Balance Amidst Chaos

The past week has been rather challenging. At the end of last week I found myself feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and sick. As I let my thoughts start to spiral into a negative twist I became more and more distressed. My ego was having a hard time admitting that I was indeed crashing from stress burnout. 

My thoughts kept screaming "how can you role model health if you are doing exactly what you encourage other's not to do?" Then the harsh self criticism of "You know you need to take a break, you slipped a week on cardio-no excuse for being busy with work, you haven't kept a strict anti-inflammatory diet, you haven't paced yourself" really started taking over. So I let them. I let my thoughts just come and go, realizing my emotions in response to them. I let my mind and body process my situation so that I could get to the other side of them.

My day job seems to increase in chaos daily with no relief in sight anytime in the near future. I am working hard to build a health coaching business, and maintain my beloved yoga business. Working one full time job is stressful, let alone trying to juggle building two other business into one holistic approach on top of a high stress job. Let's add seasonal allergies at high point and significant family events (all of which are happy events, but non the less stress inducing). So no wonder I found myself becoming run down. I am human, I do have limits. I am the example of why it is so important to take care of yourself. I need to start with me before I can bring it to others. So I did.

With the encouragement of my husband, I took a sick day from all that I do and napped. Napped! Glorious, wonderful, restorative sleep. It was indeed helpful. Exactly what my body was telling me I needed. 

As I was starting to feel I had a grip on caring for myself, our cars were broken in to. Right here in our yard, just feet from where we were sleeping. I could feel my body having a reaction. I shared what happened on social media, resulting in compassionate responses from my friends. However, I did notice the generalized anger towards the thief. I was feeling the full range of normal reactions ie: anger, fear, anxiety, etc. I felt my body going back into the awful space it had been in over the past days. I realized anger and fear did NOT serve my body well. I needed to change my thoughts so that I could also change how my body was feeling. Then it struck me-"use your yoga training." 

I thought about compassion, how that when I feel a sense of compassion, it dissipates negative feelings. I tried thinking about the thief in a compassionate way. But that didn't work very well. So, I expanded on that and thought about all those connected to the thief, not just me/the victims, but those directly connected to him/her. This person must have or had parents, perhaps siblings, friends, intimate partners, co-workers at some point, etc. There must have been somebody along the path of this person who tried to help steer the sinking ship ashore. There has to be somebody, somewhere in that person's life who is hurt, who is suffering from the disconnect of this person. While the victims of this thief are suffering, so are others in response to this chosen path. We are not alone in our suffering. We may come to the suffering in different ways but we are all one in the hurt, regardless of how we got there. My hurt was no more or no less than the disconnected. I felt my anger ease, I felt my fear fade, I began to feel safe. 

Safety comes from knowing that I have control over my thoughts, my feelings, my responses. While I might not be able to prevent horrible things from happening, I surely can take charge of myself and not let the actions of another run my life.

Nutrition, sleep, and activity level all play a very important role in our health. For me, my yoga practice is essential in remaining grounded, balanced, and well.

Below is a meditation on love and compassion. It is called Interconnectedness and has been a favorite of mine since learning it in yoga school. You can generalize it to anything, as I did above. Try it out and share what the experience was like for you.

Interconnectedness

Benefits

• Provides an antidote to the feeling that you are separate.
• Helps you feel your life has meaning
• Promotes love and compassion.

When to practice

• Try this mediation if you are feeling alone, overwhelmed and alienated. 

Preparation

• Buy an apple at the market

Practice

1) Sit on a cushion or chair in a quiet space. Bring your apple with you. Watch your breath for a few minutes to calm and settle your mind.

2) Place the apple in front of you on a table. Now visualize the seed from which the apple came. Visualize a farmer planting the seed, carefully fertilizing the ground. clouds come and go and rain moistens the earth. For years the farmer tends the tree, which is also home to birds and insects, until one day it bears fruit. They pack your apple in a crate with others. The farmer drives your apple to a wholesale market. the wholesaler buys your apple and sells it to your shop. Another driver delivers it to the shop. 

3) Visualize the apple tree and all the people and equipment involved in bringing this one apple to you. You can extend this mediation by tracing every aspect of the process, including the people who built the vehicle that delivered your apple. At every given moment you are connected to an infinite number of beings. you can't exist without them. You are enmeshed in a cosmic web of creation.

4) End your mediation by eating the apple. Feel your connection to everyone who made it possible. 

This meditation, and many others can be found in The Meditation Bible by Madonna Gauding.

Namaste 

Lemon Balm Tea with Honey Roasted Blueberries and Lavender Garnish

 Lemon Balm Tea with Honey Roasted Blueberries and Lavender Garnish!

I love Lemon Balm! A few years ago I added lemon balm to my tea garden after learning about the health benefits of this delicious herb. Upon harvesting my first crop and simmering up some tea, I instantly became a fan of this sweet lemony herb. I immediately noticed that I did feel calmer, relaxed, less stressed after sipping a cup of that first batch. 

Over the past couple of years I have experimented with various ways to use lemon balm; cooking, tea, garnishing, my own spice mixture, etc. My favorite treat is an ice cold glass of tea on a hot summer day (although it is pretty good hot on a cold winter day too!). 

Here are a couple of ways I'm enjoying my own grown and steeped Lemon Balm Tea this summer:

It is best to harvest the balm mid morning after the dew has dried.

Bring 2 gallons of water to a boil. Remove pot of water from heat and add 2 cups packed lemon balm. Let steep 20-40 minutes according to desired taste preference. 

