Why I love Yoga... Take 2

When the weather drops below 45, I move to the porch: bright, cheery, & open window for fresh air. Below zero, bright sunny days, are still Yoga pleasant on the porch.

4+ years ago I wrote an article titled  Why I Love Yoga and Other Thoughts on Whole Food, Whole Health Healing. I have shared, many times, the ways in which Yoga benefits healing body, mind, and spirit. Type "Yoga" into the search bar, over there to the right, and you will find Yoga posts on weight loss, healing, body benefits, stress... you name it. I recommend it. Yoga that is.

Yoga is a self healing retreat every time you step onto the mat and every time you step out into your world living life from a space of deep interconnectedness that Yoga spins and weaves for you; that you spin and weave for yourself.  

If 45 degrees F... yoga on the deck is my preferred place to practice. Yes, cats are a reoccurring theme in this mindfulness; sensing & appreciating the peaceful energy.

So often people tell me: "Oh, I do stretching exercises, I don't need yoga."  Most people equate yoga with doing poses. Yoga is not just about the poses on the mat. That is part of it. Yoga is a way to bring presence of mind to your daily awareness. The poses are a way to embody mindfulness. Poses help to move life force energy, embody breath with movement, and guide our actions into a conscious connection with our true self.

Poses support you synchronizing breath with body, mind, and spirit. Breath is spirit. Yoga poses teach you how to be strong, flexible, and balanced in body, mind, and spirit so you can step off the mat and be strong, balanced, and flexible in all areas of your life activities, in all of your interactions, in your essence of being in this world.

Yoga is a way of being in the world that supports our moving with the flow of the universe, making conscious decisions based upon thoughtful wisdom and mindfulness around choice and consequence, and walking through daily happenings with a presence of peace and contentment (even when life seems to hand us chaos).

Magic happens when a person practices Yoga. Yoga is a tool to connect self with life force energy: inner life force energy and the life force energy of the universe (which are one & the same).  The universe pulses on and with life force energy. Practicing yoga is a way of tapping into this universal energy, wisdom, consciousness. Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years. All indigenous cultures have healing systems for tapping into the infinite. 

Deepening Practice for you... Yes, this is your Self Healing homework.    ; )   

I will happily send you the word document or PDF files of these below Yoga pose practices. You can print and laminate them if you choose. Email me with your request.   pyoumell@gmail.com

Yoga Stick Figures by Charlotte Bradley of Yoga Flavored Life.

The " Back Story" of Voluptuous V™

Sometime in early 2014, a friend requested support with menopausal vaginal symptoms. I did a Google search looking for a product to help soothe and lubricate her vulva and vagina. I found several that were sort of natural but nothing that met my standards of a product I would put in or on my own body. I have a deep commitment to health... if I would not eat it, I will not use it for body care. 

I gave up and told her that I would create a 100% natural and organic product to soothe her vagina voluptuous again. We had a good laugh in my kitchen and over many conversations since. 

2 days later I had whipped up a batch. I called it Voluptuous Vagina™.  VV™ for short. I wrote about it in many blog posts on my "other" blog that is exclusively for female centered health topics: WiseWomenRedTent   

For 3, 4 years... maybe longer, my gal friend used it. I gave out jars to friends and clients locally and in various places about the USA.

Forwarding to May 2017... I tell Shelby Connelly of Five Elements Living that I am thinking of finding someone to make it in big batches and sell under my label: Paula Youmell, RN, Wise Woman RN®. 

Shelby said without hesitation: Hell No! We are making it! 

I said: Seriously?

To which she said: YES!

Shelby is an amazing front end woman: designing product packaging and marketing our business/product together. I get to do what I love: create in the herbalist's kitchen.

Long story short... Five Element's commercial kitchen is where I hang my hat and herbalist's apron 2 days a week to make this luxurious formula for soothing the female anatomy. 

To learn more or purchase your 2 oz jar of Voluptuous V™, visit our website pages:

https://fiveelementsliving.com/shop/voluptuous-v-2-oz-jar/

http://www.paulayoumellrn.com/voluptuous-v-luxe-feminine-emollient/

We are committed to woman's health, topically & internally, for whole body-mind-spirit health. 

