Mantra Wellness Magazine Volume 23 by THRIVE. ORIGIN + MANTRA Magazines

B enefits of Herbs

The Wisdom of

Powerful Women

T ravel Explore

display until September 26th

Creating a C alm, Relaxed Mind In s id e

Cut-out Quotes Interactive Journal Vision Board Tools

Healing Naturally:

ess e n ti a l o i ls ayurveda herbs + spices inb Ea t the R a

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MA NT RA CO NT EN TS

The 15-minute reflection exercise

page

The wisdom of women

page

The mantra journal part I

page

Dai ly practi ces for a calm, relaxed mi n d

10 Your quick herb guide: the healing benefits of plant medicine 14 Listening to your body: exploring the body-spirit connection 16 Wisdom from Khalil Gibran 18 Life-changing advice and transformative wisdom 20 The storyteller that hides in your muscles, helping your body heal 24 Self-reflection and growth inspo! 26 Savoring life with mindfulness, happiness and gratitude 30 The power of breath to heal chronic pain with 4 simple pain relief meditations for work and home 32 The wisdom of AnaĂŻs Nin 34 Creative ideas for manifesting the perfect mate 36 Our 12-step Ayurveda self-care rituals and learning how to truly listen to your body 38 Aromatic alchemy for well-being, and the 10 essential oils everyone should have

page

Travel. T 40 42 48

The art of slow living in a fast world: inspiration for designing a lighter life Getting clear and taking inventory Getting to know you, interactive journal

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S a v o r i n g L i f e w i t h M i n d f u l n e ss , Mojo & Ecstatic Appreciation Thank you for being a part of our wellness family. This season we are giving back and supporting community leaders, mothers, makers and all those making a difference. Watch our Instagram @mantramagazine every week as we donate to readers who are moving the needle and creating positive change in the world. Single mothers, we see your love, dedication and exhaustion. We’ll be taking care of you as well, with products, spa visits and funds to make life flow a little easier. That’s what a magazine is for, to help start a movement of support, growth and sisterhood. It’s time to catch fire!

Here’s a lil preview this issue Designing a Lighter, Happier Life. We’re celebrating our Mantra Guides this issue, offering tips that help us practice slow living in a fast world. Featuring loads of inspiration for a healthier, happier, more fulfilled mind, body and spirit. Remember to have fun and actually enjoy your delicious life! Purpose. Simplicity. Perspective Our Mantra Manual gives ya tools for creating more positive change in your life. Simple skills, advice and actions for a more intentional, love-filled life. Pick up some tips for working abroad, living a more sustainable, stylish life and practicing yoga anywhere in your life. Getting to Know You Check out our Mantra Journal, offering an interactive experience for more clarity on what deeply fulfills you. Get out your pen, go to town and design the life you want. Reflect, notice, take inventory and create some magic. You are worth celebrating. The Power of Breath Transform your anxiety into a calmer, more relaxed mind. Sleep better. Work with chronic pain, learning to savor and love your life more with the ability to breathe just a little deeper. Our experts are here to walk you through it. A y u r v e d a . Ess e n t i a l O i ls . A r o m a T h e r a p y . Meditation We’re celebrating the art and science of listening to your body, healing naturally with plant medicine and experiencing the power of meditation and herbs. Nature is the ultimate teacher. T h e W i s d o m o f W o m e n i n B u s i n e ss , L i f e and Love Check out our Fem-Founders series of powerhouses building multimillion dollar companies from the ground up, as well as our WOW series of transformative wisdom from our readers who are making a difference every single day in their communities. We are so grateful for you.

Maranda Pleasant Mantra Wellness • ORIGIN. Magazine • THRIVE Magazine • REAL Magazine

Founder / Editor-in-Chief mantra TEAM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Maranda Pleasant Instagram: @marandapleasant CREATIVE DIRECTOR Melody Tarver SENIOR EDITOR Antoine Level COPY EDITOR Colin Legerton

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Ayurveda

Ch a mom i l e Calms anxiety and stress, and may have a positive effect on attention deficit disorder; antibacterial and anti-inflammatory; beneficial for the liver and digestive system; eases skin inflammations, as well as bacterial skin diseases, cuts and abrasions

T u l s i (Holy Basil)

Juniper Relieves indigestion, clears congestion, helps heal wounds and inflammatory diseases

Fennel Promotes a strong immune system and improves metabolism and digestion

Your quick Guide

The Healing Benefits of Plants

Helps bring down fevers, cures colds and sore throats, relieves insect bites and skin infections, helps with kidney stones and cardiovascular disease

Garlic Contains the compound allicin, which fights cancer, reduces LDL cholesterol and lowers blood pressure (in one study, it was just as effective as blood pressure drugs)

Our Must-Have Herbs & Spices:

The Medicine Cabinet In Your Kitchen

Anise Great for digestion, as well as rheumatism, congestion and coughing

T u r m e r i c Best known for its cancer-fighting properties, via the cancer-fighting compound curcumin; reduces inflammation and eases joint pain and arthritis; soothes the digestive system; has potential benefits for those with Alzheimer’s disease and arthritis; contains anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties

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C a y e n n e

Cilantro Contains antioxidants, essential oils, vitamins and fiber that reduce LDL (“bad cholesterol”) levels, regulate heart rate and blood pressure, improve digestion, aid in Alzheimer’s treatment by limiting neuron damage, and protect against heavy metals

Helps relieve allergies, muscle aches and cramps, improves circulation and heart health, helps fight prostate cancer and ulcers

C a r d a mom Clears congestion, relieves nausea and morning sickness, improves bad breath, strengthens digestion and contains the phytochemical cineole, which calms the nervous system; also linked to anti-tumor activity

Basil Powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that fight cancer, premature aging, common skin issues and bacterial infections

G i n g e r Relieves nausea and morning sickness, helps with pain management, has anti-inflammatory properties that may fight colon cancer

L a v e n d e r

Nutmeg

Enhances healing, improves digestion, relieves muscle tension and reduces stress; improves the circulatory, immune and nervous systems; has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and antiseptic abilities

Has detoxifying properties that support the liver and digestion

C i n n a mo n The highest antioxidant values of any spiceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;reduces inflammation, lowers blood sugar, alleviates nausea

Calendula Has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that help heal cuts, scrapes, bruises, insect bites and minor wounds, as well as conjunctivitis and sore or infected gums

D i l l Antibacterial properties that relieve upset stomach, respiratory disorders, menstrual issues and possibly cancer

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The Healing Benefits of Plants Your Quick Guide

A r r o w r oo t : Soothing for digestion, including conditions such as IBS

Black pepper: Proven to protect against high cholesterol, clear the lungs of congestion and stimulate the digestive system Caraway: Contains mild antihistamines and antimicrobial compounds that benefit a wide range of conditions, including gas and bloating, congestion, eye infections, rheumatism, toothaches and candida

the lungs and stimulates circulation

Oregano: Antiviral, antibacterial, anticancer and antibiotic; used to treat cough, fever, congestion and body aches Parsley: Helps control blood cholesterol and protect against cancer; used as an antiseptic for teeth and gums; proven to reduce blood sugar levels; rich in antioxidants

Peppermint: Improves digestion, relieves pain and eases nausea Rosemary: Promotes healthy digestion and good cholesterol levels, stimulates the nervous system, improves memory, relieves muscle pain, eases migraines and headaches, improves circulation, boosts the immune system, eases asthma and allergies Saffron: Shown to be an effective treatment for depression

C l o v e s : Rich in eugenol, proven to fight

Sage: Proven to improve brain function and

environmental toxins and inflammation, as well as colon cancer cells; serves as a mild painkiller and topical anesthetic

memory; in one study, sage extract produced significant improvements in brain function for those with Alzheimer’s

Comfrey: Relieves pain and inflammation,

, St. John s Wort:

Cumin: Digestive benefits; shown to prevent or relieve conditions associated with diabetes Echinacea: Improves immunity, reduces stings and itching when applied topically Eucalyptus: Clears congestion in the lungs and nasal passages, relieves sore muscles and arthritis pain Fenugreek: Best known for its power to improve blood sugar control through promoting insulin function; also soothes gastrointestinal inflammation Ginkgo: Used to treat Alzheimer’s disease because of its benefits for memory and mental clarity; relieves tinnitus, vertigo, diabetes and asthma; combats stress and anxiety; fights allergic reactions Hibiscus: Natural antioxidant proven to lower blood pressure

Horseradish: Clears congestion, fights infection, soothes sore throats and stimulates circulation

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Mustard seed: Clears congestion in

Ch i v e s : Support the digestive and respiratory systems, relieve fatigue, shown to prevent cancer

particularly for those with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis; great topical treatment for burns, abrasions and other skin irritations

Lemon balm: Known for its calming properties, which relieve stress, headaches and indigestion, and promote a good night’s sleep

Acts as an antidepressant in cases of mild depression and anxiety, via the phytochemicals hyperforin and hypericin; also an antiviral that fights the flu

Thyme: A potent antioxidant that relieves gum infections, treats athlete’s foot, helps with cold symptoms, reduces fever and improves sleep Valerian: The most widely recognized herbal sedative, used for insomnia, anxiety and pain relief

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Listening t o y our B o d y E x p l o r i n g t h e B o d y- S p i r i t C o n n e c t i o n

Ann Todhunter Brode, Author of A Guide to Body Wisdom

anntodhunterbrode.com

rom your body’s perspective, connecting to spirit is experienced through your sense of space. Sometimes considered your sixth sense, your sense of space helps you feel the difference between tension and relaxation. Quite simply, when you’re tense, the space inside your body feels squeezed; when you’re relaxed, it’s expansive. In order to explore this body-spirit connection, you’ll need a block of time to slow down and be quiet. This can be after work, on the weekend or part of your summer vacation. The key is to shift your focus from your thought-driven, tech-dependent mind to your sensual, aware body. Spending time with the simplicity of physical presence opens the door to an expansive feeling of oneness with all life. Being there is deeply nurturing, but getting there can be challenging. As creatures of habit, living in a distracted, overstimulated world, connecting body to spirit may seem a bit lackluster at first. Notice the resistance and hang in there. Give yourself some time to adjust to the slower pace and the reward will be worth it. To help you make the shift, here are three great practices to help you explore the body-spirit connection:

R e s t i n g Awa r e n e s s . Linger for a few minutes in soft awareness before sleep. Feel the place you occupy in the room—where your body ends and the room begins. Slowly let your sense of space get bigger and bigger. If there’s tension in your body, let it melt into the surrounding space. If thoughts and worries crowd in, keep expanding until they float away. Melt the inner-outer boundary and invite your awareness to extend beyond your body. Do you feel at one with spirit?

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B o d y- C e n t e r e d Meditation. Breathing happens in real time, in the NOW. This is automatic and happens without thought, filling and emptying in its natural way. Sitting and centering awareness on breath is an ancient way to connect with spirit. Be with each exhale, letting the worries and concerns empty out. Be with each inhale, letting spirit fill your body. Keep emptying and filling until your body feels more space than matter. Do you feel at one with spirit?

Wa l k i n N a t u r e . Focus on your body moving. Let your pace and stride be determined by your body’s dimensions. Make sure the motion of walking transfers through your whole body, including your shoulders, neck and head. Your natural flow is part of the flow of nature. Your moving body is in sync with the moment and all there is. Listen to the sounds, feel the motion, see the dance of light and feel at one with it all. Do you feel at one with spirit? You don’t have to be in bed, sitting in meditation or walking in the woods to feel the internalexternal expansiveness of the body-spirit connection. You can be there in the most ordinary places. Waiting for an appointment or for your computer to boot up, take a moment to connect. Before a meal or an important meeting, take a minute to connect. Tune in and this space deepens your experience of being with a loved one, listening to music or enjoying a work of art. Notice how your relaxed, expansive body quiets your tense, restless mind. Observe how being in body-spirit space imbues those moments with grace.

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POET WISDOM

Wisdom from Poet + Author Khalil Gibran

Out of s ufferi ng ha v e e me rged the s tronges t souls; the mos t ma s s i v e ch arac ters a re s ea red w it h s ca rs .

Most people who ask for advice from others have already resolved to act as it pleases them.

Work is love made visible. Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.

Love Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding. Mantra Inspiration: @mantramagazine

L e t t he r e b e sp ac e s in y o u r t o g e t he r n e ss.

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Forget not t h a t t h e ea r th deligh t s t o f e e l y our b a re fe e t a nd t h e w ind s l ong t o pla y w it h y our h air .

If your heart is a volcano, how shall you expect flowers to bloom?

Bloom

E ve r h a s i t b e e n th a t l o ve k no w s no t i t s own depth until th e h ou r o f s e pa r a tio n .

Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity. B e a u ty i s no t i n the f ace ; b e a u ty i s a li ght i n the he ar t.

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The Mantra Manual

Life-Changing Advice +

Challenge All of Your Assumpt ions Regularly

pow er

—SENATOR Jeff Flake From my cautionary tale to you today, I urge you to challenge all of your assumptions, regularly. Recognize the good in your opponents. Apologize every now and then. Admit to mistakes. Forgive, and ask for forgiveness. Listen more. Speak up more, for politics sometimes keeps us silent when we should speak. And if you find yourself in a herd, crane your neck, look back there and check out your brand, ask yourself if it really suits you. From personal experience, I can say that it’s never too late to leave the herd. When you peel off from the herd, your equilibrium returns. Food tastes better. You sleep very well. Your mind is your own again. You cease being captive to some bad impulses and even worse ideas. It can strain relationships, to be sure, and leave you eating alone every now and then. But that’s okay.

Don’t be upset about the results you didn’t get, from the work you didn’t do.

Failure is not something to be ashamed of, it’s something to be powered by.

’

Make Failure Your Fuel —Soccer star, Abby Wambach Failure is not something to be ashamed of, it’s something to be powered by. Failure is the highest octane fuel your life can run on. You gotta learn to make failure your fuel. When I was on the youth national team, only dreaming of playing alongside Mia Hamm—y’all know her? Good. I had the opportunity to visit the national team’s locker room. The thing that struck me most wasn’t my heroes’ grassstained cleats, or their names and numbers hanging above their lockers. It was a picture. It was a picture that someone had taped next to the door, so that it would be the last thing every player saw before she headed out to the training pitch. You might guess it was a picture of their last big win, or of them standing on a podium accepting gold medals. But it wasn’t. It was a picture of their longtime rival, the Norwegian national team, celebrating after having just beaten the USA in the 1995 World Cup. In that locker room, I learned that in order to become my very best—on the pitch and off—I’d need to spend my life letting the feelings and lessons of failure transform into my power. Failure is fuel. Fuel is power.

Pe o p l e d on t c a re a b out y our b usin es s T h e y c a re a b out th e ir prob l e ms Be the s o l u t ion T HEY RE l ook in g for 18

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’

—entrepreneur, Melonie Dodaro

Transformative Wisdom

You Have Nothing To Lose.

—Oprah

—Steve Jobs

Keep away from people who try to beli ttle your ambi t ions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you f eel that you, too, can become grea t. —Mark Twain

ta lent

If I’d observed all the rules, I’d never have got anywhere. —Marilyn Monroe

@mantramagazine

Become so skilled, so vigilant, so flat-out fantast ic at what you do that your talent cannot be dismissed.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

Mantra Inspiration:

Eat a good breakfast. It really pays off. Pay your bills on time. Recycle. Make your bed. Aim high. Say thank you to people and actually really mean it. Ask for help when you need it, and put your phone away at the dinner table. Just sit on it, really. And know that what you tweet and post and Instagram today might be asked about in a job interview tomorrow or 20 years from tomorrow. Be nice to little kids. Be nice to your elders. Be nice to animals. And know that it’s better to be interested than interesting. Invest in a quality mattress. I’m telling you, your back will thank you later. And don’t cheap out on your shoes. And if you’re fighting with someone you really love, for god’s sakes, find your way back to them—because life is short even on our longest days. And another thing you already know that definitely bears repeating: Don’t ever confuse what is legal with what is moral, because they are entirely different animals. You see, in a court of law, there are loopholes and technicalities and bargains to be struck, but in life, you’re either principled or you’re not. So do the right thing, especially when nobody’s looking. And while I’m at it, do not equate money and fame with accomplishment and character. Because I can assure you, based on the thousands of people I’ve interviewed, one does not automatically follow the other. Something else—you need to know this. Your job is not always going to fulfill you. There will be some days that you just might be bored. Other days, you may not feel like going to work at all. Go anyway. And remember that your job is not who you are. It’s just what you’re doing on the way to who you will become. Every remedial chore, every boss who takes credit for your idea—that is going to happen—look for the lessons, because the lessons are always there. And the number one lesson I could offer you where your work is concerned is this: Become so skilled, so vigilant, so flat-out fantastic at what you do that your talent cannot be dismissed.

I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose —Carl Jung to become. MANTRAMAG.COM

he body tells our story; it keeps the score; it holds our secrets. The body holds on to guilt, fears and shame. Our body also holds on to our joys, our balance and our wellness. Sometimes those little gems get buried. Within you are all the sacred jewels you seek. Everything that happens in our lives is experienced by our minds, by the cells (cellular memory), by the body tissue (tissue memory) and locked into our muscle memory. We haven’t had the map in place to learn how to listen to our muscles’ language.

Author Emily A. Francis emilyafrancisbooks.com

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There is deep healing to be found when we work with the muscles for the purpose of authentic healing. Our muscles hold all the secrets that the mind does. The pain places still hold the same information. There is something incredible in working with the muscles to get to the mind that does not work the other way around. The body does not have an ego the way that the mind does. In this way, we don’t need several sessions of spiraling deeper into the sacred knowledge in order to get down to what we’ve been holding. When we work with the muscles to unlock the same secrets and pains, but with muscle memory at the helm, the mind tends to come on board much more easily.

