We’ve all heard the saying “you are what you eat” but what may be more true is that what you eat is a reflection of how you feel about yourself.
When we make healthier food choices, we're also making choices about the quality with which we want to live our lives.
A healthy lifestyle comes from knowledge through the proper resources but also through tuning in with the self. Adapting a healthy lifestyle means looking at all aspects of your life – your work, relationships and your diet.
We’ve all heard the saying “you are what you eat” but what may be more true is that what you eat is a reflection of how you feel about yourself.
When we make healthier food choices, we're also making choices about the quality with which we want to live our lives.
A healthy lifestyle comes from knowledge through the proper resources but also through tuning in with the self. Adapting a healthy lifestyle means looking at all aspects of your life – your work, relationships and your diet.
by Setareh Moafi, PhD., L.Ac.
Throughout the month of February and especially on Valentine's Day, we're inundated with symbols and products that we've been conditioned to believe represent love — hearts, flowers, candy, photos of lovers, and fancy dinner dates.
Everything that represents Valentine's Day makes us acutely aware of the need to share love with the ones who matter most.
Whether or not you’re in relationship, this holiday can be more of a trigger than a celebration, let alone the disappointments you may feel around love, including needs and expectations that may feel unmet by your partner, kids, friends or other loved ones.
But the truth is, the love you're seeking from others is already inside you.
Interestingly, the middle of Winter during which Valentine's Day takes place is actually the optimal time to cultivate the most important kind of love — the love for oneself.
Winter is associated with the Kidneys and the Water element. Water is about contemplation, quietude and self-cultivation, all of which are necessary to build our primary energy, known as Jing, which is stored in the Kidneys.
Preservation of your Jing through proper self-care and diet, as well as practices of self-cultivation such as Qi Gong, Yoga and Meditation helps slow down the aging process and prevent a plethora of illnesses and chronic degenerative diseases.
Water is the element that balances Fire according to the Five Element system of Chinese Medicine, and Fire is associated with the Heart.
The Kidney's Water cools the Heart's Fire but if the Kidney energy is drained or insufficient, Heart Fire will blaze, resulting in symptoms such as anxiety and insomnia.
In Chinese Medicine, the Heart not only circulates the blood, but it also houses the spirit, known as the Shen. A nourished, settled Heart manifests as a calm spirit and mind.
When there is sufficient Kidney energy, the Heart is calm and we can sleep more restfully and feel clear and easy with our thoughts and perception of the world.
Sufficient Kidney Qi anchors the Heart Qi and helps us cultivate a feeling of self-love. As this form of love abounds, it easily flows into others.
That's why, like nearly everything else, it's so important to first cultivate love for oneself to then be able to authentically share it with others.
Practices such as Meditation and self-reflection amplify self-love and therefore nourish the Heart.
Heart energy drives our passion and creativity. By cultivating self-love, we're able to generously share love and compassion with others.
“Being in love is the reconnection with the whole of who you really are”
Self-love connects us to the highest form of love from our Source and when we're connected in this way, the love that we're able to share with others is limitless.
Fennel Essential Oil is a powerful natural element that can support you to cultivate self-love.
While it's commonly used to promote digestion and appetite, Fennel oil also strengthens and warms the Kidneys and improves the communication between the Heart and Kidneys. In this way, Fennel can help you feel a sense of comfort and greater connection with yourself.
Fennel can be used in a blend as prescribed by a healthcare practitioner and used topically along the Kidney meridian.
This Valentine's Day, take some time to reflect and be with yourself to nourish your Kidneys and settle your Heart. Remember that you have everything you need to feel loved and that your true love lies within.
If you’re struggling to open your heart, listen to episode #7 of The Natural Healing Podcast for tangible tools to support you right now.
Let me know in the comments below — how are you cultivating the greatest form of love in your life?
Download this free audio guide to learn 4 pillars that’ll transform your health & life.
Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac. is Co-Owner and Director of A Center for Natural Healing in Santa Clara, California, a health and wellness clinic that specializes in Classical Chinese Medicine and Traditional Japanese Acupuncture. Setareh offers clinical services and transformational workshops that blend the ancient practices of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yoga.
Where do you carry your stress?
If you're like most people, you accumulate a lot of tension in your neck and shoulders. And with more Zoom calls and time behind a desk, this tension can accumulate to a point that can leave you feeling stuck.
Luckily, something as simple as this 10 minute Yoga warmup sequence can help you open your neck and shoulders — and shift your mood.
We often think making a change in the body or mind takes time that we simply don't have.
But the reality is that doing a simple practice for just 5-10 min daily is all it takes to make a difference.
