Suggested Practices

Body Journal - 30 days:

This is an in depth observation of your body and daily patterns. Keep either a little notebook with you or record voice notes and transcribe them at the end of the day. You'll want to have it all in writing, so whatever is most efficient for you.

Tune in with your body hourly, beginning as soon as you wake up. Each check-in should just take a couple minutes.

First you'll do an inward scan of your whole physical state of being. Take note of sensations such as:

• energy level
• appetite
• areas of pain/tension/discomfort or ease and relaxation
• temperature - areas of excess heat or cold
• areas of excess moisture or dryness
• visceral sense of emotions (ex: chest feels heavy or bubbly, fluttering in solar plexus, constriction in throat, etc)
• libido
• posture
• breathing
• digestion
• cravings

Then you'll do an outward scan of external and behavioral stimuli such as:

• what time you fell asleep and woke up, how many hours you slept and how well you slept (did you wake up in the night and if so, what time was it and for how long? what were the tones of your dreams, etc)
• what you've ingested (includes alcohol, tobacco, drugs, supplements, water...literally anything you've put in your body)
• what environment you're in (weather, allergens, air quality, lighting, sounds, smells, people, travel, etc)
• social interactions
• exercise
• sexual activity
• meditation
• time spent online staring at a screen
• finances
• sunlight exposure
• the clothes and shoes you're wearing
• state of the world

• Caffeine
• Sugar - A litte raw honey or molasses is ok
• Synthetic ingredients/chemicals of any kind including skincare and toothpaste.
• Processed and GMO Foods
• Pesticides
• Dairy - organic butter and ghee are ok, good for high heat cooking
• Seed oils - the best oils are extra virgin, cold-pressed such as olive, avocado or coconut (coconut oil is good for high heat cooking , the others are best raw)
• Soy
• Nut or grain milks unless they are homemade (the packaged vegan milks usually are made with seed oils, thickeners like guar gum, etc (glue in the intestines) and sugar).
• Wheat gluten
• Iodized salt (stick with sea salt)
• Nuts and seeds sparingly - ideally eat raw buts and seeds that are local, in season and in the quantity that nature would actually provide if you were picking them (ex: sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, etc in fall and winter). Avoid nut butters with the exception of organic black sesame tahini.

• Quality proteins (grass fed/organic meat and eggs from reliable farmers)
• Organic vegetables (steamed is best for nutrients - use good water and drink the water from the steamed veggies)
• Root vegetables (beets, sweet potato, yams, etc)
• Dark leafy greens (spinach, chard, beet greens, etc)
• Bitters (wild lettuce, dandelion greens, etc)
• Purple and black foods for kidneys (black sesame seeds, miso, figs, grapes, blueberries, plums, black beans, etc)
• Seaweed**
• Celery
• Parsley
• Cilantro
• Bone broth**
• Fish and veggie stew
• Buckwheat (bread, pasta, etc)
• Mung beans
• Kidney beans
• Aduki beans
• Millet
• Amaranth
• Fermented foods**
• Sprouted grains
• Local, seasonal fruits
• Chlorella

• Overall think fresh, whole foods that are local and in season. Keep it simple. Eat seasonal fruits in whole form instead of juices for the most part. Fruit is best eaten on an empty stomach. Carbs are best eaten separate from protein.
• Water/fluids are best consumed separate from food. No cold beverages. The body can only assimilate about 8-10 oz of water at a time. Give yourself about 30 minutes after drinking to eat (unless it's something light and watery like fruit), then wait about 1.5-2 hours after eating a meal to drink again (depends on how heavy the meal was, the idea is not to dilute stomach acid while digesting - work with the body)
• To support the nervous system, eat plenty of warm, cooked foods and soups with ingredients like sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, spinach, pumpkin, millet, etc. Take your time to chew your food and relax while eating.
• Regularly eat high quality seaweed (not the crispy snacks fried in seed oils). You can even get it straight from the ocean (any kind). It's great in fish soup or bone broth.

*** Eat a nutrient dense meal with protein daily anytime between 7 - 9am when stomach qi is most vital. It does not need to be big, just very nourishing. Something like bone broth with a couple soft boiled eggs + steamed spinach and avocado. Or a chicken and veggie stew. Sit down and take your sweet time to eat slowly. This is to nourish your spleen and nervous system.

* Lunch is best when the sun is at its peak, can be the biggest meal.