For instance, if we do experience a physical trauma, it only takes that one time for the muscles to remember what happened. If they are in a position to experience that same stimulus, they know instinctively to react and retreat. As an example, the psoas is a deep hip flexor muscle that happens to be quite a vulnerable muscle as well. This muscle is the storage house for some pretty major trauma experiences. Oftentimes, when that muscle is manually released and treated, an emotional response couples with it. Tears can flow, not just of physical pain, but of emotional experience and trauma that have been stored deep within this muscle. So many muscles in our bodies hold on to our experiences, and where we carry our pain can signal what the foundation of that pain may be. The muscles store the memory, and when we experience an emotional release, our entire body and mind come together as the release occurs. The tissue memory, the cellular memory, the conscious memory and sometimes even our unconscious memories rise up and out during a release. This is the miracle place that can truly change your entire life path. Your body is brilliant and the wisdom within is ancient and ever-present. Our bodies want us to be healthy and in alignment. We just need to learn how to listen to their wisdom.

Emily A. Francis is the author of The Body Heals Itself: How Deeper Awareness of Your Muscles and Their Emotional Connection Can Help You Heal (Llewellyn 2018) and radio host of the All About Healing radio show on HealthyLife.net. Visit her at emilyafrancisbooks.com.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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Mantra wellness

â&#x20AC;˘ Stress Survival Guide â&#x20AC;˘

Daily Practices for a

Calm, Relaxed Mind Breathing + The Key to Emotional Wellness Jamie Price

Wellness expert and cofounder of Stop, Breathe & Think, an emotional wellness app that recommends short personalized meditations and activities tuned to your emotions @sbtbreathe stopbreathethink.com

Instagram:

ll of the multitasking and moving from one thing to the next can feel overwhelming. But with a little presence and intention, we can actually harness the power of transitioning from one thing to the next and transform our entire day in the process. Over time, practicing mindfulness, for as

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little as five minutes a day, can boost the baseline of your overall mood to be more positive. Each day brings with it countless transitions and opportunities for integrating mindfulness, starting with the moment you wake up.

Normally, when we wake up, we jump right onto our devices, checking emails and social media and running through to-do lists, continuing the momentum of stress from the previous day. Rather than jumping right into the stream of stress, use this time of transition to intentionally set the tone for your entire day. Pause for a few moments to notice and feel a sense of warmth and peace in your body, and set the intention to carry that feeling with you throughout the day. While Commuting: Whether you’re driving, packing into public transportation or using your own two feet, commuting is a great time to practice a little mindfulness. Rather than letting the commute compound your stress, use it as an opportunity to reset. When you get to your destination, you will arrive in a more relaxed frame of mind. ›› Check in to how you are feeling. Place your hand on your heart. Notice the sensations there—maybe there is a sense of warmth, or your heartbeat. Whatever you feel, regard it with a sense of kindness and understanding. Check in with yourself to see how you are feeling. It can help to name your feelings—for example, “Oh yes, there is that frustration again…” or, “I am feeling rushed…” The simple act of naming can help create some distance and perspective, which can alleviate stress. ›› Calm your nervous system. Let your breath flow naturally, and count the length of your inhale. As you continue to breathe, make your exhale twice as long as your inhale. For example, if you breathe in for a count of four, then breathe out for a count of eight. Follow a relaxed and slow pace that is natural to you. Before a Meeting or Your Next Conversation: Imagine how different you would feel throughout the day if you intentionally approached interactions with more kindness and understanding. Before your next conversation, stop, breathe and think: ›› Call to mind the person or group of people you are about to interact with. Then think of some things you may have in common. When

you think of something, silently say to yourself, “They’re just like me.” For example, as you imagine them, think to yourself, “Just like me, they want to be happy and have a positive experience.” ›› Once you’ve thought of a few things you have in common, take three deep breaths. With the first one, wish for your own happiness— something like, “May I be strong and healthy, and may I have positive experiences and happiness.” With the second breath, wish for the happiness of the person you’ll be interacting with soon— something like, “May they be peaceful, safe and content, and may they have positive experiences and happiness.” And with the third breath, smile. Before Walking in the Door at Home: ›› When you get home, it’s easy to carry the worries and stress from the day right through the door with you. Instead, as you walk toward your door, take yourself out of your head and into your senses by noticing what you see, hear, smell, taste and touch, really paying attention to your experience and soaking it in. Engaging your senses is a wonderful way to feel more settled and calm. It’s also an effective way to redirect attention from worries and anxious self-talk.

Bedtime: Bedtime is an incredible opportunity to integrate mindfulness practice. It can help you get a good night’s rest, as well as set the stage for waking up in a more positive frame of mind. ›› Instead of stressing out about what happened during the day and worrying about what’s on your plate tomorrow, reflect on the events of the day with a positive perspective. If something happened during the day that didn’t go well, take a moment to offer yourself a little understanding and compassion. Maybe repeat something like, “It isn’t easy being human. No one is perfect. It’s easy to make mistakes.” If something went well, take a few deep breaths and really appreciate those moments, letting them soak in. ›› You can also practice controlled breathing, which will soothe the nervous system and relax both your body and mind. Simply breathe in for a count of four, hold your breath for a count of seven and breathe out for a count of eight. Breathing in this way will help you let go of the energy and momentum of the day and drift into sleep.

›› You can also reset your perspective with a little gratitude. No matter what type of a day you’re having, look for something you can appreciate. Think of three things you appreciate about the people or situation you are about to walk into, and really let your appreciation sink in. As soon as you walk through the door, express what you’re grateful for.

“

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.

“

In the Morning:

—Dan Millman

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The Mantra guide

Don't send me flowers when I'm dead. If you like me, send them while I'm alive —Brian Clough

SelfReflection and Growth Mantra Inspiration:

Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change. —Wayne Dyer

@mantramagazine

Needing to have things perfect is the surest way to immobilize yourself with frustration. —Wayne Dyer

I have to take care of myself. It's about self-preservation. —Danielle de Niese

The game of life is a game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later with astounding accuracy. —Florence Scovel Shinn

If your heart is a volcano, how shall you expect flowers to bloom? —Khalil Gibran

You can't let someone else lower your self-esteem, because that's what it is—self-esteem. You need to first love yourself before you have anybody else love you. —Winnie Harlow

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. —Marcus Tullius Cicero

If there is no struggle, there is no progress. —Frederick Douglass

Forgiveness is for yourself because it frees you. It lets you out of that prison you put yourself in. —Louise L. Hay

When you're just like everybody else, you've nothing to offer other than your conformity. —Wayne Dyer 24

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Bloom Savoring Life with Mindfulness, Happiness & Appreciation Rita Farhi-Noirot London Instagram:

@ritafarhinoirot

Slow Moments in Fast Living We have a very fast-paced lifestyle in London. I guess that would be the case for anyone living in most major cities. For me, slowing down in the city is to stop and appreciate the beauty around you, even if it is for a minute, being mindful of that moment and of that place. There is no slow living in my life, but there are more slow living moments that I have come to appreciate. It could be reading a great book, discovering hidden corners in a city, lying in the park, walking on the beach or just simply enjoying my morning coffee.

Floral Favorites I love orchids for their elegance, I love peonies for their romance, I love roses for what they represent, I love hydrangeas for happy memories (we used them at our wedding), I love tulips for their colors and shape, I love wisteria as they can truly transform a dull place and I love cherry pink blossoms as they brighten up your mood instantly.

Any Photo Tips/Apps You Love? I mainly use my iPhone to take pictures, as you never know what will inspire you and when. The most important thing is to find a theme that makes you happy and somehow that will come out in your photos. I tend to be on the run most of the time and take a lot of pictures from all kinds of angles of the same place just in case I missed something. At the end, I usually end up using the most obvious and simplest version. I recently started using the Unfold app to create my stories, and I love it. It is very simple to use and it allows you to be creative with your stories in a very aesthetic way.

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The Power of Breath to Heal Chronic Pain Four Simpl e Pai n Relie f Me ditations for Work or H ome ••• Sarah Anne Shockley ••• thepaincompanion.com

Sarah Anne Shockley is the author of The Pain Companion: Everyday Wisdom for Living With and Moving Through Chronic Pain. In the fall of 2007, she contracted thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) and has lived with debilitating nerve pain ever since. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

ith so many of us challenged with intermittent or ongoing physical pain, it’s important to find as many simple, natural ways as we can to help relieve it. Here are some easy breath meditations you can use during the day at home or at work.

Using Breath to Relieve Pain— How Does That Work? Notice your pain right now. What’s your first reaction? If you’re like many of us, the first response we have is to contract in the body, tense up and hold our breath to try to stop the pain. When we resume breathing, we usually restrict its flow by trying not to inhale too deeply. So, we’re often unconsciously holding our breath when the pain swells, and then breathing lightly and shallowly afterwards in an effort not to feel the pain.

Keep Breathing! “So, what’s so bad about that,” you might think. “It feels like breathing deeply will increase my pain.” Understood. Taking huge, deep breaths may not be the best thing. But holding and restricting the breath inhibits healing, since breathing oxygenates the blood, helps remove toxins, relaxes us and brings nourishment to our tissues. Restricting the breath heightens contraction in the body and builds tension, which is not conducive to healing. So, one of the most direct and simple ways to relieve pain, especially when we can’t take a lot of time out of a busy day, is to spend a few moments paying attention to breath and consciously shifting it.

four Breathing Techniques Here are four simple breathing techniques that will help you break the habit of holding and restricting breath. Experiment with them at different times, find your favorites and use them regularly. Always start each of these techniques by noticing what you’re doing with your breath right in that moment and choosing to consciously release any holding, at least for the duration of the meditation.

Breathing Through Pain A. Instead of avoiding pain, for this meditation, put your

Breathing in the No-Pain Zone

awareness right into the heart of your pain. Notice how resistant you may be to doing this—to feeling the pain, to being with it and to allowing it to be there.

A. Notice that your pain lives

somewhere in your body and locate that place.

B. Notice that there is an area

that is not feeling pain. This is the no-pain zone. It may be somewhere else in your body, or it may be outside of your body.

C. Breathe calmly in and out

of the no-pain zone, just noticing how that feels.

B r e at h i n g E a sy

Breathing With Pain A. Notice how you may be

trying not to breathe into or near your pain, or are using your breath as a wall to push the pain away.

B. Instead of doing that, put

your awareness next to your pain and just breathe right there. You’re feeling the pain and you’re also breathing calmly even as you’re feeling it.

C. Allow the pain to be where

it is and breathe right there with it.

Breathing Techniques

Keep these pointers in mind as you’re using breath for pain relief: • Pay attention to your breathing at different points throughout the day and gently release it. • Avoid holding your breath or using it to push against pain. • Don’t force yourself to breathe deeper than is comfortable. It’s better to breathe lightly than to take deep, painful breaths. The most important thing is to keep the breath flowing. • As you allow your breath to flow, imagine it gently moving through the painful area like a salve removing toxins, soothing the pain and allowing it to breathe.

Allowing Pain Breath A. With each of the previous

meditations, you have been doing the breathing. In this one, imagine that you are allowing pain to breathe.

B. Imagine the breath

beginning at the point of pain—that the pain itself is inhaling and exhaling. How does your breathing change? What kind of breath does pain want right now?

Mantra Inspirat ion

"How wrong is it for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself ?" "The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say."

“I am only responsible for my own heart, you offered yours up for the smashing my darling. Only a fool would give out such a vital organ.”

"If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don't write, because our culture has no use for it." “From the backstabbing co-worker to the meddling sister-in-law, you are in charge of how you react to the people and events in your life. You can either give negativity power over your life or you can choose happiness instead. Take control and choose to focus on what is important in your life. Those who cannot live fully often become destroyers of life.”

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." 32

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“We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.”

"Anxiety is love's greatest killer. It makes others feel as you might when a drowning man holds on to you. You want to save him, but you know he will strangle you with his panic."

The Wisdom of Anaïs Nin Mantra Inspiration:

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"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one ' s courage." "Luxury is not a necessity to me, but beautiful and good things are."

"We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls."

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Creative Ideas for Manifesting the Perfect Mate • Jenny Yarborough •

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alk into a dive bar and find the perfect guy. How often does that work out? Everyone warns you not to meet men at bars. But I did and it’s everything you wouldn’t expect. He lives in a bungalow by the beach with a garden. He serves me breakfast on the front porch just after the sun rises––homecooked, topped with tomatoes and herbs he picked fresh from his own crop. He has a good job as a senior manager in finance at a startup based on the West Coast but has the luxury of working from home on the opposite coast where I live. He’s welltraveled. He’s vegetarian. He practices yoga and meditates daily. And, he’s tall and handsome. He’s like a well-balanced meal, and that’s not easy to find unexpectedly in a dank, dark room full of strangers, but it wasn’t luck that found us together at Duck and Dive. Blow out your birthday candles after your friends sing to you and make your wish. How often do you actually get what you

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wish for? How often do you even wish? One time one day every 365 days? Wishing doesn’t work. I’ve done enough of it to understand that simply wanting won’t get you very far. So how did I find my perfect person? I was working hard on two new businesses I birthed less than three years ago, and I kept saying to my friends I needed a money manager. I knew I needed a guy in financials so bad I wrote him on a to-do list. And I cried to my mother at least once a month telling her how as an entrepreneur I had everything, I could build it all, except this one thing––a really big thing. Love. But the thing about love is finding it is circumstantial. You can’t grow it. You can’t make it. You can’t buy it. You have to be in the right place at the right time and your heart has to be open, willing and ready, as does his or hers. Without apps on our phones, the likelihood of finding a mate naturally is highly unlikely. That is, unless you put your iPhone away and take out a pen and paper.

TIPS for MEETING YOUR MATE •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

It happens like this: create a sacred space, gather yourself and anything that might connect you to your higher self (candles, sage, flowers from the garden, photos of your grandmother, crystals, malas, mandalas, lucky pennies, trinkets, whatever does it for you, which could very well be nothing at all), sit on the floor, close your eyes and picture everything as you wish it to be. Don’t cut yourself short. Imagine every detail. Write it all down. You can write it in a list. You can write it as a short story. Just write what comes to mind–– anything and everything you want in a mate. It sounds like voodoo. It seems too good to be true, but I’m telling you it works. This isn’t the first time pen and paper have paid off. People ask me how I did it. They come to me with their brows furrowed, at grocery stores, via email, on Instagram, by phone and say: how did you find this guy? And I look them in the eyes and tell them to stop looking, stop settling. Sit down. Find stillness. Look deep inside. Figure out what you want and write it out, knowing, fully believing that what you write will come true.

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Wash Your Fac e Splash your face and eyes with cold water to stimulate circulation to your skin and awaken your eyes to a fresh new day. Dry your face gently with a clean towel. Spritz with rosewater afterwards.

Da i ly I nte ntio n Before you race out of bed, touch the floor, touch your forehead and say a prayer or thought of gratitude for the gift of another day. Take a few moments to set an intention for a new day. What is one thing you want to feel today?

12-step

Ayurvedic

Self-Care Ritual + Learning How to Truly Listen to Your Body Moving from feeling empty, exhausted and burnt out to feeling whole, complete and in tune with your body,s intelligence.

O il Pu l l ing This is a wonderful practice of gargling/swishing oil around the mouth to remove bacteria from the teeth and improve gum health. You can use coconut oil or untoasted sesame oil.

E l i minati o n What goes in must come out. Elimination is the key to optimal health. Before you race off to coffee and emails, make sure you create time and a quiet space to release everything from your previous dayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; or even week, sometimes. The body loves routine; give it that in the mornings. Self-massage on the abdomen and deep, slow breathing is a wonderful way to stimulate elimination.

To ng u e S cra p ing Using a stainless steel or copper tongue scraper, scrape your tongue seven to 14 times to remove the built-up plaque and bacteria from your tongue before brushing your teeth or oil pullingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;this is a great daily detoxification ritual.

Ne ti Neti kriya is the practice of rinsing purified water through the nasal passages to clean the sinus cavity and improve respiratory health. You can purchase a ceramic neti pot at most health food stores.

A b hya nga o r O l e ati o n

Dry S kin B rushin g

After scrubbing the dry body for five to 10 minutes, apply a very liberal amount of natural edible oils like sesame, coconut or almond. Oiling the skin before you shower also protects your body’s natural oils.

This is the practice of brushing your skin with a natural vegetable bristle brush to remove dead skin and stimulate lymph drainage in the body. Start at your feet and work your way toward your heart with a gentle pressure.

B at h or Show er Our daily shower or bath is an act of cleansing. We remove our past impurities we no longer want to hold on to. In this act, what else can you release emotionally, mentally or spiritually during this practice? Try to switch your skincare products to natural, non-toxic options.

Br e akfas t Take some hot herbal tea to stimulate digestion and enjoy a breakfast of your choice. Whatever it is, try to keep this same mindfulness as you chew each bite.

M e di tati o n Take five minutes to be still. Sit with yourself and just observe. If you prefer a moving meditation (yoga, tai chi, running), go for it, but try to approach it with a still and clear mind. Pranayama (breathing exercises), yoga or meditation for 30 minutes a day is ideal, but start with five minutes and work your way up.

Da i ly S u p p l e me nts Take excellent supplements or herbs that support your lifestyle if you’re unable to consume a whole food diet. For example, taking a high-quality turmeric supplement can help reduce inflammation, alleviate joint pain and act as an antioxidant.

“

Ayurveda is the art and science of listening to your body and its individual needs and wants.

