NEBSM Student Survival Kit

7song gave us each a "student survival kit" for the Rainbow Gathering which is somewhere in Montana, in 3 weeks. We are working the first aid station at this yearly outdoor gathering that attracts roughly 10,000 humans, mostly hippies and fringe folks. The first aid station's name is "CALM," but 7song says a more appropriate name would be "Staph and Diarrhea." Besides staph infections and diarrhea, I look forward to treating a diverse array of health issues with herbal medicine. 7song says that we will learn more at the Rainbow Gathering than in doing anything else during the entire course of our studies here. This is because we are practicing herbal medicine in a chaotic setting, with thousands of humans in an off-the-grid anarchist setting (usually at least a two to four hour's walk from cars). And, many people who come here are open to using herbal medicine.

7song introduced the "One drop test" today. We administer most of our medicines via tinctures, which are plants infused in hard alcohol. (We usually infuse plants in 95% alcohol, and then dilute the alcohol to 50% for medicinal usage.) Sometimes, we also administer teas and powders. But, tinctures are the most convenient to use as medicine, as the alcohol delivers the medicine immediately into the bloodstream. Teas take longer to make, and also take longer for the body to uptake and circulate. The powders can carry more medicine, but it's also more work to add water, and swallow so much of a usually-disgusting powder. More rarely, we also give honeys, glycerites, pills, oils, and liniments. Honeys and glycerites are helpful for people who don't intake alcohol. The pills usually work as long-term supplements. We use oils and liniments for external uses. 

Our student survival kit is a gallon zip-lock bag with the following simple yet invaluable items: 

- 2 pairs of rubber gloves (for sanitation) 

- a 4 oz bag of activated charcoal (an internal/external adsorbent for pulling out "bad stuff") 

- chapparo amargosa tincture of dried stems (1 oz) (GI tract strong antimicrobial and antiparasitical) 

- barberry tincture of root (1 oz) (prevent and treat waterborne illnesses) 

- echinacea tincture of fresh root (1 oz) (immune booster) 

- peppermint spirits (1 oz) (prevent nausea) 

And now, for a brief introduction of how to use these herbs, and why they are in our survival sack! 

- rubber gloves - 

These are for handling all open-flesh wounds, to avoid contaminants for ourselves or others. These will be constantly replenished and changed, as sanitation is key. 

- activated charcoal -

Charcoal is an adsorbent material, which is a solid that picks up liquids. Being "activated" just means that the organic matter went through a long slow burn on high heat without oxygen, which gives the charcoal more pores, and makes it even more adsorbent. We use it both internally and externally to pull out unwanted materials, especially for GI tract bugs (such as food/water poisoning) and for staph infections. For treating staph herbally, you clean out each staph wound, then have the patient take strong antibiotic herbs internally (echinacea, oregon graperoot, or chapparal). To clean out the external wounds, we boil water, soak a clean cloth in the boiling water, then place the cloth onto each staph abcess on the body (this process takes a long time). This helps to remove the scabs to open up the wound, so we can add activated charcoal. We prepare an activated charcoal poultice by mixing enough water with the activated charcoal (a little water at a time) to turn it into a paste. We then carefully stick cover the staph abcess on the body with activated charcoal. The final step is to wrap this all up with vet wrap, and send the patient home with careful instructions to keep away from touching other people (prevent spreading the disease), and take medicines (1/2 tsp of medicine every 2-4 hours). Internally, activated charcoal draws out "bad stuff" (ie. toxins, unwanted bacteria, protozoa, waste products, and bacteria waste.) Our bodies don't uptake the activated charcoal, so we will poop it all out, with the "bad stuff" attached. So, we also will use the activated charcoal for adsorbing and releasing GI tract bugs, for such things as food and water poisoning. Growing up, my parents put whole pieces of activated charcoal into our water to oxygenate the water. They placed it in the refrigerator and around the house, to cleanse the air. They even cooked it with our rice (a Chinese food staple), to help purify the rice. As a gift for college, they gave me some for my bedroom, which I dutifully stuck under my writing desk, and rested my feet on the basket of activated charcoal. Needless to say, I like this stuff. 

- chapparo amargosa tincture - (castella amorii) 

Chapparo amargosa is a desert plant that is often found in the Sonoran desert of Mexico, and difficult to find in the USA. It is the first herb to use to kill protozoa and bacteria in the GI tract. Take it if you feel like you might have parasites. It is an antimicrobial and anti-parasitic herb. Take 1 tsp of tincture for the loading dose (initial large dose), then take 2 mL every four hours until symptoms subside. At the first sign of loose stools, take this tincture, increase vitamin C, wait half an hour, and then take 1 tsp activated charcoal. Repeat in 4 hours. I found it interesting that 7song will take half a dropperful of this tincture twice a day at the Rainbow Gathering, starting two days before the Gathering, as a preventative for stomach bugs. I plan to try this, as well. This herb can be used with chapparal (larrea tridentata), which is one of my favorite desert plants, also a strong antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-parasitic plant. 

- barberry tincture - (berberis thunbergii) 

Barberry bushes are aptly named, with long sharp barbs and small red berries. They take over whole chunks of forest, as an invasive species. I spent many hours with a trail crew in CT, hacking down the endless thorny bushes. I admired their bright orange roots, which carry most of the medicine through the chemical alkaloid berberine, and acts as an antimicrobial. 7song also takes this as a preventative medicine at the Rainbow Gathering. He thinks that it prevents waterborne pathogens from sticking. 7song usually chews on this root throughout the gathering. If I can stomach the bitter taste, then I will also chew on a root. But, I will most likely just add 1-2 dropperfuls into my 1 L water container. Berberis is helpful to kill a wide range of gut parasites, even viruses. You can use any of the berberis species plants. 

