Women | thesofiamagazine

Five Things to Do at the Beginning of a New Relationship

by admin | Oct 28, 2021 | Asheville, relationships, Wellness, Women

Entering a new relationship is a fun and exciting experience. This phase consists of discovering each other’s interests, laughter, and late night conversations that you spend the next day thinking about. The world is filled with endless possibilities. It’s electric, and so far everything is as close to perfect as it can be. But it’s important not to get too swept away during this time. As your emotions surge, it will be harder to keep a level head and set necessary boundaries, but if you want your new relationship to truly blossom, to mature and grow in a healthy way that’s exactly what you need to do. Below, you’ll find a few tips to help as you navigate your new relationship.

Be Yourself

It’s no secret that everyone wants to appear appealing and put together to their new partner. While you certainly don’t want to dump all your childhood trauma on them right out the gate, you shouldn’t lie about who you are either. You don’t have to put on a show to make someone like you. An ideal partner is someone who will love you for who truly you are, but in order for that to happen, they have to know who you are. Building a relationship based on lies is a foolproof way to create drama and trust issues down the line. Be yourself. Don’t change for anyone. Be honest about your hobbies and your likes and dislikes. Be your goofy or clumsy self. Tell them your favorite movies, even if they don’t appreciate the genre. Don’t tell them you love the outdoors if the idea of spending the day hiking sounds like your own personal hell. Obviously, you can learn to love and appreciate new things in the relationship, and you can certainly try out things they enjoy simply because you want to be around them, but don’t lie about who you are and what you like. Be your beautiful self, and let that be enough.

Don’t Give up Control

Relationships aren’t a game. They shouldn’t be a power play or a battle of any kind, but that being said, you can still lose the power in the relationship by constantly deferring to the other person. If you find yourself asking questions like, “When can we take this step?” “When can I say this without scaring them?” “I want to spend more time together, but should I tell them that?” then you are giving control of the relationship’s speed and direction to the other person. One thing a lot of people forget but should remember is that you are equal partners in the relationship. It’s your relationship too; it belongs to both of you. You have an equal say in things. Your voice matters. Your needs should be met just as much as theirs. Don’t lose your voice, and don’t leave all the important decisions up to someone else.

Set Boundaries

When you’re swept up in someone new, it’s easy to let other aspects of your life fall to the side. You start seeing your friends less because you’re spending all your time with your new partner. You don’t put in as much effort at work because you’re too busy thinking about your possible future together. You don’t spend time alone because you’d rather be with them. And while there’s nothing wrong with being excited about a new relationship, it shouldn’t consume your life and make you put everything else on hold. You are still important, and spending time away from your partner is healthy for your mental health and your identity. Your friends are still important; these are relationships you’ve spent time cultivating and people who’ve been by your side through thick and thin, and they deserve your attention too. Your career is still important. Your goals and hard work shouldn’t fade into the background just because you’re falling in love. Putting boundaries in place, like not seeing each other every night and making time for other aspects of your individual lives, is crucial in the beginning of the relationship. It’ll help prevent you from ‘losing yourself’ within the relationship and neglecting the people and things that matter to you because you’re enchanted with the light of new love.

Be Honest About What You Want

If you want a long term relationship, don’t act like you’re okay with something casual and temporary. If you don’t want kids, don’t say that you can see yourself starting a family. If you love where you live and never plan to move, make that known to your partner. Everyone has to make small compromises in relationships, like eating at a restaurant you aren’t fond of because it’s your partner’s favorite, but no one should have to compromise on the big issues. You need to remember that this is your life; it should look the way you want it to. You should never rearrange your biggest dreams, goals, or desires in order to be with someone. Some lines should be drawn and never crossed, and you should do it early.

