Losing a battle or losing everything we possessed will bring us moments of sadness. But when those moments pass, we will discover the hidden strength that exists in each of us, a strength that will surprise us and increase our self-respect. —Paulo Coelho
Determination is defined as the ability to continue trying to do something.
Do you have what it takes to push through even the hardest and most unlikely circumstances to succeed? Do you have the will to make things happen despite being faced with struggle? Do you give up because it is challenging?
What if the things that you think limit you could instead inspire you?
It took allowing myself to feel like I lost it all to find my inner determination and strength. And just like this little sunflower, I found my way through the tiniest cracks of hope.
There is nothing better than fresh sheets on the bed. Did you know that fabric softener sheets is one of the most toxic things in your home??
Switching to a natural fabric softener is easy and so much more cost effective. Your clothes and bed sheets will smell amazing and be less staticky and no toxins!
Recipe for natural fabric softener:
1 tsp Witch Hazel or Vodka
Water
30 drops Lavender (or essential oil of choice)
Directions:
Add witch hazel, water, and essential oil into a 2 oz spray bottle and spray linens! You can also use wool dryer balls and either spray the balls, or add essential oils straight from the bottles onto the dryer balls! This helps reduce static clean AND makes your sheets (or clothes) smell amazing and no awful toxins!
Bonus: the lavender will help you relax and drift off to dreamland.
Curious how essential oils can work into your world? Check this gorgeous ebook out. Plus, I offer some amazing mentoring and education along the way.
Did you know that liquid dish soap is another one with a high score on the Think Dirty app. We all use it though, so it might be nice to just make our own!
Fill a large, clean bottle with castile soap and essential oils To use, shake and add 1-2 tbsp to dishwater or a small amount to a natural sponge
So simple, yet again, MASSIVE impact!
Once you start to swap out these super expensive grocery store products with an easy DIY one, you will be shocked at why it took you so long to jump on board!
Not a DIY-er??? Whip out that On Guard concentrate cleaner! It has instructions right on the bottle for how to use it as dish soap!???
Ready to learn more about essential oils? This gorgeous ebook will give you the basics!
Unfortunately, commercial dish detergent is loaded with awful chemicals that coat everything you eat off of. So here is an alternative that you can make right at home and have comfort knowing you aren’t washing your dishes in harmful chemicals!
Recipe for DIY dishwasher tabs:
1 cup baking soda ¼ cup citric acid 1 tbsp On Guard Cleaner Concentrate 5 drops Grapefruit essential oil (or any citrus)
Directions:
Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix together until the mixture is an even consistency.
Place in silicone molds and let sit for 4 hours.
Remove tabs and store them in an airtight container. Use in place of store-bought tablets!
This is a MAJOR impact DIY and a MAJOR money saver!
Are these types of non-toxic swaps important to you? Would you like to know more about the basic uses of essential oils? Check out this gorgeous ebook!
I just spent five glorious days in Florida and spent four of them at the beach! Being a natural redhead offers me a challenge when it comes to my skin and the sun. I am a rare redhead that actually tans–if I use sunscreen and take it slow. I try to take breaks in the shade and not spend hours in the sun on the first day.
I am so thankful to have this simple and affordable DIY spray to sooth the skin. This is safe for kids and adults and the oils in this combo are also great for sleep, anxious feelings, cleaning, aches and pains, and MUCH more. Seriously.
Depending on the size of the glass bottle, you add:
lavender—soothing to the skin
melaleuca—keeps skin germ free
peppermint—provides a natural cool
Top off with water
Spray as needed following time in the sun! You can grab all three of these oils HERE and find my favorite glass bottles in my amazon shop!
You can learn more about the endless other ways to use these three versatile essential oils in this free ebook.
This gardeners hand balm is a traditional balm; it is firm in the jar and will melt into the skin as you rub it in (salves are usually softer in consistency). If you prefer the consistency of a salve vs a balm, you could lower the amount of beeswax in the recipe.
Gardeners hand balm soothes dryness, heals cracks and generally helps tired hands.
If you garden or work outside you know how hard the dirt, sun, sweat, etc can be on your hands. This is a great balm to put on after you get inside. But you’ll find it hard to keep everyone out of the jar because it just feels so good on the skin.
