November is the last month of Autumn and here in Nashville we are finally feeling the weather change. The cooler days are a nice balance to the muggy hot days that were lingering. I enjoy being able to open my windows and allow the fresh air in. Just as nature begins to draw energy into its roots as evident in the falling leaves, so do our bodies begin to feel the change. It is time to warm our core, and there is no better way than to create warming dishes such as stews, chilis, and root bakes. As we support this energetic change, we can flow from fall to winter effortlessly. Chinese Medicine teaches the awareness of different organs systems being activated by seasonal changes. In this months cooking class lecture I will be speaking on preparing your body for the winter.
November also brings the awareness of “gratitude”. Gratitude is the affirmation that there is good and that we feel supported by it. Gratitude motivates our spiritual connection in acknowledging that a source, outside ourselves working through us, is there driving us and supporting us to achieve goodness in our lives. This creates a feeling of fullness inside us, that encourages us to pay it forward. This feeling can be so powerful, that studies have shown that the positive shift created by one moment of gratitude in the brain, lingers up to 3 months later.
Gratitude is a state of mind. It is an intention that needs to be fostered and nurtured to grow into a natural state of being. With Thanksgiving being the holiday of gratitude, I challenge you to pick 10 things each night to be grateful for. Verbalize them, feel them in your inner being and allow it to ripple out.
One of the things I am most grateful for is having clean delicious food during this holiday season. Join me this month in the cooking class where we can all share our gratitude and enjoy a Thanksgiving menu.
Virginia
