I found a pen in my office the other day, and on it read this: “I’M THIRD God is first, Others second and I’m third”
I am not sure where it came from, who left it, or why it was on my desk. Rarely do slogans on pens get me thinking so much, but this one certainly did.…
Every year, I dread Christmas. Part of it is due to my procrastination tendencies. It always sneaks up on me, and I find myself trying to plan my gift-giving at the last minute. I like to find gifts that have meaning attached, but every year, I can’t seem to recall all those brilliant gift ideas I didn’t write down throughout the year.
The consumerism of Christmas drives me bonkers, too, which I’ve mostly managed to escape without cable and newspaper subscriptions. Regardless, I’ve certainly felt the pressure of dropping lots of dough because ‘tis the season of “giving,” because we’re “supposed to,” because I don’t want to look like a cheap skate in comparison. Those feelings really put a dreary damper on the holiday spirit. And isn’t this supposed to be a religious holiday? Santa’s got Jesus beat, hands down.
Needless to say, finding the perfect gift for every person on my list in a short amount of time that doesn’t break the bank makes my holiday season quite the stress fest.
Last year I decided to do something different, ditch my cycle of stress, forget about getting it “perfect,” and instead, prowl the thrift stores for great books and …
There is no better time than now to give thanks to the beautiful elder (Sambucus nigra).
All parts of the elder can be used in different ways although most tend to use the berries and flowers. The flowers are amazing in teas as this can have a slightly sedative effect and opens the pores to reduce heat which can be comforting to those who have dry irritable skin. The flower is also beneficial for colds, flu and inflammation in the lungs. The berries are very similar to the flowers, but they also build the blood and can be used for anemia. The berries are also useful for sore throats and nasal congestion.
Because elder is both stimulating and sedative it is said to have a normalizing action. Because it has this normalizing action it can be helpful for most conditions that are hot or cold, dry or damp. Mathew Woods writes, “Elder opens all tubes of the body (skin, lungs, colon, kidneys, blood vessels), improving oxygenation, blood flow, perspiration and elimination by colon and kidneys.
Elder is a wonderful herb to use with children. As a relaxant, it calms the spasmodic cough, and can be helpful with croup or intestinal …
Our individual healing journeys are never like anyone else’s. They’re not part of the typical life plan – things like go to college, get married, have kids. Our journeys are a venture into uncharted territory.
And it can be intense at times. On my own path, I often try to make sense of it all. Sometimes it seems like there’s no progress, and I question whether I’m doing it “right.” But there’s no textbook to healing and feeling and growing through things, so I have to simply trust that if I’m doing anything at all, then that is what’s right.
For me, it seems that wounds open at a continual pace that I have no control over. I imagine these places as wooden boxes tucked deep inside my core. Each box contains a memory, event, relationship or some form of pain that needs my attention and love. So I open that box, shake out its contents, and figure out how to sort through and deal with its reality. Sometimes I laugh. Sometimes I cry…and cry…and cry. I do the work I feel is best for this box and just when I think I’m ready to make peace with it, return …
“The five elements in our foods nurture the five elements in our bodies. Put differently, the elements that nourish us are the same elements that are within us. When we recognize this integral connection – that we are sustained by the five elements of nature – we understand that each bite of food is a blessing from Mother Nature. This realization is the beginning of sadhana.”
– Maya Tiwari, The Path of Practice
Sadhana: a Sanskrit word whose root, sadh, means to reclaim that which is divine in us. Sadhana practices encompass all of our daily activities, working to reconnect the simple things we do daily with that which is divine in us: our power to heal, serve, rejoice, and uplift the spirit. Sadhana practice works to connect internal awareness to external rhythms and ultimately to our own inner wisdom.
One Sadhana practice that I have recently learned and been experimenting with is that of bringing consciousness to my cooking. Instead of rushing through the act of chopping vegetables, I am working to slow down and enter into the process – mindfully feeling, smelling, and being present to the experience. This, in and of itself, is healing. However, …
“People’ll tell you where they’ve gone
They’ll tell you where to go
But till you get there yourself you’ll never really know
Where some have found their paradise
Others just come to harm” – from the song Amelia by Joni Mitchell
I hit rock bottom while pursuing natural health treatments. I was in deep denial of my disordered eating, and I had unknowingly reached chronic stress fatigue. Unfortunately, what was recommended for me was an even more restrictive diet, a pile of supplements, and a detox that eventually sent me over the edge. I know now that what I really needed was nourishment, not more restriction.
