I Praise the Blood that flows from Women’s Wombs!
The Blood of the Mother, shed for you.
Moonly rivulets in every country, tribe & village-
Food of creativity, fertilizing Mother Earth.
The first bed & breakfast of each human soul.
Yes-You Too , when allowed entrance there,
ate your way into the soft landing of Incarnation.
Here, secreted away
the magic of cells multiplied & differentiated,
safely humming the notes of your DNA in the key of your karma.
From Her Blood you created your own land-locked ocean,
tethered to Her life support, corded from your guts.
Moons & dreams later, came the high tide of labor,
when you surfed the powerful waves of Mother Muscles
and finally touched down on Earth’s shore
dragging your placenta behind.
But here you could breathe and your underwater life support, abandoned
let loose with Birth Blood
stored up for you, these many months,
until womb wisdom hugged still needed Life inside your Mother
so she could make milk to feed your eager suck,
with Blood made white by the glow of Her Cell Deep Love.
--by Terra Rafael
05 July 2010
Keeping Cool in the Summer
Summer heat can definitely throw us off balance —it can overdo our fire (Pitta) and, through dehydration from sweating, our dryness (Vata). We may also be exposed to air conditioning, which is both cooling and drying. Frequent changing back and forth between the heat and the coolness can also aggravate our Vata. To stay cool and moist we can take the help of some simple self care routines.
To keep Pitta calm-
-avoid exercising when it is hot—use early morning or evening time.
-spend time near water and walk in the moonlight
-eat lighter foods—perfect time for salads and fruit. Blueberries are very cooling! Monitor how much sour or spicy foods, which can heat your body.
-avoid being too ambitious—REST a bit more, hang out with friends & socialize more
-carry a spritzer with rose water or with sandalwood essential oil added to water in it—both cooling and refreshing to spray yourself with when you’re feeling too hot
-run cool water over your wrists for a quick cool down you can do anytime you visit the bathroom—or go to the creek and dangle your feet in it. At the end of the day a tepid bath can help draw excess heat out of your body.
-be sure to go to bed around 10 pm rather than go with the temptation to stay up late
-drink cooling drinks rather than alcohol or stimulants—cool hisbiscus tea, organic concord grape juice, cool mint , or raspberry tea--- you can even mix them all together with a squirt of rose water for a super cooling drink. Ps—don’t drink the super cooling drink with a meal—it might douse your digestive fire!
-use the cooling breath—shitali. Make a swamp-cooler out of your mouth at those moments you are especially feeling the heat (best done away from times of digestion) Curl your tongue—either into a tube (if you have the genetic ability to do that) or curl it up behind your gently closed teeth. Then inhale through your mouth, exhale through your nose. This will cool the air entering your body. (It will also dry your mouth, so be sure you are getting plenty to drink when you do this!)
-wear a hat in the sun to avoid getting ‘Hot Headed”, stay in the shade as much as possible.
-relax—laugh—be silly—goof off--socialize with friends-- instead of fueling your ambition to the max.
To keep Vata calm-
-if you have a choice, in a dry climate, a swamp cooler may work as well as an air conditioner, while adding moisture to the air as it cools. Portable ones are available.
-BE SURE TO DRINK PLENTY OF WATER & TEA – dehydration can make you more tired & groggy.
- be sure you get your healthy oils (EFAs) and have salad dressings on your salads. Moderate really cold foods in your diet—even though tempting in the heat—go for room temperature or just a LITTLE cooled. Avoid spicy foods—they are usually very drying as well as heating—they are used to make you sweat—so don’t overdo, especially if you are Vata.
-try keep a routine as much as possible—even though you might take a vacation. Eat & sleep as regularly as possible.
These are a few helps to weather the fun summer time weather—so that next fall you won’t be so out of balance that you must do pancha karma to balance before you end up with a flu!
If you’d like to experience Terra’s unique blend of Ayurveda, Maya uterine/abdominal therapy & healing, women’s health wisdom, Reiki, and flower essences, call her at 720.628.5015 or email wisewomanhood@gmail.com.
To keep Pitta calm-
-avoid exercising when it is hot—use early morning or evening time.
-spend time near water and walk in the moonlight
-eat lighter foods—perfect time for salads and fruit. Blueberries are very cooling! Monitor how much sour or spicy foods, which can heat your body.
-avoid being too ambitious—REST a bit more, hang out with friends & socialize more
-carry a spritzer with rose water or with sandalwood essential oil added to water in it—both cooling and refreshing to spray yourself with when you’re feeling too hot
-run cool water over your wrists for a quick cool down you can do anytime you visit the bathroom—or go to the creek and dangle your feet in it. At the end of the day a tepid bath can help draw excess heat out of your body.
-be sure to go to bed around 10 pm rather than go with the temptation to stay up late
-drink cooling drinks rather than alcohol or stimulants—cool hisbiscus tea, organic concord grape juice, cool mint , or raspberry tea--- you can even mix them all together with a squirt of rose water for a super cooling drink. Ps—don’t drink the super cooling drink with a meal—it might douse your digestive fire!
-use the cooling breath—shitali. Make a swamp-cooler out of your mouth at those moments you are especially feeling the heat (best done away from times of digestion) Curl your tongue—either into a tube (if you have the genetic ability to do that) or curl it up behind your gently closed teeth. Then inhale through your mouth, exhale through your nose. This will cool the air entering your body. (It will also dry your mouth, so be sure you are getting plenty to drink when you do this!)
-wear a hat in the sun to avoid getting ‘Hot Headed”, stay in the shade as much as possible.
-relax—laugh—be silly—goof off--socialize with friends-- instead of fueling your ambition to the max.
To keep Vata calm-
-if you have a choice, in a dry climate, a swamp cooler may work as well as an air conditioner, while adding moisture to the air as it cools. Portable ones are available.
-BE SURE TO DRINK PLENTY OF WATER & TEA – dehydration can make you more tired & groggy.
- be sure you get your healthy oils (EFAs) and have salad dressings on your salads. Moderate really cold foods in your diet—even though tempting in the heat—go for room temperature or just a LITTLE cooled. Avoid spicy foods—they are usually very drying as well as heating—they are used to make you sweat—so don’t overdo, especially if you are Vata.
-try keep a routine as much as possible—even though you might take a vacation. Eat & sleep as regularly as possible.
These are a few helps to weather the fun summer time weather—so that next fall you won’t be so out of balance that you must do pancha karma to balance before you end up with a flu!
If you’d like to experience Terra’s unique blend of Ayurveda, Maya uterine/abdominal therapy & healing, women’s health wisdom, Reiki, and flower essences, call her at 720.628.5015 or email wisewomanhood@gmail.com.
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