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I do love the lolling pace of summer ... the hours and days slip by me and I loose track of time. Today is a holiday here, but another day for me to fill with work and play. Cowgirl and I each have our "studies" to review and then join together for some Chinese character practice which I find so fascinating. The character for big (da) 大 looks like a person with their arms extended wide open. It actually is the character for person (ren) 人 with a line through the center. Put a line on top 天 and you have sky (tian). Cool, isn't it?
One of my new summer routines is to put out a jar of herbal sun tea each morning allowing the light and the heat of the day to steep it. The next day I strain it and enjoy it "straight" or with a little lemonade mixed in. I don't follow any recipe; rather I use this practice as a means of cultivating intuition. I pull out my basket of dried herbs and pick whatever calls to me. Lately, I have been snipping some fresh mint from my herb pots, tossing in a spoonful of rose hips and a sprinkling of red leaf raspberry. Another favorite combination is mint with a pinch of licorice root for some natural sweetness. I prefer the mints right now for their cooling properties. I also like to add something for calming like catmint or lemon balm. (A hand full of fresh lemon balm steeped in a cup of hot water with some honey is my new favorite bedtime tea!)
I learned this method of making teas (or herbal infusions) from a generous and wise herb mama, Latisha of HerbMother. Her website is a treasure trove of information on working with the plant people with lots of fun activities for kids. She is my go-to when I have any questions regarding herbs and their properties and the various ways to work (or play!) with them. (She offers many free tutorials here and a basic recipe for summer brews is here.) What I love is her encouragement that we all hold this wisdom and that the work is really about cultivating a relationship with the plants. Taking time to select my herbs, mixing them, setting them out for the entire day to brew is an act of engagement and commitment on both our parts. Rather than mindless grabbing a box off of the shelf, this practice brings me into relationship with myself, my inner guidance and the plants around me.
I follow a similar tactic when visiting the farmer's market. Rather than having an agenda (recipes/list in hand) I go and seek what calls to me. This is a way of strengthening my ability to hear my inner guidance (when we listen to it and respond, we strength it; when we hear, but disregard, we weaken that connection) and respond to the wisdom of my body and what the yogis call Prana or the life force.
Interestingly, the Chinese character for tea (ca - long a sound) 茶 is said to represent grass, wooden branches and a person between the two, signifying how tea brings us into balance with nature.
Happy magic making! I would love to know your favorite summer drink recipes.
I've been thinking all week that I've been busy doing nothing. Well, not nothing per se, but allowing myself to wander more or less through my days rather than adhering to my usual agenda of do-do-do. My approach has been more like beach vacation state-of-mind: what would be most relaxing and enjoyable in this moment? And in this one?
No, we're not on Spring break over here and in fact I've been getting up regularly at 5:30ish (the ish-ness is an important lure for my mind - if I rigidly think "I'm getting up at 5:30" well, rebellion will ensue ... but 5:30ish gives a sense of leeway and easiness that tricks me into actually getting up!) In fact, I dare say my early morning routine is responsible for creating my more relaxed attitude and sense of an easy flow to my days.
What is the magic trick? I get up and sit on my meditation cushion and breathe.
Yuppers ... I get up early to breathe.
The yogis believe that we are allotted a certain number of breaths to a lifetime so if we want to lengthen our time in our current form, we must slow the breath rate down. Take our time breathing.
There are articles and studies related to the benefits of certain breathing practices (pranayama) but honestly, I am committed to this practice right now because I am already experiencing its benefits. My day feels more spacious, my relationship to time more harmonious and yielding, my reactions and responses calmer and more gentle. I just feel smoother and lighter and more focused and centered.
Clarity is my intention for this year and I am feeling it manifesting in my inner life and outer world.
Things that are making my days rich and alive:
Reconnecting with friends through letter writing. When I receive a letter or a card in the mail, I am aware of the time and care taken out of a busy day to connect with me and I so enjoy honoring that by sitting down with a warm drink, paper, pen and my thoughts. I think the greatest loss of our current age of clutter and over-stimulation is the space and time to cultivate a real conversation between souls. It is a dying art but thankfully there are many committed to its survival. I received this surprise in the mail this week from one such angel in and I recognize I am blessed to have many in my life who nurture my spirit with their words and care.
thank you dear Milena ... she hangs by the door to my yoga room,
greeting me every day!
I've been experimenting with herbal tea infusions thanks to the generous and playful HerbMother and her Spring HerbCraft camp.
Each day I take a quart mason jar and drop a handful of whatever herbs calls to me - nettles, oatstraw, catnip, spearmint, red leaf raspberry - then fill the jar with either boiling water to steep with the lid on, or room temperature water and then place the lidded jar in the sun for the entire day. The next day I strain it and drink it - delicious! My favorite concoction so far is nettles, lemongrass, catnip, licorice, hibiscus and rosehips. Even Cowgirl enjoys the taste and Latisha has several recipes she suggests for children, so I can't wait to brew up larger quantities this summer.
And as it is truly Spring here, it must be time for painted postcards.
I've been involved in two swaps with cards going to wonderfully exotic locales like Latvia, Sweden, Slovenia, and Malaysia. I have received a bounty of creative fun in my mailbox including a knitted postcard! (I know, no picture, how unlike me to not photograph something ... blame it on beach fatigue and too much sun ...)
I find making these cards inherently soothing and pleasurable. I am reminded of painting by numbers kits although my process is to sketch the one image - bird, dog, snail - and then allow the rest to paint itself in. I don't even mix my paints - I like them straight and full bodied.
I've been writing stream of consciousness bits of poetry or responses to these prompts: Today I am here to ... or This is what I have to say to you. I am surprised by how kind I am to myself and that there is this voice of forgiveness and acceptance deep within if I just allow the surface chatter, the loops of self judgement and criticisms, to wash away.
I found a letter I wrote to myself at the end of a week long silent meditation retreat. We turned these letters in to our instructor and he mailed them to us, months later. Eight years later, I re-read this letter and find my advice to myself, from mySelf still necessary:
Take time to reflect upon that which brings you joy and fills your heart with love and gratitude. Take time for yourself and also to be with others who share you beliefs or values .... Look at what is possible, not at what is lacking or missing or wrong. Don't shy away from challenge - push yourself to grow and respect the time you need for integration .... remember to laugh and don't take it all so seriously. Laugh, smile, and love - especially yourself.
I also found this quote copied down in an old journal:
A single event can awaken within in us a stranger unknown to us. To be alive is to be slowly born. - Saint-Exupery
I am a baby, learning to breathe and crawl and walk all over. Only this time, I am able to pay attention to the process and enjoy the exploration.
What stranger waits for you? Are you ready to play? Just breathe and laugh ... it seems to be the season for it.