- echinacea tincture - (echinacea purpurea) 

Echinacea increases innate and adaptive immunity. Its massive circus-tent-like pink and purple flowers draws butterflies to the garden, and a smile to my face. Take large doses as needed, such as in any circumstances in which the body's immune system should be strengthened. A good time for echinacea is when you think someone might get an infection, or have compromised immunity. 7song gives a loading dose of 2-3 dropperfuls, then 1/2-2 dropperfuls every 2-4 hours (depending on the patient's needs). An improvement should be noticed within 1-2 days. If echinacea does not help boost immunity then try another herb, as the body develops a tolerance after a period of usage. I gave my mom some echinacea, and she enjoys it as a light tea. 

- peppermint spirits - 

Spirits are internal medicines made with essential oils. These peppermint spirits are an experiment by 7song. He made them by first drying and tincturing the peppermints 1:4 at 50% alcohol. Then, he cold infused peppermint for a day. Finally, he added a 1:10 ratio of essential oil to tincture, and diluted it with the tea at 1:20 (1 EO-tincture-blend : 20 tea). Peppermint decreases nausea, and just a little of these peppermint spirits will help a lot. If someone is vomiting, then you can put 1 drop on the lips, have the person lick their lips, then see if the person continues vomiting after 5 minutes. If vomiting continues, then increase the dosage to 2 drops every 10 minutes, 5 drops every 10 minutes, etc. 5 drops is the maximum dosage at any one time. While traveling in India, we used the pure peppermint essential oil for cleaning hands before eating, a digestive aid, relaxant, and breath freshener. Growing up, my mom would always rub peppermint salve under our noses when we were congested, onto mosquitoes bites to help with itches, and onto the temples and (again) under the nose while traveling (especially in airplanes) to help with stuffiness and nausea. 

Here are some other plant medicines that I will bring with me to the Rainbow Gathering, to increase my personal sense of well-being and quality of life: 

- moxa sticks (dried artemesia vulgaris rolled into sticks to burn) for smudging onto or around aches and pains

- black cohosh (actaea racemosa) and cramp bark (viburnum opulus), to help with menstrual cramping 

- bee propolis, for cleaning out wounds 

- castor oil, for achy limbs

- st johnswort cream (hypericum perforatum) for scar tissue reduction and general skin care

- a variety of sweet-smelling perfumes from my friend ananda wilson, to keep me happy 

- skullcap and valerian, for sleep aid

- dandelion (taraxacum officianalis) and flax seeds, for digestive aid

- a personalized smudge smoke blend of white sage, moonwort, cedar, sage brush, sweetgrass, chapparal, osha, etc for incense 

- relaxing tea: rose, tulsi, passionflower, oats, chamomile, stevia

(photos: 7song bandaging Cali's sprained ankle at Roy Preserve, reishi mushroom (ganoderma spp.) at Roy Preserve, me amidst valerian roots (photo from Nishaan) at 7song's home) 

videos

In the month of May, I made a video everyday. I did this to learn more about making videos, sharing videos online, and getting comfortable in front of the video camera. I shared my daily videos for a week, then switched to sharing videos once a week, due to lack of Internet access, and slow Internet uploading capacities. You can view my videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheJazalicious/videos

I hope you enjoy! Please let me know your thoughts. Personally, I like the later videos much better than the first few. The later videos have some nice nature documentary-style footage, and humorous moments. I find my first few videos a bit too serious, and trying too hard to do well. I am delighted to find videography a powerful tool for capturing motion and emotion in different ways than photography. It is very convenient. I especially enjoy videotaping slow moving things, such as flowers in wind, tadpoles in water, newt on land, and then speeding them up and setting them to suitable music. I will continue to periodically post videos to share some beautiful bits of nature that I find around me (I recently videotaped a web full of baby spiders, dancing). 

Thanks for reading and watching! :) 

Pinch-pots: the Macroscopic within the Microscopic Universe

When you are attuned with the whole Universe within and around you, then every moment, every action becomes a meditation. I fell in love with making pinch-pots at NTNU's Pottery Club in Taipei, Taiwan. Making pinch-pots tunes me into the present moment, same as yoga, contact improv dance, and making music. Tamarack Song calls this feeling "Oneness." Yoga calls the Oneness feeling "satchitananda" (eternal-consciousness-bliss), and the state of this being as "Brahman." I love this feeling. 

I pull a handful of clay off the large hunk of clay sitting in a plastic bag. It is moist and damp, cool to the touch. The clay smells like wet Earth, and I can imagine streams dancing with slopes, mixing and mating over years and years, creating clay deposits on the sides of banks above and below rivers, deeper into the Earth, right below where we walk, sit, stand, and live, and mixed into the sand and stone of our usual soil. 

I roll the clay into a ball, massaging it into the right consistency to work with, pushing out air bubbles and feeling into the song of the clay. What do you want to become? What do I want you to become? 

