Never had your astrological chart read? Always wanted to know what it's like? Tune in here for Basmati Editor Ursula Squire's second time getting her Soul Chart read!
Every single morning for the past nearly 11 years I have treated myself to one of Ayurveda's oldest secrets for health and longevity. With herbs and warm oil in hand I rub my entire body down with a gentle massage which has helped me to retain elastic skin and a vibrant body. Abhyanga is the Ayurvedic term given to describe warm oil self-massage (often with herbs) and it is simply heavenly.
Can I count on you to remain respectfully detached from my pain? Can I count on you to remain independent and strong, while I lean into you for support?
I always envision school much different than it actually is. Since Hogwarts does not seem to fit within the modern day limitations, I envision campfires with happy children playing music, cooking dinner, sharing stories, and philosophizing about the riddles of the universe. An environment created where children are comfortable enough to explore the depths of their own thought without the hindrance of unnecessary stress. How is this accomplished? Through embracing and living with Mother Nature.
I have a confession: I like bird watching. Actually, I love bird watching. You might be picturing images from the popular movie with actors Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson titled The Big Day, but in fact birding is enjoyed by people of all ages and genders. I was eleven years old when I first became interested in birding, and started by placing a suet feeder, meant for woodpeckers, on a tree that I could see from my family’s kitchen window. The first few days brought nothing more than an inquisitive squirrel.
Imagine your entire body wrapped in a fibrous suit, designed essentially to hold all the parts of you together. Its elasticity allows for the capacity to expand and contract, to be both flexible and strong. This incredible, all encompassing band of connective tissues is known as the fascia. It lies beneath your skin, connecting and encircling all of the bones, muscles and internal organs of the body.
The question of the connection between mental and physical health has been asked repetitively for centuries, and it has only been in the last several decades that Western medicine has caught up to holistic practices and began to acknowledge an interdependent relationship between the two. Mental and emotional patterns create biochemical pathways in the body, and it follows that just as the mind affects the body, so too the body can affect the mind.
Human civilization relies heavily and increasingly on technology in almost all areas of life. We accept the technological support as the ultimate solution for all the problems of humanity (and the world) - if we go just far enough. Granted, technology makes things easier for us, even on a private plane. For example, it allows people all over the world to be connected in ways that would otherwise be impossible, and for that I am very grateful. Many things would not be possible for us without technological support. But have we not perhaps lost the big picture out of our sight?
It is undeniable that spending time near natural bodies of water instills a feeling of calmness and ease of mind. There is something about witnessing free-flowing bodies of water shifting in their natural course that is comforting and in some way connects us to the bigger, universal picture. Water is, quite literally, part of what makes us who we are, and acknowledging the impact it has on our wellbeing allows for a greater understanding of exactly why we are so drawn to it.
It is the dream of every human heart to live in a world where we feel comfortable, safe and invited to be our fullest and most authentic selves - in peace, love and joy amongst all. In such a world, happiness would be the inevitable norm. Rather than hide the energy and free expression of who each one of us is, individuals would be made to feel held and reciprocated for their existence by the presence of the collective as a whole. The power of humanity would be thriving. What a dream, right?