Robin Williams sorrow

I have been debating with myself whether I should comment about Robin Williams passing and I finally decided to make a few observations.  The issue of balancing Yin and Yang in our bodies and in our lives is not well known and yet it affects us every moment of our lives.  Ideally we are born balanced, fed and maintained in a balanced way throughout our lives and we live a joy filled and productive life.

Unfortunately, in our ignorance, more often we are born imbalanced, raised by ignorant parents, just trying to get along, without instructions.  We often never find balance in our lives and we pay a tremendous price for it.  Robin Williams was a victim of this ignorance from day one.  We feel the cost today of losing him too soon.  If I could adopt this beautiful man as the poster child for balance, I would, knowing that we might be able to save a few others that are struggling on the edge of death.

The mobility of humans across the planet in the last 200 years has led to the uprooting of so many cultures and the transplanting of so many.  This has obliterated the cultural knowledge that was the root of balance in so many societies.  Traditional ways vanished along with the understanding of their purpose and long term value replaced by an opportunistic consumerism that exploits us at every turn.

I am hopeful though that we will be able to increase our awareness and take a stand for balance not only in our bodies but in the world.  It would be so much nicer if Robin were here to make it funny.

Thanks for reading

Whole grain - triggering the transition to balance

I have counseled many people in how to bring balance to their lives and many of them have had difficulty in achieving this balanced state.  In looking at what might be challenging them the most, it seems that they are not able to consume enough whole grain to trigger the transition process.

The body that is unbalanced tends to be holding large amounts of excess from consuming extreme yin and yang substances.  When you decide to move toward balance, the easiest way is to start consuming whole grain.  You substitute less refined foods for refined foods.  It may be necessary to flavor whole grains by combining them with other foods, sauces, soups, etc.

The Indian people have many ways of combining rice, for instance, with beans and lentils and vegetables to make tasty dishes.  All recipies that call for white rice will work with whole grain brown rice just as well.

I have found that whole grain brown rice combines well with just about anything.  I have even mixed it with ice cream for kids who might not be used to the taste.  I also will often put a cup of cooked whole grain millet or rice in a smoothy with fruit and vegetables.  This makes the smoothy very rich and smooth.  Yummy.

Another way I incorporate whole grain is to sneak it in to items like whole grain pancakes where I will add some cooked brown rice or some uncooked rolled oats to the whole wheat batter.  You can also make pie crusts and other products using rolled oats and millet that has been made into flour in the blender.

Foods in the center of the yin yang spectrum will not produce the "kick" that your tastebuds have become used to from unbalancing foods.  MSG in many forms and high sodium content produce processed foods that give you a kick that is addicting.  I can remember even putting brown rice on pizza when I was first starting out.  It tasted great and I knew that I was getting my whole grain.

After some time the grain began to balance me and I started to be able to taste more subtle flavors in vegetables, fruits and other foods.

So, it is important to be creative when adding whole grains to your diet.  I don't think you can successfully balance without them.  And remember, variety is yin.  So make sure you eat a variety of whole grains including thick rolled oats, millet, brown rice, barley, buckwheat, corn, amaranth, and quinoa.  If you are going gluten free, there are still lots of choices so don't let that deter you.

Also remember that you are working for the long term.  It may take three months or so before you notice substantial changes in the way that you feel.

Thanks for reading.

Steve

Holiday Treats

Last weekend I was asked to participate in a bakesale to help raise funds for a project that my yoga group is working on.  We want to bring a yantra to Dayton to support the community in a big way.  I thought about it and decided to make fudge.  Of course, I am not satisfied with making your Grandmother's fudge.  I wanted to make a fudge that was more nutritious with less sugar and no animal products.

