Steps To Stillness

We asked our friends in Los Angeles, Rachel Day and Justin Sloane, to share some helpful tips and tools that, while restorative, are also fun, ambient in tone, and cut loose from results. Rachel is studying Chinese medicine and working towards her Masters in acupuncture and herbal medicine, and Justin is a designer, artist, and independent publisher whose work deals with the pursuit of new form-languages and world-making. Together, they’ve created a beautifully incomplete resource meant for slowing down our racing thoughts, or simply, meant for learning something new: like making congee or discovering tunes, or spending time with a poem (or a poster of pups...more soon on that!)

Here, and in their own words, a multimedia mixtape.

Thank you Rachel and Justin.

In Chinese medicine (or East Asian Medicine), eating warm food is ideal because our stomach could be viewed as a warm cauldron in the body.

To have a strong digestive fire, you need to eat warm nourishing foods. Cold foods slow down the digestive system and can cause digestive issues if one eats too many damp foods (like salads, smoothies, or an excess of dairy / greasy fried foods). Congee is a great choice for starting the day, to ignite the warm fire inside and provide energy and sustenance for the body.

Macrobiotic food is a simple, natural diet in the Japanese Tradition. It entails eating food in a natural way that harmonizes the body and works with seasonal produce for the climate you live in. It is not a "diet" or a set of recipes.
This image is inspired by a plate made by Michio Kushi.

Foods for breakfast: Rice, wheat cream, cooked rolled oats, Miso/wakame soup. Tea.

Foods for lunch: Rice or another grain, buckwheat in winter, barley in summer. Vegetables cooked any way. Beans; azuki, chickpeas, lentils, black beans. Whole grain bread and miso soup.

Foods for dinner: Noodles or rice. Vegetables and sea vegetables. Fish (optional). Tea.

Practicing Qi Gong can help the body in many ways, this practice was created to help the immune system and the lungs.

Peter Deadman is an acupuncturist in the UK who has created a great video tutorial on lung strengthening exercises you can do at home.

Movement 1: Breathing into the lower lungs; should feel breath in stomach. Slowing the breath, breathing into the stomach, 5 seconds for each breath, in and out. (Dropped chest hands in front of stomach, breathe into stomach, alternate clenched fists in middle back) lower the center of gravity, keep the breath moving down.

Movement 2: Arms in front of thighs, drop pelvis at the base of the spine, lower the center of gravity, and keep the breath going down. Soften the spine. Bring arms to shoulder height, extend palms outward facing each other, keep palms at shoulder height. Keep them in front of the body and arms lengthened, do not feel tension. Keeping arms forward keeps the upper back open. Lengthen through the body as you do this. Goal is to widen the chest and widen the top of the back to open the lungs to full capacity.

Movement 3: Should feel a spreading in the upper back, this movement stimulates points in the upper back that are needed in acupuncture treatments to open the lungs. Be sure that shoulder blades are dropped. Palms of the hands are open and moved towards the sky, lengthening and opening the lung meridian.

Artists to consider supporting via Bandcamp:
BUENA VISTA
RVNG
ANA ROXANNE
LARAAJI
JOHN CARROLL KIRBY
Rent: Other Music Documentary through the record store of your choosing

On our street, springtime has arrived when all the sidewalks are covered in Jacaranda flowers. Last year, we visited Casa Gilardi, a monument to Luis Barragán’s emotional architecture. The entire wall of the courtyard is painted a specific color of lavender. Our guide noted that this particular color was to harmonize with the fallen Jacaranda flowers from the spreading tree in the courtyard. A large gesture to highlight a small detail like this stood out to us, waiting an entire year to be immersed in color is something worth waiting for.

That’s where we’re at right now.

Rachel Day is studying Chinese medicine and working towards her Masters in acupuncture and herbal medicine. Prior to her studies, she worked in the arts and as a bookseller in New York.

Justin Sloane is a designer, artist, and independent publisher. He has collaborated with MoMA PS1, Ghostly International, Total Luxury Spa, and 2x4 inc.