Instant Karma
By Katie Mavrichn | Photography by Megan Wylie

The alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m., breakfast is a cup of coffee and a doughnut, lunch is a processed frozen meal, dinner is takeout. The Blackberry never stops buzzing, exercise is a low priority, and bedtime is 11:30 p.m., maybe. We take pills to sleep, pills to chill out (literal chill pills), and pills to give us the vitamins we aren’t getting. Our daily lives are packed with stress, and it can become easier to place work as a higher priority than our health. Edible Allegheny speaks with a few natural healers, who help us to take a step back, make a few easy changes, and get back to basics on what we eat and how we exercise and relax. Plus, we’re taking a few preventative measures to ensure a better quality of life.

Kate Mackin, Himalayan Institute

The Himalayan Institute of Pittsburgh promotes selfawareness and holistic health through the practice and teaching of yoga. Director Kate Mackin is certified by the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, which isbased in Honesdale, Pa., and incorporates that science into her everyday living.

What programs and classes does the Himalayan Institute offer?
Our programs and services include self-transformation programs, yoga teachers training programs, seminars and workshops, and correspondence courses. We offer comprehensive, systematic training and certification for yoga teachers and yoga therapists. Practitioners of all levels deepen their knowledge of hatha yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, spirituality, and yoga philosophy.

What are the health benefits of yoga?
Using time-tested techniques of yoga, Ayurveda, integrative medicine, principles of spirituality, and holistic health, the Institute has brought health, happiness, peace, and prosperity to the lives of tens of thousands for more than a quarter of a century. At the Himalayan Institute you will learn techniques to develop a healthy body, a clear mind, and a joyful spirit, bringing a qualitative change within and without. Yoga is also a system of self discovery. Students are guided to decide which practices are right for them and how often they should practice them. Students come to yoga searching for many different things. Among them are increased flexibility, reduced stress, how to cope with chronic illness, and improve relationships.
What are the benefits of Shirodhara and Reiki massage? How do they differ from a typical Swedish massage?
The pinnacle of Ayurvedic treatments, Shirodhara, is an ancient method of reconnecting you with your quiet mind. Warm oil is streamed onto the forehead inducing a deep state of relaxation. Shirodhara is followed by a massage to the scalp. Shirodhara is best combined with massage and/or steam. Reiki is a Japanese holistic, light-touch, energy-based modality. Working as a support mechanism to the body, Reiki re-establishes a normal energy flow of ki (life force energy, or chi, or prana) throughout the system, which in turn can enhance and accelerate the body’s innate healing ability.
The Himalayan Institute’s Lighting Life’s Center aids people in creating a healthier lifestyle via yoga and changing habits and philosophies. What are the most common changes that you recommend clients make?
Lighting Life’s Center consultations offer a yogic approach that assesses your current lifestyle habits and offers new options and approaches to challenges, helping you create the life you want. The consultations are very individualized. Many clients come because they are unhappy in their careers or their relationships. By looking at how they are functioning at each level, recommendations are made that are unique to each client. For more information, contact the Himalayan Institute at 412.344.7434, or visit kateandkids.wordpress.com.

Dr. Lina Thakar, Ayurveda in Pittsburgh

The concept of Ayurveda dates back 5,000 years, and is the world’s oldest healing system. It originated in India, and is the mother of all healing therapies. Dr. Lina Thakar, founder and director of Ayurveda in Pittsburgh, is a licensed Ayurvedic physician from India, and lives a complete Ayurvedic lifestyle. In terms of diet, Ayurveda professes that food is the first and most important
tool in healing; eating foods that are local and in season, along with your own constitutional needs, is most beneficial in restoring health and preventing imbalances. To help learn this concept, Dr. Thakar offers Ayurveda cooking classes at the new Ayurveda in Pittsburgh center in Oakdale.
 

What is Ayurveda?
Ayurveda is a Sanskrit term, coming out of two separate names— Ayur and Veda. Ayur is the life and Veda is the science. So it is actually the science of life. It’s practiced all over India. Here in the Western World — USA, Europe — we are using it most like a complementary therapy — we actually take help of this science for health restoration, and chronic disease prevention. We believe
that when the mind is healthy, the body follows, and if the body is healthy, the mind follows because mind and body cannot be separate. And, Ayurveda teaches you to live your life in harmony with nature — Ayurveda’s first principle is that you cannot make yourself separate from nature because you are a part of nature.

How does the lifestyle work?
There are five elements — water, fire, earth, wind, and space. Everything, the entire universe, and even human beings, are made from these five elements. Ayurveda gives importance to three energies, or Doshas, that we call Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Every person has a unique combination of these three Doshas. If these three Doshas are in balance, we are healthy. When a person comes to Ayurveda, the first thing we do is find out their Dosha. The complete mental and physical characters of that person are processed and actually completely designed as per the Doshas. Then, as we analyze the Doshas, we try to see the rhythm and find the imbalance. Third, we try to bring that Dosha in balance.

How do you put the Dosha back into balance?
We use several tools — food, we call ahara, which is a meal plan. Lifestyle changes, detoxification, yoga, which is therapy, breathing techniques, and meditation. We also take the help of healing music sessions, where we actually try to bring positive thoughts for healing. We need to release toxins regularly to keep our body’s internal system healthy, especially because all body channels should be open so that the free-flow of Prana, which is a life-force energy, can move freely throughout the body. And that actually starts the healing process. Ayurveda does not to cure any symptoms just for the period of time, but it goes for the root cause where you’re actually initiating the body’s healing system and making it start healing itself on its own.