Grounding Yourself for Emotional Healing

1.    Remind yourself that you are in complete control of you.

2.   Start your day with an AM grounding experience. I do a blended visualization / meditation that takes 5-7 minutes and grounds me for the day.  I sit on the stone steps in my back yard with my feet in contact with the ground. (Urban dwellers, sit and visualize your feet in the grass, connected to Mother Earth!) I close my eyes and visualize white light coming from the ground, up through my Chakras and Nadis, then turns around at the crown Chakra and goes back into the earth taking all negative (dark light) energy back into the earth to be absorbed. I visualize white light coming from above, through my crown Chakra, and circling back up at my root Chakra taking negative energy back into the atmosphere. I do both of these twice.  Next I visualize white light coming from the earth again, up through my root Chakra.  When It turns the corner at my crown, this time it goes back into the earth and creates a root system from my tailbone down into the earth. Now visualize white light from the crown Chakra, turns at the root Chakra and turns again at the crown Chakra to go back into the earth.  Again, visualize the roots coming from your tailbone deep into the earth to ground you for the day’s challenges. Finally, I swirl white light energy around my body, from feet to head, like a twister moving up my body. This is to protect me from negative energy and other’s stress.

3.   Create peace in your life with a regular yoga practice. The benefits of Yoga are profound.  You will intuitively move towards healthier choices in your life. Your mind will become calm. Your body will respond physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually to the beauty of yoga.  Your body will be in the flow of life. This is true mind -body -spirit healing.

4.   Nourish your body with 100% whole foods. To get started on whole food eating, pick up a copy of my book, Hands On Health: Take Your Vibrant, Whole Health Back Into Your Healing Hands. Read the Free info on my website: Principles of Whole Food Eating,  Whole Health Lifestyle Choices, & more Free Health Info

5.   Get to bed and be asleep before 10 PM.  When your body is asleep before 10 PM, the level of stress hormones in your body drops. When you stay up late, burning the midnight oil, your body pays through higher levels of cortisol hormones. This is stress.  Sleep, sweet dream sleep, before 10 PM and your body’s glandular system works for you in a balanced manner, making happy feel-good hormones!

6.   Get outside every day, preferably moving your body. Yes, I mean exercise. Call it movement magic that heals the divine you!  Something as simple as a brisk paced walk in the fresh air and natural light can do much to reduce stress, create feel good hormones, help you sleep better at night, and ease the challenges of daily life so you can think clearly and make healing choices around food and your health habits. Get outside in sun/wind/rain/snow/fog, walk barefoot, sit on ground, hug a tree, rest your spine against an old growth tree… just breathe in the world around you. Your body, mind, and soul will thank you for this grounding, earthy experience.

Positive, holistically-minded, lifestyle choices make for healthier, happier living.  For a full list of lifestyle choices I recommend to my holistic health coaching clients, click here.     More Free Health & Self Healing Info, click here.

7.    Create a grounding habit you can return to, in a moment's notice, for immediate calming energy. Here is how...

• Find a body motion (hands in Namaste or prayer position or a Yoga Mudra that calls to you),
• a "saying" or mantra* (Amen, Namaste, Blessed Be, Mitakuye Oyasin, Om mani padme hum), and
• a visualization of a space in nature that is sacred to you.

When you close your eyes and do all three you will bring yourself to a place of inner calm. Proceed forth from a space of thoughtful action as opposed to emotional reacting.  The ideas in parenthesis are just that, ideas. Create a 5 second ritual that is your special way of coming into your calm. Use it daily. Use it in any moment that you need to stop and think rationally before you proceed forward in your next step or choice. This is a quick grounding experience.

Be Well; Very, Very Well, Paula   ; )

Extra posts on creating calm, grounding, and healing eating/health habits: 

• Create Constant Calm
• Why I Love Yoga and Other Thoughts on Whole Food, Whole Health Healing

To find more related posts do a search on my blog for: yoga, weight loss, &/or mindfulness.

