves being used up. They play a pivotal role in the digestion and assimilation of the foods we eat. In fact nothing much happens in the body that doesn’t have an enzyme behind it.

Note that pitta dosha governs transformation and metabolism globally. Agni, always under pitta’s watchful eye, is an agent for pitta, causing transformation at all levels of our being. One can think of agni as being a less intelligent but highly skilled servant to pitta.

In Ayurveda we generally refer to three types of agni: jathara agni (the digestive fire), bhuta agnis (elemental agnis in the liver) and the dhatva agni (agnis in the various bodily tissues). Let’s talk about jathara agni, since its correct function supports the others, which is why it is the most important in practice.

Jathara agni is located primarily in the small intestine and relates to the enzymes that are secreted by the liver, pancreas and small intestine membrane which play a key role in the breaking down of macro nutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) into a small enough elements that can absorbed into the bloodstream.

When jathara agni is balanced, the food and drink we consume is optimally digested and assimilated producing a high-quality form of nourishment that feeds all the bodily systems. Unfortunately, jathara agni can easily be disturbed by improper dietary and lifestyle habits which aggravate the doshas thus deranging agni. When jathara agni is imbalanced, it results in the creation of an undigested food mass, in the same way as a fire which burns improperly creates excess soot due to poor combustion. If this food mass accumulates in the intestines, which it has a tendency to do, it putrefies, inhibits nutrient absorption, and eventually mixes with the (by now) cranky doshas ‘spilling over’ into over into the plasma, blood and deeper tissues. This un-eliminated toxic residue is called ama, and has all the qualities of kapha dosha, especially heavy, cold, sticky and wet. However, unlike kapha, it provides no supportive role in the body whatsoever. The main signs of excess ama in our systems are:-

• fatigue and heaviness.
• a tongue coating (a very thin moist coating is normal) upon rising in the morning, as well as teeth marks around the edge of the tongue.
• chronic digestive problems especially constipation and bad breath.
• a stool that regularly sinks to the bottom of the toilet.

Agni, when balanced, prevents the creation of ama. Digestion will happen without us really noticing it: no gurgles, acid reflux, bloating, heaviness, wind, pain, constipation or otherwise. The stool will be well formed and medium-firm, like a ripe banana. Any deviation from this represents some imbalance of agni. When agni goes awry, it has three basic options, which follow the doshas, these are high, low and variable:-

• When jathara agni is high, there is an excess of enzymes which results in an overly fast, strong metabolism. You will have a ravenous appetite and be capable of digesting large amounts of almost anything without any problem. You might even feel hungry even after eating. High agni usually results in several copious, soft to loose movements per day. If left untreated, digestive complaints involving heat and high acidity will manifest such as acid reflux, or a burning feeling around the navel. High agni tends to be caused by excess pitta dosha (as pitta is hot, light, mobile and penetrating). High agni is like a raging fire that burns the fuel to a cinder making a lots of toxic smoke in the process.

• When agni low, the metabolism is too slow and weak. There will be no or little real hunger and even the most fugal meal can result in feelings of heaviness, indigestion, constipation. If left unchecked, low agni can result in excess mucus production responsible for feelings of nausea, heaviness, and congestion in general. Low agni tends to be caused by high or excess kapha dosha (as kapha is heavy, cold and dull). Low agni is like a fire that lacks oxygen, the fuel is poorly burned, also with excess smoke.

• When it is variable, it is either too fast/strong or too slow/weak. Your appetite and digestive power will be erratic, hence on one day you might be able to digest an extra large pizza, whereas the day after you can’t even manage a bowl of soup. Variable agni leads to abdominal bloating, excess wind and eventually chronic stubborn constipation. It can also manifest as irritable bowel syndrome where diarrhoea and constipation alternate from one day to the next. Variable agni tends to be caused by high or excess vata dosha (as vata is erratic, light, cold and dry).

Apart from balancing your doshas (which we will come to in the next article), we can balance our agni by reducing our consumption of refined, denatured foods, choosing whole foods in their place, by eating our meals in a calm centred mood (less TV, and certainly no debates or arguments!), by eating at regular times of the day and not eating too much (that we feel heavy or sleep afterwards) and chewing adequately. Mindfulness is the key. In addition to this, try these simple digestive formulas—use organic powdered spices—and take ½ a level teaspoon of the mixture (about 1 gram) in a small glass of warm water just before you eat your meals:-

• For high agni (pitta cause) equal parts cumin, coriander, fennel powders.
• For low agni (kapha cause) equal parts cumin, ginger and fenugreek powders.
• For variable agni (vata cause) equal parts cumin, fennel, cardamom powders.

Finally, before you eat, place your hands on your abdomen, over the navel, then close your eyes and centre yourself. Watch the breath for a few cycles, notice that the hands move in and out with the abdomen. Now quietly or mentally repeat the following mantra several times while imaging a healing, balancing fire, like a candle flame, burning steadily behind your navel:-

Om Hum Agniye Namaha (pronounced om, hoom, agn-eye-yaye nama-ha)

Alex Duncan, Ayurvedic Educator, lives in the South of France where he runs The Sun Centre (www.thesuncentre.net) a small retreat offering consultations and various Ayurveda & yoga workshops and retreats. Contact Alex on (France): +33 (0) 466 455 963 or alex@thesuncentre.net.

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