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Lees hier de Nederlandse versie. For the best up-to-date information, sign up for my mailing list. In case you didn't load the picture, here are the points outlined above: You are no longer required to be vaccinated for COVID or to wear a mask. HOWEVER, you are welcome to do so if you wish. You will still be required to fill in an online health survey in order to confirm your appointment. I (your massage therapist) am vaccinated and will wear a mask (as of August 2023 UPON REQUEST) while we are both in the massage space. I will also take regular home COVID tests. The space will continue to be thoroughly cleaned and given new linens between clients. Your appointment will be rescheduled if you, a member of your household, or I have cold symptoms. And finally, because this is also a health concern: Allergy alert: perfumes including hair products, spray deodorant and body fresheners are not allowed. Absolutely no patchouli. Please let me know if you are allergic to cats or have any other allergies. Please let me know if you would like extra precautions taken for your appointment in order to keep you safe and healthy. As always, appointments are by email only. Sharon@sharonfeigal.com

My teachers often go over the daily habits recommended for good health according to traditional Thai medicine. In late summer, with the days finally starting to shorten a little, we've been talking a lot at home about our sleep patterns. We don't have curtains everywhere, so we get quite a lot of natural light in our home. In the summer, with the sun rising just after 5am and setting after 10pm, it's really hard to get enough sleep. And if we want to watch a movie in the summer, we have to wait for our living room to darken enough for our projection screen to be visible. The coronavirus pandemic has affected our sleep patterns as well. Although we are not enjoying our usual late-night social activities, some of them have moved online and we try to enjoy those as often as possible. Further, as for most people, it has probably affected our stress levels, which are also affected by personal life events and even normal daily life. So what does Thai medicine recommend that's helpful in this? Without going into a full list of all the recommendations I've received from my teachers, here are some I might not have thought about. Do not sleep during the day. Yep, no napping! Matt likes to nap, but has been working on just having a rest time during the day instead of a nap. The other day he commented, "sometimes I feel tired earlier in the evening but then I pep back up and those are the nights I have the hardest time sleeping well." And that leads to TWO other things in this list: Go to sleep (not to bed, but to sleep) before 10pm. I imagine one doesn't need much napping if one is asleep before 10 every night. For balancing Wind element: Try to go to bed at night when you first feel tired. If you stay up past the first wave of exhaustion, insomnia is likely. For balancing Fire: Go to sleep before midnight. For balancing Water: Wake early and do not sleep during the day. I know, I know. I have not talked about element imbalances in any detail on this little blog. Let's be super simplistic, here. Wind is movement, and an imbalance can either be too much movement (physical or mental) or too little, which are commonly notable in sleep disturbances. Fire is heat & reactivity, and an imbalance may show you more easily angered or upset, too driven or perhaps not driven enough. Water is liquidity and cohesion, and an imbalance can be demonstrated by depression, too much attachment, unwillingness to move. Again, this is a very very simplistic summary. Do not go self-diagnosing for anything if you relate strongly to anything. If it's a concern, please talk to your doctor or health care professional. Would you like to learn more about Thai element theory? A good place to start is Nephyr Jacobsen's book 7 Peppercorns. I linked to a description of the book versus a retail link because it is available on most websites, and she would encourage you to buy from your local retailer. She would also probably be horrified by my over-simplification of elemental imbalances.

Thai massage has a stigma in many places, a shady reputation for "happy endings" and illegal prostitution. Actually, it continues to surprise me that it even has this connotation here in the Netherlands, where one can visit a legal, licensed sex worker. Why would you need to go to a brothel posing as a massage "parlour?" No, I understand the draw of the illegal and illicit. What I don't understand is why I still get chuckles and winks from some people when I tell them that I practice Thai massage. As I work towards completing the upstairs renovation, especially the area where my massage practice will be located, my thoughts are mostly on creating the right atmosphere within the space. I'm worried about light (too much or too little) and air circulation, the placement of my steamer for preparing herbal compresses, and of course the decorations and paint colors. I haven't been thinking all that much about the outside yet. When we moved out of our old home, I updated Google maps to show my business at the new address. That listing was for Sharon Feigal Thai Massage. Further information gives an email address but no phone number (I hate phone calls) and says that I am temporarily closed. It links to my website, which also says that I'm temporarily closed and provides a contact form. I have received a few email and form inquiries since I've moved in, which makes me even more enthusiastic to re-open. I've also had instances of men hovering around my driveway looking slightly confused and looking at my address and their phone. I usually just ignore this, since I'm not usually in the front of the house (I see them if I check the cameras). A friend arrived recently while a pair were doing that, and asked if he could help them. They said there was supposed to be a massage place here, and in response he played dumb. I don't mind my friend's response. Generally, legitimate new clients don't just show up without an appointment. Our old house was in the middle of the busy Jordaan, with only one door opening to a popular shopping street with constant foot traffic and vigilant neighbors. When random men showed up at awkward hours, I could choose to not answer the door, or answer it (via intercom or at the door) but explain I was open only by appointment and that I took appointments only by email. If they were still confused, I would explain that I work on fully clothed clients and that I am not working at this time. We were ready for some privacy after 12 years in our former busy neighborhood, and we've got it. The new house is an interesting mid-century architectural design of the Nieuwe Stijl movement. Something about the size and the mostly blank facade already has one of my friends referring to it as our Playboy mansion. It makes me nervous that the appearance of the house itself, paired with my business name, may attract more of those awkward visits, and that they may be potentially dangerous, for us or houseguests, or even clients. I'm not really sure why a home massage practice causes misunderstanding. Many massage therapists practice in a room of their home, and many more do home visits. On the other hand, a quick Google maps search for massage in my area shows mostly female names, no business names at all, so perhaps that says it all. I've updated my Google business name on maps to read Sharon Feigal Therapeutic Massage. Of course, my treatments are still based in traditional Thai medicine! I'm simply hoping that the name change eliminates some of these misunderstandings. To end on a fun note: one year on King's Day (or maybe Queen's Day) I met a couple of friendly Thai people with a massage chair set up on a bridge. Their sign read "Thai Massage with Happy Ending" and they were giving short chair massages followed by a homemade ice cream similar to what I've seen for sale from handcarts in Thailand. The treats were the happy ending, and it was BRILLIANT.

