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Self Healing Australia
Summer Newsletter
2009

Northern Hemisphere visitors please click here for the winter newsletter


Summer Foods & Cooking Style

Summer is the season when we can feel most open and inspired to follow our passion and joy. However it can also be a time when we can become a little manic or obsessive about things, feel sad or not connected to other people.

Foods that are important for Summer are corn, polenta, bitter greens, salads, and tofu. These foods nourish and regulate the heart and small intestine helping absorption and circulation in the body.

By adding these foods to your diet, you’ll feel less tense and impatient, your thinking will be clearer, and you’ll feel more connected to life and people.

Summer cooking style

With the seasonal change from Spring to Summer cooking methods become lighter and shorter. Stir-frying, steaming, and light boiling are the main cooking methods for the season. Vegetables are chopped finer or in matchsticks for quicker cooking. Salt and tamari are used in smaller amounts.

Corn is harvested at this time and is the most suitable grain for the season. Sea vegetables can also be used as condiments or in light-pickled salads. Small amounts of fresh summer fruit can be used with meals as they provide a cooling effect.

If you are living in the northern hemisphere, Winter foods and cooking styles are available free online in the Macrobiotic Handbook for All Seasons.
I
Tofu & Vegies Shishkabab
    • 4 button mushrooms
    • 4 yellow squash
    • 2 zucchini
    • 4 tomatoes
    • 250g white tofu
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 1 tablespoon mustard
    • 2 tablespoons tamari
    • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons oregano or basil
    • sea salt
    Cut tomatoes in halves and sprinkle sea salt on the inside leaving them for 15 minutes in a bowl. Then scrape off any excess sea salt and throw away the excess water from the tomatoes.

    Wash and cut vegetables in big chunks and cut tofu into thick 2cm squares. Place them in a large bowl.

    Prepare the marinade in a small bowl by mixing rice vinegar, tamari, crushed garlic clove, mustard and herbs together.

    Pour the marinade over vegetables and let sit in the fridge for about 1-2 hours before making the shiskababs.

    Then place cut pieces of vegetables and tofu on wooden skewers and either grill or barbecue each side for 10 minutes.

    Add 1 tablespoon of kuzu dissolved in a little cold water to leftover marinade. Simmer until kuzu turns transparent and then pour sauce over shishkababs.

    Serve with noodles or rice.

More recipes are available free online
in the Macrobiotic Handbook for All Seasons.
    Bach Flowers - Cerato
    Cerato can be helpful when we lack faith in our own judgement and decisions.

    Cerato personalities usually do not trust their own decision-making capacity and can often be led astray by other people's arguments.

    Lack of trust in one's intuition or Higher Self is another consequence of the negative Cerato condition which can lead to constantly asking the advice of others.

    A quiet certainty about what needs to be done, greater intuition and a belief in one's judgment are some of the benefits of this remedy.

    General dosage is 4 - 5 drops under the tongue at least 3 times a day.

Small Intestine meridian meditation

Close your eyes and imagine the sun. Feel the warmth and glow of its rays upon you face. Feel your whole body start to glow, first your face then neck and shoulders, chest, arms, torso, back and legs.

Feel the heat start to gather in your lower abdomen just below the navel, and imagine the heat igniting inside of you to create a furnace of raw energy. Feel the intensity of that furnace and understand that it is the source of all your energy and power.

From that furnace, let the energy stream forth to all parts of your body until it is coming out of your mouth, eyes, ears, fingers and toes. Let that energy stream forth into the world like a spark that ignites the flames in other peoples’ hearts. Feel the inspiration and joy as they too light up and become powerhouses and lighthouses to each other.

Feel yourself becoming one with all things connected to them by all the energy of the Universe, and smile to yourself.

Then slowly return to your body.

Link of the Season


PureCalma.com online wellbeing magazine.

PureCalma collates a broad range of knowledge in the holistic, fitness and wellbeing field presenting it in an easy to understand and personal format.

If you too have a passion to search out complementary ways to re-energise your body and distance yourself from everyday stresses you have come to the right place.

Take the time, relax and explore the site that is PureCalma.

PureCalma.com


On The Fence

© Issi Aaron

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Shiatsu Point Therapy for Arm and Elbow Pain

In the ancient 5-Element theory, Summer relates to the Fire element which includes the Small Intestine and Heart meridians.

The Small Intestine meridian creates on the internal level by turning food into fire. It is the furnace or powerhouse of the hara which provides the energy for the heart to regulate.

The meridian also relates to the inner cortex of the brain which involves thoughts, intuition, and creativity. When we're feeling a lack of energy at the physical or creative level, we can often be attracted to stimulants like caffeine, nicotine, and drugs to kick start ourselves.

When the meridian is balanced, we feel passionate and excited about our lives and our creative endeavours. We're more in touch with our intuition and are able to assimilate new situations with ease.

SI 6 is located in the depression on the inside of bony cleft near wrist.

It can offer symptomatic relief from pain in the arm and elbow as well as shoulder and neck pain.

Treatment

Using your thumb, apply pressure until you feel the soreness in the point.

Taking deep breaths and maintaining the pressure breathe slowly in and out of the point until you feel the tension and pain disappear.

To find out more about Shiatsu points please click here.

Yoga for Summer
Lying Twist Pose

    This pose strengthens the back and spine, massages and realigns the internal organs.

  • Lie on your back with arms at 90 degrees to the body.
  • Inhale and bring the knees to the chest.
  • Exhale roll the hips to one side, while turning the head to the other side. Allow the knees to touch the floor while trying to keep the shoulders flat on the floor.
  • Inhale and bring the knees up with head to centre.

    Exhale and repeat to the other side.

    (For people with neck problems, the head can stay still without turning to the side.)

    Book of the Season


    Modalities and You
    Pilates
    What is Pilates?

    Pilates was developed by Joseph Hubertus Pilates in the 1920s. The exercises work the entire body, focussing on the core postural muscles which help keep the body balanced and support the spine. Pilates involves six principles – concentration, control, centering, breathing, flow, and precision.

    There are different ways to practise Pilates. Pilates is most often performed on a mat or a Reformer.

    A Reformer is a resistance-based piece of equipment with a moving carriage that slides along a wooden or metal frame.

    Matwork Pilates requires only a mat and your own body to create resistance.

    How can Pilates help me?

    The development of core strength (abdominal/back strength) can be regarded as the main motivation for taking up Pilates.

    It can also be an excellent alternative for people who attend the gym as Pilates can prevent and heal back pain, improve posture and technique and build long, lean muscles instead of creating bulky, heavy muscles. It will also improve stamina, coordination, flexibility and joint mobility as well as relax the mind.

    Pilates practise involves “lateral thoracic breathing." This means breathing into the lower ribcage and upper back to make maximum use of your lung capacity. This action also creates greater flexibility in the upper body and work the abdominal muscles.

    You can gain tremendous results by practising Pilates 2 – 3 times a week, although it is very individual and depends on your start level experience.

    Additional information is available at
    www.aspirepilates.com.au

    Extract taken from an interview with Karen Hagberg courtesy of Pure Calma Magazine.

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    Archive of previous newsletters: Spring
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    Winter
© Self Healing Australia 2009

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