Living here in Hawaii, where the humidity is very high because it’s tropical and it rains EVERY day at least once, my body is a bit challenged when the humidity stays really high as it recently did for over a month.
Remember I told you that my body has lots of internal heat? Apparently, my body compensates for that heat by creating damp. Then that dampness creates all kinds of issues. (Here’s an article about it from a Chinese Medicine perspective.)
Some of the issues excessive dampness brings are: slow metabolism, lethargy, weight gain and low sex drive.
In late August, after being on the mainland for almost three weeks I came back to Kauai where it was SUPER humid. In 48 hours, I started to feel like I was ready to go to sleep for the rest of the day at 2pm in the afternoon! Not convenient and not healthy! My acupuncturist, the ever-lovely and brilliant and beautiful Karu Hodder took one look at my tongue and my pulses and said “dampness!” I immediately added some spices and some extra herbs and things (ginger, turmeric, etc.) to my food and in capsule form and within 24 hrs I felt SO MUCH better. Crazy!
My body was practically craving ginger and spicy (not hot as in cayenne) food. My body didn’t want ANYTHING raw. NOTHING cold. The very idea of an iced espresso or iced coffee, even though it was HOT and HUMID, made my body want to lie down and sleep.
Karu advised me not to drink anything cold, hot or room temperature only and drink LOTS AND LOTS of water. The water helps to put out the excessive heat so my body stops making it’s own dampness to put it out. Okay! I get it! And, avoid sugar and things that turn to sugar quickly like bread, etc. because it just feeds the fire.
Who knew?
My body knew!
Back in July, when I’d go to make a super yummy iced espresso, my body would say to me “Ugh, me no want that.” It happened again and again. My body was asking for water and hot drinks even though it was hot out and I was dripping sweat.
The whole point of this is that I used to override what my body was telling me.
Just like I used to ignore that still small voice.
Everything is speaking all the time.
It’s so true! When you ARE willing to heal the mis-perception that we’re not all related you will realize that you can hear everything.
The more I clear out the mental and emotional patterns of pain and upset, the more I can hear my body talking with me. It knows. I don’t need to do muscle testing to know what my body is asking for. I pause, I listen, I ask, I listen and then I know what to get.
(BTW – listening can mean feeling, sensing, knowing – intuition isn’t only listening from an auditory perspective.)
Back in August, when I was in Maine, my spirit started sending me these signals and my intuition caught it: investigate an ayurvedic diet. So, when I came back to Hawaii, that’s what I did. I’ve been having homemade kitcheri (Indian version of rice and beans with veggies) almost every day. It’s so easy to make and my body LOVES it!
Here’s my body’s favorite recipe:
1 cup dried mung beans
1 cup brown basmati rice
1 T kitcheri spice mix
2 T ghee (clarified butter)
1 bay leaf
veggies that you like
Wash the beans and rice and soak overnight. Melt the ghee in a stew pot big enough to contain all the ingredients, stir in the spices and let it heat for a couple of minutes, add bay leaf, beans and rice, stir and sauté for a few mins. Add about 6 cups of water and cook until everything is quite soft. I add carrots and spinach or arugula plus lots of chopped garlic, onion and fresh ginger. I serve a bowl with the juice of half a lemon, more spices, and a good splash of Braggs aminos. It’s a one dish meal. The perfect ayurvedic meal has 5 tastes: Salty, Savory, Sweet, Sour and Bitter. The carrots are sweet, the Braggs is salty, the lemon is sour, the spices are savory, and the greens are bitter. My body LOVES it.
And the dampness has receded greatly.
All bodies are not the same.
Raw is not the best for everyone.
By the way, that paleo diet is not for my body at this time. I have friends who love eating that way and my body just says “no way, Jose!” Right now, it prefers almost no meat at all. I’m in Hawaii and the fish is fresh every day, but my body says “no thanks.” I’m living where there are abundant papayas, mangos avocados and pineapple’s – all my favorites – but right now, my body says, “not today.” I’m listening because I like feeling GREAT!
I’ve learned to listen to my body more closely than ever and it’s definitely helping me to feel better. My ego-intellect doesn’t know what’s best for me. Each day it shifts a bit and I can learn to listen. Today it says no eggs. Yesterday, eggs were perfect. I’m listening. And, I really like it when popcorn feels just right, but it’s just as good if it doesn’t. Sweet potato chips work sometimes. Low salt is great for me.
You’ll be amazed at how much better your life can be if you start listening and stop thinking about what you SHOULD eat, or what’s easy or convenient or whatever. If you hear a SHOULD it’s ego and intellect. Be willing to tune into your body, you’ll be so glad you did.
Listening to my body has made things much simpler. I’m enjoying my food more. I’m grateful to always be learning and improving the quality of my life. GRATE-FULL!
This deep gratitude I feel comes from accepting my body and caring for it as the spiritual temple in my human experience rather than rejecting it and trying to change it. Love and acceptance are companions in my heart.
Next week I’ll share about my experience of doing the Master Cleanser and my personal tips!
New Class! – I’ve put together a really beautiful set of free classes for anyone interested in doing this work. It’s called my Stop Playing Small Summit. Please take a look and if you’re Higher Holy Spirit Self knows this is right for you, follow the guidance and register to participate!
Click here now to register for my Stop Playing Small Summit. Won’t you please share at facebook and wherever anyone whom you think might be interested can find it? It’s totally free!
We’re waking up together and I’m so grateful for that! If you’re finding what I’m sharing to be helpful won’t you please share at Facebook and twitter to let others know? Thank you!
