Beautiful video celebrating the health benefits of tea
I thought that Deepest Health readers might enjoy this video passed along to me by Pettygrove Classical Chinese Medicine clinic director, Beth French. She has submitted it as her application for the Calm-a-Sutra tea scholarship, so if you like it be sure to share it far and wide. It reminds me of one of my favorite health benefits of drinking tea - time to stop and breathe.
We’re going to have some great podcast interviews with Tea Monk Paul Rosenberg within the month - look for them coming soon.
Click on the video below to view it - feel free to share your reactions and favorite tea stories in the comments.
Eric
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Tags: health, tea, videoRelated posts
How would a sage care for the planet?
April has already begun and I’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about the habit I would like to develop in pursuit of a more sagely existence. First, let’s recap what was said in the inaugural Year of Sagely Living post:
April - Large Intestine, Mao 卯 (Rabbit) - Care of the planet/consumption: This category will contain practices that develop us into compassionate and sane consumers, while helping to develop our deep relationship with the natural world. Why this pairing? April is a time when we can see the beauty of nature all around us, so is a great time to contemplate our dependence on it and responsibility towards it. Also, the negative side of LI/Rabbit is a tendency to run rough-shod over the needs and wants of others, these practices will seek to counterbalance this.
My lifestyle is already very much concerned with what I would call “compassionate consumerism,” which is to say that I consider the human and non-human ramifications of my actions every time I buy, consume or discard something. I recycle about 20 times more than I throw away, my version of whole-foods veganism lives lightly on the planet, I use my own two feet and public transportation most of the time, so on and so forth. Looking for a way to leave the planet in better shape than I found it has been a sort of part-time job of mine. So, figuring out an excellent practice for April’s Year of Sagely Living both had more weight and seemed more challenging.
At the end of March, I really took some time to review the whole Year of Sagely Living project. I have a passion for personal development, and my thoughts and actions naturally tend in this direction. However, “regular” personal development is not what my schooling, future career, and this blog are really about! The point is to look at categories of practice that seem to be aligned with the essence of Chinese medical philosophy, live by them, and analyze the results. The hypothesis is that these practices, particularly when they are very deeply rooted in Chinese medical philosophy, will be productive of excellent human beings. What I’m getting to here is that I want to be sure that I stay connected to the aim of reaching back to the ancient wisdom.
So, when considering my April YSL goal, I really tried to consider what kind of practice I could do that would bring me in line with the overall aim of the project. I’ve decided, with my family, to try to grow as much of our produce as possible in our backyard. I have been trying for a long time to develop the habit of growing food. We have beautiful houseplants and have managed to grow some excellent flowers, shrubs and trees in our yard. We have several fruit trees, raspberry bushes, and now a strawberry patch. We have had a container garden on our back stoop for two years running that was mildly successful. Now we have the space and the desire to really make a push and create a beautiful, bountiful space to provide our fruit and vegetable needs and we should use it.
This goal is ideal in a number of respects. First, it really brings us into line with our desire to buy the majority of our food locally. We shop at our local coop which has this goal as one of its goals, so we generally eat food that comes from pretty close to home. However, growing it in our yard would take that to another level. Eating locally is one of the greatest things you can do to reduce your environmental impact, as it reduces theamounto of petroleum used to get you the things you eat. It has a number of residual benefits as well, such as strengthening the local economy. We are making an attempt to make this even more petroleum-neutral by using public transportation when we can to get things for our garden, sharing some supplies (and their transportation) with a garden-savvy friend, etc…
Another reason why this goal is ideal for the YSL is that it connects the two vital practices of interacting with nature and ensuring the viability of our ecosphere. Chinese medicine has nature observation and contemplation at its root. Watching the cycle of growth, death, and rebirth will certainly deepen my understanding of this root. Third, there are a number of health benefits involved in growing a significant portion of our food. Micro-agriculture seems to yield more Qi-laden veggies, having lots of veggies around will promote us to eat them more often and the work itself (when done mindfully) can be tremendously good exercise. Finally, I really believe that interacting with nature on this level will confer some spiritual benefits - improving my general level of personal cultivation.
Some details:
- We will be growing the following: two kinds of kale, two kinds of chard, two kinds of lettuce, lots of tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, summer squash, delicata squash, cucumbers, spicy peppers, chicory, carrots, fennel, basil, oregano and maybe a couple of other herbs. I will be seeking out Chinese herbs to grow as well. I know our local Classical Chinese Garden sometimes has plant sales.
