Highlights in the Shop
St. John’s Wort Comfort Balm: This is an effective pain relief balm I make with St. John’s Wort flowers I harvest from my garden each summer. The bright yellow flowers have a red sap or juice inside that is drawn out when infused in oil. This red juice is filled with hypericin, a compound which relieves soreness, stiffness, and pain in joints and muscles. And it also helps repair nerve damage.
St. John’s Wort is known for relieving symptoms of depression when taken internally as a tincture or tea. However, it has a lot of contraindications if taken internally by someone who also takes pharmaceuticals, so make sure you do your research before taking a St. John’s Wort tea or tincture. Used topically, St. John’s Wort in an oil or balm is safe for most people unless you have an allergy. (Always test products on a small part of your inner arm to make sure it’s safe for you.)
Upcoming Classes/Events
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FREE Live Spring Equinox Yoga Class, Thur. March 20th, 9-10 am ET, for all free or paid Patreon members. Let’s celebrate the return of Spring with a joyful, energizing practice. Join free here.
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NEW Online Course: Spring Balance: Recipes, Yoga & Self-Care for Kapha Season, April 3-17. Available only on Patreon! All paid members of my Patreon receive access. Join here.
Encouragement:
Signs of Spring are an encouraging and hopeful message for all of us.
Here in the Finger Lakes region of NY, the Bluebirds are nesting, and Robins and Redwing Blackbirds can be heard singing from dawn till dusk. The temperatures swing from mild to cold and back again, and we are less than a week away from the Vernal Equinox.
What can you see, hear, smell, or feel that tells you Spring is arriving?
Reminders:
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Monday Meditations are from 12-12:10pm ET each Monday on my Delicata House Instagram page or watch the replay.
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Monday Meditations (recorded) on Substack each Monday afternoon.
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Time Change: Good Medicine Circles Wednesdays from 12-12:30 pm ET on Zoom, free for all Patreon members, free or paid. Give yourself the gift of grounding and calm. We will meditate, practice calming breathwork, and be encouraged! Join free here.
Herbal Recipe:
This is a caffeine-free Herbal Chai recipe from Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine that I adapted slightly. It contains warming spices to kindle your digestive fire and support immune health.
Herbal Chai (1/25)
- 5 cups water
- 4 Cinnamon sticks
- 12 slices Astragalus root
- 1 Tablespoon dried Ginger root pieces
- 2 teaspoons decorticated or hulled Cardamom pods
- 1 teaspoon Black Peppercorns
- 1/2 piece of Star Anise
- 1/2 teaspoon whole Cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon Echinacea Root
Boil the ingredients above in a covered pot for 20 minutes. Turn off heat.
Then add the Tulsi and Calendula and infuse covered for 20 minutes.
- 1 tablespoon Tulsi, dried
- 1/3 cup Calendula, dried
Strain herbs and compost.
Add maple syrup or honey to taste. Store chai in fridge for up to three days. Heat on stovetop by adding an equal amount of water to chai in a saucepan and bringing to a simmer. Add a splash of non-dairy creamer if desired.
Personal Updates:
I am finally on the mend from the cold I’ve had. Yay!
Tea:
I’ve been drinking lots of ginger and turmeric tea, the cold support tea I shared last week, as well as nettle and dandelion tea to support my liver. The liver needs some love this time of year according to Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda and herbs such as nettle, dandelion, cleavers that are bitter, astringent, and cooling help detox the liver and blood.
Moving More:
I’ve also been practicing some Qigong for detox as well as more active and vigorous yoga to move stagnant energy. And now that I’m feeling better, I’ve added back in walking and online Barre3 classes. I’m careful not to deplete myself! Ayurveda recommends exercise to 50% of our capacity. Sweating is healthy, but not to the point of exhaustion.
Lunar Eclipse:
I looked out the window at 3AM Friday morning and saw a piece of the blood moon peeking out from behind Earth’s shadow. It felt magical because my daughter was looking up outside her apartment at the same time although from her viewpoint most of the moon was visible.
Books:
There Are Rivers In The Sky by Elif Shafak: I’ve only read the first chapter set in ancient Ninevah. From there it goes back and forth through the 19th and 21st centuries by the River Thames. I know it’s going to be a novel to remember. Her previous novel, The Island of Missing Trees, was also the kind of novel that stays with you.
Alright, that's all for now! Have a sweet last weekend of late winter!