The ball of clay sits, perfectly brown and obtuse, on the palm of my hand. In Taiwan, people seem fascinated with the ordinary, the tiny, the simple and elegant beauty of small cups, round shapes, clean lines, and smooth surfaces. In Taiwan, I made tiny pinch-pot after tiny pinch-pot, trying to perfect the art of elegant simplicity. Here, I sit next to my fire. I don't know the clay culture here. I am American-Taiwanese. I could go in any direction. 

Almost without thought, my thumb moves into the center of my ball of clay and makes the first indentation. Mindful yet mindless meditation, from here on out. I press my thumb gently but with the perfect amount of pressure into the indentation, gradually working my way around the edges of the indentation, each press widening and deepening it into a small bowl. "Take your time," said my pottery teacher in Taiwan, "you are rushing nowhere. If you go too fast, the clay will crack, and break when you fire it. Take your time and make it perfect. Feel deeply into every motion." 

I want to press the walls of my pinch-pot to be as thin as possible, for easy firing and lightweight usage. Every bump and indentation on the pot's surface is visible and palpable. I want it to be smooth, like a river with no ripples. Everything is a metaphor. What does a round shape mean, and how does that feel? How about an angular shape? I want to press a perfectly round shape, and any odd edges to be conscious and purposeful. 

Pressing a pinch-pot into an aesthetic and functional form is like practicing yoga everyday, planting a garden, cultivating a relationship, or anything else in life: it's an act of love and patience, like stringing delicate pearls together carefully and lovingly until one day, they form a shining necklace.

The microscopic Universe reflects the macroscopic Universe. The degree to which I can focus on patiently pressing a pinch-pot with no cracks, smooth lines, and an elegant form reflects how much I can remain focused, be patient, and attentive to details in other aspects of my life, such as my studies, or in my interpersonal relationships. 

I finish rounding and smoothing my pinch-pot, and step back to admire it, reflecting on and giving thanks for all the combined experiences thus far in my life that have combined together into this present moment "me," and this small pinch-pot borne of me and my storybook of life experiences. I reflect back on my Taiwanese pottery teacher, then start remembering and giving thanks for all the teachers that have come and gone through my life. The further I reflect and give thanks, the more I feel grateful for, until I can almost see my little pinch-pot brimming over with joyous gratitude and love. 

This clay pot is made of all the elements. In the photo, it's not fired yet. I let it slowly heat and dry atop my woodstove. One day, the wind blew my window in, and my window landed onto and broke my little pot. So I made two more pots. And, I will continue to make more. 

Clay pieces contain all the elements. The physical form is composed of earth and water. Then it is fired, where one must find the perfect balance of fire and air for a successful firing. Today, I experimented with firing two pots in and on my woodstove. My thinner smaller pot came through the fire successfully (beautiful color, no cracking, and lightweight durability), whereas my larger thicker pot (made by six hands together) cracked, and will break with time and usage. It cracked because I put it into my stove before it was dry enough to go in, and because the walls were too thick, with some air bubbles inside. Next time, I know what to do. 

(This story of clay was inspired by a recent bag of clay given to me by Bill Fischer and Joy Brown, two Earthen friends who inspire my life in diverse ways. Bill creates monthly community contradance gatherings at his home, where local musicians come to experiment and share, people of all ages and walks of life come to celebrate and dance together, and food, songs, dances, and merriment are delightfully woven throughout Bill's old farmhouse and the lives of the hundreds who come every month. Joy is a sculptor who embodies the love, artistry, and precision that I strive for in my life and pinch-pots. She makes life-size sculptures of meditative and expressive humans in elegant forms, traveling between USA and Asia to share her art with many.) 

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 ~~~~~~~
  Jiling . 林基玲 

  . wild . creative . spirit 

  www.JazArt.blogspot.com 

  626.344.9140 / skype: Lin.JiLing

ashtanga yoga

Ashtanga means "eight limbs." Ashtanga yoga refers to the eight limbs of yoga. It originates from Patajali's yoga sutras. I practice a combination of Hatha and vinyasa yoga. "Hatha" comes from the root words, "ha" (sun) and "tha" (moon). Hatha yoga seeks to unite the sun and moon, yin and yang, male and female, right and left sides of our bodies, minds, spirits, and beings. "Yoga" comes from the root word "yuj," meaning yoke. I think of this "yoke" as the line of connection between all levels of our consciousness and beings, as we stand connected to and connecting between Earth and Sky. 

I named my yoga class Earth Sky Yoga. There is an old Chinese creation myth called "Peng-gu kai tian" or "Peng-gu opens the Sky" (盤古開天)... once, a long time ago, before this Earth was born, or Sky, or any of the World as we know it today, there was nothing. One day, in the midst of nothing, there was born an Egg. In this primordial Egg slept a giant named Peng-gu. After many eons of sleeping, he finally started to stir, as his dreams shifted movement into his long slumbering limbs. As he moved, the Egg started cracking, and breaking. Finally, Peng-gu stood and stretched up, dividing the Egg in half. The top half became Sky. The bottom half became Earth. But, if Peng-gu released his arms or legs, then the Egg would close up again. So, he stood firmly between the two halves of the Egg, Sky and Earth, with his arms strongly upraised and his legs firmly rooted, and he stood. And he stood. And he stood... for such a long time, so many eons, he stood there, supporting and supported between Earth and Sky. Slowly, he got tired. One day, he finally fell down to the Earth. But he had stood there for such a long time that Sky and Earth, the two halves of the Egg, remained in place. Peng-gu's body became all the parts of our planet Earth as we know it... his Blood became the flowing Streams, Rivers, and Oceans. His bones became the Soil, Stones, and Mountains. His final Breath wooshed out into the Earth and breathed all the plants and animals into life. That breath continues to woosh and swirl around and through us, connecting us with all of life and each other, and with the primordial Great Mystery that brought Life into being. 

