The heart is a gate-less gate to divinity. Move to the heart. We are all hung up, stuck in the head - that is our problem. The only problem is that we think too much. There is only one solution - get down from the head to the heart. All your problems will disappear. Problems are created by the head. The heart is innocent. The heart is a fountain of love.

~Vasant Lad

We all know regular exercise is good for us. Not only is it good, but we actually need a certain amount of physical movement to live and keep our bodies functioning well. The benefits include everything from stress relief, improving mental health, and boosting energy to managing weight and strengthening our muscles and bones.

Welcome to January and a new year, at least according to the Gregorian calendar. There is a recent estimate that approximately 40 different calendars are used in the world today. Our January 4th was the New Years Day on the Islamic calendar. In a few weeks we will have the Chinese New Year. Late September will bring Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. So, why then do we put so much importance on the idea of a “new” year? Why do we put such pressure to create change on one specific day of the year when our existence is a series of beginning and ends?

I cannot believe how quickly 2021 has blown by. We are now in the last month of the year and even December seems like it’s going to move quickly. When we look at everything that’s happened this past year it’s easy to get caught up in not feeling peaceful. This newsletter is to inspire you to make space each day for breathing and contemplation.

My word for November is nourish! I want to encourage you to nourish yourself inside and out. Through your foods, practices, thoughts, speech, and lifestyle choices. I challenge you to choose that which will support you during this season.

Stress is pervasive right now. There is still so much news surrounding the election and the transfer of power, COVID numbers are rising, hurricane and fire seasons have both been unrelenting this summer. On top of all that we are living in an age filled with the constant bombardment of opinions and interpretations. I am seeing stress in my clients, students, family, friends, and myself. Everyone has been touched by the lessons of 2020. The trials and tribulations of lost jobs. The challenges of adapting to a new way of living. The heartbreaks for lost loved ones. Humankind is weary.

Surrender into Fall. One of the things that I most appreciate about Ayurveda is it teaches us to remain present in both our internal and external environments. While most of the United States has already felt the seasonal change, here in Arizona, we are just now moving into fall. Even though the Autumnal equinox occurred on September 22nd this year, in Phoenix we had a high of 102 degrees that day. To my body that still feels like summer, so I have not shifted into my fall daily protocols yet. One of the first things that will change is the oil for our daily massages. We will switch from oils for cooling the mind and body to a blend that will warm and ground as the mornings become chilly.

I hope that you all are enjoying the cooler weather, especially the clear and beautiful mornings. We had some brutal heat here in Arizona this summer. My heart goes out to all those affected by the fires that have destroyed so much in our state and others.

Even though the calendar shows fall starting this month, here in Arizona it is still very much summer. When things do begin to cool down marking our transition here in Phoenix, I will be offering my annual Fall Cleanse Workshop. A fall cleanse is a great way to release the excess heat in our systems, prep for shorter days, and strategize about the seasonal change in our diet.

Since the Covid-19 Crisis started a topic that comes up often is how unusual, weird, and different time feels. It has now become normal to question “what day is it?” or feel that the day is either dragging on or perhaps flying by. The events of 2020 have changed my understanding of and relationship with time.

I would like to pose a question. What is your relationship to your sense of sight? Has your vision weakened as you aged or are you frustrated by dry or irritated eyes? Do you take time to look at the beauty of nature, the clouds, landscape, and critters that we share this planet with? Let’s dive into the sense of sight.

When meeting with new clients I always ask them to please keep a “what and when” food/drink journal for 5-7 days before our initial consultation. Typically, there will be some simple tweaks to their diet which if implemented will have a huge impact on their overall wellbeing. It is not uncommon for someone to exhibit a variety of different digestive imbalances. I will show a list of foods to not combine during their meals and the typical response is “but I have been eating this my entire life”. Yes, if we have grown up with a certain food pairing then our digestion may have adjusted towards tolerance. However, if we stop eating these disturbing combinations, we will experience a difference. Our digestion becomes easy and we feel light.

Happy July my friends. I hope that you are all managing these heatwaves. This month's recipe of mint and rosewater cantaloupe skewers is a lovely way to keep cool and enjoy a sweet treat. I hope you enjoy them. Speaking of sweet, we are continuing on our journey through the senses and the sense organs. Last month we explored the sense of smell and this month we are dive into the sense of taste. As with all of Ayurveda, we will approach this is not only in a functional way but also through a metaphoric lens. Caring for our mouth and the micro-biome (aka the good bugs that live in our mouth) is an essential part of self-care. Ayurveda teaches that there are several diseases that are related to not having the ability to taste properly. If you cannot taste properly you will not be sending the right information to the gut.

I would like to journey into the sense organs to help you to deepen your relationship with each of your five senses. These vital organs give us the ability to cognize our reality and our life. They help us find our way in the direction of what is desirable. Our senses show us how to sustain ourselves and help protect ourselves. If our sense organs are healthy and well balanced, we can experience all the pleasures of life with clarity and presence.

I am amazed by how quickly 2021 is flying by. The sun is starting to come up earlier in the morning which always makes me a happy girl. I love waking up early to the sound of the chickens and the other birds. Gazing towards the Eastern horizon to greet the new day, feel the cool morning breeze on my skin, and deeply breathing in the jasmine that grows on the side of our house is just bliss. I hope you are getting out to enjoy the beautiful mornings because these days are numbered here in Arizona.

April is here and I hope you all are enjoying the beautiful blooms and fragrance in the air. The jasmine on the side of our house is just on the verge of an olfactory explosion. I look forward to this every year. Pollens do not agree with everyone. Are you suffering from allergies? Take time to use a neti pot, drink some ginger tea, cook with warming spices (ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, turmeric, cayenne, or cumin), and please moisten your nostrils with a few drops of nasya oil.

Hi friends and welcome to March. I know the past few weeks, with the intense Arctic blasts, have felt anything like spring in most parts of the country, but here in Arizona, it is already warming up nicely. We are starting to see trees in full display with beautiful buds preparing to produce fruit for the summer.

I hope that everyone is enjoying the collective sigh that took place on January 20th. I know that I am noticing a sense of lightness in my own mind/body and seeing much of the same in my clients.

This past year has been full of many lessons and opportunities for growth. It is my deepest wish that we have learned our lessons so that we do not have to repeat them. My prayer for 2021 is to put the wellbeing of humanity and the planet before the economy. That we grow in kindness and compassion for all beings rather than our own personal gains.

Let us look past the smoke and stench to focus on the flames. Fire ceremonies are a huge part of many traditions around the world. Most all religions have spiritual practices using fire to set intentions, purify the mind, remembrance of mourning or cleansing spaces. In Christianity there are prayer candles. Menorah are lit for eight nights during Hanukkah. Fire has even been used as a representation of God where the concept of God is too abstract for us to grasp. God shows up in various forms of fire in both old and new testaments of the Judeo-Christian Bible.