Renewing in the new year can offer deep support to the body long term. However, after age 35, we find that people begin to show signs of aging. This shows up primarily in the area of inflammation.
As we experience wear and tear on the body, after the age of 35, we find that signs and symptoms of old injuries become amplified in our daily experience. We may find that we take shorter walks or omit the hike with a friend..
It may come to pass that you have chronic pain. I understand this very much.
About five years ago, I was overworked. It was volunteer work. I was the Executive Vice President of the PTA. I had a problem with my ego and took on this volunteer role to feel some control over my children’s experience in public schools.
We had just hosted a playdate for my son’s friend and I had made dinner for the family so they would have a hot meal while I was at the PTA meeting. I was on my way over to the school and backing the car out of the garage and I realized that I didn’t have my phone.
I stopped the car and got out to get my phone. What happened next I still can’t believe!
Surprise Change of Plans
As I was walking into the house, the car rolled back into the garage and I tried to stop it by holding on to the handle of the rear door. My body stopped the momentum into our down-sloped garage. I was hanging on to dear life with my right inner thigh.
Pinned between the framing of the garage and the rear left side of the Honda CRV. It was moving into the garage and I was stopping it. The pressure was continuous.
I screamed for help.
My amazing daughter came to my rescue! I told her to call 911. I asked where her brother was.
I kept yelling for help.
A symphony of loving neighbors came to my rescue. Each playing the tune of their own idea of how to get me out of this situation. Thank goodness the idea to back out the car was not done.
Fortunately the SFFD came to the rescue! They surveyed the situation and decided to lift the car off of me. When they did this, I fell back into the arms of a fire fighter.
I looked up and saw my husband. My daughter was in the arms of a kind stranger who had stopped their car to help us. My son was inside his room oblivious to what was happening. Everyone was accounted for.
I had never been so vulnerable. Every thought possible went through my brain about my kids being unattended to. I was missing a PTA meeting that I was supposed to lead. My husband was on his way home and would come home to this messy moment. Damn.
Life changing moments.
I also had thoughts about my ambulatory experience:
- Would I be able to walk again?
- Would I have the ability to go to the bathroom on my own? Did I just go to the bathroom?
- Would I lose my leg?
The good news is that I was able to stand up and walk to the ambulance. It was the inner thigh strength. I healed up over the course of about 2 weeks. No medication, a very large hematoma, and not a broken bone! Amazing outcome.
After sharing this story with a now, dear friend, then Ayurveda Digestive Health colleague, Allison. She named this strength sthamba. In Sanskrit, this has many meanings, one of which is: स्तम्भ, meaning a pillar. In yoga, we balance and find shapes that highlights the pillar of our strength. I have done yoga for over 20 years. I truly believe yoga and my sthamba saved me from losing my leg that day.
Nurturing mind, body, and soul
It has been a while since this accident. I am doing more yoga than ever. I have an established teaching practice and this adds to my body aching all of the time. I am coping and figuring out the next steps. I share this because I understand chronic pain!
This story is probably the most jolting experience of my life. I share it here as a reminder that nurturing can be as potent (maybe even more so) than a cleanse that strips away the gunk and can also deplete our body’s systems (especially at this time in Winter). This is an action of igniting the subtle body, aka the nervous system.
Nurturing can offer a renewal where we add to our bodies more than stripping away. Renewing with additions of self care, love, warm handmade foods, delicious tea blends, warm water, warm milk with turmeric and ginger — these are simple examples of robust nurturing actions that can heal. The best part about this is that you are so deserving! Your family and roommates are so deserving, too.
Nurturing teas
With this in mind, I am renewing my health pillars in a dynamic way with nurturing tea.
Teas offer micronutrients and are an opportunity for you to nourish your body without eating food. I created a video about the ingredients and hope you will enjoy seeing these visuals to be a fun way to get inspired to learn about healing pathways that are dynamic and nurturing, too!
If you would like a dedicated guide to help you establish a nurturing lifestyle practice, I offer a 6 month deep dive into the 6 pillars of health within the context of Ayurveda Digestive Health, yoga, face yoga, and kitchen wisdom. With each of these modalities, you receive the support of myself, your wellness coach. AsI did when I was a private chef, I offer meal plans to help you embrace the seasons of your unique location. I also learn more about your goals and help you achieve them within the 6 pillars:
- Mindset
- Movement
- Soul Work
- Home Spaces
- Relationships
- Financial Health
The last 3 months are refining your habits. Completing the arc of transformation to a new experience of being, we continue to connect, establish your fourth seasonal menu with me and enjoy meals out together, if you are local to San Francisco. Join FLOURISH and enjoy a guided experience over the course of the next six months that will change your life forever!
Anyway, thanks for reading! Here is the recipe:
Renewal Support Tea Recipe
- Steaming water
- Dried rosehips
- Rose syrup (made with roses infused into simple syrup)
- Greek Mountain Tea
- Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
- Blue Butterfly Pea Powder
- Optional: Apple Cider Vinegar
Combine pinches of each ingredient to your taste into a tea pot or mug. Allow to steep with steaming water (not boiling) to offer a gentle nurturance to the tea you are making. Steep for 10 minutes to invite a medicinal quality from the ingredients. Strain tea and enjoy! Add honey if you like a little sweetness.
Please note:
- People with sensitive digestion should be careful while consuming Pea flowers, particularly the first time.
- People with allergies should consult a physician before trying it for the first time.
- Pregnant and nursing women, too, must consult their physician before consuming butterfly tea powder.
- People on prescription drugs should consult a doctor before drinking this tea.
Enjoy and let me know your thoughts about this tea (and the story).
