I would like to share a few thoughts on quiet sitting. I usually try to keep these posts concise, but I'm going to let this one go, so please humor me. I am intentionally not using the word meditation because I think sometimes we put ourselves on the wrong track by deciding that "now we will meditate." That being said, we can call it meditation, contemplation, relaxing, resting, kicking back, practicing awareness- the name or word that we use isn't important.
The impetus for this post is an ongoing discussion that I have shared with many people in many forms over the years, and that I expect will continue as long as there is life. I think the essence of this discussion, the seed of all this commotion and despair is: How would I like to express my self in this life I'm living? and its shadow- how do I express myself in this life? (are they one and the same?)
It is a question of what we do with ourselves in our short time in this world- what do I do for fun, for work, for artistic expression, where do I shop, what clothes do I wear, which scenes do I fit into, who's advice do I follow, what foods do I eat? which crowds do I run with...which all boil down to: WHO AM I?
I think its good to check in with ourselves every so often to evaluate: Does my life give me fulfillment or leave me feeling empty? Do I like what I do? Am I spending most of my time doing things that I don't like to do so that I can have a few minutes of pleasure once or twice a week? If any of these questions bring up negative feelings, maybe we can put some creative energy into finding a more positive alternative. It may not be easy, but with hard work over time, we all have the capacity to build the life that we want to live, the life that expresses who we really are, not the compromised version that we settle for when we feel discouraged.
OK, enough rambling- let's get back to sitting. What's the connection here? If we want to build something, we need to know what we are building. Try sketching out a plan for building an ejkir. Hard to do, because ejkir is a random group of letters that doesn't represent anything in reality (that I'm aware of). Without a clear vision of what we want to build we are in the dark. If we want to build a house, we at least have a picture in our mind of what a house is, and if we really want to make life easier, we can get hold of some blueprints with materials and measurements to guide our building process.
So quiet sitting- how do we know who we are, who we want to be? I think it is not by thinking, analyzing, nor by beating our head against the wall trying to decide. If we can restore our center, reconnect with our deeper being, tap into our root; then the branches- the things we do (for work, for exercise, for fun)- these are all expressions of our self- they will be grounded in our root, and will become more clear. We can decide from a place of peace, a place of strength, which branches to trim and which to cultivate. Sometimes there is no way to know until we put some time and energy into growing a branch. But come next fall the leaves drop and life recedes into the roots. And the following spring life's energy will come back into some branches and others will fall dead- abandoned because they no longer serve the greater vision of the life-being that is this plant.
so take a little time every day (maybe 20 minutes?) to sit quietly, by yourself with no music, and feel your body. feel the breath coming in, listen to the sound of the air moving through your nostrils. feel all the parts that make up the whole. sit quietly, but you don't have to be still. move if your legs need to stretch, sit in any position you like, on the ground, in a chair, on a couch- stand if you like. there's no way to get it wrong- if you get distracted just return to listening to your breath. give yourself this quiet space every day for a week and see how it goes. maybe you'll like it and continue doing it, maybe just sometimes, maybe you'll think its a waste of time. but what's 20 minutes- that's all it is, just 20 minutes.
may we all find a way that brings us peace and fulfillment
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
How to make a medicinal herbal tea- tips to making your natural home remedies more effective.
Hi folks,
I'd like to share a few thoughts on making medicinal teas from various types of plants. These are a few simple tips to make your home remedies more effective.
We should keep in mind that when making a medicinal tea, this is not the same thing as making a beverage tea. A medicinal tea must be much stronger, and at times may taste bad (add a little honey to sweeten the taste if necessary). Use a larger portion of herbs, and give them more time to steep/ decoct. The liquid should have a strong color and taste when it is ready. Sometimes we need a little bitter medicine to help us feel better in the long run.
