Spring is upon us here in Arizona even though on other parts of America they are experiencing frigid temperatures and atomic cyclones. Our farmers markets are busy and full of wonderful fruits, sprouts and vegetables that are perfect for cleansing in the spring. I came across some beautiful broccoli leaves that I stuffed with spiced black-eyed peas and quinoa. The recipe is below, and I hope you enjoy it. If you have a hard time finding broccoli leaves, a good substitute would be collard greens or even Swiss chard.

I recently returned from a short escape visiting a girlfriend after my mother’s memorial service. I needed to get away and she conveniently runs a retreat center in the jungles of Costa Rica. They were between events so it was the perfect time for me to visit as we could have the whole place to ourselves.

One of the offerings they have is art therapy. Guests are offered river rocks or driftwood to paint on. The finished pieces are then scattered around the property allowing the guests to see colorful positive affirmations as they wander. One afternoon Amber and I were walking to the pool, and I saw a rock that was painted all black with the words “Be the Buffalo” written on it in white letters. I was confused by the message and asked Amber what “Be the Buffalo” meant. I was deeply touched with what she shared with me.

Apparently, the behavior of cows and buffaloes are very different when storms are headed their direction. When cows see a storm in the horizon they naturally begin to walk or run away from the storm. When we think of cow speed, our thoughts don’t go to Seabiscuit. As they are running, the storm will eventually catch up and pass over them. Because they are moving in the same direction the storm they are stuck in the storm and must endure the pain of the weather for an extended period.

Do you ever feel like a cow when the storms of life head your direction? When you see the storm come do you try to avoid it only to remain in the storm for much longer? Now, please don’t think that I am hating on the cow. They are beautiful loving animals however they apparently haven't received the memo from the buffalo on how to handle storms.

When buffalo see a storm coming, they have the opposite response. They wait for the storm to come to them and then the charge the storm. They run directly into the weather front and through the storm. The result being less time, pain, and frustration experienced from the storm. It’s such a great metaphor as we all deal with some type of storms at different times in our lives.

I have spent some time contemplating the action of the buffalo and a few things have jumped out to me. First, the buffalo wait. They don’t see a storm and begin running towards it to charge. They wisely wait until the storm is right in front of them, they face it and then they charge. Perhaps they know that the storm pattern could shift and change directions just before reaching them. Or perhaps they know that they will expend much needed energy running to just get to the storm. How often do we do that with our storms? Secondly, buffalo don’t run around looking for storms to charge. They live their little buffalo lives and then take appropriate action when needed.

When I look at this way of addressing the storms of life while wearing my yoga and Ayurveda goggles, I think about the practices we can implement so we are strong and fortified. We can have the power to charge a storm when it is right in front of us. Because baby, we will all have to go through storms. The experience will be very different if we are strong, healthy, and grounded in our minds and bodies.

We have practices to give us strength and discernment for impending storms. The morning ritual of applying medicated oil on the body is great to cleanse the tissues and calm the nervous system. Daily breathing exercises will help us guide, build and direct prana in our organism. Building physical strength and flexibility through our asana practices. Finding clarity, calmness, and grounding through regular meditation. All these activities will give is the resilience needed to charge the storm. Imagine the difference between feeling strong and grounded or frail and mentally spun out when the storm hits. Especially if we go into cow mode and run away from the storm only to eventually be consumed by it.

It is important to acknowledge that there are varying degrees of storms. Some may be big blizzards while others will only bring light flurries. Creating healthy boundaries when facing life’s challenging events helps us build the resiliency to come out the other side in a better frame of mind. This is true when facing smaller storms or the blizzards from our deepest and darkest experiences. Either way, props to the majestic buffalo for giving us this example of how to powerfully show up when weather warnings start to sound.

I would love to help you to feel good, and experience balance and strength in your mind and body. As we move into Spring it is the time to think about doing a little cleanse to transition seasons, stimulate the digestive fire and reduce the amount of ama/toxins in our system. I am offering a workshop with my Metta family called Prana, Agni and Ama. Building a relationship with these three principals will go a long way to helping you to become the buffalo when needed. Information and how to register below.

Speaking of a Spring cleanse if you are interested in doing an ayurvedic cleanse right now feel free to contact me for a one-hour cleanse consultation. We will meet and put together a protocol that is doable and specific for your constitution and imbalances.

be the buffalo

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