I'm just copy/pasting standard privacy policies. If you have a question, please let me know. The only information I collect from this page is how many views it gets on what things and if you fill in a form to give me information. Now, here the standard stuff - my notes in GREEN: We receive, collect and store any information you enter on our website or provide us in any other way. In addition, we collect the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet; login; e-mail address; password; computer and connection information and purchase history. We may use software tools to measure and collect session information, including page response times, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information, and methods used to browse away from the page. We also collect personally identifiable information (including name, email, password, communications); payment details (including credit card information), comments, feedback, product reviews, recommendations, and personal profile. I have no idea how this works - I assume Wix does this, since this is their sample privacy policy to use to draft one. When you conduct a transaction on our website, as part of the process, we collect personal information you give us such as your name, address and email address. Your personal information will be used for the specific reasons stated above only. Currently, transactions are handled via email or in the case of my ceramics, Etsy, so this doesn't really apply. Maybe in the future. We collect such Non-personal and Personal Information for the following purposes: No comment To provide and operate the Services; To provide our Users with ongoing customer assistance and technical support; To be able to contact our Visitors and Users with general or personalized service-related notices and promotional messages; To create aggregated statistical data and other aggregated and/or inferred Non-personal Information, which we or our business partners may use to provide and improve our respective services; To comply with any applicable laws and regulations. Our company is hosted on the Wix.com platform. Wix.com provides us with the online platform that allows us to sell our products and services to you. Your data may be stored through Wix.com’s data storage, databases and the general Wix.com applications. They store your data on secure servers behind a firewall. This makes sense, as Wix wrote it. All direct payment gateways offered by Wix.com and used by our company adhere to the standards set by PCI-DSS as managed by the PCI Security Standards Council, which is a joint effort of brands like Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. PCI-DSS requirements help ensure the secure handling of credit card information by our store and its service providers. Not applicable at this time, but OK. We may contact you to notify you regarding your account, to troubleshoot problems with your account, to resolve a dispute, to collect fees or monies owed, to poll your opinions through surveys or questionnaires, to send updates about our company, or as otherwise necessary to contact you to enforce our User Agreement, applicable national laws, and any agreement we may have with you. For these purposes we may contact you via email, telephone, text messages, and postal mail. If I ever move my mailing list properly over here instead of separately, I'm sure this is true. If you don’t want us to process your data anymore, please contact us at sharon@sharonfeigal.com . We reserve the right to modify this privacy policy at any time, so please review it frequently. Changes and clarifications will take effect immediately upon their posting on the website. If we make material changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated, so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it. No comment. If you would like to: access, correct, amend or delete any personal information we have about you, you are invited to contact us at sharon@sharonfeigal.com.

