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Tag: Cold

  • Winter Congee Recipe

    Winter Congee Recipe

    a winter TCM recipe to warm and heal your gut.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 cup of jasmine rice
    • 8 cups of chicken stock, vegetable stock, or bone broth (this makes a medium consistency congee, for a more soup-like consistency, use 10-12 cups.
    • pinch of salt
    • pinch of white pepper (warming herb)
    • 1-3 inches of chopped ginger
    • 3/4 cup of enoki mushrooms
    • 3/4 cup of thin slicked shiitake mushrooms (dehydrated work nicely)
    • 3/4 cup of thin sliced woo-ear mushrooms (dehydrated work nicely)
    • Optional: Shredded chicken

    Option ingredients to top at the end:

    • Splash of soy sauce
    • a few drops of sesame oil
    • thinly sliced scallions
    • cilantro
    • chili flakes

    Preparation:  

    Rinse the rice and soak in water for 30-45 minutes. This allows the rice to break down easier during the cookie process. (you can forgo this step if you’d prefer to just rinse)  

    Add all the ingredients to a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then simmer on low heat, with the lid half covered for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom.

    Congee is done when the grains disintegrate into the liquid to reach a uniformly dense texture. (You can also use a slow cooker or instapot. Instapot has a porridge setting!)

    Congee can thicken a little as it cools. Add optional ingredients from the topping list above.

  • Winter

    Winter

    Embracing the Yin Season: Winter Wellness and Mindful Rest

    As the temperature drops and winter approaches, we naturally enter the most Yin time of year. In the realm of holistic wellness, winter represents a powerful seasonal shift that invites us to mirror the rhythms of nature. This is a sacred season of going inward, conserving our vital energy, slowing down, and deeply honoring rest as a form of proactive healthcare.

    Rather than resisting the darker days, let these quiet months guide you back to your inner self. Achieving true mind-body balance during a seasonal transition requires us to tune into what our physical and emotional bodies genuinely need. You can easily find your own natural rhythm by seeking out daily warmth, intentional joy, and restorative light. At the same time, practice the essential holistic art of boundary-setting. Ensure you are not overextending your personal energy reserves.

    A mindful balance of gentle activity and quiet introspection is the ultimate key to keeping your Yin and Yang energy healthy, vibrant, and aligned. To support your holistic health this winter, focus on seasonal self-care practices:

    • Nourish your body with warming, mineral-rich whole foods.
    • Engage in gentle, restorative movement like yin yoga or intuitive stretching.
    • Dedicate quiet time to daily meditation, journaling, and breathwork.
    • Prioritize deep, restorative sleep cycles to naturally boost your immune system. A little cat mint tincture can help calm the nervous system to promote restful sleep.

    By intentionally shifting from the high-energy demands of summer and autumn into the slow, restorative frequency of winter, you protect your nervous system from burnout. Honor this natural pause. It is an essential phase of your lifelong wellness journey. Allow your mind, body, and spirit to replenish themselves from the inside out.

    Find a session that works for you to care for your body, mind, and spirit! We find that the table heaters warm us through-and-through during a massage.

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  • TCM warming broth

    TCM warming broth

    Cold and cough season has arrived. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the lungs, which open to the nose and mouth through the respiratory passages, are considered the most delicate of the five yin organs and the easiest for external influences to affect. These external factors are described as six types: 

    • Wind
    • Cold
    • Dampness
    • Dryness
    • Heat
    • Fire

    Coughs are most often linked to Wind, though Wind frequently combines with other influences such as Cold, Heat, or Dryness, depending on seasonal conditions. Wind enters from the back of the neck and ankles. Wrap up in a scarf or buff to keep your neck ‘wind gate’ covered!

    Here is a quick and easy recipe to nip that cold in the bud:

    • 1 green onion, white portion, thinly sliced
    • 1 clove of garlic, sliced thinly
    • 1-2 thin slices of fresh ginger, unpeeled
    • 1 to 1.5 cups of bone broth or water

    Bring the water or broth to a boil, add ingredients and turn down to a simmer after a few minutes. Strain and cool a few minutes to a comfortable temperature. Serve in a mug or bowl.

    This may induce a slight sweat which helps expel dis-ease from the body. Snuggle up in some blankets. However if you feel damp, rinse off and put on dry clothes.

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