This post is from my dear friend, Dee Holden. She is a plant intuitive and a great person to learn from when it comes to all things green and good.
Connecting with Plants
Eating flowers is one of my favorite things to do in the Summertime. They share their healing vibrations with us when we eat them. The flowers of these plants are edible: alliums, bee balm, borage, calendula, cornflower, dandelion, johnny jump ups, lavender, lilac, nastursium, pansy, rosemary, wild roses, violets, squash blossoms and sooo sooo many more.
Remember to identify the flower exactly and eat only edible flowers and edible parts of those flowers. Never harvest flowers growing by roadsides or flowers sprayed with pesticides or other chemicals.
Flower salads and calendula pancakes are yummy, healing and certainly beautiful, yet there are also ways to experience the healing effects of the whole plant: heart, body, soul and spirit.
This is a story of finding bliss in an ordinary place. May it inspire you to follow your own bliss, and connect with the truth and oneness within.
This weekend I turned my front porch into a temple.
I brought out most of my crystals and many luxurious fabrics; I created a sanctuary and proceeded to spend the better part of two days there.
I played my guitar, drummed and sang with my djembe. I painted sacred words on stones (more on that later).
I spent a lot of time in meditation and mantra. Sometimes I’d pick up a crystal and just sit, tuning into its vibrations and listening to the message of the moment. Sometimes I would work with energy and intention.
Sometimes I just sat and watched my breath.
One of my companions was the ever present book of poetry by Rumi which lives on the table on my porch. I love to pick it up and open to a random page to see what gift awaits me there.
It’s always so delightful to find a new recipe for enjoying salad, especially one that includes the medicinal benefits of shiitake mushrooms!
Shiitake mushrooms are considered one of the most important mushrooms in the East, and are used to boost the immune system and support healing for many conditions.
I get mine from Michael’s Mushrooms at the Kamloops Farmer’s Market, and they are so fresh and delicious!
For many people, the idea of a bunch of lettuce isn’t the most exciting thing in the world, but there are ways to make salad absolutely scrumptious!
In fact, many (possibly most) of my meals at home are different variations of salad. Salad wrap, veggie sandwich, rice or quinoa salad, etc. It’s easy, it’s quick, and SO nutritious.
So here’s my latest creation:
Farmer’s Market Salad with Shiitake Mushrooms
Feeds 2-4 people. Approximately 15 minutes to prepare.
“Sometimes advanced yoga is doing Legs up the Wall pose when everyone else is doing arm balances.”
This was the sage advice given to me by one of my Anusara yoga instructors during a time where I felt like I was falling apart, but just kept pushing instead of allowing the process to unfold and then pass.
Yet once I’d been given permission, or more accurately, once I’d given myself permission to lay on my back and swing my legs up the wall while the rest of the class was playing on their hands, I realized that is where I needed to be.
And I begun to listen to myself. And the intensity passed, for I was no longer fighting it.
This is an example of something I think so many of us do. We keep pushing and forcing ourselves to do more, not rest – to try to keep up with the break-neck pace of ambition or need in life.
But it doesn’t work. It isn’t sustainable if it’s not sourced from the limitless energy that breathes us and dances in our blood; that energy that dances in everything that is.
When we push ourselves too hard and have unrealistic expectations, often it leads to anxiety, to living in a state of feeling like it’s all too much, or that we’re not good enough. And then all sorts of things can come from that, if left unchecked, including adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome, and all manner of stress related physical manifestations.
So what’s the out? How do you shift that feeling of “There is never enough time”?
Much of the world has turned its healing focus on the situation in the Gulf of Mexico. Below is a video where I lead you through a mediation for healing the Gulf, and the earth, as well as brightening your own heart.
The oil spill is a microcosm, showing how detrimental some of our human practices can be, and awakening a massive motivation for change. Using intention and visualization, you can send powerful light to the oceans and the earth – this has been done in many ways and makes a great deal of difference.
This meditation was ‘given’ to me by a great Earth Healer; a giant Smokey Quartz crystal. Crystals contain great wisdom, and this particular crystal is a very powerful healer with depth and far reaching insight.
I asked it to give me something to offer as healing for the Gulf Oil Spill that I could share with you, and yesterday – at dawn on Summer Solstice – I put it on video.
Below the video is the transcript of the meditation I was given.
I received this message in my email today. I’m not sure where it originates, but I think it’s worth posting. See if you resonate with this message and meditation.
If you meditate on the vision and energy of a Net of Light, as described below, even for a few minutes each day, you will contribute significantly to the healing that is so needed right now.
Though the Grandmothers speak here in an urgent way, there is much hope.
Stay in the light of your heart as you do this work. This light is limitless, boundless, and capable of healing ANYTHING.
When your heart sings, beauty breathes more fully within you and shines brightly all around you.
But to hear the song of your heart, you have to first listen.
