An End of Autumn/Early Winter Treat

Guest Writer: Hannah Leatherbury

It’s the end of autumn – my good friend in college always said “Fall makes me CRAZY.”

Until my friend said that, I had never considered the effect the seasons had on my mood and my choices, but flash forward 10 years and it’s something I constantly consider. I study and practice many teachings from the traditional medicinal system of India – Ayurveda. One of the things I love about this system is that it clearly states that I am a reflection of nature and that if I can find harmony with nature’s rhythms, my health and well-being improve.

Ayurveda teaches that the season of Autumn/Fall is the season that favors the qualities of air and space – it’s colder, windier, unpredictable, erratic, exciting, creative and a little CRAZY.  That means that in order to find harmony, I need to look for warming, predictable, cozy, stable influences to help ground me in the strong winds.

One of my favorite practices in the fall is to massage my face with warmed oil. This practice is designed to help re-hydrate chapped/dry/irritated skin and soothe tension in the muscles around your face. Self-massage with oil is an ancient practice from India -- in the Sanskrit language, the word for "love" and "oil" are the same. Oil not only hydrates your tissues fully (meaning that it absorbs deeper into the pores and tissues beneath the top layer of skin than lotions and moisturizers will), it also draws out toxins within the tissues. You really have to try it to believe it.

First, choose an organic oil that you have on hand. I now use Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula with Vitamin E Skin Therapy Oil for Faces because it is such a nice blend, but, you can use plain ole’ sesame oil (if you have dry skin) or coconut oil (if you have inflamed/acne-irritated skin).

Next, find two containers, one smaller than the other. This could be a small glass and a large glass, or a squeeze bottle and a large glass (shown here). The smaller container will hold about two tablespoons of the organic oil you have chosen. The larger container will hold the smaller container plus enough hot water to warm the oil from the outside.

After the oil has warmed for a few minutes, pour a little of it into the palm of your hand.

Massage oil into the skin using circular motions around the temples, cheeks and chin. Use long strokes on the nose and forehead. Let the face feel completely saturated, just short of dripping with the oil. Wear this around your house for about 5-10 minutes (or longer if you wish).

Take a washcloth that has been run under hot water and feels warm to the touch. Squeeze out excess water.

This is my favorite part, can you tell?!

Unfold the steaming washcloth onto your face and gently pat away any excess oil. Notice the subtle glow left behind and enjoy! Your face is ready to dance with the wind and the cold of Autumn.

If you want to learn more Ayurvedic practices and tips, we start our next 30-Hour Ayurveda Immersion in January of 2017! Check out details here! http://www.skyhouseyoga.com/30-hour-ayurveda-immersion-program.html

More About Hannah:

Hannah Leatherbury (E-RYT-200/RYT-500, YACEP) has been a student of yoga and Ayurveda for over a decade. She co-leads Sky House Yoga's 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Program and directs the 30-Hour Ayurveda Immersion. You can read about her journey from being a disenchanted goody-goody to a slightly more enchanted and mischievous yogi here: www.HannahLeatherbury.com

Three Ingredient Immune Boosting Tea

As a new mother I am constantly trying to simplify my life. Gone are the days of highly structured schedules, ambitious meals, and leisurely coffee dates. These days I am chasing around a highly mobile 9 month old and trying to stay well and nourished along the way.

Recently after a few weeks of travel and the usual back-and-forth weather changes that come with autumn I noticed my throat was feeling scratchy. You know that feeling. That on-no-I-might-be-getting-sick feeling. So, I ran to my fridge and herb cabinet to see what I could whip up.

In 2015 a Yale-led study found that the common cold virus can reproduce itself more efficiently in the cooler temperature found inside the nose than at core body temperature. So, the first thing we should do when we are feeling on the edge of a cold is to WARM the body, especially the nose.

One of my favorite herbs to quickly heat the body is Ginger. Fresh Ginger root is warming, sweet, pungent, and stimulates circulation of both blood and reflexively moves lymph. Ginger root is an " indispensable herb suited to people who feel chilly" according to herbalist Matthew Wood and is a popular household remedy for chills associated with colds and flus. It is a superb diaphoretic which means it will quickly open the pores to induce sweating which is exactly what is needed to overcome a cold.

Since Ginger is a peripheral circulatory stimulant it will not only increase circulation but it will also bring warm blood to the periphery of the body and places like the hands, feet, and NOSE. So yes, Ginger went right into my pot of water.

Next I went to my herb cabinet and pulled out Chamomile. You might be thinking that Chamomile is an herb for relaxation. Well, it is, but what is interesting is "how" it relaxes us. It relaxes us by warming us up! Chamomile is a gentle yet powerfully warming plant that relaxes tension, spasms, and restores the flow of blood through its fragrant volatile oils. This is a wonderful way to warm and boost circulation while also relaxing the body which will protect it from the immune suppressing effects of stress.