My teacher says that while all Buddhist medicine isn't Thai, all Thai medicine is Buddhist medicine. While Buddhism isn't the only influence on the history of Thai medicine, it is as important to the understanding of the practice of it as is the cultural influence of Christianity in Europe and places that Europe colonized. To be clear, in modern Thailand just as in modern Europe and the rest of the world, allopathic medicine ("modern medicine") is practiced. Alongside this, similarly to the often more well-known Traditional Chinese Medicine or Ayurvedic medicine, traditional Thai medical practices are sometimes used alongside modern techniques, even in large hospitals. To put this into perspective on how it relates to me, massage is part of the physical therapies branch of traditional Thai medicine, just as physiotherapy is part of allopathic medicine. There are other specialties in this branch, and there are other branches, and all of them can be directly related to specialties in modern medicine. My teacher emphasizes that one doesn't need to become a Buddhist to practice traditional Thai medicine (or any of its branches), but one should try to get a good understanding of how it affects the practice. Since the pandemic started, I've been very lucky to have been included in the online lectures my teacher's teacher has been giving from his home in Thailand. On Wednesdays the lectures are primarily about Buddhist practices as taught to him by his many teachers. On Thursdays the lectures are about traditional Thai medicine, such as element theory, historic texts and herbal formulas. Although I initially thought I'd be joining primarily for the Thursday lectures, I find myself more engaged in the Wednesday ones. Perhaps that stems from my long-ago university background in comparative religions and philosophies (among other things - I was an over-achiever), but I also think it has to do with my Catholic upbringing and my initial distrust of ritual without better understanding. It helps put many things that are taught in even the most commercial massage schools into better perspective. I have long been comfortable with the practice of chanting a wai khru (respect to teachers). I remember kneeling in one of my first schools at the beginning of the day beside a new student who hadn't really come across it yet and explaining to her that she didn't have to do it if she felt uncomfortable (she did). To me, back then, I'd already had a chance to learn what the words meant, found them pretty comfortable, and the practice basically a good way of centering myself and directing my attention at the business of the day. But I had been uncomfortable too the very first time I had heard it, and like her had just sat there listening. These days, I really enjoy some of the rituals. They make me feel respectful of the culture that has given me my livelihood. I am grateful to understand them better. Does this make me a Buddhist? I'm not sure. I don't think it matters to me very much. Like many things, you never know how that will change over time. Of all the world religions, I've always felt most comfortable with Buddhism, but ultimately I don't think I'm particularly seeking their form of enlightenment. (If interested, I've captioned all the photos with very brief explanations.)

Regulars to my bodywork practice are familiar with the numerous herbal treatments I use during sessions. While I am not currently practicing, I've had several requests for the products for home use. Below are the ones I've currently got on hand, and I have bought some lovely apothecary bottles for home use. I will keep just enough that I can start my practice again, but they might as well be getting used meanwhile. Since this is currently only an offer for clients, I am happy to deliver these personally. I can even deliver out of town via my motorcycle, and can offer careful hygiene and contactless delivery. If you'd rather I put them in the post, we can discuss postage. Prices are listed per product and vary based on cost and availability of ingredients and in some cases difficulty of preparation. If you aren't sure you want something but are thinking about it, let me know. It may help me know that it's worthwhile to start preparing another batch. Some preparations require up to 6 weeks of infusion. Included with each product will be an information sheet with a full ingredient list and recommendations for use, and you are definitely also welcome to contact me with any other questions. We can even set up a video call. Herbal Balms/Salves are semi-solid herbal infusions intended for specific treatment areas. These recipes use beeswax as the solidifying agent, due to its own healing and preservative function, and are therefore not vegan. Warming balm - This is the yellow balm I often use on necks, shoulders, wrists, and ankles. It's great for relaxing really sore muscles and joints. It is the YELLOW staining one, though. You can wash it out, but it might require extra effort. 20 euros per 125ml pot. Cooling balm - This is a mildly cooling balm I often use on feet, but sometimes on necks if someone is experiencing too much heat. Sometimes I use it as a lubricant for cupping or scraping. It is green in color, but doesn't stain any more than any oil would. 15 euros per 125ml pot. Healing Salve - This is a great one for the first-aid kit. It's for healing skin injuries, like sunburns (or other burns), scrapes, and shallow cuts. It is yellow but not nearly as staining as the warming balm, and it's safe for children and pets (it's ok to lick it). 15 euros per 125ml pot, but I also have smaller pots and larger pots available, just ask. I made different sizes so that I could also take it on vacation. Liniments are herbal infusions in an oil base, usually sesame oil but not exclusively. These can often be used over a larger area, as they spread more efficiently. None of these stain any more than any oil. Heating liniment - This is my favorite all-purpose massage oil. I actually take a bottle of this with when I receive massages from other professionals. You might be familiar with it as the one that smelled slightly of cooking oil, but that's because I slightly burned that batch. The latest batch doesn't have that smell. It's great. 