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At 9:30 AM last Tuesday, I got the first question from a friend: “How do you manage to work from home?” Over the course of the week, more of the same trickled in as friends and patients alike were thrust into new routines because of quarantine. Some people are having a hard time adjusting and this is especially true for friends and patients with kids. Before quarantine, a quiet joke among work from home parents was that we were seen as hobbyists. “Like, what do you even do all day?” Eve 👏 ry 👏 thing 👏. Now that everyone who can is being thrown into the work from home lifestyle, the nation is lifting the curtain on the reality of multitasking, connected parenting, and productivity that we work from home parents have been trying to tell you about. This blog is the tip of the iceberg of what I have figured out as a work from home mom over the past few years and I hope that it can serve you through this quarantine and beyond. Featured image and cover photo by Plush Design Studio from Pexels

Six Tips to Work From Home More Productively

At 9:30 AM last Tuesday, I got the first question from a friend: “How do you manage to work from home?”

Over the course of the week, more of the same trickled in as friends and patients alike were thrust into new routines because of quarantine. Some people are having a hard time adjusting and this is especially true for friends and patients with kids.

Before quarantine, a quiet joke among work from home parents was that we were seen as hobbyists. “Like, what do you even do all day?” Eve 👏 ry 👏 thing 👏.

Now that everyone who can is being thrown into the work from home lifestyle, the nation is lifting the curtain on the reality of multitasking, connected parenting, and productivity that we work from home parents have been trying to tell you about.

This blog is the tip of the iceberg of what I have figured out as a work from home mom over the past few years and I hope that it can serve you through this quarantine and beyond.

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By Jessica Gustafson, ago
Can you believe that spring is only a couple of days away? At least, spring as the modern Western world understands it. For those of us who work with the seasons for preventative health, we’ve been working in spring for about six weeks now. But on Thursday, the yang of the day will be equal to the yin of night and every day after that will bring us closer to the summer solstice. Are you ready? Do you have the reserves of energy necessary for the hard work of summer? Is the machinery of your life in proper working order to manage the generative and expansive energy of the coming months? Not sure? Read on. Featured image and cover photo by Tabitha Mort from Pexels

Flow Freely with the Spring Equinox

Can you believe that spring is only a couple of days away?

At least, spring as the modern Western world understands it. For those of us who work with the seasons for preventative health, we’ve been working in spring for about six weeks now.

But on Thursday, the yang of the day will be equal to the yin of night and every day after that will bring us closer to the summer solstice.

Are you ready? Do you have the reserves of energy necessary for the hard work of summer? Is the machinery of your life in proper working order to manage the generative and expansive energy of the coming months?

Not sure? Read on.

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By Jessica Gustafson, ago
We need to stop panicking about Covid-19. Covid-19, otherwise known as the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, and as “the coronavirus” is a mutation of a common upper respiratory infection that has been making headlines for everything from its death toll in China to cleared shelves at Costco. Friends and patients alike have asked me for my opinion about Covid-19 and I thought I would write a newsletter to send out. And then it exploded into an essay. Fair warning: this is a long read regarding what a coronavirus is, other coronaviruses you may know of, Covid-19 compared to influenza, the real dangers of Covid-19 beyond symptoms, and what you can do to protect yourself and others. Featured image and cover photo by Susan Jane Golding via Flickr

Teasing fact from fiction: how to respond to Covid-19

We need to stop panicking about Covid-19.

Covid-19, otherwise known as the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, and as “the coronavirus” is a mutation of a common upper respiratory infection that has been making headlines for everything from its death toll to cleared shelves at Costco.

Friends and patients alike have asked me for my opinion about Covid-19 and I thought I would write a newsletter to send out. And then it exploded into an essay.

Before we get into it I want to be abundantly clear: Covid-19 is serious. Deadly serious. You might be fine. You might catch it and feel like you only have a minor cold. Or you might catch it and spend the next four months recovering your ability to breathe.

I mention the flu A LOT in this piece. Covid-19 isn’t a “bad flu.” And to understand the difference we have to get down to basics.

