Jess's 3 Favourite Winter Rituals
HONEY
Since a little girl, honey was always the go to with the first sniffle or sore throat in my home. I remember always taking spoonfuls of it when I was sick. Honey has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties to help fight infections from viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
For centuries honey has been used as medicine and a collected ancient activity. The Egyptian God of fertility Min, was given offerings of honey. People were embalmed in honey and many old world cultures viewed bees as sacred. Some ancient Chinese texts on bee keeping pointed to the importance of the quality of the wooden box used for bee keeping which can affect the quality of its honey.
In Chinese Medicine, honey is neutral in temperature and has a sweet, nourishing property. Honey works to harmonize the liver system, neutralize toxins, and relieve pain. Cooked honey or pasteurized honey is good for moistening dryness in cases of dry throat, hoarseness and cough. Both raw and heated honey are good for the stomach, treating canker sores, stomach ulcers and constipation. Honey can also be used topically on light burns. We are so luck in New Zealand to grow the famous Manuka honey that has been used successfully on third degree burns.
Paul Pitchford’s Healing with Whole Foods, he suggests ‘a spoonful of honey can be used to counteract overeating salty, rich foods, hangovers, menstrual problems and exhaustion’.
NADI SHODHANA
Also known as Alternate Nostril Breathing, is a powerful breathing practice with wide reaching benefits. Nadi is a Sanskrit word meaning "channel" or "flow" and shodhana means "purification." Therefore, nadi shodhana is primarily aimed at clearing and purifying the subtle channels of the mind-body organism, while balancing its masculine and feminine aspects.
How to Begin:
Take a comfortable and tall seat, making sure your spine is straight and your heart is open ️
Relax your left palm comfortably into your lap and bring your right hand just in front of your face.
With your right hand, bring your pointer finger and middle finger to rest between your eyebrows, lightly using them as an anchor. The fingers we’ll be actively using are the thumb and ring finger.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath in and out through your nose
Close your right nostril with your right thumb. Inhale through the left nostril slowly and steadily.
Close the left nostril with your ring finger so both nostrils are held closed; retain your breath at the top of the inhale for a brief pause.
Open your right nostril and release the breath slowly through the right side; pause briefly at end of exhale.
Inhale through the right side slowly.
Hold both nostrils closed (with ring finger and thumb).
Open your left nostril and release breath slowly through the left side. Pause briefly at the bottom.
Repeat 5-10 cycles, allowing your mind to follow your inhales and exhales. Try 10 -15 minutes daily ️
References
1 Saraswati, Swami Satyananda. Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha. 2nd ed. Bihar, India: Bihar Yoga Bharati, 1996. Print. 379-385.
TONGUE SCRAPING
I’ve been tongue scraping for over 15 years, its been a regular practice along with brushing my teeth.
What is Tongue Scraping? Jihwa Prakshalana, or the Ayurvedic self-care ritual known as tongue scraping, is an an oral hygiene practice that removes bacteria, food debris, fungi, toxins, and dead cells from the surface of the tongue.
The tongue is part of the first line of defence in your immune system. Scraping your tongue prevents toxins from being reabsorbed into your body and boosts overall immune function.
Healthy digestion also protects the body against the accumulation of toxins and ensures the proper elimination of wastes. Scraping also activates saliva production and promotes agni (the body’s digestive fire) to help with digestion throughout the day. This is an especially great morning ritual if you’d like to improve your digestive health.
I use a tongue scraper but a spoon can do just the job. Liberty Market in Christchurch sell them and you can also order online from this website:
http://planetayurveda.co.nz/online-store/cleaning-products/tongue-scraper-copper
Resources:
6 Lad, Vasant. Textbook of Ayurveda: A Complete Guide to Clinical Assessment. The Ayurvedic Press, 2006. 107-110, 199-201.
7 Welch, Claudia. Balance Your Hormones, Balance Your Life. Da Capo Press, 2011. 214-215.