Season: Autumn
Element: Metal
Moon: Quarter
Zodiac: Cancer
Happy Friday!
The next Rest Event is coming up on Sunday, October 15, 2023, from 1:30pm to 3:00pm. There is one spot open, so if you are interested to join, please RVSP at abby@cascadefengshui.com.
For those of you who are new to this newsletter, at the Rest Event you are guided through a body scan, energy clearing, vagus nerve reset, yoga nidra exercise, rest / sleep, wake up, meditation, integration discussion, and affirmation over an hour and a half. All you need is a yoga mat, pillow, and blanket for the experience.
On this wonderful autumn day, we have a quarter moon in sensitive and kind Cancer. For many of us, it has been an intense week after last Friday’s super moon. Yesterday was particularly intense for me and it got me thinking about one of Thich Nhat Hahn’s Six Mantras in The Art of Communicating. The mantra is “this is a happy moment.” It is a reminder within an interaction to show the other person how lucky you feel when they are there, and that you can enjoy happiness together right here and right now. Our world is so focused on the negative and many of us have been taught to only mention constructive criticism, so positive affirmations or observations often go unsaid.
Only hearing negative comments and constructive criticism is exhausting not only to the person receiving it but also, I believe, to the person giving it. To live in a constant state of negativity is to live in the sympathetic nervous system, since there is always an edge of fight in it. Conversely, giving an affirmation brings about positive energy between you and another person that you can both feel. Some of you have recently written to me about how much you enjoy reading this newsletter. These words bring about a warm, glowy feeling — like being filled with liquid gold or sunshine. It makes my day, relaxes my shoulders, and brings me into yin. Thank you, thank you for those wonderful words and thank you to all of you who give yourself and others positive affirmations. We can enjoy happiness together right here and right now.
Note: Rest curations, products, and recordings are still in the works, but I am leaving the paid subscriber Rest Readings, Rest Recipes, and Rest Rituals on the newsletter for a month or so. If you want to contribute, consider becoming a paid subscriber through Substack:
REST READING
Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve by Stanley Rosenberg
The Art of Communicating by Thich Nhat Hahn
Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
Saving Time by Jenny Odell
The Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer by Dan Buettner
The Moon Book by Sarah Faith Gottesdiener
Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
Essential Oils to Boost the Brain & Heal the Body by Jodi Cohen
In Praise of Wasting Time by Alan Lightman
The Power of Ritual by Casper ter Kuile
Rest is Resistance by Tricia Hersey
REST RECIPE
Last week, I gave a recipe for Bone Broth and today I am going to expand on it. I mentioned liquid gold above, which is what I think of the broth, but we are going to make it even better by turning it into chicken soup. So, here is the recipe for Chicken Soup:
1 cup egg noodles
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 carrot, peeled
1 celery stalk
1/2 cup peas
1 cup chicken*, shredded
1 cup bone broth
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Bring a pot of water to a boil and put in the egg noodles. Cook for 1 minute less than the package instructions, so when drained the noodles are al dente. With a mandoline slicer or a sharp knife, cut the carrot and celery into very thin slices. In a sauté pan, add the oil, carrot, celery, and peas and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the bone broth, bring to a simmer, and add the noodles, salt, and pepper. If the bone broth does not cover the top of the noodles and vegetables, add a bit more to cover. Cook for 1-2 minutes to incorporate the flavors.
*The body uses tryptophan from chicken to make melatonin—which can help you rest—and serotonin, the chemical that signals your nerves and makes you feel happy and at ease.
REST RITUAL
As I mention at the Rest Events, our vagus nerve connects our brain with almost every organ in our body. The vagus nerve facilitates the state of balance between your sympathetic nervous system (this relates to fight, flight, or freeze) and your parasympathetic system (this relates to rest and digest). It is an on-off switch between the two. In this modern time, we are often stuck in sympathetic due to hypervigilance and unprocessed trauma. Here is the Basic Exercise from Stanley Rosenberg’s book Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve to engage the vagus nerve through eye movement and to get us out of the fight, flight, or freeze response.
Lying down on your back, interlock your fingers and put your hands behind your head so that your thumbs touch the base of your neck. You want to be cradling your head in your palms. Keeping your head centered, move only your eyes to look as far to the right as possible. Hold your eyes here for about 30 seconds and remember to blink or close your eyelids if necessary. You may feel the need to sigh, yawn, or take a deep breath.
After 30 seconds come back to the center and rest.
Next keeping your head centered, move only your eyes to look as far to the left as possible. Hold your eyes here for about 30 seconds and remember to blink or close your eyelids if necessary. Again, you may feel the need to sigh, yawn, or take a deep breath.
After 30 seconds come back to the center and rest. Take 2 deep breaths to settle into the rest state.
Thank you so much for reading and I hope this has been enjoyable. May your week wrap up with ease and may your weekend be relaxing.
One more reminder on the upcoming events:
What: Rest Event
Where: Liebestraum Chalet, 5505 Bancroft, Alto, Michigan 49302
When: Sunday, October 15th, 2023 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm
Why: Give yourself permission and come join me to REST
Who: Presented by Cascade Rest Curation in partnership with Cascade Feng Shui
How Many: Only 10 spots available, so please RSVP asap to abby@cascadefengshui.com if you would like to attend.
How Much: FREE!
If you cannot make the above date, again no worries. I will be holding Rest Events also on the following Sundays:
November 12th, 2023 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm
December 10th, 2023 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm
Mark them in your calendar and feel free to RSVP me for any of the dates above.
And if you are interested in my feng shui services, please see my website at www.cascadefengshui.com and contact me at abby@cascadefengshui.com.