How to be Gentle with Yourself: Using Plants for Subtle Energy Healing
If you feel like your brain is always on, you’re constantly working, determined to be the first or the best, and strive for improved results, then keep reading (or skimming, ‘cause I know you have 1,000 things to do today)...because this article is extra potent for you!
Living a full speed life and trying to function at 100% capacity will surely lead to burnout. I can personally guarantee that ;)
While it’s hard to slow down, being gentle with ourselves can yield some pretty substantial results. Being gentle is not a replacement for our intensity- we need that shit to keep us moving forward! Gentleness is rather a quality to balance our intensity and help our bodies, minds, senses, and souls rejuvenate. When we allow for rejuvenation we have increased immunity, sustained energy levels, radiance, and satisfying productivity. We can’t be pouring from an empty cup, dudes.
And quite frankly, this gentleness stuff needs to take center stage more often than not. When your foundation (i.e. your health) is solid, then the work you do thereafter, the projects and people you put energy into, the life you continue to construct for yourself, will also be solid. After all, we wouldn’t build a house on a crumbling foundation. But how can we be gentle with ourselves?
The easiest way to be gentle with yourself is to practice subtle energy healing.
This is when we use therapeutic practices to strengthen and nourish our subtle bodies, specifically, subtle energy bodies. Subtle energy refers to the currents and electrical pulses within the body that cannot be seen or yet perceived. Just as we go to the gym to tone our muscles or speak to a therapist to strengthen our minds, so too must we tend to the subtle body.
There are so many ways to do this but in this article, I am sharing a few of my favorite simple + easy practices.
Call upon the plants
Solar + Lunar Infusions: There are many herbal medicines we can use- tinctures, teas, smoking blends, essential oils, etc. To cultivate gentleness, I love doing solar or lunar infusions, especially in the summer. These ‘cold infusions’ are slowly infused herbal waters that you make by filling a jar with room temperature water and a few scoops of herbs. Let the jar ‘steep’ in the sun or moonlight for several hours, strain, sip, and enjoy! This is a much gentler extraction method than when using alcohol or boiling water, as we do when making tinctures or teas. Plus, it’s infused by the energy from the sky above!
I typically go for fresh herbs like rose petals, lemon verbena, lilac, or tulsi. However, you can use whatever herbs you have on hand! For a subtly energizing + inspiring water, do a solar infusion. For a calming, cooling, intuition-boosting water, try a lunar infusion. I always opt for this type of beverage when I’m needing to tone down my intensity.
Hydrosols: Hydrosols are another beautiful way to be gentle with yourself. Hydrosols are aromatic waters obtained from plants via steam distillation. They contain many subtle elements of the plant, making it ideal for subtle energy healing. Hydrosols can be misted into your space or onto the skin. With hydrosols, skincare becomes a tool for spiritual and energetic healing.
Flower Essences: Flower essences are solar or lunar infusions of fresh flowers in pure water. After several hours infusing, the flowers are strained and this now-vibrant water is mixed with alcohol for preservation (typically brandy). They are kind of like a tincture...except waaay cooler (in my opinion). You can take a few drops directly under the tongue or diluted in a glass of water. Sometimes, flower essences are even used in skincare for their highly energetic presence. Flowers have such concentrated energy within them. They are said to be the highest vibrational part of the plant! A flower essence, when made carefully, contains that same vibrant energy in a consumable form. They have an incredibly healing effect on the emotions and the subtle body.
So you, my type-A friend, will notice more smooth, calm, collected qualities within yourself once you integrate these practices...as long as you slow down for long enough to pay attention. For others, solar or lunar infusions, hydrosols, and flower essences will still be a supportive + worthy addition to your current self-care.
Drop me a love note at info@birchstoneapothecary.com to let me know how you’ve integrated these tips!
(psst….did you know Birchstone releases FIVE NEW hydrosols this Tuesday, August 18th?! You’ll be able to find them here.)