50ml - 15euros/100ml - 25euros Nerve liniment - Intended for treatment of nerves and to calm and soothe the senses, I actually use this on just about everyone when I work around your face because it smells so nice and aromatic. 50ml - 20euros. Drawing liniment - This is the oil that I apply after cupping or scraping to help draw out toxins and stagnation. It's also great for bringing deeper bruising out to the surface. 50ml - 15euros/100ml - 25 euros. Abdominal liniment - This one is more intensely warming that the heating liniment, but slides nicer on the skin than a balm would. It is kind of spicy, due to the mustard oil in it. 50ml - 15 euros/100ml - 25 euros. Tinctures are herbal infusions in an alcohol base. They are therefore cooling on the skin and excellent for non-open injuries, as they help relieve inflammation and swelling. Trauma liniment - This is actually a liniment/tincture. Because it is both, it separates and needs to be shaken before each use. It stains YELLOW, very strongly. It is meant for traumatic injury: breaks, sprains and the like, and NOT for use on open wounds. Those of you who are in full-contact sports probably already have a bottle of this. 50ml - 20 euros. Cooling tincture - Like the trauma liniment, this one works as an anti-inflammatory. It can be used on milder injuries that have swelling, and heat irritation as long as there's no open wound. I like it on my ankles in the summer (especially if I've been dancing in boots). 50ml - 15 euros. Herbal Compress Balls are mostly intended to be steamed to heat them. Most should be soaked thoroughly first, then steamed, then applied to the body. The exceptions are in the notes. I am selling these singly, because you really only need one at a time if it's for home use. Each ball will last around 6 applications, depending on how long you wait between applications and how you store it. Recommendations will be provided. Herbal balls are all 10 euros for 200g. General Warming compress - This is the one I buy from my supplier in Thailand and that I keep steaming all the time. I have plenty to share some. It's great on sore muscles, menstrual cramps, joint pain... it's all over good. Injury compress - For you always-injured people, it's meant to support tissue and bone healing. You use it the same as the general warming one, but I will make it in whatever old fabric I've got around. Pre-natal compress - This should be soaked and steamed but allowed to cool slightly before use. It is for relaxing the muscles, but doesn't add as much heat. Also contains ingredients to help soothe nausea and dizziness. Drying recipe - This one doesn't come in a ball. Instead, you will get the same measurement of herbs and you will need to heat them in a pan on the stove. When they are good and hot, you pour them into something cloth, like a cotton shopping bag or a big sock, and then apply them to the body part in question. This recipe can be used post-natal on the abdomen, or on the chest and upper back for someone who has wet chest congestion/coughing, or on areas of water retention. Internal recipes are basically herbal supplements, mostly stirred into hot water. Some have been subjected to studies that I can give you references to, but all are common recipes used in Thai medicine. I am not in any way qualified to give you advice on supplements, let alone prescribe them. I simply have enough of these to share and most likely you're only interested in them if we've talked about them before. Prasaplai - Relieves menstrual cramping. Ideally, you start it up to 2 days before you expect your period to start, and continue during depending on your usual discomfort. I can package it in (generous) 5-day portions (about ¼ cup) for 5 euros per portion. Triphala - Commonly used in Thai medicine, this is actually an Ayurvedic recipe to balance Fire. ¼ cup - 5 euros. Tissue-softening infusion - I usually prefer to offer delicious teas to you when you're here, but this is intended as a post-bodywork drink. It is also recommended post-workout. I sometimes give this to people whose muscles and tissues just seem so bound up that I can barely access them, even with heat. These are the same people I'm most likely to give more oil massage to. ¼ cup - 5 euros. Andrographus - This one is very interesting, and timely. During the SARS epidemic, Thai pharmacies simply ran out of this herb. It is a popular remedy for colds and flus, usually taken when you get it, not necessarily preventative. That said, my teacher's teacher recommended it preventatively in the case of COVID-19, so Matt and I have been taking it every day for about 6 weeks now. It hasn't caused us any harm at least, but I don't believe there are any studies about it. It tastes HORRIBLE, so we gave up stirring it into hot water and switched to making (vegan) gelcaps. Your choice if you would like some. 4 euros per ¼ cup or 6 euros per 50 gelcaps. Herbal inhalers are herbal mixtures in a container that can be opened and enjoyed. Currently I only have the citrus one available, but am interested to hear if you'd like me to make a new batch of the others. Each inhaler will be a small amount of herbs in a small but much larger bottle. For example, a teaspoon in perhaps an empty vitamin container. I will use what I can find. 5 euros per inhaler. Citrus Inhaler - for lungs and sinuses, as well as general stimulation. Musky inhaler - for grounding, increasing appetite, and treating Wind imbalances Aromatic inhaler - for nausea, easing the mind, calming, and relieving dizziness As usual, I have a lot more recipes that I can make to meet needs. These are simply the ones I already have made or that I always keep on hand because I use them so commonly. If you've got a question about something else, let's talk.