It's the little steps you take towards your self-care that lead to the biggest transformations.
Once you've practiced, let me know in the comments below how this short sequence left you feeling.
Want to learn more practices like this? Join the waitlist for the From Surviving to Thriving online course and be the first to know the details as soon as enrollment opens for a very limited time on March 16th.
by Setareh Moafi, Ph.D., L.Ac.
Recently I had the honor of taking part in a live online class taught by one of my heroes, Julia Cameron.
Julia is the author of the international bestseller The Artist’s Way, as well as over 40 other publications. Her work has impacted my life more than any other writer and if you know me well, you know how often I recommend her to others.
I had the pleasure of meeting this humble soul in person a couple years ago during an Artist’s Way workshop she hosted near my hometown. At that time, I was celebrating over a decade of writing Morning Pages and was able to let her know personally how profound an impact this practice had (and continues to have) on my life.
My morning writing practice drops me every day into silence to listen to my inner truths, regardless of how uplifting or painful they may be.
Throughout this new course, Julia talked about the power of deep listening to hear the sounds in your surroundings, your mind, your heart, to guidance, and even the sound of silence.
It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes by Ram Dass: “The quieter you become, the more you can hear.”
As I got quiet and listened, I started hearing sounds I’d never heard before in my home, during my yoga practice and on my walks.
I began to have a greater appreciation for simple things, like the scratching of my dogs’ feet as they walked across our hardwood floors and my mother’s voice as she spoke to me on the phone.
I began to listen more deeply to my inner wisdom for what I wanted or needed. And I started to listen more acutely to the guidance that comes constantly from Source.
To me, deep listening is at the heart of presence.
To be able to hear what others have to say without needing to respond or do anything is freeing.
How liberating to simply be present with what is rather than feel I have to control everything!
Silence is powerful. More often than not, simply listening to someone share rather than speaking creates space for clarity to arise for that person. The same goes when you listen to yourself.
At a time in history that’s perhaps louder than any other — with the blaring sounds of the news, social media, and a landscape filled with fear, anxiety and worry, it’s essential to stop and listen.
While you may not be able to turn off the noise, becoming more aware of the sounds in both your inner and outer worlds can change how you experience them.
Taking time to slow down and truly listen helps lower the volume of distraction and tune you in to the wisdom that lies within.
Then, you can reveal the truth of not just what you truly feel, but also what you truly need and want.
Listen & Write
With a pen and paper in hand, sit in a quiet corner of your home.
Close your eyes.
Take three deep breaths.
Now, open your eyes and write down every sound you hear in your environment—the fan of your heater, cars driving by outside, birds chirping, the rain or the breeze, the sound of your children walking or dogs barking, etc.
Write down every single sound you hear for the next 3-5 minutes.
Then pause and take another three breaths.
Be still with all that is in the moment.
Now write down what you feel – physically, emotionally and mentally.
This may stir up some emotion, especially if it’s been a while since you’ve taken time like this for yourself. Invite in all the feelings.
Listening deeply is essential to hearing your personal truth. Writing it down clarifies the path to your authentic self.
10 Minute Meditation (BEME Meditation): the meditation below will help you listen more closely, more often.
I like to call it The BEME Meditation; it’s a practice I developed that invites you to listen to your body, emotions, mind and environment, without judgment.
While judgments and inner narratives can distort reality and cause you to suffer, the process of quiet observation supports you to be authentic by simply being more present.
So feel, hear, be.
And know that everything will be OK, even if you don’t feel OK in this particular moment.
What’s the soundtrack that’s playing in your life right now? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
Besides my yoga practice, one of the things I’ve most enjoyed about being at home while we shelter in place is having more time to cook healthy meals.
Cooking is definitely one of my passions. What makes it even more exciting is integrating the delicious influence of my Persian heritage with Chinese Medicine insights that turn food into nourishing medicine for the body, mind and soul.
So in lieu of a live practice today, I'm showing you how to make one of my all-time favorite soups that's super simple and has an array of health benefits.
This recipe from my mom makes the perfect springtime dish that helps detoxify your Liver and boosts your immunity to fight colds, viruses and of course allergies.🌷
Watch the video to learn step-by-step instructions on how to make this easy 7-ingredient recipe.
All you need is mung beans, turnips, onion, salt, pepper, oil, and broth or stock. Watch the video for all the details.
Creativity is so healing. And cooking can be such a fun, creative and nourishing way to support your health even in the most turbulent times.
Once you’ve tried the recipe, share it with your friends and family and let me know how it went below. I look forward to hearing from you!
