YOU CAME OUT OF THIS WORLD

ALAN WATTS ONCE SAID:

“You didn't come into this world. You came out of it, like a wave from the ocean. You are not a stranger here.”

Since moving homes and going away to Hawai’i, and also in part thanks to the brilliant reminder from Jenny Odell’s book How to Do Nothing, I’ve been rekindling my practice of intentionally observing all things natural surrounding me. I haven’t had a working TV in months (since our second flood in July) and not having one helps with this practice (forced digital detox! Ha!). Though my head is packed with podcasts, there’s something truly freeing about not filling my mind with visual narratives and clutter in the evenings.

I feel like I have made more time to observe the birds and bees and clouds and trees outside my home office, while waking my dog, while re-potting plants, while commuting. I even spotted a couple Northern flickers the other day (here is a little more on attracting them to your yard if you’re interested)! All of this in a very urban part of Brooklyn!

What do you see when you start really looking? How do you feel when you remember you’re OF this Earth rather than just on it?

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! 💚

First 3 pics from the Big Island in Hawai’i - one of the most magical places I’ve ever had the opportunity of visiting. (That gorgeous (completely unfiltered) beach is a 49,000 year old volcanic tuft ring) 🌈

THE YEAR OF YES, EP. 23: YES TO GOING SLOW

awesome street art in Williamsburg by Mike Makatron

It’s been about a month since my last post. It’s because I’ve been purposely living life more SLOWLY. Summer is a great time to slow down - the weather is hot and humid, the days are long, and co-workers are away on vacation making getting things done take more time. But by slow, I mean easy, relaxed, and leisurely - not languid, sluggish or heavy.

How does one slow down? 

• DO LESS. Pare down the to-do list to the ESSENTIAL + URGENT items. Leave the others. Disconnect from the e-devices for several hours a day. I loved the New York Times article on JOMO (the JOY of missing out!)

• BE PRESENT. Feel the sun on your skin. Notice the gorgeous summer blossoms and foliage around you. Taste the fresh produce that’s bountiful right now.

• LISTEN. Focus on listening intently to the person who is talking or the sounds that surround you. Don’t interrupt and don’t give your two cents. Just listen. Hear the birds' predawn chirping. Enjoy the sounds of the trees rustling in the wind. Notice the sounds of the summer rainstorms. 

• WALK SLOWER. DRIVE SLOWER. MOVE SLOWER. Yes, you need to get it done. What is five extra minutes? Really, ask yourself if getting somewhere faster to save a few minutes is worth the stress. Do a walking meditation. Wander. Meander. Amble. 

• DAYDREAM. Research continues to emerge showing us that daydreaming is an amazing (ahem, essential) tool to cultivate creativity and new ideas. 

• PLAY. In the garden. At the park. Board games. While swimming. And laugh.

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” 
― Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

How do you slow down?  🐌

Sending positive thoughts and energy to you to make time for some dreamy, quiet hours. You most certainly deserve it.

The Year of Yes is a weekly photo-and-word installment by Dr. Shah written with the purpose of evoking hope, resilience, and a gentle movement toward healthy change in all of us.

THE YEAR OF YES, EP. 22: YES TO TULSI (HOLY BASIL) 🌿

Tulsi, also known in English as holy basil, Ocimum tenuiflorum L, belongs to the mint family and is a cousin of sweet basil. It is a powerful aromatic herb that has been used extensively as a medicinal herb in Ayurvedic medicine. 

Its evocative scent is mesmerizing. Tulsi's unique fragrance qualities are spicy, sweet and herbaceous-somewhat minty, with a pronounced sweet, warm, clove-like essence.

Traditionally, tulsi is considered a purifier of the mind, body, and spirit. Some texts describe it as an adaptogen (stress modulator). One of the primary active compounds of holy basil oil is eugenol, which is a potent antimicrobial and is one of the compounds that gives it its distinct fragrance. Holy basil also contains other therapeutic components, including the flavanoids orientin and vicenin and phytochemicals such as rosmarinic acid and apigenin. The research on tulsi's other purported benefits looks promising, these include: blood sugar control, anti-cancer properties, and lowering stress hormones. 

As per Mountain Rose Herbs (one of my fave herb shops), holy basil has been “revered throughout India for thousands of years. Ayurvedic texts describe Holy Basil as a pillar of holistic herbal medicine and a goddess incarnated in plant form (the mother medicine of nature).” 

I distinctly remember my Nani - my grandmother - my mom’s mom - had a tulsi plant placed in the courtyard of her home in Gujarat, India. I am visiting her this fall and hopefully it’s still there!!

I decided to grow my own tulsi this year in my window box garden. It's growing like wildfire! I've been using the blossoms and leaves on my meditation altar, chewing on fresh leaves, and sometimes making a tea.

Give it a try! It’s a magical plant indeed! 💚

The Year of Yes is a weekly photo-and-word installment by Dr. Shah written with the purpose of evoking hope, resilience, and a gentle movement toward healthy change in all of us.

THE YEAR OF YES, EP. 16: YES TO KEEPING PLANTS & FRESH FLOWERS AROUND

Fresh cut tulips on my dining room table.

Dr. Shah’s prescription: treat yourself to some fresh flowers or a house plant!

I'm not sure if I've ever met someone who doesn't like plants or fresh flowers in their home and work environment. Pretty green things not only make pleasant decor, but they seem to be very good for your brain health too. Research is revealing that our brains are hardwired to de-stress and engage in new ways when we're in touch with beautiful natural things. That’s some good news!

A growing body of scientific evidence is showing that spending time in nature or even just looking at nature (yes, on computer screens too, seriously!), can improve our minds, attention spans, creativity, prosocial behavior (such as kindness), and much more. Being in touch with nature seems to also improve mental health, decreasing depression and increasing the sensation of "aliveness." 

Walk the Green

Studies have shown that city dwellers have higher risk for anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses than people living in less urban environments. A great way to mitigate some of this risk is to choose daily paths to and from your destinations that include greenery, such as a park or tree-lined street. In fact, the Japanese have "forest therapy" as part of their medical arsenal to combat stress, and a study shows that walking in forests indeed decreases cardiovascular risk. Forest therapy can include hiking or simply spending quiet, mindful time with nature among trees and foliage.

See the Green

Adding some green to your indoor environment is a good idea too - plants, fresh-cut flowers, and even nature-scene screen savers and computer background images. Taking intermittent breaks and looking out of a window at some greenery is also helpful for your health, and not just because sitting for prolonged periods is harmful for your body (read more about that in a coming blog post). A study looking at college students in Australia doing a computer test showed that providing a single 40-second "microbreak" of an image of a green rooftop between tests improved their performance.

Be the Green

So, schedule your day to include "green breaks," however brief (does your office have a courtyard, terrace, or green roof?). Take a quick walk during lunch. Take a bike ride. Do some gardening. Have an after dinner stroll by some trees. Thinking creatively here is key. But whatever you do, make "being green" part of your health insurance policy! 💚

The Year of Yes is a weekly photo-and-word installment by Dr. Shah written with the purpose of evoking hope, resilience, and a gentle movement toward healthy change in all of us.