Don’t Bring Past Trauma into Your New Relationship

Obviously, you won’t magically heal from all your past pain the moment you get into a new relationship. That would be great, but it’s simply not realistic. Still, you need to keep your past and present separate in your mind. Just because your last partner cheated on you, doesn’t mean your current one will. Just because your last partner was controlling and manipulative doesn’t mean your current one will be. Certainly keep an eye out for red flags, but don’t project other people’s behaviors onto your new significant other. It’s unfair and will only cause doubt and drama to fester in the relationship. Communication and vulnerability are crucial in order to succeed in leaving the past behind you. Talk about your insecurities without accusing anyone of anything. Have a mature and open discussion, and do your best to trust your significant other unless they personally give you reason not to. Relationships are hard enough to navigate without the ghosts of past partners lingering around to mess things up.

If you recently entered into a new relationship, or you think you might start one soon, use this list as a guideline to help you enjoy the happiness new love brings while also making smart decisions for you and your future. It’s not always easy setting boundaries or being open and honest, especially when you want your partner to see you as ‘perfect,’ but it’s crucial if you want your relationship to mature win a healthy way.

Traditional Chinese Medicine for a Healthy Autumn Season

by Natasha Kubis | Oct 28, 2021 | Acupuncture, Asheville, Wellness, Women, yoga

In the traditional Chinese medicine five element theory, autumn is associated with the metal element. On an energetic level, the metal element represents organization, boundary setting, and communication. It is a good time of year to decide what you want to prioritize in your life and what you want to let go of. As the trees shed their leaves to make room for new buds in the springtime, our bodies also go through similar changes. It’s the transitional period into the most yin time of year as we go more inward.

The lungs and the large intestine are the organs associated with the metal element and they assist in the elimination and cleansing of the body. Autumn is the time for nourishing and strengthening these organs on a physical and energetic level to help us let go of that which no longer serves us.

The lungs are called the “tender organ” because they are susceptible to the wind and cold. During the change to cooler temperatures, it’s important to dress properly and wear scarves and sweaters to cover the neck and throat. Fall weather tends to be very dry, and this dryness can damage the lungs. It’s especially important to stay
hydrated throughout autumn to help the lungs stay healthy. Drink hot teas with ginger and honey to keep the throat moistened.

This time of year has an abundance of wholesome fruits and vegetables. Try to incorporate seasonal foods into your diet such as squash, artichokes, arugula, spinach, beets, cabbage, and leeks. Chinese medicine recommends eating lots of soups and stews. Transition away from the cold, raw, crisp foods of summer and begin to eat warm, cooked foods. Switch out cold cereal with hot oatmeal, iced tea with warm tea, and raw salads with oven-roasted root veggies. Add in pungent foods to your cooking that benefits the lungs, such as onions, ginger, garlic, or mustard. If you want something sweet, stew seasonal fruits like apples, pears, figs, and persimmons.

Ginger Poached Pears

1 cup sweet dessert wine

One 1″ piece fresh ginger

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 cup of maple syrup or honey

4-6 ripe pears, peeled

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup raisins

Directions

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 cups water, dessert wine, fresh ginger, cinnamon stick, maple
syrup, or honey. Bring to a simmer and stir to combine.

Add the pears, turning occasionally to cook evenly. Allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the pears are tender through. Then remove the pears to a serving plate. Continue to cook the liquid for another 15 minutes, or until it has thickened to a sauce-like consistency and reduced to half. Top the pears with the sweet poaching sauce and,
if you’d like, top with nuts and raisins.

Natasha Kubis is a licensed acupuncturist and certified yoga teacher.
For more information, visit acuwellhealth.com

Women Making Music – Cynthia McDermott

by Peggy Ratusz | Sep 27, 2021 | Asheville, Music, Musician, Women

I’ve wanted to interview masterful mandolin player, accomplished singer-songwriter Cynthia McDermott since 2018 when I first met and heard her play. The time has finally come!

Juggling three pre-pandemic music projects, she focuses these days on booking her trio, Pimps of Pompe. It’s a band that specializes in jazzed-up covers of hip-hop and R&B. Cynthia describes it as “swing with swag.”