Remove leaves and pour into glass container, cover and let come to room temperature then refrigerate. When chilled, enjoy plain or with the below alternatives.

For the Roasted Honey Blueberries I used I cup of Wild Maine Blueberries (in season now) and 1 Tbsp of honey from my friend Deb's local family hive that she gifted me. I drizzled the honey over the berries and baked in 350* oven until bubbly (about 10 minutes) then removed pan and stirred with back of spoon, returned  pan back to oven about 5 minutes longer until jelly like consistency. 

I added 1 Tbsp to a glass of the tea, stirred, and enjoyed. I store the leftover berry sauce in an air tight container in the refrigerator and use as needed.

For the Lavender Garnished Tea I harvested lavender from my garden, trimmed as desired and placed in ice cube tray, added water (but could use tea instead of water), then froze.

 I was inspired to make this Lavender Garnished Tea by my daughter, Jessica, who suggested I make lavender-lemon tea as a way to use up all the lavender I grow. I hope she finds my spin on the idea as delightful I as I do!

There are many health benefits in Lemon Balm, Blueberries, and Lavender. Below are a few links for details on the health benefits of each.

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/lemon-balm

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287710.php

http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/lavender

Please feel free to share your ideas, recipes, and favorite way to use Lemon Balm! Be sure to post a comment!

Oh, Those Edible Flowers!

It is nearing the end of July and my gardens are brightly blooming with flowers, happily swaying in the warm summer breeze. On this perfect Maine summer day, I was reminded of my gardening intention for this season-edible flowers! (It has been many years since I've focused in this area.)

 I was inspired to get back into this practice by a young woman my son loves. After spending a spring afternoon together, painting a palate for garden decor, she inquired about a few of the flowers in the tea garden. I explained that I use Calendula for tea and to infuse in oil for making balms, soaps, etc, but that you could also eat it in a salad. We talked about the different kinds of flowers that you could eat and from that moment I felt that tingle to grow a variety to show her how pretty and healthy an edible flower salad could be. 

                                                                              

After the dew had dried off, I grabbed my basket and harvested Bee Balm, Calendula, Lemon Balm, and Nasturtium. Cleaning off the flowers and removing unwanted parts, I tossed together a beautiful salad.

                                                                             

                                                                                

                                                                          

Recipe:

1 cup of Nasturtium leaves, sliced into ribbons

1 handful Nasturtium flowers

2 large Bee Balm flowers (use petals)

2 small Calendula flowers (use petals)

1 large sprig Lemon Balm, slice leaves into ribbons

* I used Fiore's Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar for dressing.

The Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar  enhances the sweetness of the Lemon Balm, pairing well with the peppery flavor of the Nasturtium. The mild floral undertone of the Calendula and Bee Balm brings the stunning visual and flavors all together!

Nasturtiums are rich in vitamin C,  have strong antibiotic and antimicrobial properties. Fiona McKay noted in her blog "They are naturally antibiotic and the leaves, if eaten one per hour, at the onset of a sore throat, can drastically reduce the severity of the infection."

I would like to thank my source of inspiration for bringing me back to this! I hope this can inspire others to experiment with different types of edible flowers and grow, grow, grow your way into wellness!

Almond Cherry Pudding Pie; a healthly twist on a traditional dessert

Cherries! Oh, those sweet-tart little red stone berries are in season. Our tree has treated us to a bountiful crop this season.

A few weeks ago,  I was having company and wanted to use dessert as an opportunity to work on my health coaching skills. I browsed the internet looking for a healthy alternative to the traditional pudding pie, with hopes of using the berries from our yard once I perfected a recipe that I liked.  My search lead me to different recipes for almond milk chia pudding. I combined two of the ones I thought sounded good and then scouted my yard to see what berries would be a good match with almonds-CHERRIES. (Cherries and almond are a marriage that enhance each other's flavors.) Mine were not ripe at the time so I picked up a couple of bags at the local market.

Once I had a no sugar, no diary, low fat alternative to pudding, I needed a healthier substitution for the crust. ALMONDS. Almonds to enhance the almond milk pudding and flavor of cherries.

I really loved the almond pie shell. In the future, I will experiment with adding cinnamon and almond flour to the recipe. Most of my guests were delighted with the new spin on a traditional dessert, sparking conversation about the ingredients and non-sugar sweetener substitutes. (A health coach's dream come true!)  I had fun making this and it has inspired me to look for other healthy alternative ways to update old traditional treats!

Combine almond milk, honey, vanilla, and chia seeds in a bowl; set aside to thicken/set.

While your pudding is setting place almonds in a food processor and blend to a fine crumble.

 Prepare pie pan with coconut oil.

 Add raw honey to almond crumble, stirring until a dough ball forms, adding extra honey as needed.

 Divide dough according to pan portions. Press dough into pan, shaping as needed. Bake in a preheated 400* oven until pie shell is golden brown. Approximately 10 minutes.

 Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes. Carefully remove pie shell from pan, using a butter knife to loosen edges as needed. Let shells cool completely and prepare other ingredients for assembling the pie.

 Layer cherries and pudding into pie shell. Top with whole cherries, mint, and carob nibs.

 Enjoy!

                                                                             Recipe
Pudding:
1 cup of Almond Milk (I use homemade)
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 cup of Chia Seeds
2 Tbsp Raw Honey

Berries:
2 cups pitted, halved cherries plus whole berries for garnish.

Pie Shell:
1 cup Raw Almonds
1-3 Tbsp Raw Honey

Garnish:
Fresh mint
Cacao Nibs