Kapha season is upon us. Spring! Muddy, earthy, wet, spring! And while we all feel the oncoming excitement of changes this season brings, it can also feel like a very heavy, slow digging out from the sleepy hibernation we have been in. Our energy levels might be low, our moods might be swinging, and our digestion might be heavy and slow. This is normal, but it doesn’t have to be so. Like we do our closets and our homes, our bodies need spring cleaning.
Spring is a good time to consider our daily health and self-care practices: what we are putting into our bodies and minds, and when we are doing it? Arising before the sun, moving our bodies. and drinking more water and herbal teas are great ways to stoke our inner fire. A one-day-a-week fast or a longer cleanse might be appropriate to help assimilation and elimination.
I stopped drinking coffee in January due to my own health issues, and although I have always been a tea drinker, I have found daily tonics that have been so soothing throughout the winter months. So in addition to my loose-leaf oolongs, greens, and white teas, I also sip herbal teas daily – some I have grown and harvested, some I have bought from some fine young women at Lakota Made LLC. www.lakotamade.com.
I could write for days about tea and daily health and self-care practices, but today, I will share three of my favorite herbal teas.
1. Thyme tea- I grow this herb and harvest it all summer and fall. The dried leaves make a wonderful tea for sore throats and dry coughs.
2. Chamomile- last summer was the first time since my garden in Wauwatosa, that I grew and harvested enough flowers for me to sip daily all winter long and share with friends. Chamomile is very calming so it is great for stress relief or before bed, but it is also a soothing tea for the gut.
3. Goldenrod and Stinging Nettle tea- Goldenrod is wonderful for the respiratory system, clearing sinuses, ridding excess mucus, and it’s helpful with UTI and water retention. Stinging nettle is an excellent anti-inflammatory.
Yoga and Tea time!
I am adding a tea table to the studio. My plan is to have a pot of tea ready for class. I will have mugs for anybody who wants to share a sip after class. I will write your name on a mug, and you can rinse it and keep it at the studio. You can also bring your own tea cup if you like.
“The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.” – Confucius