She reflects on her bandmates saying of Garron Chesson, “he’s a groovy, well-educated upright bass player with a solid sense of time and the ability to float back and forth between hip-hop and jazz voicings.” And of guitarist Duane Simpson, “he’s a unicorn, and his style, his fills help drive that R&B vibe I’m going for.”

Where were you born and raised?

I was born in Phoenixville, PA in July of 1985 and when I was four, my mom, stepdad and I took a trip down the east coast in our Toyota Tercel with a pop-up camper towed behind. We traveled to the Florida Keys and back up the Gulf coast. When we got to Panama City Beach, they decided to stay and build their new life together there. Thirty-three years later, they’re still in the house where my younger brother, Nate and I grew up!

Did someone suggest you learn to play & sing?

I was surrounded by music even before the day I was born. Mom was playing guitar for my dad in an old-time fiddle contest when she was 8 months pregnant with me, so the guitar was very close to my tiny baby self!

My mom has a beautiful voice and when I was young, I would harmonize with her when I wasn’t feeling too shy.

When I discovered Nickel Creek, their mandolin player Chris Thile totally blew me away. I started college that year and bought my first mandolin and started taking lessons.

People often regret that they didn’t stick with an instrument they were forced to learn as children. What is it that keeps you motivated to keep at it?

This is a great question because I struggle with motivation but striving to play like the greats whose music I admire so, and makes me feel so deeply is what keeps me going. I’ve learned not to approach practicing/playing with a critical ear, because that’s not conducive to accessing that space where great music comes from.

Who are your heroes and influences?

Jethro Burns is one of those musical heroes whose playing sets the standard for me. He had a joyful, playful, mischievous approach and beautiful sensibilities. He was one of the first mandolin players to branch out into the worlds of early jazz and swing, my favorite styles to listen to and play. He incorporated innovative chord variations and possessed great phrasing; he was also a funny prankster. I have a tattoo of him
on my left bicep!

I met a man who would become my partner for the next seven years. When we met, I played bluegrass and folk. Then I started listening to and began to learn Western swing. We traveled the country together, eventually venturing to Spain and France. We immersed ourselves in Bebop, Bossa Nova, Klezmer and Frank Zappa while keeping our sound rooted in vintage jazz.

The most magic I’ve experienced playing music though, has happened at a long-standing national festival/fiddle contest in Weiser, Idaho. Aside from performances by the contestants, musicians come to camp and jam. It’s an environment where you convene with some of the greatest living swing guitar players. They break down their chords for you, jam with you, sing harmonies with you, tell dirty jokes and pass the bottle with you. I make sure I go every year, no matter how busy my schedule.

How many and what kind of mandolins do you have?

My F-style acoustic mandolin was built by a maker in Birmingham where my dad lives. He had it made for me as a college graduation gift; my workhorse mandolin for a decade. My A-model acoustic was made by my favorite builder, Lawrence Smart. That’s the mandolin I play now. My electric is a crazy Frankenstein, customized by the previous owner (a member of Blue Oyster Cult). He added a couple strings to it, so instead of 5 single strings, the 3 lower strings are singles and the top two, doubled. I’m excited about having another electric built for me by my friend Ben Bonham from Weiser, ID.

Who are your vocal influences?

Ella Fitzgerald is my favorite singer for her tone, range, sensitivity and her ability to scat. Billie Holiday cuts straight to your heart and a modern R&B singer I admire is the artist H.E.R, Astrud Gilberto too; for her soft, soothing style.

Original songs you are most proud of and why?

I wrote a song called “This Is How It Is.” Stylistically it’s a mix of Bossa nova and Stevie Wonder, and lyrically it’s based on what I learned from studying yoga philosophy; that life goes smoothly when I accept what is, instead of trying to fight it. That doesn’t mean don’t fight for what I want, but do it from a place of accepting conditions as they are in this moment. The song helps remind me because it conveys that message.

