Dear Friend, Seeker,
I'm on my way to Moganshan, Zhejiang, about three hours from Shanghai. I'm hoping for a break from the hot, stuffy city. "Excessive heat" warnings are popping up worldwide, from Southern Europe to Northern Asia.
How do you cope with extreme heat and summer?
Today, let's explore our love-hate relationship with Mother Nature and how we can potentially embrace the warts and all of nature and balance them.
PAUSE & RESET
Before we begin, let's try this mini exercise:
(Read the next paragraph, experiment and then complete the exercise)
Gently close your eyes or lower your gaze. Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, hum. You can close your ear canals with your index fingers, or place your thumbs on your ears and fingers across your eyes. Keep your shoulders relaxed. Do this for 8-12 breaths.
How do you feel?
This is the Humming Bee Breath (Bhramari in Sanskrit). It activates our vagus nerve, promoting calmness and clarity. The vagus nerve, if you're curious, extends from the brain stem through our neck, thorax, and abdomen. I often feel a sense of power and confidence after doing this exercise, as my attention is drawn to the voice coming from my body - a miracle we shouldn't take for granted.
THE GENTLE POWER
How do we cope with our fear of nature?
In Madeira, we witnessed a tragedy that revealed how each of my companion travellers relates to Nature. I wrote a poem about it as a remembrance of that precarious side of nature, and our deep-rooted fears about nature. You will find the poem at the end of this letter.
Our relationship with nature, I realise, is cultivated from a young age. I used to, and maybe still do, envy people who grow up near nature and seem so at ease exploring it. I can't say the same about myself. My parents rarely brought us to the beach or taught us how to swim until we were much older, passing on their own fears about water sports.
While I love gazing at oceans and lakes, often imagining myself floating without a care or swimming with fervour in the waters, I'm terrified of open water.
In Milos, Greece, I finally swam in natural pools and the sea, taking baby steps!
Voice your fears and concerns to companions.
I told my friend, N, the moment we met in Greece about the tragedy I had witnessed and explained its impact on me. I also revealed that I'm not a strong swimmer. She, in turn, shared her own fears about nature. She was extremely understanding and encouraging throughout our trip, nudging me to try when the waters were calm while giving me space to determine my own comfort level.
Throughout the trip, I also noticed how each of us constructed and verbalised our own boundaries, understanding our constitution, deep-seated fears, and energy levels when it comes to being in nature.
We were able to support each other because we were open with each other. And that leads me to the next point.
Lean on support:
We were on a boat tour. I skipped the first swimming spot as I realised I was far too anxious to get into the water. At the second spot, I put on a life vest and entered the water. Achievement unlocked. At the third spot, I swam a little further out with a "noodle float".
"The waters are calm, come Siying," N said invitingly. This is a result of us being open about where our idiosyncrasies lie with nature.
Engage guides for hiking trips and if you're generally new to a (natural) environment that may pose some danger. Look out for safety markers, lifeguards, railings, and crowds near you, and gauge your own comfort level about their presence.
Adopt your own little ritual. Our guide, Luis, had a ritual of dragging his walking stick through the water. It's a folklore, but something you want to believe in when you're teetering on a tiny path between a drain and a mountain slope.
Accept imperfection: My unglamorous swim with a life vest and a noodle float was still an achievement, despite not being "Instagram-worthy".
Overcoming a fear of nature is a process that takes time. Be patient with yourself.
Is it necessary to forge a relationship with nature? Maybe you prefer urban landscapes. Yet remember, nature offers wisdom we've yet to unlock, despite how advanced science has become.
As Rick Rubin said, "It is through communing with nature that we move closer to our own nature."
If we learn how to cultivate wisdom about ourselves and our environment, over time, I'd like to believe we will be able to meet life on its own terms without having to avoid the 'annoying' or 'hateful' aspects of nature entirely. Instead, we take them in our stride, at our own pace.
Do you have any fears about nature? If you're a parent, how do you go about navigating your child's relationship with nature?
LIVING LUXURIOUSLY:
A SPOTLIGHT ON A GENTLE APPROACH TO CREATING & BUILDING.
Songmont 山下有松:
Are there any problems you face right now that you feel compelled to solve?
The founder of the brand, Fu Song, decided to take matters into her own hands when she couldn't find an ideal laptop bag to carry as a new working mother returning to the workforce. Fu Song also featured Wu Yanshu, a 86-year-old actor as the brand ambassador. Wu returned to the silver screen in her 70s, proving that women could still thrive even in their silver years.
Far from the Gen Z-obsessed marketing world, I'm seeing Chinese cult brands such as Songmont and Neiwai championing what it means to embrace a dance with ageism. How wonderful is that to have someone like your grandmother being represented in the advertisements?
The name is also an unabashed admission of Chinese origin and culture, while also nodding to globalization, or so I like to think. Song is the Chinese pronunciation of "Pines" while Mont stems etymologically from the Latin word for "Mountain". Tanner Leatherstein dissected the Songmont bag and gave it a thumbs-up for quality. Definitely a brand to watch, made in China and meant for the working women of the world.
Hermès on Lightness
I was fortunate to receive the poetic text from Thomas Gunzig for "On the Wings of Hermes."
It's a story about Pegasus and the quest for seven forms of lightness. I couldn't find the text anywhere on the Internet! Blasphemous in today's world! So I had no choice but to slide into Thomas' DMs, and he kindly emailed me the text he created for Hermes.
A lesson here: What's the worst thing they can say? No. So just ask. Don't make assumptions.
