Helping you sleep

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Caroline

Several people have contacted me lately about yoga and remedies to help you sleep. We are facing difficult and uncertain times and are being advised to distance ourselves from each other at a time when we most need comfort and support. Insomnia, fitful sleep and sleep deprivation are an unfortunate side-effect of how our minds and bodies deal with stress. There are several ways yoga and shiatsu can help you to deal with these.

Remedies

Remedies for sleep include soaking your feet in warm salty water before you go to bed. The water helps to draw energy down and calm your state of mind. Daily walks in the beach where the water meets the sand has a similar effect.

Coffee and chocolate contribute to keeping us awake so cutting down is important. Instead try miso soup with seaweed to calm and relax the body.

Self-Shiatsu

There is no substitute for a shiatsu treatment but when social distance is so important, we must adapt. There are four ways you can give yourself shiatsu to help you sleep.

  1. Gently press around the base of the toenails, and massage the sole of the foot behind the ball of the foot. These points relax the entire body and draw energy downwards
  2. Gently press the top of your head against a wall. This point will calm you mind and help your brain to slow down.
  3. Sit on a chair or sit on your knees with your legs folded under you. Lean forward and place your forearm or elbow on the top of your thigh. Gently lean your weight against the thigh and work down the leg. Working on the top of the femur and just to the side works well.
  4. With a tennis ball between your back and the walk, position the ball on one side of the spine near the shoulders and lean your body weight into the wall and relax. Keep moving the ball down the spine until you get to the sacrum. Do the other side as well. This will relax points relating to the nervous system.

Yoga

Forward bends, backbends, inversions are the best poses to calm the nervous system and help you sleep. Forward bends can be done before bed but all other poses should be done earlier in the say. Remember to do all these poses gently and effortlessly. An easy sequence is as follows:

  1. Sit in sukhasana (crossed legs) lean forward and breathe gently for 10 breaths. Sit up and change legs, do the other side. Rest on your back in savasana.
  2. Bend the knees placing the feet on the floor. Squeeze your sit bones together and lift the hips into bridge pose as you exhale and release. Do 4-6 times.
  3. On all fours, flex and extend the back into cat and cow pose.
  4. Stand up and bend forward into uttanasana. Bend the knees and release forward from the hips for 10 breaths.
  5. Sit on floor with both legs straight. Bend the left knee and place sole of the foot to the inside of the right thigh. Bend forwards into janu sirsasana, lengthening the spine on the inhalation, stretching forward on the exhalation. 10 breaths. Do the other side. Relax in savasana.
  6. Sit on floor with both legs straight. Gently lean forward from hips into paschimottanasana , rest forehead on edge of a chair or place a pillow or bolster on the thighs and relax and breathe. Rest in savasana.
  7. Sit on floor with soles of the feet together, knees wide. Bend forward from the hips, breathing gently into badhakonasana. Variations include sitting on a cushion or bolster or placing a bolster under the stomach. This pose calms a busy mind. Rest in savasana. You can stop here or continue:
  8. Sit with legs wide and lean forward from hips. Lengthen the front of the body with the inhalation and move forward gently on the exhalation into upavistha konasana . This pose can also be gone lying on the back with the legs wide up the wall. 10 breathes then rest in savasana.

Lie on the back with legs straight up against a wall and relax.

If you’d like more information, please feel free to contact me. Stay safe and take care of yourself and others.

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Breakfast and why you should be eating it

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Caroline

It is a cliché that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I’m not going to argue against it. Breakfast fuels our bodies after hours of fasting while we sleep and is essential to maintaining energy levels throughout the day. Many of my Zen Shiatsu clients who experience difficulties with digestion or fatigue have resolved those problems through eating a nourishing breakfast. Lately I’ve seen many people come for Zen Shiatsu treatments that don’t eat breakfast or believe that coffee, chocolate or fruit are ok to have for breakfast. Unfortunately, they’re not.