Now as we approach the winter solstice, it is less and less appropriate to consume foods containing sugar as it is extremely unbalancing to the system during the winter.  So when we look at sweet foods, what can we use that is more appropriate for winter than cane sugar?  The answer, which I am sure you have all figured out before reading this sentence, is to use the sugar that is produced as far north as possible in the temperate zone.  So which sweetener is made in the northern regions of the temperate zone.  Maple syrup is the most common.  I have also seen a syrup made from apple cider which is delicious.  Rice syrup is another example of a sugar that is from a more northern region.  These sweeteners are much less unbalancing than those from tropical climates.

So I set out to find a recipe for fudge that would be more healthy.  I tried making fudge from mung beans flavored with chocolate, maple syrup and coconut oil for stability.  This tasted good but the consistency was not right.  It felt like hard boiled egg whites in your mouth.  Next I added half millet and half mung bean.  This was an improvement but still not the right consistency.  Then I was looking on facebook at my feed and there was a fudge recipe that used almond butter, cocoa, coconut butter and dates.  This proved to be really good and the texture was right.  I took that recipe to the bake sale and we sold out of the fudge.

But I am still not satisfied.  I am still thinking of what else I can do to make a healthy fudge.

Then I went to the grocery and in the health food section there was almond meal.  I looked at that and thought it would make a good base for a fudge recipe.  Right next to the almond meal was flaxseed meal.  Hmmm.  I had some flaxseed at home already and I really liked it on cereal. . . .  So I came home and threw a cup of flaxseed into the coffee grinder making flaxseed meal.  I combined this meal with one cup of cocoa and 1/4 cup of coconut oil melted over low heat and mixed with 6 tablespoons of maple syrup and a little vanilla extract.  I mixed this well and pressed it into a springform pan.  Placed it in the refrigerator for about 2 hours and then cut it into squares.  Now early reviews are good but I can and will eat about anything that has healthy ingredients.  The proof will be when my daughter comes over and maybe my son but at this point I think it is at least worth sharing with you because it just might fit into your holiday plans.

Have a spendid holiday season.

Love, Steve

Temperate zone transition

If you live above the 30th parallel in the northern hemisphere, we are beginning the southern run of the sun.  This means that the days grow shorter and the sun beams become less intense.  We transition from a yang dominated environment to a yin dominated environment.  Thus we must adjust our diet accordingly if we wish to stay balanced.  We need to restrict our use of tropical fruits and vegetables and depend more on the vegetables that can winter over in storage.  These are the squashes, pumpkins, root vegetables, and ground vegetables.  Now is the time to pickle those cucumbers and cabbages so that you have sauerkraut all winter long.  If you eat fruit in the winter, we recommend that you eat fruit that grows in your area, smaller, more compact fruit like blueberries and raspberries, cranberries, etc.

In winter we eat more of these foods lightly cooked, especially fruit.  Since the winter is a yin dominated environment, we limit our intake of extreme yin foods such as ice cream, alcohol, iced drinks, and refined sugar in general, substituting northern sugars like maple syrup and rice syrup.  One can also use apple butter as a sweetener in many recipes.

In addition, we eat less of the yin grains and beans (larger, more expanded like corn and large beans) and transition to small compact beans like adzuki beans and black beans, and grains like oats and millet and in northern regions, short grain brown rice.  These grains and beans are very warming in the winter and help to keep us balanced.

Too much liquid can also be unbalancing in the winter and although we eat more sodium in the winter, it is best to watch the sodium level so as not to over react.  An umeboshi plum taken in warm water once per week can keep you energized and your vitality strong.

Given these strategies, you should be able to balance the yin dominated winter and emerge in spring without the need to discharge through the winter season.

Have a beautiful transition.

Thanks for reading.

Still Yin dominating

Only a few more weeks until we start transitioning to warm weather.  Hang in there.  Here in Dayton, Ohio the snow has melted after a week in the 50's and 60's.  Those of you who are in the northern regions still have some winter left.  Yin force is dominant now so continue to lightly cook vegetables and fruit and avoid extreme yin foods such as alcohol, cold foods like ice cream, and sugar.  Use grains that are small and compact like short grain brown rice and amaranth.  Buckwheat is also very warming.  It was the main grain in Russia historically.  Eat meat sparingly to support active physical activity.