The third ingredient in my tea was lemon. While lemon isn't considered an "herb" per se, it is a powerful ally and is a great immune boosting fruit that is packed with Vitamin C and cell protecting flavonoids. Lemon also adds a sour taste to the tea which balances out the spicy ginger and flowery taste of Chamomile.

You can just stop here. However, if you have access to other herbs and are like me, you like to throw in a "pinch" of this and a "pinch" of that. My pinches came from my potted herb garden and from a recent harvest of reishi mushrooms. I added a few slices of Ganoderma appalatum, a pinch of fresh basil, lemon balm, sage, oregano, and some dried lemon verbena leaves that a friend had given me.

Three Ingredient Immune Boosting Tea Recipe

•  5-6 slices of fresh ginger root (or 1 tbsp dried if you don't have fresh)
•  1/8 lemon juice and rind
•  3 tablespoons of dried chamomile flowers
•  4 cups of water

Optional Additions: Basil, Oregano, Sage, Thyme, Lemon Balm, Lemon Verbena, and Black Pepper.

Directions: Add all of the herbs to your pot of water and simmer on low heat covered for 30-45 minutes. Keep the pot covered to keep all of the volatile oils inside and let sit for 15 minutes. You can also double this recipe to make larger batches. Once you are ready to drink it, pour it through a strainer and enjoy! I will leave this pot on my stove for a few days and will add more herbs and keep it cooking until I am feeling better.

In addition to sipping this tea all day and night, take a hot bath which will also warm your body and kick start your circulatory and immune systems.

Even if you are not feeling sick you can still enjoy this tasty golden tea and use it to keep you healthy all autumn long!

Be well!
Ashley


 

References:

http://news.yale.edu/2015/01/05/cold-virus-replicates-better-cooler-temperatures
http://www.woodherbs.com/Ginger.html

Fire Cider Season is Here!

Last Autumn's Fire Cider Sweet Orange Blend

Oh Fire Cider, how I love thee.....let me count the ways!
As soon as the weather starts to change I become aware of that familiar tickle and soreness in the back of my throat. That feeling of a sneaky autumn cold standing just on the edge, teetering precariously next to me, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Good thing I have my trusty friend, fire cider. This blend of immune raising herbs is warm, spicy, zesty, and seems to kill off anything in its path, including colds. It is an old recipe and one that lives in the kitchen of many herbalists today thanks to the revival of  this recipe by herbalist Rosemary Gladstar.

Making fire cider is easy! You simply gather the ingredients from your grocer or farmer's market  and throw them into a blender and voila! You have fire cider! Some batches I strain with cheesecloth and others I use as a thick slurry on toast with olive oil.

However you choose to use it, your system will benefit! Fire cider increases circulation, digestion, enhances immunity, reduces inflammation, and will keep away vampires thanks to its large dose of garlic.

Take it by the sip or the shot glass full and keep your system in tip-top shape all autumn and winter long!

Ingredients
1/2 cup fresh chopped organic ginger root

1/2 cup fresh organic horseradish root (or from a jar is fine too)

1 medium organic onion, chopped

10 cloves of organic garlic, crushed or chopped

1 organic jalapeno pepper (remove the seeds), chopped

Zest and juice from 1/2 organic lemon

1/2 cup fresh turmeric root or 2 tbsp organic turmeric powder

1/4 tsp organic cayenne powder

a few tablespoons of orange peel zest and 1/8 cup of juice from that orange

1.5 -2 quarts organic apple cider vinegar

1/8 cup Honey (optional)

Directions

Place all of your ingredients into a blender and pour apple cider vinegar over the top until it covers the top of your roots and fruits.  Blend until it turns a nice bright orange color. Once it is blended pour this slurry into glass storage containers. Mason jars work nicely. Use a piece of natural parchment paper under the lid to keep the vinegar from touching the metal, or use a plastic lid. Shake well! Store in a dark, cool place for about 2 weeks.

After 2 weeks, use cheesecloth or a fine metal strainer to strain out the pulp, pouring the vinegar into a clean jar. Be sure to squeeze as much of the liquid goodness as you can from the pulp while straining. If you'd like,  add 1/8 cup of honey and stir until incorporated.

Then cap tightly and store in the fridge. It will stay for 6+ months.

How to use it?

If you feel that familiar tickle in your throat, know that you have been around a snotty sickly person, or are just feeling a little run down, do the following:
 - If you are a sensitive type: Add 2 tablespoons of fire cider to a cup of water 

- If you have a stomach of iron: Fill a shot glass and take it down in one gulp

Take this dose every 2-3 hours until you are feeling sparkly and back on your toes!