When I stand in tadasana (mountain position with legs firmly rooted and arms relaxed downward), I feel like Peng-gu standing between Earth and Sky, supporting and being supported. As I extend my arms and raise my head up, I feel my plumb line of connection from the crown of my head, through my spine, and back down into Earth through the center of my feet. I am connecting, and I am connected. 

Earth Sky Yoga. 

Here's a brief outline of the eight limbs of yoga, ashtanga yoga. (Each limb builds on the next.)

1. yama (community code)- How do I interact with my community in a good way (5 parts)

- ahimsa (nonviolence/ compassion)- Living a life of unconditional service, and giving without expectation. 

- satya (no lying/ truth)- Am I honest with myself and others in my thought, speech, and action? 

- asteya (nonstealing)- Setting and observing clear boundaries.  

- brahmacharya (abstinence/ chastity)- having integrity with all of my relationships.What is my relationship with my community as a whole? Individuals within my community? My relationship with my environment? 

- aparigraha (noncoveting/ simplicity)- being satisfied with what I have, and willing to give. Keeping life simple, my thought, speech, and actions simple. Being in but not of, this world. 

2. niyama (personal code)- How do I interact with myself and be the best human I can be (5 parts)

- sauca (purity)- Taking showers, eating well, thinking clearly, and speaking honestly.  

- santosha (contentment)- Feeling and knowing the sweetness of life, regardless of life challenges. 

- tapas (fire of self practice/ dedication)- Practice makes perfect. Practice, practice, practice! "Let your practice be the basis of your freedom."

- svadhyaya (self study)- Be as a question.  

- isvarapranidhana (dedication to Creator)- Lokha samastha sukhini bhavantu- May all being be happy. We dedicate the fruits of our practice to all beings. 

3. asana (movement practices)- The body is the doorway to the body-mind-spirit. During practice, maintain relaxed awareness and control over body, breath, and mind. Cultivating a strong and flexible body temple to house our Spirit.

 

4. pranayama (breath practices)- Breath is the line of connection between Earth and Sky, Body and Spirit. Body is the temple, Breath is the key. 

5. pratyahara (sensory withdrawal)- Shut out, to tune in. How does sensory attunement dance with sensory withdrawal, through discernment, and choice making? Pratyahara reduces external stimuli to facilitate focusing on the internal environment of body, mind, and spirit. 

6. dharana (concentration)- Our minds are like dirty wild elephants. First, you harness the elephant. Then, you tame the elephant. Slowly, it becomes cleaner. Then you ride it. Then it starts following you around. Dharana is the beginning of meditation, where we focus on one thing and that opens the door to everything else, which is true meditation, or dhyana. 

7. dhyana (meditation)- Think of Gautama Buddha sitting under the bodhi tree for 49 days, and that little smile he has on his face. 

8. samadhi (enlightenment/ self-realization)- The "purpose" of yoga is to attain samdahi, which is also called "moksha," or liberation. Liberation from the chains that we subonsciously wrap around ourselves, our self-limiting doubts, beliefs, and patterns of living our lives. True moksha, or liberation, and true samadhi, is not something that one strives for, but a state that one lives in, on a daily basis. Think of someone you know who is simultaneously full of child-like bliss (twinkly crinkly eyes filled with laughter), and elder wisdom (a certain depth behind every joke that sinks you deeper into the core of your own being, and your understanding of life.) You are samadhi already, returning to knowing your true nature. 

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 ~~~~~~~
  Jiling . 林基玲 

  . wild . creative . spirit 

  www.JazArt.blogspot.com 

  626.344.9140 / skype: Lin.JiLing

hut tour, prana and apana, xylem and phloem

My hut is like a small container that I go into to sleep, cook, and get things. Once the weather gets nicer, I plan to set up a mosquito net and tarp (maybe A-frame style, as usual), and sleep outside too. Once the weather gets nicer, perhaps I will completely move outside into a mosquito net... except for my books and clothing and other perishable non-rain-tolerant items. 

I have little trails that run out from my hut. As you walk towards my hut, I have a special place to park my bike, and a huge wood pile. There are so many downed trees in this area that each time I walk out, I walk back with a load of firewood that I add onto my woodpile. My woodpile sits next to my firepit. My washing area is right next to my firepit as well, which I use as my sump pit (where I drain my greywater). I figure that since I make infrequent fires in my firepit (I use my woodstove more often), then whenever I do use the firepit, it cleans out and dries up my greywater, reducing the possibility of mosquitoes. We'll see if that works. 

Running adjacent to my woodpile is a little path that I take to go to my outhouse. How my outhouse works is I only poop inside. When I poop, I throw wood shavings onto the poop. The wood shavings help to decompose the poop back into soil, reduce stench, and keep bugs away. I poop into a hole in the ground. When that hole is full, I will cover it back up with soil and dig a new hole. 