Thankfully, through the doom and fog, I had enough clarity to flee back to my family doctor. She helped me to get my head above water again. After several months I regained my footing, but I was still suffering deeply. A friend recommended a naturopath to me. It is shocking to me, after all that had happened that I would even consider giving an alternative approach another try, but I was desperate. This naturopath came highly recommended. I made the appointment, and so began my healing journey.
On one hand, alternative treatments ushered …
It had been 90 minutes since my neighbor shared her criticism about the way I choose to live, when suddenly it clicked. This squabble would have been the perfect opportunity to practice bringing myself back into center after the intimidating situation sent my body swirling into a frenzy of fight, flight or freeze mode.
Earlier, I’d spent the day in self-awareness mode with the Life 2.0 program, where I experienced “The Grab,” a practice that emerged from Aikido and, more specifically, Richard Strozzi Heckler’s Strozzi Institute.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this exercise named with a word that carries a generally negative connotation. Michael Jackson was all that came to mind. But it turned out to be pretty innocent. I was to spend a moment centering myself, speak my commitment statement, then wait for my partner to touch my shoulder while saying “Kara.” After “the grab,” I was to re-center and again speak my commitment statement.
Simple. But I was in awe at what I discovered with my reaction. …
Mine is longer than yours…or is it?
Now that I have your attention, hopefully I can keep it. The average American’s attention span is down to eight seconds. This is one second less than that of a goldfish (nine seconds). “Attention span is the amount of concentrated time one can spend on a task without becoming distracted. Most educators and psychologists agree that the ability to focus attention on a task is crucial for the achievement of one’s goals.” (Wikipedia)
I believe how we do anything is how we do everything.
If in these quick, small doses we do not stay focused, then how are we to guide ourselves into the larger tasks we would like to accomplish in life. The key is to tune in and stay there. Notice the mind wandering. How long did it take? Where is it going off to? Can you come back to the focus at hand? The more we practice this then the longer our attention span can become. Just like working out the body comes with consistency, follow through and increase in intensity, so it is with our mind.
Try setting an intention of attention, and see what comes of it. Here …
I found an old can of paint in the basement of our house leftover from the previous owners. The Alger Heights hardware store tinted the paint key lime pie green for $3. With two gallons of paint and a six-pack of beer, my friend Chad and I tackled the white office walls.
The whole suite resembled an abandoned 1970s dentist office. It was what I could afford, close to my house, and I negotiated for a gentle and gradual increase in rent for the first six months. I decorated almost the entire office with furniture from Goodwill and a desk found at a garage sale for $25. It wasn’t much, but it was my not much.
While school had prepared me to sit with clients and offer nutritional, herbal and lifestyle suggestions, we never got a course on running a business, LLCs or trying to decorate a suite in desperate need of updating. My wife and I were about to have our second child, and no time really seemed right to get this business started. I was gambling. I was betting on me.
The moment I was introduced to naturopathic medicine, I fell in love with it. From herbs to …
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a luxury as “something that is expensive and not necessary” and “an indulgence in something that provides pleasure, satisfaction, or ease”. The word indulgence is defined as “the act of doing something that you enjoy but that is usually thought of as wrong”.
These definitions carry connotations of guilt, negativity, judgment and stigma. Yet these are two words repeatedly associated with and used to describe massage therapy. How many times have you said or heard someone say these phrases?
“It’s just a luxury.”
“It’s my birthday, so I thought I’d splurge.”
“I got a promotion, so I wanted to treat myself.”
“I need to do A, B, and C. If I get those done, THEN I can…”
I am here to break it to you; receiving a massage is not equal to giving a puppy a treat when he sits.
It is much greater than that. Can it be purely a relaxing experience? Absolutely. Can we book a massage with the intention of rewarding ourselves after achieving a milestone? Of course. However, assigning such words as those listed above set a certain tone and creates a certain stigma devalues the importance of self-care …