So what happens if you just have caffeine or chocolate for breakfast? In the case of caffeine, since it’s a stimulant, you will feel more awake and your body will be stimulated into action. But the stimulation from caffeine is not the same as the energy your body receives from complex carbohydrates. Caffeine and chocolate contain chemicals that are an artificial spur to activity that will weaken kidney energy in the long-term, meaning that the body will need more caffeine to combat the fatigue. Chocolate for breakfast also affects the stomach and spleen/pancreas energy from the high sugar content and the strain of dealing with the sudden rise/fall in blood sugar levels. Fruits are a better option than caffeine or chocolate but they are still quite high in simple sugar and don’t have enough complex carbohydrates to provide the sustained nourishment that our bodies require.

What would be included in a nourishing breakfast? Eating a breakfast based on wholegrains containing complex carbohydrates and proteins is optimal for the functioning of the body. (You’ll see examples of those types of breakfasts at the Remedies page or in other recipes published on this blog.) Complex carbohydrates from wholegrains slowly release food energy into the bloodstream, thus satisfying our hunger. Since it is necessary to chew cooked grains well, chewing helps to wake up the peristaltic action of the intestines. Combined with the fibre and liquids in cooked grains, chewing helps to keep bowel movements regular.

Some people don’t feel hungry at breakfast and would prefer to wait until they do feel hungry before they eat. Of course you should never force yourself to eat. But not feeling hungry within an hour of waking can be a sign of digestive weakness. We all experience lack of hunger in the morning after eating a rich meal the previous evening or if we’ve eaten quite late. But if it’s a regular occurrence and hunger is not felt until 10 or 11am, or if you feel nauseous during or after eating breakfast, then it’s most likely a sign that the digestive energy is weak and needs to be healed. The way to do this is to introduce a very small bowl of cooked grains or a small cup of miso soup at breakfast. As the body becomes accustomed to eating in the morning, you can gradually make the meals larger.

Many of my clients have felt the beneficial effects of having a nourishing breakfast. One client who had rice congee for breakfast for several months found all her bloating disappeared and she lost several kilograms of weight effortlessly. Another client who ate chocolate for breakfast for years found her mood swings improved and her mind became calmer and her period pain decreased. A third client found that giving up coffee and having a nourishing breakfast gave her the energy to cope with stressful mornings at work and regulated her energy levels throughout the day so she still had energy at the end of the workday for the activities she enjoyed.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions.

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Apple Crumble

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Caroline

Apple Crumble

Apple Crumble

This is one of my favourite guilt-free desserts. There’s no flour, added sugar, dairy or eggs and you can lower the fat content by omitting the nuts. This crumble is so delicious you won’t miss any of them and, if you’re like me, you’ll eat the leftovers for breakfast. I developed this recipe years ago from several traditional crumble recipes when living in the USA and found the abundance of freshly-picked fruit in my local farmer’s market as well as the many small farms in Maryland and Virginia where you can pick your own fruit such as peaches, strawberries, apples and pears.

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Ingredients:

1.5 cups rolled oats

¼ tspn salt

½ tspn cinnamon

¼ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

¼ cup sunflower oil

¼ cup water

1 tbspn brown rice syrup (optional)

4 cups peeled and sliced apples (or 2 cups of apples and 2 cups of peaches or other fruit that will maintain its shape)

¼ cup dried mulberries (optional)

¼ cup raisins/sultanas

½ cup water/apple juice

½ tbspn kuzu dissolved in 1 tbspn water

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Recipe:

Mix rolled oats, salt, cinnamon and walnuts in a bowl.

Combine sunflower oil and ¼ cup water and rice syrup if using

Add to dry mixture and combine.

Combine apples, dried fruit, ½ cup water/apple juice with kuzu mixture in saucepan

Cook on low-medium heat until kuzu dissolved, stirring gently

Place in crumble dish and spread crumble mixture on top.

Cook in 180° oven for approximately 35 minutes. Enjoy!