What are the most common imbalances that you see your clients suffering from?
In the Western world, I see more depression, more mental problems, such as stress, fatigue, and low energy, and a lot of arthritis and joint problems, back and spine problems, migraine headaches, cardiac conditions, diabetes, and weight problems.

For more information, contact Ayurveda in Pittsburgh at 412.788.1713, or visit ayurvedainpittsburgh.com.

Yasmin Fakih, L. A. C

As the daughter of two Western medicine doctors, Yasmin Fakih grew up with people stopping her parents in the grocery store, among other places, to thank them and tell them how much better they felt. It left quite the impression on her. “I wanted to go into the healthcare field in some way or another, and I was drawn to acupuncture because of its natural approach and how it looks at the body from a holistic point of view and gets to the underlying cause of disharmony instead of just treating symptoms,” Fakih says.

What types of ailments can be treated with acupuncture?
Because acupuncture is helping to restore balance and engage the body’s natural healing abilities, it can be used for a wide range of problems. Most people have heard of acupuncture being helpful for pain. It works great for pain pretty much anywhere in the body — low back pain, headaches, carpel tunnel, knee pain and arthritis. But, it can also be helpful for other things such as infertility, allergies, digestive complaints, anxiety, depression, and stress. It can even help people quit smoking.

How does it work?
In Traditional Chinese Medicine we believe that energy, which we call Qi (pronounced “chee”), flows through meridians, or pathways, in the body and a person’s health is influenced by the quality, quantity, balance and free flow of Qi. When the Qi flow is blocked, or unbalanced, illness can result. By stimulating the acupuncture points with very thin sterile needles, we promote the free flow of Qi and engage the body’s natural healing response.

Does it hurt?
Acupuncture needles are about as thin as a cat whisker and solid — much different than the hypodermic needles most people are familiar with. The insertion is very quick so little or no pain is felt. Most people find it to be very relaxing, and some even fall asleep during the treatment.

How long does each session last, and how many sessions are needed to start seeing results?
The initial visit usually takes about an hour and a half, because I go over the person’s health history, we talk about their chief complaint, and then I give them an acupuncture treatment based upon which systems are out of balance. Followup visits usually take about an hour. The number of sessions needed varies from person to person and also depends on what’s being treated. Some people experience immediate relief,while others may need months to achieve optimum results. A typical series of treatments consists of 8-12 visits, usually once a week in the beginning, and then as symptoms improve, we can space the treatments further apart. Acute problems usually respond quicker than more chronic conditions.

You also offer Chinese herbal medicine, electro acupuncture, cupping, and Gua Sha; how do these therapies work?
The Chinese herbal pharmacopoeia consists of more than 450 substances, mainly plants, although some animal and mineral substances are also used. Some of the herbs we use are common
substances that most people are familiar with, such as cinnamon, ginger, and ginseng. With electro-acupuncture, we add extra stimulation to some of the points by using an electronic device that
sends low voltage pulses through tiny electrodes attached to the acupuncture needles. I usually use it to help with pain. With cupping, small glass cups are placed over specific areas of the body
and a vacuum is created under the cup using heat. It is kind of like a reverse massage that uses suction instead of pressure to relieve muscle tension, stagnation, and pain. Although cupping
isn’t painful, it can leave red marks that last a few days and are part of the therapeutic process. Gua Sha involves the gentle scraping of the skin surface with the rounded edge of a porcelain
spoon or Gua Sha tool to promote the normal circulation of Qi and blood. It often results in the appearance of small red marks called “Sha” which typically fade within a few days as well. It is
commonly used in the treatment of colds and flu, as well as sore neck and upper back muscles.

For more information, contact Yasmin Fakih at 412.926.4757, or visit yasminfakih.com.

Leta Koontz, Schoolhouse Yoga

What classes and programs does Schoolhouse Yoga offer?
Schoolhouse Yoga offers yoga classes seven days a week. We have gentle yoga classes; beginner, intermediate and advanced level classes; prenatal yoga classes; and classes for children.

Why did you make the decision to follow the Ayurvedic lifestyle?
I follow the “Vata” diet, which consists of three warm cooked vegetarian meals a day (plus some sweets!). I avoid cold, uncooked foods, like salads, and cold liquids. I sleep eight to nine hours a
night and put olive oil or sesame oil on my face and body. I practice Ashtanga yoga, which is a very regimented style of yoga. It helps to keep me focused and disciplined. Vatas, like me, are “ruled” by air, so we easily become air-headed: flaky, jumpy, and distracted. Warm, earthy foods, lots of sleep, and a strong yoga practice keep me grounded and peaceful.

This month, Schoolhouse Yoga is offering the Radiant Child Teacher Training with Shakta Kaur Khalsa workshop. How can children benefit from yoga?
Yoga is such a wonderful practice for children. Yoga helps children to not only increase strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination, but they also learn how to focus their minds and use meditation to work through stressful situations and emotions.

You also offer private lessons.
Private lessons are most beneficial for students who are recovering from an injury. They allow the instructor to focus exclusively on that student to make certain they are performing each exercise
safely and effectively. For more information, contact Schoolhouse Yoga at 412.401.4444, or visit schoolhouseyoga.com.