The songs I write now are textured, layered, locking into a groove and finding variations. I incorporate personal experiences. If I’m struggling in the dating world, I will write about that! I write songs that reveal my vulnerabilities; that are relatable to people going through the same things.

Notable past or upcoming performances?

The Pimps of Pompe performed at the Django Reinhardt birthday celebration at the Grey Eagle 2 years ago. It was the first time we were on a notable stage with an audience full of avid listeners. They loved us!

We play Sundays at the Battery Park Book Exchange, at The Foundry Hotel Lounge on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of every month and weekends at the Lobster Trap. We’ll be taking our maiden voyage on the LaZoom Bus October 1st. We will also be on the Grey Eagle patio October 27th.

I’m also part of a group called GypsyGrass, led by the talented Ben Phan as well as Queen Bee (Whitney Moore) and the Honey Lovers. You can keep up with my shows by visiting:

pimpsofpompe.com

mandocynmusic.com

Peggy Ratusz is a vocal coach, song interpreter, and songwriter.
For vocal coaching email her at [email protected]

Morning Yoga to Welcome the Day

by Natasha Kubis | Aug 30, 2021 | Acupuncture, Asheville, Women, yoga

Before we get into a simple yoga routine that can help us greet the new day and meet our challenges with grace, it’s important to remember to practice safely and with care. Back out of a stretch if it’s too intense and modify as necessary.

Focused breathing is key to being able to relax in yoga poses. A gentle and calming technique is called Ujjayi or ocean breath.

Inhale for 5 seconds through the nose.

With your mouth closed, exhale through your nose for 5 seconds while constricting the back of your throat, as if you’re
saying “ha”.

The inhalation and exhalation should sound like the tides of the ocean.

Hold each posture for 3 to 5 cycles of breath.

Mountain Pose

This is the foundation for all of the standing poses and improves posture and stability.

Stand up tall and bring your feet parallel.

Bring focus to your core and engage your abdominal muscles.

Feel a gentle lift through the thigh muscles.

Feel grounded through your feet.

Relax your shoulders.

Side Stretch

With an inhale, gently lift your arms overhead.

Grab your right wrist with your left hand.

Side bend to the left, giving your right wrist a gentle pull.

Come back through the center and do the opposite side.

Forward Fold

This is a very good pose to open the hamstrings, stretch the back muscles, and make the spine supple by allowing decompression of the vertebrae.

Fold forward over your thighs, hinging from the hips.

Keep a small bend in the knees.

Bring the hands to the floor, shins, or grab opposite elbows if the hamstrings are tight.

Relax the neck and shoulders.

Downward Dog

This pose stretches the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, and allows traction of the spine.

From a forward-fold, plant your hands firmly into the ground.

Step your feet back one foot at a time so that they are hips distance apart.

Lift your hips and engage your thighs while putting your weight into the heels.

Keep a small bend in your knees.

Peddle out your knees to open the calves and hamstrings.

Planks

From a downward dog position, push forward into a high push-up.

Keep your shoulders in a straight line with your wrists.

Engage your abdomen and thigh muscles.

Push your heels back for a calf stretch.

Keep a slight lift in your tailbone to protect your low back.

Relax your neck.

Cobra Pose

As a heart-opening pose, the cobra pose stretches the chest, lungs, shoulders, and abdomen. It also strengthens the spine, and promotes flexibility.

From a plank position, lower down to the floor onto your belly.

Place your palms beneath your shoulders.

Elbows tuck toward your sides.

Press your pubic bone into the floor.

For a mild backbend press into hands, leaving elbows slightly bent as you lift your head and chest away from the floor.

For a deeper backbend, push all the way up with a full extension of arms.

Puppy Pose

This pose stretches the spine, shoulder, and arms. It is a deeply relaxing stretch for the back, which also helps calm the nervous system.

From a tabletop position, walk your hands forward and sink the hips back toward the heels.