Happy Songkran 2020! Thailand is postponing this year's Songkran celebrations, but they would have been this week. Traditionally, Songkran was the Thai New Year, although now it's more a national holiday of renewal and cleansing. If you look it up online, you will see lots of pictures of water guns and chaos, but I celebrate it by cleansing and refreshing my altar. While I was busy cleaning, I thought some of you might wonder about the things you see on it. My altar grew up by itself, piece by piece, and it's not completely "correct" as far as its contents and representation. I'm sure it will continue to evolve as my practice does. Th primary element of my altar is the Buddha statue. I bought this one at a woodcarver's stall at a market in Mae Song Hon in northern Thailand, the first time I visited. He just sat among many others like him, all just a tiny bit different. I liked his little grin, and Matt encouraged me to buy him. He is decorated in artificial flower garlands that I bought on later trips to Thailand and India. I use a natural beeswax candle on my altar because it doesn't bother my allergies or those of my clients. It burns in a long blue ceramic olive tray that I bought on a motorcycle trip through Montana. It was one of my earliest cross-USA road trips and I saw a sign for a pottery and stopped in. Candles represent the Fire element in traditional Thai medicine. Usually an altar would also have incense here, to represent Wind. However, I'm very allergic to incense, so I do not. I do not have a specific representative for Wind, therefore, but Wind is movement, and there's plenty of that in the room! Also our old house has old windows, so if you've had a massage here on a windy day, you know you can hear the wind rattling them in their frames and whirling around in the little space outside. Beside him sits a little pot of fake water lilies that I bought on another trip in Bangkok airport. I just think they're pretty, and like many things here, they remind me of Thailand. Inside the ceramic dish is a rock decorated with a motif that I bought from an artist, John, in Chiang Mai. He collects rocks from his home village in the mountains, paints them, and sells them in his gallery in Chiang Mai. It's a wonderful gallery that is so eccentric I smile every time I even pass by it! One time when I was visiting, he also gave me one of his smaller art prints, which is also on my altar because it seems to sum up so much about the things that hold meaning for all of us. Food is the traditional representation of Earth element on this kind of altar, but this is also my living room and I don't want to draw pests or tempt my cats. For me, the rock from John in Chiang Mai and various precious stones have become my symbols for Earth, along with the sandstone tray they rest on. All of the stones were gifts or intended as gifts that were never collected. The rosary was given to me by my grandparents when I celebrated my First Communion as a child. I was raised Catholic, and this rosary seems natural on my altar, a way of paying respect to my culture and upbringing even if I've long stepped away from that faith. It is also a memory of my grandparents, and one's own family and history are part of the respect we pay to our teachers when we perform the wai khru (literally "respect to teachers," this is a chant that I perform on all working days and occasionally other times that suit me). The little elephant was a gift when I was a teenager from a close family friend. I don't have a statue of Ganesha, because I keep gifting them away, but I like to think this little statue can stand in when the wai khru I'm performing pays respect to him as well. The little mandala was a gift from a friend some years back, and when I found it in an old box I thought it belonged here. Flowers traditionally represent the element of Space in Thai element theory. I have also heard it said that observing their decay is a reminder of impermanence. The water in their vase naturally represents Water, and I refresh it daily and pour the old water into a houseplant. Most practitioners of Thai massage have a statue or picture of Doctor Jivaka on their altar, and I recently received mine from a teacher. Jivaka is credited as the father of Thai medicine and the doctor of the Buddha, although there is no evidence that he ever set foot in the area that became Thailand. Regardless, he is considered an important figure when paying respect to the lineage of teachers, and the stories are great. I also have a little Buddha in Repose statue. He was practically forced on me by a motivated saleswoman when I visited a temple in northern Thailand. There are 8 poses of Buddha statues, one for each day of the week (2 for Wednesday). I was born on a Tuesday, and Tuesday's Buddha is the Buddha in Repose. Finally, above my altar hangs a little bell like you will find in temples all over Asia (or at least everywhere I've been). They usually have things written on the bottom, for luck and wishes. My last trip to Thailand was in 2016, and I visited the temple on Doi Suthep outside Chiang Mai as usual. That time I bought a bell from one of the stalls outside, but instead of hanging it in the temple, I brought it home. Retrospectively, I'd like to add a bell for all my previous visits as well, and new ones for visits to come. Perhaps to other temples. And on that note, my friends, I wish you a beautiful year. I know it's not the Spring we were expecting, but it has lovely moments of its own among all the upheaval and sadness. I hope you find your own, and I hope to see you in person soon!

One day, we were enjoying our summer activities: motorcycling, swimming outside, sitting along a canal sipping beverages with our friends, and the next: RAIN, and lots of it. Yep, it's fall. With the season come the usual physical maladies. For the past couple of weeks, everyone through the door has a sniffly nose or a full-blown cold. Flu season is here too, although the flu shots are delayed still until December. How does this affect your appointment? If you are feeling well enough to get here, you are definitely welcome. It's generally not a great idea to come with a high fever, because you'd be better off resting at home. And if you come, please send me a message as early as you can so I can prepare especially for you! If you need to cancel, please try to give me at least 24 hours notice so that I can try to fill your slot with someone off the waiting list. The more the better, even if you're NOT SURE you might cancel. And if your notice to me is under 24 hours, I do need to charge the cost of the appointment. Let's focus on how I can help you when you've got a cold... read on! During Your Appointment I've turned on the heat, and re-installed the heating mat, so you'll be toasty warm! If your clothes have gotten wet from the rain, we can set them on the radiators and you're welcome to wear the cotton clothes I bring from Thailand, available in many sizes. As usual, the general-purpose warming herbal packs are steaming away, ready to press all over and ease those aching muscles. In addition, however, there's another pack I make, ready for this season: the salt drying herb pack. This compress is heated dry, not steamed, and is