The gardeners hand balm isn’t just for HANDS – elbows, knees, heels; anything that needs a little extra hydration and healing. It can also be good for those with eczema.
These little jars are great for gifts too – just wrap some raffia or a pretty ribbon around it.
Easy Peasy!
GARDENERS HAND BALM RECIPE WITH HEALING LAVENDER
2.5 oz of Beeswax ~Firms the balm and adds a layer of protection to the skin when applied.
2.5 oz of Shea Butter ~Healing, protecting, fights aging and deeply moisturizing to the skin
5.5 oz of Coconut Oil ~Naturally moisturizing with antibacterial and anti-fungal properties
2.5 oz of Sweet Almond Oil ~Filled with Vitamin E, monounsaturated fatty acids, proteins, potassium and zinc
30 – 40 drops of high quality Lavender Essential Oil ~Known to clean and soothe cuts. burns and other skin irritations. The scent is also calming to the mind and body.
GARDENERS HAND BALM RECIPE – DIRECTIONS
Prepare your double boiler
Add your Beeswax to the double boiler and melt completely
Add Shea Butter to the Beeswax and allow it to melt completely
Add in Coconut oil, I stir with a fork that I only use for making balms, lotions, etc
Add in Sweet Almond Oil, stir
Once everything look completely meshed together remove from the heat and allow it to cool for 2 – 3 minutes
Allow it to harden for a few hours – or put it in the refrigerator, like I do, to speed up the process
Your Gardeners Hand Balm is now ready to use. Keep some for yourself and share as gifts. FYI, I often keep a jar in the fridge because I find it extra soothing in the summer heat.
Enjoy! To learn more about the many uses of essential oils, check out this free gorgeous ebook.
Earlier this week I was sitting in the drive up waiting for my coffee and I got to thinking about how much time I spend thinking about the future. Where we are going next, what task is next, what bite of food is next, what class to teach is next, what thing to do is next, what worry is next, what dreadful event is next, what is next?!
Wait.
What if instead I just sat with the sun blinding me, enjoying the song on my radio (Bruce of course), and allowed myself to BE.
I am all for planning and strategizing but sinking in to the moment was awesome.
Lesson of the day? Don’t rush the moment to get to the next thing. Enjoy this thing!
Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom – Marcel Proust
For years I have wanted to share a story about a man who has made a profound impact on my life during the month of March when it is the Brain Injury Awareness month, but have struggled to find the words that capture the essence of him and also be sensitive to never want to exploit his life, or his injury.
Every once in a while if you are lucky, you meet someone who touches your soul in a place that you may have not otherwise even known existed. I had been teaching yoga to people with brain injuries for many years when I met someone who reached something in me that is not easily described. Of course, each of my students who have arrived for yoga have brought something unique and often profound to my life, but one man in particular has really found a place in my heart.
It has been my method while I teach yoga to people with brain injuries to not ever ask how they sustained their injury. It is not that such a huge event in their life does not matter to me, but I do not need to know the details. I do not need to know even what their life was like before the injury. Instead, I prefer to just know them as they are now. I want to know what they like, what they dream of, what bothers them, what they long for, what brings them joy, what hurts and what they love. In time as we work together it is not uncommon for the details of the injury to be revealed, or the life they had prior to the event, but it is not something that I seek out. Just as I rarely seek to learn about someone’s past, because it is now that I want to know and be part of.
Each time I was leaving the long term care center that I frequented weekly to teach adaptive yoga I would often see a man with the most beautiful blue eyes sitting in his chair watching hockey reruns or slowly walking through the corridors, grasping the hand rail, sliding his left leg along the linoleum floor. I would greet him and I would usually get the same response, “hi….yep yep”. Always the same answer. One day I asked him if he wanted to come to yoga and this time, he gave me an adamant, “nope nope”. This exchanged continued for nearly a year. Always “nope, nope”.
Then one day, I got a “yep yep”.
That was the beginning of a friendship and a blending of two people bringing out the best in each other. In time through his amazing family and his own sharing, I learned about his life before his accident and it is my honor to share it here.
My friend Jim was just a young man with his whole life ahead of him. A recent college graduate, a great new career at a bank, and a nice home. This elite athlete who had his eyes on an Ironman, who was a former college hockey captain, and friend to anyone was welcoming in a life that many dream of. Surrounded by an incredible family, life long friends and a passion for being a competitive athlete, the younger Jim was a man full of dreams that he knew he could achieve.