Lower the forehead to the mat and relax the neck.

Actively stretch arms forward while pulling hips toward heels.

Tiger Pose and Cross Arch Stretch

This pose is a balance and back strengthening pose. It also stretches the psoas and quadriceps muscles.

From a tabletop position, extend the right hand out in front of you.

Extend the left leg out behind you.

Engage your core.

When stable, lift the left leg off the ground.

Then draw the left knee to the right elbow and hold in an abdominal crunch position.

Release the crunch position and once again, extend the right hand out in front and left leg back behind you.

Bend the left knee while reaching around with the right hand to grab the left foot.

Repeat the sequence on the other side.

Cat-Cow Stretch

This pose releases tension in the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. It also improves digestion, circulation, and relaxes the mind.

Start in a tabletop position with knees under hips and wrists under shoulders.

For cat pose, press into the hands, tuck tailbone, and round back.

For cow pose, arch the back and lift the chin and tailbone to the sky.

Low Lunge and Hamstring Stretch

This stretch improves focus, balance, and stability. It stretches your arms, legs, shoulders, neck, belly, groin, and ankles while energizing the entire body.

From a tabletop position, bring your left foot forward between your hands.

Keep the left knee at a 90-degree angle so that the knee is in line with the ankle.

Slide the right knee back on the mat until there is a comfortable stretch in the right thigh and groin.

Reach arms overhead and create
a mild back arch.

Then plant your hands on either side of the mat and sit back toward your right heel for a hamstring stretch.

Repeat to the other side.

Wide Leg Standing Forward
Fold with Clasped Hands

This stretches the hamstrings, inner thighs, deltoids, and biceps.

From a wide-legged stance, with feet parallel, bring hands to hips.

Fold forward, hinging from the hips.

Clasp hands behind you and raise them away from the sacrum.

Seated Spinal Twist

This helps stretch the spine, shoulders, and hips. It massages the internal organs, improves digestion, relieves sciatica, as well as low back and neck pain.

Sit with legs stretched out in front of you.

Pull one knee towards your body and sit up tall.

Twist slowly toward your bent knee, wrapping the opposite elbow to the outside of the bent knee.

Repeat on the opposite side.

Seated Side Stretch

Sit comfortably with one leg in front of the other or cross-legged.

Place your right hand down on the ground for support.

Extend your left arm up to the sky as you reach and bend laterally to your right.

For a deeper stretch, place your right hand on your left knee and extend your left arm up as you bend laterally to the right.

Repeat on the opposite side.

Bridge Pose

Lay down onto your back.

Feet are planted hips distance apart.

Bend knees so they are pointing upward.

Fingertips should be able to graze the backs of the heels.

Press through the feet and squeeze thighs slightly inward as you lift hips and sternum off the mat.

Clasp hands together for a deeper stretch.

Natasha Kubis is a licensed acupuncturist and certified yoga teacher.
For more information, visit acuwellhealth.com

Women Making Music – Coming Back Better

by Peggy Ratusz | Jul 27, 2021 | Asheville, Music, Musician, Vocal Coach, Women

The opening paragraph I wrote in November 2017 of Women Making Music spotlighting saxophonist and singer, Debrissa McKinney is worth repeating: “The first time I met Debrissa McKinney I was in a bad mood. I don’t remember why but what I do remember is that she brought sunny into my gloom, and turned my frown upside down. She asked me questions about myself. She was truly interested in my answers. I know oodles of people who are good at give and take. But something about Debrissa makes me and everyone she meets feel that extra special mojo; one feels lifted in her company.”

Catching up with Ms. McKinney recently over Zoom, we start off laughing of course because anyone who knows her knows that frivolity abounds when she’s around. Our exchange quickly goes to where most of my conversations these days with musician friends go, by talking about the big transition. “I’m not as busy as I was pre-pandemic yet, but there’s a definite feeling like, ‘Oh I need to rehearse this stuff again,” she admits.