”

Of course, that’s not a small list and might seem overwhelming. If you’re excited about bringing balance into your life, your mind might be already going on about how you’ll rearrange your mornings to tick off all 12 boxes. Here again, I’ll need to ask you to take a step back. Trust me, you are better off being consistent with four or five rituals for a whole 21 days than forcing all 12 for a couple days and losing interest in the whole thing. Relax, start slow and, most importantly, listen to your body and start hearing the wisdom no expert can teach you, as it only lies within you.

Mantra Wellness Guide

A r o m ati c A l c h e my

for

We l l ‑ B e ing

C o n i f e r o r C itr u s N ote s : Pine

Sweet Orange

Breathe – Clear – Clean

Familiar – Welcoming – Tonic

There are many varieties of pines; all have an affinity to clearing the air, encouraging deeper breathing and soothing the mind and nervous system. Studies show pines are uniquely keen to centering all aspects of the body and mind, and the focus of “forest bathing” (spending time in nature). Can help combat fatigue, ease sore muscles and joints, reduce mental clutter and create focus. Good to add to meditations or diffusers. Caution: those with asthma may need to be careful on dilution and duration as the constituents that help break up mucus may be too strong for asthmatic lungs.

Some may favor lemon, but I’m partial to the inviting, gentle, sunshiny quality of sweet orange. Gentle enough in blends for children (inhalation, diffusion) relaxing, stimulating and supportive. Calms stress-induced anxiety, as well as bridging the gap between the body, mind and spirit, opening one to cope and deal with decisions with clearer focus and uplifted disposition. Caution: has a short shelf life; refrigerate and dilute. While sweet orange is not known for being phototoxic, always dilute and keep out of the sun if used topically.

Th e 1 0 E s s e nti a l O i l s Ev e ryo n e Should Have Cher Kaufmann Author of Nature’s Essential Oils: Aromatic Alchemy for Well-Being Instagram: @cherthefire cherthefire.com

ssential oils and aromatherapy are ways of supporting a healthy lifestyle. When first recommending an essential oil, I often start with a floral (calming), a conifer or citrus (uplifting) and either an earthy or woody note (grounding). From a combination of these simple beginners, you can have a wide array of applications and various blends. Here are 10 to get you started.

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W o o d y o r E a rth y N ote s : Cedarwood

Vetiver

Steady – Clearing – Reassuring

Grounding – Connecting – Restorative

Best known for respiratory support when congestion, infections, airway viral and bacterial issues, including colds and coughs, are present. Astringent use helps with moist acne or excess sebum. Use its insect-repelling nature for skin concerns like lice or scabies. These ancient trees have wisdom used for spiritual guidance, grounded focus and calming clarity. Can be used with children. Caution: as a precious essential oil, it is listed as potentially endangered; purchase only what you will use.

Known as the “oil of tranquility,” vetiver has a deeply penetrating, grounded effect, easing anxiety and “flightiness,” offering a feeling of stability, sedative and calming. Many compare the aroma to the scent after a quenching rain. Caution: with a potent aroma, one drop is often all it takes.

F l o r a l N ote s : Lavender

Clary Sage

Rose Geranium

Chamomile

Cooling – Harmonizing – Vitality

Euphoric – Feminine – Inviting

Feminine – Relief – Love

Calming – Accepting – Soothing

Most famous for its ability to create a whole body relaxant response, lavender is certainly one of the most versatile and best beginner oils. Soothes muscles, calms angry bug bites and reduces anxiety. Inhalation of lavender can help to reduce blood pressure, nervousness and pain sensations. Caution: not everyone likes lavender, and it can cause headaches for some people.

Known for supporting and balancing the feminine nature, cooling and harmonizing the heat of mood swings, anxiety, high emotions and stressful highs and lows. Many women report support from cramps and muscle spasms, as well as skin support, such as acne and excess (oily) or deficient (dry) secretions on both scalp and skin. Great for mature skin. Caution: avoid during pregnancy and do not use while partaking of any alcohol (the combination can create exaggerated intoxicated behavior and a hangover!).

Lovely and less expensive than real rose, with similar qualities and a slight underlying green spicy note in aroma. Used to calm body, mind, emotions and spirit. Attributes include anti-inflammatory, sedative yet stimulating, antimicrobial, and especially helpful for women experiencing hormone-induced mood swings. Gentle and uplifting at the same time. Cautions: can be quite fragrant; a little goes a long way. Find out if rose geranium acts as a stimulant or a sedative for your body. Dilute appropriately.

Roman and German chamomile, cousin plants with two different essential oils, both have calming qualities for mind and body. Roman chamomile, apple-like in aroma, is sedative and antispasmodic (good calming). German chamomile has more of a tea or haylike aroma with benefits as an anti-inflammatory and anti-infective (great for skin concerns). Caution: avoid while pregnant. Can cause skin irritations if old or oxidized. Store in the refrigerator. A diluted blend of Roman chamomile is a good tea tree oil substitute for children. Try German chamomile for ages five and over.

As always, dilute appropriately and safely, know full contraindications as they apply to you and your family and rotate your oils. For more information about these essential oils and how to safely introduce them into your life, check out Nature’s Essential Oils: Aromatic Alchemy for Well-Being.

B o n u s N ote s : Rosemary

Sweet Marjoram

Invigorating – Tonic – Awakening

Harmonizer – Centering – Tonifying

There are a few different types of rosemary with different chemical components, known as chemotypes. All are wonderful for uplifting the spirit and clearing the mind of cluttered thought; use for studying or maintaining clear focus. Use for muscle and joint analgesics; add a few drops to shampoo or in a scalp tonic to support head/ hair growth. Caution: avoid with pregnancy, breastfeeding, children under age two, epilepsy or if fever is present.

The gifts of this oil are numerous! Effective antibacterial, reduces joint discomfort and muscle stiffness, lessens the overthinking mind while supporting focus and simultaneously uplifting and comforting the spirit. Think of this oil as an overall nurturer, like a mother’s ability to soothe, encourage and support. A fantastic addition to blends (just one drop) that need that special something to bring them all together when they are close, but not quite blending aromatically. Caution: err on the side of caution with pregnancy as the ruling is still out on safe usage during that special time.

For blends in either a diffuser or in your favorite carrier oil, try: • Lavender + sweet orange for a relaxing soother (great for kids, too) • Rose geranium + vetiver as a personal perfume for grounded self-care support • Rosemary + pine for study and focus time, as well as respiratory support • Clary sage + cedarwood + sweet marjoram for a nurturing blend

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Mantra Inspirat ion

The Art of Slow Living in a Fast World is, at its core, “ Busyness about misplaced priorities. —Joshua Becker ”

Design a Lighter Life

“

You alone are enough. —Maya Angelou

”

A man is rich in “ proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone. ” —Henry David Thoreau

frequently worry that being productive is the surest “ Ilull way to ourselves into a trance of passivity and busyness the greatest distraction from living, as we coast through our lives day after day, showing up for our obligations but being absent from ourselves, mistaking the doing for the being. ” —Maria Popova

Busy is a choice. “—Debbie Millman”

When you arise in the morning, “ think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive; to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. —Marcus Aurelius ”

MINIMALISM “

You only lose what you cling to. —The Buddha

”

PURPOSE 40

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bliss and the universe will open doors “ Followforyour you where there were only walls. ” —Joseph Campbell

SIMPLICITY days lived in the senses is not enough. “TheA lifelifeofofgood sensation is the life of greed; it requires more and more. The life of the spirit requires less and less; time is ample and its passage sweet. ” —Annie Dillard

is “theSimplicity ultimate sophistication. —Da Vinci ”

Keeping Calm nearer a person comes “toThea calm mind, the closer he is to strength. —Marcus Aurelius”

Begin at once to live, “ and count each separate day as a separate life. ” —Seneca

“

, s problems All of humanity “ from man , s inability to sit stem quietly in a room alone. —Blaise Pascal ” stimulus and “ Betweenthere response is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom. —Viktor E. Frankl ”

spend our days “is,Howofwecourse, how we spend our lives. —Annie Dillard” The price of anything is “the amount of life you exchange for it. ” —Henry David Thoreau

SOLITUDE Conversation enriches the understanding,

but solitude is the school of genius. —Edward Gibbon ”

PERSPECTIVE

you realize how “ When everything perfect is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.

”

Very little is needed to The happiness of your “ make a happy life; it is life“depends upon the quality all within yourself, of your thoughts. in your way of thinking. —Marcus Aurelius ” —Marcus Aurelius” MANTRAMAG.COM

@ma n t r a m a g a z i n e

Circle the words that pull at your heart. Notice your longings. What do you see?

E x plor e Freedom

sunrise love Beauty magic

Wonder strength stillness mountains Creativity

sunset herbs flowers OCean Dream p a s s io n travel spices

Lavender nature

Meditate 42

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plant medicine succulents self -care â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;

Firestarter

Softening yoga

maverick rebel Grow Friendship farmhouse entrepreneur

quie t t i m e

Country Life vanlife seaside bat h t im e Dance

s up po rt

Intimacy candles

connection road trip

Family w el ln es s

juice

detox Picnics work abroad MANTRAMAG.COM

Making Magic

“

If you take any activity, any art, any discipline, any skill—take it and push it as far as it will go, push it beyond where it has ever been before, push it to the wildest edges of edges, then you force it into the realm of magic. —Tom Robbins

Mantra Inspiration:

@mantramagazine

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”

What Do You Prefer?

Mantra Journal

(Circle Your Answers)

Mountains or ocean City or Countryside freedom or routine farmhouse or city loft sweet or savory shallow chest breathing or deep belly breathing all white room or filled with color creating or organizing camping or luxury resort poetry or fiction attend a party or hang solo need a plan or like to flow morning person or night owl journaling or vision boards coffee or tea reading inside or being in nature own my own business or work for a company show emotions or hold them close meditate or dance guided tours or no plans when i travel slowing down or staying busy yoga or pilates when i'm hurt i lash out or isolate myself I Feel The Most Anxiety When I Lack Control, Organization, Preparation, or Action. NOTICING + BUILDING AWARENESS I Frequently Feel Hopeless, Sad or Depressed. I Feel too Overwhelmed to Improve My Situation. I Gain Clarity & Peace of Mind From Being Well Organized. I Have a Grounding Morning Gratitude Routine. I Tend to Over-give.

Y or N Y or N Y or N Y or N Y or N

I Feel Like I Need to Be Perfect. I Feel I Need To Earn My Worth. I Want To Travel More. I Feel Like I Give Up a Lot of My Dreams For Others. I Set My Intentions Every day. I Feel Fulfilled at Work.

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Y Y Y Y Y Y

or or or or or or

N N N N N N

Mantra Journal Getting

Clear

+ Taking Inventory

What does freedom look like? Ex: Swimming in the Ocean, Sleeping Under the Stars, Roadtrips, Financial Security

What brings me the most peace and calm? Ex: Hot Springs, Meditating, the Ocean, Not Arguing

What worries me most about the future? Ex: Money, Health, Relationships, Aging

If this were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?

Does it really matter what others think about me?

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What matters most in my life?

What do I need to change about myself?

What am I really scared of?

Am I holding on to something I need to let go of? Can I let it go now?

What am I doing about the things that matter most in my life?

What is life calling of me?

Who has had the greatest impact on my life?

What have I given up on? If I had one piece of advice to give to the world, what would it be?

What’s the one thing I’d like others to remember about me at the end of my life?

What do I want most in life? Who has had the greatest impact on my life?

When did I last push the boundaries of my comfort zone?

What small act of kindness was I once shown that I will never forget?

To what degree have I actually controlled the course my life has taken?

When it’s all said and done, will I have said more than I’ve done?

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Mantra Journal

Getting to Know

You Fun, Quick

Response Answers for Clarity

What’is Your favorite color?

Who would you most like to go to lunch with?

Where would you like to live? (Countryside, Farm, Manhattan, Italy, etc)

What’Is your spirit animal?

What surroundings make you feel grounded? What kind of house would you like to live in? Where would you like to vacation? WHAT IS your favorite car? What’is your favorite type of food?

How would your friends describe you? What’is most important to you?

What do you do to relax?

How would you describe yourself?

What’is Your Favorite Dessert?

What is your favorite season?

What are you most passionate about?

What’is your favorite genre of movies?

What’is your dream job?

What motivates you? What type of art do you like? What’is your favorite weekend activity? What’is your favorite morning drink?

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What’is your favorite snack?

Are you more outspoken or reserved?

What is your favorite hobby? What inspires you? What’is your biggest fear? What’is your favorite show? What’is your favorite board game?

Who would you want to hang out with? Do you like attention? What size group do you prefer to be in? Do you like change? What’is your morning routine like?

What are your ideal weekend plans? What’is your ideal work environment? What is your favorite flavor? Pick a motto to live by.

What’is your favorite Friday night activity? When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? What’is a perfect date night for you?

How often do you read? What’is your favorite type of weather? What’is your favorite type of music? Mac or PC?

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Mantra wellness

T h e 15 -M inu t e Refle c tion Ex ercis e Life & Wellness Coach + Author Em i l i a F r a n c e s c a Instagram: @_emiliafrancesca emiliafrancesca.com

e always get so hyped up before the beginning of a new year, thinking of all the things we will achieve and do, the habits we’ll change, the improvements we’ll make and the more fulfilled life we’ll lead. And then, more often than not, we continue about our usual dayto-day and forget these intentions we set for ourselves. We’re now more than halfway into 2018. How is everything going for you? We are often encouraged to constantly propel ourselves forward and can get caught up in the speedy momentum of life. But I truly believe you can move forward in an even more constructive and purposeful way if you first look back. So I created a 15-minute reflection exercise that is simple, quick and extremely useful.

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C o n t e m p l at e

Critique

C e l e b r at e

Think about your past four months—the highs the lows, the wins and the losses, the moments that you were gritting your teeth to get yourself through the day, the times you were in pure euphoria at the joy of your life. Thinking back on the experiences and feelings you’ve had will enable you to regain focus and clarity and maybe even remember some really useful stuff that has slipped your mind.

Being able to be objective and critical on yourself is not always an easy thing to do, but it is so useful! On both a personal and professional level, if you are able to be extremely clear about what isn’t working, then it teaches you how to make sure you end up getting what you DO want. This will help move you towards making choices that will serve you best in the future.

Celebrating is something that is so important but often so easily overlooked. It’s a great way to learn to be more grateful and build a gratitude practice. It’s also a fantastic way to learn that you are a freaking awesome human and begin appreciating yourself, which will naturally lead to improved selfworth, self-love and your overall well-being.

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Write down all the main areas of your life • Career • Home life • All relationships • Physical health • Well-being • Finances • Any other area that is highly significant in your life

3. Celebrate

What were my big wins and little wins in every single area? Where did I excel? What am I most proud of?

And for every single area I want you to:

1. Contemplate

What happened? What was my starting point? How did I feel? What changed or shifted?

Instructions

Once the timer has gone off, look through what you’ve written down. What came up? Is there anything you had forgotten about? Is there anything that surprised you?

2. Critique

What could I have done better? How could I have cared for or shown up for myself more in this area?

What areas of your life need some more nurturing and focus? What areas are you absolutely bossing? This is such a simple and quick yet effective exercise to enable you to center in and focus on yourself, celebrate what you have achieved this year so far and create a thought process for how to move forward toward your most fulfilling life.

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Ja m i l a C r a w f o r d P é c o u What is burning in your heart right now? Travel, travel, TRAVEL! I’m eager to explore every corner of the world. I see myself as a citizen of humanity, free of any labels. I’ve found the common thread among all people I encounter across the globe—we have the capacity to love and we all want to be loved. Simple as that!

The Wi s d o m of Wo m e n

Instagram: @earthcandyarts earthcandyarts.com

see myself as a “Icitizen of humanity, free of any labels.

Hortencia “Tenci” Campbell Best advice you’ve received?

”

“Live your truth.” That’s the best piece of advice that I’ve gotten. There comes a time in everyone’s life where we must decide to either define our own destiny or settle for someone else’s vision of how our life should go. One is scary and fulfilling, while the other is safe and disappointing. That warm, energized feeling that you get when you are acting out of your essence— living your truth—is what fuels me each and every day. Instagram: @ufuluchild | ufuluchild.com Photo: Olesya Kolos

live your truth

Zoey Flowers Best advice you’ve received? Stop caring so much about what people think of you. Don’t be scared to fail. Who cares what others think? You have to release that need for approval. Don’t fear judgment. Instead, be terrified of not trying. Once you decide to stop pleasing everyone, that’s the moment you’re going to find peace of mind and become an extremely powerful woman. Instagram: @zoeyflowers | zoeyflowers.com Photo: Studio Dora Isabel

Julia Jovone What truth do you know for sure? The truth I know for sure is that you should never take anyone’s bad behavior personally. I’ve learned it never has anything to do with you. Some people we meet are in the midst of their own healing, and sometimes their healing can be so severe that they don’t know how to express it and you’ll get caught in the midst of it. Just remember it has nothing to do with you.

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What do you wish you would have known when you were 20? Not to dim my light in order for others to shine. I didn’t put myself first enough when I was younger. I’ve always been a giver. But I’ve learned that not everyone is deserving. I would have saved myself a lot of time had I understood this then. Instagram: @wellnesswithjsoul lipsandprotocol.com

Maria Gates What is the best advice you have received?

Empowering

The best advice that I ever received was that we have the power to make a choice every day (which starts with your mindset), so use that power wisely. We don’t give ourselves enough credit as to how powerful we are, as well as how powerful the impact of our decisions can be, whether through a benefit or a consequence. What do you wish you would have known at 20? Sheesh! I wish I knew a LOT of things at age 20. The word “no” is empowering. Those who are so quick to judge others don’t know what the hell they are doing, either. Projection is real and shouldn’t be taken personally. Mastering our breathing patterns is CLUTCH! If it doesn’t feel 100% right? DON’T DO IT!

