Tipping the Scale with Cake.

I made five cakes over the span of five days last week. Mr. ET’s mom gave me her delectable Plum Tarte recipe. She had baked it for us last time we visited. It was simply too delicious not to try out myself. I didn’t eat all the cake; I assure you I had help. The cake was delicious or as Mr. ET said, “just like my mom makes it!”  I was filled with pride; I was able to nail the task, a big achievement since I tend to be a bit of a disaster in the kitchen.  I had successfully made these cakes and even grew confident enough to change it up a little as I replaced the plums for strawberries and cinnamon with coconut flakes. I was finding great pleasure in utilizing a new achieved skill set, so what’s the problem you may ask? Baking isn’t a problem but too much of anything can be. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with baking, just as there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with shopping. The problem lies in excess. I over did it with shopping which landed me in debt and if I continue baking at the rate I’m going, my roommates and I would have ballooned over the course of this month. I found myself missing the mark again on balance. I was feeling that same buzz about the cake baking that I did about shopping; my cue that was I overdoing it, again.

It was my search for balance that led me to Ayurveda and it was my weakened post-malarial state that brought me to Guru A’s clinic. I had returned home from Rwanda cured of the parasite but weakened. I was given an extensive list of recommendations from Gura A. I followed the diet, took the herbs and did my yoga. I followed the recommendations to cool the excess heat, increase the water to calm the fire and unblock the mud. It was as though I had breathed life back into my veins as I unclogged my blockages, flushing out the toxins and restored my harmony. I was the creative, curious and happy young woman again. For a short time, I felt at peace as I had found equilibrium.

The beauty of Ayurveda is its philosophy that humans are each our own small universe and in order to stay healthy we must exercise balance. The five elements you find within our world are separated into three states of being, which are called doshas; Vata (air and space), Pitta (fire and water) and Kapha (water and earth). Everyone is made up of all three of these energies. Since we are all unique beings, we hold these doshas in distinctive quantities. Ayurveda teaches us “all things in moderation” and holds a formula for equilibrium. Ayurveda is a lifestyle of maintaining balance and bringing ourselves back to the centre when we stray to the edges. The recommendations are specific such as fennel tea to ease a strong digestive fire or the soothing qualities of nutmeg for insomnia and anxiety. They can be extremely detailed, advising against wearing red colors for Pitta imbalances to the specific hours of the day to engage in physical activity according to your dominating dosha. If followed closely, these diverse recommendations hold the potential to realign us. Over time, self-awareness develops as we sharpen our ability to recognize the qualities of each elements and what can send you off balance. After studying Ayurveda, I’ve gained the knowledge to heal my physical self and continue to step that much closer to understanding how to remain in balance. As long as you take care of your elements, you can retain tranquility. Isn’t that what equilibrium really is, finding peace?

I’ve rid myself of the shopping but there remains an underlining source that continues to push and pull me into excessive behavior. I continue to compensate with the wrong things. In the mean time, my prescription has been to practice moderation, in all areas of my life. Mr. ET has commented on how I’ve appeared happier lately. I’ve been filling my days with various activities, between my schoolwork, writing, nursing, watching movies, reading books, exercising, seeing friends and sewing. I’ve been finding pleasure in various areas at an even tempo. Balance has seeped its way into my study methods as I avoid cognitive overload by switching subject matters up, taking spaced out breaks when I find myself no longer absorbing or better yet, not enjoying it anymore. I’m listening to myself rather than acting on autopilot.

Replacing one behavior with another is where I find many of us fail when kicking bad habits; we tend to find shelter within another bad habit. I want to get to the point where it’s no longer a fight, where one element isn’t overpowering me and another isn’t pulling for my attention. Our culture has supplied us with the options to purchase pills and engage in treatments that don’t necessarily address the source or cure our ailments. We have developed means to be able to live more comfortably within our imbalances. These methods are merely letting us off the hook for an instant. It’s a quick fix. With my excessive cake-making or shopping, I find myself asking, how can I enjoy these pleasures without tipping the scale towards excess?

Tips to share:

Try new things, such as baking, yet avoid the repetition and excessive behavior. Either find another recipe or pick a new task. Swimming? Paint by numbers? Needlepoint?

If you find yourself baking many cakes, stop or invite friends over…

Tally:

I treated Mr. ET out to his favorite Chinese restaurant Wednesday evening. We were celebrating his acceptance into his masters program! Aside from groceries and two cappuccinos, I have no unnecessary spending to report.