Our Tears Are Just Rain

Wow. Is it really true? I haven’t written a word here on this site for one whole year.

1-11-2018. One year ago today. Well, I cannot, will not let 1-11-19 pass without writing. The magic of this day revealed itself to me four years ago. You can read about it here if you’d like.

And so I honor it by putting my fingers back on the keys. Because a message from beyond is a treasure not to be ignored.

When The Voice talks, I listen and do my best to honor it.

I wish I could report that my book “Pink is Everything!” is humming along but it came to a screeching halt months ago.

I think I need more Pink balloons floating on my ceiling.

2018 was rough. It forced me to dig deep, uncovering old uncomfortable truths and wounds. I cycled through joy and sorrow and even anger, an emotion that doesn’t visit me often but maybe is buried so deeply I don’t even know it’s there.

After a few months of riding this wave, I checked in with my astrology-minded friend who took a look at my chart and remarked: “Barbara, if I didn’t know you better, I’d worry you were going to jump off a bridge.”

It’s Pitta Season – Go Jump in a Lake!

We’ve already suffered through a few (thankfully short) heat waves with high humidity here in the Northeastern US, and jumping in a lake is something I’m looking forward to very much. That’s Lake Michigan above and I’m headed there in just a few short weeks. I can’t wait!

Summer is Pitta Season, according to Ayurveda, and Pitta dosha is all about HEAT.

Knowing some basics about Pitta dosha can help us stay healthy (and cool) during the hot summer months.

Ayurveda’s seasonal calendar revolves around the three doshas–Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. The doshas are forces or energies comprised of the five elements–space (ether), air, fire, water and earth that make up our human physiology. The same elements that are in nature are within us, as well.

Resting for Better Digestion

Resting for 15-20 minutes after a meal is a great practice that Ayurveda encourages.

Resting for Better Digestion

Approximately 60% of our daily energy goes towards digestion. If we rest for a bit after eating, our body can perform this important function more efficiently – rather than sending the energy elsewhere – to the brain and other organs needed to do things like read, write, watch TV or exercise.

Did your mother always tell you not to go swimming after eating? Mine did – and for years I thought I would get a cramp and drown if I went swimming too soon after a meal. My over-reaction created more anxiety in an already anxious child. But Mom was definitely onto something.

Because I have been in such an intense phase of creative energy flow, (thank you, vata dosha!), and it was recently National Women's Day, I thought I'd share some information about the two chakras responsible for our creativity.


The second (Svadisthana/Sacral/Sexual) chakra is considered the seat of divine feminine energy and creativity, called shakti in the Hindu tradition. It is the womb, where all things are birthed.


Men and women alike need this feminine creative energy to lead inspiring and fulfilling lives. Creativity does not belong exclusively to artists, musicians, and writers.


The creative force born in the second chakra is available for everyone. It gives meaning to our lives and can be the difference between a life lived in a state of stagnation vs. one filled with joyful inspiration and action.


Located below the navel in the area of the sexual organs, the color associated with the second chakra is orange.


Swadhisthana means "one's own abode" or "dwelling place of the self". It is the pleasure chakra - the chakra of sensuality, sexuality, desire, and our emotions.


Here lie our emotional connections with others.


It is the seat of our creativity.

With the recent #metoo and #timesup movements, I’ve been thinking a lot about touch.

The focus lately, of course, has been on the wrong kind of touch.

The kind that makes us feel shame and fear and anger.

Used, violated, helpless, traumatized.

Powerless.

The uninvited kind.

The kind that crossed a line.

The kind that has put women on guard, time and time again, and made them leery of being touched.

The kind that destroys a healthy relationship with touch.

A world full of women are walking around with PTSD of one level or another from being touched inappropriately.

And yes, many men, as well.

Say what you will about social media, but it has helped birth a movement which is determined to change this story of power and disrespect.

But today I want to say good things about touch.

How it heals.

How it’s a basic human need.

How living without it can make us emotionally and physically sick.

I learned a great deal about touch when I studied Ayurveda.

How many articles have you seen lately about getting a good night’s sleep? A lot, I daresay. That’s because it affects us all and any of us can fall prey to insomnia at any time.

Don’t we all wish we could sleep like a baby again?

Lack of sleep can do more than just make us cranky and reach for a cup of coffee. It can make us crazy and it can make us sick.

Our body depends on sleep to repair and regenerate. Without it, we’re vulnerable to a host of illnesses too long to list here.

And forget looking and feeling our best. It just doesn’t happen without a good night’s sleep.

Who went and put the holidays smack dab in the middle of Vata Season?

This year, armed with my ever-growing knowledge of Ayurveda, I am facing the holidays with a new sense of understanding, freedom, peace, and CALM. Usually, as soon as Halloween is over, I’m filled with panic and dread.

The holidays seem to be all about staying organized, time management, scheduling, and upsetting your regular routine. Learning about Ayurveda finally made me understand why the holiday months have always derailed me.