Here is a part of the opening verse translated in English from French:
The story is about Pegasus and the quest for the seven lightnesses.
Pegasus, the winged horse, had seven foals. But none knew how to fly.
Their wings had not yet grown.
To fly, each of the seven foals had to find a form of lightness in the world that would make their wings grow. Then they too could fly.
Lightness is not easy to find.
It hides in unexpected places.
Lightness is sometimes a movement, a thought.
You find it in the delicateness of a smile, in the gentleness of a caress.
It hides in laughter, in a musical note that takes flight.
You find it in a moment of everyday life that becomes marvelous.
I teared up at the beginning of the performance when I saw how the craftspeople constructed the scene right before me with precision and care. That, along with a verse about inversion, "The lightness is that of inversion, It's a very rare lightness! when to fly, you need to be heavy. When to hold, you need to let go..."
Oh, it speaks to me and my fear of inverting myself both physically and metaphorically, mistaking permanence for rootedness and forgetting that sometimes I just need to let go.
I looked around me and sensed the awe that the spectators, young and old, had for the performance. That is beauty. If there is anything luxury brands should offer to the world, it would be that -- the intangible and indescribable that allows you to fill in the blanks and be a child again.
Humility and Vulnerability can get you 9,900% growth in 4 years
Finally, a shout-out to a founder, Marie Martens, who bootstrapped and built Tally Forms in public, a seemingly nondescript form creator, with her partner-in-life, Filip. They grew it to a company with USD100,000 monthly revenue without any venture capital or external investment in four years, with just the two of them.
They started building because they wanted to create a sustainable lifestyle business for their growing family. This is very counter-intuitive to what we've been taught in typical Asian upbringing - get a great education, get into a meaty corporate role, climb the ladder, and upgrade your lifestyle.
I am encouraged by how she built in public, harnessed her common sense and marketing skills, and played to her strengths despite not being able to code!
She started with $0. If you followed her journey on the blog, she was bringing in nothing in the first 6 months, hit $5,000 with 11,000 users in October 2021, and grew 500% year-on-year in 2023.
How many of us have the patience to see something grow and iterate for two years? How many of us talk ourselves out of it after six months (if you look at the data provided by Tally, they had zero growth) or worse, dissuade ourselves from the silliness of starting and growing something of our own because we're earning a comfortable income?
Would your salary or mine jump 500% in two years or even more dramatically, 9,900% in four years? Let's ponder that. :)
I'm not advocating a fixed way of life, as the entrepreneurial life is probably not for everyone. We can be very happy and fulfilled working for an organization, and we need people who want to do that!
Perhaps a provocation for all of us, men or women, is to wonder if there are other ways to live and build our wealth apart from what we have been taught?
Could the definition of wealth go beyond what gets accumulated in your bank or packed in the concrete walls of your condominium?
Back to how to navigate the summer heat:
Personal experience: Drink coconut water to cool your body, especially during noon to early afternoon as according to Ayurveda, coconut is sweet and cooling, and can help to pacify the Pitta dosha which is aggravated during summer.*
Embrace the lazy, slow summer side of you. Here’s a collage of my favourite things about lazy slow summer.
Current Obsessions
What I'm eating 🥢 : Rediscovering miso for simple, nourishing meals.
What I'm reading 🔖 : "Welcome to the Hyundam-Dong Bookshop" .
What I'm writing ✍🏼 : A fantasy romance novella under a pseudonym 🙂 and the poem I mentioned earlier in the letter.
The Return to Gaia
Before I sign off, I'm curious: What's your go-to method for overcoming your fears around nature - be it waters, heights, creepy crawlies? If you have a kid, is nature an aspect you’re incorporating into their learning?
Drop me a line. Your sharing might be featured in the next letter (with your permission, of course). And if you know someone who might enjoy these musings on wellness, nature, and luxury why not forward this their way?
Staying curious (and trying to stay cool),
Siying
P.S. If you've read this far, thank you. Your attention is the most luxurious gift in this noisy world. See you in the next letter!
Whenever you're ready & open, there are a few more ways that I could support you more deeply:
Sources and Additional Information on Coconut Water in Ayurveda
1. Cooling Properties in Ayurveda:
Coconut water is considered to have cooling properties that help pacify the Pitta dosha, which is often aggravated during summer. Its sweet and cooling nature makes it an ideal drink to cool the body, especially during noon to early afternoon when heat is most intense.
Source: Ayurvedic principles on coconut water's cooling effects
2. Electrolyte Balance and Hydration:
Rich in electrolytes and minerals, coconut water helps rehydrate and cool the body, making it effective for preventing and treating heat-related conditions.
3. Natural Alternative:
Ayurveda recommends coconut water as a natural and healthy alternative to sugary drinks for staying hydrated and beating the heat.
4. Bioactive Enzymes:
Coconut water contains beneficial enzymes like acid phosphatase, catalase, dehydrogenase, diastase, peroxidase, and RNA-polymerases.
Important Considerations:
- Allergies: Those with coconut allergies should avoid coconut water.
- Kidney Issues: People with kidney problems or on potassium-restricted diets should consume in moderation due to high potassium content.
- Blood Pressure: Consult healthcare provider if on blood pressure medication, as coconut water can lower blood pressure.
- Diabetes: Monitor intake due to natural sugar content.
Note: While coconut water is generally beneficial in Ayurveda for cooling and hydration, individual health conditions should be considered. Always consult with a healthcare professional for personalized advice.
