Greetings Friends,
We hope you’ve had a wonderful August! We’ve been so wildly full this month, saying yes to new and exciting projects, and fine tuning our medicine making and meditation practices. The biggest news for us, is we’ve decided to postpone our move to Big Bear Lake until the spring. We are delighted to have some more time in the Bay, and feel especially blessed by the momentum that is building around our sound meditations and community support of our soon to be released plant potions!
Thank you sincerely for all of your support and encouragement as we bring sound meditation and plant medicine to the masses! We have never felt more ignited and aligned with our true calling. It feels so good!
For this month’s newsletter, Josh is going to highlight some of the exciting projects and events he has coming up, and I am going to share two of my favorite nutritive, womb supporting, gut healing herbal infusions. These infusions have changed my life! I’m so excited to pass on these simple, supportive recipes.
Our musical offering can be found in Josh’s section! This month it’s a brainwave generated soundscape with experimental intention! Enjoy!
New Vibrations
by Joshua W Bruner
Lots of interesting stuff happening on my end and many changes occurring that I’d like to catch you up on.
I’ll no longer be teaching Sound Paths at Anchor Meditation but I will be teaching a new class called ‘Brainwave Curious?’ where we’ll learn all about our brainwaves and use a Muse EEG headband to generate musical soundscapes while we meditate. It’s going to be a lot of fun so join us on Tuesday nights at 6:15 PM for the new adventure. https://www.anchormeditation.com
I’ll also be performing brain & plant generated meditation music every 3rd Monday at the Center for New Music beginning in October which will be really fun. I hope to invite special musical guests to these when possible and look forward to sharing this experience in a new and experimental music space. Hope to see you there! https://centerfornewmusic.com/calendar/brainwave-curious/
There’s a really special project in the works with Worldwide Musicians United centered around a worldwide collaboration with artists using music as a wellness practice. Not a lot of details to share with you at the moment but some interesting things are in the works and I’m super pumped about it. https://wwmu.org/eng/
MidiSprout is getting ready to release their newest update and I’ve been asked to participate in an event for the unveiling. I can’t even begin to say how honored I am about this invitation and will share details as they form. MidiSprout is currently sold out but they’ll have new and improved models available very soon and feel free to use our discount code, Flower, to save 10%. https://www.midisprout.com
With so much happening I don’t have much else to share with you this month, but please take a look at this video of an amazing pianist named Derek, who might just be the most musical being on the planet at the moment. He’s a special soul and I’m really touched by his story and his brilliance. Enjoy!
The Life Changing Magic of Herbal Infusions
Friends, if there is one thing you do for yourself this month, let it be falling in love with herbal infusions.
I am embarrassed to say that although I have been recommending herbal infusions to my clients all year, I have never gotten into a routine of daily infusions for myself until now!
What I have learned, is that it is one thing to witness another person’s transformation with continued ritual and relationship to plants, but it will always be quite another to experience it firsthand.
I can now say without a doubt in my mind, that herbal infusions are life changing!!
If you are a body type that is often running on fumes, that is leaning towards adrenal fatigue, that is typically dehydrated, stressed, or dealing with excess heat, or if you are just looking for some extra tlc for the GI, Reproductive, and Nervous Systems, herbal infusions may be the missing link to your routine!
My amazing herbalist, Hannah Pearl Walcott, has been sending me home with infusion recommendations for months, and I have made every excuse in the book not to begin this ritual.
Crazy, right?
When I finally came to my senses and invested in a bulk order of herbs for my infusions, I realized that it literally takes 5 minutes before going to bed, and five minutes in the morning to prepare an insanely nutrient rich, calming, juicy infusion that makes me feel amazing.
At this point you may be wondering, what the heck is an herbal infusion?
Basically it’s just brewing a cup of tea for a very long time so you can pull out the medicinal constituents of the plants.
I’ve been taught that medicinal qualities of a plant begin seeping into water at about 20 minutes, but that a true magical herbal infusion happens anywhere between 4 and 10 hours!!
This makes infusing the herbs overnight the perfect window of time! I’ve also found that the ritual of preparing my infusions before bed, to be a beautiful way to set my intentions for the day to come. It feels like a promise to myself that no matter how the day unfolds, I will be prepared with fresh herbal medicine, and that I deserve this kind of loving forethought.
Here are the two infusions that I’ve been enjoying, and the two I seem to recommend to clients the most! I truly hope you make the commitment to trying out this ritual for yourself! Your body will thank you:)
Chamomile, Meadowsweet, Marshmallow Root Cold Infusion:
You read it right folks, that’s cold water for this one! Cold water is going to extract the mucilaginous properties of the marshmallow root and chamomile that are so incredibley soothing and hydrating to tissues in the GI and really any tissue in the body that is inflamed or dehydrated.
To make this infusion, add equal parts of chamomile, meadowsweet, and Marshmallow Root to a quart sized mason jar. Typically with infusions you are going to add about one heaping tablespoon of herb per cup of water, so about 4 tablespoons of herb per quart jar.
