Breathe Better, Live Better
How Breath Works
Breath serves as the perpetual dance between Oxygen and CO2- these two opposite forces balance pH levels in the blood, support brain functioning, metabolic processes, and nervous system regulation.
As with all opposite forces, the balance comes from the conflicting qualities that contribute to homeostasis. With the breath, Oxygen serves as the energizer- it builds heat and lightness (getting light headed). In contrast, CO2 is a depressant, it cools and grounds.
When the body senses too much CO2 building up in the blood stream, it will signal the respiratory diaphragm to contract which, in turns, triggers and intake of air into the lungs. Once in the lungs, Oxygen reaches the vast surface area of capillaries and alveoli, teeming with vessels and capillaries, to shuttle Oxygen into the blood.
Thought CO2 gets a bad rap, it’s active participation in our everyday health should be celebrated. Because CO2 is a depressant, it down-shifts an accelerated nervous system by relaxing the smooth muscle tissues like those within the heart. In addition, an increased CO2 build up within a breath cycle may support more efficient Oxygen reuptake- this is how breathwork works!
5-minute Practice
Box breathing is arguably the easiest breath practice to follow. It regulates the nervous system through equal in breaths and out breaths with equal retention in between.
Set a timer for 5-minutes and, if possible, pull up a metronome app. Using common time, close your eyes and let the rhythm guide your pace as you breathe in for 4-counts, hold for 4-counts, breathe out for 4-counts, and hold for 4-counts.
If you feel your mind wander or you notice you’ve dozed off, realign and return. The process is the destination.
Soft Shell Tortillas
Makes about 6
what you’ll need
1.5 c Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
5 tbsp Salted Butter
0.5 c Hot Water
how you’ll prepare it
Combine “dry”s.
Add butter + water.
Knead for 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and bounces back.
Let sit for 15 min to rise.
Cut into 6 pieces- flatten/rollout.
Lightly fry on dry pan until bubbles appear- flip and repeat.
Let cool on paper towel.
ways you can consume it
In tacos, as a quesadilla, with some peanut butter on top.
Mindfulness for Beginners
What is MBSR
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a practice in being aware as moments unfold. MBSR offers an opportunity to leverage the tools we have on-hand (our consciousness) to be unhindered by both the anxieties of what has been and the concerns for what will be. In an over-stimulated society, practicing mindfulness through the easiest framework possible can feel like a breath of fresh air.
How the Body Handles Stress
When the body absorbs stimuli, our sense systems identify the threat’s potential and proceeds accordingly. When talking about stress response, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is our central driver. The hypothalamus is the systems central operation controlling temperature, hunger, and heart rate. The pituitary gland recieves signals to start production and circulation of hormones to the body and the adrenals via secretion of the stress hormones necessary to prime our bodies to react.
Our two most common stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, serve the purpose to get you up and going as well as keeping the system on alert after initial response. When that initial adrenaline pump fades away, the cortisol of the body continues to pump through the system supporting circulation, respiration, and musculoskeletal alertness.
Because we are constantly on-guard and assessing the stimulus around us, high or recurring systemic cortisol is not an uncommon experience. We are, essentially, trapped in our fight or flight response by the design of the society in which we live. So how can we return to grounding in a way that is not daunting and that is accessible?
4-Fast Tips to Ground
Take Inventory of the Present Moment
We are one set of eyes in a vast universal experience. All at once, this moment unfolds for and impacts an un-quantifiable number of other humans. Sometimes simply taking a second to take inventory moment over moment can be enough to return to the now and peel away from the concerns of what was or what will.
Observe Judgments, Emotions, & Resistance
As the seer, it is our ego’s contribution to keep us narrating, identifying, and affiliating with the concepts that come to mind. Pattern recognition is an important part of operating efficiently in the world that we exist in. While wonderful and with purpose, pattern recognition at all times is exhausting. The practice of noticing patterns can be enough to cut off intrusive thoughts and repetitive inner discourse.
Engage With Their Implications
While we dialogue internally between our observer and our narrator, having taken inventory and observed the narrator’s contributions to the present response to the present moment, we can begin to realize what is us and what is not us. More often than not, so much of what we assign to us is, in fact, not us. We are the sum of those that we interact with the most- the people, places, and things that operate around us have such a significant influence on our concept of self. Just taking the step back to see the historical pattern play out can also be enough to cut off overthinking or unproductive internal rumination.
