snow in central park

like an art!

snow in central park

what is this golden branch?

Early Spring : )

Spring has arrived a bit earlier at my apartment!
a pot of hyacinth that i bought last week at the union square market has just bloomed, with almost intoxicating aroma filling the room : )

one month away from the spring, and now the energy is starting to go upward.
and the body will soon start to eliminate excess fat that we accumulated during the cold winter.
so don't be surprised if you are sneezing, having itchy eyes, or even skin problems.
anger is an emotional discharge when the energy is not flowing freely in liver meridian.

time to eat less, chew extra well and nurture the spring organ, Liver : )

and a hawk....

ive been seeing a hawk in central park a lot this winter.
or maybe because ive been paying more attention since i started walking in the park every morning?

even though they are huge, it's easy to miss.
when it flies, with huge wings wide open, it is just gorgeous!

Cherry Blossom??

no, they are snow-covered trees in central park!
aren't they pretty? like real cherry, in winter wonderland : )

yin & yang in chocolate : )

first i experienced this during the holiday season.
i had this delicious hot chocolate--real one, dark and not milk added--and one of the toppings was sea salt.
suspiciously i tried, and amazingly good!
just a pinch of sea salt enhances the flavor of the high quality chocolate, really.

then this valentine's day, at this organic-vegan chocolate cafe, Coco V, i had this dark chocolate sprinkled with sea salt.
mmmmmm, delicious!!

then i realized that i just had not known that this combination was so common, at least for real kinds of chocolate, from browny to chocolate cakes.

and from yin and yang point of view, it makes sense, too.
yang (salt) enhances yin (sugar, chocolate), and creates a wonderful balance!

but again, only in moderation.
sugar and chocolate is "extreme yin" and excess consumption could cause so much troubles.

just for a special occasion, special treat, like a valentine's day : )

Happy Chinese (Luna) New Year!

yesterday, 2/14, was the chinese new year.
according to the luna calender, every month starts on the new moon, about 29 days cycle.

the new moon is a good day for making a fresh start, planning, as well as cleaning and detox.

since i started to live in tune with the moon cycle (not always, though), i noticed that during the new moon, i have less effect by toxins such as alcohol and sugar, compared to during the full moon, feeling the need to go to the bathroom more frequently.
---during the full moon, i tend to have more hangover : (

and this seems to be something to do with the gravitiy of the moon.
when the moon is new, the moon is the other side of the earth, pulling us to the ground.
while the full moon the energy is from the above.

just keep this in mind can help how to make better choices in everyday life : )

Happy Valentine's Day : )

so, i made a macrobiotic dessert, rasberry tart : )
sugar free, dairy free, egg free and "guilt free" !

ingredients :

for cream
organic tofu,organic coconut milk, organic maple syrup,vanila essence, miso, sea salt, kuzu root,kanten(seaweed)

for pie
organic whole wheat flour, cinnamon, suflower oil, organic maple syrup, seasalt

topping
organic rasberry

delicous!!

have a wonderful valentine's day : )

global warming, snow storm, and yin & yang

another snow storm in new york!
but even a big snow can't stop me from going for a morning walk in central park : )
or my deep concern about human-caused global warming, either.

just because only one part of the planet has been having cold(-er?) winter, or lots of snow storm, does not alter the fact that the whole planet is heating up.

as oriental philosophy teaches, we always have to look at the whole pictures.
in terms of global climite, we have to look at things on a global scale, and in longer period of time, instead of "just one region and one year".

besides, when we look at what we have been doing to the planet the last one hundred years or so, how can one say that this is not affecting our mother earth??
all the pollutions and the tremendous amount of so called heat trapping gases emitted every single day!!
i can even hear that this planet is screaming for help.
look at the poor polar bears!

from macrobiotic point of view, yin(cold) and yang(warm) are not absolute, but in constant transformation, continual state of change.

this extreme global warming is causing more frequent "exteme events", both yin and yang phenomenon.

for the time being, ill keep walking, even in the snow, every morning, and wait for the spring : )

Diabetes Project at Kushi Institute

Macrobiotic Center, Kushi Institute is offering weeklong prgram of diabetes.
check it out for more infos.

http://www.kushiinstitute.org/html/diabetes_workshop.html

Umesho Bancha Tea --- Home Remedy for...

Everything!

By purifying and strengthening the blood, this tea is great to prevent colds/flu or relieve its symptoms.
Also boosts immune function, and gives you overall energy when feeling weak.

also good for
Headache, digestive(stomach) problems, fever, fatigue,stimulate circulation.

Personally, i like to drink this tea after too much yin foods/drink, like wine or dessert (this tea is yang), as well as when my stomach is not feeling very well.
* umeboshi is such good antiseptic that we in japan put this in a lunch box so the food don't get bad.

recipe

Remove pit from 1 umeboshi plum (or 1/2 tbs of ume paste)
* to make it easier to drink, make a paste by chopping and
kneading it
add a few drops of soy sauce
add a few drops of freshly grated ginger(optional)
put all in a cup
add hot bancha or kukicha tea
stir and drink hot

*umeboshi(pickled plum) or ume paste, bancha tea /kukicha tea are all
available at health food stores

Big snow and bitter cold!

during the stay in becket, we had a few big snow.
and temperture dropped below zero!
thought this winter in new york was crazy, but becket beat it!
still i could not stop going for a walk at least once a day.
and i came across a cute little wild fox!

this tree, by the way, stood alone,in the middle of a field, looking "skinny" but firm, and somehow looked like sending a message to me.

Back in Becket, MA

Back to Kushi institute in Becket, MA for a week again.
perfect timing to detox, physically, emotionally and spiritually, after holiday seasons :)

healthy, balanced food, fresh air, walking in the woods....
and lots of study study and study!

usually, this season, i tend to go off balance because of the accumulated "toxins" and the cold, dry weather, but thanks to this trip to macrobiotic "healing retreat"
i guess i can go without catching colds this winter : )