Homework:   

1. The Life Wheel Exercise – draw a circle on a piece of paper and divide into 4 parts like a pie, in each section write what sustains you and nourishes you….

Earth: physical and financial well-being, home life.
Air: mental clarity, stress, time commitments and boundaries.
Fire: passion, sexuality, energy, career
Water: emotional well being
Spirit: spiritual connection, daily practice.

On a scale of 1-10 10 rate each section with how you’re doing. Then total the number. How do you feel about it?  What would you like it to be in 3 months? 6 months? What would you like to shift in your self-care routine to get you where you want to go?


2. Saltwater Cleansing… clearing what doesn’t serve our self-care practices.   

"The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea." - Isak Dinesen 

This is one of the basic individual meditations that should be practiced regularly.  During periods of high anxiety or depression or when undertaking heavy responsibilities, it is helpful to practice this daily.

Fill a cup with water.  (Use your ritual chalice, if you have one).  With your athame (or other implement), add three mounds of salt, and stir counterclockwise.  

 Sit with the cup in your lap.  Let your fears, worries, doubts, hatreds, and disappointments surface in your mind.  See them as a muddy stream, which flows out of you as you breathe and is dissolved by the salt water in the cup.  Allow yourself time to feel deeply cleansed.

Now hold the cup.  Breathe deeply, and feel yourself drawing up power from the earth (as in the Tree of Life exercise).  Let the power flow into the salt water, until you can visualize it glowing with light.

Sip the water.  As you feel it on your tongue, know that you have taken in the power of cleansing, of healing.  Fear and unhappiness have become transformed into the power of change.


3. Choose 1-3 herbs to work with as nourishing infusions or nighttime rituals from either the Nourishing Infusions Ebook or the recipes below:

Ashwaghanda Milk Recipe
1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon ashwagandha root powder (you could also use Shatavari or both)
a pinch of black peppercorn powder
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon rose water
3 cardamon pods
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp of nutmeg powder

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan with the ashwagandha root, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamon and nutmeg.

2. When the milk starts to steam, turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Allow to infuse for 15 minutes.

3. Strain the milk to remove the spices and return to the heat.

4. Add the honey and stir until the honey is dissolved and then remove from heat.

5. Add the rose water.

Golden Coconut Chai Recipe:

Warming and pungent with just a touch of sweetness, chai is perfect comfort. If you like creamy chai, adding turmeric root makes for a delicious way to enjoy its benefits. This blend of vibrant color, potent aromatics, and flavorful spices offers an experience that is pleasingly stimulating to the senses, while also providing a bit of a bonus. The herbs used to make traditional Indian chai help stimulate digestion, which is important when we start to feel a bit sluggish or find ourselves indulging. Chai spices are also gently diaphoretic, encouraging healthy blood flow to circulate warmth throughout the body.

2 cups water
2 cups organic coconut milk
2 Tbsp organic black tea (omit for bedtime!)
1 Tbsp organic cardamom pods
1 Tbsp organic dried ginger root
2 tsp organic dried orange peel
½ tsp organic black peppercorns
5 organic cloves
2 organic cinnamon sticks
1 tsp dried organic turmeric root or powder
¼ tsp organic vanilla extract
raw local honey to taste

Option: Use 1/3 cup organic loose-leaf Classic Chai in place of the black tea and spices

Directions: Lightly crush the cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods. Add all of the spices to a pot with 2 cups of water and heat just to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer gently, partially covered, for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and black tea. Heat up to a slight bubble for 3 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and honey. Strain out the herbs and enjoy warm.

Extra credit Journaling Assignment (10 min)

• What self care practices are already part of my daily/weekly routine?
• In what ways do I rely on them to live my life to the fullest?
• What triggers me to shift to coping mode?
• What does coping look like in my life right now? What could I do to transform that into a fierce self-care practice instead?