Tending to Your Fire in the Midst of the Flames
Natalie’s Recommendations for Self-Care
Stillness and Movement
I am hunkering down and optimizing my energy in the meantime fortifying consistent practices such as:
Qi Gong, yoga, and other supportive movement practices
Meditation to ease the mind
Eating nourishing meals and minimizing that tendency of snacking
Hydrating adequately with water and teas
Walking and some exercises that keep the pent up energy from stagnating
Aside from sharing how I’m caring for myself with you for your own consideration, I am truly caring for myself so I can provide the best care for you!
Nourishment
Here is my new favorite recipe I’ve been enjoying that is hearty, grounding and nourishing. (Thank you to my dear friend, Nichole for sharing this delight.)
Some Staple Ingredients of Traditional Chinese Medicine:
Ginger is a surface clearing, diaphoretic, hot, and moving. It harmonizes the middle, strengthening Earth, and aids in digestive function.
Sweet potatoes are tubers supportive of yin, qi, and blood. Grounding our energy of Earth and the sweet flavor aids the digestive function.
Lentils are legumes that tonify qi and drain dampness *To be extra awesome, I soak/sprout my lentils to minimize bloating and gas and optimize absorption while breaking up the phytic acid. What’s phytic acid, you might ask! This article by the Winston A. Price Foundation describes the chemical composition in detail and explains the importance of soaking/sprouting seeds, nuts, legumes, and grains.
From the Eastern Perspective
Chapter 11 of the Tao Te Ching (translation by Stephen Mitchell) states:
“We join spokes together in a wheel, but it is the center hole that makes the wagon move.
We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.
We hammer wood for a house, but it is the inner space that makes it livable.
We work with being, But non-being is what we use.”
Mass hysteria is contagious so I implore you to seek support in the avenue you see fit. If what you need is to retreat from the influx of energy and feeling highly sensitive, it is also critical to know when to recluse and to assess what will vitalize you at this time. This may be a daily or even hourly reassessment and whatever you need, is what you need. If you’re fortunate enough to feel that you can be supportive to others, connect virtually with loved ones, reach out to friends and family that are struggling and in need of support at this time.
Tending to Your Fire in the Midst of the Flames
Sadly, in this unprecedented time, I keep hearing of dear friends losing loved ones, not to the virus, but due to heart attacks. Our Heart, the Yin official of the fire element, is our Emperor/Empress in charge of our Kingdom/Queendom governing communication and blood circulation. Our heart needs to be supported so it can function optimally; stark realities, like shock, scatter heart qi which leads to disharmony.
The Yang official of the fire is the small intestine (SI). In the body, the SI is part of the enteric (digestive) tract and its job is to sort what is helpful, useful, and beneficial for our body and send what is not useful onward to the large intestine to absorb water and before the final release. It is paramount as we adapt to current affairs that we govern wisely so we can digest little bits at a time avoiding more shock to our mind, body, and spirit than is already at hand. In placing an emphasis on supporting the SI we bring vital aid to our heart, alleviating its burdens by sorting what is going to benefit you at this time.
The spirit of our heart, known as Shen, is housed in our minds. When in balance, the heart expresses as content joy, neither overjoyed nor lacking. Consistently tending to the Shen fire source is imperative, especially in times of disparity. The reality is that our fires may be smoldering, rather than maintaining a steady burn. Consider tending to and consolidating the smoldering fire of what we have, rather than putting burdensome logs of duty on the fire. In doing so, you can avoid an upsurge of insomnia, anxiety, and overwhelming feelings of heat manifesting in the chest.
If joy and inspiration are seeming impossible, maybe begin with a simple gratitude practice of what the heart is grateful for. If its the sorting that is challenged causing the flooding in the chest, then walk around your house and discard ‘things’ that aren’t of use. Same could be said for patterns, habits, and thoughts. A little bit of change every day goes a long way and your physiology will mirror this positive patterning.
Perspective and Encouragement
Whether this pandemic is directly affecting you and your daily rhythms or you are feeling the weight of the collective energy around you, I encourage you to recalibrate. This is a time to go inward and be, rather than expanding your energy outward. The little things matter. As inhabitants of this planet at this very moment in history, we are simultaneously shifting towards and away from something, which can cause discomfort. You have the power to control this energy. Come back to the center of your chest, hold yourself in tenderness, and support your heart with what brings you joy, love, and inspiration. Through this practice, you will be enabled to breathe new life force into yourself, forging a new you in these fires of change.
