Wellness Garden – March Edition
Time to plant those seeds of intention with action
Here we are! Just 3 days away from April. We have sprung into spring with an amazing equinox, full moon, and northern lights. Skys full of stars.
How are you doing?
How are you keeping your path clear? Are you giving your soil sufficient nutrients?
March memories of 2020 flooded up for most of us, intensifying this emergence from the winter months. During these initial weeks of spring it is very grounding to practice 10 minutes or longer of meditation, multiple times a week. With more light, we may fall into constant doing rather than balancing doing with being.
Those winter months were perfect for turning inward, slowing down, and diving into any foundational shifts in our habits, thoughts, actions, etc.
Now, we’re shifting into more active days perhaps. Before getting ahead of ourselves too much, let’s contemplate that which sustains us and use this time to plant those seeds this spring.
What are you rising for?
If it supports you, during your meditation, complete for yourself these 3 statements:
1)Today I am connecting to…
2)Today I am seeking…
3)Today I deepen my understanding of…
Your March seed packets include:
Gayatri Mantra with Tracey Nuzzi
8 Pillars of Joy
Spring Tonic Soup
GAYATRI MANTRA
OM GAM GANAPATAYE NAMAHA
Tracey Nuzzi leads us in the “Song of the Sun”, an ancient invocation of the Light within us and within everything. It is a deep prayer for spiritual liberation, both for ourselves and all living beings. It is considered to be a spiritual Light itself in the form of sound.
It is also one of the mantras to Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha is the lord of knowledge, success, and fulfillment. He is remover of obstacles. He is popularly known as Ganapati.
When we chant this mantra, we are bowing to Ganapati with all our existence and accepting all his great qualities in our self-being. Chanting this mantra illumines the mind and the intellect, awakening us to the experience of our Divine nature.
Enjoy just listening or join in!
THE BOOK OF JOY
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
with Douglas Abrams
I am about to finish this book and highly recommend reading it! I already know I’ll be referencing it for some time to come and was excited to see that there are Joy Practices at the end of the book, after the interviews were complete. These daily practices are their own that they share to anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives. What a gift!
Douglas Abrams journeys with Archbishop Desmund Tutu to Dharmasala, India to celebrate His Holiness’s 80th birthday. They spend 5 days together answering: How do we find joy in the face of life’s inevitable suffering? A joyous read!
SPRING TONIC SOUP
by Laurel Vukovic
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 small leek, sliced into thin crescents
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup carrots, sliced into 1/4-inch half moons
1-inch piece of ginger root, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T extra virgin olive oil
5 cups vegetable stock or water
1 cup asparagus, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
2 T light miso, or to taste
1/4 cup parsley, finely minced
freshly ground black pepper
Method:
1) In a large heavy pot over medium heat, sauté leek, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, ginger root, and garlic in olive oil until vegetables have softened, approximately 5 minutes.
2) Add vegetable stock or water and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add asparagus, and simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until asparagus is tender.
3) Dilute miso in a small amount of hot broth and add to soup. Turn off heat and add parsley. Cover, and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Add freshly ground black pepper and adjust seasonings.
Springtime is a natural time to eat lighter after the heavier wintertime dishes. You may notice your body no longer craving those rich dishes. You may even want to give your digestive system a break and go on a cleanse. I’ve been using Laurel’s book for over 10 years now, and always find a new approach to designing a cleanse that works for me, meeting me where I’m at in that particular time of the year. Her book offers an all-encompassing, holistic approach to cleansing for increased energy, vitality and beauty. I love how much lighter my body feels and how even my mind becomes more clear. By cutting out things like sugar, alcohol, bread, and dairy for a specific amount of time, my joints feel so much better as well. You may like to try soups like this one instead of restricting yourself to just water or fruit juices. Your cleanse could be one day, one weekend, or a full two weeks or longer. See what works for you and roll with it! I’m starting today!
May it be of benefit.
Keep tending your fire.
OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI
Alyssa
