stretching the sun
solar nourishment and coming home to yourself
open appointments this July (book here)
Mon July 7, 11am - 2pm
Weds July 9, 10am - 12pm; 2:30 - 6pm
Fri July 11, 2 - 4pm
Sat July 12, 11am - 5pm
please refill herbal formulas by July 14th before I leave for the East Coast!
herbs & acupuncture will resume on August 4th.
solstice
The word “solstice”comes from the Latin for sun stands still. Our ancestors payed attention to where the sun hangs in the sky at its mid-day apex. How it changes every day, bit by bit, swinging from the horizon in winter to high aloft in summer. Our ancestors noticed when the sun stands still. At the solstices, the mid-day sun hovers in the same place for a few days before changing course. The sun stretches for a moment to savor the sweetness of summer. What would it be like to come back to that awareness of the source all warmth and life? How would it change us?
Two days ago I had the sweet pleasure to share about medicinal plants at the In Place solstice gathering, where I connected with sweet friends, new and old, including the very inspiring Alliance for Felix Cove who is doing their own deep work of remembering, to reanimate what the ancestors of this place already know.
And two weeks ago, covered in paint from my renovation project, I walked down to the Dance Palace by twilight and fell into the trance of Kitka’s etheric summer solstice songs. The singers told stories of pagan Slavic ancestors, like mine, who leaped over fires at midsummer, wearing crowns of fresh herbs and flowers, casting them into the sea, to bring romance, a good marriage, a fertile life. Sang death songs while they took the lives of medicine plants, harvested in full flower and potency. Saint Johnswort, mugwort, yarrow… they have been blooming at midsummer for a long, long time. Our ancestors have been harvesting the ancestors of these same flowers that still give us their medicine today. Like Chinese medicine philosophy tells us… time is a circle.
::: upcoming classes :::
With the solstice we have just stepped into the tenth seasonal node in the Chinese calendar - Xia Zhi, “the zenith of the summer”. In September we’ll tune into circular Daoist time together again in the fall Embody Chinese Medicine field series. We will track the changes in the land and in our own bodies, from late summer into winter. It will transform your sense of time and connect your health to the turning of the sun. Out on the land, you’ll learn about the medicines that grow around us. The small group alchemy is fun and supportive. Early bird registration is open now. Schedule a call to learn more.
summer self care rituals
The heart spirit, the shen, is the ruler of this midsummer time. When soothed, our shen can bring out or most bright-eyed, relaxed and expressive selves. When we’re out of balance or stressed, our shen gets stuck in “fight, flight, fawn or freeze”. Shen, emotions, nervous system, however you think of it… most of us get “spun out” sometimes. Signs of this include brain fog, anxiety, sleep issues, racing heart, knotted solar plexus, lump in your throat, body aches, headaches, indigestion. Or - you’re. Your body doesn’t say much… being busy (distracted?) suits you, feelings aren’t your thing. Sometimes our masks are so exquisitely crafted, our bootstraps pulled up so high, we don’t even know we’re disconnected from ourselves. We don’t realize how much more open hearted we can be.
Summer offers lots of ways to get happy and relaxed. A swim in the bay, a walk out in the forest, a nap in the hammock, tending a flower garden, a barbecue on the back deck, all sweet remedies. But I’ve recently come upon something so simple it almost seems silly to write about. Until you try it - then you’ll see…
a vintage bath date. 🧖♀️
After almost two decades being a highly sensitive person living in the frenetic hustle of the SF bay area, I’ve collected a lot of self-care tools to navigate the stress. But until recently, something essential was missing… my new favorite thing.
Scheduling time with myself.
I now have three dates with myself per week, written on my calendar, solid as an acupuncture session or dental appointment. These are not times when I catch up on chores, tend the garden, write in my journal, or sing, or hike, or go swimming, or practice yoga. It is a time to stop, to be slow and present with my body and feelings. To ask myself, how are you? in an undistracted and timeless way - by taking an old-fashioned bath with a basin and a pitcher of hot water.
Not a shower; not full-submersion in a tub. A basin bath is different. Slower, more intentional, less of a state change, gentler on the nervous system. Bonus if you can do it outdoors in the warm sunshine.
The key is to be literally, sensually connected to your physical self and your spirit. To pay attention to you. It is simple, it is powerful, it feels lovely, and you end up fresh and clean and smelling like flowers.
old-fashioned basin bath.
ingredients:
• 1 to 3 hours
• a warm, private space
• a basin and pitcher with bath-hot water
• blanket or towel, or both
• aromatic body oil
• hydrating beverage
• optional: mirror, candle light, relaxing music, fresh flowers, incense
Pour yourself a basin of hot water. Get a washcloth for face and one for body. Lay out a mat and a towel on the floor of a warm room. If it is warm and you have privacy, do this in the garden under the sunshine. (I keep a rolled-up Japanese futon mattress in the garden shed).