Give Yo u r s e l f Credit

Instagram: @spiritualhomegirl | spiritualhomegirl.com Photo: Ria Rouse Photography

Sabrina Garland What truth do you know for sure? “That which can be destroyed by the truth should be.”—P.C. Hodgell This past year, the truth destroyed almost all areas of my life. This past year was a hard year for a lot of people; this challenging time was not lost on me. What was left after the truth changed my life completely was a foundation to launch from, and truth was what set me free. The second truth was learning that rushing is a form of hesitation. Going slower feels good to my soul, and I wish to embrace whatever is next with lots of pausing.

Marie Belle Perez Rivera Best advice you’ve received? 1. Invest in yourself. 2. “When it’s time to suffer, suffer fully. And keep your room clean. Don’t live like a pig.”—Mooji What do you wish you would have known when you were 20? You are so powerful. Remember your inherent potential. Embody it fully. Let go of your mind’s idea of what success looks like. What is happening right now is pruning you, refining you, to be a more complete expression of your highest Self. You are not being blocked. You are not being punished. You are being rerouted. You are a healer, and you will bring inspiration and wisdom by healing yourself first. You are divinely protected. Allow the deconstruction to happen. Instagram: @mariebellepr mariebellepr.com Photo: Dustin Ellison

Instagram: @garlandyoga | @missionbeachyoga missionbeachyoga.org Photo: Carlos Espejel

Sherrell Moore-Tucker What have you struggled with and what helped you through? I have always struggled with negative thoughts. Those negative thoughts and seeing the worst possible outcome with every situation did not serve me well in my 20s. I was miserable and had no idea how to change the way that I saw things until I was introduced to mindfulness meditation. Daily meditation has helped me to gain more insight about my thoughts. I now embrace the power to choose my thoughts, which has transformed my reality. Instagram: @sherrellmooretucker sherrellmooretucker.com

are so powerful. Remember your “You inherent potential. Embody it fully. ” Transform

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T h e Wi s d o m o f Wo m e n

Ca z o s h ay M a r i e What have you struggled with and what helped you through? The unexpected, life-altering trauma of being struck by a car traveling 48 mph while walking across the street in May. I sustained serious injuries that halted my wellness career and, I felt, robbed me of my life. Sustaining me is the realization that I’m not in this struggle by myself. Relying on my faith, my family and my friends for support has been a vital part of my healing process. Instagram: @cazoshay_marie | didwithcazoshay.com Photo: The Beat and Shoot

Melanie Holst-Collins What truth do you know for sure? A shift in perspective is a real life miracle. Choosing to see something in a different light than you’ve always seen it allows opening. Allows healing. Allows space. Healing, openings and space are miracles. What have you struggled with? The last two years as an entrepreneur were extremely challenging as I moved through learning how to live in abundance without making mass amounts of money. That period of time was one of the most trying, but

Perspective

what got me through, day to day, truly, was gratitude. I had an embodied experience with the truth that gratitude is the currency of abundance. What is burning? Being as black as possible in tandem with shifting the dynamic of how yoga is represented globally. Instagram: @growyourlovespace growyourlovespace.com Photo: Maria Brown

A f ya I b o m u Best advice you’ve received?

“areWords better thought than spoken.

”

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Figure out what you love to do for free and find a way to get paid for it. This advice helped start me on the path of food and nutrition. I love cooking, going to health food stores and farmers markets, and dining out. Sharing what I’ve learned inspires me to help others live practical, fun, and healthy lifestyles. Now I do those things with my cookbooks: The Vegan Soulfood Guide to the Galaxy and The Vegan Remix. What truth do you know for sure? The body has the ability to heal if given the proper tools. I have healed myself from asthma,

i n s p i r e

irritable bowel syndrome and migraines. I’ve helped family members and clients live a better quality of life when diagnosed with disorders like diabetes, multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure and more. The body is such a resilient, intelligent force and just needs simple things like clean water, fresh fruits and veggies, herbal teas, rest, happiness and stress relief to heal so many things and be at its best. Instagram: @afyaibomu rbgfitclub.com Photo: @jaxonphotogroup

Terrina A. Johnson Best advice you’ve received? The best advice I can remember getting is from my younger brother, Lakey: “Words are better thought than spoken.” Those words have stayed with me throughout most of my adult life. It has helped me with how I move in this world, and how I move and deal with people and situations. Move with a purpose, but above all, move in silence. Instagram: @koi_core

A l ly s o n H ay e s Best advice you’ve received? That you have to fight for what you want. I learned that from my parents. Their experiences in the South during Jim Crow, the Great Depression, didn’t make them angry; it made them resourceful, naturally inclined to live in harmony with nature as a value rather than money. Not to fight a violent fight path but on a path to your truth. You have to be true to yourself, value yourself, then you will know your path, your truth, strengthens you. Instagram: @preciouselementsdesigns

Va l u e yourself Monica Craig What is the best advice you have received? My late mentor told me, “Never defend your life’s calling to anyone.” He told me that being a woman never makes you secondary to a man or inferior. You are who you are and do what you desire to do, period. What truth do you know for sure?

The Wisdom of Women

I know one thing for sure: I have the ability to create my reality, and if I decide to change it up, I have the power to recreate my reality. Never feel stuck. Set your intention, believe it, feel it, do it and watch that shit manifest. Instagram: @monicayvonnecraig @wellness_by_natural_people

Manifest

C r e a t e

Siri Rishi

What have you struggled with and what helped you through?

B o u n d a r i e s Adi Carter

I have always struggled with the constraints, boundaries and weight of time; 24 hours is never enough. Now, I reward myself when I successfully manage my time. I treat myself like I have accomplished something very important. I have also decided that I am infinite, so whatever I don’t create here and now, I will always be able to return and complete. Instagram: @siririshi | @lifelabsrk | siririshi.com Photo: Bill Delano

Best advice you’ve received? When I was a child, I remember my dad very seriously telling me that my time was the most valuable thing I have and that I should use it wisely. I’ve lived by that advice as long as I can remember. What is burning in your heart right now? As a resident of Puerto Rico, I am currently involved with hurricane relief efforts on the island. I have friends still living without power

and water, and the crushing blows of the media reports on the island have scared so many tourists away that our economy is completely devastated, even in areas that are completely cleaned up and open for business. To be blunt, the situation is f*cked up and devastating to many who feel completely forgotten by our government. Instagram: @adicarter | adicarter.com Photo: Tamar Melen

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Carol Sternkopf Best advice you have received? The best advice I have ever received was from a very good friend when I was young and full of self-doubt. He simply said I needed to believe in my abilities, and that my intuition and talent would carry me to a much more confident place, where I belonged. I’m almost 60 now, and I look back and think what a great friend to have given me those words at that time. What truth do you know for sure?

Raina Gradford What truth do you know for sure? It is essential to love yourself right now just as you are. Don’t wait until you reach that goal you set. You are the one you’ve been waiting for, so fully embrace your human experience in the body you have at this moment. It’s your vehicle here on earth. Let go of everything else and enjoy your adventure!

Desirée Dawson Best advice you’ve received?

The Wisdom of Women

Over time, I’ve learned the importance of “getting out of my own way.” Societal pressures, oppression and injustice are very real things that affect many of us in ways that hinder our ability to do certain things, but I’ve realized that there are certain times where I am standing in my own way of receiving all the blessings that want to come to me, out of fear. I’ve now found ways to explore the fears and thrive on the other side of them. Instagram: @desireedawsonofficial desireedawsonmusic.com Photo: Kaidra Mitchell

Kennae Miller What have you struggled with and what helped you through?

Thrive

I have struggled with what I call the “check-in”: having an idea to serve people, but instead of jumping to do it, sitting back and judging it to see how it would make others feel or what others would think instead of just doing it. What helps me get past that point is reminding myself that I was given the idea and if someone does not like it or agree, they can generate their own idea too. There’s space for everyone to thrive. What do you wish you would have known when you were 20? When I was 20 years old, I wish I would have known to listen to my inner voice— the voice within me that I allowed to be smothered by others that tried to tell me I was not good enough, or that I was too much of something. I think if I would have found my voice within myself sooner, I would have used it to speak up for myself as much as I did for others. Instagram: @transformationyogasc | transformationyogasc.com Photo: Jeffrey Bowens Photography

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After a lifetime spent studying human nature from behind a camera lens, I know for sure people have complicated lives and yearn to feel connected and seen. Instagram: @carolsternkopfphotography carolsternkopf.com Photo: Ana Hoshovsky

What do you wish you would have known at 20? I am already more than enough. Instagram: @soulshineyogaatx Photo: Elizabeth Van Huffel Photography

Live Life Now

Misty Powell What truth do you know for sure? Love heals; it is the key that unlocks the door to all hearts. It is the golden ticket to prosperity. Whatever you’re needing in life, love is the answer. You do not look outside of yourself for love; you know love by the way it feels. The kind of truth that comes from a lover is calm; it doesn’t refer to how anyone else is behaving; it brings clarity to who you are. Beautiful light rays of love are desirable, and if you’ve discovered the key to this gift, you have unlocked the safe to universal truth.

The Wisdom of Women

Nzingah Oniwosan Best advice you’ve received? Everyone will not or cannot love you. Do not take it personally. What is most important is that you can look yourself in the mirror and say with confidence that you are proud of who you are and what you do, and that you love yourself unapologetically. Instagram: @yesbabyilikeitraw yesbabyilikeitraw.com Photo: Dina Levinson

e v e r y

b o d y ca n d o yo ga

Rachael Gregory What truth do you know for sure? It is encouraging to see women supporting other women. Sometimes the “middle school” mentality can continue past grade school, into work environments and into relationships. Truthfully, we can all hold a seat at the table. As you climb higher up the ladder, reach back and bring others along. I wholeheartedly believe that building together is what makes the world a beautiful place. Instagram: @rachael31gregory rgsrecipes.blogspot.com

“

Donna Noble What is burning in your heart right now?

I wholeheartedly believe that building together is what makes the world a beautiful place.

”

Spreading the message that every BODY can do yoga regardless of their shape, size, ethnicity, ability or gender, so that the transformative benefits of yoga can be experienced by all. What do you wish you would have known when you were 20? That money does not necessarily lead to happiness. Health is the new wealth. Instagram: @donnanobleyoga @curvesomeyoga thenobleartofyoga.co.uk

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"You Alone are Enough."_Maya Angelou

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Slow Living in a Fast World

listen closely

“

When people talk, listen completely. Don’t be thinking what you’re going to say. Most people never listen. Nor do they observe. You should be able to go into a room and when you come out know everything that you saw there and not only that. If that room gave you any feeling you should know exactly what it was that gave you that feeling.

Mantra Inspiration:

@mantramagazine 2

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—Ernest Hemingway

”

Against Stress is Our Ability to Choose one Thought

Over Another.”

Choose Happiness

“The Greatest Weapon

Mantra Inspiration:

@mantramagazine

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10 ways to beat

MA NT RA

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Superfood

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Eco living tips for a stylish,

more beautiful, sustainable world

4 Steps to

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Working abroad

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Taste the rainbow spring rolls recipe Four delish brunch recipes by our favorite mother- daughter duo Next-level, supercharged recipes to start the day Tips for a better night’s sleep Life-changing wisdom from Mary Oliver Yoga for eye health Listening to your senses Be your own BFF Mantras for business Advice from fem-founder Kate Solomon Business as a force of good with founder Melissa Kushi Let’s get to business, tips for small businesses The wisdom of Rumi Three things I wish I’d known sooner about self-love by Sarah Sapora Relationship wisdom from Brené Brown and Angie Aker

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Mantra’s 30 days of inspiration Your peace is your power Yoga without the class by Sharon Gannon Raising self-aware sons

call ing it a life? List en—a re you brea thin g just a litt le, and —M a r y O l i v e r 4

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Steps to Rediscovering your Motivation + Regaining Your Mojo

e’ve all been there. There are those days, weeks and sometimes even months where we just don’t feel motivated. Whether you feel like you are just going through the motions each day or you’ve been trying to find enthusiasm for something new, I’m here to help you regain your mojo and get you feeling inspired again. So if you are looking to get healthier, start that creative project, improve your work-life balance or do something completely new, here are four tips and techniques to reignite your motivation.

Life & Wellness Coach + Author E m i l i a F r a n ce s ca Instagram: @_emiliafrancesca emiliafrancesca.com

Shake Things Up

K n o w Yo u r W h y

Sometimes, losing our motivation is as simple as the fact that we have become complacent in our day-to-day lives. We find ourselves going through the motions and feeling uninspired because every day feels the same. If you feel this way, then it’s time to shake things up in order to create some new enthusiasm and passion in your life. What gets you excited? What do you love to do but never create time for? How do you act when you feel your most fulfilled, happy and healthy self? What could you start doing now to bring these things back to your life?

Understanding your “why” for doing something is critical for having the motivation for it. A quote from Les Brown helps put it into perspective: “When your why is big enough, you will find your how.” Quite simply, if you really, truly want something, then you will find a way to make it work.

Build On Small S u c c e ss e s

When we start something new, we get super excited, which is great, but when we get excited, we often get a little too optimistic about what we are going to be able to achieve. Then, when the initial excitement fades, you are left with a mammoth goal that doesn’t feel achievable and quite frankly overwhelms you. Start small. Knowing your main focus or “end goal” is essential, but how are you planning to get yourself there? Consider what small actions you can take daily, weekly and monthly to help you achieve your long-term goal.

Whatever it is that you are currently trying to get motivated about, focus on finding your why, and your motivation will follow. For example: “Why do I want to achieve this?” and “Why will this goal improve my life?”

Eliminate t h e N e g a t i v i ty

When you want to achieve something, mindset is everything. Conduct an assessment on your mindset around what you want to achieve: Do you feel positive about it? Or do you find that you’re berating yourself, feeling that it is impossible or that you don’t have the willpower to achieve it? If you resonate with any of the latter, then it’s time for a mindset overhaul! Start monitoring your thoughts, paying particular attention to negative ones. Then get objective; you might be thinking, “I can’t do this,” so I want you to ask yourself why: “Why can’t I do this, what proof do I have that this is unachievable?” Maybe you find yourself saying, “There’s just no way I have time this week.” Again, get objective and ask why. “Why do I not have time? What am I choosing to do instead of prioritizing this?”

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Piña Colada

SMOOThIEs Chef Margaret Chapman Instagram: @plantphilosophy t h e p l a n t p h i l o s o p h y. c o m

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Serves

ingredients 1 tsp blue spirulina (optional, for color) 2 cups coconut milk ½ cup pineapple juice, reserved from can 2 cups pineapple chunks, fresh or frozen ¼ cup lime juice (2 limes) 1 cup cauliflower, fresh or frozen (optional) Toasted coconut, to garnish Lime wedge, to garnish Strawberry slices, pressed on glass INSTR U CTI O NS Prep ahead by freezing your pineapple or cauliflower to make this smoothie thick. Measure and blend all ingredients together, adding blue spirulina for color if

desired. Pour into glasses with strawberry slices pressed against the sides (optional). Serve immediately, topped with toasted coconut and a lime wedge on the side. notes You can also replace the cauliflower with fruit to make it a flavored piña colada. Try strawberry, mango or peach! You can also use banana to make these even sweeter, or silken tofu if you prefer a creamier smoothie.

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edenfoods.com

authentic mellow richness

naturally fermented

crisp bouquet

amber glass protected

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raw vinegar ÂŠ2018 Eden Foods 10140

with Mother

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Taste the Rainbow ! Chef Margaret Chapman Instagram: @plantphilosophy t h e p l a n t p h i l o s o p h y. c o m

ingredients Spring Rolls 5-10 sheets rice paper 1 zucchini, spiral cut 1 cucumber, medium ½ cup purple cabbage, shredded 1 cup butternut squash, spiral cut 5 romaine hearts, cut to size ½ each yellow & red bell pepper, thinly sliced ½ cup carrots, shredded 1 bunch green onions, cut to size

Almond Butter Dipping Sauce 2 tbsp almond butter 4 tbsp powdered peanut butter 2 tbsp tamari 1-2 tbsp sriracha, adjust to taste ¾-1 cup water 1 tsp garlic powder, or 1-2 cloves ¹⁄ 8 cup lime juice 1 tbsp coconut sugar INSTR U CTI O NS Spring Rolls Wash and cut veggies to size for rolling. I spiralize the butternut squash and zucchini. Cut the romaine hearts to about 2 inches shorter than the rice paper length and thinly slice everything else. The romaine hearts help keep your base sturdy. Run 1 sheet of rice paper under warm water for just a few seconds on each side, and lay it flat on a clean nonstick cutting board. Arrange your veggies together in the center of the paper closest to you. Roll forward and tuck inward, then gently fold in each side to close the ends. Continue rolling until you get to the end. Lay it seam down on a plate to rest. Repeat until you make as many as you would like. I make 5 large rolls. Sometimes I double wrap them if they’re tearing open. Serve fresh with almond butter dipping sauce.

Almond Butter Dipping Sauce Measure and combine all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor. Pulse until evenly combined. Pour into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Keeps fresh for up to 5 days refrigerated.

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Serves

1 to 2

Rainbow Zoodle and Almond Butter Dipping Sauce

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Yummy Vegan Summer Recipes from the Mother-Daughter Duo,

Beth (mom) and Lexi (daughter) Sinclair

Favorite Quote? Fo ll ow th em !

â&#x20AC;&#x153;To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.â&#x20AC;?

I ns tagram: @crowded_ki tchen a n d @c r o wde dkit c he n t r av e ls | c r o wde dkit c he n . c o m

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ingredients Crust 4 cups gluten-free pretzels ²⁄³ cup smooth, unsweetened peanut butter ¼ cup agave syrup 2 tbsp melted coconut oil

Filling 12 oz dark chocolate 1 can (13.5 fl oz) full-fat coconut milk INSTR U CTI O NS Combine all crust ingredients in food processor. Blend about 15 seconds, or until a sticky crust forms and all pretzel pieces are broken up. Use a spatula to scrape down sides and blend once more.