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CD Release | Breathing, Relaxation and Meditation

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Caroline

Breathing, Relaxation and Meditation - An Introduction

Breathing, Relaxation and Meditation – An Introduction

Today I’m announcing the release of my new Breathing, Relaxation and Meditation CD. I’ve been inspired to create this CD by many of you who have asked me how to relax and breathe properly. I’ve included 3 techniques that introduce you to 3 different types of breathing and relaxation practices. All the practices are at an introductory level so that you can feel confident and comfortable in practising them. I use all of these practices as part of my yoga practice and in teaching and I hope you will find them equally useful.

The first technique is conscious relaxation or Yoga Nidra. The Yoga Nidra is a 15-minute pathway through your body from the tips of your toes to the your skull and brain which releases tensions and stress and leaves you feeling profoundly relaxed. You can use this technique at any time – all you need is somewhere to lie down. The people who I’ve tested this on report that it’s great to listen to in bed – it promotes deep and relaxing sleep. You can put this track on your smartphone, iPad, tablet or laptop and let the letting-go begin.

The second technique is conscious breathing or Pranayama. Pranayama takes you through the process of deep breathing and shows you how to breathe from your lower belly to the top of your lungs. There’s also an introduction to alternate-nostril breathing with breath retention. The conscious breathing technique will help to calm your mind and improve your mental clarity and concentration. Eventually, once you have learnt this technique, you will no longer need to rely on the CD but can practice this on your own any time you need it.

The third technique if mindfulness meditation. Meditation puts in you touch with what is happening in your mind and introduces you to techniques to calm and relax the mind. If we stop and pay attention to what is happening in the mind, we’ll notice that the nature of the mind is to be active with distracting, disconnected thoughts that flit across the surface of the mind. But, just like we can train our muscles, we can also train our minds in order to calm the flow of distracting thoughts and bring real relief to our mind and emotions. This is also a technique that once learnt, can be practised at any time.

Throughout the 3 techniques I’ve incorporated the use of Tibetan singing bowls to help you focus and calm the mind.

Everyone who buys the CD will also receive a download link to the high-quality original recordings to improve the listening experience. The total cost is $20. An excerpt of the Relaxation track is available for streaming for those of you who would like to sample part of the CD:

Thank you to all the clients, friends and family who have inspired me to do this and encouraged me along the way, providing technical expertise and giving feedback at different stages of this project. I have designed this CD in response to many of the questions I have received from you and my desire is that it will give you the structure and guidance you have asked for. I am also grateful to Geshe Michael Roach and Christie McNally’s commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali for providing me with a fresh perspective (and lots of food for non-distracting thought) on a text that underpins my own yoga practice. Releasing this CD is a really joyful occasion for me and I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed the path of creating it.

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Changing your diet for autumn

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Caroline

As the weather turns colder, it’s time to adjust our diets for autumn. We need to eat foods that warm the body in preparation for the cold of winter. Our focus should be on changing the type of food and improving the quality. In the first stage (you can do this over one week):

  • Reduce and then eliminate foods and drinks that cool the body: fruits, particularly tropical fruits, refined sugars, chocolate and carob, alcohol and caffeinated drinks, cold and frozen foods and drinks,
  • Increase the consumption of whole grains, particularly brown rice, root vegetables such as carrots, suedes, parsnips, radishes, and pungents such as ginger, as well as greens such as kale and cabbage
  • East less raw foods and more cooked foods and start including more soups and stews in your diet. Congee at breakfast is a great way to start making the shift in diet.

In the second stage,

  • eliminate all flour products such as pasta, bread, cake and pastries, deep fried and fatty foods, uncooked/dry muesli and other “dead”-quality foods
  • Add pickles such as ginger pickles and fermented foods such as miso soup. Umeboshi plums and gomashio also assist in centering and warming the body. Kuzu used in drinks and foods can
  • Foods can be cooked for longer and grains and beans can be pressure-cooked.

If these steps are not taken, not only are we out of harmony with the seasons, we can set ourselves up for respiratory problems. If we eat foods that cool the body as the weather cools and continue to eat foods such as flour products that clog the lungs and large intestine, we create the conditions in the body that allow viruses and bacteria thrive.

