I’ve been conflicted about the “self care” phenomenon for some time, often wondering what it even means anymore. It means anything from flower baths & pedicures to doctors visits & therapy to alone time & friends time to eating your favorite ice cream… on and on. Ya know? I’m interested in how self care can be more transformative for people instead of just used as a temporary stress reliever. How can we, as healers and also as women or moms, really cultivate change, healing and growth for ourselves? Today I had a moment of pure physical release in a bodywork session & I realized I’ve spent the past year giving my physical body a lot of shameful, negative talk and holding it under so much pressure to heal and thrive. Today I burst into tears and apologized to myself and my body. I wrote it a letter of thanks and gratitude for being a vessel for my spirit and renewed a promise to take the best care of it as I know how, and to love it & honor it more than ever. It was one of the deepest healing sessions I’ve had in some time - one that opened a door that had been shut. The physical waves of pain relief mirroring emotional waves of lightness. // What are the deepest forms of self care for you all?? Can we share with each other? 💗💗. (at Austin, Texas)
Talking about packing nutritious food + health aides for travel in stories today. 👆🏻👆🏻Getting vacation ready. 😎.
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#medicinekitchen #herbalmedicine #travelbag #travelsnacks #healthathome #healthytravels #immunesupport #digestivehealth #wellnesstips #healthykidsfood #packyourlunch #lunchbots #foodforflight (at Austin, Texas)
Put up a little series in stories today on my anti-aging / facial massage routine. Mostly based on TCM beauty principles + some awesome new products I’ve been using thanks to my girl @neuskinaustin. I realistically do this about 3x week & it’s a simple 10-15 min of extra love for your skin. Watch the story to get some ideas if you are in need! 💗 (at Austin, Texas)
I have a new post up today on @lovechildmag about some of my favorite postpartum care essentials for the new (or new again) mother. It’s so important to take care of ourselves in this big transition time. If you’re expecting, check it out for some items you may not yet have on hand. Visit @lovechildmag or tap the link in my profile 👆🏻💗🌈.
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#postpartumbody #postpartumcare #momsunited #unitedinmotherhood #medicinekitchen #lovechildmag #austinmoms #motherhoodunited #womenshealthmag #nourishyourself #bewell #empoweredbirth
Inside | Out today is all about SUMMER & how to best care for yourself this season from the inside out! Check out @neuskinaustin for our seasonal beauty/skincare tips today and keep reading for summertime health tips for body & spirit. 💛.
Summer is the Fire element in TCM & also Pitta (fire) season in Ayurveda. This phase is known for heat, dryness, and functions that reach their maximum state of activity before beginning their decline or resting period. It’s governed by the Heart organ which houses our Spirit and loves joy, connection, laughter, socializing, propriety and play. 🧡.
When eating, bitter flavor is your helper in calming too much heat in the body. Think slightly bitter salad greens, celery, and aromatic green herbs; think hydrating foods like melons, stone fruits, cucumbers; but also thing of all the spicy chilies and peppers that grow this season. These hot & spicy plants can aid in our efforts to cool down the body somewhat by acting as a guide for all your cooling foods, especially in our extreme environment here in ATX. Use them well & in moderation! ❤️.
Nutritionally, fish oil can help cool and quell the body while providing Yin balance to all this Yang summer energy. More EFAs in your diet like this will protect against dryness & inflammation that commonly flare in the heat. Consider adding some extra trace minerals to your water for maximum hydration as we lose much from sweating and fighting the heat right now! 💗.
Watermelon Spearmint Tomato Jalapeño Lime Feta salad is the perfect example of adding some Yang heat (fresh jalapeño) to your therapeutically cooling foods (melon + mint + lime) so that they can more effectively balance & communicate with your body in the midst of the hottest season. In this severe TX summer, maybe think of this bit of spicy heat as bringing a native speaker along with you to a foreign country to which you are bringing aid in desperate times. It will speak the language of heat and, in many cases, allow you to do your best healing work. Stay cool today! ❤️☀️💦🇺🇸.