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By Jessica Gustafson, ago
How’s your posture right now? Do you remember your drive in to work today? What did your lunch taste like? How many of those questions are things you didn’t even think about until you read the words? We spend so much of our time in mindless routine, thinking the same thoughts and preforming the same actions and we don’t even realize it. Mindful eating is a way to change that. By becoming fully present in such a mundane activity, we can habituate ourselves differently. Food is more than nourishment. It had a look, a feel, a taste, a smell, and a sound. And by engaging all of your senses in the consumption of your food you can change your world just by training yourself to truly perceive it. Featured image and cover photo by Daria Shevtsova from Pexels

Hack Your Brain with Mindful Eating

How’s your posture right now?

Do you remember your drive in to work today?

What did your lunch taste like?

How many of those questions are things you didn’t even think about until you read the words?

We spend so much of our time in mindless routine, thinking the same thoughts and preforming the same actions and we don’t even realize it.

Mindful eating is a way to change that. By becoming fully present in such a mundane activity, we can habituate ourselves differently.

Food is more than nourishment. It had a look, a feel, a taste, a smell, and a sound. And by engaging all of your senses in the consumption of your food you can change your world just by training yourself to truly perceive it.

(more…)
By Jessica Gustafson, ago
Things are moving beneath the earth. Rather than being the premise of a horror movie, this is an exciting sign of seasonal progression. Roots spread their toes and stretch through the soil, drawing in the nutrients needed to drive shoots upward, out of the darkness, towards the sunlight. The frost releases its hold on the topsoil, allowing water from melting snow to bathe the new life below in the water. And insects awaken. They run the winter’s hibernation from their eyes and get to work beneath the eath helping with nutrient exchange and prepare the plants above them for the tremendous growth ahead. The Insects Awaken seasonal node is about movement: upwards toward the sun and around our bodies, underneath our skin, to help us function better in the world around this. And the way to accomplish that is simple.

Insects Awaken: Movements in the Earth

Things are moving beneath the earth.

Rather than being the premise of a horror movie, this is an exciting sign of seasonal progression.

Roots spread their toes and stretch through the soil, drawing in the nutrients needed to drive shoots upward, out of the darkness, towards the sunlight.

Franco Vannini via Flickr

The frost releases its hold on the topsoil, allowing water from melting snow to bathe the new life below in the water.

And insects awaken.

They run the winter’s hibernation from their eyes and get to work beneath the earth helping with nutrient exchange and preparing the plants above them for the tremendous growth ahead.

The Insects Awaken seasonal node is about movement: upwards toward the sun and around our bodies underneath our skin, to help us function better in the world around this. And the way to accomplish that is simple.

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By Jessica Gustafson, ago
Birth is one of the most physically taxing, emotionally depleting, and spiritually rewarding things a human being can endure. But despite having birthed for thousands of years, most of us prepare for labor in completely the wrong way. We decorate our nurseries, pack out bags, and sit and wait (because that’s what we’re told to do). And when our pregnancy ticks past the 40-week mark we throw every folk induction method we can find on Pinterest at it with hit and miss results. But what if I told you that the fundamental error that we’re all making is waiting? That you can and should make diet and lifestyle changes in the months before birth? And that if you make these changes, studies have shown that: You’ll have an earlier spontaneous onset of labor You will have a shorter labor You will have a more comfortable labor You will have a more comfortable postpartum recovery And you will have more balanced hormones in the postpartum period All it takes to get these benefits is shifting how we talk about the marathon of birth and take our focus off of the race and put our effort into the proper training. Featured photo and cover image by Ilzy Sousa from Pexels

7 Ways to Prepare for Labor (and why forgetting this crucial step is a mistake)

Birth is one of the most physically taxing, emotionally depleting, and spiritually rewarding things a human being can endure. But despite having birthed for thousands of years, most of us prepare for labor in completely the wrong way.

We decorate our nurseries, pack our bags, and sit and wait (because that’s what we’re told to do). And when our pregnancy ticks past the 40-week mark we throw every folk induction method we can find on Pinterest at it with hit and miss results.

But what if I told you that the fundamental error that we’re all making is waiting? That you can and should make diet and lifestyle changes in the months before birth? And that if you make these changes, studies have shown that:

  • You’ll have an earlier spontaneous onset of labor
  • You will have a shorter labor
  • You will have a more comfortable labor
  • You will have a more comfortable postpartum recovery
  • And you will have more balanced hormones in the postpartum period

All it takes to get these benefits is shifting how we talk about the marathon of birth and take our focus off of the race and put our effort into the proper training.