* Light dinner early in the evening

Inner Smile - Nourishing the Organs

KIDNEYS

Energetics: deep wisdom, connection, serenity, trust, gentleness | fear, anxiety

Color: Deep blue

Sound: Tchwaay

• Rub your palms together quickly to generate heat.
• Place your palms over your kidneys, located on either side of the lower ribcage/the small of the back.
• Take a moment to attune to the kidneys, bathing them with an inner smile of acknowledgment and appreciation. It helps to understand how they serve your body.
• Imagine permeating your kidneys with a serene blue light - use your inner eye to connect with them. Follow your energy as it moves deeper into the kidneys and keep your awareness there.
• Breathe in through your nose, taking in the essence of wisdom and tranquility, while channeling that feeling through your hands and into the kidneys. After awhile the words don't matter so much, it's more about cultivating the essence of these words and flooding that energy into the kidneys.
• Exhale out the mouth making the "Tchwaay" sound, while releasing feelings of fear and worry.
• Maintain the inner smile for the whole practice.
• Repeat a few cycles until you feel complete.

HEART

Energetics: compassion, kindness, patience, warmth | cruelty, callousness, spite

Color: Soft flame

Sound : Haaah

• Rub your palms together quickly to generate heat.
• Place your palms over your heart, located slightly to the left side of center sternum
• Take a moment to attune to the heart, bathing it with an inner smile of acknowledgment and appreciation - attuning with the heartbeat.
• Imagine permeating your heart with a soft flame - use your inner eye to connect. Follow your energy as it moves deeper into the heart and keep your awareness there.
• Breathe in through your nose, taking in the essence of kindness, gratitude and compassion while channeling that feeling through your hands and into the heart. After awhile the words don't matter so much, it's more about cultivating the essence of these words and flooding that energy into the heart.
• Exhale out the mouth making the "haaaah" sound, while releasing any feelings of cruelty, jealousy, spite, etc.
• Maintain the inner smile for the whole practice.
• Repeat a few cycles until you feel complete.

LIVER

Energetics: growth, benevolence, expansion, generosity, full potential | anger, frustration, irritability

Color: Green

Sound : Tshoo

• Rub your palms together quickly to generate heat.
• Place your palms over your liver, located to the right side of lower rib cage
• Take a moment to attune to the liver, bathing it with an inner smile of acknowledgment and appreciation.
• Imagine permeating your liver with green light - use your inner eye to connect. Follow your energy as it moves deeper into the liver and keep your awareness there.
• Breathe in through your nose, taking in the essence of benevolence, expansion, and generosity while channeling that feeling through your hands and into the liver. After awhile the words don't matter so much, it's more about cultivating the essence of these words and flooding that energy into the liver.
• Exhale out the mouth making the "tshoo" sound, while releasing any feelings of anger, frustration and irritability.
• Maintain the inner smile for the whole practice.
• Repeat a few cycles until you feel complete.

LUNGS

Energetics: Courage, confidence, healthy sense of pride | Sadness, grief

Color: White Light

Sound : Sssss

• Rub your palms together quickly to generate heat.
• Place your palms over your lungs, located to the both sides of the chest
• Take a moment to attune to the lungs and your breathe, bathing them with an inner smile of acknowledgment and appreciation.
• Imagine permeating your lungs with pure white light - use your inner eye to connect. Follow your energy as it moves deeper into the lungs and keep your awareness there.
• Breathe in through your nose, taking in the essence of courage and confidence while channeling that feeling through your hands and into the lungs. After awhile the words don't matter so much, it's more about cultivating the essence of these words and flooding that energy into the lungs.
• Exhale out the mouth making the "Ssss" sound, while releasing any feelings of grief and sadness.
• Maintain the inner smile for the whole practice.
• Repeat a few cycles until you feel complete.

SPLEEN

Energetics: Receptivity, relaxation (capacity to digest) | Anxiety, tension (looping thoughts)

Color: Gold / yellow

Sound : Huuuu

• Rub your palms together quickly to generate heat.
• Place your palms over your spleen, located to the left side of lower rib cage
• Take a moment to attune to the spleen, bathing it with an inner smile of acknowledgment and appreciation.
• Imagine permeating your spleen with golden yellow sunlight - use your inner eye to connect. Follow your energy as it moves deeper into the spleen and keep your awareness there.
• Breathe in through your nose, taking in the essence of calm relaxation while channeling that feeling through your hands and into the spleen. After awhile the words don't matter so much, it's more about cultivating the essence of these words and flooding that energy into the spleen.
• Exhale out the mouth making the "huuuu" sound, while releasing any feelings of anxiety and worry.
• Maintain the inner smile for the whole practice.
• Repeat a few cycles until you feel complete.

The Fool:

Pull The Fool card from your deck and invite a connection with this archetype. Keep the card somewhere you'll notice it daily.

Read the chapter about The Fool from Jodorowsky's book (The Way of Tarot).

Take notice of this energy within you and how it expresses itself of your life. Where does he show up and how? What does he teach you?

Keep a journal to record any experiences that arise.

There is no time frame for this practice, you'll know when it feels right to move to the next card. It may be years before you complete the whole major arcana with The World. Then cycle back again.