Randi Ragan - A Year of Living Mindfully: Seasonal Practices to Nourish Body, Mind and Spirit

Seasonal Practices to Nourish Body, Mind, and Spirit

Randi Ragan

Notice:

The information, scientific studies, specific solutions, and opinions discussed in this book, while carefully researched, are for educational purposes only, and are designed to help you make informed decisions about your health and wellbeing. They are not intended as diagnoses, treatments for specific ailments, or replacements for the expertise of your qualified healthcare provider.

The use of any of this information without consulting a physician may be dangerous. Neither the publisher nor the author accepts responsibility for any effects that may arise from the correct or incorrect use of information in this book. The health-related statements in this book have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Published by Motivational Press, Inc.

1777 Aurora Road

Melbourne, Florida, 32935

www.MotivationalPress.com

Copyright 2016 by Randi Ragan

Illustrations by Celine Kwak All rights reserved

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means: graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission, in writing, from the authors, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, article, book, or academic paper. The authors and publisher of this book and the associated materials have used their best efforts in preparing this material. The authors and publisher make no representations or warranties with respect to accuracy, applicability, fitness or completeness of the contents of this material. They disclaim any warranties expressed or implied, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. The authors and publisher shall in no event be held liable for any loss or other damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. If you have any questions or concerns, the advice of a competent professional should be sought.

Manufactured in the United States of America.

ISBN: 978-1-62865-261-1

To the memory of my parents, Floyd and Jean

Acknowledgments

I d like to thank my husband, Richard, and my daughter, Olivia, who steady the oars on my boat and have made this journey possible. I very much appreciate Eugene Schwartz for his enthusiastic early support which helped this book see the light of day. My agent, Jill Kramer of Waterside Productions, gave great practical advice during all the ups and downs this book endured and is an expert in kind wisdom. Thank you to Terri Boekhoff for her editing talents extraordinaire. She helped me wrestle an unruly beast to the ground and not only tamed it, but made it sing in ways I never knew possible. Im grateful to Celine Kwak and her beautiful art that graces these pages. Thank you to Caroline Pincus for her proposal writing talents and keen way of helping to hone a novice authors unwieldy ideas into understandable concepts. Her forthright guidance was a godsend. Much appreciation to early readers of the manuscript for their advice and assistance: Alex Schwartz, Kristina Coggins, Barbara Patrick and Kiki Giet. Thanks to Jennifer Louden for providing invaluable insight and resources all throughout this process. Gratitude to Justin Sachs of Motivational Press for rescuing this book when it had lost a home.

A very big thank you to the customers, therapists and technicians, vendors, consultants, benefactors, and fellow business owners whove been a part of my work with GreenBliss EcoSpa. This book is a direct result of my experience growing an idea from a corner of my living room to a now ten year endeavor and culminates in these pages. Thank you especially to Hope Malkan, Morgan Lawley, Kim Colwell, Alex Fallon, Alison Graham, staff and teachers of Silverlake Yoga, Center For Yoga and YogaWorks, and all the other bright and shining souls that have peopled my days before and throughout my experiences with GBES. Namaste.

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.

Annie Dillard

PART I

EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED

Introduction

Make Meaning by Doing

T here is a famous Zen proverb, Before enlightenment: chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment: chop wood, carry water. This can be taken to mean that everyday tasking is the heart and soul of a life filled with purpose and meaning. The glue that holds our aha moments together can be found in the ordinary rituals that make up our lives and lifestyles. After all, the way we think about our lives affects how we live them.

Thinking about our lives and then living them more closely attuned to the rhythms and qualities inherent in the four seasons is the focus of A Year of Living Mindfully . For instance, taking the time to smell an early spring Meyer lemon and then using it in three or four different waysfor nutrition (its vitamin C helps fight a cold), flavor (it becomes an ingredient in a freshly made salad dressing), beauty (used in a brightening face mask), or cleaning (added to laundry for treating stains)is the perfect example of seasonal living. This brings focus to the idea that a small yellow piece of fruit can be such an entirely handy tool in so many ways. It is truly a miracle of utility and sensory stimulation.

Other seasonal awareness might come through sensory experiences. You might appreciate how water jolts and refreshes on a hot summer day, how it soothes in a ritual bath, how it serves as a metaphor for fluidity and change when feeling overwhelmed and stuck. Noticing the scent of wood smoke and the taste of apples in autumn motivates cooking and baking more during those months, perhaps changing your dependence on packaged foods.

Our animal nature processes this kind of external information and registers it on our skin, in our blood, and deeply within our psyches. Our environment has the ability to alter how we structure our daily business in profound ways if we let it. We can take our cues from the colors and aromas of nature, from its tastes, textures, and sounds and create a richer experience of life to lift the mundane into something special. Doing this habitually allows our bodies, our basic internal chemistry, to begin to relax into an ancient and nourishing symbiosis with the rest of the natural world.

Through a mix of narrative, journaling exercises, guided meditations, rituals, and recipes, A Year of Living Mindfully interweaves seasonal themes into how-to tips for yoga, herbal healing, aromatherapy, diet and nutrition, natural beauty and self-care treatments, sustainable home living, and community activism. You will find creative and inspiring wisdom for exploring a daily life with poetic mindfulness and sensual awareness. It urges cultivation of a meaningful philosophy of life within the larger purpose of connecting to family, community, and the world at large for a complete holistic lifestyle practice.

How we feed and nurture our bodies, minds, spirits, and souls can be an art in and of itself. When this is done mindfully, the nervous system is soothed, stress abates, energy levels increase, and peace and contentment become something tangible we can feel and measure, rather than abstract concepts whose meanings most of us are grasping to define.

Seasonal, mindful living embraces a do-it-yourself ethic. No one can better provide the stuff of a balanced, healthy, and conscious life better than you. It is in the act of doing this daily tasking and ritual that we discover more about who we are and what meaning our lives hold. If we skip over those moments, then we miss creating our own wisdom traditions the narrative of self that speaks about our lives, the stories of what is done every day, how it is done, the ingredients that are used, and the outcomes that are observed. The daily rituals become the process that forms the architecture of our lives. This is potent meaning through doing.