*Saying or Mantra meanings, they are all Blessings

• Amen: So be it, the well wishing of your prayers & meditation being sealed for integration and to come to fruition in the world
• Namaste: Sanskrit, the Divine in me honors the Divine in you
• Blessed Be: Wish good and positive things upon self & others
• Mitakuye Oyasin: Lakota, we are all related, interconnectedness of everything, we are all brothers & sisters (all beings on Earth, not just humans)
• Om mani padme hum: Buddhist, No literal English translations, jewel in the lotus, invokes compassion

Extra Body Fat's Impact On Your Vibrant Health

Body Fat Impacts Your Circulation & Ultimately Your Whole Body’s Health...

Body fat, adipose tissue, is part of you. We all have some stores of body fat.  Fat tissue is living tissue that needs a steady supply of blood, oxygen, and nutrients. I am going to explain just a couple of ways that excess body fat is hard on the body’s circulation. Vibrant circulation, to all body cells, is required for vibrant, whole body health.

"If you took all the blood vessels out of an average child and laid them out in one continuous line, the line would stretch over 60,000 miles. An adult's line of blood vessels would be closer to 100,000 miles long." (1) There are three kinds of blood vessels: arteries, veins, and capillaries.

When you gain a pound of fat your body makes seven new miles of blood vessels. Your body must then work harder to pump blood through all of these extra miles of new blood vessels. This extra work puts strain on your heart.  Think high blood pressure.

Blood being sent to nourish your extra adipose tissue is blood that is not being used to nourish normal body cells. This can create reduced oxygenation and nutrient replenishment in other body cells and tissues. The good news: if you lose a pound your body will break down and re-absorb these now unneeded vessels. The blood flow will be used to nourish normal body cells and your heart will have 7 miles less of vessels to work hard pumping blood through.

Every extra pound of body fat compromises the circulation to your normal cells and tissues. Our bodies have very tiny vessels, micro circulation, to individual body cells. The eye, and other small areas of the body (nerves, inner ear structure, etc.) are also supplied with blood through very tiny vessels. Compromised blood circulation, from your heart having extra miles and miles of vessel to pump blood through, means these areas of micro-circulation can be compromised. Who wants to compromise their eye sight? Who wants to compromise blood flow and nourishment to any body cell? When body cells become malnourished and lacking in oxygen (keep in mind they will also be lacking in waste removal because if the blood does not get through efficiently to the cells, the blood also will not be able to efficiently carry waste products away from cells).  Malnourished body cells are prone to degeneration. Degeneration of body cells is one component of health / ill health that eventually creates disease.

An example of compromised circulation's effects on a body organ system:

Human reproductive organs have a rich supply of blood to them. This blood supply keeps the tissues healthy, much the same as any area of the body. The blood supply to the penis and clitoris (a much more complex organ than most people realize), that causes erections and sexual stimulation, is the canary in the coal mine. Many people with chronic weight issues, diabetes, and other obesity related health conditions suffer from lack of blood flow to reproductive organs and the resultant lack of desire or ability to feel full sexual stimulation. Often people will notice reduced sexual urges*, lessened ability to perform, or impeded sexual stimulation as a first sign of whole body compromised circulation. The ability to reproduce or function as a sexual being is not required for life. The body is wired for survival and will send the blood where it needs to go for the most important survival functions.

*Do not confuse this with lessened libido after menopause from the normal aging process, males and females alike.

Here is another aspect to think about and visualize to assist you in your desire to decrease the miles of blood vessels your heart must work to pump blood through:

Fat is squishier than muscle. Bear with me on this one for a minute.

Think of both of these tissues as building blocks. Fat being squishier means it does not hold its shape well; it collapses on itself. This squishy characteristic of fat means it presses (puts pressure) on your blood vessels. This makes it harder for the heart to pump blood through the extra miles of squished vessels in your adipose tissue. Not only are there extra miles of vessels for the heart to pump blood through but the fat itself impedes the blood flow through those vessels. Think of how this impacts overall blood pressure and the return circulation from your lower limbs.

Muscle, as you can see in the picture above, is very compact tissue. 5 pounds of muscle is considerable less mass than 5 pounds of adipose tissue. Muscle is a firm and a very busy tissue. Your individual muscle fibers twitch gently even while you are sleeping. This constant gentle twitching, even if the twitch is more relaxed during sleep, assists the movement of blood through the vessels in that muscle tissue. Increased circulation is one of the many reason that moving the body is a beautiful and magical thing: you are assisting your blood circulation!

