August is such a beautiful month to sit in wonder of what winter has delivered.  The mornings are still crisp, but the sun is peeking through more often and there are incredible things happening in nature.   New buds are forming on trees, and the earthworms are cleaning up the winter debris.  I have noticed a Magpie family foraging around in my garden, which is a sure sign spring is on its way, and the whales are moving down the coast.

With five weeks until spring now is a good time to reflect and shine a light on the good things that winter brought you, like a little more time to snuggle on the couch, or trying out some slow cooked recipes.  Hopefully you had an opportunity to sit around a fire with friends, chatting, laughing and gazing into the flames.  Take this moment to name five good things that winter blessed you with.

My five have been:

1.         Taking up writing

2.         Joining a Power Yoga class

3.         Picking fresh Broccoli & Cauliflower from the garden

4.         Turning off the computer earlier and snuggling on the couch

5.         Planting the bare soil with Indigenous plants for all to enjoy for years to come

“As you start your journey, the first thing you should do is throw away that store bought map and begin to draw your own”  - Dell

Exercise for August:  Start stretching.  Yoga and Pilates classes can cater for each and every body.  Over winter our bodies are not as limber, our joints can become tight and our muscles contract in the cold.  Also our lymphatic system gets a bit sluggish – from all those slow cooked dinners on the couch! So go find a class or look one up on You tube (I suggest any by Australian Yoga journal) and commit to 1-3 hours per week with some of the benefits including:

·       Flexibility

·       Strength

·       Balance

·       Joint stability

·       Spinal health

·       May lower blood pressure & blood sugars

·       Decreased cortisol and stress

·       Increases self consciousness and meditation



Recipe spot

As we have reached the peak of winter and are now moving steadily into spring, it is a good time to consider how your health and vitality have stood up.  Have there been any signs that aspects of food or lifestyle need to change?  Invigorating your body can have some great benefits now, so go and purchase a good quality body brush loofah or make the following recipe and use 2-3 times a week to exfoliate and nourish your skin – the biggest organ of our body.  Always start from the feet and work your way up the body, using sweeping motions toward the Terminus (chest) whilst visualising yourself assisting the lymphatic system in detoxing the body.  Don’t forget under your arms, breasts and stomach, which are all  lymph node areas.  If you are able to get time in a sauna, hot room or bath add this to your weekly routine also, as well as lots of water, herbals teas and nourishing soups.


Good enough to eat Body Scrub:

1 cup coconut oil                                                                          

½ cup Shea butter

½ cup raw sugar or salt

¼ cup ground coffee

5-10 drops of your desired essential oil – suggestions: spearmint/ lemon/ orange/

*I use organic product where possible and Doterra essential oils

Warm the butter and oil in a double saucepan until they are just warm and mixed together.  Add all other ingredients, with love and prayers of good health.  Pop into a beautiful jar and place in the bathroom, along with fresh flowers, a sweet smelling candle and full intentions of being nurturing to yourself.

Workplace Wellness:

Set up a reminder in the office that goes off every hour.  You can set it to tranquil music or dance music or mix it up.  However you choose is fine, the important thing is to stand up every hour and move for 2-5 minutes.  You can stretch, jog on the spot, strike a Yoga pose, and do walking lunges to the tearoom. Doesn’t matter what it is, just so long as you do it every hour, which will have a positive  affect on your health and wellness, decreasing your risk of heart attack significantly and increasing your joy and productivity.

July is smack bang in the middle of winter.  It’s a good month for self-nurturing and hibernation, spending time in replenishment and self-reflection. It is easy to deny ourselves enough quiet time and rest so winter is a good time to consider working with stillness and recharging our batteries in more ways than one.  Rest more, snuggle on the couch, read great books, start a journal, rug up and walk in the rain, sit on a mountaintop and feel the wind blowing a gale.  Thank winter for its great part in sustaining life and slow down to enjoy it.

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change” – The Buddha                 

Exercise for July:  Go dancing. There are plenty of different dance classes available and the benefits of dance are many.  It’s indoors so you don’t have the excuse of inclement weather! You can meet people, have fun, don’t take yourself too seriously and attain a great cardiovascular workout.  There is such a wide range of both physical and mental benefits including:

• Improved condition of your heart and lungs
• Increased muscular strength, endurance and motor fitness
• Increased aerobic fitness
• Improved muscle tone and strength
• Weight management
• Stronger bones and reduced risk of osteoporosis
• Better coordination, agility and flexibility
• Improved balance and spatial awareness
• Increased physical confidence
• Improved mental functioning
• Improved general and psychological wellbeing
• Greater self-confidence and self-esteem
• Better social skills.

·        

Recipe spot

Its important to listen to our bodies needs and embrace food as a natural medicine.  Where possible its better to eat foods that are in season and locally grown as this will give you the richest of foods and nutrients- the ultimate nutrabullet straight from the source!  Winter is about slowing down, which includes slow cooked foods; more warming beverages as well as eating nourishing Yin rich foods such as high proteins, roots foods (Leaks, potatoes, parsnips) that are traditional winter foods.  They help to ground us, slow us, and nurture us. 

·       Winter Blood Warming Tea                                                                                                                             

·       5-6 of all the following per pot:

·       Clove                                  Star Anise

·       Cardamom pods                  Cinnamon Bark

·       Black pepper seeds

·       Add 1-teaspoon size:

·       Fresh Turmeric & ginger

·       Fresh Lemon grass and basil

·      
Place all ingredients in a mortar and pestle and bruise to release all their goodness.  Pop into a teapot, add boiling water and seep for five minutes.  All these ingredients are nourishing winter herbs used to produce warmth and expel decongestant in the body.

Workplace Wellness:

The British tradition of tea drinking dates back to the 1840’s and high teas have made a comeback.  Start a High Tea Time Tradition in your workplace.  Ask HR to indulge in a beautiful teapot for the tearoom and a selection of locally made teas, as well as a divine treat. When having your High Tea Time chillax, use your finest china and allow yourself the nectar of slowness and connection with your fellow employees.