Walking around to the back of my hut takes me to my forest garden. There is a small downed tree that I like to practice balancing on, walking forwards and backwards, practicing balance-related yoga asanas, and pretending that I am balancing high over the Grand Canyon with soaring orange mesas down below and the Rio Grande churning beneath me. Instead, I am balancing above a small garden that I just planted: local plants from elsewhere in the forest that I am curious if they will grow here as well. 7song thinks that I have so many downed trees around here, because of forest secession (or is it succession?) Regardless, I figure if the forest is changing, then I may as well plant new plants and see how they do. 

Right next to my sleeping-room window is a big older pine tree. I hung windchimes and a small pot of peppermint (from the calamus swamp) that I hope will grow, so that when the winds blow, the windchimes will tinkle, and the peppermint smells will waft in to bless my dreams. 

Every morning, I lay down my yoga mat, which I layered on top of my styrofoam camping sleeping pad (which we called "hoho's" at wilderness therapy camp in UT.) My yoga space is right in front of the pine tree (with chimes and mints). Next to my yoga area is a little path that I take into the forest to my compost pile, which I place below another older pine. I hope that it is a nice place for animals to come and find the food, so that I can watch them from my sleeping-room window (I have two windows). 

And, this is home! And it is constantly expanding! 

This morning, practicing yoga in front of my chime-mint-pine, I was delighted to connect in my mind a little bit of what we have learned in plant phylogeny class with 7song, with some yoga philosophy. Plants' vascular systems are composed of xylem and phloem: xylem draws nutrition from the soil up into the branches of the tree. Phloem carries nutrition from the leaves, created through sunlight and photosynthesized into sugars, down again through the plant. Xylem draws up, phloem carries down. Likewise, prana and apana in yoga philosophy. Prana is the inhaled breath, apana is the exhaled breath. Prana is like xylem where as you inhale, you can imagine drawing nutrients up from the bottom of your feet and expanding out to all your extremities, as your diaphragm expands with the air inhaled. Apana is like phloem where as you exhale, you can imagine yourself releasing what you don't need back into the air, as well as drawing down energy and grounding back into the earth. Prana: inhale, rise up while remaining grounded (with apana). Apana: exhale, root down while remaining soaring (with prana). The prana in the apana, and the apana in the prana. Like xylem and phloem; plants vascular systems. I can visualize the similarity as I rise up from and reconnect with Earth in a series of yoga asanas drawn together to practice balance and coordination. 

It begins to rain, the wind blowing in quick droplets against my cheeks as I raise my arms up for one final sun salutation before I return to brainstorming about my class project, then bike quickly to 7song's home for another day of work and play. 

I just returned from my day now, as I finish up this essay: me and Joy finished the garden, then we went on a field trip after our work day and saw such a grand diversity of plants and insects. Now, I will bike back to my small hut home, make and eat dinner, and dream about plants once more under the canopy of budding, blossoming, reproducing, and wildly THRIVING plant life, inhaling and exhaling to the autonomically syncopated rhythm of prana and apana, xylem and phloem. 

(PS- thanks to Lyca for inspiration to write about where I live. Lyca made a lovely photo series of where he is living in the woods, nearby. I haven't photo-documented my own space yet (as my space is still evolving), but words can try to capture what photos haven't captured, yet. Thanks also to Jon Young. I got the concept of forest paths from a recording from Jon that I am listening to. It talks about how we usually take the same paths into the forest. These paths form a network criss-crossing through the forest with the animal paths. The animals know our paths, but oftentimes we don't notice theirs. I want to learn this. I have seen squirrels and deer here, and hope to catch coyote one fine morning. Jon encourages taking different paths, since the animals will probably be hiding out around there. I look out in the direction of the cliff, and know that I rarely walk that way; and I will walk there soon. I am enjoying walking the same paths: establishing routine, knowing the trees along the way, watching leaves and flowers changing daily, and feeling my feet slowly wearing deeper trails into the Earth. Thanks to Noah, whose land I live upon. Thanks to 7song for fresh info about plant phylogeny, botany, crass jokes, and solid questions and answers.  Thanks to Richard Freeman, who tapes I am listening to, to refresh my memory and deepen my understanding around yoga philosophy, from Krish, Murti, and Babu from India, which seems like such a distant land, distant dream. And, I am so grateful to my yoga students (slowly growing in number) for--- already, two weeks into teaching--- stimulating learning and inspiring growth through asking questions and being as you are. Finally, if you've gotten this far... thanks for reading! ;) Let me know if you have any questions or comments! Namaste. ) 