I hope this helps you to think about and discover more exciting benefits to reducing body fat composition. Your whole body’s health will benefit through better circulation, better movement, and better function of each and every...

• organ system,
• organ,
• tissue, and right down to your 
• individual body cells.

For more support on reducing the body's adipose tissues, I have many blog posts to support your health & self healing goals. This is just a few of the inspiring words I have written over the years to soothe your body, mind, and spirit into feeling good about giving back to yourself and creating a self healing space for weight loss to happen.

Divine Weight Loss is one of the online courses I offer in the School of Self Healing as tools for you to repair your health, lose weight, say goodbye to sugar addictions, etc.

 

I share with love.

• Divine Weight Loss Tip #1
• Divine Weight Loss Tip #2
• Divine Weight Loss Tip #3
• Divine Weight Loss Tip #4
• Divine Weight Loss Tip #5
• Divine Weight Loss Tip #6
• Divine Weight Loss Tip #7, #8, #9, #10
• The Final Tip: Divine Weight Loss
• 5 Shocking Ways Yoga Causes You To Lose Weight
• Weight Loss is in Your Hands
• Choose to Create Wellness, Weight Loss Will Follow
• Wellness Vs. Weight Loss... The Real Deal
• The Path To Easy Weight Loss
• Chewing for Weight Loss
• Why I Love Yoga and Other Thoughts on Whole Food, Whole Health Healing
• Naturally Simple Ways to Weigh LESS...

Stinging Nettle Cake

I can't proclaim the brilliant idea for this cake came from me. I confess, I eat nettles in every way possible, even blending up raw in a morning green drink (yes, all green plants come from my lawn). When Debbie Miller of Earth Rythm Wellness in Ogdensburg, NY shared the recipe with me... I think the whole North Country knows I am a Nettle Queen, I thought "Why Not?"  We make carrot cakes, beet cakes, zucchini cakes and breads; nettle cake sounds like a splendid idea to me.

The original recipe came from Kate Hackworthy, a freelance food writer, magazine columnist and blogger who admits to being unashamedly obsessed with vegetables. I don't know her but I like her already! Kate lives in the UK and writes about her veggie obssessions on her blog Veggie Desserts.

The raw nettles about to get blended into a non-stinging cake patter puree, see #7 below.

Here is what I did differently. Come on, don't act shocked. If you know me, you know every recipe gets the Paula Whole Food Makeover.

1. I added pasture raised goat's milk (nope, I don't have goats but I love my farmer and farm family who care for my goats.)
2. I used 4 eggs, yup, from the same loved farmer. Eggs bind things better and I use gluten free flours. No gluten in the flour and things tend to get crumbly, cakes can fall apart. But, the frosting always glues things back together nicely!   ; )
3. I stuck with the 3/4 cup sugar. Surprised? Are you saying: "What? Paula always decreases the sugar?"  Yes, I do but most cake recipes call for 2 cups of sugar that I immediately decrease to 2/3 or 3/4 a cup. Kate, the veggie loving gal from the UK, did this for me!
4. At least 1 tablespoon (3 teaspoons) of real, organic vanilla. Recipe called for 2 teaspoons. I am heavy handed with vanilla and pour right from the bottle into the batter despite what my high school home ec teacher tried to teach me. Sorry Jane.
5. I used 1  1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of gluten free flour not refined, white, wheat flour. This is why my cake will not be so luminous green from the nettles but more of an earthy brown tinted green. I used a blend of oat, quinoa, millet, and amaranth flour that I ground fresh. All organic and the oats are certified gluten free as well.
6. I used a very full, very rounded tablespoon of baking powder not the 2 teaspoons the recipe called for. Gluten free flour is, well gluten free, and can use a 'lil kick in the bran and germ butt to get fluffed up. Do not be mistaken: this cake will not be the light fluffy cakes you are expecting from baking with refined white flour. Will it be yummy: yes it will!
7. Nettles: I easily over did the 2 packed cups. I did not boil them. The nettles are being pureed in the blender and baked in the oven. If the sting can withstand that well then sting away baby! Seriously, just blending the raw nettles into the batter gets rid of the sting. I make pesto with raw nettles all of the time and never have I been stung.
8. I added 1/2 to 3/4 a tsp. of baking soda. Not sure why, just a habit and seems fitting with gluten free flour. (No, I do not used refined gluten free flour mixes of tapioca, potato, and/or white rice flour. Most gluten free flours and products are crap food sources that do not feed cellular health.)
9. For the frosting: I made my customary heavy cream & neufchatel cheese frosting to which I added in the 1/2 lemon's worth of zest and 1/2 lemon's worth of juice (1 tablespoon). I did use a fresh organic lemon for the zest but I saved the juice part for my liver flush am drink and used bottled organic lemon juice. I figured the juice was getting baked at 350 F and would destroy the vitamin C so why not use the fresh lemon juice right now in its raw state? Yes, this is how my mind works all of the time.
10. I used Sucanat unrefined organic sugar not refined white table sugar. 
11. I poured the batter into one 9" round cake pan instead of the two 7" pans. I like to slice cakes in half and toy with the gluten free flours ability to hold up to my kitchen play. The then raw cut surface of the cake soaks up the yummy frosting better. This took 50 minutes of baking at 350 F. I then cracked the oven door about 3-4 inches, shut off the gas, and let it sit there in the warm oven to cool.

