Oh, I did have a cafe. In my bookstore, breathe books, 2004 - 2014. (I spelled it with lower case b’s, I’m not sure why) I had a cafe. When my cute new-age bookstore was 8 years old, I decided it needed a vegetarian cafe, leaning towards Ayurvedic seasonal foods. The bookstore cafe lasted two more years. By then I was exhausted and decided to move on and never ever ever own a cafe again. It was SO MUCH WORK! But I loved my La Marzocco Espresso Machine almost as much as I love my husband Larry (who I met in my store in 2008, but that’s another story. A good one.)
I sold the kitchen equipment to a shop called Dangerously Delicious Pies and they opened in my place. The 1882 Victorian mansion that housed and held my bookstore so beautifully, splashed with golden yellow and deep burgundy, the walls lined with books on meditation, angels, and aromatherapy, the cafe serving red lentils, rainbow quinoa, and split yellow mung dal kitchari, was in quick turn painted black and red and began serving dishes called things like (in their words, not mine) Full Custom Custard referred to as "White Trash Crème Brûlée”, Hot Rod Potato, “Think of potatoes au gratin in pie form”, and Pork BBQ pie (I can’t even).
Ok, I’m judging. These things happen. I bring this up today because it’s the end of February. If I still had my cafe I would be focusing on transitioning to Spring foods, hence cilantro and lime (two words that go together so exquisitely).
Here’s where I put on my Ayurvedic Practitioner hat. T’is the season to let go of the heavy foods we ate during the cold dark winter. The foods meant to keep us warm, sated, and grounded. Those foods build up in our system, and while needed in the cold months, they hinder us as we move towards warmer temperatures. Spring offers us the opportunity to clean out all the gunk that built up over the winter. We call that stagnant goop ama, in Sanskrit, the language of Ayurveda, literally undigested food.
In Ayurveda, we look at the juncture of the seasons as a crucial and perfect time to clean out. To clear the mind and the body of the previous season, we look forward to choosing seasonally appropriate foods, new recipes, and a change in eating habits and patterns. Your gut microbiome counts on you to make that switch by eating a variety of foods chosen with care. The microbiome thrives when fed this way. (you can read all about it in my lovely book Seasonal Self-Cre Rituals: Eat, Breathe, Move, and Sleep Better―According to Your Dosha)
If you want to prepare the body for spring, avoid seasonal allergies, maybe drop a few pounds of winter weight if needed, increase energy and spark the mind, try these simple suggestions.
Reduce dairy, wheat, and sugar. Add more bitter, pungent, and astringent foods to your meals. That’s greens (mustard, kale, chard, parsley, cilantro, carrot tops, beets greens, radish greens, etc), lemons, limes. We call this a Kapha balancing diet. Kapha is comprised of the elements of earth and water - two things we have an abundance in spring. So we want to do the opposite and avoid eating foods that increase these elements. (read Ayurveda Beginner's Guide: Essential Ayurvedic Principles and Practices to Balance and Heal Naturally)
In September 2007 I began my Ayurvedic journey at The Chopra Center in California. By early 2008 I had lost 60 pounds and gained a new perspective on my life. I had excess earth and water (Kapha) in my mind and body. Ayurveda helped me find balance. It’s not about the weight, but it’s not not about the weight. Do you know what I mean? The weight was a symptom of other things going on. By shedding those pounds I was able to address those issues with more clarity.
Eating seasonally and all my other Ayurvedic practices have kept those 60 pounds away for all these years. (see The Beginner's Guide to Ayurvedic Home Remedies: Ancient Healing for Modern Life)
Here’s a beautiful list of Spring balancing foods. Try it and see how you feel.
And the mind. We need to awaken and freshen our senses! It’s time to shake off the last vestiges of winter that found us tucked in and burrowed down. Spring is the time to unfurl and sprout. Writing is a fantastic way to let go of the old and welcome the new. I will be leading classes at the beautifully renovated Atwater's Cafe in Catonsville, in a gorgeous sun-filled space on the upper level, which I am calling The Loft (there is an elevator as well as stairs). I'm offering classic Gateless Salons in which we settle in (maybe with a scone and a cuppa!), and have a short, centering meditation, leading us into the prompt. Then we write write write for 15 minutes or so. Take a break. Shake out our hands, wiggle our fingers, and read our work to each other (always optional). This is a private space, all ours! I would love for you to join me.
You can drop in or come to all, but you MUST RSVP beforehand. Details here. How is writing related to Ayurveda? Read this.
If you are interested in an Ayurvedic consultation, I see clients via Zoom for three sessions (minimum) to design a plan based on your lifestyle and needs. See how it works: https://susanweisbohlen.com/services
To get you started on your spring cleanse, I’m offering 10% off my consulting fees and my books for the month of March! Email me at susan@susanweisbohlen.com.
Happy almost Spring,
Susan
p.s. check out my trip offerings to Bhutan (September 2024), Iceland (October 2024), and South India details coming soon, February 2025) HERE
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Bravo! Such an important read and how beautifully it flows while delivering a wallop of potent information!
So much helpful advice and wisdom in this- thanks!!😊