--

 ~~~~~~~
  Jiling . 林基玲 

  . wild . creative . spirit 

  www.JazArt.blogspot.com 

  626.344.9140 / skype: Lin.JiLing

plant phylogeny

"Phylogeny" is the evolutionary relationship between organisms. 7song says that there is only one other herbalist in the USA that teaches phylogeny as part of their herbal studies program. I feel honored and glad to be part of this program studying this. A question that often arises for me is, "Why?" This is because I have been asked this question so often through the years, especially in Asia, regarding my life choices, as well as my areas of work and study. So, why? Why would we want to study the evolutionary relationships between plants? In my wilderness work, understanding phylogeny will help with answering the endless questions of my students (excellent questions that make me dive deeper into the depths of my own understanding and non-understanding, creating an atmosphere of constant healthy growth and learning.) Understanding phylogeny also helps with truth-based storytelling that comes from a deep knowledge and recognition of plant origins, from a evolutionary (aka. ancient) backdrop of thousands of years of accumulated history. In healthcare, we seek to find and treat the root cause of the disease. Likewise, if we can understand the root cause of the chemical compounds of the plants that make our medicines, then we can better understand and utilize these medicines for today's uses. Like in yoga, where we root down in order to rise up (first get grounded so that you can fly freely), it is important to understand where plants originate from (their phylogeny) to use them in a complete way (which is, in Sanskrit, "moksha." This is freedom.) 

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We covered three (of five) primary plant KINGDOMS: protista, fungi, and plantae. "Kingdom" means that they all evolved from a common ancestor. 

The PROTISTA kingdom consists of algaes and diatoms. These seem to be primordial sea-based tiny creatures. Diatoms are so tiny that we can barely see them, like krill. Diatomacious earth is one kind of diatom. When diatoms die, they leave behind their hard little shells. I wonder if the crust that slowly develops on top of the desert Earth in Joshua Tree National Park (CA) if composed of deceased diatoms. We focused on algaes, which include seaweeds. The pH of the blood that runs through our bodies mirrors the ocean's pH; our blood is very closely related to seawater! Is this why eating seaweed helps to build healthy blood? Seaweeds make up half of lichens (which are symbiotic relationships between algae and fungi). They are thin enough to take in and put nutrients back out into the water. Algaes (and seaweeds too) don't make seeds. They can both sexually and nonsexually reproduce.

The FUNGI kingdom includes mushrooms, yeasts, molds, mildews, and rusts. Mushrooms are the obvious fruiting bodies of fungi. Mycellium is the fungi itself, often threadlike. If you pick a mushroom, you can see the white threads of connection running beneath the Earth- this is mycellium. I like to think of it as a huge net right beneath the soil, binding all the Earth together, recycling dead matter into fresh energy right beneath our feet. (But what about concrete jungles?) Fungi reproduce with spores. In class, we ended up talking a lot about reproduction because this is how life continues: we grow, we procreate, we die. And if we don't procreate, then there is no continuation of life. (I am speaking from the perspective of mushrooms, but also human beings.) Fungi are all heterotrophs (live off of photosynthetic organisms), instead of autotrophs (who photosynthesize and produce their own food from sunlight, CO2, and water.) 

The PLANTAE kingdom takes us to our next section... 

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The PLANTAE kingdom includes bryophyta, pteridophyta, and spermatophyta. (These are great names to name your children!) 

The BRYOPHYTA plants are nonvascular spore-producing plants that include mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. These are the oldest plants in the world, from dinosaur days! Mosses have rhizoids, instead of roots; they anchor loosely to the soil. Mosses take in water directly from the atmosphere, like a sponge. They are autotrophs that photosynthesize their nutrients. The difference between spores and seeds: seeds are baby plants, containing all the genetic information needed to create a whole new plant. Spores only contain half the gametes (specialized reproductive cells) to create a new plant. Thus, spores need to meet another spore of the opposing sex to reproduce. Mosses need rain or wetness to reproduce. When the rain droplets (or wind, or whatever instigates the movement) hit the moss arms (I am unsure of the technical term of the non-leafy moss arms), the male spores go flying from one moss arm off to meet a female spore on another moss arm. If the male spore lands below the female spore, then it will use a process called chemotaxi (amazing) to travel up the moss arm to meet the female spore. The male spores can only chemotaxi in water, that's why you will find more mosses in wet environments, such as in Taiwan (gorgeous). When the male spores chemotaxi up the moss arm, it propels itself with a little tail, much like a male sperm cell, or tadpole. Except that it has two tails! Another amazing quality of mosses is that they can dessicate (dry up) and live! They need water to reproduce, but can dry up for a long period of time, and then come back to life (I will try this one day). 

