#21: Lex G.
"Hildegard von Bingen, Corita Kent, and Susan Cianciolo form a kind of Holy Trinity to me."
Lex (@raspberry_oil) is a brilliant baker and devoted home cook. Read her recipe for warm figs in caramel here:
#21: Lex G.
Capricorn/Taurus/Scorpio
Los Angeles, CA
What does health, or being healthy, mean to you?
I think of health as connection to life force energy. When I am in my highest health, I feel deeply attuned to sensorial experience and radiant with vitality. My current conception of health has to do with expanding my capacity: for curiosity, discernment, compassion, resilience, enchantment . . . I have experienced periods of boundless natural energy and bliss — which are totally magical — but I don’t aspire to be sealed into any one static state. I want to experience life with depth and devotion, stay open to surprise, and engage sensitively with this world and realms beyond.
How would you describe your current lifestyle?
Leisurely, potent, joyful, adrift. Beginner’s mind in full effect. Appreciative of profound connection and so much giggling with friends. Humbled by novice pursuits of ballet and calligraphy. Spending my time worshiping peak season produce, experimenting with whole grain baked goods, and immersed in independent study.
Mornings start when I wake up and give my lover a kiss. I’ll drink water and tongue scrape, then put the kettle on. I whisk matcha every morning, adding a splash of maple syrup and/or homemade pistachio milk at the end for sweetness and froth. Then I’ll take a meditative residential walk to admire the local architecture, do a reformer Pilates class at a nearby studio, or sit down on my sheepskin for a Kundalini set. I find Kundalini to be a really luxurious and energizing start to the day. I’ve enjoyed practicing with Harmanjot Kaur, oftentimes working through her material in bite-sized pieces since a single class can stretch past the two hour mark. She brings a dose of cosmic playfulness to her classes that sets a magical tone for whatever the rest of my day has in store.
Winding down for the night starts with leaving my phone to charge in the kitchen. I’m a lifelong devotee of the daily bath, but summer heat has shifted me toward a cool shower before bed. I’ll dry brush my body before I get in, then anoint myself with Everyday Oil when I step out, running any extra oil through the ends of my hair. I try to spend a few minutes detangling my hair and massaging my scalp, where so much tension lives, before combing my hair into a loose braid. Face wash, moisturize, floss, brush teeth. I’ll slip into silk pajamas and put my legs up on the headboard/wall while I read a book on my bed. A small Marimekko cup of water with magnesium usually lulls me to sleep. I fall asleep easily, usually getting 9-10 hours a night. I sometimes wake from dreams laughing, my subconscious mind has a great sense of humor.
Was there a specific moment in life that made you change your approach to health, or become more conscious generally?
I experienced a chapter of life on autopilot around 2016, characterized by dissociation, restriction and vacancy. I felt so trapped by my mindset and circumstances that I turned to different methods of ‘transcendence,’ taking complete leave of my body and spirit in the process. (Don't ask me how many pages of Aliens & Anorexia I’ve dog-eared.) It’s wild how the same lessons came up again and again during this period, but I didn’t feel like I could approach them, or my life, head-on. ‘They should invent a way out that is not through,’ etc. Honesty, self-trust, unlearning conflict avoidance, and finding the courage to take aligned action has deepened the quality of my life beyond measure. These are skills I’m still working to integrate, and in some ways, I’m still learning the same lessons too.