wonderful for using on the lungs, so all around the ribcage, in order to help diminish chest congestion. For sinus congestion, I've made a citrus aromatic inhaler that you can breathe from while you're here, and I'm preparing small versions of that to take home. If you suspect a cold coming on, I will send you home with some powdered andrographys, which you can use to make a drink. It is used extensively in Thailand both as a preventative and a cure. If you remember to let me know in advance, I can also prepare one of the drinks for colds or the lime cold concoction. You can make these yourself as well at home, recipes below! Self-Care for you to do at HOME! Cook your food! Fall is a rainy, windy season and the beginning of the cold season. If you're a fan of raw and cold foods, this is a good time to move on to cooked foods. Your body will digest it better. In traditional Thai medicine, like many traditional medicines, food is an important part of balancing your body's health. To calm WIND: Eat salty, spicy/hot, and sour foods. To warm you and feed FIRE: Eat spicy/hot and aromatic/pungent foods. Those all-caps words refer to the Elements that need balancing at this time. Like many traditional medicine systems, element theory plays an important role in TTM (Traditional Thai Medicine). This post isn't the place for it, but I will try to address it in a future post. A great example of a nourishing food in this period is Tom Yum soup, so I've included a recipe below. Skincare Lest we all forget that I used to also do workshops in homemade skincare... I don't know about you, but my skin gets super dry with heating turned on and the wind and cold outside. I use really good heavy duty moisturizers, but even those sometimes don't seem to be enough, or just feel like grease that isn't getting absorbed. Then I found a simple recipe in one of my skincare books, and I sometimes use it all by itself and sometimes to help the others absorb. It's super easy, so I'll include it here instead of with the other recipes: 1 part vegetable glycerine to 3 parts rosewater. Shake well. Safe for face and body. I keep a large quantity in the fridge and a small quantity in the bathroom. I've even dumped some into my bathtub before! Recipes, as promised Tom Yum soup Soothing to the WATER element (the element of cold), this is also good for intestinal trouble, and congestion or cold without fever. 280g prawns, washed, peeled & deveined 700ml chicken stock 6 cloves garlic, crushed 6 shallots, sliced 2 stalks lemongrass, white portion only, sliced into 3cm pieces 10 thin slices of galangal, skin removed (sometimes called laos in the toko) 190g straw mushrooms, cut in half 8 cherry tomatoes, halved 20 small green Thai chilies, halved lengthwise (fewer if you prefer milder) 45ml fish sauce or soy sauce 30ml lime juice 5 kaffir lime leaves, de-stemmed (freezer section at toko, usually) 30ml chopped coriander Put stock, garlic, shallots, lemongrass and galangal in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Add mushrooms and tomatoes, and bring back to a boil. Add chilies, fish sauce and kaffir lime leaves. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add prawns and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and add lime juice. Garnish with coriander before serving. (Serves 4.) Note: although you usually serve this soup with all the ingredients in it, you don't usually eat the lemongrass, galangal, and chilies. If you like to, you certainly can. Recipe credit: Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School, via Nephyr Jacobsen in her book Thai Herbal Medicine, co-authored with C. Pierce Salguero. I can really recommend Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School too--especially their evening "master classes." Lemongrass Drink Good for colds, indigestion, menstrual pain and nausea. (NOTE: if menstrual pain is troubling you, please mention it to me. I've got a great mixture for that!) 10 stalks fresh lemongrass, the lower ⅔ of the stalk only 1 liter water Bruise the lemongrass well in a mortar or on a cutting board with something heavy. Cut into 5cm lengths (approximately) and place in a pot with the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes, adding water as needed if evaporating a lot. Remove from heat and strain out the lemongrass. Sweeten as desired with a natural sweetener of your choice. In Thailand, this is usually made very sweet, but that's up to you. It can be enjoyed hot or cold, but I'd recommend hot in this period. You can make a large batch ahead and gently reheat. Recipe credit: Thai Herbal Medicine again Lime Cold Concoction This one will scare the cold right out of you! It is best taken when you first think you feel a cold coming on, but if you've already got the cold, take it up to 3 times a day. 7 black peppercorns 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 small shallot, finely chopped juice of ½ lime (with or without pulp) pinch of sea salt Grind the peppercorns in a mortar. Add the garlic and shallot and grind well. Add the lime juice and salt and mix to make a wet paste. Eat it all up! Don't be tempted to put it on toast or something. Just eat it. It makes my whole face scrunch up! Don't eat this on an empty stomach. Recipe credit: Nephyr Jacobsen Drink to Help Clear Mucous 7 black peppercorns 1-3 cardamom pods, black or green 1 clove garlic hot water honey Grind the peppercorns and seeds from the cardamom in a mortar. Add the garlic and grind well. Put it in a cup and add hot water. This time you get to add honey to taste! Recipe credit: Nephyr Jacobsen

Since 2014, Monique Richards has been experimenting on herself to find what wellness practices actually help. She started her coaching business to help others with their own journeys. Interested in her journey? I really recommend checking out her website, www.28daysof.me . I really like her honesty about her own struggles and joys, and the nature of monthly self-experiments in the first place. She's also a lovely person and has a charming way of talking about all of this. Last year, she interviewed me for her blog and asked me all sorts of questions about Thai massage, how I practice it, what the history is... there were a lot of great questions! I'm thinking about expandiing on some of them in this blog... wait and see! Here is an excerpt from the interview, a brief description of how I started on this Thai massage journey myself: What initially attracted you to being a Thai Bodyworker? I experienced a “burnout” (sometimes called adrenal fatigue, but actually the involvement of the adrenals as cause vs effect is still in debate), culminating in quitting an office job I loathed at the end of 2010. I was trained as a teacher, and had taught for 14 years before that office job. I liked feeling that as a teacher, I was helping people. In massage, I found something similar. In Thai massage specifically, I found techniques that worked for the parts of the body I felt were missed in most table-based massages. When I first experienced a Thai massage I was still practicing Muay Thai (kickboxing), so I loved some of the stretchy massage techniques where you get twisted or stretched and then compressed within those postures. Want to read more? Click here.

