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Life becomes much clearer when the stomach feels safe. There's a short prayer I learned from a friend: "I forgive the past, I am calm in the present, and I allow clarity for the future." Such a simple (read: powerful) sentence gently shifts perspective. Needless to say, the effects of the spring Vamana have integrated into regularity. Healthy is my stomach's new "cool," (and fellow pitta types, you especially know that dichotomy!) When I was a kid, one of my favorite summer m

The stomach treatment, known in Ayurvedic medicine as a Vamana, went--well, I should say that it did its job. I showed up at my Vaidya (Ayurvedic doctor) Asavari's door early in the morning, ready. She explained the protocol and we went downstairs to the bathroom. In her small arms, she carried a heavy copper cooking pot of tea. It was large: a few gallons worth. I drank two of these enormous pots of tea through countless eight-ounce glasses and putrid faces and eventually pu

The promises of spring: buds of tulips peek out more confidently every day. I think, in Minnesota, the spring makes jokes with bits of winter and summer. The beauty of it all: keep going. It's been four months since I have been working on rebuilding my legs. Still, hurdles remain. The catheter device in my left thigh remains irksome. I bruised my foot on my squat bar (yes, how ironic!), so the Universe tells me to, of course, be creative with the seeds I sow. When the physica

Nurture is one of my "words" for this year. I think of spring and how we can nurture a beginning in the particle of a seed, earth it, water it, and let it have its sun and fresh air. The elements teach us the value of nature, and our creative bodies learn to adapt. When I was dealing with the worst of the chronic pain in my abdomen and legs, my body had adapted without my knowing it. After countless physical therapy sessions for a couple years (before the miracle of the sten

Friends, this month invites us into the energy of the heart. My home state of Minnesota continues to teach me what peace looks like, and how it truly sustains our connections with each other, no matter the mess. How vulnerability unlocks our greatest gifts. How love is truly the answer to fear and doubt. How we are both individually and collectively powerful through our voices and art. Art is a part of the body, and it evolves us in how we take care of ourselves. Every time I

Happy New Year! It's the first month of what promises to be an amazing year. What are your aspirations? Goals? Inspirations? I am not one for resolutions, but I feel a wave fresh intentions, and from a newer, more relieved place within myself. These last five years, I struggled with chronic pain that left me foggy, inflamed, sore, and confused, and with that, my imagination became overwhelmed with doctor appointments, physical therapy, and more doctor appointments. As hard as