I’ve never been a big “resolutions” person. Making big, specific promises to myself always felt like a bit of a waste because sometimes things don’t work out the way we imagined, and that’s often for the better!
Instead, I’m much more of an “intentions” kind of gal. I love reflecting, reminiscing, gently letting go, and opening up for the possibilities on the precipice of a New Year. This year, specifically, I’m fixated on planning out the little things I can do to make life run more smoothly, actions I can take to help my big dreams take effect. The truth is that without these tiny attentions to the details of my days, none of the big things happen – not workouts, not well-considered meals, time with my son, and certainly not the kind of work I want to put out into the world or the adventures I’m looking forward to having.
There’s no space here for big talk. But there’s lots of space for attending to the tiny things. I’m spending these first days and weeks of the new year making space for new systems, refreshing old ones, and restocking – mind, body, soul. And, of course, my Golden Milk Mix for small, cozy, grounding and nourishing moments all winter long.
It’s been quite a few years since I let go of coffee as my morning ritual. It was about this time, after a panchakarma/seasonal reset. I had removed coffee and caffeine (as we do) for a month to complete my reset, and the space that it left in my daily meals and practices helped me to understand just how amped it made me feel everyday. I had always been a 1-cup-a-day kind of gal. But coffee is intrinsically heating, stimulating and agitating. Coffee instigates both vata and pitta doshas, creating imbalance in the bodies of those with high pitta and vata in their constitutions. And I am definitely one of those people.
No matter how much I loved (and still love!) the smell, taste and indulgence that is a cup of coffee, it didn’t serve my body or being well on a daily basis. And so, I let it go as a given and began considering just what substance would help me feel most connected each day. Sometimes its herbal tea, sometimes it’s simply warm water with lime. On rare occasions (specifically through the winter months, and when I’m in Europe) a coffee IS the right choice. But most of the time what I want and gravitate towards is this Golden Milk.
From an intellectual/Ayurvedic perspective, I LOVE what golden milk gives me as part of my morning ritual.
Golden milk, or haldi doodh, is a traditional recipe that dates back thousands of years in Ayurvedic tradition It is used to aid digestion and respiration, prevent colds and flu, decongest the liver, ease sprained muscles and joint pain, reduce system-wide inflammation, purify the blood, clear the skin, and aid sleep. The main ingredient in golden milk responsible for all of this excellence is curcumin in turmeric, a compound that is responsible for its vibrant hue. Curcumin has been widely studied for its powerful anti-inflammatory properties, but it also supports detoxification, helps balance blood sugar, and lowers the overall risk of cancer.
How do we get the most out of this powerful phytonutrient? Simply by warming it up, and rounding it out. In Ayurvedic wisdom, this means increasing the temperature so that the curcumin can be absorbed by the body, combining it with black pepper and specifically a compound in black pepper called piperine that actually helps the body to absorb the curcumin (increasing the bioavailability by up to 2000%!) AND adding fat. These simple, recipe-driven steps ensure that we absorb, assimilate, and utilize the incredible superpowers within. And the good news is, you only need a very small amount to reap the synergistic benefits. And no, popping a turmeric capsule won’t cut it!
All suffice to say that by drinking these incredible foods-as-medicine in a soothing, grounding, nourishing mug of milk we’re not only helping to activate our potential, but also to densely nourish ourselves; something that a woman who works. plays and pushes as hard as I do need to think about.
Coffee, for all of it’s deliciousness, doesn’t have any of these same properties, unfortunately. The caffeine is shown to increase blood flow to the brain – amazing – and to boost circulation, but this isn’t always a positive thing. Coffee is not an anti-inflammatory and doesn’t soothe or calm anything in the body. In fact the pungent, bitter flavors elevate vata dosha and pitta dosha (the fire and wind in the body.) When these doshas elevate, our bodies get dry, hot and bothered. And often, this effect instigates digestion because – rather than relaxing the digestive system (as golden milk does,) we’re instigating it. Imagine poking an angry bear.
That’s the equivalent of having a bowel movement after drinking a cup of coffee. You’ve poked a bear with a red hot poker. Ouch.
There are lots of ways to get golden milk into your bod. There are lots of recipes out there, almost all of them excellent. This one is mine. It’s a recipe closely derived from a traditional Ayurvedic recipe, with the addition of cloves and vanilla. There are no “adaptogens,” no fancy far-flung ingredients promising to give you more energy, slim you down or anything like that. A lot of those mixes avert your attention to hot-topic ingredients that promise to revolutionize your morning, and completely forget to mention that THE SPICES ARE THE MAGIC. You don’t need more. More is not better here. More is missing the point. Good spices, used properly make Golden Milk a medicine we all need in our modern lives. Which is to say that this mix is simply an exceptional support for bodies in motion, getting after modern life.
It’s simple. It’s inexpensive to make, and it’s so damn good.
Rather than pulling out each of these spices each morning when I want to make it, I simply batch them together and make a mix I can store on my shelf. This is the most cost effective way I’ve found of drinking a high-quality golden milk that I love, without shady spices, additives or anti-caking agents. AND, having the powder means I can mix it into other things like these cookies, this banana bread, this rice pudding, …I could go on but you get the point.
And I LOVE the spicy, sweet, round and indulgent mugs of Golden Milk this mix makes. I tell you more about how I love it (milk and more) in the Recipe Notes below, but I hope you adore it as much as I do!
I hope that as you’re prioritizing self-care these next days, you’re thinking about the tiny things that make a big difference in your body, mind, spirit and performance!
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