5 for '25: Martha’s Favourite Things for a Year of Comfort, Nourishment, Reflection, Healing, Fulfillment and Self-Care
This is Part 47 of a serial blog originally titled 'Martha Carter's Healing Journey'. Curious about the earlier posts? To start from the beginning, read Part 1.
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I can’t believe we are already in the first week of 2025. It feels like the New Year is moving like a strong river and I am being carried away by its current. No choice but to go with the flow!
To help us all go with the flow, I am sharing with you 5 (plus 1 ‘bonus’) things I am really enjoying right now… and most of them happen to be made here in Canada!
1. Hornby Island teas - with individual teapot
There is nothing quite like a comforting cup of tea at exactly the right moment of the day when you can take a minute to yourself. Currently, my favourite tea is made by Hornby Island Tea Company, very close to where I live. Created by my good friend Desiree, I appreciate how she keeps expanding her offerings, this year adding a Chinese Medicine line, but also some super cute single-serve glass tea pots. Who knew how badly my kitchen needed one of these!? I absolutely love it and use it all the time.
You can find her teas in various stores around BC, but the easiest way to get her delicious tea (and a teapot) is to order on her website at: https://www.hornbyislandtea.com/
2. Mushroom Coffee
When someone first suggested I try ‘mushroom coffee’, the idea made my face scrunch up with distaste. Mushroom soup came to mind, which I don’t hate, but it didn’t seem like something to drink in the morning. As it happens, I started seeing ads for a brand of mushroom beverage called MUD\WTR (mud water) and decided to look at their website. I was disappointed that they required membership, which I wasn’t ready for, but I was able to order some through Amazon without commitment. It cost a bit more, but I thought I better see if I liked it first before ordering a monthly supply.
And I loved it! It’s so convenient as you just add hot water, a bit of sweetener, and the milk of your choice as desired. Its flavour lands somewhere between chai and hot chocolate with an extra twist of cinnamon. It’s been over a year now that I have had it almost every morning, and when I don’t, I miss it, as I feel nourished by it, rather than jittery like I do with too much caffeine. I still enjoy coffee occasionally, but when I do, I mostly drink decaf as I appreciate no longer being addicted to it!
Along the way, as an alternative to this coffee substitute, I also fell in love with something called ‘5 Mushroom Chocolate’ made by Vancouver Island’s Harmonic Arts which is a family-owned plant medicine company devoted to supporting the health of people and the planet. Gotta love that!
This mushroom drink tastes like delicious hot chocolate - just add some hot water, cream of your choice, and stir! I also tried other brands of hot mushroom drinks and there are many to choose from, especially at health food stores. Not only do they taste delicious, but mushroom coffee is also known for several potential health benefits, including stress reduction, improved immune system, reduced inflammation, and better gut health.
I highly recommend you try for yourself!
3. Honey candles
This December felt darker than ever, even though I know that it’s always like this during winter solstice time. It’s expected that the days get increasingly shorter, but it’s still a shock when the sun goes down around 4:30pm! One night driving home, there were no stars or moon. Only overcast skies and driving rainforest rain, and I could hardly wait to get home and go to bed… but it was only 5:30pm!
When I got into the house, I dug in my closet to find some candles and felt much better after I lit them. I had two beeswax pillar candles that I received as gifts last year, and had been using them sparingly to save them. But that night, I lit them, plus about 10 other half-burnt candles as I created a spontaneous altar on my dining table. Let there be light, I thought to myself.
After that night, I needed to replace my candle stash, so I bought some fancy designer tapers, plus I also splurged on some more old school beeswax pillars. When I next ignited my altar, the designer candles only looked pretty for a second before smoking and dripping and smelling strong, as they burned very quickly; meanwhile the beeswax burned slow and steady, glowing a gorgeous golden colour, and smelling like honey—without any dripping. I became obsessed and have been burning them steadily for over a month now. In some ways it feels extra indulgent as my usual stingy approach of wanting nice candles to ‘last’ means that I never really let myself enjoy them regularly. This year marks a change in that habit! Since my first purchases, I have returned to the store several times to keep adding to my beeswax collection so I can keep indulging until light finally returns in the Spring!
And who knew that Beeswax candles are clean-burning and non-toxic? They are all-natural, emit no harmful toxins or pollutants, and they have that yummy natural honey aroma, a long-lasting glow - and they are renewable, dripless, and smokeless.