Press crust into an 11 x 1¹⁄ 8 inch nonstick tart pan in an even layer. Use fingers to press crust around sides for an even edge. Place in refrigerator to harden slightly while you make the ganache. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the entire can of full-fat coconut milk. Whisk occasionally. Don’t let it come to a boil or simmer; just let it heat up. Use a sharp knife to chop dark chocolate into small shards. If using chocolate chips, you can skip this step. Add to a large mixing bowl. Pour hot coconut milk over chocolate and stir with a silicone spatula until chocolate is completely melted. You may have to stir for a minute or 2 to fully melt all of the chocolate bits. Pour chocolate ganache into cooled tart crust, smooth with a spatula and top with chopped peanuts and flaky sea salt (optional). Return to refrigerator for 2 hours or until ganache is hardened. Store any leftovers in refrigerator for 5-7 days.

Underused Ingredients in the Kitchen?

How to Transform a Salad:

Shallots, onions, garlic, salt and other spices. Shallots, onions and garlic are the easiest way to add more flavor to just about any dish. We typically sauté shallots and/or onion, and roast whole heads of garlic for that perfect caramelized flavor. We also try to keep homemade pickled red onion or shallot in our fridge at all times to use as a garnish for tacos, etc. Salt, in our opinion, is either overused or underused, but more often underused. Salt is one of the bases for all flavor—if you’re eating a relatively healthy diet low in processed foods, there’s no need to be afraid of a little extra salt!

TEXTURE! Our favorite salad recipes are multi-dimensional in terms of both texture and temperature, meaning we often add roasted or pickled vegetables (instead of just raw), a crunchy element like roasted chickpeas, lentils, nuts and/or seeds, and a great dressing. Fresh herbs will always take your dressing to the next level—try adding basil to a summery vinaigrette or dill and parsley to a creamy tahini dressing.

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The Crowded Kitchen

ingredients 2 cups diced strawberries 3 cups diced watermelon 1 small roasted red beet 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced 1 tomato 1 jalapeño (if you’d prefer spicier, add seeds and pith; if not, remove them before adding) Juice from ½ of a freshly squeezed lime 1½ tbsp red wine vinegar ½ cup diced purple onion (rinsed in boiling water for 10 seconds) ½ cup fresh basil ¼ cup fresh mint 1¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp pepper ¼ cup olive oil

serves

Strawberry Watermelon Basil Gazpacho 14

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Garnish Coconut milk Fresh herbs INSTR U CTI O NS Wash and prep all ingredients.

Add everything, except olive oil, to blender. Start blending, and slowly stream in olive oil while blending. Blend for approximately 2-3 minutes, or until completely smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust spices as needed. Cover and chill for 2 hours. Serve with a garnish of coconut milk and fresh herbs.

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Makes

ingredients 1 medium-sized honeydew, flesh scooped out and roughly chopped (about 3-3½ cups) ½ cup fresh mint 2 tbsp basil 2-3 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced 3 tbsp lime juice 2 tbsp agave syrup 1 cup coconut milk 2 tsp vanilla INSTR U CTI O NS Blend all ingredients, except coconut milk and vanilla, in a high-speed blender until smooth. Divide in half. Set aside one half as dark green layer. Blend remaining

Makes

INSTR U CTI O NS Blend everything well (except ice). Add ice, blend again until desired slushie texture and enjoy immediately.

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half with coconut milk whisked with vanilla. This is the light green layer. Pour approximately 2½ tbsp of the dark green layer into ice pop mold. Freeze until mostly hardened (about 30 minutes). Add 2½ tbsp of the light green layer. Freeze until mostly hardened. If desired, add a final layer of ½ tbsp coconut milk/vanilla mixture. Let harden completely (4-6 hours) and enjoy! Run ice pop mold under warm water for a few seconds to easily release from mold.

ingredients 1½ cups frozen raspberries 1½ cups frozen or fresh pitted cherries 1½ cups diced watermelon 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice ¼ cup fresh mint ½ tbsp agave Pinch of salt 4 cups ice

The Crowded Kitchen

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Supercharged

Superfood

Summer Recipes

Adaptogens, Superfoods, Essential Oils & Herbs for Cleansing Marc Oliver Ritz Instagram:

@marcritz

-1-

Something New To Try in The Kitchen

-2-

Cinnamon roasted pumpkin.

I Swear By Adaptogens & Herbs I use them in smoothies, any milk drinks and dressings, sauces and treats. Especially ashwagandha and reishi. They have incredible benefits on my mood, hormones and overall well-being.

-3-

Ingredients For a Clean, Healthy Body Fermented apple cider vinegar, liver-stimulating lemon and digestive-enhancing ginger. Also, turmeric provides antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support.

-4-

Essential Oils

Recently, I discovered essential oils. Not only do I use them for spot treatment or in a diffuser, but I also use them in cooking. I love to give my hot or cold chocolates a kick by adding wild orange and cardamom essential oil. In addition, I love to add rosemary essential oil to my sweet potato wedges.

-5-

Favorite Quote

“You are the series of mistakes that had to happen for you to find your you.”-—Atticus

Icy Aqua Bowl3 serves

ingredients

14 oz coconut yogurt 2 frozen bananas 2 cups frozen pineapple 1 cup frozen grapes 1 heaping tbsp blue spirulina ¼ tsp cinnamon powder 2 tsp ashwagandha powder 1 tbsp chia seeds ½ cup coconut water Juice of ½ lime

INSTRUCTIONS Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender; blend until smooth. Pour into bowl and top with fresh fruit of choice, coconut shreds and granola. Enjoy!

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Nourish Bowl with a

Vegan Caesar Dressing ingredients Grains ½ cup red rice 1 tbsp rice vinegar 2 tsp nut butter Veggies of Your Choice 1 beetroot (sliced into ribbons) 1 carrot (sliced into ribbons) 1 Lebanese cucumber, cubed 1 cup mushrooms 1 avocado 6 heads of radish Any kind of greens (I recommend spinach and lettuce leaves) Pickled ginger Tofu Caesar Dressing ½ cup raw cashews (preferably soaked in water for 2 or more hours) ¼ cup water Juice of 1 lemon 2 tsp olive oil 1 tsp dijon mustard 2 garlic cloves 1 tbsp capers ¼ tsp salt Pinch of black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS Begin by cooking any kind of grain according to instructions. I use red

BlueMoon MYLK ingredients 1½ cups cashew milk* 1-2 tsp coconut butter ½-1 tsp blue algae powder ½ tsp ashwagandha** ½ tsp mucuna** 1 drop lemon essential oil 1 tsp coconut nectar (or any other sweetener of choice) Tiny pinch of salt

Radiance Matcha MYLK ingredients 1½ cups cashew milk * 1-2 tsp coconut butter 1½ tsp matcha powder ½ tsp reishi** ½ tsp schisandra** ½ tsp maca** 1 tsp coconut nectar (or any other sweetener of choice) Pinch of cinnamon Tiny pinch of salt

serves

rice. Stir in the rice vinegar and nut butter and set aside. After Cooking To make your Caesar dressing, add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend on high for 2 minutes, or until silky smooth. Pour dressing into a container/bowl and place in the fridge to cool while you prepare the salad. (Note: you can also pre-make a bigger batch of this if you would like to prep a few extra servings of this salad throughout the week.) To make the salad, prep any veggies you have on hand. Slice cucumbers, beetroot and carrot into ribbons and sauté some mushrooms in a pan with a little bit of coconut oil and a splash of tamari. Add spinach leaves, lettuce and spring onion to a large salad bowl, spoon over half of the dressing and toss all ingredients together. Keep the other half of the dressing in a serving bowl and add if needed. Add the chopped veggies, avocado, a sprinkle of nuts and a bit of pickled ginger, then devour.

Mylks!

INSTRUCTIONS Combine the cashew milk and coconut butter in a small pot and heat gently over medium heat. Transfer the warm milk into a high-speed blender, add the rest of the ingredients and whizz till well combined and super smooth. (Takes up to 1 minute.) Pour into cups, sprinkle some edible flowers and dried rose petals on top and enjoy.

NOTE *Choose any plant-based milk of your choice. **The adaptogens you choose for your mylk potions are entirely up to you. Based on what benefits you are hoping to reap, there are so many options. I encourage you to do your research and see which adaptogens call to you. Just make sure to keep portion sizes small when using adaptogens.

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Mantra Health

Tips For A Better Night’S Night’s Sleep The 411 on Plant-based Medicine For Relieving Sleeplessness ~ Simone Wan ~ L.Ac., M.S., Nationally Licensed Herbalist & Acupuncturist

Sleep is one of the most vital health habits we can take advantage of. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), qi and blood are drawn inward to regenerate your organs while you sleep. Blood and qi are vital not only to your brain, but to your digestive system as well as your heart. Proper amounts of sleep can help you lose weight, decrease anxiety and have optimal energy.

Something most people don’t know is that we have a “body clock” that regulates energy going into each organ at different times of the day. This clock can also be called our “circadian rhythm,” which is roughly a 24-hour cycle in the physiological process of living beings. Circadian rhythms are important in determining the sleeping and feeding patterns of all animals, including human beings. Science Daily says that there are clear patterns of brainwave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration and other biological activities linked to this daily cycle. In TCM, from 9 to 11 p.m., our thyroid and adrenals are being regulated and need rest during this time. This makes sense in that the sun has gone down and this is our time of rest and restoration. Often, though, people use this time to socialize, watch shows that trigger an adrenaline rush, and eat snacks as a pastime. This is exactly opposite of what the body needs. This time of night is the best time to dim the lights, take a warm bath, read a relaxing story and get ready for bed.

Try to fill your diet with foods rich in melatonin, such as: • Fruits and vegetables (tart cherries, corn, asparagus, tomatoes, pomegranate, olives, grapes, broccoli, cucumbers) • Grains (rice, barley, rolled oats) • Nuts and seeds (walnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, mustard seeds, flaxseed)

A more traditional dietary supplement would be to use calming herbs that produce drowsiness and relaxation. These ingredients don’t force you to sleep, but rather lure you to the luxury of sleepiness. Relaxing has other benefits, like less muscle tension in the morning and no morning drowsiness. My favorite herbs to use are mimosa tree bark, biota seed and jujube seed, all plant-based ingredients that benefit the digestive system as well as having calming effects.

{ Life-Changing Wisdom Tell me, what is it you plan to do with and your one precious life?

wild

loved

Someone I once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift.

Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.

from Author + Poet Mary Oliver

Instructions for living a life: Pay attention. Be . Tell about it.

astonished

Listen—are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?

Poetry isn’t a profession, it’s a way of life. It’s an empty basket; you put your life into it and make something out of that.

}

I don’t want to end up simply having this world.

visited

You must not ever stop being And you must not, ever, give anyone else the responsibility for your life.

whimsical.

attention

To pay , this is our endless and proper work.

Mantra Inspiration :

@mantramagazine

When it’s over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to . I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

amazement

I simply do not distinguish between work and play.

You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body what it loves.

love

10 ways ways 10

to beat allergies withayurveda Sarajean Rudman

photo: chantal instagram:

s autumn plants start to bud and flowers to pollinate, we find ourselves confronted with seemingly benign substances floating through the air, spelling discomfort for those of us who suffer from allergies. What exactly are allergies? Why do we have them at some points in our lives and not at others? Why is it that one person can gleefully play with their dogs for hours on end, while others can’t get within 200 meters of a puppy without developing itchy eyes and a fit of sneezing and coughing?

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@clangart

Three types of allergies can trigger these unpleasant reactions: food allergies, airborne allergies and contact allergies. In each case, the body recognizes something that’s typically non-harmful as harmful. The immune system boosts into overdrive to try to eliminate this faux pathogen. Some primary causes of allergies, according to Ayurveda, are genetics; weak agni, or digestive fire; a person’s state of vikruti, or imbalance; and the presence of ama, undigested or poorly digested food that turns toxic and interferes with processes in the body.

Here are 10 Ayurvedic approaches to help stop allergies in their tracks.

Use a neti pot daily, or twice a day, with a weak saline solution and distilled water, to loosen up the heaviness of kapha, or earth and water energy, in the sinuses. This also helps clear out allergens that may be sticking to the mucus membranes.

3 Take the Ayurvedic herbal compound trikatuâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a combination of black pepper, long pepper and gingerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;before meals to heat up the agni and improve digestion.

Avoid cold, heavy foods and drinks, including dairy, wheat, meat, sugar, processed foods, leftovers and iced beverages, as they can slow down digestion and dampen the agni.

Practice nasya: Dab a little bit of sesame oil spiked with eucalyptus or camphor in each nostril about an hour after using your neti pot.

9 Use warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, turmeric, cumin and cayenne in your cooking.

Go on a kapha-reducing diet: Eat warm, light, natural, cooked foods that are easy to digest. Focus on fresh, organic vegetables and fruits. Cook the vegetables with a little bit of olive oil to soothe the mucus membranes.

4 Exercise daily, for 30 minutes or so, to help stimulate agni and eliminate ama. This can be a brisk walk, a fun fitness class, a vinyasa yoga class, a hike, a bike ride or a dance class.

Take triphala tablets at night to help rid the body of excess toxins that can cause slow digestion. The Ayurvedic trio of amalaki, haritaki and bibhitaki, derived from fruits, works to cleanse and strengthen your system.

Develop a daily pranayama routine that includes Dirgha (Three-Part Breath), Ujjayi (Ocean-Sounding Breath), Bhastrika (Bellows Breath) and Kapalabhati (Skull-Polishing Breath).

Enjoy ginger tea throughout the day, as it sparks digestive fire.

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Benefits of Yoga on Eye Health Top

for the Eyes 5 Yoga Exercises {1} {2}

Aaron Barriga

Stretch Your Eyes

Rotate Your Eyes

Aaron Barriga is online marketing manager for InSight Vision Center, an ophthalmology center in California. He blogs to inform readers about the latest eye care technology and loves collecting coasters from different restaurants he visits during his travels.

Any exercise you perform begins with stretching. Increased blood circulation to your eyes reduces the risk of aches and pains that accompany exercises. In this exercise:

It’s now time to stretch your eye muscles.

n today’s fast-paced lifestyle, we often forget to silence the chatter of our mind, allowing our worries and tension to latch onto us. Today, yoga is being practiced by people across all faiths due to the benefits it offers, such as improved flexibility, better muscle strength, perfect posture, increased blood flow and better sleep.

• Count to two seconds, then look all the way down. • Count to two seconds, then look to your extreme left. • Repeat and look to your extreme right. • Now, move your eyes to all four diagonal corners. Your eyes may feel tight, which is a good thing. • Repeat the cycle for a minute, keeping your head stationary.

insightvisioncenter.com

Yoga contributes to mental and physical health, keeping anxiety and stress away. Exercises that promote healthy eyes help in minimizing eye strain, which will aid in better vision and give your eyes some comfort. Adding eye yoga to your daily routine can be done even at your desk. All you need to do is to take some time out from your daily schedule to ease eye discomfort, blurry vision and other symptoms of eye strain. The practice of eye yoga can bring stability to certain postures that require you to balance.

Effect of Yoga on Visual Discomfort Many people have jobs that require them to spend a large amount of time in front of digital screens. This is the major cause of eye strain and blurred vision. Incorporating yoga into your daily routine can have multiple benefits on your eye health, including: • Better vision • Improved concentration • Decreased chance of eye diseases • A calmer mind • Relief from eye strain • Comfort from dry eyes • Increase in spiritual insight

• Move your eyes from one side to the other, then all the way round in a circle. • In case you find it difficult, you can use your finger to move your eye in a circle. • Repeat the exercise about 20 times, making sure you do not move your neck.

{3}

{4}

Palming

The Figure Eight

This exercise is commonly practiced in yoga classes, schools and nursing homes. It helps you relax after a long day of work and is even a great way to start your day.

• Stare at a fixed object straight ahead.

• Rub your palms till they feel warm. • Then place them on your eyes until your eyes feel warm.

• Keep one eye closed. • Move your head in a figure eight pattern, keeping one eye focused on the object. • Repeat the exercise 10 times. • Do the same with the other eye.

• Focus on something and relax.

{5} Blinking This exercise is designed to improve your ability to see things that are distant by pasting some large letters on a wall, cut out from a newspaper. It is a great relaxation technique. • It requires you to take a few deep breaths, clenching your fists and the muscles of your entire body, like your face, eyes, head, chest, neck, arms, leg and stomach. • Keep doing it for five seconds at a time until you feel all the tension being released from your body. • Once you have done that, look at the letters in front of you. They should become clearer.

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Mantra Health

Lauren’s 6Senses Lauren White Dancer, Professor and Our Wellness Guru RYT-200, Cofounder o f the Vanlife App Instagram: @veganlifebylauren Photo: Morgan Pierre Photography

hile sweating and rigorous exercise (cardio, ab workouts, weight training, yoga and stretching) are part of my life routine, I find these six senses extremely helpful in aiding my physical practice. I recently learned that asana, or physical yoga postures, is just one part of a yogic lifestyle.

Get Silent (Sound)

Exercise Minimalism (Sight) Clear your space of clutter. Purging (and moving into my van) was one of the healthiest and most profound experiences of my life. There’s something about getting rid of everything except for your most curated collection of belongings.

Activate Olfactics (Smell) Heighten your senses. I use sage, palo santo wood, incense and essential oils to clear energy and set moods in my space. I don’t like any artificial fragrances or perfumes (not even deodorant). Try a crystal or organic deodorant wipes. Pheromones are sexy!

