Seasonal Wellness In A Cup - A guest blog by Ati Balding

This is the season to get cosy and build our nests for winter.  What does that mean exactly? Winter is often marked as a time for change and endings. As I walk through my local woods I wonder about the leaves that drop to the ground. This isn't that the tree has given up, it is conserving its energy for winter.  Trees are the best teachers.

Spring is a few months away and so the beautiful tree is being held by that supportive trunk. In my work with children and young people I often use the example of the root system beneath the trunk and asking them to consider what their root system means to them. Are they being held up by their family friends any food they like. 

A beautiful exercise to do with young people is asking them to draw a tree and then have enough space for the roots to come out from the trunk and ask them to list all the people in their lives that hold up their trunk. Including the foods that they like to enjoy. This is also a great way to practise gratitude which is another practise that I do especially during winter when it can be quite a lonely season for some.

But we know that wintering can also mean metamorphosis and change for others. We can have internal wintering if we are experiencing sadness or bereavement. When I was little and feeling worried about school because my stutter was so debilitating, my ma to gave me golden milk (recipe below) and massaged my hair every night to help with the worries in my mind.

I want to share with you my favourite thing to do throughout the year but especially during winter. That is the beauty and power of gharam doodh or golden milk. 

Gharam doodh is warmed milk with turmeric as the star ingredient. My ma swears by its magical (Ayurvedic) properties and she would add other spices or herbs depending on the need and my ailments!

She would often follow this with ‘help you sleep’ ‘ease your cough’ ‘aid with digestion’ ‘ help with your homework’  then in later years ‘ help with period pain’ ‘ help with your friends’...  so, you can see it is really a magical drink with superpowers.

Golden milk or Turmeric latte is incredibly fashionable now. It is a magical drink that I still enjoy at home reminding me of my ma and childhood memories: 

Fact: it is soothing and has a ton of antioxidants and antibacterial properties. Using oat milk can also be an aid to sleep, can calm the nervous system down and is anti-inflammatory (that’ll be the Turmeric!).

There are lots of recipes for golden milk. But I'm going to give you my recipe to have especially if you're going through menopause and experience hot flashes. This is a cooling drink but I'm offering an alternative if you would like to have it warm as well just before you go to sleep or any time of day really for a real comfort blanket.

I have tinkered with the ingredients and added cooling lemon balm and mint. 

Thudoh haldi nayar leemu doodth (cold turmeric coconut lemon milk)

Makes 2 large cups 

• 2 cups of coconut milk (for a super creamy version use half a cup of coconut cream) or any milk you fancy. Can also use Oat or any other milk.
• Two tablespoons Coconut nectar/manna (I use Biona)
• A finger size piece of fresh turmeric chopped. 
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and nutmeg 
• Piece of 2cm peeled, chopped fresh ginger root (about 1 large teaspoon) 
• 2 teaspoons pre blended ground turmeric, shredded coconut and dried ginger (I pre-grind this finely and store it in a jar)
• 4 large medjool dates - pitted 
• 8-10 pistachios or 2 tbsp ground pistachios 
• one large handful of chopped lemon balm (if you can’t get this don’t worry. It is just as delicious with fresh mint leaves)
• one large handful fresh mint leaves

Method: Pulse the dates to make a paste. Place milk in a pan (reserve ½ tbps). Blitz the rest of the ingredients with the reserved milk in a high speed blender add this to the milk with the date paste. At this stage you can warm the whole lot up in a pan for the ingredients to meld together. Cool slightly and blend together with the mint / lemon balm. Add Ice. 

* options for winter*

Omit the fresh herbs, add black tea if you want to make it more of a chai taste and add two cardamom pods (skin removed). I also add a pinch of Ground black pepper & cayenne pepper and replace pistachios with almonds.  I find I make the paste up as above and then add the date paste to this once heated with a tablespoon of nut butter. It makes for a luxurious drink. You can also make this without the dates on the nut butter and just have a beautiful restorative drink any time of day

It is incredibly soothing and refreshing cold. Grounding and nourishing during the winter. 

Enjoy . 

I am acknowledging that lots of people might not have the time to make a golden milk such as this so I have a particular favourite and it's by divine tea you are very welcome to use my discount code Ati10 

 You can find me here www.surreyhillswellness.co.uk and here ig @surreyhillswellness 

Notes from Made By Coopers: Ati is an intuitive therapist and  a friend of Made By Coopers. If you have signed up to our 'Beings In Bloom' newsletter, you may have come across Ati'd guided meditations and deep relaxation recordings. If you haven't checked them out, before sure you join here