Within silence, all sound exists. Every melody and beat is there, waiting for their time – ready to contribute to the dance of life.
You know when you hear or feel a deep truth? It moves you. It hits something far within, maybe bringing tears to your eyes.
The song of your heart comes from truth, from the pure love-light being who you truly are. And every time you pause to tune into your breath, or listen to the call of your spirit, that truth becomes more clear.
Even if you don’t actually like to sing out loud, we each have a beautiful singer within. When you honor yourself by following the path that your soul asks you to take, your own personal song lights up the entire matrix of life that we call the world and universe.
The following video is me singing one of the songs of my heart. The mantra itself came to me in a meditation, and the melody simply appeared one day, birthed out of silence. I hope you enjoy it.
I could use a little more awareness in my lower hand here - see how it's collapsing slightly to the outside? So much going on in the pose, even I need to remember to align my hands. 🙂
Good alignment is good therapy, and optimal alignment is what brings the freedom in yoga therapy.
This can be anything from knowing how to place your hands and feet to aligning with your intention and coming into the natural pulsation of the breath.
One thing that comes up a lot for people is pressure or pain in the wrists. However, when you use the alignment principles of Anusara® yoga and apply them to your own body, that pressure and pain can disappear.
When you’re in a weight bearing pose on your hands (downward dog, handstand, push-ups, plank, gardening, etc.) your foundation has a lot to do with what you feel in your wrists. This means the way you place your hands and fingers translates to what you feel.
The following video that explains three of the most important points to know about how to align your hands.
Though this video speaks mostly to the added challenge of having your hands on uneven ground, this alignment goes for any surface and position where your whole hand is on the ground. When you practice outside or on carpet, the stakes are higher and it becomes even more important to align mindfully. Watch to find out why…
No, we don't always dress up in silly costumes for Boot camp... Just one day per camp session. And I tell you what, we have a LOT of fun! (even on the days when we're not wearing tutus.)
Who knew fitness could be this fun?! An incredible community of women are finding out just how much you can actually enjoy getting in shape with the Yoga Fitness Boot Camp.
We wake up in the early Kamloops morning, watch the sun rise over the mountains, and find the perfect balance of intense fitness exercises and centering yoga. It is transformational, and this program is changing women’s lives.
“I want you to know how good I feel and how much respect I have for you as a teacher – you make welcoming room for individuals of varying ages, sizes and abilities while still challenging your students to go to their edge.” – Constance
As a yoga instructor, this program is challenging and so much fun to teach. I call on all of my skills to bring the sacred into a very physical workout, make sure it is safe and that there are different options for women of varying fitness levels, and somehow find the edge where everyone is working as hard as they can while still having a blast!
We even had a costume day this past Friday. It was smiles and laughter all around. Really, how can you not have a good time when your instructor is wearing a blue wig and the person across from you has on a ridiculous hat?
Why all the fun? Because it works. When you’re in a fun loving community, you want to come to class. You naturally encourage each other, and it’s not such a struggle to give everything you’ve got, because the light hearted feel helps carry you through.
When you’re in the feeling of joy, things flow more naturally, and your heart lights up every part of you with delight. That’s good yoga, no matter how long you’re holding forearm plank for, or how many lunges you’ve done. When you align with the Spirit, whose nature is pure goodness, everything else is simply more available to you.
It’s really amazing to hear comments like “I didn’t think I could do 10 more seconds, but then I did and I realized my capacity is so much more than I thought!”
What an honour it is to lead this program, and to be a part of this community of women. Kamloops has some very special ladies, and a great group of them are in this Boot Camp.
One day, years ago, in a training with Anusara® yoga’s founder John Friend, I learned the significance of each day of the week. Since it’s Sunday, I’ll expand on it’s meaning below, but I figure I’ll give you my notes on each day to quench some curiosity first.
Meanings of the days of the week.
Sunday: Dedicated to the Sun. As this is the first day of the week, here we set our intention.
Monday: Day of the Moon. A day for balance, turning in.
Tuesday: Dedicated to Mars. Power, fire, initiation, masculine energy.
Wednesday: The day of Mercury, known as the messenger. This is the bridge between worlds, uniting Feminine and Masculine energies. A day of awakening, communicating.
Thursday: Jupiter’s day. Since Jupiter is the weighty one, this is also the Guru’s day. A day to honor your teachers and celebrate the teacher within. Big energy day.
Friday: The day of Venus. Beauty, feminine Goddess energy, a sense of expansion and goodness rule this day.
Saturday: The day of Saturn. This day has an energy that concludes or binds, being the last day of the week. Saturn is like the old man, or patron of the cycle. Masculine energy.
Setting Intention with Yoga
The sun holds a seemingly limitless amount of energy and power.
This post is from my dear friend, Dee Holden. She is a plant intuitive and a great person to learn from when it comes to all things green and good.
