Medicine Forest

15/02/2026

There's nothing better than harvest season!
Medicine for the body, mind and soul.
🍎🫑🍅🫛🌶️🍏🥬🍒🍓🍆🫒🌿

The taste, smell and colours of freshly picked gems like tomatoes and herbs are a feast for the senses. Enjoying fresh fruit and veggies straight from the garden or local seasonal produce from community gardens and local farmers is not only healthy and delicious, it supports the local economy, farmers and community and is good for the environment as well by reducing the need to transport food long distances, becoming less reliant on conventional farming and monoculture, while nurturing the soil and reducing pollution of the air, land and water through organic gardening, permaculture and evolutionary eco farming practices.

Deliciouness 🙏🏼❤️😋

11/01/2026

Is there a Food Pyramid or dietary eating plan that is suitable for everyone? The answer is No.

Food Pyramids are based on general eating recommendations aimed at the general population, without taking into account specific dietary requirements or medical conditions.
For people with specific needs, preferences, medical conditions or dietary requirements such as for athletes, it is best to see a Naturopath or Clinical Nutritionist for specific dietary recommendations that suit your individual requirements, so that you can obtain the energy and nourishment you need to feel great and live your best life to your full potential.

The Food Pyramid below is an example of a template that can be modified to suit your individual requirements, for example if you don't eat red meat or poultry then you can replace it with extra fish, eggs, dairy, nuts and seeds. If you can't eat any animal products including fish, eggs and dairy then you could eat extra nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes to maintain a good protein and mineral intake. If you can't eat grains then you could eat extra nuts, seeds, veggies and herbs to replace the protein, vitamins and minerals found in whole grains. And if you can't eat nuts then you could eat extra seeds, whole grains, root vegetables and legumes for the complex carbs, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids.

The key is to enjoy a wide variety of Nutrient Dense Wholefoods, including plenty of fresh local fruit, veggies and herbs. Take the time to enjoy what you eat, and chew your food well to maintain good nutrient absorption.
If the majority of the food that you eat is nutrient dense wholefoods, then it's okay to treat yourself occasionally. It is what you eat 90% of the time that counts.

Enjoy some fresh local wholefoods today to nourish your body, mind and soul!

🙏🏼 ❤️ 😋

13/12/2025

World Meditation Day free group meditation session via Zoom. 11am -12pm Sunday 21st of December. 🙏🏽 ❤️ 🕊️

Sunday 21st of December is World Meditation Day! World Meditation Day is a great time to cultivate inner peace and to share this inner peace...

08/12/2025

Dharma Service & Cooking with Metta! 🫛❤️🔥
Cooking for people at a meditation retreat is not only about filling bellies, it's also about nourishing the body, mind and soul, and providing everything that is needed with love, compassion and understanding, so that everyone sitting can have a rest from daily tasks, maintain noble silence without distraction and stay focused on meditation. The most important ingredient is metta (loving kindness, benevolence and goodwill).

🫛❤️🔥🍄‍🟫🌽🥬🥕🥦🕊️

17/11/2025

After having the pleasure of teaching Tai Chi, Qigong and Meditation for over 20 years and seeing the benefits that so many people have received, it's time to make these practices more available, so that more people can experience the benefits.

The Sapphire Tai Chi demo films can be accessed for free on the Sapphire Zen Academy YouTube channel ().

The films on there at the moment were made as demos films a few years ago and don't have any vocal instructions, some people find it easier to follow the exercises by watching and some people prefer having vocal instructions guiding through the exercises. Have a go and let me know what you find easier to follow. New Qigong and Meditation instructional films on the way.

Enjoy!

With peace and love,

Steve 🙏🏼 ❤️ ☯️

https://www.youtube.com/

12/11/2025

11/11/2025

When I moved to the mountains to live in the forest, people kept telling me that I would need this and that, solar power and all kinds of unnecessary gadgets. But the more I realise I don't need any of those things the more satisfied I am with life and the better life becomes.

City life is overrated, people think they need all kinds of things that they don't actually need, but those things don't seem to make them any happier, it just makes them desire more unnecessary things and they never feel satisfied with what they have. Why would anyone move to the forest and try to reproduce city life as if it is something desirable, when you can become free, when you can become liberated from attachment to things that you don't need. The more I realise I don't need any of those things the more content I become. There's an unnatural instinct to gather all kinds of unnecessary things, but it feels so much better to let go of attachment to unnecessary things. The less I need the more I have, because when you don't need unnecessary things then you have everything you need. People act like I'm going without, but it is them that are not satisfied with what they have, even though they have all kinds of unnecessary things. You don't actually need anything besides sticks and stones, fire, earth, air and water. Nature provides everything that is needed.

People often ask me if I have built (a house) yet, as if placing brick walls between myself and nature or living between four walls like life in a zoo would be some kind of progress. I would see that as a step backwards when the dream has always been to live a sustainable life in nature. Oneness with nature is the journey and the destination.

The body, mind and nervous system feel so much better when living a natural life, cooking on a camp fire, collecting water from the river, eating fresh food from the garden, foraging medicine from the forest and living by the sun, the moon and the stars. Food tastes better, sleep is more restful and the senses come back to life when they are not overstimulated by artificial light and unnecessary gadgets. The less I rely on artificial things like electricity and town water the better I feel. The air is fresh, clean and crisp and rainwater is pure and sweet. Food tastes so much better and is much more nourishing when harvested fresh from the land where you live. Real medicine comes from the earth. Nature provides everything that is needed. The light shines from within. Living this life and loving it.

🙏🏽❤️🔥🌽🥬🍄‍🟫🍑✨🕊️

04/11/2025

Please note this event coming up on 11 th November!!

19/10/2025

27/11/2024

Camp kitchen made from pallets and other recycled / repurposed materials including floor boards for cladding. Still a work in progress but almost complete.

18/10/2024