Find silence in your daily routine. I try to be silent for an hour a day, starting with 20 minutes of meditation the moment I wake up. People think I’m weird for driving in silence, but sometimes that’s the only other opportunity I get to be completely quiet and in my own space during the day. I take traffic as an opportunity to practice stillness in a world that is so frantic and reactive.

Incorporate Earth (Touch) Incorporate nature into your daily routine. I use crystals (favorites right now are selenite, rose quartz, malachite, pyrite and citrine) for different qualities like manifesting, grounding and intention setting. When I go for a hike, I touch the dirt, the rocks, the moss. Earth is our greatest tactile teacher.

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Nourish Your Body

Trust Your Gut

(Taste) Eat the rainbow. I eat as many whole organic foods as I can. Beautiful leafy greens, fruits, vegetables, nuts, lentils, rice, beans, seeds. So many colors! While I love the vegan movement in every capacity, I worry that our foods are becoming overly processed. We have to consider which foods help our bodies, minds and spirits perform the most optimally. I don’t think the answer is consuming food from boxes and plastic packaging.

(Intuition) Listen to you, boo. By that, I mean tune in to what really feels good emotionally. Does talking about others make you feel good? No. Does getting furious in traffic and flipping someone off show the other driver who’s boss? No. Does hating our exes help us grow? No. I think it’s critical to give other people the benefit of the doubt, talk highly of others and not take things so personally. We get so caught up creating stories and harboring anger toward people or events that we forget to live our own lives authentically. We have to reflect, learn, let go and move on.

Best Self-Care Tip? Be Your Own BFF Life Falls Apart, but You Don’t Have To. Mindful Methods for Staying Calm In the Midst of Chaos Julie Potiker

Author of Life Falls Apart, But You Don’t Have To: Mindful Methods for Staying Calm in the Midst of Chaos mindfulmethodsforlife.com | Facebook: @mindfulmethodsforlife

{ {

Do a Body Scan

Lay on your back with your arms at your sides, then follow the guidance from the app or video you select. You may feel tingling when you concentrate your attention on each body part, or you may feel nothing. Either way, it’s okay. Just stick with it. Every time your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to whatever part of the body you were on before your attention wandered off. If you can’t remember where you left off, start over with the toes on your left foot. I like to use the Insight Timer app for this exercise, and there are also several YouTube videos that can walk you through it. I used to always fall asleep during a body scan. One time, when I was super upset, I tried doing a body scan; I stayed awake the whole time and it actually calmed me down. That’s when I realized the beauty of this method. So try it in all different situations and see whether it works for you like it does for me.

Tips for Being Your Own Best Friend The less we care for ourselves, the more unlovable we feel, the less we connect with others and the easier it is to spiral out into depression and despair. The solution to this painful cycle? Be your own BFF.

{

Say

{

Loving-Kindness Phrases

I say loving-kindness phrases to myself all the time. Whenever I feel an emotion coming up that feels bad, my hand automatically goes to my heart and I wish myself gorgeous things like safety, peace, ease, love and happiness. Even when I’m not upset, I wish these things for myself. On a shelf in my closet, I keep a wooden figure of a woman with angel wings on her back and quotes on her flat body. She stands about 16 inches tall. Every day, I read the quotes out loud first thing in the morning when I am getting dressed. “Dear You, may you give yourself permission to trust your voice, step into your power and know that what you’re doing matters.”

{

Stay Connected

This seems like a no-brainer, but most of us submarine when we get really sad or depressed. Isolating ourselves only makes it easier for depression to take hold. I know for myself that when I’ve been at the bottom of the snake pit, I really haven’t wanted to share my story with friends because I get sick of hearing my own story. That’s when it’s time to call in reinforcements. I got professional help and paid a wonderful therapist to hear my story.

{

Take Care of Yourself

Do what you need to do for yourself so you can move through the hard times with the support you need—and your biggest ally is YOU. I haven’t been depressed for many years now, and I know that this is due to the combination of medicine, therapy, meditation and my self-compassion practice.

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Superfood Essential

Many of us fantasize about working from an island, exploring new cultures, and working overseas for long periods of time, no longer commuting to work or waking up at 6 a.m. But how do you do it? What you have to have are skills. Mad skills. You need to think like an entrepreneur, and the more skills you have, the more choices youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have, ensuring your success. For us, having choices is the ultimate freedom. It seems like everyone has an education, but few people have stellar tools, skills and experience. There are so few people that are excellent in their field. The world will get word quickly when you excel, and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll come knocking. Here are a few professions and skills for developing deeper financial independence and freedom. Remember to get creative.

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Choose Occupations that Can Work Wirelessly Research the people at the top of their field, study their work and hold yourself to this high standard.

Graphic Designers

Photographers

This one drives me nuts. For most of us, hiring a good designer can be time-consuming and frustrating. (It took us four years to find our queen Melody.) Collect fonts, study branding, learn to layer and study really good design by others in your field. Learn the difference between web resolution and 300 dpi for print. Please. Build a portfolio with lots of samples. Have a great stock photo site that you can pull from. Design requires not just creativity, but a lot of attention to details. There is a drought of great professional designers. We’re all looking for you. You can literally work seaside and travel with a steady clientele if you can make your clients look good. Subscribe to magazine apps and literally study the ads and layouts for ideas. There’s no excuse for bad design these days.

Everyone seems to be a photographer these days. It’s not hard to stand out when you’re really great. Master your lighting (the most important thing), shoot with a camera and master editing apps. Be diverse. Learn how to create gorgeous professional flat lays and shoot interiors and commercial venues. Product and food photographers are always in demand commercially. There are so few stellar photographers, so if your work speaks for itself, you can travel and work just about anywhere. Study tutorials on top bloggers’ sites and YouTube. Build your brand. Have a professional Instagram account with just samples of your work. Reach out to magazines if you’re traveling and offer to write your top ten recommendations for the city and provide photos. If you’re pro, concise and easy to work with, many of us are happy to pay for travel content. Check the best travel, food and lifestyle accounts for inspiration.

Social Media Managers Learn to create Instagram stories like Anthropologie and Create & Cultivate if you’re applying for a social media manager position. Learn the players, hashtags and trends in your particular field. Learn editing software and learn how to brand, brand, brand. Companies like ours are always hiring people who are quick, skilled, organized and up to speed on the latest trends and algorithms, and the best part, you work remotely. Your own Instagram account reflects your style, so curate it carefully or have a secondary account that you run with samples of your work. Your personal visual style and voice are what we are looking for. And always, always triple-check for typos in your text.

nual a M a r t n Ma Website Designers Three of our previous web hires crashed our website, and we had a little nightmare recovering it. One uploaded full resolution photos, where pages would hardly load it was so slow. You’ve probably felt the frustration yourself if you’ve ever tried to hire a designer. Learn everything you can about SEO and Photoshop, keep up with all the latest algorithms and integration with social media, and learn to care about the details. You can’t be sloppy when you’re representing a company to the world. One designer wouldn’t even check the live page after it was published and it was always a mess. Be meticulous with the content, check your work, watch tutorials, and set reasonable deadlines. People grossly overrepresent their skills in this field, so if you are good, we’ll all want to snatch you up. The best part is you’ll be able to work, live and travel the way you want.

Run an Online Shop Traveling to Morocco, Thailand, Turkey or pretty much any country with gorgeous wares? Create an online shop and learn to think like an entrepreneur. You’ll need to research shipping costs, build a website, take great photos (natural light is easiest), build relationships with artisans and learn how to connect with your audience on social media, scoping out all the relevant hashtags buyers search for. You can literally create a global market with handselected wares online. Many times shops in Marrakech will let you photograph and post a rug, tapestry or pillowcases, giving you two weeks to sell it online without actually purchasing it directly before it sells, and they do the shipping for you. Be resourceful, build relationships and set good boundaries. We have a friend who finances her travels selling pillow cases from Morocco. She captures stunning photos, easy in Marrakech, promotes them on Instagram with the right hashtags and sells out almost instantly in her shop. Since shipping can be sky high, another idea is to bring back your goods in large tapestry/rug bags, taped at the airport, and just pay the $60 airline fee per bag on your return flight, or rent a portion of a container if you want to bring back a ton of goods.

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,, Makers, Entrepreneurs and Creatives at Work

, Think big and don t listen to people, who tell you it , can t be done. Life s too short to think small. _ Tim FERRIS S

+ Mantras for Business INSTAGRAM: @mantramagazine

The critical ingredient is getting off your butt , and doing something. It s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer. _ Nolan Bushnell

today

A year from now you will wish you had started today. _ Karen L amb Dream big. Start small. But most of all, start. _ S imo n Sinek

ART OF DELEGATION

{now} , It, s not about ideas. It s about making ideas happen. _ Scott Belsky

The art of delegation is one of the key skills any entrepreneur must master.

, Don t get so busy promoting yourself/ brand that you forget to offer something useful to people.

_ Richard B ra nson

stick with it

do I have lived the life of the entrepreneur, and so I know the pain they are feeling. I know the daily ups and downs they go through. You know, they have their highs and lows sometimes within a matter of hours in a day. _ Ram S h r i r a m

Stick with it, even on the bad days.

Do. Or do not. There is no try. _ Y od a , J ed i M aster

_ Vivienne Harr

, If people like you, they ll listen to you, , but if they trust you, they ll do business with you. _ Zig Zigl ar

value yourself

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Either you run the day, or the day runs you. _ Jim Roh n Until you value yourself, you , won t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it. _ M. Scott Peck

Man tra Ma kers + Self-Made Wo men Mantra: Three things you wish you would’ve known earlier in business?

A Guide For Women In Business Interview with Kate Solomon Creator + Founder of Babo Botanicals®

@babobotanicals babobotanicals.com

Instagram:

photo of kate: Mark

Jessamy

Kate Solomon: 1. That business is like a sport. At all times, you must be ready to change strategies. 2. That your team is your number one asset. 3. You always have to be pushing your limit, because the playing field changes DAILY! Mantra: One of the biggest struggles you’ve had growing a successful company? KS: The ability to turn off. I haven’t turned off in 10 years and I wish I could. Hiking a mountain not thinking about something related to Babo would be a great escape. Mantra: Any advice for our entrepreneurs? KS: Read or listen to podcasts from entrepreneurs on their own stories. I have learned so much from their journeys. I love the podcast How I Built This on NPR. Mantra: Any advice for women growing their own companies? KS: Women are exceptional leaders and employees. Ninety percent of my company is women. We have five female interns in our office this summer. Mantra: Why did you decide to create Babo Botanicals? KS: My deep, deep passion for developing natural products and addressing family health. I got to combine both my interests and loves. Mantra: Something you could not have guessed or predicted when you started? KS: That over a million babies have been bathed by Babo. That is pretty surreal to me. Mantra: What books are you reading?

Kate Solomon, creator and founder of Babo Botanicals®, developed the brand through her love and passion for natural beauty, purity and the power of plant science when she became a mom and couldn’t find products she felt comfortable using on her own children. She founded a botanical- and mineral-based health and beauty brand for the entire family, creating natural dairy-, soy- and gluten-free hair and skincare, and chemical-free mineral sun care.

KS: I love reading to my 11-year-old son. Right now we are reading Open by Andre Agassi. Agassi speaks so much about his persona becoming a brand (which was not deliberate), so it actually is a business and sports story combined. Before that, we read Refugee, a powerful story of three children who lived in different times trying to escape three wartorn nations. Mantra: Favorite film and concert? KS: I loved La La Land. What can I say? Music, dance, love and emotion—how can it get better? I just went and saw Dead & Company with my three kids. It was quite the cultural event for them!

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M an t ra Ma k er s + S e l f-Ma de Wom e n

F emale Leaders + Business as a force of good

Her Organic Farm, 100 % Solar-Powered Salt Company a n d Ta k i n g Ca r e of C om mu n i t y Female Founder, Melissa Kushi of HimalaSalt Instagram:

Mantra: Three things you wish you would’ve known earlier in business?

Mantra: Something you could not have guessed or predicted when you started?

Melissa Kushi: 1. Learn from others’ mistakes! It can save you major setbacks and money. 2. Know your weaknesses—surround yourself with exceptional people who fill the skills gap. Further develop and be on top of your strengths. 3. Be ready to change your strategies in a heartbeat.

MK: I started off bootstrapping in an abandoned school building. That was wild—and we quickly outgrew it. I’ve never used a co-packing facility because transparency and quality are my passion— and this trust has sold over 50 million salt shakers. I never envisioned that five years in, I would buy my own facility. Through green renovations and operations, we’ve created positive impacts on climate, environment and quality of life. I’m excited that we installed onsite solar, which powers 100 percent of our needs, we’ve generated over 200,000 kilowatt hours of clean solar, and we started an organic farm on our six-acre campus that sequesters over 12,000 pounds of carbon yearly and provides free farm shares for staff. We grow more than we consume and donate the extra to help support over 400 families in need with young children in our community.

Mantra: Two of the biggest struggles you’ve had in business or growing a company? MK: 1. Navigating my own energy. Making myself a priority, carving out time and feeding my wellbeing. My mantra has become: “My energy is my mana.” It’s an inherent cliff for serial entrepreneurs and quality energy shines through our work and our brands. 2. Deciding not to seek venture capital. After doing my initial angel round of funding, I stopped. I had observed many in the industry who took on investors without heeding the fine print, only to be pushed out of their own creations. Mind blowing! Fortunately, I’ve been profitable from day one, and I still own 88 percent of my company. It has meant wearing too many hats, practicing controlled growth and studying the data, yet it has allowed me to grow organically with a very strong foundation.

Being mission-based, our 5 percent giveback to youth organic farming education is investing in next-gen earth stewards and future organic farmers for food security and climate change. We’re now installing a teaching center on campus for programs with local elementary and middle schools. It’s a deeply satisfying journey that just continues to unfold.

Mantra: Any advice for our entrepreneurs?

Mantra: Why did you decide to create HimalaSalt?

MK: Take that wild, courageous, entrepreneurial spirit and own it. Channel it into the perseverance and resourcefulness needed to sustain your biz. Stay true to your vision and take care of your team— they are your foundation. Pay a living wage.

MK: As a former plant-based chef and teacher who also studied marine biology, my concern over the environment and state of our oceans since the early ’90s have guided dietary choices for my children. From sea to plate, the impact of microplastics and pollution on food safety is real. Years later, studies show that nanoparticles of plastic are in grains of salt harvested from our oceans. HimalaSalt is over 200 million years old and harvested from a protected source deep in the Himalayas, free from pollution. Being quality obsessed, it’s what I wanted for my own children who’ve been raised on a plant-based organic diet. It’s love.

Anyone can create a product, but not anyone can create an awesome values-based brand. Hone your values to build a mission-based company that will inspire you, create deep meaning for your team and give back to society and the planet. Authenticity, integrity and transparency are your best friends. Never compromise on quality.

@himalasalt | himalasalt.com

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Melissa is a social entrepreneur who created bamboo microindustries in Africa, replaced cacao crops in the jungles of Peru with organic colored cotton and introduced Japanese heirloom soybeans to U.S. farmers to stem GMOs in our food chain. Her passion for producing clean, value-added products continues to drive her brand.

Mantra Makers Guide

Let’s Get To Business Lessons From Our Mistakes

Learn From People Who’ve Done it

I’m always a little baffled by business coaches, corporate coaches or life coaches who have never built a business, started a company or achieved any level of success, coaching other people on how to be financially successful. I’m not saying it doesn’t work, but the best lessons I have learned have been from people who’ve actually done it. Study the best and read their advice and struggles.

Watch Your Emails Your emails say a lot about you. You may voice dictate to your colleagues where it’s barely decipherable, but emails to clients should be perfectly formatted, professional and on point. If you are communicating with someone outside of your organization, never get so friendly that you get sloppy. Don’t use different sizes of fonts and different colors in your professional emails. Be concise, organized and include everything in one email. It makes you look unprofessional, spacey and scattered when you have to send three emails to say what you could’ve said in one. Remember the when, where, what and why, and proofread emails before they go out.

Hiring Mistakes + Things To Watch For

Entitled people will drain your life force

You took a chance on a very young new hire with absolutely no experience in your field, and they roll in with a list of demands—a specific type of computer, crazy amounts of time off, a laundry list of benefits, and they want the biggest office. You need to know how to look out for the signs. These types of employees and coworkers will not lead you to any place great.With this type of clueless, entitled thinking, they will generally take everything they think they deserve when they leave, including all of your contacts.

2 Watch out for people who are too nice

They are so nice, in fact, that you think you don’t need to check their references, that you feel bad that their last boss was so mean. They almost seem like Pollyanna, just too good to be true. These will probably be the ones that stab you in the back the hardest, and you won’t see their sneakiness coming. The best part—they’ll make themselves a victim and you will be the next bad, mean boss. Get everything in writing, and have a tight contract. In business, I like direct, upfront and straightforward people who sometimes step on my toes. I know exactly where they are at all times, and I don’t have to worry about them being underhanded.

Hire people on a trial basis

Because of employment laws, a former employer can’t really warn you about the person you’re about to hire. You never know what you’re getting, even though it’s such a huge commitment. Try a 30-day trial first so you can see how they function, perform and how quickly they can carry out tasks. Plus, they can figure out if they’ll be happy working with you.

5 Hiring for startups

If you are running a small business or startup, look for passionate people who don’t want to clock out at 5 p.m. Larger companies can absorb those long-lunch types better than a small business where growth is critical. Someone spoiled from the perks at a larger firm might not always be the best fit for a small, fast-paced, bust-a-move business.

Check their work

I see underqualified people overvaluing their work, and highly qualified people always doubting their worth and their work. Be careful of the overconfident overseller, because those have always been underperformers for us. I call it the triple Leo syndrome. Check their portfolio, references and work history.