The cake batter in a 9" pan looking a bit olive drab green not the bright green of Kate from the UK's cake,                       See # 5  &  # 11 above explaining pan size difference and cake color difference.

OK, Ok, I will quit finger babbling and give you the ingredients and directions.

Into the VitaMix Blender I put:

• 1 cup goat's milk
• 4 eggs
• 2+ packed cups of raw nettle leaves, stems not removed 'cuz I am a nettle rebel
• 3/4 cup sucanat unrefined, organic sugar
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup soft butter  (extra for lubing up the cake pan really well)
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp. organic lemon juice
• 1  3/4 cups gluten free flour: oat, amaranth, quinoa, millet (no refined crap please, see #8 above)
• 1 tbsp. baking powder, aluminum free please, your brain will thank you
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. unrefined sea salt of the pink Himilayan variety

1. Preheat 350 F oven. 
2. Blend into a greenish brown frenzy.
3. Stop 2-3 times to scrape the sides down.
4. Rub that luscious butter all over the insides of the 9" cake pan.
5. Pour cake batter into butter loved pan.
6. Slip into that hot 'ole oven and bake for 50 minutes. 
7. After 50 minutes, slip a knife into the cake to see if it is done, finished, baked to perfection.
8. If so, keep oven cracked 3-4 inches and leave cake on the rack.
9. When cool, frost your 'lil stinging nettle cake with the frosting I use for everything...

Frosting:

• Organic heavy cream, one or two 8 oz containers
• Organic Neufchatel Cheese, one 8 oz package
• 2 - 4 tbsp. dark maple syrup
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice, basically juice from 1/2 lemon

1. Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and use an electric hand mixer to whip into frosting consistency.
2. You can slice the cake open for 2 layers, if you wish. I suggest proceeding with caution as gluten free cakes can be tricksters.
3. Frost.
4. Let sit for a bit to settle into the flavor melding.
5. Serve with the Blackberries that Kate of the UK suggests, or not.
6. Enjoy. Nettles are amazing nourishing food. Adding them to cake makes sense! 

Voilà: The finished cake!  

Because of the whole grain flours and unrefined sugar (very brown and not white like refined baking ingredients), the cake does not have the luminous green of Kate's of the UK. It was delicous. As with all whole food baked goods I like to tell people to get used to the heavier texture. Unrefined foods mean you have the density of fiber, minerals, vitamins, complex carbohydates, proteins, and fats... not light, fluffy refined and empty calories (cellular health degenerating). Dense food is real food feeding your cellular health. 

Happy Memorial Day!

Be Grateful to All who have given to make your life better.

Need support around finding your personal space of gratitude in this world?  Jenny Morill & I share our new book about creating mindfulness & healing.  We hold sacred space for you.