The PTERIDOPHYTA ("pterido" means "winged" and "phyta" means "plants") plants are spore-producing and vascular plants that include ferns, club mosses, and horsetails. These plants came after the Bryophyta plants, with real roots that pull nutrients from the soil, allowing them to grow taller and closer to the sun. These plants dominated during dinosaur days. When they died, they turned into coal and other natural resources that we are still utilizing today. Vascular plants have vascular bundles that carry water and nutrients throughout the plant. They are like the circulatory system of the plant. Two groups of cells form the vascular system of plants: the xylum and phloem. Xylum carries water and dissolved nutrients from the roots and soil up to the topmost extremities of the plants, while phloem carries the products of photosynthesis (usually sugar) down through the plant. Xylum draws nutrients up, phloem carries nutrients down. In a tree, the xylum becomes the hardened heartwood in the center of the tree trunk. The phloem becomes the bark. Over time, the hardened rings of xylum and phloem (the vascular bundles) become the tree's age rings: you can watch the aging process of the tree by looking at the patterning of its vascular bundles in a cross section of the tree trunk. The vascular bundles are the most chemically rich part of the tree, most often used for medicine (such as slippery elm bark, cherry bark, willow bark, etc.) These plants defend themselves by being silicacious (rough bodied). They don't contain much medicinal value. Ferns reproduce by spores. When the fern fpores fall to the ground, they turn into a prothallus (sometimes called just a "thallus.") The prothallus is a sporophyte (where sex cells are made) that contains both the male sex cell (antheridia) and female sex cell (archegonium). Once the prothallus falls on the ground, the antheridia (male) swims over to fertilize the archegonium (female). Then, the prothallus grows small roots and starts becoming the new fern (gametophyte). 

SPERMATOPHYTA ("sperm" means "seed") are vascular seed-producing plants that are most of the plants that we know today. Next section! 

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SPERMATOPHYTA plants are either angiospermae or gymnospermae. 

ANGIOSPERMAE ("angio" means "vessel," and "sperm" means "seed") are flowering plants that have seeds with ovaries. These comprise 90% of the roughly 250,000 species of plants on our planet. Angiospermae are either MONOCOTYLEDONS (when seeds open, one leaf emerges) or DICOTYLEDONS (when seeds open, two leaves emerge). (A "cotyledon" is the leaf that emerges from the seed.) Most plants are dicots, with 4-5 flowering parts, vascular bundles on the outside (well organized), and leaves with reticulate veins (think of your usual leaf). Monocots have 3 flowering parts, and less changeable. They have leaves with parallel veins and randomized vascular bundles (with no growth rings). These plants fall down easier, as they don't make heartwood. 90% of woody plants are dicots. 

GYMNOSPERMAE ("gymno" means "naked," and "sperm" means "seed") are wind-pollinated plants that include conifers, ephedra, and gingko. They have unisexual flowers (staminate/male-only or pistillate/female-only). These plants developed before insects came along to help pollinate flowers. Thus, they are wind pollinated. The ovule (female part) is not in an ovary; their ovules are exposed to the wind (like a pine cone). The wind will blow the pollen (male parts) around to meet and fertilie the ovules (female parts). These plants are either monoecious or dioecious. Monoecious plants have both male and female flowers on the same plant, such as corn and conifers. Dioecious plants have male plants and female plants, such as ephedra, gingko, and marijuana. 

Let me know if you have any questions about any of this phylogeny information! I am very new to phylogeny, and find it fascinating. Every person has a unique history (herstory) and story, and plants do as well! In class, I feel like it's story-time: I settle back into our comfy chairs and blankets as it's raining outside, sip steaming herbal tea, and listen to 7song tell dramatic true stories about plants and how they procreate and how our world and our medicine came to be. Love it. 

(photo of yucca from Taiwan) 

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 ~~~~~~~
  Jiling . 林基玲 

  . wild . creative . spirit 

  www.JazArt.blogspot.com 

  626.344.9140 / skype: Lin.JiLing

滿心，滿星。滿月，滿悅。慢步，快活。

(my monthly Chinese letter) 

(fox and turtle photos from my teacher, 7song)

朋友們好！

祝你們滿月快樂！ :) 

時間過得真快。 我已經在這兒(ithaca, ny)快兩個月了！我們開學兩個禮拜了。 感覺又滿足， 又有一點overwhelmed(中文怎麼說？）我感覺像我們該學太多東西了！了解用藥草不只包跨了解藥草的用處， 也需要了解：

- 人體：結構，不同病

- 診所：怎麼問病人好問題，怎麼做好的治療師

- 植物：化學品質，怎麼種藥草， 怎麼在野外認識藥草， 怎麼採不同的草藥， 怎麼把植物變成藥

- 人體和草藥： 什麼琴狂改用什麼植物， 植物和身體殘生什麼反應

雖然我老師7song用草藥治療病人， 但他很注重西醫的看法和治療方式。我們在學很多西醫看人體和治療人體的方式， 但用草藥。 我最喜歡星期四。 我們每個星期四都在診所裡看病人。 我們看每個病人半小時。 大部分都在跟病人聊天。 7song老師的診斷方式就是問病人很多問題來了解他們的病況， 生活習慣， 等。聽完病人故事之後， 7song會給他們開藥： 藥酒， 草藥茶， 等。 

我給你們看看一些照片。。。我家附近的美妙奇景！ 我終於完全搬進我的小木屋。有一天早上在我 家門口， 看到這隻烏龜。 小野狼們也是我的鄰居！有一隻媽媽野狼住在那兒， 陪著大的五隻小狼寶寶！最後一張照片是我在森林摘的野蘑菇。好好吃哦！

學校很忙。 我們一個禮拜上課三天， 有一天我們去診所， 然後別的時間我們三個小徒弟在幫7song老師整理教室， 種田， 做藥， 等等。大部分的時間， 我沒空給自己時間。 好不容易每天早上還繼續練瑜伽或是自發功，盡量吃好食物， 和冒險去探索和研究我附近的森林和朋友們。 我上個禮拜開始在附近教瑜伽。第一堂課只要一個學生！很好玩。 希望像在印度一樣， 每一堂課在多一個學生， 慢慢的長， 就好了。 上禮拜， 也交了新朋友。我在漸漸認識周圍的人和活動。我們五個女人（都是藥草同伴們）和一個男人鄰居都擠在一起在一部車。我們去contradance,傳統美國東北部的團舞---好好玩哦！！！我笑得嘴巴和不容；三天之後， 臉(怎麼說cheekbones are sore?) 都還是笑疼了！ 哈哈， 好開心哦。 

我也愛晚上聽貓頭鷹和野狼的叫聲， 傍晚從老師家騎腳踏車下坡回我的家， 和烤火。 我們天氣還算是很冷。 我晚上睡在三個睡袋當中！白天還在穿毛衣！

我現在坐在小溪旁邊打字， 鳥兒叫聲在旁邊，松鼠在跳， 和鄰居們種蘑菇在小溪對面。整個天空都是灰灰的。 晚上應該會下雨。 

親朋好友們， 祝你們平安幸福開心！

love, 基玲

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 ~~~~~~~
  Jiling . 林基玲 

  . wild . creative . spirit 

  www.JazArt.blogspot.com 

  626.344.9140 / skype: Lin.JiLing

Ayurvedic Doshas

There are as many different ways to treat people, as there as so many different ways to diagnose people. That's partially because we have 7.2 trillion people on this planet, and human cultures of treating and diagnosing disease go back thousands of years. With so many different people and different cultures, of course our bodies are all different. But, we can generalize our bodies and temperaments somewhat, into different body types, or constitutions. 