Be observant and you can perceive the yin and yang force working in your body.  You have to pay close attention.  Also notice the vast intelligence that is demonstrated by the nature around you.  You can not help but be in reverence for all creation.

My blessings.

Thanks for reading.

How do we balance?

Last post we discussed some of the basic ways that yin and yang affect our lives.  We learned that where we live matters in how we maintain balance.  We learned that foods that we eat affect the balance of yin and yang in the body.  We learned that exposure to sunlight and cold can affect the balance of the body.  Today let's look at some foods that affect our balance.

First, let's assume that we live in a temperate zone as opposed to a tropical or arctic zone.  In a temperate zone we experience a contrast of seasons to a much greater degree than in the other zones.  Summer is the time when yang dominates as the weather becomes hot and dry.  Winter is the time when yin dominates as the sun recedes toward the equator and becomes less intense because of its angle to the earth.  Spring and Fall are transition seasons when the weather swings from yang to yin and back to yang again.  Certain kinds of fruit and vegetables grow in this zone reflecting the balance of yin and yang that they are exposed to.

In a temperate zone where we have seasons, we need to adjust our diet to be in balance with each season.  So in summer when yang dominates the environment, it is more appropriate to eat foods that have a yin effect to balance the yang environment.  In the winter, when yin dominates the environment, it is more appropriate to eat more yang foods to balance the yin environment.  So which foods are yin and which foods are yang?

Traditional cultures observed the relationship of many different foods to each other.  They developed the ability to rank all foods as to which ones are more yin and which ones are more yang.  They also observed that some foods were in the middle of the yin and yang spectrum.  For example, one of the most yang foods is salt.  Salt exhibits yang characteristics.  It is hard, dense, compact, and intense.  It is an extreme yang food when taken by itself.  An extreme yin substance would be alcohol.  It exhibits yin characteristics.  It is wet, evaporates easily, and creates yin characteristics when introduced into the body.  Fruit is more yin than vegetables.  Beans are more yang than vegetables.  Grains are in the middle of the spectrum but still more yang than beans.  Fish is more yang than grain.  Meat is more yang than fish.  Salted or smoked meat is more yang than uncured meat.  Salt and charred food is more yang than cured meat.

Each category of food has its own variety of yin and yang.  For instance, if we look at grains, there are yin grains and yang grains.  Buckwheat is a yang grain and was used historically to combat the harsh climate of Russia and Mongolia.  Brown rice is in the middle of the grain spectrum.  Corn is a yin grain which you can see by its size and lack of density compared to other grains.  Millet is a grain which is small and compact which would make it more yang but it does not have the density of rice for instance because it is more hollow so it is actually more yin than rice.  Even within varieties of grains there are variations of yin and yang.  Brown rice, for example, comes in many varieties.  Short grain brown rice is more yang so is more appropriate for northern temperate zone whereas long grain brown rice is appropriate for southern temperate zones.  Medium grain brown rice is in the middle.

If our goal is to achieve and maintain balance in a temperate zone location, then we eat foods from the middle of the spectrum for the temperate zone.  So a balanced diet in the temperate zone consists of whole grain in the center with vegetables, both cooked and raw, bean products, fruits, sea vegetables, and fish.  This diet is then adjusted for local conditions and seasons.  This means we eat foods that grow in our zone and are in season.  We don't eat foods that grow in tropical zones because they are exposed to a very different balance of yin and yang than we are.  We supplement this central diet with meat when we are doing hard physical labor and when we are enduring cold weather.  Fermentation is a "cooking" process as it helps to break down the substance of the vegetables making them easier to digest.  It is also a way of mellowing the harsh qualities of salt so they impact the body more gently.  Soups are an effective way of introducing foods to the body in a gentle way which the body can readily process.

Next post we will talk more about how the body handles extreme yin and yang foods.  Thanks for reading.  Let me know if this is making sense to you in the comments.

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