Mindful Holiday Eating

The holiday season is upon us! A common tradition to celebrate includes feasting on rich foods and decadent sweets. What a perfect opportunity to really enjoy this abundance!

Here is a quick reference for using mindfulness to make your holiday dinner a unique experience and not just a delicious meal.  

Mindful Eating Exercise

1. Gratitude. Look at everything in front of you. Acknowledge your abundance. (Where did it come from? How long did it take to prepare? Who prepared this meal? How much money was spent to share such a bountiful meal?) Take a moment to be truly and genuinely grateful for all of it.

2. Less is more. Do not fill your plate. If you take heaping portions you may be eating to get full, when you really only need to eat until you no longer feel hungry. Try the different foods and get more of those things you really like if you are still hungry.

3. Slow down. Spend more time chewing, smelling, tasting, and talking with those around you. Get the most out of this special feast by making it last.

4. Breathe. It may sound silly to add this step, but it is pretty common to get so caught up in the  excitement of the holiday that you forget to really take those deep, satisfying breaths.  Take a few moments during the meal to take a nice slow deep belly breath with a slow peaceful exhalation.  Your digestion will be better and your body will be more relaxed.

5.  Savor. How does it smell? Is that a hint of cinnamon? When is the last time you enjoyed this food? Enjoy the taste, smell, and texture for as long as possible.  

Happy Holidays!

Sauna Culture Around the World

Typically a small room, sauna is designed to be a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions. Sauna bathing is a well-loved ritual throughout the world, and its many variances have evolved over time and in different cultures… and we have Finland, the sauna country, to thank.

Sauna culture in Finland

Did you know that Finland has 5.3 million people and 3.3 million saunas? That’s almost one for every two people. In Finland, sauna is a part of the daily life, and they’ve been used in the Finnish culture for several thousand years. Sauna is seen as not only a bathhouse or winter dwelling in Finland, but also as a place for birth, death, and taking care of the sick — some call it a “poorman’s pharmacy”. It is said that if you don’t experience sauna, then you don’t experience Finland.

The oldest type of Finnish sauna are smoke saunas (no chimneys), which take about five to six hours to heat up. These types of saunas use a stove, where the smoke escapes through a hole in the ceiling. Smoke saunas produce a soot that covers the wood walls and leave a smokey aroma. Nowadays, the most common ones are electric and wooden saunas, which typically use a stove known as a ‘kiuas’ to heat the space. Löyly is the heat and steam that surrounds you in the sauna as water is poured on the hot rocks.

In Finland, it’s typical to warm up in the sauna and then jump in the sea/lake or roll around in snow in the winter to cool off… or even enjoy a chilled beer afterwards. The Finns also like to include a practice called ‘vasta’—or ‘vihta’—where a bundle of birch branches are whipped on the skin. It’s said to increase circulation and soothe sore muscles.

Sauna culture in Turkey /the Middle East

Called a Hammam, this type of treatment is considered a form of public bathing, cleansing, and relaxation. Traditionally, you begin in a room to warm the body. Then, a second room to wash a cleanse the body. Thirdly is a room for cooling down the body since it is set at a lower temperature. After completing the bathing procedure, one can then go to a masseur.

Sauna culture in Mexico/Central America

Held in a stone, igloo-like structure, Temazcal, is a traditional Mexican sweat lodge. This type of steam bath is designed to clear your mind and body of negativities and impurities. While the body benefits from detoxification through sweating, the spirit is also renewed through a ritual and spiritual practice. Traditionally, hot river rocks are on a wood fire then brought inside the lodge. Today, more modern structures are heated with gas. Inside the Temazcal, people are encouraged to participate in a ceremony, rub their bodies with aloe, or hit themselves with herbs. As a post-ritual cool-down, you might be invited to take a dip in the ocean or a pool, or take a cold shower.

Sauna culture in Laos

An herbal steam sauna—‘hom yaa’— is very popular in Laos, especially with women. Various mixtures, such as yogurt and ground coffee, are applied on the skin as a beauty treatment. The sauna is heated by wood fire, and herbs can be added directly to the boiling water or as part of the steam. A steam can be infused with fresh herbs and spices, such as lemongrass, basil, mint, rosemary and eucalyptus. It’s typical that Bael fruit tea—muktam—is served.

Sauna culture in Russia

A Banya is a Russian steam bath with a wood stove, where sauna rocks are used to warm the space. In Russia, public saunas are strictly single-sex. Similar to Finland, Russians use bath brooms—‘venik’—made from a collection of soft tree branches to gently beat and clean the body. The Banya is a special place where people come together to have more conversations about life and share their ideas or beliefs with one another. It’s typical to take a break from the heat and relax by sipping on an aromatic or herbal tea before heading back in.

What are some benefits of regular sauna use?
+ Enhances mood and combats SAD (seasonal affective disorder)
+ Detoxification — drainage and elimination of toxins/waste products
+ Promotes a healthy immune system
+ Assists in fat loss and increases metabolism
+ Promotes heart health
+ Provides chronic joint and muscle pain relief and speeds injury recovery
+ Promotes relaxation, reduces stress, and improves sleep

References:

Barbezat, Suzanne. “Temazcal: Traditional Mexican Sweat Lodge". Retrieved from https://www.tripsavvy.com/temazcal-traditional-mexican-sweat-lodge-1588898

“Finish sauna culture”. Retrieved from https://taigatimes.com/blog/finnish-sauna-culture/.