Keep doing the second stage for as long as you can. Reducing flour products from the diet can feel quite strange at first but if you persist, your body will adjust and your digestive system will feel lighter and work more efficiently. If you don’t normally have problems with bloating, you can re-introduce some good-quality wholemeal sourdough bread several times a week (fast-acting yeasts are better avoided), otherwise continue to enjoy the feeling of lightness.

If you find it difficult to give up strongly-sweetened foods and sugar or find it difficult to give up eating fruits, try to eat fruits that are in season, have a small amount of dried fruits, or try cooking fruits with kuzu. You can also use sweeteners such as rice syrup or barley malt in moderation.

For more information, you can read the post from last autumn.

For those people living in the northern hemisphere, go to Fasting in Spring  for more information on how to adjust your diet as the weather warms.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

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Chick Pea, Pumpkin and Carrots with Brown Rice

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Caroline

Chick pea, Pumpkin and Carrots with Brown Rice

This recipe is one I often make when I have a sweet craving. I’m always advising my Zen Shiatsu clients to try to focus on and appreciate the naturally sweet taste of grains and vegetables and this one really hits the spot. You can make this recipe more or less sweet by varying the proportion of pumpkin you use.

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Ingredients:

1.5 cups chick peas, soaked overnight, drained and cooked for 1 to 1.5 hours or pressured cooked for 5 mins at full pressure. Makes 3 cups when cooked.

2 tblspns olive or natural sesame oil

1cm knob of ginger, slivered

2 cups chopped pumpkin

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup water

1/2 to 1 tspn sea salt

1/2 tspn cumin

1/2 tspn allspice

Chopped parsely to garnish

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Recipe:

Put oil is saucepan on medium heat

Saute ginger and pumpkin for a few minutes until pumpkin starts to brown

Add carrots and saute for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally

Add cooked chickpeas and water

Bring to boil and then turn down to simmer for 8-10 minutes then stir

Add sea salt and spices

Garnish with chopped parsley

Serve with freshly cooked brown rice and a green salad

Enjoy!

 

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Late Summer Blues

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Caroline

As the weather becomes hot and humid and the weather alternates between storms and sunshine all accompanied with heat and humidity, many of us feel sluggish and tired and have a difficult time coping with the weather. In addition, many of my Zen Shiatsu clients have been reporting digestive problems such as bloating and diarrhoea as well as respiratory problems such as colds and infections, all of which are common during late summer.

Unfortunately, we tend to eat the foods that make our symptoms worse. In response to tiredness, we reach for sugar, which after the initial lift in energy, makes us feel more tired later as our blood sugar drops and the spleen/pancreas energy is overworked. Fruits, fruit juices, soft drink, cold and iced foods reduce stomach energy and increase our symptoms. With the digestive system in trouble, the organs of elimination become overworked. Some will have bloating, constipation, diarrhoea or loose stools and colds and sinus infections then appear.

To change the dynamic, it’s essential to reduce the intake of refined sugars, raw fruits and fruit juices, soft drinks and cold foods. Replace with the naturally sweet taste of grains and vegetables, particularly corn, quinoa, millet, brown rice, chick peas, pumpkin, carrots, beetroot, squash, peas and amaranth – both the grain and the greens. An excellent remedy for bloating, diarrhoea and many other digestive problems is the kuzu drink remedy found at the Remedies page. Other recipes there are also useful at this time. The Congee recipe makes a great breakfast during late summer and for those who still want to eat some seasonal fruit, the Seasonal Fruits cooked with Kuzu, Ginger and Cinnamon is delicious.

Equally important is exercise. Stomach and spleen/pancreas (Earth) energy prefer movement so try to incorporate regular exercise such as walking in your day. Stretching the front of the body activates the Earth energy so yoga poses such as Bow pose, back bends and exercises that strengthen the lower belly. As well as physical nourishment, emotional care and nurturing is vital, so hug the people you love and accept their love for you.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via the Contact page.

