Anointing of the Body with Oil

This article will give EVERYTHING you will want to know about Abyanga or Ayurvedic Self-Massage. Read it, skim it, keep is as reference. Download this reference guide to post in your bathroom.

Go there now.

This practice has slowly over time worked its way into my daily routine. I have set myself up with a trigger so that after every bath or shower I do this practice. I get myself a teacup of hot water and plunge a small squeeze bottle of Vata Massage Oil so it's warm by the time I'm done bathing.  Most days it's a pretty quick practice, 5 minutes or so. Once a week or when I'm feeling depleted or dehydrated or any of those those types of qualities, I spend longer, maybe as much as 20min after a long salty bath and mask.

(Side note: if you have been following along, you know my deep love for Angelina's Organic Skin Care form my former home of Bend, Oregon - I love it all so much and with no chemicals or preservatives I feel so good using them - I'd rather buy these then new clothes!)

At night, I like to wash my feet - it makes me sleep so much better and since I spend a lot of time barefoot its nice to go to bed with clean feet. After, I rub some oil into my feet with a few drops of Frankincense essential oil. These small practices make such a difference in how I feel mentally and emotionally. When I feed and nourish myself in this way, I feel far less needy and instead full to give. To be able to take my own care into my own hands is an empowered act and it's a welcome and ever increasing change from past feelings of scarcity and lack of worthiness. It is an investment in my own wholeness, longevity and expanding consciousness. It is a sacred practice of self-love which feeds the love I have for others.

Love is sweet.

#banyanbotanicals #angelinasorganicskincare #selfcare

Kitchari

I love this meal. I make it several times a week, sometimes daily, for lunch. Each day it's a little different, based on what I need or want, but the basic structure is the same. When making this meal, allow it to be a nourishing and spiritual practice; utilize trust and draw upon your intuitive wisdom and your body's innate intelligence. 

Ingredients
1 tbs ghee 
1/2-1 tsp each: ground cardamon, coriander, cumin, fennel seed, mustard seed, turmeric
1/2 cup mung beans (you can also use lentils or chickpeas or any dry legume of your choice)
1/2 cup basmati rice (white or brown)
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
salt and black pepper to taste
or get a Kitchari Kit

Additions
I often add saffron and star anise, sometimes cloves and cinnamon.

I use an Instapot because ... Instapot! But you can also use the stove top. Make sure you soak the legumes and rice first (overnight if you can).

Instructions
Sautee ghee and spices for just a few minutes. Add beans and rice. Add water. Mix. Add bay leaf. Both the rice setting and beans/chili setting work - I'm still experimenting to get it just right. Both take about 30min total. 

I serve it with avocado, flax seed oil, greens, a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, sometimes with some yogurt or white sauce (2 tbs vegenaise + lime juice)

Prep time: active prep time 5min, total time 35min
Serves 2 hungry people. I use 1/3 cup when I'm making it for just me.

More info on Kitchari
Nourishing Kitchari from Kripalu
Ayurveda Kitchari from Banyan Botanicals
 

Let me see your pictures on instagram! Use #katskitchari

On Pixie Lighthorse

Somewhere last Spring I discovered Pixie Lighthorse through my teacher, Elena Brower. Elena read Prayer of Honoring Equality in a talk and Pixie's words and structure resonated with me and stirred something in my heart. I went to her site and found out that she lives in Central Oregon (my former and formative home - where I had my studio, met Nate, conceived my children). This discovery came at a time when I was feeling particularly homesick and Pixie's words, voice, and demeanor instantly made me feel cared for and held. I immersed myself in her site for a few weeks then ordered her first book Prayers of Honoring and read every word when it arrived. I started to share her prayers at the end of each class - prayers filled with earth-based spirituality and Native-American medicine. Her words began to work their magic on me.

Then, in the fall, I enrolled in Pixie's course, Honoring Grief with Owl - a grief course - or rather, a grief journey. I don't have the words to fully express what that course gave me, but suffice it to say, I grieved. I grieved for my childhood, the loss of my mother, the loss of me as my mother's daughter, past decisions, past identities, past trauma and pain. I grieved for my ancestors - my grandmothers and for all women, for it all - intensely, viscerally, madly, cathartic-ly all Fall. I emerged from my Death Lodge with a depth of experiential wisdom, release, and clarity I had not know previously. 

So with the release of her new book Prayers of Honoring Voice, I am planning my classes with direct inspiration from these prayers. I want to put my class plans up for you to that you can work them into your home practice, but I will do what I can. If you feel called, I encourage you to get her book and let her words work on you too. Let me know what is working, how you are feeling, what is changing.

With Love,
Kat

Prayers of Honoring Voice

$21.15

By Pixie Lighthorse

Buy on Amazon

Prayers of Honoring

$24.00

By Pixie Lighthorse

Buy on Amazon

Turmeric Lemonade

I've been drinking this all 2017!

Ingredients
- juice of a whole lemon
- 2 inches, sliced, fresh ginger
- 1-2tsp+ turmeric
- 1-2 tbs raw honey
-pinch of cayenne (optional)    

for a 24 oz class jar
Boil 20 oz of water. Add all ingredients to the jar, once the water is boiling add it to the jar, let it steep. Enjoy all day - taking sips through out the day.
 

Here are a few more ayurvedic remedies to try this winter. 

Inversion Truffles

Here's a supped up and healing version of the truffles I made for the Inversion Workshop (as requested).  The recipe couldn't be easier. In the recipe picture below, I spike these truffles with healing herbs like chamomile and fortified them with bee pollen. I made these for my husband and call them Healing Balls. Take the herbs and bee pollen out and you have the same truffles. To simplify things for you, here is the virgin recipe.

Ingredients
16 oz chocolate (I used raw chocolate with a high cacao ratio)
1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil
6 tbs water
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of pink sea salt
1/4 cup raw or unsweetened cocoa powder for rolling

1. Over a double broiler (a steep mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water), melt chocolate with oil and water. Stir in vanilla and salt.

2. Transfer to a baking dish until set - 2 hours or so. (let stand about 30min before rolling) 

3. With a 1-in ice cream scoop (I ran out a bought one at Target), make balls, roll, place on parchment-line baking sheet and refrigerate. Last two weeks in an airtight container, but they rarely last a day!