- We will be using all organic soil amendments and pest control.
- We will not be using any machines in creation of the garden.
- We will be using heirloom varieties whenever possible, open pollinated.
- We will be using raised beds created from recycled wood (left in our yard by the landlord) or FCS certified wood
I will discuss the particulars of my experience and probably even find a way to post pictures of the garden as it grows. This will obviously be more than a month, but I will use my Year of Sagely Living intensity to really engage in the process of setting up the garden and getting it in the ground and then do periodic reports as time goes on. I can’t wait to hear about other people’s April Year of Sagely Living goals!
Eric
Tags: chinese-herb, chinese-herbs, environment, environmentalism, garden, habits, nature, organic, Personal Development, Year of Sagely LivingRelated posts
Welcome to Carnival of Healing #114 at Deepest Health
Hey everyone,
I’m happy to be hosting another Carnival of Healing, this one should help you prepare for the winter’s contemplation with ease. The last Carnival was graciously hosted by Debra Moorhead.com and next week’s will be in the capable hands of the writers at Where We Relax. I’m sure I’ll host again sometime in the future - why don’t you think about submitting a post when that time comes around? You can always check out the Carnival of Healing archives for ideas and, if you have a blog, offer to host the carnival yourself! It’s a worthy pursuit. Now for the posts…
At the always enlightening Urbanmonk.net, we learn something of the truth about loneliness, self-love, ego, selfishness and the often tenuous balance between these features of human existence.
Evan from a great Chinese medicine related blog, Acupuncture is Easy, presents some interesting food for thought concerning the environmental and social aspects of acupuncture in his article, Acupuncture, Ecology and Social Justice.
Abdallah at one of my favorite blogs, Even Unto China, offers us an intriguing perspective on the role of music in true health. He integrates insights from his experience with Islam and his understanding of Chinese medicine theory, with a little Chinese etymology thrown in for good measure. Don’t miss this one.
A late addition to the Carnival, a fantastic beginners article about my personal favorite Classical Chinese Medicine text - the Shang Han Lun. This is put together by a CM colleague and fellow blogger, G. Michael Reynolds over at his blog, Life Giving Sword. I think you’ll really enjoy this article, so take the time to read it through.
Helfgott blog, an up and coming natural medicine blog hosted by Helfgott Research Institute in Portland, OR reveals to us the lesser known benefits of a sweet treat, honey. And yes, before you say it, I know that it seems contradictory for a vegan to support an article about honey. It’s an informative read regardless of your stance on this sensitive issue.
Since exercise is an essential feature of health in any medical system, it seems right to present to you Stanimir Sotirov’s simple and accessible article, What is Pilates? posted at All About Your Body And Spirit.
Roger Knight who writes at The Happy and Prosperous Blog presents a helpful introduction to Homeopathy in his article, Myth, Magic or Medicine Part 1 | The Happy and Prosperous Blog.
Carole Fogarty of the Healthy Living Lounge presents a timely gift for the holiday season, titled, The one and only zen gift to give your children. In this time of hyper consumerism, sometimes it can be helpful to be reminded that sometimes the most profound gifts we give are the least material.
Mark A. Rayner reveals to us The History Of Medicine In A Nutshell at a blog with an intriguing title, The Skwib. I love how this article is both lighthearted and heartbreaking at the same time - not to mention accurate!
At Little Seeds we read about Windhorse, a philosophy of personal empowerment with ancient roots. A truly fascinating read.
In an article somewhat similar to the first in this carnival, Matthew Spears presents Breaking through the chains of identity at his site, Loving Awareness. With both of these perspectives, I think you will be thinking about your identity and its role in your life of deepest health.
Answering a concern that many modern people have, ananga offers an article titled What if I’m Too Tense to Relax? at Living By Design a well designed and informative site on natural health and personal development.
Last but definitely not least, SJ Yee offers a rich anecdotal article, Detoxifying the body, My 10 day Vegan Diet Experience. If you’ve been reading this blog long, you’ll know that this is a topic close to my heart. It’s a short article, but should give a boost to anyone considering trying a vegan diet.
Thanks for reading through these articles, folks. Hopefully they will give you both ideas and inspiration! Happy winter!
