Recently, my niece came to stay for High School Senior Year Internship. Her parents were clear: “It’s not a vacation. She’s coming to work. Would there be anything for her to do?“

I had plenty she could do. I can always use an extra pair of hands. But I wanted it to be an inspiring learning experience for her.

Elsa is going to college in the autumn to study Outdoor Leadership, so I really hoped to inspire her with Ayurveda, to see all the ways that nature supports, heals, restores.

Together, we came up with a plan to make Ayurveda Spring Wellness Bundles, filled with home-made, hand-crafted Ayurveda care. This way, she would learn about the doshas and the seasons, about herbs and plant medicine, and generally about nature’s bounty of intelligence, energy, inspiration.

While she was here we made: 

• Spring Purification Body Oil: With Tulsi, Neem and Sage in Sesame Oil
• Spring Stimulating Scrub: Ginger, Neem, Lemon, Tulsi in ground Mung Beans
• Spring Spice Blend: Ginger, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Fenugreek, Clove
• Spring Herbal Tea: Tulsi, Nettles, Cinnamon
• Mung Beans for a Spring Dal
• Spring Journal: To inspire your spring bloom

We sourced the ingredients from organic, fair trade companies or from my own garden. We mixed and sifted, stirred and boiled, blended and poured, and finally labeled and packaged.

Making Ayurveda oils is a process. You have to cook down the herbs to make a decoction. Then cook that down in oil. Each step takes 1-2 hours of stirring, stirring, stirring.

I kept checking in with Elsa, “Would you like me to take over?” “No,” she’d softly reply. As if she was in a trance. Later, she said the stirring was her favorite thing. That it taught her so much. Stirring for hours taught her so much. Something about the magnificence and generosity of nature, she said.

It was a sweet, creative way to connect. Sometimes, we found ourselves in deep conversation, other times in a meditative quiet. I feel closer to her now, and am excited to see how she integrates this.

I offered these bundles to my email newsletter readers in late March, while it was the height of Kapha season. I still have two bundles. They are still wonderful for anyone dealing with Kapha. Mildly heating, they are mostly packed with bitter, purifying herbs.

Would you like us to send you one? They are $65 a piece, with free shipping within the US. I can ship anywhere, but shipping abroad is likely to be $12 extra.  Please comment below if you want one. It will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.

They were made with love and joy, and a lot of OMs as we stirred and blended. It is our intention that they bring nourishing balance.