I’m out in Fairfield, Iowa right now…and well it’s been interesting.

Why Iowa?

Transcendental Meditation’s (www.tm.org) headquarters is out here and just learned how to meditate with the TM method as per the great sage/teacher Maharishi. There’s also an Ayurvedic Detox Spa here called The Raj (www.theraj.com) and I brought a film crew with me to film a documentary about Ayurveda and how amazing it is.

We’ve interviewed some AMAZING people so far…and the amount of knowledge in this little town of 9,000 people is by far the most advanced I’ve seen almost anywhere in the world.

Before I arrived to this detox spa…I was told to follow a very specific protocol for diet. I’ve been on what they call the “panchakarma” diet for the last 8 days.

It’s from the ancient 5,000+ year old medical system called “Ayurveda”. It consists of a lot of only steamed/cooked foods…but here’s the thing…you can’t put spices in them and you are limited to the number of veggies, no fruits, no bread and a lot more. Basically I eat steamed zucchini, quinuo, rice, and kale with no seasoning for almost every meal. I’ve had just about enough of this! LOL!

I know it sounds weird…but it makes complete sense because this is what happens to you…

“According to ayurveda, good health depends upon our capability to fully metabolize all aspects of life, assimilating that which nourishes and eliminating the rest. When we can’t completely digest our food, experiences, and emotions, toxins accumulate in our bodily tissues, creating imbalance and – ultimately – disease. Panchakarma is an elegant cleansing process that releases stored toxins and restores the body’s innate healing ability.

When our digestive energies, known as agni (fire), are robust, we create healthy tissues, eliminate waste products efficiently which is the basis for clarity of perception, physical strength, and immunity. On the other hand, if our agni is weakened, digestion is incomplete and creates toxins that get stored in the body. This toxic residue is known as ama.

When ama accumulates in the body, it blocks the flow of energy, information, and nourishment throughout the system. Ayurveda considers this build-up of toxins the underlying cause of all disease. A common example of this is the accumulation of saturated fat and cholesterol that is beyond the body’s capacity to metabolize. Over time, this leads to the blockage of the blood vessels and arteries and, ultimately, to heart attacks.”

Tomorrow we start the next phase of this detox where they will take herbal oils and rub them into your body and pull out these heavy toxins (ama) from within our body and within our deep tissues. Not to mention herbal oil enemas and tons of other treatments coming up soon too…

This is going to be interesting…a bit nervous!

Amish Shah

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