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Quinoa with Cashews

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Caroline

Quinoa with Cashews

This recipe is one of my favourites for breakfast in summer or for a light meal anytime. Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a small, round, yellow grain from the Americas which is easy to cook and does not require pre-soaking, making it a great time-saver for busy people. Quinoa is also gluten-free, low in calories, fats and cholesterol, high in protein and essential minerals such as magnesium, iron and calcium. The cashew nuts in this recipe give the quinoa a creamy taste and texture that is addictive. However, you can also choose to leave out the nuts and add sultanas and sliced apples to sweeten the slightly bitter taste of this grain. The recipe below makes two servings and can easily be halved or doubled.

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Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 tblspn raw cashew nuts

2.5 cups water

Pinch of salt

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Recipe:

Wash and drain the quinoa several times until water runs clear*

Chop the raw cashew nuts finely

Add all ingredients to a saucepan and bring to boil on high heat

Cover saucepan and reduce heat to simmer

Check periodically until quinoa has absorbed all the water and is fluffy (approx 10-12 mins)

Serve warm.

*Quinoa can be difficult to wash. I use a tea strainer to drain the wash water.
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Coping with Christmas

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Caroline

Christmas and New Year is a time when most of us over-indulge. We celebrate with good family, friends and food and eat and drink more than usual. However, a few simple tips to overcome the excesses of Christmas and help us to feel better.

  • One of the best ways to feel better immediately is to exercise. Instead of beaching oneself on the couch after a huge meal, do some aerobic activity to help you feel less sluggish. Also, crunches are a good way of moving large amounts of food through the digestive system and bring quick relief to bloating.
  • Remedies such as the kuzu drink, particularly ume-sho-kuzu will calm the digestive system and alleviate both constipation and diarrhoea. They will also help you feel better after excess sugar/alcohol/chocolate consumption.
  • Eating smaller meals between celebratory events will ease the burden on the digestive system.
  • Chewing well will help you to feel fuller and therefore eat less.

These tips have certainly helped me to cope with the holidays and I hope you find them useful. I wish all of you a very Happy New Year.

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Summer and the Fire Element

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Caroline

Summer represents the height of the annual cycle. From the stillness of winter, where we rest and replenish our energy, we emerge in spring and come to full fruition in our fire energy in summer. We celebrate the warmer temperatures, the abundance of the earth and soil. The longer days mean more time for social activities, where we can connect with others and express the joys of the season.

In Eastern medical philosophy, the heart and small intestine energy are associated with fire energy. The heart is said to store the spirit and govern our consciousness. The emotion associated with the fire element and the heart is joy and compassion. We see the truth of this in our own language; when we say that someone has a ‘big heart’, we mean that they are generous, joyful, thoughtful and forgiving. Our creativity and ability to express who we are also comes from heart energy. Small intestine energy is associated with our store of strength and power, or our ‘intestinal fortitude’. This energy gives us the power and strength to express the qualities of our heart energy.

Physical activity, particularly team sports and group activities where we connect with others are an excellent way to express fire energy. Music and dancing is another way to connect with others and celebrate the season. In our yoga practice, we move towards a more flowing style, spending less time within poses. Sun salutations (Surya Namaskar) are done more quickly and we emphasize the poses that open up the chest, heart and arms such as Dog Pose, Bow Pose (Dhanurasana) and backbends such as Upward Facing Bow (Urdhva Dhanurasana). We balance these poses with forward bends and inversions in order to centre the mind and body and protect it from excess rising fire energy.

To balance the warmth of summer, we emphasize foods that cool the body and nourish the bitter taste – corn and polenta, longer-grain rice, noodles, millet and quinoa, lettuces and leafy greens, summer squash, fresh beans and seasonal fruits such as berries, melons and cherries. (Tropical fruits are still better avoided unless living in a tropical climate). Meals are prepared with less salt and quicker cooking styles – sautéing, steaming – and more uncooked food can be served. Foods to avoid are chocolate, licorice and caffeine drinks, which cause the body’s energy to rise too quickly, as well as heavy meats and fried foods, all of which warm the body too strongly in summer.

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