INSPIRING MUSES: Myra Lewin

INSPIRING MUSES: Myra Lewin

Myra Lewin, a master Yogini and founder of the Hale Pule School of Ayurveda and Yoga, has dedicated a significant portion of her life to practicing and teaching these ancient disciplines.

Her journey into Ayurveda began as a quest for self-discovery, which not only allowed her to overcome serious illnesses but also helped her regain balance and joy in her life.

In a recent conversation, she shared insights from her transformative experiences and the profound impact that this lifestyle has had on her well-being.

How would you describe yourself as an individual? 

Simple, direct, amused, creative, discerning, wiggly, flexible, open and considerate of many points of view, freedom oriented.

What are the core values and qualities that you believe define who you are?

What I “believe” I am a human learning to be here right now

Learning to be love

Practice what I teach

Patient and accepting

Creative and expansive

Optimistic looking for the opportunities and good in each situation

Inspired

Reflecting on your own journey, can you share a pivotal moment or turning point that led you to embrace the path of Ayurveda?

Having ghee for the first time and feeling my body change notably in one week!

Myra taught us how to prepare Mung Beans Dhal. This dish is easy to make, delicious, and nutritious. It not only tastes wonderful but also promotes digestive balance.

Ingredients for 4 people:

•⁠ ⁠½ cup split mung beans
•⁠ ⁠½ tsp mineral salt
•⁠ ⁠1 tsp ghee
•⁠ ⁠½ tsp fenugreek powder
•⁠ ⁠½ tsp cumin seeds lightly ground
•⁠ ⁠2 whole cloves or ¼ tsp clove powder
•⁠ ⁠1 tsp fresh grated or finely chopped ginger
•⁠ ⁠¾ -1 cup of water. More or less water may be used depending on the desired thickness.

Cook for 15-20 minutes in a pressure cooker or 25-30 minutes in a covered pot on the stove.

What are some of your favorite personal rituals or daily practices that contribute to your overall sense of well-being?

Daily:

Agnihotra (fire ceremony with offering) honoring the sunrise and sunset. 

Mantras and vyruti homa (fire ceremony with mantra and offerings) at 5am.

Pranayama, meditation, mudras. I was told in the beginning that the benefits accumulate over time and that has been my experience! It is my most important meeting of the day.

Gratitude moment each evening for the wonder of life and all of the blessings that come each day.

I practice abhyanga 3-4 times weekly where I apply oil slowly to my body in a pattern that calms the mind and body. I do it in the morning most of the time but occasionally in the evening as it’s helpful for sleep.

Relationships play a vital role in our lives. How do you approach building and sustaining meaningful connections with others?

Being a good listener.

Letting go of expectations moment by moment.

Acceptance of all participants.

Cultivating a clear sense of my energy, mySelf, so I can see my part in relating. 

We all have guilty pleasures. What's yours, and how do you balance indulgence with maintaining a healthy lifestyle?

I don’t think about indulgence as the antithesis of a healthy lifestyle.

I am 69 years young and I feel better now than I did in my twenties. I had health difficulties as a young adult. The so-called indulgences at that time didn’t make me happy and I had plenty of them. Looking back I can see I was miserable with elements of life and was placating or self soothing with things that didn’t serve me. The small escapes in fact caused more problems. I was running away from my lower self, and my lower self was running my life. So I decided to fire my lower self and replace it with a sense of my spiritual self. It’s a process and it IS life. 

In your life's journey, what are the core lessons or insights that have shaped you the most, and how have they influenced your perspective on life?

Strong likes and dislikes are a prison. They made me rigid and my life became narrow as a result. Shaving off those likes and dislikes has given me freedom to experience what is.

I have learned to observe and enjoy the  similarities in us and marvel at the differences.

Life flows and I can go with it or try to go against the current and suffer.

Life is a series of choices for which I am fully responsible, learn and move on.

What does balance mean to you, and how does it manifest in your daily experiences?

Balance is when I have a sense of mySelf as part of the whole. I am no longer taking things personally. The ability to see the love in all and everything around me.

Individuals with shared purpose, living on purpose to create and be in life. This is Hale Pule.

THANK YOU MYRA

With Love,

Indigo Luna xx

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