How are you doing after the time change that took place Sunday morning? A time change amidst shortening days can be difficult on our bodies. You might notice it affecting your sleep, energy, hunger, cravings, and even mood. Knowing that these sorts of experiences are common when the body’s clock is jarred, might you be able to offer yourself some grace and also know that there are simple things you can do to support your body if you are finding your system having a hard time

Recently, I saw a statement online that went something like: ‘Think: complementary rather than alternative.’ Then, on Tuesday of last week, I got to teach “An Introduction to Working with Herbs” class through Mankato Community Education. Something I always explore in this class is the concept that herbs are not pharmaceuticals. I think it is such an important conversation to have. Herbs are their own entity. They are not alternatives to drugs. They are simply another option w

Happy beautiful Autumnal Equinox to you! Some see today as the start of Autumn. Others see today as the middle of Autumn. Either way, Autumn is here. The leaves are beginning to change, Goldenrod is nearly finished blooming, Apples are falling from the trees, The air has shifted, And the day length is shifting too. Autumn, one of the big transition seasons of the year. (Spring being the other.) It is the season we begin the descent and the journey more inward. In this transi

The topic that is on my mind and heart today is: the medicine of slowness and simplicity. The significance of this “medicine” comes after Summer, so let's start there. Summer is the season we as a society thrive. It is the season that most aligns with producing, performing, and “productivity”. Summer is a beautiful season for this very reason. It is the season of incredible growth and it brings with it great harvests, literal and metaphorical. At some point, the energy of Sum

As we find ourselves nearing the end of August, not only are students heading back to school soon but we are also entering into one of the seasons notorious for sicknesses, Autumn. The constant runny noses. The ear infections. The sore throats. The fevers. The coughs of all kinds. The strep, pneumonia, bronchitis… Kiddos and adults alike find themselves under the weather. Some young families can’t seem to get a break. If it’s not one one kiddo that’s sick it's another, or bot

“It is in Autumn that the trees show us there is beauty in letting go.” I am sure that you’ve read or heard some version of this quote at some point. It is very possible that it was even within one of the very letters I send to you. There is beautiful wisdom and medicine in letting go and the deciduous trees all around us show us this year after year, right after they put on the most beautiful show of color. But something that has been on my mind over the last few weeks (agai

Autumn Equinox - the day when day and night are (nearly) equal, the halfway point between Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice. It is at this point in the year that the daylight begins to lessen at a steadier pace and the decrease in daylight is certainly more noticeable than it was even in August. Just as the fall garden harvests are being made, leaves are falling away, flowers are going to seed, and perennials are beginning to draw their energy back into their roots, might y

Sniffles, coughs, colds.. It has begun. Every year like clockwork, sicknesses begin when the season really makes a shift toward Autumn. Our bodies aren’t always able to smoothly transition alongside the seasonal changes depending on each person and what is going on in each person's body. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda both have beautiful ways of explaining this in their own verbiage. If we were to simply look at the “why’s” behind our body being unable to smoothly