6 Big D, Little D

Some personality types are better for certain positions. Big D: highly detailed people. If you are a creative, having a detailed person checking everything is always an asset. Big personality people don’t always excel at positions with a crazy amount of tedious detail and are usually better on creative and sales teams. Detailed people are a must for accounting, copy editing, looking at contracts, etc.

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The Mantra Guide:

Sustainable Living

The ECOrenaissance:

Co-Creating a

stylish, b e a u t i f u l, sustainable world Creati vity, Connection, Collaboration, Community and Consciousness for a Better World Marci Zaroff Author of the new book ECOrenaissance Instagram:

@marcizaroff | marcizaroff.com

38 38

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This is such an exciting time with unlimited potential to shift the trajectory of the entire planet.

ot too long ago, I used to have to drive an hour to find the closest health food store or yoga class. The green lifestyle movement was confined to a small, niche community, dismissed by most as crazy hippies and granola-lovers.

was crunchy, frumpy, boxy, beige and boring. I drove hours to find organic produce, but the health food stores of the time were limited and cramped. I knew that “green” would never become mainstream if it involved this much sacrifice.

While I don’t deny my inner tree-hugger, I’m also very much a material girl. I love fashion, travel and delicious food, and I live in a high-rise in Manhattan. I wasn’t raised in a commune, ashram or a yurt. And I don’t grow my own food or climb trees daily (although it probably would be good for me). So how did I get here?

I felt a deep calling to be part of the solution. If I could take people on a journey where ecology looks, tastes and feels amazing, I could change the world for the better. I always knew, in my gut, that an ECOrenaissance wasn’t an if, it was a when.

My journey down the Green Brick Road was a combination of synchronicity and my unquenchable search for more—ideas, innovations and solutions. It was never about leaving anything behind—it was always about yes, and. Looking and feeling fabulous shouldn’t come at the expense of living in harmony with the environment—surely I couldn’t be the only one who thought this. When I was starting out, though, style and ecology were seen as two dichotomous worlds. I sought out fashion companies that were forward thinking, but everything I came across

Just over two decades later, I watch in amazement as the world of sustainability continues to transform before my eyes. There is now a widespread acceptance and demand for gorgeous and green. It’s a completely different world, and every single day I wake up and feel like I’m living my dream. And this is just the beginning. This is such an exciting time—with unlimited potential to shift the trajectory of the entire planet. Consumers are voting with their dollars, sending a strong message to corporations by prioritizing holistic health and wellness, and today’s business role models are clearly showing that commercial success and environmental

purpose are not mutually exclusive. Your choices can impact both your personal life and the harmony of the world around you. As I see it, the change begins through creative collaboration, exciting innovation, riveting inspiration and stimulating education in areas such as art, food, wellness, fashion, beauty, conscious business and conscientious consumerism. This movement is about co-creating a stylish and sustainable life while redesigning new paradigms to effect positive change in the world. We’ve all heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” Well, you also are . . . What you wear. Who you spend your time with. What you put on your skin. What you buy and support. Where you choose to go. What you focus on. How you spend your time. What you put in your household. The thoughts you have. The words you use. How you treat the world around you. Remember, every choice is part of you.››

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Creativity, connection, collaboration, community and consciousness—this is the DNA of the ECOrenaissance, representing a radically new way of thinking. At the end of the day, these ideas all interlink to form a sustainable, holistic and fulfilling existence. These concepts are absolutely critical in my day-to-day life, both personally and professionally. They inform all that I do, by constantly reminding me to stay in resonance with my truth and to commit to living and working with purpose. These five pillars serve as a road map to guide you toward this inspiring, empowering movement. Once you embrace these principles, you’ll discover a more rewarding life— one where you feel connected, supported, sustained and healthy.

+SUSTAINABLE FASHION

Art is the fundamental language of the ECOrenaissance. Art is excitement, beauty, passion and inspiration. Both creating and experiencing art can wake up our minds and our hearts, connecting us to the joy of being alive. Art speaks to us on a level that can only be described as intuitive. Become a part of the new artistic vision and ECOfy your creative energy!

Beauty in this movement is about authenticity, about connecting with the internal love and light that we all possess, and then sharing it outwardly with the world. The defining tenet of the ECOrenaissance is understanding ourselves and each aspect of our lives as essentially and intricately connected to the ecosystems we live in. Nature is the ultimate source of beauty. And when we give ourselves permission to just be, simply as we are, the beauty of the entire universe shines through us. Beauty is timeless because our light is endless.

Fashion is the second largest polluter in the world, next to coal, and likewise is one of the most powerful forces for transformation in the world. We’ve gotten so far away from our connection with the earth, perpetuating a synthetic, toxic, exploitative industry, that it’s no longer about our relationship to what we’re putting on our bodies as it is about a relationship to ourselves. It’s the worst of the worst of the industries if you combine the negative environmental and social effects— but it doesn’t have to be that way. The fashion industry has the dual ability to be powerfully transformative or deeply destructive. The worlds of style and sustainability are not mutually exclusive. It’s time to make organic fibers, zero waste, a circular economy, radical transparency and Fair Trade fashionable. We have the power to look good, feel good and do good in the world.

No Compromise in Material or Meaning

No Compromise in Function or Quality

No Compromise in Style or Substance

Below I address each key spoke in the wheel of popular culture and share these fundamental mantras.

+CLEAN BEAUTY +ARTFULNESS

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+FOOD SYSTEMS

+TRUE WELLNESS

+BUSINESS

The ECOrenaissance in food is about celebrating, honoring and protecting the beautiful nourishment that nature provides us. We have to cultivate the understanding that true health starts, quite literally, from the ground up. Soil is the foundation of our food, so strong soil is directly linked to healthy humans and a thriving planet. Vital movements around GMO-free, organic, regenerative and plant-based are taking the food industry by storm.

ECOrenaissance wellness is the convergence of mind, body, spirit and space. For true alignment, we must explore our relationship with the earth and our homes, and how we can use nature’s wisdom to heal our physical bodies and elevate our spirits, connecting back into all that is. We need clean air and water to exist, yet humanity remains the greatest threat to our ability to maintain them. It’s important that we shift our actions both individually and collectively to become protectors of what is actually at the core of our very own survival.

It comes down to changing business models in this movement, and expanding our power as consumers. We can vote with our dollars for products, services, brands and companies that align with both our personal and professional values. Good business is about serving others, not profiting at the expense of people and planet. The global awakening that is the ECOrenaissance starts at the individual level, with people who have come alive and are living their truth every day. You too can be a part of the new love economy in business.

No Compromise in Taste, Health or Ecology

No Compromise in Value or Values No Compromise in Physical, Emotional or Spiritual Health

Through these six modalities, we’re collectively experiencing a total rebirth. As we unify our energy, creativity and actions, we co-create a new existence. Never doubt that this is possible—the fundamental nature of human beings is to innovate. What once seemed so intangible is now touching the lives of those we know and love in our own backyards—as hurricanes, fires, earthquakes and floods continue to pick up steam. We have no choice: the time has come to heal, nurture, renew and inspire real and lasting change for a sustainable and regenerative future for all.

The wonderful thing about the ECOrenaissance is that, in healing our broken world, we only gain, growing exponentially in wisdom, joy, health and happiness. We find that this movement is not about austerity, deprivation and sacrifice. It’s about love, passion, joy, light and abundance. It’s “yes, and,” not “either/ or.” The idea that this evolution revolution is about depriving yourself comes from the same mindset that has equated happiness and success with meaningless consumption and waste—at the expense of other human beings and the home we all share. So, with equal amounts of urgency and excitement, we actively enter this new chapter of humanity. Welcome to the ECOrenaissance.

ECOrenaissance Marci Zaroff coined the term “ECOfashion” and is a recognized ECOlifestyle expert, educator, innovator, serial ecopreneur and founder of many leading sustainable fashion lifestyle companies. Marci has been instrumental in driving authenticity, environmental leadership and social justice worldwide.

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lov e

Th e W i s d o m o f

R umi Mantra Inspiration :

@mantramagazine

Th e w o u n d i s t h e p l a c e wh e r e t h e l i gh t e n t e r s y o u

light '

. .

Lovers don t f inally m e e t s o m e whe r e Th e y r e i n e a c h ot h e r a l l a l on g

Let the beauty we love b e wh a t w e d o

lov e .

Stop act ing so small You are the universe in ecstat ic mot ion

fly ,

. ' ' . .. . '

D a n c e wh e n y o u r e broken open Dance, if you ve torn the b a n d a g e o ff D a n c e in the middle of the f i gh t i n g D a n c e i n y o u r b l o o d D a n c e wh e n you re perf ectly free

da nce

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Your task is not to seek for love but merely to seek & f ind all the barriers wi thin yourself that you have b u i l t ag a i n s t i t

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing a n d r i gh t d o i n g there is a f ield I ll meet you there

Let yourself be silently drawn by the stronger p u l l o f wh a t you really love

. cour age Sell your c l e v e r n ess and buy bewilderment

When you do things from your soul y ou f e e l a r i v e r moving in you a joy

, .

joy

SEEK

Forget saf ety

You were born wi th w i n g s wh y p r e f e r t o c r a w l t h r o u gh l i f e ?

What you seek is seeking you

As you start to walk out on the way the way appears

, . , .

Everything in the universe is wi thin you Ask all from yourself

self

beauty Raise your words not your voice I t is rain that grows flowers not thunder

. ..

L i ve wh e r e y o u f ear to live D est r o y yo ur reputat ion Be n o t o r i o us

' ,

Don t be sat isf ied w i t h s t o r i es h o w t h i n g s have gone wi th others Unfold your own myth

myth '

Don t grieve Anything you l o s e co m es round in another form

Y es t e r d a y I was clever so I want ed to change the world Today I am wise so I am changing myself

If y o u a r e irri tat ed by every rub how will your mirror be polished?

gr ow MANTRAMAG.COM

Things I Wish I’d Known Sooner about Self-Love Sarah Sapora an Almost 40-Year-Old Instagram: @sarahsapora bodyloveworkshop.com

thought I could buy it. I thought I could paint my walls and decorate my home and it would magically appear. I thought, if I tried harder, if I was prettier or thinner, that I would wake up one day and it would be in my heart. It would be implanted in my head. But the truth is that self-love evaded me for most of my adult life. I thought I had my shit down pat. I thought I knew everything I need to know about loving myself. I bought the shapewear, posted the pictures on Instagram, met the guys online, kept my roots perfectly colored 365 days a year. I THOUGHT that was what self-love was. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Sometimes great shifts happen in life—it can be as quick as an instant that the chasm splits your reality into shattered pieces. I experienced a few moments like that which caused my universe to tilt. And with that came the raw reality that I didn’t have my life together the way I thought I did. So I got down, and dirty, and began to do the hard work…. I’m walking my way into 40 this September. There is not a bone in my body that is hesitant

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Lesson 2: Self-love is stillness.

It’s not music or food. It’s not a second (or third, or fourth) glass of wine. It’s not “sexting” that guy from the gym or doing whatever you naturally want to do to “numb out” when things get hard. Self-love is found in stillness. It’s found in between breaths when you have to renegotiate with your negative thoughts again and again and again. It’s that moment late at night when everything feels like it’s falling apart, and rather than succumb, you surrender. As humans, we do everything we can to avoid pain. Self-love makes its home inside our pain; don’t tune stuff out, don’t inject emotional anesthetic into your veins. Sit in the stillness and, on the other side of the hurt, you will find the love.

Lesson 3: Sometimes self-love is bullshit. And that’s totally ok. Self-love is a hot topic these days. Scroll through your social media and you’ll see an endless stream of influencers encouraging you to embrace your curves and flaws as they are. There are some days you just need to tell your self-love to suck it… and if ONE MORE perky tween tells you to love your stomach pooch, you may scream! News flash, nobody loves themselves all the time. Sometimes the best we can muster is a little peace. And there are days that even that is too hard. Screw the scented candles and bath bombs! Sometimes self-love is literally pulling yourself out of bed. Taking a shower. Putting on clothes. And trying hard not to punch everyone around you in the face. Run with it. (I mean, don’t punch people, but let your self-love ebb and flow like it needs to.) I promise, it’s ok.

about this new chapter of life. Yet, there are things I wish I had known sooner. Truths I have spent the last few years cultivating and watering like tender seeds in soil. I wonder how much more I could have done with the last 20 years if I had understood these things.

Lesson 1: You can run but you can’t hide and heal. There is no dream job or new outfit that can heal the hurt that keeps you from living in a state of radical self-love. You can move cross-country and back a few times (lord knows, I have) and traverse Europe with a backpack… the hurt will still follow you around. You can fall in love and out of love, give birth, start new projects or buy new cars. Unfortunately, there is not a single thing in the world but YOU that can give you the self-love from the inside out that you deserve. Your friends can remind you. Your lovers can inspire you. But there is nothing that will do for you what you are not willing to do for yourself. And if that gets overwhelming? Faith. Faith that there is another way to feel other than how you feel at this exact moment.

“

Self-love is not always quiet and easy and smooth. Sometimes it is raging and forceful. Sometimes it is hidden. Sometimes it screams.

”

Pema Chödrön, the American Buddhist nun, reminds us that to be fully human and completely awake is to be “continually thrown out of the nest.” Self-love is not always quiet and easy and smooth. Sometimes it is raging and forceful. Sometimes it is hidden. Sometimes it screams. But it can be a constant force if we call upon it. If we let it in. Our life will continually force us into discomfort, but to love ourselves fully is to experience this discomfort as it is and allow it to move us down the river as it is designed to.

self -love

The Mantra Guide

Relationship Wisdom Abusive People a busive people are awesome at playing the victim. They can be people you’ve worked with and respected, people whose art you admire, people who’ve stood up against other bad people. In fact, abusers like to hide out in the warm regard of others and are often proactively cultivating it to give themselves just such a comfortable and safe perch.

Creating Narratives Shero, Angie Aker Instagram: @angelinapepina

One of my best friends is a counselor for abusers and their victims. She told me that almost without fail most abuse victims she encounters minimize anything bad their abuser ever did to them, while maximizing any good attribute, no matter how tiny. They usually try to keep it as private as possible. If they do speak out on it, it’s usually years and years later once they've healed some and gained perspective.

almost without fail most abuse victims she encounters minimize anything bad their abuser ever did to them, while maximizing any good attribute, no matter how tiny.

On D ee p S tr u gg le

O w n in g Our S to ry

So if you see someone going through a breakup and one person is straight up trashing the other in their posts or in their art or in conversation, while you don’t hear much from the other party about it at all, you can guess what’s possibly going on—narrative building. Don’t be fooled.

Wisdom f r o m Brené Brown

I’ve come to this belief that, if you show me a woman who can sit with a man in real vulnerability, in deep fear, and be with him in it, I will show you a woman who a) has done her work and b) does not derive her power from that man. And if you show me a man who can sit with a woman in deep struggle and vulnerability and not try to fix it, but just hear her and be with her and hold space for it, I’ll show you a guy who’s done his work and a man who doesn’t derive his power from controlling and fixing everything.

do the work

She also shared that almost without fail the abusers she treats do the opposite. They play up any tiny infraction their victim ever did, any flaw they have, in an effort to try to make their actions seem justified, or to maybe tell themselves that they aren’t a monster— they’re spinning a story about two people being equally bad. They need to make their partner appear, or ideally be, as broken as they know they themselves are.

Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.

Every single person has a story that will break your heart. And if you’re paying attention, many people... have a story that will bring you to your knees. Nobody rides for free.

Our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.

When we deny our stories, they define us. When we own our stories, we get to write the ending.

Owning our story can be hard, but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky, but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy— the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.

E m b ra c e Who You A re

People may call what happens at midlife “a crisis,” but it’s not. It’s an unraveling—a time when you feel a desperate pull to live the life you want to live, not the one you’re “supposed” to live. The unraveling is a time when you are challenged by the universe to let go of who you think you are supposed to be and to embrace who you are.

let go

Daring greatly means the courage to be vulnerable. It means to show up and be seen. To ask for what you need. To talk about how you’re feeling. To have the hard conversations.

Healthy striving is self-focused: “How can I improve?” Perfectionism is other-focused: “What will they think?”

W hat ma k es you vu l nerab l e ma k es you beautifu l .

E ffort + the cou rage to show u p = eno u gh.

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Day 1

Day 2

Claim It

Be Where Yo u A r e

I fling the past behind me like a robe... I have outgrown it.

Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy.

—Ella Wheeler Wilcox

—Guillaume Apollinaire

Day 3

N ot S o r ry There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself. —Steve Maraboli

Less is More There are two ways to get enough. One is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less. —G.K. Chesterton

Day 5

Day 6

I t ’s a C h o i c e

Yo u A r e N ev e r To o L at e

I’m choosing happiness over suffering, I know I am. I’m making space for the unknown future to fill up my life with yet-to-come surprises.

Allow yourself to be where you are.

—Elizabeth Gilbert

Day 7

T ru e B e au t y I think happiness is what makes you pretty. Period. Happy people are beautiful. They become like a mirror and they reflect that happiness. —Drew Barrymore

Day 4

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Day 8

It G e ts To o H e av y You can forgive yourself now.

Day 9

Day 10

Just Be

Yo u r R evo lu t i o n

If only we’d stop trying to be happy, we could have a pretty good time. —Edith Wharton

Stop worrying about your thighs and start celebrating your life. —Maranda Pleasant

Day 11

Day 12

Be Free

Ta k e Yo u r P ow e r B ac k

Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair...

Nobody gives you your power; you just claim it.

—Susan Polis Schutz

Day 13

Yo u D e fi n e Yo u Don’t let your struggle become your identity.

