Winter wellness with Kitchari and an herbal elixir of love.

By Hillary Arrieta

At the end of 2015, I was busy making a bunch of herbal remedies for the coming cold and flu season.  I was determined to use them as preventatives to make sure I didn't get sick.

 Well, that didn't happen.

Despite my efforts, I never implemented my remedies and now I've been fighting off something for the past few days.  My homemade elderberry syrup never made it in to my wellness routine, nor did my fire cider or my garlic honey but it was really fun to create these traditional herbal recipes. Some of them were made with my own plants from my garden.

We had a very mild winter this year and my rose garden still had quite a few blooms on February 14 when I pruned them down to only about two feet high. I'm really looking forward to seeing the "first blush" of roses this year.

i made a rose elixir from some of the rose petals around Christmas time. A rose elixir contains rose petals, raw honey, and grain alcohol. After steeping for about a month, I strained it out and put the liquid in to my mason jar. It's beautiful. Rose is an herbal ally for matters of the heart especially heavy matters of the heart. It's a beautiful concoction to have around during the holidays when grief and lonely feelings come up.  It's chilling in my refrigerator as we speak and it's gorgeous. 

Along with herbal remedies, I received a bunch of massage this Winter. Massage therapy is always something I use as preventative health care but for my birthday,  I was also re-introduced to seasonal body treatments for the purpose of a "re-boot". A cleansing, whole body re-boot and It was fantastic.

My birthday was spent at an Ayurvedic spa where they offer some very healing treatments. I had a really great lunch too. A classic Ayurvedic cleanse or re-boot always calls for kitchari.  I've been re-inspired by seasonal wellness rituals and am in the process of creating a new treatment. I can't wait to be able to offer it on my service menu. It's a secret for now!

Gaia Bodywork is growing!
I can feel some major shifts happening this year as I map out a new business plan. Exciting and really good changes are coming soon. I have added two combination therapies this year. Check those out on the site!

​Here are some pictures of the above mentioned herbal remedies I put together this Winter.

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Questions:

​How was your Winter? It's almost over!

Do you have and wellness tips to share?
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Leave me a comment on my blog. I love hearing from you.

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Hi! I’m Hillary Arrieta and I help people improve their lives by offering holistic solutions to ease stress, eliminate pain, and inspire self care practices. 

I own Gaia Bodywork in Richardson, TX. where I specialize in unique and effective massage and meditation techniques such as Barefoot Bar Therapy and iRest® Yoga Nidra.

Gaia Bodywork PLLC offers the Best Massage in Richardson, Texas for pain and stress management. ​​​