Another month has zipped by—along with summer; it’s time to put the garden to rest for the winter! Time, also, to once again fill the bird feeders in the back yard; birds are already rapidly devouring my suet cakes. My subdivision yard is small, so I was pleasantly surprised to see a young buck only 30 feet from my door late this morning. My guess is that it had a close call crossing a highway because its sides heaved rapidly for several minutes. I thought it was ill, but his breathing slowed and he walked about eating some leaves, then bounded off (toward the highway. . .).
At any rate, we’ve entered a time of needing to warm ourselves for protection as well as comfort. One of my shiatsu instructors wore what she referred to as a “kidney band” during this time of year. She had a long band of flannel about 12” wide that she wound about her torso at her kidney level, then tucked in the end. She said that it was important to protect and warm our kidneys, which are the holders of our vital, essential energy or chi. Eastern healers also stress the importance of keeping the back of our necks covered and warm, especially in terms of protecting against “wind” (a concept describing a method harmful energies enter the body). When you think about it, a stiff neck is often our first notice of an “incoming” illness. Old philosophies are based on observations, after all. At any rate, this month I’d like to encourage you to think about ways in which you take care of yourself with warmth. Are there ways in which you could easily increase your self-care with warmth? This month’s recipe is a lentil soup, which is warming and nourishing for the kidneys.
If you’ve been following these newsletters, you’ll know I’ve been talking about “waterfall”, a rejuvenating yoga posture, and some simple breathing techniques you can use while in that position. (If you haven’t read previous newsletters, you can go to www.facenewbeginnings.com and click on the “free events” tab to find them) Last month I wrote about purposefully breathing into a specific area in your body that wants attention. You can easily see how that technique is already “warming” (via bringing energy). I’d like to add that while doing this, you can place something heated on any area of your body while in any rejuvenating posture. Here are some specifics for you to experiment with—what to use for moist heat:
*flaxseed eye pillows heated in the microwave
*rice sacks heated in the microwave
*sacks filled with any other kind of grain heated in the microwave (rice holds heat well, doesn’t smell so grainy, and molds cozily to your body)
*hot, wet cloths (you can figure out advantages and disadvantages of this)
*flannel soaked in castor oil (ditto above, but this is quite useful nonetheless)
*sea salt heated in a pan (NOT microwave) and put into a sack with an open end (or, put in a bowl and cover tightly with a cloth on the open side, which goes against your body); this, too, can be messy, but worth it
DO NOT heat hulls (the shells from grains) in the microwave. They do not contain the necessary moisture, so don’t release healing moisture when heated and WILL ignite (trust me on this one).
ALWAYS be careful not to heat anything to the point that it might burn you. Put a clean cloth or paper towel between your body and the heat source so it stays clean (a towel on top holds the heat in longer). Once you’ve decided what you’re going to use, choose where you want to put it. Here are a few suggestions; I trust that your intuition and knowledge will guide you once you begin playing with this:
+of course, any aching place (you already know not to put heat on an inflamed, reddened new injury, etc.), especially those that ache because of arthritis and/or tissue stiffness, or feel cold
+your upper chest (clear over to your shoulder joint, to cover the important LU#1 & 2 tsubus to open breathing)
+your solar plexus area when you’re “full of” emotional turmoil/unrest
+your lower abdomen for digestion and reproductive-organ nourishment
+your forehead. This is an especially favorite place of mine, which I’ll talk about a bit here.
The third eye (or ajna) chakra is located on your forehead—about in the middle, between your eyes. This chakra is all about intuition and “seeing” your world; helping it to function more efficiently increases your entire system’s awareness of what’s around you. We often hold a lot of tension in our foreheads, leading to permanent furrowing of the brows. Your forehead has muscles that, when relaxed, can relax the entire body; releasing this tension helps us let go of tension in general—as well as those unattractive furrows on our face. So, here’s something to try: position yourself comfortably and place a heated eye pillow on your forehead during your breathing meditation. Once you’ve finished your meditation, remove the eye pillow and gently tap your forehead, especially where you see/feel furrowing and bulging. You might also want to add firmly sliding the pads of your fingers from the center of your forehead, along your eyebrows, outward to soothe and smooth that area, helping your body release the tension. Afterwards, notice how you look and feel. As a side note—this same process can be applied around your mouth and chin, other areas where we hold tension that affects our entire bodies as well as appearance. I put a second eye pillow on top of the first because that holds the heat longer.
Lentil Soup
1 or 2 large onions, chopped coarsely < sauté in a few T. olive oil til nearly transparent
1 or 2 entire stalks celery, chopped coarsely < add to above and sauté til nearly transparent
3-32 oz chicken (or veg) broth < add to above and bring to a boil
3 c. lentils < add to above and simmer until tender
4-6 c carrots, julienned (small pieces) < add to above and simmer until flavors are blended
(if desired) 14-28 oz cooked polish sausage,
thinly sliced into medallions
If you don’t choose to use the meat, you’ll probably need to add some spices; do this to taste.
You may find you need to add more broth, or water, as your soup simmers. Simple and fast. Freezes well!
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Although I like to keep my newsletters totally separate from any “advertising”, this time I’ll add that I have a nice selection of flaxseed eye pillows (unscented, with lavender or with chamomile) and 2 sizes of rice sacks for sale. They’re VERY reasonably priced, especially if you purchase 10 or more (they make great holiday gifts for your clients). Thanks for sharing your time!