During lockdown she confesses that like so many of us, she caught herself moping around. Living downtown like she does, the desolation was palpable. “I’d go for walks in the neighborhood and could feel people peering out their windows wondering who is this extra sad looking lady comin’ up my street. All I needed was a Mr. Microphone for my inner sad-singer to vent and wail my fear and loneliness while I shuffled up and down the streets.”

Thank goodness things are pivoting from live streams to live shows. We delve into philosophy pertaining to the phenomenon of Covid 19 and what we’ve learned. We agree that saying “no” or “not right now” is more common and accepted amongst our peers and bandmates and we are grateful.

McKinney is still part of the 2017 Grammy winning (for best Kid’s Album) troupe, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo and plays sax and sings with Empire Strikes Brass as well as lead and backing vocalist for the most popular Steely Dan tribute band, Dirty Logic. But when we last left her, she was dabbling in a project with Hip/Hop MC and producers Austn Haynes and Johnny Reynolds.

Haynes and Reynolds have maintained a partnership that dates back to their teens. Referring to themselves as “forever friends,” you can hear that it fuels their combined artistry. With love and ambition, their successful, bicoastal Hip Hop outfit called Free Radio was born.

The pandemic and the fact that they are both back living in Asheville, Free Radio duo has morphed into something even more expansive. The addition of vocal melodies and harmonies executed with warm and luscious precision by Debrissa and deep-soul vocalist Datrian Johnson brings “balance and magic” to this purposeful project.

“One of the coolest parts of this collaboration” McKinney says, “stems from Austn’s masterful beat making prowess. He’s always creating new and unique beats; there’s no beat re-do’s; he is always mixing it up.”

For anyone not steeped in Hip Hop, and for longtime Free Radio duo fans, this new angle to the venture will draw you in. They’ve created a new accessible genre they dub “Cosmic Appalachian Hip Hop.” The moods and melodies are grounded in R&B and roots music, connecting them to the potency of nature, sound and rhythm. The result is a mashup with a distinct message.

Riding tandem to this fresh Free Radio cooperative, Debrissa is in company with yet another musical undertaking involving scientist, folk healer, wisdom keeper, Jeff Firewalker Schmidt, Phd and his passionate and profoundly introspective project with Jazz musician and keyboardist John Medeski (of Medeski Martin & Wood) called Saint Disruption.

Firewalker and Medeski came together serendipitously, meeting in the Amazon while both were on a mission of personal healing and growth. Their endeavor is based around their “deep devotion to native wisdom traditions.”

The pandemic allowed for the creation of Saint Disruption’s 7-track record called “Rose in the Oblivion” and features Debrissa, Datrian, Leeda Lyric Jones and Austn Haynes among others.

Following are excerpts from an interview with Jeff and John on Live for Live Music conducted by Andrew O’Brien on April 7th of this year:

“This is a native wisdom,” Firewalker contends. “And native teachings say that it’s in the darkness where we come to know who we truly are. One of my teachers puts it beautifully: can you name one thing on this planet that doesn’t start its life in the darkness?”

The darkness of 2020, he explains, was the impetus for Saint Disruption’s creation. “I went to my altar and I said, ‘Okay, Spirit. I’ve got this luxury of time. What do you want me to do? And the answer I got back, it was not subtle. It was a smack upside the head. It was like, ‘Take everything that you’ve seen and learned and felt and perceived and put it into poetry and music.

“We acknowledged and recognized that at this time in human history, there’s an opportunity to do something musically that reflects artistically those things that we feel humanity could be well-served to grapple with,” Jeff notes. “John and
I are very dedicated to this idea of ‘Can the music be evocative and deliver messages for people to consider at this time in history?’ “

The answer is yes! The album release concert takes place at The Grey Eagle August 29th at 8pm. Free Radio quartet opens.