I encourage you to find a good supplier and indulge! You will not regret it!
Here is a Canadian company who makes a fine product that you can order online: https://www.honeycandles.com/
4. Sea Wench Bodacious Body Oil
Sometime over the past year, my lovely friend Jen gave me this body oil as a gift when she came to visit. Not only is it organic and made locally on Vancouver Island, but it feels divine.
Made from a superior blend of natural cold pressed botanical oils, this product soothes, softens, and restores the skin's flexibility & luminescence. It is rich in linoleic acids, vitamins, and antioxidants and is safe for intimate and romantic moments too! Yeah!
To me it smells refreshing and calming and sexy all at once. It feels great on dry arms and legs, but is also wonderful for massage of all kinds. Jen likes to put some in her bath for an overall soak, and I have used it in my hair when it gets frizzy. I always appreciate an excuse to have more bodacious body oil moments in my life and I wish that for you too.
You can order it online here: https://www.seawenchnaturals.ca/collections
5. A book: Sarah Polley’s ‘Run Towards The Danger’
Yes, she is Canadian and it talks a lot about scoliosis, but this book by actor-director-writer-activist Sarah Polley is a testament to how we can overcome challenges by staying authentic to ourselves.
Reading Sarah’s poignant story about her struggles living with scoliosis as a child actor was already very powerful for me. And for all of us, scoliosis is not the only story or the whole story. The bigger story is how each person handles the challenges that come their way, and how they impact so many other decisions in our lives. And in alignment with the way I see the world, Sarah Polley shows once again that to heal, we have to keep moving. Nothing changes for the better if we sit still. No matter what, we have to keep putting one foot in front of the other while staying curious about the possibilities…
Note to everyone: This is a great, inspiring read that recounts someone (a young Canadian girl!) overcoming many challenges starting at a very young age.
Note to fusioneers: This is a unique story of how a young child actor had to hide her spinal twists, curves and discomfort to keep her job. And then, when she finally decides to undergo a scoliosis surgery, she has very little support, yet it still turns out to be the best route for her to escape other life challenges.
Note to anyone with a concussion or brain injury: Learn about (and be impressed by!) how Sarah overcomes extreme disability by ‘running towards the danger’ to overcome this other difficult disability in her life.
PLUS ONE MORE BONUS:
As most TOPS newsletter readers know, I have built a studio and guesthouse on a gorgeous eight-acre property with ocean and mountain views in Merville, on Vancouver Island.
For 2025, I am very excited to announce OHM Getaway: a new ‘package deal’ for clients who want to enjoy some time away from it all and stay at the beautiful OHM guesthouse while also making the most of our on site studio facilities for whatever appeals—from personal practice, to private bodywork coaching sessions, small group classes, creative residencies—and more.
Give your body, mind and soul time to relax while enjoying the fantastic views from this new beautifully-built space. Explore the local beaches, farmer's markets, forest walks, hot tub and more as either a personal retreat, a romantic escape for two, or bring close friends for a special time away together.
Embrace some personal down time in the spectacular, cozy yurt studio or arrange for a private or small group movement class to suit your needs with one of our specialists.
Stay for a few days to deepen your own practice, and immerse yourself in the peaceful nature.
Nourish yourself in the modern equipped kitchen plus other amenities, including BBQ, washer/dryer, giant windows, heated floors, expansive decks, hot tub, and more.
Conveniently located, the Open Heart Mind Guesthouse is only a 10 minute drive to Courtenay, 15 minutes to the Comox airport, 30 minutes to Mt. Washington, and 1 minute to our favourite beach.
Please contact us for more information or to book a Getaway Package.
Make yourself at OHM!
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It’s always hard to know what to expect from the year ahead, but 2025 feels particularly tenuous to me. Between extreme weather, the omnipotence of AI, the overwhelming and impossible amounts of information to keep up with, not to mention the rapid and tenuous (there’s that word again!) shifts in world politics… I believe the best approach to keeping steady is to increase our focus on self-care and surround ourselves with everything and everyone we love.
I hope my 5 for '25 list surrounds you with some new and comforting additions to your life.
Let me know your favourite, or what else you would add to the list.
Until then, take care and be especially careful walking on slippery surfaces this season!!
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