Ayurveda is traditional Indian medicine (from India). 7song likes to use the Ayurvedic way of generalizing human constitutions, known as the "doshas," to help with diagnosing and treating people. People rarely perfectly fit into a pre-boxed categorization of their personality or body type, but these generalizations are helpful for understanding and treating people and conditions. 

There are three doshas: vata, pitta, and kapha. Vata people tend to have more air and fire energy. Pitta people have the most fire energy. Kapha people tend to be more Earthy and watery. Besides being purely vata, pitta, or kapha, we can also be a mix, such as vata-pitta, kapha-vata, etc. Some people are all three doshas together as well, but that's rare. 

We just talked about doshas in class last week with 7song, so most of the info here comes from that class, though I will try to put it into my own words. 7song greatly dramatized his explanation of the doshas, making it highly enjoyable to learn, and just a bit easier to understand. Most of the qualities of the doshas revolve around negative aspects, since having doshas means being out of balance. Thus is the human condition: being out of balance. And what is health? Homeostasis. Being in balance. What is healthcare? Helping to restore homeostasis, or balance. Yoga means "yuj," or yoke. Yoga is having control over homeostasis, being sovereign over my body-mind-spirit state of balance. 

We are born as a certain type of dosha, and we will live our lives and then die as that dosha. Our dosha is unchangeable (this information comes from 7song and I question this part about having unchanging doshas for life- but so far in my life, that has been the case. From observing my childhood friends, this holds true as well. But I think some would argue that we can change our body type. I wonder.) I like what 7song says about this, "Be the best dosha you can be." This basically means that if you are born as a pitta person, then rock out your pitta self, and be the best pitta you can be. Every shadow comes with a gift. Our tendencies toward imbalances also gift us with other tendencies that can balance out ourselves and our communities in other ways. So, be the best dosha you can be! Our goal is to become healthy in whatever dosha we are, not to strive towards something that we are not. 

Now, for the three main doshas... 

VATA

I think of vata people as bird-like and airy. The wind blows around uncontrollably. Likewise, vata people tend towards uncontrollable, unpredicatable, and perhaps random or spontaneous activity and thought processes. Vata people may have sporadic diets. Snacking throughout the day is better for vata people, rather than eating large meals. Vata people are usually thin-framed, with high metabolism. It is best for vata people to eat more oily and nourishing foods, as they are more prone to having nutrient deficiences, dry skin, and general lack of grounding in body and mind. Vata peoples' thoughts are also more airy, having difficulty focusing on one thought, their thoughts are blown about like the wind. This also lends to greater creativity, though difficulty in pulling through with projects. 

PITTA

I think of pitta people as flaming arrows. Passionate and directed, pitta people know where they are going, and their fiery qualities can manifest as strong emotions, easy anger, focused minds, need for control, and strong charisma. Pitta type bodies are in between the two extremes of vata-thin and kapha-large. Quoting the three little bears, "juuust right." Pitta people tend to have good metabolic fire, strong personalities, and great organization. Pitta people oftentimes push themselves too hard and forget to relax. If they get sick, then it is because they ignore their health issues until the last minutes. Pitta people can be intense, judgmental, critical, and with strong forward momentum. 

KAPHA 

I think of kaphic people as cow-like: more slow, steady, Earthy, gentle, and strong. Kapha people tend to be the most compassionate of all the doshas. Their voices are deeper and bodies are larger, with tendencies towards obesity and over-eating. Kapha people enjoy indulgence, and their bodies tend toward sluggishness. Kapha people need to have good exercise and eat moderate quantities. Kaphic people tend to be more emotionally stable and content, but when off balance, can tend towards depression and desire to do nothing. It's good for kapha people to fast once in a while, bathe frequently (their bodies tend to be more oily), and be with community. Kapha people won't tip the status quo, but are steadfast, dependable, and somewhat predictable, enjoying regularity and comfort. 

... So, what's your dosha? :) 

Please provide me any feedback or questions on this essay: such as what qualities you are interested in comparing between the doshas, what I didn't address sufficiently, etc. I would like to learn more about how doshic understanding ties into clinical diagnoses and treatment- and am interested in your ideas and experiences. I am also interested in diverse means of diagnoses, having only been exposed to American, Chinese, Indian, and energetic diagnostics. If you have any further info, please do share. Thanks for reading! 

(about the photo: these are morel mushrooms that I found near my home in Ithaca, NY. They are delicious! They are all the same genus and species of mushrooms, but see how diverse they are! It is like us: we are all homo sapiens genus and species so we are all similar and basically the same thing... but also so individual and unique! May you honor your own unique nature and general dosha- and be the healthiest and best of yourself that you can be!) 

--

 ~~~~~~~
  Jiling . 林基玲 

  . wild . creative . spirit 

  www.JazArt.blogspot.com 

  626.344.9140 / skype: Lin.JiLing