There’s no finer example of a local female artist continuing to make good, striving to always come back better than Debrissa McKinney, who will be adding her supreme and mystical vocals to both sets that night.

facebook.com/Debrissa-113430532032607/

freeradio4all.com/

saintdisruption.com/about

liveforlivemusic.com/features/saint-disruption-jeff-firewalker-schmitt-john-medeski-interview-2021/

thegreyeagle.com/event/saint-disruption-featuring-john-medeski/

Peggy Ratusz is a vocalist, songwriter and vocal coach

reverbnation.com/peggyratusz

Peggy’s August Dates:

Friday, August 6th
Love Bubble feat Paula Hanke, Hank Bones & Peggy Ratusz Southern Appalachian Brewing, Hendersonville, 7pm

Saturday, August 7th
Jonathan Pearlman and Peggy Ratusz The 2nd Act Coffee, Beer & Wine Café, Hendersonville, 6pm

Sunday, August 22nd
Jonathan Pearlman and Peggy Ratusz One World West, Asheville, 4pm

Peggy Ratusz is a vocal coach, song interpreter, and songwriter.
For vocal coaching email her at [email protected]

The Season strong of the Fire

by admin | Jul 26, 2021 | Acupuncture, Asheville, Women, yoga

Consciously engaging with the environment’s seasonal transitions is an insightful way to align our physical bodies with the natural world. Chinese Medicine believes that incorporating proper seasonal nutrition and lifestyle practices into our daily lives can help us regulate disharmony in our bodies.

Chinese Medicine recognizes five distinct seasons: winter, spring, summer, late summer, and autumn. Summer belongs to the element of fire. It is the most yang time of year because it is the season that is overflowing with abundant energy, sunshine, hot weather, longer days, and shorter nights. It is said that the heart, mind, and spirit are ruled by the fire element and joy is its emotional expression. It is the time to engage with life and embody the yang attributes of the self. Summer is about expansion, growth, activity, and creativity. It is a time of year that reminds us to live our lives to the fullest.

Lifestyle practices that help us cultivate our inner fire element include dancing, creative movement, singing, and other forms of outward self-expression. Allow yourself to stay out a little later, socialize with people who bring you joy, make time to go on an adventure, and cultivate creativity.

During summer, wake up earlier in the morning to take advantage of the full yang energy of daytime and go to bed later in the evening. There is plenty of time to rest in the winter with its darker and shorter days. Take an afternoon siesta during the warmest parts of the day to help rejuvenate you from the heat.

Eating more yin-type foods will cool down the body in the hot weather. Yin foods include lettuce, cucumbers, watercress, endives, spinach, tomato, yogurt, mint, dill, cilantro, apple, kiwi, lemon, watermelon, and pineapple. Try to avoid excessively spicy foods because they add too much heat to the body.

Drink plenty of fluids and stay hydrated. Some nourishing drinks aside from water include watermelon juice and lemon or cucumber-infused water. Other beverages that cool the body down include green, mint, and Chrysanthemum teas.

Chrysanthemum flowers have been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine to treat respiratory problems, high blood pressure, and hyperthyroidism. To add more of a “cooling” effect on the body, an adaptogen- American ginseng, can be used in this tea blend to maximize health benefits.

Cooling Golden Flower Summer Tea Recipe

2 cups of dried chrysanthemum flowers

2 tablespoons of American Ginseng powder

1/4 cup dried Goji Berries

10 cups of water

Honey or sugar to sweeten as needed

Directions

Bring chrysanthemum flowers and water to a boil in a pot. Reduce heat and simmer for less than a minute. Take out the chrysanthemum using a strainer. Add ginseng and simmer for another 5 minutes. Take out ginseng using a strainer. Add honey or sugar to taste. Fill the pitcher with ice and pour the tea into the pitcher.

Watermelon Mint Salad

6 cups cubed seedless watermelon

2 tablespoons minced fresh mint

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and gently toss.

Natasha Kubis is a licensed acupuncturist and certified yoga teacher.
For more information, visit acuwellhealth.com

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