March 2024 – Integrate

Inspirations:

For me February was quite a full-on and fast month with added inspiration; luckily the wet weather didn't dampen my spirit. I dived into both teaching, with a fun take away sauerkraut and fermentation workshop at Insole court at the beginning of the month, and learning, as I took on my Reiki level 2 course. Integrating these experiences made me feel enriched with new skills, new ideas and the motivation to implement new things. Sometimes, we can be nervous and struggle when stepping out of our comfort zone but when we do take the opportunity to try new things - in an intuitive way -the experience becomes part of the change in our self. To realise that we can choose to do the things we want to do and be the person we want to be, that we create our own reality and the barriers are actually created by ourselves is a fascinating subject. This means that we are much more powerful than we think we are. I think the main thing is to trust the process and the flow without feeling pressured. As long as it comes from a place of love it is not worth stressing about it!

As we move closer to the Equinox on the 20th of March, we can start to feel the energy flowing. We can see the plants and trees really coming back into life. After the snowdrops and crocuses emerging from the ground, the camellias are starting to bloom, the nettles are starting to show their fresh prickly leaves, daffodils and tulips are thriving!

As I integrate more and more knowledge and experiment with fermented foods and drinks, I feel increasingly inspired to share it with the people around me. For example, I have recently been discovering the world of koji and its works of magic in creating miso, tamari and amazake, and integrating these into my workshops for people to taste and be intrigued. Spreading the knowledge, which in turn spreads the good gut bacteria to make us all healthier, reminds me of the spreading mycelium that connects the trees to each other, and through which, it is believed, they can communicate and take care of each other. At first it may seem like you are stepping into an unknown world... but rest assured you are not alone... the numbers of people discovering these ancient fermentation traditions and their health benefits is spreading... and we are all here to help each other.

Meditation and Journaling are great tools to practice integration. Meditation helps you to create the space to integrate as you sit in stillness. Journaling enables you to reflect on those experience and write down how you feel and what your are grateful for.
Exercising in nature is important for connection the wild and grounding! I really feel the need to restart my running again in the woods as the evenings get lighter!
I've definitely noticed that I get headaches if I sit in front of the computer for too long and that I need to have regular breaks with movement or sit in the sun for a few minutes to breath the fresh air.
Your body will start detoxifying naturally as we get closer to spring, but it is always good to support your liver in that process with a course of Milk Thistle drops until the end of May (both Viridian or A.Vogel have great tinctures). It assists in the production of glutathione, which is a very powerful anti-oxidant and so important for our immune system and helping to flush out toxicity.
Sleep is also so crucial to integrate our experiences, as we go deep into our subconscious. It acts as a brain detox and help generate those changes. For those who struggle, Patrick Holford talks about the role of cherry to help with sleep.
Also it's a good time to start introducing green juicing, sprouting seeds, chickpeas, lentils and mung beans for example and drinking nettle-top tea, to help raise our vibrations and increase our energy with minerals like magnesium. It will soon be time to collect your garlic buds to make this delicious elixir! Becky also has this lovely flatbread recipe to make with wild garlic: Wild garlic & hemp seed yuca flatbreads w/ wild garlic butter, please check it out!

My mantras for this month:

I am open to new experiences

I embrace every moment

GOOD TO KNOW:

> Women's History Month & International Women's Day:

This month let's celebrate the work of the women around the world but also around your world! Time to appreciate them and send them our gratitude and love. On 8th of March we will be celebrating to raise money for Women's aid in this event in Pontcanna.

> South Wales Fermentation Revolution:

The WhatsApp group for fans of fermentation is growing with more fermenters being added at each market and event I attend. If you are keen to learn and up for sharing your fermenting experiences, text me your phone number and you'll soon be on the journey with us! (07515493402) You will need to be based in the area of South to West Wales.

> Talks to Spread the Health: We want to share our knowledge with more people and want ferments to be accessible to ALL! If you know of any people, groups or places who want to know more about fermentation, please get in touch. We can offer talks, demos and workshops, and run tasting sessions of water kefir and sauerkraut. Here is a little feel for it!

> Bridge Studio News: Our 2nd production container is nearly ready! Water is connected and we are on stand-by, with more space to make our kraut and stock up some water kefir ready for our orders, subscriptions and markets. But first the landlord needs to fix the roof to protect the container from leaks!

> Holidays

We are having a little break from 20th of march until 3rd of April. Deliveries will stop on 18.03 and resume on 5th of April

> Website links and references: Our website has been updated and a page with links to authors, books and podcasts that we like has been added! Check it out!

> Accessories: Absorb Glasses and T- Shirts: our colourful T-shirts and stylish drinking glasses are still available to order on-line or buy at markets.

> Drinking Water Kefir for better health: If you want to drink our Water Kefir regularly to support your health journey, there are 2 money-saving options available:

Join our subscription scheme by filling in this document and emailing it back to us at (absorbhealth@outlook.com) *.
Learn how to make it yourself! We can sell you some grains, give you a receipt and teach you all you need to know!

*We deliver all around Cardiff and surrounding area - and further afield (see below).

> Grouped Deliveries outside of Cardiff: We have 2 separate delivery runs each month that go east of Cardiff one week and west of Cardiff on the other. Please get in touch if you live in the areas detailed below and want a Water Kefir delivery:

Gower, Mumbles, Swansea, Swansea Valleys to Ystradgynlais: Next runs are Tues 5.03/ 9.04
Newport, Monmouthshire and Bristol: Tues 19.03/ Thurs 26.04

WORKSHOPS and TALKS on Fermentation and Digestive Health:

We will soon be posting new dates for May, June and July

Please check my calendar for the latest updates on which markets I'll be attending in the next couple of months and links to workshops (some will be updated later)!

WATER KEFIR

Flavour of the Month:

Our immune boosting Elderberry and Hibiscus still available this month. Full of polyphenols to help you fight those winter bugs! We will be introducing our Green Kefir when back from our holiday in April.

Do your bit for the environment and remember to return your empty bottles and sauerkraut jars - reusing is much better than recycling!

Happy Equinox! Thank you for following Absorb!