Explore Opportunity to Step Into New Patterns
I often refer to this yogic concept of Samskaras- these wheels of suffering that we persistently ride on. Suffering (Dukkha) is inevitable, we are a logical narrator tacked on to an irrational animal form- both the horse and the rider- a match made in hell if I do say so myself.
Choices are made for us (both external and internal) when we lack the practice of awareness to find which choices we can in fact choose for ourselves, we become stuck to this treadmill of the same stimulus leading to the same outcome further ingraining our patterns and our suffering.
By this point, perhaps headway has been made, perhaps how you began is how you remain. What is worth noting is this- if you’ve taken the time to observe, to dis-associate, and to explore new oprtions- you’ve done the practice. It is a practice not a perfect because it may not be the first nor fiftieth time that yields a breakthough, but it may be that fifty-first, ya know?
Simply trying is the first step- failure, missteps, disappointments are inevitable- but sitting put and accepting the outcomes without agency will certainly yield no progress.
April in Your Body
April showers bring May flowers, and this month ushers in a cool and damp climate to prepare us for the upcoming Summer. By now, our bodies sense the approaching lighter season, keeping us alert and energized for longer days. Known as "Spring Fever," we embrace the season of outdoor activities and warmth.
Similar to a lake thawing and coming back to life, our body's fluids are still recovering from the Winter. After months of consuming nourishing, grounding foods, our circulation may still be sluggish, which can heighten feelings of frustration and tension.
The liver, considered a "heat" organ in both Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is responsible for cleansing the blood and promoting circulation. By incorporating bitter greens and astringent tastes into our diet, we can help clear Winter stagnation and invigorate our tissues.
3 Key Takeaways:
Spring is a Kapha season — light, dry foods and bitter/astringent tastes help balance its damp, heavy nature.
Practices like dry brushing, outdoor movement, and grounding routines support circulation and lymphatic flow.
Liver-friendly foods like dandelion, arugula, and citrus can help clear Winter stagnation and promote clarity.
Qualities of the Season
Spring is Kapha Season, characterized by qualities such as murkiness, moisture, and warmth. To maintain balance, we focus on consuming foods and practicing habits that counter these qualities, such as favoring clear, light, and dry foods, as well as incorporating astringent, sour, and bitter tastes.
Daily/Practices
Where we spent the darker season nourishing and massaging our bodies, Spring- in particular April- becomes a season of Dry Brushing. Dry brushing helps to stimulate the circulation of the lymphatic system and support healthy blood flow.
After being pent up in the Winter time, the season is finally ripe to get outside! We are of nature, so opportunities to return to nature come with so many benefits. Earthing, for example, is a wonderful opportunity to quite literally reconnect with mother earth. The practice of being bare-foot and connected to dirt has shown value in immune and mental health. Additionally, in being outside, we have a unique opportunity to give our eyes a rest, to focus on a distant point, and find space to meditate and be mindful.
In the season of being outside, returning to activity, and cultivating heat in the body, it’s important to remember routine, to again keep your feet on the ground. While the initial vibrancy of the season is compelling, we perform our best when consistency remains a central tenet.
Diet Staples
Bitter greens help drain the heat from the body- though April can still be quite biting and cold, our bodies know as nature knows. Too much heat build up can lead to rashes, anger, irritability, and other liver conditions. Clarity can be supported by incorporating diuretics like corn, kale, celery, cabbages, and collard greens. Dandelion, radish, mustard greens, and arugula are all helpful in releasing stored fat and liquids from the winter season.
Sweet and astringent fruits can continue to support healthy blood like apricot, cherries, oranges, and other citrus fruits. While the seasons shift, all tastes and all qualities can and should remain present in different ratios.
Other astringency can be added into the fold via grains like buckwheat and millet as well as beans, raw veggies, and sprouts.
Nature provides what our bodies need each season and in a time where we’re so disconnected from nature, it’s easy to miss out on important signals.
What’s it all Mean?
We are of the earth around us and each season offers new opportunity to continue to practice the art of being a subtle and persistently evolving piece of the puzzle of life. Each day- each moment- brings forth a chance to be better and do better for our self and our legacy. Bad days can come, but our awareness and self acuity offer evergreen chances to show up for ourselves and our communities. When in doubt, resources abound— reach out to (me!) your friendly neighborhood Ayurvedic Nutrition Coach.
