RUSH HOUR HYMN

Looking for beauty in traffic...



Blank Blue "Eyes Closed" from hsugi on Vimeo.

Found on http://www.tinylightbulb.blogspot.com

FINDING SLEEP

Here are some nurturing ideas for getting a good night’s rest:

1. Go to bed at around the same time every night. Do the same routine. ie. put on slippers, brush teeth, wash face, read book, close eyes. If it's the same every night it will signal to the body… sleep is coming soon.

2. Lavender Essential Oil, a drop in the pillow. Very calming.

3. Massage your feet before bed. Dry massage is good, a warm oil massage with sesame oil even better. Add a few drops of Lavender to the bottle of oil, who wouldn't fall asleep. Great for children and babies.  See "skin" label to the right for dreamy skin oil recipes for different skin types.

4. In Aryurveda difficulty sleeping/ falling asleep is a vata disorder. Simply put, the nervous system is out of balance. Warm oil ingested in your food and placed on your skin will feed and calm your nerves. Eating warm, cooked foods instead of raw also helps. Drinking a cup of heated milk (heat till it begins to bubble on the sides of the pan) You can also steep a pinch of saffron, or add few drops of ghee to the milk. Great for children and babies.

5. Have a journal next to your bed so you can write down anything that may be on your mind and let the book take care of it for you.

6. Bach Flower Remedies makes some really lovely tinctures that are wonderful as a sleep aid. I’ve also used these a lot when traveling or overworked. There are different remedies for different kinds of sleep issues. You can find them at health food stores or at www.bachflower.com

7. Take the television out of the bedroom. Limit screen time (computer included) before bed. Watching screens stimulates/ over stimulates the nervous system.

8. Count backwards from 100, visualizing each number. note: If you are accountant this may not work for you. My insomniac accountant friend says she likes to imagine sewing the sleep and waking worlds together.

9. Remember just the simple act of lying down for eight hours will give you all the rest you need, especially if you are relaxed and calm. So take a few deep breaths and enjoy putting your feet up for a long while. You deserve it.


10. If you wake up at 3 am and can't go back to sleep it may be one of two things. 2-6 am is the vata time of night ruling the nervous system and creativity. To calm vata, rub sesame oil gently across your forehead in one motion, a drop in the belly button and on your feet to calm. I've also heard an alternative idea that it's your creativity calling you and to get up and write or draw or create enjoying the serene quiet of the early morning. Then catch up on the rest by meditating.

These ideas are not intended to be medical advice. 

EASTER: If you make it, they will come.

photo Julie B Montgomery

Traditionally, in my family, Easter is a really big deal, sometimes as big as Christmas. What a wonderful thing it is to truly celebrate in the birth of spring. My Russian heritage brings to the table the infamous Pascha (pos-ka):  a special cheesecake molded in a flowerpot, decorated with fresh flowers and eggs and only made on Easter. 

On Saturday while making the Pascha, I realized I had no idea who, if anybody, would be joining me for breakfast the next day. My four year old, Henri was camping with his Papa, and the usual suspects were out of town. I told myself, "If you make it, they will come". As fate would have it, my good friend Caroline spontaneously decided to get a change of scenery, and drove up to visit me on the ranch. We woke up Sunday morning, decorated the Pascha with flowers from the garden, and colored a few hard boiled brown eggs with my son's nontoxic markers. Look what we made... and then ate. Yum! 

Pascha Recipe:

serves 6

2 pounds ricotta

2 pounds cream cheese

1 cup almond flour

1 vanilla bean

1 pinch of salt

sugar or maple syrup to taste

1/2 cup yellow raisins

1/2 tsp cardamon (optional)

love

Melt the cheeses in a pot on low making sure to stir often. Once melted, add flour, love, salt, rind of lemon and sugar/maple syrup to taste (about 3/4 cup). I like it a little bit sweet, but not too sweet. Add raisins. Traditionally you add a few eggs, but it's already pretty rich. I also like to add 1/2 tsp ground cardamon, but that is definitely not traditional.

Line a mold, a clean flower pot is traditionally used for the cylindrical shape, or you can used a sieve for a half round. Line the mold with cheese cloth or a clean tea towel. Pour in the warm ingredients from the pot. Let cool. Fold the excess material on top and place a heavy plate on top to press it down. Refrigerate overnight. 

Turn upside down onto a large serving plate and peel off the cloth. Decorate with flowers. For the top I used flowers I know are nontoxic like lavender, nasturtium, and sour grass. Enjoy.