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#independenceday #hotaf #summersalads #healingfoods #yinyang also #trumpistheworst #badvibes #allloveneedsisyou #stillwerise #mixedemotions #fourthofjulyfeels (at Austin, Texas)
Two helpers I can’t live without in TX summer:
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Ching Wan Hung soothingly herbal balm for burns. Whether it be sunburn of any degree, oven burns, rug burns, steam burns you name it. This stuff is so effective and I’ve used it ever since discovering it in Chinese medicine school. ✔️
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Fish oil / EFA complex. Taking fish oil at higher doses in extreme heat like ours in the summer is like helping your body cool off from within. It will help combat internal and external dryness ranging from skin to cough to eyes/ENT issues. More yin substance to balance all the yang action and heat… in addition to all the numerous other benefits it provides. ✔️
The apex of the year, summer solstice is here today. What better way to balance out the heat of summer with a cooling, anti-inflammatory green juice. A recipe for you:
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½ whole cucumber peeled, 2 small celery ribs, leaves of 2 stems of fresh mint, ¼ C firmly packed fresh Moringa leaves (sub spinach easy), juice of 1 lime, 1/2” piece fresh ginger peeled, 1 tsp raw honey, 1 C filtered water. Blend on high for 1 minute in vitamix then strain through mesh strainer, or don’t if you like lots of pulp.
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Green foods are generally cooling foods, meaning they balance or quell heat in the body. Heat can look like feeling hot in temperature, redness, swelling, inflammation, sweating, acne, headaches, strong odors, aggression, irritability… I love how green balances red not only in healing foods but also in color and design as well. These nuances are all around us. More on Eastern wisdom for summer living coming soon! Xo (at Austin, Texas)
I was having a conversation with some friends recently about making healing foods vs. restaurant foods. See, I’m not a chef. I’ve never been through culinary school and honestly, I have a bit of a complex about cooking for other people because of this. My food is good. It’s simple, wholesome. It’s thrown together. It’s even delicious. But it also tastes great to me because my palette isn’t so attuned to the extremes of sugar and salt that it used to be years ago. These extreme tastes that we find in restaurants and in packaged foods are not healing tastes. When making therapeutic foods, we let the food taste of what it is. I love this quote to remind me that when it comes to eating, and many other things in life, I don’t need to be fancy to be fulfilled. ❤️.
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#mindfuleating #mindfulliving #healingfoods #therapeuticfoods #foodismedicine #medicinekitchen #foodtherapy #holisticnutrition #fiveflavors #eatwelllivewell #alicewaters #minimalism #realfoodheals (at Austin, Texas)
Last week I had a group of 10 people (+ myself) experience a week with zero social media that focused on nourishing your body, mind, & spirit through healing foods, mindfulness, daily meditations, and creative cultivation. It was the first time I’ve ever done an ‘online’ program and I have to say it was so heart-warming & energizing to experience - both as a participant and as a leader for me. I’ll be posting some testimonials for the 5 Days Away program up in IG stories today - if you’re interested in joining us in the next group starting on July 9th please take a look and see what the feedback has been! 🙌💗. Registration is open on my website for another couple weeks. This is a little snippet of one of the recipes we made last week to stoke our digestive fire. :)
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#medicinekitchen #plantmedicine #healingfoods #therapeuticfoods #fiveelements #fiveflavors #fivephases #earthelement #digestivehealth #socialmediacleanse #digitaldetox #mentaldigestion #5daysaway #mindfuleating #mindbodyspirit (at Austin, Texas)
Moringa Mint Tea / Fresh Moringa leaves steeped with fresh mint, letting sit for a couple hours to really get all the minerals and nutrients into the water from these amazing leaves. Sweeten lightly with raw honey if desired. Moringa has a really interesting flavor when fresh / raw… I like it best when combined with other flavors. This tea turns a beautiful pale chartreuse color that feels ultra summery. ☀️.
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Moringa is one of the best herbs to reduce inflammation (think allergies, arthritis, pain, acne, chronic illnesses), it’s also a great energy and immune booster as it can stabilize blood sugar levels and help your liver metabolize and detox better. Optimal blood sugar + less liver stress = more pep in your step. It’s traditionally been used as a remedy for so many ailments in Eastern countries - it’s so cool to see it grown here by our local farmers for us all to enjoy! Go find some at the @texasfarmersmarket 💚.
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#intuitiveeating #holistichealth #fiveelements #medicinekitchen #herbalmedicine #plantmedicine #mindfuleating #homeremedies #moringa #infusion #herbaltea #healingfoods #foodtherapy #therapeuticfoods #antiinflammatoryfoods (at Austin, Texas)
Breaking my IG fast today by getting stoked at the farmers market and sharing this beautiful haul. FRESH Moringa leaves from @bernhardtsfarm!! I couldn’t believe my eyes. Can’t wait to eat / cook them into something. Happy Sunday 💛.
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#mindfuleating #austinfarmersmarket #moringa #superfoods #plantmedicine #herbalmedicine #foodismedicine #peachseason (at Austin, Texas)