Tie your hair back if it is long, and start with the face. Go slow. Breathe deeply. Savor. Check for ticks or splinters or bruises; offer curiosity and love and acceptance to every mole, wrinkle, muscle, cellulite. Pour the basin water into the garden and repeat, with more clean hot water from your pitcher. Relish the cozy feeling of the warm cloth, like a baby getting their bath..
I like putting flowers in my hot water, it makes a lovely bathing tea. You can use essential oils, although I prefer foliage and blossoms fresh from the garden. Rose, calendula, chamomile, rosemary… whatever you have. Water is so cleansing, flowers are so healing, this simple practice alone can shift the mood. It can transform you from feeling stuck, bottled up, simmering with a discontent you can’t quite put your finger on, move stuck emotions through. But there’s more…
Abhyanga. The next piece is to massage oil onto your skin, giving yourself worshipful attention - a new take on the idea of self-love. In Ayurveda, oilenation of the entire body, also known as abhyanga, is a vital therapy for grounding, calming, and relaxing the mind, from infancy onwards. Some people say to do abhyanga *before* the bath, so the warm water drives the oil deeper into the skin. I do after. See what works for you. Ideally you have a personalized oil blend for your constitution. I have a relaxing ayurvedic oil for sale in the apothecary if you want something special, but anything natural that feels good on your skin is fine - olive oil is a nice, neutral choice. Other options are any combination of coconut oil, sesame oil, shea or cocoa butter, ghee, sheep or beef or deer tallow. On the face, rosehip, hemp seed or nigella are light and won’t clog the pores.
As you do the self massage… breathe, and invite any emotions that are lingering in the wings. Don’t forget your feet, ears, hands, bum, breasts, armpits… everyone gets attention. Let tears flow, let yourself sigh or giggle, allow whatever wants to move. Trust your timing and don’t force it. If you have a mirror, meet your own gaze without posing or trying to look “good”. This can feel surprisingly awkward or edgy. Saying hello to ourselves, accepting ourselves as we are in the moment, with love, is a practice, and takes courage.
Chinese medicine understands that a myriad of diseases stem from backlogs of unfelt feelings. Stagnant emotional energy can cause everything from poor circulation and indigestion to breast cancer and autoimmune disease. Just an hour or two of basin bathing and abhyanga with this intention, can make you feel reborn. Water offers an energetic refresh, of itself. Clearing all that physical and emotional sludge carries you through your day with a sense of vitality, brightness, personal power and creativity. Over time, it becomes natural to catch up with yourself this way.
daily diet of raw, unfiltered sunshine
Maximum skin. No sunscreen.
Lately people have started talking about the profound importance of getting sun on your body - including those demonized yet 100% natural UV rays (gasp) - sans sunscreen (gasp!) One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that it has birthed an exciting new medical philosophy, as more and more medical professionals have begun questioning the institutionalized, ineffective, profit-encrusted medical dogma. Profound shifts are happening - if you haven’t heard of the metabolic theory of disease, the fourth phase of water, animal fat as an essential component of good health, or the idea that the heart is not a pump - stay tuned. I am cucompiling an online resource library with my favorite voices and sources. I want to talk about all of it with you.
But for now, I want to talk about sunshine.
My son recently went on a deep dive into circadian health, the dangers of blue light, and the importance of sunlight nutrition. He gave a talk to his school community to raise awareness 🥹. Check it out:
Inspired by his research, we got blue light blocking glasses for home - good ones - and it has been a sea change.
It turns out, sunlight only contains blue light in the morning and mid-day, which is how our bodies know that it is the peak time to be awake and active. So any screen exposure after mid-day is damaging our body’s internal clock, and everything that it depends on. Further, the blue light on our screens does not come with other frequencies, whereas in nature, blue light is only ever just one part of a full spectrum. (This design decision was intentional, originating with the mobsters who designed Vegas - blue light on its own make us more subservient and more open to manipulation.) Think of blue screen light as a soda vs a piece of fruit, or a pharmaceutical drug vs a whole plant medicine. When we diverge from nature, there is always a side effect, a price to pay. It is no different with refined, unnatural light. Looking at our phones or computer screens or TVs from afternoon onwards is scrambling our brain’s internal clock, weakening our metabolism, harming our mental health, screwing with our sleep, and more.
Now, my boy and I always put on our blue light glasses if we are indoors under artificial light, from evening onwards. I never thought I had trouble winding down at night, but I was wrong. I never used to fall asleep while watching a late-night show or a movie. I used to get alert and inspired with late-night writing projects. Now, wearing my blue light blockers, after just a little time in front of a screen, my eyelids will get so heavy that I have to stop what I’m doing and turn to bed. Not great if you rely on burning the midnight oil to get writing done! But really good for healing, metabolism, and mental health. I never thought I had issues falling to sleep, but this is another level. I don’t need time to settle down. I’m already relaxed and a bit groggy. Just from amber blue light blocking glasses.
