My Favorite Beauty Blast

www.soulfulspoon.com

Getting ready for my Wake Up From Winter Spring Cleanse, people ask me for easy-to-make recipes. You can prepare greens ahead of time; pop it in the blender; and drink it up. Some people freeze their greens, yet I prefer not to. They will keep in the fridge for a number of days.

One of my favorites in the Spring is what I call:

Beauty Blast Smoothie adapted from Adina Niemerov's, Super Cleanse.

3 c baby spinach, kale or other dark leafy greens

2 c water or nut milk of your choice (depending on caloric needs)

1 medium apple, cored and quartered

1/2 c berries (blueberry, acai or others-fresh or frozen)

1 t flax oil

1 opened capsule of each Vitamin E, D and MSM (methylsulfonylmethane)

1 t Spirulina or green powder

1 t bee pollen

Dash of Himalayan salt

 

The most challenging part is gathering your ingredients. Once you have them, it's easy. 
Blend the greens with the liquid. Add the rest of the ingredients, blend and drink. It will keep in the fridge for a day or 2.

This smoothie is great for your healthy skin and general wellness. Drink up and share your favorite cleanse recipes and helpful hints below.
#cleanse #healthyskin

DIY Cleansers that Work2

I know, people ask me why I write about things like "Do It Yourself" cleaning products, food preparation, cleansing, gardening, etc. Well, bottom line is I want to share all I know about taking care of your body, your mind your spirit, your home, your family and the planet.

I love finding new ideas and tweaking them so that they do the work I want them to. Have you ever taken a look at the labels on your household cleansers? It hard to recognize most of the ingredients. Now some of the ingredients you may know, but since they are using the scientific name, you may not recognize it. I have and I have a Master's Degree in Science and I have trouble knowing what many of the ingredients are.

It's just as important to pay attention to what goes into our bodies as to what we put on it and the chemicals we inhale.

Many naturally occurring substances can be harmful in large quantities, if exposed to the skin or if swallowed. Just because something says "natural" does not make it safe. Some of you may not have time to investigate or test things out. I'm happy to do that for you. 

I am presenting about DIY natural cleansers that work on February 26, at 6:30 pm at REAL Foods in SugarHouse, SLC, UT. It's free to attend and $7 if you'd like to take home the products that we make. (That mostly covers the cost of the containers.) 

Below I have my favorite granite and marble cleaner. I used to pay $10 for a 12 oz. spray bottle of cleanser. Now it barely costs anything to clean and disinfect my countertops!

You need to know that VINEGAR and LEMON JUICE (both acids) will corrode and breakdown your natural stone. DO NOT use them on your counter's.

GRANITE CLEANER

1/4 c alcohol (rubbing or cheap vodka)

10 drops essential oil of your choice (for smell)

3-5 drops of liquid Castile soap

Place all ingredients in 16 oz spray bottle. Fill the rest of the bottle with water. Shake and spray.

Enjoy and let me know how it works! #DIYNaturalCleansers

What does it mean to eat Clean?

 What does it mean to eat clean? 
There's a lot of talk these days about "eating clean." 6 different things come to mind (This is not an all-inclusive list) that we can consider when choosing our food:

1. Where and how is the food handled?
How far away did the food travel from? How was it caught or grown?

2. Was the food prepared with love?
Happy cook = Happy food

3. Is it food that supports my needs (nutrients, allergies, etc.)?
Is my body cannot digest milk, it is not good for me. If your body can digest milk, then you want to choose milk from cows that have been treated well, without the use of hormones and drugs.

4. How processed is the food? 
Potatoes contain more nutrients than potato chips. Remember though that not all processing is bad.

5. Does it have additives? Hormones, GMOs, artificial sweeteners, colors or flavors, preservatives.

6. Is the packaging safe and environmentally friendly? Is it stored in a plastic that seeps into the food?

What are cleaner foods we can eat?
Fresh, local and in season fruits and vegetables
Nuts, seeds, beans, cold-pressed organic oils
Unrefined grains, 
wild-caught fish, hormone-free dairy and meats

Why is eating clean important? There is a lot of controversy over what we should and should eat. Most of the research supports eating as close to nature as possible with lots of vegetables, some fruit and grain, and healthy protein and fat.

If you've been eating a lot of processed food as well as putting toxic things (think cleansers, air pollution, drugs, items used on your skin) into, around, and on your body, maybe it's time to do a whole foods cleanse. I will be leading one for the month of March. Register Here.
What are some of the benefits of regular cleansing with whole foods? Sleep better, feel better, brighter, clearer skin, lose weight, think more clearly and so much more.

What makes mine a bit different from some of the others? You have access to me through email, you'll receive daily tips and encouragement, lots of yummy recipes, a self-care and how to cleanse guide, an accountability buddy and more.
I'd love to hear about your experiences with eating clean and/or cleansing.

Seeing is Believing: the Teacher-Student Relationship

Last night I was gazing at the beautiful moon and I thought of one of my students. She's been a student of yoga for quite a while-think years. Through our Desire Mapping work, she chose the word luminous, and she is amazingly luminous and beautiful. Now I can't  look at the moon without thinking of her. 

I love and appreciate the trust that people give me in my teaching. I take that very seriously. Patanjali tells us in the very first Yoga Sutra-1.1 अथ योगनुससनुं atha yoganusasanum that when we begin the study of yoga, both teacher and student commit to the practice, the teachings and to each other. It is a sacred vow that both are to honor.

Through this commitment I get to experience the change my students' have over time and they get to experience my growth and learning as well. Some of them stay for a short bit and some stay for a very long time. The teachings must resonate with us. We build trust and faith and over time, our kavaca, (pronounced-ka va cha), our protective shield starts to lift and our true selves are revealed--teacher to student and student to teacher.

#truthbomb

I pulled this card out of my truthbomb deck about a week after my first Desire Mapping workshop. How appropriate, "I see you." I realized that the work I have been doing my whole life is about learning and teaching people about uncovering their true selves. Even all of my years as a school teacher, it was more about helping young people connect with who they were more than learning the facts about wellness or science.

The point of this post is to say thank you for those students who have been or are along for the ride willing to lift the veil between human beings as well as to share that I don't always love what I find when I go digging for truth. It doesn't always feel good, and it's not usually easy. 

The same holds true in working with others. 
Some people run away at the first peak behind their protective shield (kavaca) and some stick around for the real work. Thank you to those of you who stick around for the heavy lifting, the deep excavations, the intense stuff. The miracle is that once you peel a few layers away and shed a few tears, there're often times joy, peace and a new sense of self-love. 

A dear friend who was pivotal in my growth through my early 20's and 30's told me that I had to trust and feel the bad stuff so that I could one day feel the joy as well. I didn't believe her right off. I am grateful that over time, I remembered her words and was surrounded by people to guide me through many of those layers. By the way-it isn't always painful; I've done some work that was quite humorous and uplifting as well.

So if you're looking to "to attain what was previously unattainable," according to one of TKV Desikachar's definitions of yoga, then I want to work with you. If you want to make some lifestyle changes, connect with your deepest desires and live the life you've always dreamed of, I want to work with you. I am so enjoying the magnificence I see when I truly get to see people. Have a great day! 
I'd love to hear your thoughts about change, seeing people, the masks we hide behind...

#truthbombs #desiremapping #Patanjali