1) Leaves and flowers: Many herbs and plants have flowers and leaves with medicinal properties that can benefit us. When we make a tea or decoction from these parts of the plant, we must remember that there are beneficial essential oils that are lost when we boil them. For this reason it is better to use water that is 30 seconds off (below) boiling point. For a tea, take the water off of the heat and pour into your pot over the flowers and leaves, cover the lid, and let steep for 10 minutes. If you are adding leaves or flowers to a decoction, add them at the end for not more than a few minutes and keep the lid on.
2) Roots and bark: These parts of the plant should be boiled (decocted). Depending on if they are fresh or dried, you may want to decoct these medicinals anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. If they are dried herbs, a longer decoction time is appropriate. For example, when I make ginger tea from fresh ginger root, I will often boil the root for 15-20 minutes. If I am making a decoction of dried Chinese herbs, I usually cook them for 45-60 minutes.
3) Quantity- Not only should you make your herbal teas strong, you should ingest them frequently- 2-5 times a day depending on what the herbs are and what you are using them for. A single cup of weak tea is usually not enough to be effective. Have a strong cup at least 2 or 3 times a day (morning, afternoon, evening). Depending on the situation, some general guidelines are to take your herbs 5 days in a row and then take 2 days off. Or a week on, a week off. Or a month on, then 2 weeks off. These variations depend on which herbs you are taking, if it is for an acute or chronic condition, and how you respond to the specific herbs.
Consult an experienced herbal medicine practitioner before embarking on a self- prescribed herbal program.
There are many books and teachers out there that deal with plant/ food medicine. The two books that I find myself consulting the most right now are "The Way of Herbs" by Michael Tierra, and "Healing with Whole Foods" by Paul Pitchford.
stay well,
Keith Judelman, EAMP
I'd like to share a few thoughts on making medicinal teas from various types of plants. These are a few simple tips to make your home remedies more effective.
We should keep in mind that when making a medicinal tea, this is not the same thing as making a beverage tea. A medicinal tea must be much stronger, and at times may taste bad (add a little honey to sweeten the taste if necessary). Use a larger portion of herbs, and give them more time to steep/ decoct. The liquid should have a strong color and taste when it is ready. Sometimes we need a little bitter medicine to help us feel better in the long run.
1) Leaves and flowers: Many herbs and plants have flowers and leaves with medicinal properties that can benefit us. When we make a tea or decoction from these parts of the plant, we must remember that there are beneficial essential oils that are lost when we boil them. For this reason it is better to use water that is 30 seconds off (below) boiling point. For a tea, take the water off of the heat and pour into your pot over the flowers and leaves, cover the lid, and let steep for 10 minutes. If you are adding leaves or flowers to a decoction, add them at the end for not more than a few minutes and keep the lid on.
2) Roots and bark: These parts of the plant should be boiled (decocted). Depending on if they are fresh or dried, you may want to decoct these medicinals anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour. If they are dried herbs, a longer decoction time is appropriate. For example, when I make ginger tea from fresh ginger root, I will often boil the root for 15-20 minutes. If I am making a decoction of dried Chinese herbs, I usually cook them for 45-60 minutes.
3) Quantity- Not only should you make your herbal teas strong, you should ingest them frequently- 2-5 times a day depending on what the herbs are and what you are using them for. A single cup of weak tea is usually not enough to be effective. Have a strong cup at least 2 or 3 times a day (morning, afternoon, evening). Depending on the situation, some general guidelines are to take your herbs 5 days in a row and then take 2 days off. Or a week on, a week off. Or a month on, then 2 weeks off. These variations depend on which herbs you are taking, if it is for an acute or chronic condition, and how you respond to the specific herbs.
Consult an experienced herbal medicine practitioner before embarking on a self- prescribed herbal program.
There are many books and teachers out there that deal with plant/ food medicine. The two books that I find myself consulting the most right now are "The Way of Herbs" by Michael Tierra, and "Healing with Whole Foods" by Paul Pitchford.
stay well,
Keith Judelman, EAMP
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