Use this special Abalone discount code to get your own pair from Block Blue Light - where we got our glasses. It is a small company based in Australia and the founder has an incredible story. I feel great about supporting them, their glasses work beautifully, and they have lots of stylish options. If you wear glasses already, like my son, he’s got these clip-ons and loves them. We went with the “amber” tint, which filters out blue light but still gives you a bit of color, so its great for being on screens or under indoor lighting in the afternoon all the way through until bedtime. If you have serious sleep issues, or think circadian disruption is a major cause of your mood, metabolic or other health issues, get a red pair for after sundown to block all the confusing frequencies and start getting great sleep. Book a consultation with me if you want to get my in-depth perspective on the root causes of your health, focused on your solar hygiene.
Of course, the ultimate solution is not a product - it is a change in our lifeway to be more aligned with nature. It is essential to get sunlight on our skin during the day to let ourselves receive all that information and nourishment. No sunscreen, with maximum skin showing - even 15 minutes per day will make a huge difference. Build up slowly, especially if you have fair skin. Beyond that, truly, try to be outdoors as much as possible - or near an open window or door, with no glass to filter out the rays. Even starlight and moonlight has nutritional value. I sleep outside in a canvas tent during the summer. In addition to the magic glasses, I noticed my dreams become richer and more meaningful the moment I moved my bed outdoors. And the dawn chorus of birdsong is divine.
Our body make the right amount of melatonin and Vitamin D when we have exposure to natural light frequencies throughout the day. Instead of this trend of casually (recklessly) supplementing hormones that our bodies are designed to elegantly and accurately self-regulate - what if we try re-aligning with nature, like our ancestors did? What if we rewild our relationship to sunlight?
All of these principles circle us back around to things our ancestors took the time to do as part of their natural way of living - not as a “biohack”. There are more… walking barefoot on the earth… drinking raw cultured milk… tracking your fertility naturally… eating organs, not just flesh (thank you Nastasha!)
If we stop moving so fast and chill out on all the shiny new techno-bling, we might recognize that everything we need is right here for us, if we’re willing to put our attention into re-establishing nature-connected habits. We are blessed to live in a place where, right now, we get to experience so much peace and freedom. Let’s honor every moment of our time on this beautiful land.
(oh, and if you’re interested in a raw milk share, we have a collective forming with a pickup at Abalone Apothecary - message me to learn more.)
Featured offering: twoMoons healing immersion.
You might now be wondering, how do I go deeper into getting healthy and making rituals of self care? Don’t want to try to figure it all out yourself? If you’re feeling inspired by the idea of bringing in new, simple practices to calm your spirit and feel more vital and well, I have an offering I’d love to tell you about.
TwoMoons is my deepest dive, a healing immersion for two lunar cycles, where we spend time together each week designing a detailed map to wellness, including personalized yoga practice, medicinal diet plan, herbal remedies, acupuncture, regular check-ins, and the myriad of other natural health resources I have to offer (there is a lot - I’m kind of a nerd). I’ve got availability to start new cycles in early August, so you can harness the dynamic yang energy of the summer and dive into the autumn with a well-established self-care program.
It has been an honor to guide people through such in-depth healing, seeing you step into your own practices and rituals at home, creating habits and routines that don’t require a practitioner, once you’re underway. I have been touched to witness your transformations. When someone says ‘yes’ to making their health into a lifestyle and a hobby, and prioritizing yourself, everything in your life can shift and open up in totally new ways. And we always have a really sweet time together, getting you deeper on your path of wellness.
We are not meant to do it alone.
simple morning rituals
I could do an entire post on morning rituals.
but the last thing I’ll mention is one more easy way to honor the circular nature of time. It is one of those things that everyone contends with, but no one talks about…something I used to think was pointless (and my teenage son assures me it still is). Every morning I make my bed. No matter what. I love it. Making the bed sets up an intentional, unhurried rhythm right from the start. Taking the time to make sure all the sheets and blankets are smooth and straight, placing my red flannel patchwork birdie pillow just so. It creates a feeling of closure to the night, brings freshness to the day, and offers a clean slate for the coming night of sleep. I am positive that there is a feng shui law that making the bed will ensure your success in all endeavors. If you don’t do it already - try it… and if you do… tell me what you love about it. And if you’re laughing at me for writing a whole paragraph about such a trivial thing… I’m glad I made you smile.
And now you know everything. All my secrets!
sending midsummer sunshine sweetness…
Alison
A beautiful read- thank you 🧚🏼♂️🌹