On Saturday 28 January, a tiny group of skincare enthusiasts got together for a Winter Skincare workshop here at my home salon. We spent the afternoon with five luxurious recipes to care for our skin during the colder months. Each recipe was tried out and then we made our own to take home. My personal favorite recipe was the soothing serum. A serum can be used on clean skin for many purposes. In the winter, when our skin is dried out by cold and wind, this is a great recipe for soothing and nourishing it. Recipe: Winter Skin Soothing Serum 7.5 mL olive oil 7.5 mL aloe vera juice 2.5 mL rose hip oil (rosa mosqueta) 2.5 mL calendula oil (or tincture) 1 drop chamomile essential oil 2 crops comfrey tincture 1. Carefully measure all ingredients into a larger than necessary clean jar with a lid. 2. Shake well to mix, then transfer to a smaller clean jar. Best if refrigerated and used within a month. Ingredients will separate, so make sure your storage container is large enough to give it a shake each time before use. If oil solidifies in the fridge, store outside the fridge but use faster. To use: apply to clean skin with fingers, massaging gently. Leave as is or follow up with a moisturizer of choice. #diy #skincare #workshop #recipes #press

It was a very busy week for me, but it was a couple of weeks ago now. Unfortunately, I caught the flu somewhere along the line, and it's taken me this long to get back up to writing about it. Therefore, I'm writing about both workshops in one post. Most exciting about both of these workshops for me is that I got to partner up with other people for both of them! So first off, I'd like to thank all the collaborators: Mark Dowe, of Ganesha's Dance, is a yoga teacher and dancer, specialising in orthopedic spine health. He has been my partner for a couple of years now in creating workshops to help teach self-care through massage and stretching, our DIY Relief series. He is also closely tied to Svaha Yoga Shala, where this series of workshops is currently scheduled. Adrienne Dant is a do-it-yourself enthusiast who has been making her own supplies for home and body care. I asked her to help me with the Body Basics workshop because of her long experience with home-made natural deodorant. Dr. Lizette Botha is a chiropractor at Wellbeing Chiropractic, where I am a client. She and her colleagues are very interested in natural healthcare, especially as it pertains to reducing our toxic overload, and offered to host some of my workshops there. She was instrumental in organizing and coordinating this workshop. The first workshop was on Saturday afternoon. This was our first workshop at Svaha Yoga Shala in the Jordaan. I am so grateful to Mark for arranging this wonderful new location. It's much more central than our previous location, and has such a lovely atmosphere. There are no pictures to show you of what we did at this workshop, so I'll try to just describe it. We opened with a sequence of very gentle yoga stretches, then moved on to some diagnostics and understanding of the causes and correlations of pain and discomfort in the upper back, shoulders, neck and head. Self-massage can be done with one's own body, and some of the techniques we addressed during the workshop demonstrated how to do that without hurting ourselves further. For example, if I use my fingers and hand to massage my neck, I might easily injure the tiny joints in the hand and wrist. However, if I can learn to position my hand where it is simply the end of a longer tool, and I can use the full strength and support of my arm to put pressure on my neck, I am much less likely to cause my hand injury while fixing a neck problem. In addition to my own body, I can also use tools. We work with tennis balls and various common household objects and learn to place them in the most useful spots for alleviating pain. Meanwhile, mobility is very important in both the relief of pain and the prevention of it. Mark taught useful stretches and mobilisation activities that can be done easily even at work. We had a pretty small group for this workshop, and everyone got a lot of personalised attention. It was a busy and really fun afternoon! I had been wanting to do a Body Basics workshop for quite some time. There are lots of directions it could go. At one point, I thought about doing shampoo and body wash, but then I personally stopped using those products, so it became less interesting to me. I suppose it's still a possibility for the future. They make great gifts. In this version of Body Basics, we discussed common toxins and allergens, and then we made these products: Toothpaste Mouthwash Deodorant Sometimes, when planning these workshops, I think it's possible that the recipes are too easy to be interesting. However, I remember that when I was first making things for myself at home, doing it with others helped make it seem more manageable. We made the toothpaste first, flavoring it to our likening. I like a cinnamon-clove blend, but my demonstration batch, a sweet peppermint, has been very popular at home. After the toothpaste, we made a mouthwash tea. You can drink the tea as is, or swish and spit. It's up to you. The ingredients are all breath-fresheners and odor-killers. Finally, Adrienne led us in making the deodorant. I'm converted, how about you? I've replaced all of the deodorant in my house with home-made deodorant, although I did have to go out and buy more baking soda first. We ran