Create Constant Calm

Anxiety and panic attacks are a common health concern. The ages of affected people range from young elementary kids to our wise seniors. Anxiety seems to be across the board and a common denominator in many of my client's health struggles.

I will not tell you there is a quick fix, a silver bullet, or magic wand answer.

I will tell you there are some self-help triage habits you can put into place, now, while you work on the long-term lifestyle changes that will weave and create an inner magic of calm and bliss.

Yes, I know, there is some eye rolling going on here. I cannot tell you often enough how you are in complete control of your own health: body, mind, and spirit. You have the personal power to make every change necessary to create vibrant health, inner calm (even when the world around you is spinning out of control - remember, we can ride the merry go round, we just don't have to get carried away with the ride), and radiant self healing. 

Quick Fix Triage:

This is to help you get on with your life right now BUT please realize you need to work on the long-term solutions below for creating true, lasting calm. Healing body (physical) - mind (emotional) - spirit (soul) is key to whole health.

• Teach yourself to deep breathe right now. Yes, right now. Sit, relax, and close your eyes. Now deep breathe way down low into your belly. Remember the "take 5-10 breaths before you knee jerk respond in anger" advice. It is a truth. Do this deep breath at least 5 times in a session. Repeat several times daily.

• Deep breathing habits, doing while in yoga poses is fun as well, supports toning of the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is a large nerve in your parasympathetic nervous system, your rest & digest - “Constant Calm” branch of your nervous system. Constant stress keeps the sympathetic nervous system branch activated, your fight-flight-freeze branch of the nervous system.

• Create a grounding habit you can return to, in a moment's notice, for an immediate calming energy. Here is how... Find a body motion (hands in Namaste or prayer position), a "saying" or mantra (Amen, Namaste, Blessed Be, Mitakuye Oyasin), and a visualization of a space in nature that is sacred to you. When you close your eyes and do all three you will bring yourself to a place of inner calm. Proceed forth from a space of thoughtful action as opposed to emotional reacting. The ideas in parenthesis are just that, ideas. Create a 5 second ritual that is your special way of coming into calm. Use it daily.

• Chamomile tea is a blessing. Add some passion flower, calendula flower, peppermint or spearmint, lemongrass, lavender flowers (use lavender in small amounts)... there are many tea blends offered by many companies. Buy 3 or 4 and use a different one each time. This prevents developing resistance to the plant medicine's affects. (Teas: Yogi Tea Calming, Tazo Chamomile Calm, Traditional Medicinal's Cup Of Calm, Yogi Relaxed Mind, Yogi Stress Relief, Celestial Seasoning's Tension Tamer - this tea is in glued tea bags so cut the bags open and use the loose herbs to avoid steeping glue into your tea. How to steep medicinal infusions: click here.)

Paula's Tea, below, is available at the Potsdam Food Co-op.  It is a simple, calming, medicinal tea recipe I threw together to create a video with Shelby Connelly of Five Element's Living, Colton, NY. 

• Magnesium: this is a body, mind, spirit relaxing mineral. Think Epsom's salts baths. Try a product called Natural Calm by Natural Vitality. Available at Nature's Storehouse in Canton. The 2 teaspoon dose is 325 mg. I recommend 400 mg at bedtime. This is magnesium citrate and will assist if you are constipated. If constipation is not an issue, this could create loose stools. Pay very close attention. After 1 week, up the dose to 500-600 mg daily by using Calm in the morning and at bedtime. If your bowel movements get too loose try using magnesium glycinate for part of your daily dosage. Magnesium deficiency is common in many people and contributes to tension and anxiety. Taking Vitamin D uses magnesium for integration into the body and can contribute to magnesium insufficiency/deficiency. Pure Encapsulation brand is available in citrate and glycinate form as well as magnesium malate.

• Herbs Etc. Brand Stress ReLeaf tincture or gel caps. This is the link for the tincture because it has the reviews of the product: http://www.herbsetc.com/stress-releaf-1-oz/ I would buy it in the gel cap 60 bottle; 120 bottle if they had one.

• Create a habit of gratitude for everything. This is both an in the moment triage habit and a long-term lifestyle habit, much like the take a deep breath advise above. When we cultivate a true attitude of gratitude in our lives it helps to bring inner peace.

