Slow Sunday, autumn, colourful food & some thoughts about dopamine.

Beetroot pancake with dips and purple sprouting

Oct 06, 2024

The sky looks like it’s just been painted. Yesterday, autumn sun and lots of flying insects in and out of the tree out front. Today, the sky above and a black crow came visiting.

I’m having a silent day. A being day. Every thought a branch or tree twig floating along the stream of my mind while I, sit on the river bank and, watch.

I’ve been doing some research into dopamine, understanding the cycle with its highs and troughs, and how this relates to Ayurvedic healthcare advice. And also, to Buddhism. I have noticed across the last 17 years— still at the beginning of my journey and not a teacher— that pull to satisfy the whims of identity. And that’s where the dopamine cycle comes in.

I’m sure a long time ago, when the human made world was a less impactful place, this cycle was what enabled us to survive. But in today’s world, it is what causes addiction. This could be to all sorts of things, in a way that devastates lives, but also in a way that lets us trundle along, addicted to a sense of self searching for happiness through things.

We live in a culture that conditions us to search for happiness outside of ourselves though things that activate the dopamine cycle. The problem is that the cycle becomes conditioned to the ‘thing’, and we need more of it to find the happiness. It’s more complicated than this and Dr Anna Lenke has written a book about it called ‘Dopamine Nation’.

The thing that fascinated me was the link I saw to Ayurveda.

The Rishi’s of ancient India that gave us Ayurveda could perceive the subtle energy that underpins our experience. They recognised how energy becomes our experience, our world; and they talk about the three Gunas of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.

This is why Ayurveda is able to explain that there are two types of happiness. One comes from ‘out there’, it doesn’t last and it keeps us trapped in a mental prison where we are driven by desire and aversion (rajas); and this energetic state always leads to burnout and decay (tamas) when it isn’t brought into balance.

The other comes from within, a constant state of happiness for no apparent reason— the dopamine cycle in balance.

Which energetic state we are in is determined by what we feed ourselves through all our senses, they are doorways through which energy enters our mind and body. Two questions I often ask my clients to have a think about is, which energetic state are you feeding and do you like the results?

And so today I’m having a kind of sattvic day, noticing the sattvic qualities all around me. Silken grey silver sky, Sunday slowness on a quiet street, underwater day as sky fills up with water and just one black crow balancing on a tree branch. The air, still and damp as autumn turns soils smells into nutty aromas and wildlife, hides away, bundles down, getting ready for slow times under early darkening skies. While humans, well, some do the same, others search for life and lights and laughter to run away from the little death of autumn, while still others, bask. I find my own body is doing the first and last while my mind, is pulled to the second. But today, for now, I rest in autumns turning, and feed myself sattvic nourishment.

Joy dots

Silence

Nutty smells

Damp soil

Autumn leaves

Silver grey sky

One black crow

Smell of rosemary

Kind words

Showing you care

Letting go

Being a friend

The colour of beetroot

Recipe

Beetroot pancake with dips and purple sprouting

I just made a pancake mix and blended some cooked beetroots into it, cooked as normal. Served with purple sprouting sautéd in ghee, with garlic and ginger, until purple flower heads were crispy. Served with tzatziki and hummus. It was an easy light dish for a ‘being’ day.

What are your favourite things to do as summer turns to autumn, perhaps you’ll tell me in the comments.

Wishing you warmth and fondness and, if you are moving into the autumn months, rich hibernation and cosy times.