5 Stand Out Senses (5 SOS_004)
OH BABY IT'S A WILD WORLD! This week has rocked me. I think everyone -no matter their political leaning- felt a strong hit of surprise, and now we're figuring. it. out.
What I keep going back to is this: At times of uncertainty I turn to the things I rely on for certain.
KINDNESS, TOLERANCE, HONESTY, CURIOSITY, MOVEMENT, NATURE.
I think if we stick to our own pillars of goodness, and concentrate on being the best possible versions of ourselves, we'll all be alright. I so deeply hope.
Now, here's some candy for your senses.
1. Sight
Shameless personal win: I finally went white-blonde, and I'm so pumped about it that I selfied. I selfied lots.
2. Sound
Thanks to Hannah Bronfman for shouting out this song in one of her latest Instagram stories. That babe is always on-point with recommendations...and can kick ass, literally.
"Shine" by Buddy
3. Scent
This weekend I attended the Natural Living Expo, "New England's largest holistic health event." Per their claim, there were over 9,000 attendees, 250 exhibits, and 90 speakers, but I had three favorite takeaways. The first is a Scent, the second a Taste (see #4), and the third a Touch (see #5).
First up is the botanical perfumery, THORN & BLOOM (Somerville, Massachusetts). Jennifer Botto (Certified Natural Perfumer) is the company's founder, artisan, and a total doll in person. The way her bio describes her inclination towards scent, and the nostalgic power therein, is beautifully evocative.
My favorite was Indigo followed by best-seller/award-winner Birds Of Paradise ($12 - 200).
4. Taste
CHAGA Plus Super Immune Booster (2oz for $25; 4oz for $47.50)
This is an extremely potent tonic by Taproot Herbals (Williamstown, Vermont), exercising a blend of health-optimizing and synergistic mushrooms and roots (Chaga, Reishi, Cordyceps, and Astragalus). You can read more about the benefits in the product link, above, and in the photo credit, below.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Taproot's Principal, Marie Frohlich, who is both an herbalist and certified health coach. Her warm demeanor and authoritative knowledge of the wild-foraged and hand-crafted product prompted my confidence in her company. It was only after sampling that I assured her my patronage and recommendation. I felt noticeably lifted and found the taste medicinally delicious. That's a thing.
Photo by The Mushroom Forager
5. Touch
Tapping, or EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique).
I attended a seminar by Lori Lamont, accredited EFT practitioner, who instructed how to utilize this fool-proof technique to reduce stress, eliminate physical pain, confront and release past trauma, and find an overall state of well-being.
The man who brought this system of healing to the masses is Nick Ortner (speaker, film-maker, and NYT best-selling author of The Tapping Solution). In this brief video and this longer but better video, he walks you through the simple steps:
- Identify a pain that you want to tap on (could be a physical symptom or an outside stressor).
- Give the pain a rating of 1-10 (1=minimum perceived pain; 10=max). Example: "I'd rate my sore glutes from Barre3 at a 7." Another example: "My coworker's attitude...MEGA 10."
- Tapitty tap tap
- Check back in with your mind and body to re-assess your number. Continue with rounds of tapping until your desired relief is found.