But, in a split second, the life he created was shattered. A training ride on his beloved bicycle changed everything when he was struck by a car. After months and months in the hospital and in rehab, Jim was able to regain some of his skills and returned miraculously to his love of running. With the help of his family and friends, he was able to do some of the things he loved and had some amazing successes through his recovery.
His next hurdle would be the massive seizures that would prove to take away the progress that he had gained physically, and with his language and memory. More work, more struggles and more setbacks.
When I met Jim he had recently suffered a massive seizure that caused major damage to his brain. His language was stuck on a constant loop of repeating the same phrases over and over, or he would have outbursts that were either bouts of laughter that was uncontrollable, or fits of rage. Physically, he was struggling to walk and use his left arm. Cognitively it was hard to say what he was able to retain since his ability to communicate easily was greatly impacted.
When a portion of your brain is removed and the misfiring neurotransmitters from repetitive seizures, it is a miracle to witness all that he is able to do. He may not remember what he had for breakfast, or what year it is, but he can tell you the details of his favorite hockey team, the names of his beloved college buddies, or the exact model of hockey skates he prefers. He will laugh at your jokes and even crack a few himself.
It is hard to capture the resiliency of his spirit. The best way I can describe it is despite all of the struggles and all the loss he has endured, his spirit is as loving, as devoted, as connected, and as grateful as it ever was. His smile can light up a room and the second you remind him that he is a champion, he beams and tries even harder. His confidence in himself marvels me.
I have never once heard him complain about his life. Never once. Instead, he is a light. He bears goodness on anyone in his presence. He brings out the best in me, I know that. He has become my version of the charming gardener who brings out happiness and blossoms in me.
Jim’s life was on the path much like yours and mine. In an instant it was all gone. And yet, he is the kindest, most humble man, who always shakes my hand to thank me and say goodbye as he looks me in the eye. He could have given up. He could have become bitter and resentful. Instead, he is pure grace and pure light.
One day while I was on the floor at his feet working his very stiff ankle, he whispered something to me. I couldn’t hear him so I asked him to repeat it. He quietly said, “I forgive her”. When I asked him who he was talking about, he said, “the girl who hit me with her car”.
Can you find that kind of grace and forgiveness? Can you live your life without a complaint? Can you be resilient to the tragedy and loss of your own life? Take a lesson from my friend Jim. He knows the way.
When I took a course with Brene Brown in 2016 I learned the power of a personal manifesto and have fallen back on the beautiful creation that I wrote during the class many times since then.
Manifesto
I recently returned to the manifesto through the lens of my business and how I want to show up in the world, and who I want to surround myself with.
Being self employed is hard and it requires diligence that cannot be explained unless you know first hand the ups and downs. By linking arms with people who share an equal vision for humanity, for compassion, for striving to be the best human possible, I know that I am living in alignment with my deepest truths.
I would love to share visions with you—whether that is through yoga, wellness, business mentoring, or just giving goodness. If you’re looking for a passionate way to make a difference, let’s talk.
Svadhyaya asks you to suspend looking outside for perceptions of yourself, and instead, look at your inner life–your beliefs, your priorities, and your actions.-Suzan Colon
The term svadhyaya literally means ‘one’s own reading’ or ‘self study’. It is is the fourth niyama of patnajali’s sutras and has the potential to deepen our yoga way beyond the mat. My favorite translation or definition of this beautiful inner work called Svadhyaya refers to any activity wherein we quietly study ourselves and reflect upon our actions, thoughts, emotions, motivations, aspirations, desires and needs in pursuit of a deeper experience of our lives and our own selves.
The physical aspects to the yoga practice offers the perfect opportunity to explore svadhyaya.
To create each posture you must move and place the various parts of your body into a shape on a rectangle. You could do this without any real engagement or awareness, carelessly going through the motions while your mind is a million miles away, or you could work towards staying present with each and every moment as it arises. You could notice how the body responds to being aligned a certain way, observe physical sensations, watch how your mind reacts to what you’re doing with your body, experience any emotions that show up, and listen to the ebb and flow of your breath.
Often when we’re practicing yoga on the mat discomfort—or sometimes pain—becomes evident.
