Be A Bridge (and Ayurveda Tips for Holiday Travel)
We’re in the middle of Mercury retrograde (which isn’t good or bad, just IS an energy) and so miscommunications, flight delays, or tech snafus may be happening.
I'm tempting the shizzle out of Mercury retrograde by teaching a Foundations of Ayurveda class online TOMORROW (scroll past all this to join, I haven't taught this in over two years and it may be that long before I teach it again).
One of the themes of this retrograde is revisiting an old system, energy pattern or something in your life that needs to shift and change.
Does this sound redundant to the perimenopause time/midlife or what??
For me, the thing that I keep being called into is to be a bridge between west and east. Show more about my two sides: the nerdy science allopathic medicine trained side, and the Ayurveda side.
Honestly, I don’t profess to be an “expert”-- whatever that means– in either, but I know more about both than most people. I also know that I both a- need to be more humble and b- need to step more fully into my power.
I’m not sure how to hold these with equanimity.
Do you know that it’s said believing the praise is the same as believing the criticism? Holding yourself down is the same as being an egomaniac, in a sense.
There is something that’s been brewing (not a class or offering, a confession of sorts) that I’ll come back with next week, once retrograde goes on its merry way and clarity comes in.
Photo by the amazing Christina Patsiokas at Green Lion Images
This week, I’ll offer up something to you as we roll towards the holiday season (I roll there with both dread and love).
Here are my favorite Ayurveda simple travel tips, for those of you planning for holiday travel:
☕Sip hot water as much as possible before, during, and after travel (you can ask a flight attendant for hot water– they use it for tea)
🌱Take ½ tsp of triphala daily for a few days before, during, and after travel. Triphala is one of the few universal Ayurveda herbs that is considered more of a food, and can support healthy bowel movements without any dependency issues. (Can be found at Banyan Botanicals)
🍔Eat a warm, cooked, grounding meal when you arrive- I tend to crave hamburgers when I travel! If you choose meat, aim for good quality grassfed/finished; if eating plant-based, go for root veggies (like sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, or turnips)
🦶Take a small amount of Abhyanga or plain sesame oil with you and slather it on your feet and legs before getting on the plane, or just on your feet. You can also do this when arriving and just before bed to help you sleep and arrive/ground into the new place