Elements for Life : Five Element Coaching & Acupuncture

Ready to step into

your magnificence?

How to Thaw Out by Feeling your Fire

February 2004

In this issue:

Thawing Out to Prepare for Spring
Winter Dietary Suggestions : Healing from the Inside Out
Free Spirit of the Elements™ Insight Cards Reading
Artists Wanted: Who do you know?

The most romance-filled day of the year is upon us. You may feel your Fire flickering, as you waltz into the dance of partnership, and feel the stirring of your Soul. And it is still Winter, the time to rest and go inward. So I invite you to honor the stillness of Winter without going so deep that you get frozen.

In this month’s issue, we prepare you for Spring, while keeping you connected to the healing energy of Winter. Certified Nutrition Consultant, Darshana Weill of Inside Out Nutrition, will wow you with yummy recipes to support your Water Element. This one is a keeper. I invite you to click through, print and save the article, so you can take advantage of these delightful recipes that will support the healing of your body, mind, and spirit.

Thawing Out to Prepare for Spring

How do you stay deeply connected to yourself and yet fully embrace this Love filled holiday? Valentine’s Day is so perfectly placed, giving us the opportunity to feel the warmth of Fire and prepare for the next cycle, getting us ready for Spring. Allow your warm ember to crackle inside, reminding you that it is almost time to come out of your shell, like the acorn seedling that is waiting to be birthed into a new oak tree.

As you are approaching this transition, and in the spirit of staying deep, yet feeling the warmth, I invite you to meditate on the acupoint on the Heart Meridian (Fire Element), Penetrating Inside. This point helps you go deep inside while staying connected to the warmth and love of your Heart.

Let us know what you discover

Healing from the Inside Out
By Darshana Weill, Certified Nutrition Counselor

Winter months give you the opportunity to nurture yourself: snuggle next to fires, read books, journal, nest. It’s your time to go inward, restore your body, rejuvenate and reflect.

It’s the perfect time of year to put some special love and attention on your kidneys. These two pear shaped organs are located right above your waistline and in the middle of the back. They are also located deep in your body. Actually they are the deepest organs in your body, so it’s no coincidence that their ideal healing time is in the depth of winter. In addition to the kidneys, your bladder and reproductive organs are also organs that you want to focus on in the winter months. All three organs are related to the Water Element in the Five Elements.

Here are some helpful tips and recipes to help support your kidney health!

FOODS:
Food is a powerful tool. The food we eat becomes our blood, our cells and our organs. One of your organs is our brain. So ultimately, the food you eat becomes your thoughts.

Remember: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!

As you begin to deepen your healing from the inside out, what better way to do it then through the foods you eat:

Here are some foods that are especially good for your kidneys with some recipes to follow.

Beans - In Chinese Medicine these are among the most powerful foods to heal your kidneys.
Especially black beans, green and red lentils, & adzuki beans

Diakon Radish This vegetable helps to melt fat deposits and stones that can accumulate from too much diary, too little water, and foods high in oxalic acid (Spinach, beet greens, coffee, rhubarb).
Diakon also helps to eliminate stagnation from tissues throughout the body. As mentioned above the kidneys and bladder work together so we want to make sure our elimination of toxins is adequate. Diakon also helps with elimination and urination.

Fermented foods like tempeh, soy sauce, and miso.

Use Burdock root in an herbal form or as the root vegetable itself in cooking.
Burdock helps purifies the blood and is considered a strengthening herb in Chinese Medicine for the entire urinary tract and sex organs

Salt. Adding a moderate amount of salt to the diet helps to draw the energy downward and inward. Exactly where the kidneys are!
Yet watch out; too much salt might tighten the kidney’s ability to release toxins

Black foods. Each of the Five Elements has a color associated to it. Black and Blue are the colors of the Water Element and hence the kidneys. Eating black foods heals the kidneys, adrenals, bladder, and sex organs. Try different seaweeds or black sesame seeds.

Water- We certainly couldn’t forget this simple, yet profound nutrient. Drink plenty of pure, clean water, and watch your energy and stamina improve, as well as feeling rejuvenated as you hibernate during the winter

RECIPES
Warm hearty soups, bean dishes, whole grains, and wintergreens are excellent. Slow - long sautés help us to use the energy of our cooking to help us slow down and to go inward in the winter months

GREEN LENTIL SOUP

The great thing about lentils is that they don’t need to be pre-soaked before cooking, So if you come home and you’re hungry, this recipe takes 5-8 minutes to prepare. Then you can wind down in the next 45 minutes while the dish is cooking. Also this recipes includes so many healing foods for the kidneys (beans, burdock, salt, and water)

1 cup green lentils
1 onions- diced
1 carrot diced
1 small burdock root diced
4 cups water or stock
Dried basil
salt to taste or ume vinegar
chopped parsley
sesame or olive oil

· In a soup pot, warm oil over medium heat.
· Add onions and cook 5 minutes or until translucent.
· Add carrot and burdock and continue to sauté for 3-5 minutes.
· Add dried basil and sauté one more minute
· Add water and lentils and bring to boil.
· Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
· Make sure lentils are soft before adding salt!!!
· Add parsley and salt or umeboshi to taste.

OTHER YUMMY OPTIONS:

Use different vegetables like parsnips, rutabaga, and winter squashes .Use your imagination.

Use different lentils or beans- French, red, yellow, or add marinated tempeh

DOTTED DIAKON

This is a simple diakon dish that is great to help break down all the rich foods you may have eaten during the holidays. It also incorporates two of the great foods for the kidneys (diakon and black sesame seeds)

1/2 diakon radish (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup broccoli
sesame seeds- black makes it more colorful
water
ume vinegar
lemon

· Steam diakon radish and broccoli.
· In frying pan dry roast sesame seeds until they begin to pop.
· Use a VERY low flame.
· Place broccoli and diakon in a bowl
· Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and
· Dress with ume vinegar and lemon.

OPTIONAL: add some strips of nori seaweed

CARROT / DIAKON DRINK

This recipe helps dissolve hard fat deposits in the body & tonifies your intestines. This is actually a remedy that was originally suggested by Michio Kushi, the man responsible for bringing macrobiotics to the west.

· Shred 1/2-cup carrot and 1/2 c diakon.
· Place is saucepan with 1 1/2 cups of water.
· Bring to a boil.
· Simmer for 3-4 minute.
· Add a few drops of tamari or shoyu
· Drink and eat veggies and broth.

Darshana Weill is a certified nutrition counselor in the bay area.
She sees clients for one on one consultations, group classes and teaches
natural foods cooking classes. To reach her check out www.insideoutsf.com
or email her at darshana@insideoutsf.com

Free Spirit of the Elements™ Divination Cards Reading

What's next for you? How do you access your own inner wisdom to find the answer? Ask the Five Elements! During the month of February, Sharla will throw the cards for you to support you in looking more deeply into your life and use the energy of the Elements to find your answers. Click here to receive a free reading.

Artists Wanted: Who do you know?

Elements for Life is looking for artists who would be willing to work on a collaborative project on a work for hire basis. Click here to contact us.