out! All in all, it was a super fun evening, even though I was sick. I'm hoping I didn't make anyone else sick too! Here are the Body Basics recipes we made, in case you'd like to Do It Yourself! Breath-Sweeting Toothpaste Keep at room temperature indefinitely Coconut Oil - 2 Tbsp Baking Soda - 3 Tbsp Stevia - 5 drops (+) Essential Oil - 5 drops (+) suggestions: Mint, cinnamon, clove, fennel, orange. What to do Mix the coconut oil and baking soda together, smashing well to mix. Add the stevia and essential oils carefully, checking for taste. You can always add more, but it's hard to take away! To use: Brush as normal. You may wish to rinse with warm water instead of cold, but it's not necessary. When spitting, you may consider spitting into the trash to avoid getting oil in your t Refreshing Mouthwash Room temperature 2 days max or Fridge max 1 week Fennel seeds - 2 tsp Cloves - 1/2 tsp Apple cider vinegar - 1/2 tsp Water - appromately 1 1/2 cups What to do Combine fennel seeds and cloves in a glass jar or a teapot. Pour hot but not boiling water over and allow to steep at least 5 but no more than 20 minutes. Add apple cider vinegar. Drink as tea or swish and spit. Coconut Oil Deodorant Room temperature, indefinitely. Coconut oil - 3 Tbsp Baking Soda - 2 Tbsp Cornstarch or Arrowroot powder - 2 Tbsp Essential Oil - 10 drops (+) suggestions: lavender, sandalwood, frankincense, cedarwood, rosemary, thyme. What to do Mix baking soda and cornstarch together. Add coconut oil and mix until well-blended. Add essential oil, starting with 5-10 then until it's scented to your liking. READ MORE ABOUT INGREDIENTS SOON! #diy #workshop #skincare #recipes #selfmassage

On Wednesday 4 February 2015 was the first workshop in collaboration with Wellbeing Chiropractic. It was such a success that we are already looking forward to two more workshops at their location. Focus on Face is all about skincare for the face. Participants learn how to recognize their skin type and the steps to clean and care for it properly. We discuss common toxins and allergens, and then we make some of our own products. Normal Skin: pores are visible around T-zone (forehead, nose, chin) where it’s oilier, less visible on cheeks Oily Skin: large visible pores, often filled, sometimes inflamed, skin is visibly shiny when just cleaned Dry Skin: almost invisible pores It's important to me that all ingredients used in these workshops are easily available--things you can source from local shops. Of course you can also find sources online for many of them, too. As usual, it got a little chaotic during the mixing part. Sometimes I think it might be easier to show all recipes in advance then let people make all of them at once. Honestly, though, I think it would get even more raucous! Every time I've done this workshop, I've introduced slightly different recipes. This time, we made my favorite cleansing oil, a soothing toner for dehydrated winter skin, and a peeling mask. In the end of our session, everyone decorated their products to take home, and I answered as many questions as I could in the time left. Here are the three recipes we made, in case you'd like to Do It Yourself! All-Purpose Cleansing Oil (all skin types) Store at room temperature or in the fridge up to 6 months. Total of 4 tablespoons of any combination: Avocado Oil Jojoba Oil Hemp Seed Oil Soy Oil - not for oily skin Sweet Almond Oil Apricot Kernel Oil Olive Oil - not for oily skin Vitamin E Oil - 1 small capsule or 1/8 teaspoon Essential Oil - 10 drops suggestions: Lavender, Geranium, Wild Orange What to do Mix all ingredients in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Use as makeup remover, cleanser, or intense night moisturiser. If using as a cleanser & makeup remover, use twice. Be sure to thoroughly clean off with toner after second use. Lemony Peeling Mask (may not be suitable for sensitive skin) Store in the fridge up to one week. **In this recipe, some people may be sensitive to the lemon juice or the yoghurt. Both act as peeling agents, so you can simply skip one of them. Egg white - 1 (optional: use egg yolk too) Lemon juice - 2 teaspoons Yoghurt (Greek for thickness) - 1 tablespoon Honey - 2 tablespoons Optional for oily skin: Cucumber Juice - 1 teaspoon What to do Whisk the egg white until it begins to thicken. Slowly add all other ingredients, continuing to whisk them thoroughly until they are all incorporated and thickened. Apply to clean, dry face and let set 15 minutes. Wash off with warm water. I recommend only using a peel or scrub once a week, unless otherwise directed. Soothing Toner (all skin types, especially dry and sensitive) Store at room temperature or in fridge up to 2 weeks, or freeze in cubes (great for sunburns!). Pure or distilled water - approximately 125 milliliters (1/2 cup) Dried elderflower blossoms - 2 teaspoons Dried chamomile blossoms - 2 teaspoons Dried lavender florets - 1/2 teaspoon Vegetable glycerin - 1 teaspoon Vitamin E Oil - 5 drops (2 small capsules) Geranium Essential Oil - 5 drops What to do Bring water to a boil and pour over all dry flowers. Allow to cool. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well, then cover and leave for 6-8 hours. Strain the mixture well and store in glass bottle or freeze for later. Apply after cleansing and before moisturising, as a refresher during the day, or to soothe weather-ravaged skin. READ MORE ABOUT INGREDIENTS SOON! #diy #workshop #skincare #recipes