Have fun and play with the proportions! I like to add a bit more horseradish and orange, Oh, and be sure to warn friends and family that it does NOT taste like orange juice.....I've seen some horrified faces over the years :)

xo!

Reviving the Doctrine of Signatures: How to Start Seeing Signatures in the Natural World

Photo by Ferran Jorda

By Ashley Litecky Elenbaas, MSc., RH(AHG)

From the very beginning of time humans have sought out recognizable patterns in nature and have tried to decode their hidden meanings. As natural creatures, that is, having evolved from the same elements and in the same environment as the flowers, trees, and stars, we contain the same natural wisdom as every other creature and plant that lives in this world. This natural intelligence has led us to not only follow very basic patterns of living on the earth and following the cycles of day and night but also a deep desire to sync up and understand patterns inherent in other  beings, plants, and animals.

We are not sure when humans first began to see the similarity of patterns found in plants and rightly compared them to the patterns found in their own bodies. We can speculate that many of plant names like lungwort, stoneroot, mandrake, and eyebright were chosen because of the similarity of the look and shape of the plant to its medicinal use.

This intelligent awareness of seeing patterns in plants led our early ancestors to associate plants with body parts they looked like and seeing the shapes and colors or flowers as containing sacred information that would lead us to decoding its special powers and medicinal uses. These signatures were mentioned in the early Greek texts written by Dioscorides (40-90 AD) and Galen (129-200 AD) when it was common belief that in the shape and character of natural objects there are symbols that by association can lead to an understanding of their use. Paracelsus, a Greek astronomer, botanist, chemist, and herbalist was thought to be the first person to coin the phrase “Doctrine of Signatures” in 1537 and used the term arcana to describe the spirit by which we can decode these great mysteries.

This model of understanding and studying plants is now resurging after many years of condemnation by the church and scientific communities. The idea that imagination, analogy, and essence is just as much a part of learning and healing process is coming back in a big way as many herbalists are desiring to blend the magical with the mundane. The doctrine of signatures provides a practical method for tapping back into our imaginal and natural intelligence to understand the basic essence and possible uses of plant medicines.

So, how do we DO this? How can we tap back into that primal way of viewing ourselves as natural creatures who are connected and innately designed to decode the natural world?

Here are a few ways to get started:

• ·         Open Your Senses – Each day go outside and walk around. Walk as if you are not just an observer of the natural world but are a living participant. If a plant moves and catches your eye, walk up to it. Study its movements, the shape of its leaves, the color of the flowers, the way it grows and where it grows. Does it resemble any body organs or make you think of a body system like the circulatory system or a knobby joint? Gently squeeze a leaf between your fingers and notice its smell. Is it grassy, aromatic, does it remind you of something else? Listen to the plant, the sounds of its leaves in the breeze any rattling or moaning. What do these sounds have to say? Notice the plant’s texture, its leaves, flowers and stem. Does it have thorns or does it have a fullness or succulence? What might that mean? Lastly, if you have properly identified the plant, have a taste, what does your body tell you about this taste?
  
•     Think Like a Plant – When you find a plant that you wish to study give yourself time to think like that plant. Where is it growing? Why is it growing where it is growing? Why might it choose to live there? What adaptations would this plant have to make in order to thrive under its current conditions? How might this translate into a medicinal teaching for humans?

  

  Photo by Eddl Van W.

  
  
•   Learn to Listen to your Intuition – For many of us this is the hardest part. We see a plant and we think back to what we have learned from books or teachers or expect the plant to come right out and tell us what it is. Learning the subtle ways of pattern observation and deep listening is a skill that must be developed just like developing our rational mind to do math and to drive a car. I find that sitting with a plant and taking deep breaths while dropping into an almost trance-like state is the easiest way to access our intuitive body. Once we are relaxed and open we can tap into a curious and child-like space where we start to see patterns, magic, and sometimes we can even hear the plants as our awareness of the living essence of the plant opens up before us. Don’t get discouraged. Keep trying.  Try talking to your houseplants while you are watering them, sing to your garden flowers, and sit beside trees and try to feel into who they are.
  
• Look it up in a Reputable Source! Once you’ve sat with a plant and have gathered some ideas from your senses about what they may mean, look it up! I like to use the Peterson’s Field Guides and Botany in a Day by T. Elpel for my botanical identification and then look up the signatures in a wonderful book on the doctrine of signatures called The Language of Plants by Julia Graves.

Using this method of learning about the plants will help you not in your recollection of these medicinal uses but will also deepen your connection to the essence of each plant.  As natural creatures living in a natural world why not study herbs in a way that honors both the magical and material parts of our ancestral past.

Published by Evolver. Visit skyhouseyoga.com for more of Ashley's work and writings.