Healing Tips for Self Transformation

I took this photo of a Monarch butterfly a couple of weeks ago here in Reno. It is a second generation Monarch butterfly originally from Mexico. The first migration generation left Mexico for southern state areas.  Their offspring migrated north.  This precious made it's way to Reno.  Time to plant milkweed for them.  
 
Don’t you just love butterflies?  I love the metaphor for self-transformation butterflies represent for us humans. 
 
I feel Springtime is about transformation and becoming a summertime butterfly.   After being cocooned by the darkness and snow of winter days in Nevada we want to feel the warming sun on our backs and spread our wings and hit the trails and lakes.   
 
We also naturally want to purge the stuffiness of winter and welcome springtime by cleaning closets, garages, kitchen pantries, refrigerators and raking away the last of the dry leaves of winter to make space for the freshness of spring garden blooming harvest.   
 
 The body requires a similar cleanup activity. 
 
Our ancestors ate what was local for them in the springtime. While the men were probably out hunting for meat and who knows, coming home days later because hunting is not easy, the women were feeding themselves and their children roots and weeds. They foraged for the wild green leaves of the season which were mostly bitter and astringent.  The quality of bitter and astringent foods scrape the insides of the digestive tract for good detox and cleansing.
 
Conveniently for us, we need just go to the market and purchase springtime foods such as dandelion greens, fennel, asparagus, watercress, and spinach.
 
I read the caterpillar and the butterfly have the same exact DNA.  They are the same organism but are receiving and responding to different organizing signals.  We have those signals too.
 
Our signals for transformation comes in whispers, gut feelings, intuition about what to do, say or eat or drink.    Do you feel a natural urge to clean house? Inside and out? 
 
Are you attuned to your signals of nature for a springtime home and body cleanse? 
 Are you a feeling more like a caterpillar or a butterfly these days?
If you are feeling more like a winter caterpillar?   Time to emerge from the cocoon of winter clothing and habits. 
Following are some ideas to help you spring into action so your sunny summertime wings to grow:
1.) Give away or throw away food you know should not be in your kitchen.  Start only eating healthy.  Like Marie Kondo the well known Japanese organizing consultant says “ hold the item, ask yourself: does it bring me health and joy?”  If not.  Remove it from your home. 

2.  Prepare a menu for your upcoming week of food and include leafy greens.  Lot’s of organic greens.  (See recipe ideas below) 
3. Make a strong mental note to drink more good hydrating water this week.  (Water which sits in a copper vessel for a while is healthy hydrating water)
4. Eat a diet of at least 80% organic plant based non processed foods.
5. For cooking use only therapeutic Ayurvedic Ghee. Ayurvedic Ghee is made from the milk of grass-fed cow’s milk yogurt.
6. Stock your pantry with cleansing herbs such as cinnamon, ginger, fennel, fenugreek, cayenne pepper, black pepper, parsley, and rosemary.   (see recipe ideas below)
7. Start using a tongue scraper first thing in the morning before you drink any water. Tongue scraping is an excellent detox activity.
8. Oil pull with olive oil and a little bit of clove oil.  (aids in detox)
9. Give yourself self-massage every day for skin & lymph detox.
10. Get a professional therapeutic massage at least once a month.   More often if you feel achy and congested in the muscle and lymph tissue.   
11. Walk three to five miles a day.
12. Do some yoga in the morning before you start your day
13. The very least, move the body any way you can. Assist it with its need for detox with some kind of heart-pumping exercise like jumping on a rebounder.  (Remember your lymphatic system depends on you to move for it to work efficiently)  The lymphatic system is like the body’s sewage system taking out old wastes from the body tissue. 
Recipe ideas for spring detox:

Sauteed Spring Greens served with home cooked Chickpeas, Brown Rice and Vegan Cheese
Saute a little onion with a little Ayurvedic Ghee until golden brown then add chopped spring greens and cook until tender (not overcooked) Serve with tablespoon of vegan cheese, brown rice cooked with dry or fresh Dill and freshly cooked chickpeas which have been soaked overnight then cooked until tender in water with a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds.
Add Himalayan salt, pepper and chopped parsley for taste.   
 
Vegan Cheese
1 cup of Cashew Nuts (soaked overnight)
1 medium size carrot
2T lemon juice (fresh)
1 ½ T Paprika
1 Tbs Tahini butter
¾ cup of Nutritional Yeast Flakes
Salt and Cayenne Pepper for taste. 
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth then refrigerate.
 

Warm healthy beverage ideas:
Corriander and Fennel Beverage (replaces coffee) 
Dry  lightly roasted Coriander seeds
Fennel Seeds
Brew in a pot of water a mixture of Fennel Seeds and Coriander seeds and serve hot with jaggery (unrefined sugar) or stevia for taste. 
 
Spicy Late
Boil in a cup of nut milk a pinch of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamom, turmeric, and black pepper.  Add a little natural sweetener for taste.  (I use either coconut sugar or Jaggery) 
 
 
 
Need home support with a Yoga Health Coach? 
 
I help you get started by spending a good part of the day with you.  Together we:
i) Help you clean reorganize your kitchen pantry for healthy eating.  
ii.) We create a two-week menu plan. 
iii.) We go food shopping
iv.) We cook an Ayurvedic meal together.  You learn more about Ayurveda cooking and kitchen sadhana. 
v.) I teach you a personal customized daily morning yoga routine which I video record for you on the Zoom Video platform for your review. 
This home health program is based on the science and philosophy of Yoga and Ayurveda.  
 $488 for 6 hours of Ayurveda and Yoga support in your home. 
 9:00 am – 3:00 pm. 
 
For more information about this service please call me.
775-501-0785
www.renomassageyoga.com
www.wisdomtothrive.com 
 

See Ya' on the trails and paddle boarding on the lake soon. 
Brenda Malana Matthew Burger
Reno Massage Yoga
421 Court Street
Reno, NV. 89501
775-501-0785
 
 

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