If we slow down, apply this form of self awareness, or svadhyaya, and truly contemplate what’s happening in our bodies and minds, pain becomes an important teacher. We can examine the subtleties of pain and begin to understand the difference between “bad pain” that is harmful and injurious to our bodies; and “good pain,” mild or moderate discomfort that we can stay with, breathe into and observe as it shifts and changes.
Since my first hip surgery in 2016, I have greatly avoided the physical practice and therefore, avoided this kind of deeper self-inquiry. Sure, I did some chair yoga as I taught my classes and I would occasionally unroll my mat but honestly it was more as a way to simply say that I am practicing. Truth is I wasn’t practicing at all. Or at least very often.
I might find myself being a tad more consistent and then another injury and another surgery would put me back in the same resistance and emptiness of anything closely resembling a physical yoga practice.
With great honesty I can say that as time has gone on I have made up a million excuses as to why I was not practicing a physical yoga. Some of the excuses were legitimate and some of them were downright falsehoods.
I missed my time on the mat a lot, but I still resisting it until recently when I began to choose time on the yoga mat. Rather than spend too much time in the morning reading and journaling (and avoiding the mat), I have since shortened that sitting time to spend more of my so-called ‘spirit time’ with myself on the mat. This inner work has been transformative to me in just a few weeks.
I began to feel like I had come home after years of being away. I felt like the dear old friend has returned and without any judgment she has welcomed me into the sanctuary of pure love and acceptance.
This morning as I was paying attention to the sensations within my body (while also fighting the grumblings of any ego based thoughts entering my mind about what my body used to be able to do or feel…more self-study), I realized this magnificent practice of self study is a gift that opens the doors to so many other deep discoveries. I found the voice speaking softly to me while practicing the way any dear old friend would speak; encouraging, kind, compassionate, loving. This beautiful friend reminded my body of all that it has endured and welcomed her back to feel and soak in the sensations as perfect and whole.
I don’t know about you, but as much as I love all the good smells of some face washes some of the ingredients can cause a break out or irritation to my face. Instead of dealing with that, I make this super affordable and clean foaming face wash. It’s amazing.
I remember about 18 years ago I stumbled into a gemstone store and was drawn to have my first of many little goodies. I chose a carnelian—a gemstone that I still love and now have many of them.
People tell me when they come into my house, it feels so peaceful. I believe having crystals and gemstones around have so much to do with that. They have become powerful tools in my life. I have them lining my windows, on my body, in my car, used during meditation and I add them to essential oil blends. When I choose one to work with, I set the intention of what I am needing or wanting to achieve (a state or peace, cleansing, energy etc). And I let it do the work.
Buying Crystals
When choosing a crystal either go to a local metaphysical shop or browse a crystal website online. Scan the shop (or the page) and see what catches your eye. What crystal stands out to you? Which one are you drawn to? Then, read the meaning and properties of that crystal. Nine times out of 10 you will find that the meaning of that crystal correlates to your life in some way, shape, or form. And at this time, that is the crystal for you!
The reason that crystals are so effective in energy work, is the same reason that cleansing them is essential—crystals pick up energy. Cleansing your crystals resets their energy, so that every time you work with them, you are starting from an energetically clean slate. If you never clean your crystals, they will continue to store energy they’ve picked up from their environment or people they’ve come into contact with. Think of it like this: A towel can wipe a mess clean, but if you never wash the towel, it will begin to add to the mess. Crystals are similar.
There are a few different ways that you can set about purifying the energy of your crystals:
Moonlight: Let your crystals bathe outside in light of full moon (or sun) for at least 4 hours.
Pair Your Crystal With Selenite or Quartz: Act as a crystal matchmaker and pair your crystal with either a selenite or quartz crystal! Both of these crystals have the ability to charge and purify other crystals, without ever losing any of their own energy. Lay your crystal on a piece of quartz or selenite for six hours
Smoke: Not only will burning sage and palo santo clear the energy of your space, they’ll also have your crystals feeling great. Immerse your crystal with the sacred smoke until you feel its energy and vibrancy return.
Return to Nature: We could all use the energetic reset that comes with a return to nature. To give your crystal that revitalizing pleasure, place it on the Earth or in the branches/soil of a healthy houseplant for 24 hours.
