Warm Up Exercises

Its cold. It's really, really cold. This isn't something I am used to so early in the season. It's not even officially winter, but It's been snowing and hailing and the roads have been icy since last week. And oh, that toilet seat! Brrrrr. It took me ten minutes to scrape the ice off my windshield this morning. I almost slipped on a frozen deck in Brooke trails on Saturday night. The tip of my nose has been red for days and lots of friends and family are dealing with colds, mild flu, and coughs.

I am distracted by the cold, thinking about what I can do to get warm. Of course, right off the bat, there's all the delicious Thanksgiving coffee we have to choose from, fair trade, roasted and brewed locally, Yes mamma!. There's the traditional cup of hot tea, something with cinnamon, ginger or chai with it's exotic flavors of cardamon, cloves and pepper. Then, there's the more medicinal cocktail of hot water, cayenne and lemon which will happily devour nasty bacterium and viruses in your throat on contact. Try a little brandy with that too. Another really great warmer upper is making a boiling pot of water and throwing in some fresh cedar, eucalyptus, or pine needles, steam, put a towel over your head and inhale. Aaaaah.

Of course there's the logical layering of clothing. A set of thermal underwear, jeans, wool sweaters and socks, boots, felt hats, and furry gloves sometimes even while your sitting in your living room. And then there's the hearth. I find myself spending a lot more time in the kitchen when I'm cold. I want soup, don't you? There's a ton of canned and boxed soup on sale right now, get some for your self and throw in a couple extra for a food bank donation. and then there's the home made, left overs from Thanksgiving, mmm, turkey noodle soup, or a hefty beef or buffalo stew, or something vegetarian Hot, sour, spicy. Get out your cookbooks and crockpots! It's time for baking brownies, cookies, and breads and oh don't forget the pies. It's time for butter and biscuits, scones and chestnuts.

Go out for some Thai or Japanese food from some of the great local haunts like, Happy Garden in Clearlake, Oco time in Ukiah, or Viraporn or Off the Hook in Fort Bragg get yourself a hot curry or a lump of wasabi, a big bowl of Soba and some hot sake, Yum.

There's the fabulous option of climbing into bed when the sun goes down with a Heating pad, a pillow case full of warmed sea salt, or a brick warmed in the oven at 350 for an hour and then put under your quilt. It will radiate warmth long into the night. Cozy up with with a good book.(Check out some of KZYX"S Tony Miksaks' Words on Books recommendations) I recommend the collections of Paulo Cuehlo, The Witch of Portabello, The Alchemist, the Fifth Mountain and more Cuehlo is profoundly dramatic, and far reaching in his imagination and spirituality.

You can simmer yourself in the local cauldrons of indulgence of, Wilbur, Orr Hot Springs, Bamboo Gardens, Sweetwater Spa, the hot tubs and sauna not only warm you up, but clean out your lymph system (a crucial component of the immune system)

Use your muscles, that's an instant rise in temperature. Stretch, jump up and down, Doing yoga or dancing to gypsy music will bring you to a salty sweat. "An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day" according to Henry David Thoreau. It really warms my bones especially when followed by a very hot shower and then turning the cold water on for 5 seconds sending all the blood back to my core where it will do it's best to keep me toasty inside.

Getting into bed with a lover is a super good idea. I find holding my wife very close and rubbing our feet together is very effective. Then if you like turn up the heat, friction is fun and sets the kundalini fires. Hot cha!

Then there's the heart warming. There are a lot of people in this world who are suffering beyond our comprehension. Whether it is from war, poverty, natural disasters like the constantly unfolding one in Haiti. Acts of charity, in this holiday season, are immensely comforting. I'm a huge supporter of Heifer international. They are the ones who, with our modest donations, provide livestock for families all over the world to help them become self sufficient in an ever collapsing international economies.

Take some time to write a letter to someone in prison, someone fighting abroad, or send a box of books, or toys to an orphanage in Afghanistan you will experience and immeasurable warmth. Or simply write a letter to an elder in your family. It's very rare to get a real letter these days, Remember, lots of older folks still haven't mastered the internet, (my mom never could do Facebook) and getting a letter with your name written on the envelope is truly Heart warming gift.

And Finally, there's the warmth of a friend. We are so fortunate to live in deeply familiar communities where we have the pleasure of running into friends and neighbors on our daily journey. Stop a moment give them a hug, rub their back and take off the chill.