“Löyly Sauna”. Retrieved from https://www.kinfolk.com/loyly-sauna/.

“Top Countries Using Saunas and Exploring the Cultural Traditions From All Over the World.” Retireved from http://steam-sauna.com/blog/top-countries-using-saunas-and-exploring-the-cultural-traditions-from-all-over-the-world.html.

How to Calm the Spirit (Shen)

Spring and summer months mean cultivating the Yang energy, while in the fall and winter, we must protect the Yin energy.

In the summer, your heart, mind, and spirit should be top priority since they are ruled by the fire element. When the fire element is balanced, the heart is in harmony and the mind has clarity. “The spirit needs the Yin and blood for stability, otherwise it ‘escapes’ from the heart, causing incessant wandering of the mind" (Pitchford). Excess Yang qualities, like heat, qi energy, and spirit, will flood upward into the head. Anchor the Yang by improving Yin of the heart; this will help protect the spirit. Our spirit likes to feel calm, centered, and grounded.

Our spirit, or Shen in Mandarin, lives in our heart. Shen also translates as heart-mind, The Self, I, or our presence. When we are children we begin having awareness of ourselves as a separate being other than just our physical self. Shen is responsible for our thinking, cognition, emotional life, and the spiritual consciousness of our being. “It is our spiritual radiance when it's at its strongest and can help cultivate a non discriminatory, non judgmental awareness needed to become wise, resilient, and powerful” (Ford).

If the heart does not have enough blood or energy or if it becomes disturbed by emotional imbalances, it cannot house the Shen. In TCM, the pericardium, a membrane that surrounds your heart, is called the “heart protector”. Its job is to help express joy, to stop invaders like trauma, and to regulate the blood circulation in and out of the heart.

In more extreme cases, unstable Shen could look like irregular or racing heartbeat, palpitations, depression, mania (excess joy), coldness, agitation, nervousness, stuttering, slurred speech, irritability, poor memory, panic, lethargy, insomnia, or excessive dreaming — these symptoms are often associated with Qi stagnation and disharmony in the liver and/or heart.

Strengthening your memory, thought processes, emotional well-being, and consciousness can help balance and calm the Shen. Anchoring the Shen can come in many forms — typically anything that gets us out of our heads and gets us working on our spirits, hearts, and desires:

Meditation, breath-work, + other mindful speech patterns:

Meditation can help clear your head, lower your heart rate, and reduce anxiety or negative emotions. Try setting aside just a few minutes a day for stillness and to focus on deep breathing to bring intention to the mind. Other traditional spirit-focusing practices like prayer, devotional singing, mantras, affirmations, and silent contemplation can help strengthen the heart and organize the scattered mind.

Qigong:

Qigong is a more active form of meditation, or an energy art. The practice uses controlled and coordinated breathing, slow-flowing movements, visualizations, and meditation to reduce stagnant qi (energy). Qigong reduces stress, encourages deep sleep, improves flexibility, and enhances overall health and spirituality. It is described as an internal process that has external movements.

T’ai Chi:

Similar to Qigong in that it is a mind-body practice, T ‘ai Chi’s guiding principle is to follow the spirit. T’ai Chi includes the concepts, theories, and usually movements from Qigong, but a Qigong practice might not necessarily include T’ai Chi.

Acupuncture + acupressure:

Shenmen (HT-7) means “Spirit Gate”, and it is one of the main points on the heart meridian. This point helps open the gate and relieves blocked energy in our spirit and mind. Relieves stress, anxiety, insomnia, forgetfulness, and palpitations by calming the inner fire.

Benshen Spirit Root (GB-13) — the “root” of the mind is the spirit. This point quiets and clears the mind and benefits those who constantly worry or do not sleep well.

Bubbling Spring (KI-1) restores consciousness from an unsettled mind. Helps treat fullness below the heart and clears heat. Supports better sleep.

Receiving Spirit (GB-18) — this point relaxes the rational mind and allows one to reconnect to the unconscious mind. Unifies the mind and body, by reconnecting one to a sense of destiny and purpose.

Yintang —the location of this point is thought to be home of the Shen, or the third eye — our higher consciousness. Helps quiet and clear the mind.

Connect with nature:

Sink your feet into the earth, feel the wind on your face, listen to nature… drop in to your outdoor surroundings whatever way fills your soul the most. Nature is full of reminders to let go of stagnation.

Other ways to ground and nourish the Shen: writing, painting, drawing, dancing, or restorative yoga…

References:

Fitzgerald, Patricia. “Calming The Shen: A Chinese Medicine Approach To A Good Night's Sleep”. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/calming-the-shen-a-chines_b_439771.

Ford, Kerry. “Cultivating Shen: Spirit & Beauty.” Retrieved from https://www.sunpotion.com/blogs/journal/cultivatingshen.

Gao, Sally. “Traditional Chinese Medicine Tricks to Help Reduce Anxiety.” Retrieved from https://theculturetrip.com/asia/china/articles/traditional-chinese-medicine-tricks-to-help-reduce-anxiety/.

Pitchford, Paul. “Healing with Whole Foods”.

Tallarico, Eden. “What is Shen (or Spirit) in Chinese Medicine?” Retrieved from https://telmd.com/wellness/what-is-shen-or-spirit-in-chinese-medicine/.