 

Are You Ready for Lifestyle Changes to Create Vibrant Health (and prevent & heal anxiety)?

1. Food is the foundation of your health. If you are eating a whole food diet you are doing these things for your body:

• Creating vibrant body cells that retain their level of health with each new regeneration of cells (degenerative disease, including anxiety, is a degeneration of body cell health contributed to by eating food that is not real, not whole)

• Feed your gut microbial population for health and well being. Whole foods feed the gut bugs you want living in your body and starves the ones you want to see less of in your life. The reverse happens with junk, packaged, processed foods.

• Feeding neurological health by creating healthy neurons (see cell health info above) and healthy neurotransmitters (those feel good hormones manufactured by your gut microbes - see advice above).

• I could go on & on about the impacts of whole foods on each and every body system. If you want this info; please, give me a call and we will chat.

2. Get rid of sugar and caffeine in your life. They both feed poor mood health. Sugar is a get rid of completely issue. Yup, bye-bye sugar.         (I have a donation based online class to help you kiss sugar goodbye for good. Click & Scroll down to Sugar Addiction Be Gone.)

If you drink one cup of coffee a day, and it does not interfere with your sleep at night, don't deprive yourself of this pleasure. Life is about pleasure and the morning, calm & peaceful coffee ritual is a daily self gift.

3. Sleep, my friend, sleep. You know how much sleep you need to function at top notch capacity and feel happy and energetic. So do this! Keep in mind: sleep needs change with monthly cycles, seasons of the year, and your age. Pay attention to you and your individual needs and fulfill those needs! Lack of sleep causes stress. This sleep deprivation just feeds into the cycle of anxiety. Get off this particular merry go round ride.    : )

4. Move your beautiful body. Exercise (that is not a dirty word) fuels your body with energy, feel good hormones, and helps you sleep at night. Move yourself outside so you get the added benefit of...

5. Natural sunlight (even on cloudy days): the sun does really recharge your personal batteries. Remember to get plenty of sunshine that is not interfered with chemical sunscreens. You need healthy levels of vitamin D, manufactured by your skin, to prevent anxiety. Be smart; don't overdo it and burn your skin but get out there and manufacture some vitamin D. If you need sunscreen for extended outdoor time: use a natural one. Chemical sunscreens are toxic to the very body cells you are feeding whole foods to create vibrant health. Why do counter-productive things in life?

6. Get your digestive health in order. You body needs a well functioning digestive tract to digest food and move nutrients to your body cells. Healthy digestive tracts have a gut microbial population that manufactures mood hormones that keep you happy and calm. 

7. Yoga is a gift you give yourself to reclaim your body, mind, and spirit for a peaceful presence in this world. Any body, mind, spirit exercise will do here if yoga is not your thing: Tae Kwon Do, Tai Chi, Qi Gong...  If you want to learn more about the benefits of yoga: go to your right on this page, type yoga into the search bar, and click. You will pull up many posts I have written about the healing beauty of yoga.

I have many more suggestions to alter your lifestyle and create vibrant health for anxiety prevention. Check out my WHOLE HEALTH LIFESTYLE page and make your sense of calm and peace soar to new heights.

A Yoga blog post to deepen your wisdom around creating inner peace: Why I Love Yoga and Other Thoughts on Whole Food, Whole Health Healing     More yoga posts from a search on my blog: http://www.paulayoumellrn.com/search?q=yoga&f_collectionId=539c849de4b01d9b6dd2fef4

Grounding Yourself for Emotional Healing

My books below were written to support your path of healing.

Hands On Health is a lifestyle primer to support your making healthy choices across all aspects of your life.

Weaving Healing Wisdom is a book on mindfulness and how to create it in your life with activities, food, yoga, herbs, essential oils, and lifestyle habits. Jenny Morrill, of 3 Marigolds Mindfulness Consultation Services, and I co-authored this book. Enjoy with love from Jenny & I.

My work in this world is to support true health and healing for everyone who is interested in making personal Lifestyle Medicine changes. When we grow and heal ourselves… we heal family, friends, our communities, and the world.

Coffee & Donuts not currently available; publisher's issues.