Mix all the herbs together, then pour cold water to the top of the jar. Cover, shake like crazy, then leave on the counter and go to bed.
In the morning, strain out the herbs and enjoy!
This infusion is going to be slimy, gold colored, and oh so healing. The chamomile and marshmallow root help the cells in your GI actually open up and receive the water you drink, so your body can actually hydrate instead of peeing everything out immediately.
This translates to healthier kidneys, which every modern human needs, and more energy! One reason we are so dang tired as a culture, is that we are severely overworked and under hydrated. Helping to Balance our body’s relationship to water is a serious game changer for energy and stress levels.
The chamomile in this blend is also so beautiful for folks who feel stress in the stomach. It soothes the nervous tissue in the GI, and truly sets you up for a cool, calm, and collected day! I love thinking about chamomile as an herb for children too. When I drink this infusion it feels like I am connecting directly to the child within. I feel soothed, playful, and cared for.
The meadowsweet in this blend, is an extra magical component that is great for GI spasms, is a natural pain reliever and antacid, and generally is cooling and calming to the GI tract. I was also taught that in Traditional Celtic Medicine, Meadowsweet is a sacred plant to the well of fire. If you have an ancestral connection to this plant, you may find it especially soothing to your GI for this reason, but I have seen it work beautifully with all sorts of folks.
I love this blend because it is juicy and hydrating, but it also feels like it soothes my entire nervous system. I know so much of our stress as a culture is rooted in poor diet and poor digestion, and the link between depression and the Gut Microbiome feels impossible to ignore. This blend for me, feels like it’s repairing tissue and disharmony that may have been inherited that is no longer serving me.
My entire system feels kissed by Gold.
Nettle, Raspberry Leaf, Oatstraw:
You are going to use the dry leaves of the nettle and raspberry leaf, and the stalks and dried pods of wild oats for this one.
This is a tried and true, beautifully nutritive infusion that is AWESOME for birthing bodies preparing their womb space, and equally amazing for folks who are just looking to boost their mineral and vitamin intake while supporting their nervous, Urinary, and Musculoskeletel systems.
I love this blend so much. For this infusion, you are going to take your quart jar, fill it with equal parts of this blend, then pour HOT water over the herbs. Cover, and leave on counter before heading to bed.
In the morning, strain and enjoy straight away, or store in fridge and enjoy throughout the day. This one tastes really awesome cold. For me, it feels like taking a liquid vitamin that I can FEEL flowing through my body in such supportive ways.
All hail the mighty nettle. Nettles are rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, proteins, and many other nutrients. They help build healthy blood and bones and are awesome for joints and skin. They are an effective remedy for anemia, they are anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic, and they are such a beautiful tonic for the kidneys. A strong infusion of nettles will be deep, dark green! You can see and FEEL the magic of this plant!
Raspberry leaf is fluffy, boundaried goodness. It is known for growing in thorny thickets, and protects its berries much in the same way that it helps us protect our little ones. it strengthens uterine muscles for childbirth and helps prevent and relieve morning sickness. It is also helpful for reducing cramps and regulating cycles, and is soothing and toning to the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestinal lining. I’ve personally noticed its anti-inflammatory actions have helped with inflamed gums and mouth sores, and it can also be awesome for Crohn's disease and IBS because of its astringent properties. It is also nutrient dense!
Oatstraw is the sweetest, gentlest little warrior. This is a great plant to take over time, as it slowly and steadily restores and rebuilds the nervous system, acting as a gentle nervine that is also a great source of calcium and silica, making it awesome for hair, teeth, and bones!
Since I’ve been drinking both of these infusions daily, I’ve noticed that I feel relaxed, supported, hydrated, energized, and cooler overall in my body, since I am a body that tends to trap heat. When I am not practicing herbal medicine, I am working at a very fast paced bar that demands juggling many tasks at once and interfacing with toxic energy at times. This can be a troubling equation for my trapped heat, as it often manifests as frustration, anger, or utter nervous system depletion. I have found that since drinking these infusions daily, I am less triggered at work. I feel calmer, and cooler, and less inflamed in my body. My skin, my cycle and digestion have improved, and I feel juicy, playful, energized, and just overall awesome.
I cannot believe it has taken me so long to try herbal infusions!
There are so many combinations of herbs to try, I look forward to hearing about YOUR favorites and continuing to explore new recipes with clients and at home.
Thank you for tuning in to this month’s newsletter! We look forward to keeping you updated with all of Josh’s events and collaborations as they unfold, and hope to see you at one of his tuesday night ‘Brainwave Curious?’ classes!
We will also be hosting more Sunset Meditations in the coming “Summer” Months of San Francisco, and are very much looking forward to popping up at some Fall and Holiday Markets with fresh batches of our handcrafted herbal medicine!
We hope your transition into this new month and new moon is full of re-calibration and connection to all of the practices that make you center and shine!
With much love,
Nora and Josh