Eric
Tags: Acupuncture, blog carnival, Character, ego, exercise, natural-medicine, Personal Development, spirituality, vegan
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Living in Harmony with the Seasons: Part III - Thriving in Autumn
Tags: autumn, Classical Texts (general), dietary-therapy, fall, seasonal-living, Seasons
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Chinese medicine lifehacks - 3 simple tips to defeat insomnia
I’m experimenting with some new content types. I’d like to be comfortable with releasing some less weighty content. Plus, maybe you all are sort of sick of wading through those big ones? Let me know in the comments. Regardless, they’re not going away, so for you theory lovers - the somewhat wordy posts will continue. :D
In the Chinese medicine lifehack series of posts - I’ll try just writing quick things I’ve learned from Chinese medicine to help me with common problems. Today? Insomnia.
As I mentioned in my article about ways to ensure your insomnia continues, I sometimes suffer from a lack of sleep. In Chinese medicine, there are a lot of potential causes for insomnia. But all of them share one simple feature - they self perpetuate. Which is to say that insomnia begets insomnia. Simplistically speaking, the phrase “burning the midnight oil” has some truth to it - when you stay awake too late, you consume Qi and especially Blood, among other negative effects. This, in turn, will make it more difficult for you to sleep - both that night and following nights. It’s self-reinforcing. Because of this, it is of vital importance that you interrupt the cycle as soon as possible.
At this point, when I wake up at some ungodly hour or simply fail to fall asleep, I have three things I do to get back in dreamland quickly. Perhaps they will help you as well. I should also note that if you have serious insomnia, your best bet is to find a good Chinese medicine physician. But these steps should help you when you’re up and need to get back to sleep.
1. Make myself a cup of blood tonifying tea : Often, there is some deficiency of Blood at the root of insomnia. This is especially the case if the insomnia has to do with too much work or general life stress (not stress from deaths in the family or extreme situations). I must say that the below is not a proper formula, but it’s ok in a pinch. I have provided links to sources where available - if you use those links, I do get a small portion of the sale price, all of that money goes to get me through school so I appreciate it very much. Regardless, all of these herbs should be available from your local health food store or Chinese medicinary. Be sure to check for Angelica sinensis - there are North American variants available and I’m not sure
- 2 parts Astragalus (Huang Qi) preferably honey fried (Zhi Huang Qi) - no, it’s not vegan. I sometimes “honey fry” my own with agave nectar, you can fry it up with a little honey in a frying pan until the honey is well absorbed. I haven’t done any testing to see whether agave nectar is a sufficient substitution, but it’s something I plan on investigating. I use local, raw honey when I find it necessary for medicinal purposes.
- 1 part (Dang Gui, Tang Kui) - Available through Chinese Herbs Direct
- 1 part Longnan fruit (Long Yan Rou) - You may need to go to a Chinese herbal medicinary or a Chinese grocery store for these
I put all of these in a Bodum glass teapot (I love this thing)
When I’m having a lot of episodes of insomnia, I’ll drink this tea often. It definitely helps. When it gets really bad, I go and see one of my many excellent doctors.
2. Do deep breathing exercises
After I drink my tea, and even while I’m drinking, I do some simple visualization and deep breathing. I take very slow, intentful breaths either sitting or lying and with my feet contacting the floor. On the inhale, I do two visualizations. First, I imagine that the energy of my body is moving down, contacting my heart, kidneys, lower abdomen and finally down to my feet and out into the floor. Second, I imagine a gentle golden yellow ball of light in my lower abdomen that expands slightly during the breath. On the exhale, I imagine cool, clear energy rising from the ground through my feet and going up to my heart and brain - contacting my lower abdomen and kidneys on the way up. Be very careful to focus equally on inhale and exhale, perhaps even a little more on the exhale. Do this for at least 10 minutes. It may put you to sleep on its own.
3. Make contact with Kidney 1
If I’m still not tired enough to go to sleep at this point, I continue my focused breathing in an inclined position in bed. In this position, I find Kidney-1 (here is a location guide for Kidney 1) and press firmly. While I breath, I make sure to focus strongly here - particularly on the inhale. Kidney 1’s name is Yong Quan or Gushing/rushing spring. This cooling and grounding energy will help to pull the excess activity out of your Heart/head. It is also the wood point on this water channel and as such may nourish the wood Liver which is often deficient or stagnant in cases of insomnia. I sometimes have to hold this point for 90 seconds, sometimes for 5 minutes.
I hope this helps.
Eric
Tags: acupressure, chinese-herb, chinese-herbs, deep-breathing, habits, herbs, Home remedies, insomnia, meditation
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