Mantra’s

30 Days of Inspiration & Motivation Instagram:

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Day 14

Day 15

F low With it

Make Up Yo u r Mi n d

If it comes, let it. If it goes, let it.

Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be. —Abraham Lincoln

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Day 16

Let it Go Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything—anger, anxiety or possessions— we cannot be free.

Day 17

Call Yo u r s e l f Out Being able to recognize and eliminate your own toxicity is important.

—Thich Nhat Hanh

Day 18

S ay I t O u t lo u d If you see something beautiful in someone, speak it. —Ruthie Lindsey

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30 Days of Inspiration & Motivation Instagram:

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Day 19

Day 20

Begin Ag a i n

N ew Beginnings

Know this: you can start over each morning.

Don’t let your old hurt get in the way of your new love. —Cleo Wade

Day 21

Soften Find someone you can heal with. —Yung Pueblo

Day 22

Li v e I t T h e Way Yo u Wa n t The only courage you need is to live life the way you want. —Oprah

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Day 23

Where Yo u Should Be Trust the timing of your life.

Day 24

L e t Yo u r s e l f Be Vulnerable The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open. —Chuck Palahniuk

Day 25

Day 26

Just Go For It

Enough A l r e a dy

Fortune favors the bold. —Latin Proverb

Let’s stop valuing women based on their appearance.

Day 27

Day 28

Edi t. Edi t. Edi t

H ot Wat e r You can’t be brave if you’ve only had wonderful things happen to you.

You get to write your story and rewrite it as many times as you need.

—Mary Tyler Moore

Day 29

Day 30

S avo r Ev e ry t h i n g

Am I U n d e r s to o d?

Remember to slow down and savor your life. Make it as delicious as you can.

“No” is a complete sentence.

—Maranda Pleasant

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You r Peac e is Yo ur Po w e r Jaime Robbins Instagram: @jaimethinksaydo | jaimethinksaydo.com

Every time I hear the words,“Step into your power,” my eyes roll so far back into my head that I practically choke on my eyelashes. It’s not because I don’t believe in individual power, but because I find the phrase to be overused, misguiding and empty.

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tepping into your power” is designed to promote empowerment, activate a fire within your soul and create a human foundation that cannot be broken apart. Though the intention behind it may be pure and good, I’m not sure anyone really knows what these words mean and how they are supposed to actually step into their own power. It’s become one of those blanket phrases that “spiritual people” say without providing any direction/work for the listener.

However, the truth is also that “stepping into your power” requires us to do some (a lot of) work to find it. Instead of posing on the podium and pretending to be a force to be reckoned with, have a seat. Sit. Down. Close your eyes. Sit like this for as long as you can. Most of us will last for three minutes. The mind/body is programmed to protect, cope and escape. Be grateful for those skills, because they have helped you survive up to this point. But now, acknowledge that you have some reprogramming to do.

“Stepping into your power” suggests that we have to move our feet and take a step into something else, as if somehow our power is not exactly where we are and who we are. As if it’s over there, behind the corner to the right and 18 inches to the left. Pull your earlobe three times and you’ll get it.

Sit down. Again. Close your eyes. After a while, you ever-so-slightly relax and begin to ever-so-slightly surrender. And this is where your power comes from. You need to sit in your past and present your pain, your suffering and your strength. You don’t take a single step. You stay. And you breathe. You watch all of the stories play out in your head: She did this; he said that; why did this happen to me; I should have done this; I ought to be that; and on and on and on.

The truth is it’s not over there, or anywhere. It’s here. Right now. In you.

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You stay. After a while, even bigger things will come up, like people, places and things you haven’t thought about in years. Everything that bubbles up to the surface means something. And those thoughts stay with you, because once you see something, you can’t unsee it. You acknowledge the thoughts and the feelings that are attached to them. As much as you want to push them away or shove them into a box marked “never open again,” you stay. You sit. You breathe. You keep the box open. Bringing the thoughts and feelings to the surface allows you to be honest about your past and your present. It lets you see very clearly who you are, what has happened to you, what you have done and how you feel about all of it. It’s exhausting, I know. But stay with it, because you’re working towards your power. Your voice, your authenticity, your confidence, your light and your strength are all waiting for you underneath the peace umbrella. Your peace is your power. You work through your past and present pain. You practice self-love by going to therapy, taking walks outside, talking to your loved ones, having group discussions and journaling. It’s hard. It’s not something you can apply a simple buzz-phrase to, post a meme about or snap a cute selfie of to get dozens of likes. It’s not pretty. But once you have confronted what has been covering up your true self, you may find that you reach a place of acceptance and forgiveness. And with acceptance is peace. And once you have peace, you feel physically and emotionally lighter, and then you begin to understand your power. Like most things in life, sitting to uncover your power is easier said than done. My friend Erin says, “Honestly, finding the brighter side of my life has been a disgusting journey through my own shit.” Summoning the courage to “sit down” requires vulnerability, which some people don’t equate with strength. Being vulnerable is scary, because it means we have to acknowledge what is. Vulnerability allows us to admit our mistakes, our shame, our insecurities. When we’re vulnerable, we can clearly see our talents, our desires and our feelings. Vulnerability unveils our many innate gifts. All this work is scary alone, but holding your hand alongside vulnerability is also grace. Grace is unconditional love, and she is given to us at birth from a higher power. Grace shows up to wrap us in a warm blanket and to help us through our pain. She doesn’t shelter us, but she holds the blanket close around our

shoulders. She reminds us that we were doing the best we can then, and we are doing the best we could now. She’s the one who steers us towards acceptance. And then she nudges us to uncover our gifts. Grace points down to our feet to show us we’ve been wearing Dorothy’s red slippers the whole time. She allows us to realize we didn’t need to step away from ourselves, but that we are already equipped to bring ourselves home to ourselves and to offer this world the gifts that we have been given. Grace may even lead us to understanding the entire purpose(s) of our existence. And that is powerful. I’ve been talking with a lot of friends and acquaintances about this power thing for a while. After hours of discussion, my friend Gretchen captured this process best: “Stepping into your power actually takes a major life overhaul. It’s a full-time soul-searching job that takes vulnerability, admitting failure, reevaluating all of your friendships and relationships and weeding out the empty ones. It’s admitting that your choices have shaped your reality, including the things you hate about it. It’s recognizing that what you have been doing isn’t working. It’s breaking bad habits, changing thought patterns, getting more sleep, eating the right foods, re-parenting yourself and giving yourself what you lack. It’s learning what loving yourself actually means. It’s recognizing your exes weren’t bad people, that you just weren’t in sync at that time in history or maybe ever. It’s digging through your shame, getting comfortable with feeling pride in what you are good at, naming your desires and a hundred million other things that have to happen and continue to happen. It’s a path. And it’s 100 percent internal.”

“It i s bei n g hon est a bou t m y pai n th at m akes m e i n v i n ci bl e. ” — N ay y ir a h Wa h e e d

Uncovering your power takes time. Instead of a stepping into power, we’ve got to think of it more as taking a seat at a table with vulnerability and grace, and then proceeding through the difficult process of peeling back the layers obscuring your power. Once you’ve found your power, your existence will be softer and more purposeful. That power is yours to take with you in every move you make, because it is you. It’s then that you find you’re able to speak up for yourself, help people in need, pay it forward, give back, write, dance, draw, run, every-actionword-that-applies-to-you. Don’t doubt it: your foundation is strong and your soul is well. You have peace, purpose and power. You are quite simply you. And if you ever feel like you’re losing your power, sit back down with vulnerability and grace. Your peace is waiting for you again, and again, and again.

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Yoga Wit h out t he C l a ss

N i n e Way s t o P r a c t i c e Yo g a + S e l f - Ca r e E v e r y Day Sharon Gannon Cofounder of the Jivamukti Yoga Method and author of The Magic Ten and Beyond, a practical guide for anyone looking to incorporate more self-care into their life Instagram:

@jivamukti @sharongannon | jivamuktiyoga.com

photo (opposite page): @idreaminflowers

With yoga centers in just about every city, town and village in the world today, we have many opportunities to take yoga classes and to study with qualified teachers. Class with others is great, and it has many benefits, but sometimes, because of schedule demands or financial limitations, attending a yoga class may not be possible. That shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean that you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t practice yoga. Yoga goes beyond physical poses and can be practiced in many ways, so a class isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t essential.

Then what is yoga and who can be a yogi? Yoga means to join, reconnect or remember, so anyone who wants to remember his or her connection to the eternal Divine Self and is willing to do something to help that journey can be a yogi. There are only two important jobs in life for a yogi: to remember the Divine Self and to be kind to others. Kindness is a powerful antidote for self-centeredness, and self-centeredness is the biggest obstacle to yoga. Here are a few easy practices you can do to bring greater peace and well-being into your life and make the world a kinder place.

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b e ca u s e o f s c h e d u l e demands or financial l i m i t at i o n s , at t e n d i n g a yo g a c l a s s m ay n o t b e p o s s i b l e . T h at s h o u l d n ’t m e a n t h a t y o u ca n ’t p r ac t i c e yo g a .

» G r at i t u d e . Life is a privilege. It is vital to cultivate humility, because through humility we can diminish selfish tendencies. Gratitude awakens humility and humility leads to yoga, to self-realization. You can infuse more gratitude in your life and begin each day with positivity by practicing this as soon as you wake up: while still lying in bed, give a silent prayer. For example, you could say, “Thank you for this day.” Over time, your discipline will train your mind and you will gracefully wake up in a mood of gratitude.

» Send Blessings. Allow the image of someone you know to arise in your mind. As you inhale, silently say, “Blessings and love to—” and as you exhale, silently say the name of that person. As you give the blessing, try to visualize that person receiving your blessing—see them surrounded by light, filled with joy and optimism.

» Cuddle Time. Spend five to 15 minutes with your cat or dog. Be sure to give them 100 percent of your attention— don’t divide or dilute it. For example, when walking your dog, don’t talk on your cell phone. If you live with a cat, get down with them. Actually lie down on the floor or pull them up into bed with you and hold them in your arms, petting them and telling them how much you love and appreciate them.

» Feed the Birds. Feeding wild birds results in powerful good karma. Place a bird feeder outside your window and fill it with organic seeds. Or, carry seeds in your pocket and feed the birds as you walk

outside to catch the bus or subway in the morning. Birds and other wild animals are having a hard time surviving in a humancentered world. When you feed others, you karmically ensure that you will always have enough to eat. When you nourish wildness in another, you keep it alive within yourself.

» Turn Upside Down. Do a handstand or a standing forward bend. Simply bend over and drop your head. Turning the body upside down is refreshing: it improves overall circulation, defies gravity and can turn a frown into a smile. Placing your head lower than your heart puts your heart in an elevated position physically, energetically and emotionally. Letting your heart lead allows your intuition to kick in, giving you a broader perspective on your current situation.

» Sit Dow n & L ook Ar ou n d. Being thankful leads to relaxation. Choose somewhere in your house or apartment and sit down for a few minutes. Scan the room around you and simply be thankful for your home. If critical thoughts arise—like, “This floor is covered in dust, I should vacuum,” or, “I never realized how dirty that window is”—let these thoughts go for the time being. It doesn’t mean that you are resigned to live in a dirty home. When it comes time to clean, you will actually be able to do a better job because you will be coming from a place of inner peace, which increases clarity.

» Stop Feeling Sorry for Yo u r s e l f.

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minutes, quiet those thoughts and let go of that negativity. Instead, shift your mental focus to something you can do to enhance the life of someone else, and make a plan to execute it.

» P r e pa r e a Ve g a n M e a l . A vegan meal is a compassionate choice. It contributes to well-being and joy for animals, does not cause destruction of the Earth’s environment and is a great boost for your health. Making vegan choices is also great for your karmic footprint, because whatever we do to others, we do to ourselves—eventually but inevitably.

» Write a Letter. Sending a handwritten letter or card to a person who you haven’t communicated with for a while can be a tremendous lift to that person’s spirit. Fill your letter with good news, and leave out complaints, regrets, accusations, etc. Try not to talk about yourself too much.

Remember, a practice implies doing something consistently over a long period of time. You can’t experience much benefit by just trying something once or twice, so choose one or two of the practices suggested and integrate them into your daily routine. You will soon notice more feelings of peace, connectedness and compassion settle over your life.

Sharon Gannon is an animal rights and vegan activist and a world-renowned yogini, perhaps best known as the founder, along with David Life, of the Jivamukti Yoga Method.

You may have a list of good reasons why you should feel sorry for yourself. But for just a few

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Mantra Parent ing

›› Sean Patrick Hughes Author of , Veteran, Nonprofit Founder and Father of Three Boys.

Hurt People Hurt People Teaching our sons to see themselves in the suffering of others and realizing their strength is through service, not dominance, bravado or violence chartwellwest.com care4us.org

still remember the girl everyone picked on in my third grade class. I don’t remember anything I learned in that class. I barely remember the teacher’s name. I don’t remember who my best friend was or who I spent time with or much of what I did at all.

But I remember her. She was tall. She looked older than everyone else. I realize now she probably was. Her clothes didn’t fit right and the other kids said her hair was cut like an old lady’s. They said she smelled too. I didn’t think she did, but that didn’t matter because everyone said she did. She was quiet and didn’t participate much in anything. No one knew her family or

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where she came from before third grade. But she didn’t seem very good at school. When she was called on to read aloud, she struggled and stuttered and sounded things out. The other kids called her dumb. I remember it 30 years later. The earth has traveled 17 and a half billion miles since then, and that memory has traveled with me—the tall girl with the old lady hair whose clothes didn’t fit right that everyone said was smelly and dumb. One day she wasn’t in school anymore. And almost no one ever saw her again. Almost.

Somewhere after being bullied in school, she disappeared from the life of a child and ended up doing the shopping and cooking and all the other things one imagines that the woman of the house does. All that was unimaginable about that was her own. No one else’s. I remember the bully from my school too. He didn’t discriminate. He bullied everyone. He was big and angry. He cried when he got mad. But mostly he was just plain cruel. The tales about punching the bully back and he’d leave you alone were just tales with him. He just punched back harder. He used to put his fingers in his mouth and throw spit at people because he could do it in class without the teacher hearing it. No one knew his family either. Or where he lived. We just knew him. And then one year he disappeared too. And no one thought we’d ever see him again. We did though. His end was different. He’d gotten into drugs and taken to beating up elderly women for their purses. Eventually he murdered one in the parking lot of a restaurant. At his trial, his mother begged the court for mercy. She said he was a good man, just caught up in addiction. I knew better. Whatever made him the way he was, it wasn’t new. He was mean as a snake his whole life. There’s a saying: “hurt people hurt people.” It’s true. And it’s a valuable thing to remember, especially when dealing with kids. But there’s something incomplete about it. It implies some symmetry about the world that’s simply not there. Hurt people don’t hurt people. Hurt men hurt people. The wounds we inflict on each other, the ones that time alone won’t heal, are almost all dealt at the hands of men—93 percent of all murders, rapes and non-prostitution sex-related offenses are perpetrated by men; 97 percent of mass shootings are carried out by men; 93 percent of federal prison inmates are men; 77 percent of the time we men kill each other. The overwhelming majority of women that are assaulted, raped or murdered are done so by men. Of all the humans in the world who could kill a woman, half the time it’s her

I don’t know what was happening in the background of the lives of that little girl and that little boy when no one was around and no one was looking. What I know is where they ended up. One of the hardest realities to swallow, as a man, is the asymmetrical nature of the poor outcomes of troubled childhoods. This is one place where it’s obvious that the outcomes, at least, for men and women are very different. Hurt women don’t hurt people, not the way that men do. Their tragedies are so often their own. As for us men, we take far too many others with us. I’m the father of three boys. Three boys that one day will be men. And the only perspective that I’m interested in, relative to the discussion of men and violence, is my responsibility to the world for who they become. And what becomes of them. And the fates of the people whose lives they touch. Contrary to popular belief, Johnny Cash songs or social media, my job isn’t to teach my sons the hard lessons of life. Life will take care of that for me. Of that I’m sure. There’s enough pain and loss and heartbreak coming to them—a lifetime’s worth to teach them about the truly hard things that I will never be able to.

I , m the father of “ three boys. Three boys

that one day will be men. And the only perspective that I , m interested in, relative to the discussion of men and violence, is my responsibility to the world for who they become.

I do need to teach them accountability, of course. But that’s best taught by example—by watching me go to work every day, come home and treat their mother and those around me with respect. It’s taught as I honor my responsibilities and admit when I’m wrong and apologize. Not by hammering them when they do things wrong. My place in this world, the one no one else can fill, is to teach my boys that they are loved. And that they have worth. And that the world is full of people worthy of the same. To teach them to see themselves in the suffering of others. To teach them strength through service, not dominance, bravado or violence.

“ Hurt women don , t hurt people, not the way that men do. Their tragedies are so often their own. As for us men, we take far too many others with us.

“

Maybe it was something in the way she looked at me. She was scared of me, not him. I didn’t want to ruin it.

intimate partner— husband, boyfriend, ex—that does it. Usually he shoots her.

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A few years later, I think when I was 12, I saw her. I was at a friend’s house. He didn’t go to my school in third grade and therefore didn’t know the girl as I knew her: as my third-grade classmate. He knew her as the girlfriend of the man who lived in the house next to him. I saw her bringing in groceries. She looked much older than us by then. And probably was by a year or two. Maybe she was 14. Maybe 13. And she was with him—a grown man with kids of his own that she was also caring for. She recognized me. I could tell. But she never said a word to me. I didn’t say anything about her to anyone either. I don’t know why I didn’t.

At stake are the lives of everyone they touch for the next 70 or so years. The women who trust their bodies and safety to them. The children who will look to them for the same they look to me. It’s a hell of an important job. And no one else is going to do it.

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