So you've tried oil pulling before and hated it? Did you try it with sesame oil??

Seriously, you gotta try this stuff.

1. I don't taste it! Well, I do taste a little sesame after I spit it out, but since I'm brushing my teeth within moments of doing it that's no biggie.
2. It's already liquid! Chewing on the coconut oil without swallowing it was always a little weird. Feeling it melt while keeping it in my mouth was weirder. Sesame oil is ready to go.
3. It starts a clear, light amber color. This way, it's REALLY EASY to see that the white, opaque stuff you spit out is different than what you started with. Stuff happened, it changed.

I have noticed a few things:

For one thing, the first several times I tried the sesame oil it got thick and viscous within a minute or two. I had to spit it out and try again to get to my self-imposed minimum of 5 minutes. (Both spits were white and thick.) I don't know if there was more to pull since I haven't done it in so long, or if the sesame is more adept at pulling, but I definitely used up the oil really quickly.

After a few days, this settled down. However, I haven't been able to pull more than 5 minutes before it's too thick to handle. I haven't yet spit that out and tried more fresh oil, but I shall, I shall.

Also, once I could get to the 5 minute mark on the first spoonful of oil, I started noticing mucus draining. Last time, this started with hard, old bits. I haven't seen that this time, but there was definitely some extra spitting going on after the oil came out and after I brushed my teeth.


Most importantly (to me, anyway) is that my lips have been fine. No dryness, NO shredding, NO redness.

I still have this week to finish, can't wait to see if it keeps working out!

The last time I tried oil pulling, I had a harsh reaction to it: my lips got super severely dry and ragged, and the skin around my mouth was dry, red and itchy. One of my teachers categorized it as severe detox symptoms, which made sense since oil pulling is supposed to help pull toxins (among it's many reported benefits!)

So I decided to wait a while and try again. I want conditions to be as different as possible this time. Before, it was March, and around Philadelphia that meant COLD, SNOW, DRY. Now, it's June! 90's, humid, and sunny.

Also, I'm changing oils. I used coconut oil the first time, but my teacher suggested I try the more traditional sesame oil instead.

Let's see what happens this time!

What a delightful way to spend a day with friends-

First, my first ever Aerial Yoga class (NONE of these pics are of me! But these are some of the poses we did. All images link to their original sources:)

Then, breakfast on the porch

Now, reading/knitting/resting on the house's screened porch with a light rain dripping around us, soon to turn into a late lunch and window shopping, and maybe some Grotto's Pizza (it's the World's Best Pizza, I have the holey, 20 year old t-shirt to prove it!) to round out the night.

THIS is my idea of a perfect vacation day!

Some people like the excitement of new adventures, some like the convenience of hotel rooms you don't have to clean yourself, some want more great outdoors and less walls, some want tall buildings, taxi cabs, theaters, museums, and world famous restaurants. It's all good! Just find what truly relaxes your soul, and DO THAT. SOON.

One of the first things I learned from my teacher Maia Toll was the importance of balancing Head, Heart and Hand work. To do brain work that makes you think, heart work that feeds your soul, and hand work that connects you with the plants.

This time, when I made a batch of Herb Bites, I decided to expand on the Heart theme and include all 3 of these ‘ingredients.’

The Base

Again, I used about half a container of Tahini, both for flavor and for its trace minerals, and a good dollop of Molasses- I like its rich flavor, and its mineral and Iron components are a bonus. This time I added a tablespoon of Chia seeds too.

The Herbs

Gotu Kola and Bacopa are Eastern herbs traditionally used to improve mental clarity and memory- here’s the Head healing. Astragalus improves vitality, Horsetail’s high silica content has been helping my cuticles, and Red Raspberry Leaf is very nutritive. A tablespoon of each powder went into the bowl, as did 3 tablespoons of that beautiful Rose powder too, for Heart medicine, to give a good cookie dough consistency that just held together.

Are you counting? That’s 8 tablespoons total, or 24 teaspoons. I made smaller bites this time, 33 of them. This means there’s about ¾ teaspoon herb in each bite, so 2 is a good dose per day. I also sprinkled them with a little extra rose powder, since it’s pretty!

The Hand work was mixing and rolling and sprinkling, but I’m also being very mindful each time I eat a Bite to thank myself for the work. Too often I cook and gobble and move on, when really it’s important to honor my effort as I would any other person who did something for me.