March in Your Body
March is the real turn-of-the-leaf away from the dark time and into the light time. Once daylight savings Springs forward, the days get longer, the earth begins to thaw, and we’re drawn outward. You may notice that you crave less of the heavy sweetness that the Winter called for; you may even notice your appetite diminish just a bit. Embrace that. Just like the cold, hard, and heavy winter gives way for the light, energetic, clearness of Spring, this time of year the body readies itself to shed an refresh.
Key Take-Aways
Take advantage of the earlier sunrises and cooler air for immune and circadian regularity.
Increase circulation to improve blood health and lymphatic drainage after a winter of “hibernation”.
Movement is king. Dry brush, tongue scrape, irrigate your sinuses- encourage system-wide movement to increase conditions for regeneration.
Qualities of the Season
Spring is sprung at the heart of Kapha Season. It’s a biannual intersection between the dark time and light time. While the body reheats and re-energizes, it’s helpful to support the transition with easy to digest, light, simple foods. Wake with the sun and get outside. The blue light of the sunrise is a perfect way to get your systems energized in a nourishing way. Prioritize warm, light, dry, mobile, sharp, penetrating qualities and embrace bitter, stringent, and pungent tastes.
Daily/Practices
Like other animals, we too shed our winter layers in preparation for the upcoming warm season. In our case, it involves losing the insulating layers of fat beneath the skin, a natural process that differs from the modern concept of striving for a "summer body." Instead, this process aligns with the natural order, a delicate orchestra that changes seasonally to set us up for success.
Ayurvedically, this shedding can contribute to our blood and lymphatic systems experiencing congestion or sluggishness. This can lead to feelings of heaviness and lethargy. In addition, this congestion can contribute to mucous build-up, common during this time of year. Dry brushing remains a helpful practice to support the somewhat reluctant lymphatic system.
The idea of scraping, known as lekhana, can be applied in various ways throughout the season to introduce a rough and mobile quality when it's lacking. For example, tongue scraping is beneficial year-round but particularly useful now to clarify and assess the state of the digestive system through the purge.
While the body lightens up, there's an increased risk of irritants causing seasonal allergies due to changes in blood circulation. Regular Neti practice helps cleanse the sinuses, flushing out any trapped irritants and reducing immune responses.
Most importantly, spend time outdoors and stay active. Embracing our connection to nature on nice days allows us to return to its warm embrace, recalibrate our circadian rhythm, and positive impact our mental health. Engaging in activities like preparing spring gardens brings joy in witnessing new life. Our nervous systems greatly benefit from reconnecting with nature, aligning our vibes with the environment around us.
Diet Staples
March signifies the switch to bitter, pungent, and astringent tastes. Foods high in prana, or energy and life, are more easily accessible as farm stand season returns. Gone are the dark, cold months of root veggies and preserves- now is the time for fresh berries, cherries, greens, and grains!
Pungent and warming digestive herbs like ginger, black pepper, and turmeric assist the digestion, or agni, to brighten up and reinvigorate. It’s the perfect season to re-introduce all sorts of grains into the diet. Grains like barkley, buckwheat, and millet are light and mobile enough to give quick bursts of energy that will help keep the system running efficiently with the longer days.
Finally, beans and lean meats - particularly easy to digest beans and fish - nourish the system via their fiber, carb, and protein content. Because the light time encourages getting outside and getting mobile, it’s important to keep protein in a light and easily digestible form in order to ensure the body is supplied properly for regeneration.
What It All Means
The biggest takeaway is this: the sun is back, the body gets to movin in the Spring. Support your body's transition with easily digestible, light, and simple foods. As the body taps into its accumulated reserves for fuel, prioritize warm, light, dry, and mobile qualities, alongside bitter, stringent, and pungent tastes.
In daily practices, shed winter layers with dry brushing, scraping, and especially tongue scraping to assess digestive health. Combat potential seasonal allergies by incorporating regular Neti practice. Embrace outdoor activities for overall well-being, connecting with nature during this time of renewal. Circulation, metabolism, and circadian health are always primary- they are the inner clock and combustion systems that keep us regular!