(more…)
By Jessica Gustafson, ago
Despite the recent -35 F windchill, 2020 marches forward into the Rain Water seasonal node. Practically speaking, we Minnesotans are a long way off from literal rain water. But then, we’re also at a very different latitude than the Ancient Chinese sages who named the seasonal node thousands of years ago. But the different latitude doesn't mean that we escape the energetics of the next two weeks. The days are getting longer which means yang is getting stronger. The generative energy of spring is getting more obvious every day and if we wait until we see actual rain water, we’re going to miss out on a huge part of the season. The Rain Water seasonal node, like the Great Cold seasonal node, is about two very important things: protecting our qi and protecting our yang. But this time, we’re protecting these vital substances for a very different reason. Featured photo and cover photo by Sitthan Kutty via Pexels

The Rain Water Seasonal node: Fighting off the Damp

Despite the recent -35 F windchill, 2020 marches forward into the Rain Water seasonal node. Practically speaking, we Minnesotans are a long way off from literal rain water. But then, we’re also at a very different latitude than the Ancient Chinese sages who named the seasonal node thousands of years ago.

But the different latitude doesn’t mean that we escape the energetics of the next two weeks. The days are getting longer which means yang is getting stronger. The generative energy of spring is getting more obvious every day and if we wait until we see actual rain water, we’re going to miss out on a huge part of the season.

The Rain Water seasonal node, like the Great Cold seasonal node, is about two very important things: protecting our qi and protecting our yang. But this time, we’re protecting these vital substances for a very different reason.

Featured photo and cover photo by Sitthan Kutty via Pexels

By Jessica Gustafson, ago
Picture by Secret Garden Daily via Pexels

How to boost your libido with breath work

It has been a long time since I’ve gotten sexy on this blog. In fact, come to think of it, I don’t even think I’ve ever actually talked about sex (except for that one fertility essay, I guess). Kind of weird when you consider that my practice wouldn’t exist without it.

This Valentine’s Day I want to give you a gift to celebrate the generative rise of yang energy that started last week. My gift to you: better sex.

Not only do I hope that this simple qi gong exercise will help raise your libido, but I hope that if you’re trying to conceive it gives you an energetic boost of fertile, springtime energy.

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By Jessica Gustafson, ago

Helping Yang Up the Mountain: the Beginning of Spring

Despite the icy roads, dirty snowbanks, and freezing temperatures, spring has finally come to Minnesota. The trees aren’t budding and the flowers aren’t blooming but the upward movement of yang is finally showing itself in noticeably longer days.

February 4th marks the Beginning of Spring seasonal node, and these next two weeks are about harnessing the generative energy of spring. When we ride the upward momentum of spring with proper dietary changes, exercises, and lifestyle choices everything flows a little more easily.

Gone are the days of me telling you that it’s time to rest. We’re leaving that behind in the cold and dark days of winter. Now it is time to plant those seeds of yang you birthed at the winter solstice and make some changes in your life.

By Jessica Gustafson, ago
This past winter has been long, cold, and dark. Hopefully, you haven’t accomplished much. I mean that in all sincerity. After all, winter is the season of hibernation; we’re not supposed to accomplish much. Winter reminds us that rest is important. I say so often that rest is the root of productivity, something that a culture obsessed with action often forgets. But rest is also the root of creativity and motivation. If we spend winter resting appropriately, not only can we recover physically, but we can recover mentally and spiritually as well. In other words, in order to be truly prepared for the dynamic, generative, and upward movement of spring we have to engage with and process the still, slow, and inward movement of winter. And the best way to do that is through journaling.

Born from yin: Six journaling prompts for the end of winter

This past winter has been long, cold, and dark. Hopefully, you haven’t accomplished much. I mean that in all sincerity. After all, winter is the season of hibernation; we’re not supposed to accomplish much.

Winter reminds us that rest is important.

I say so often that rest is the root of productivity, something that a culture obsessed with action often forgets.

But rest is also the root of creativity and motivation. If we spend winter resting appropriately, not only can we recover physically, but we can recover mentally and spiritually as well.

In other words, in order to be truly prepared for the dynamic, generative, and upward movement of spring we have to engage with and process the still, slow, and inward movement of winter. And the best way to do that is through journaling.

By Jessica Gustafson, ago