by Brianna | Oct 13, 2014 | Cooking with Intention, Healing
One of my favorite things to make, when the fall settles in and the leaves begin to scatter, is this simple potent elixir. I think of it as a little pot of sunshine during the frigid months. Sometimes when my throat is raw I take a teaspoon straight-up but most often I drink it with warm water or mix it into my tea. Three great things: this recipe could not be easier, it is delicious, and it has numerous healing qualities. Really one could wax poetic about honey and lemon and their healing components for hours. Basically it comes down to this: they are freaking good for you. You will need the following ingredients for Lemon HONEY Love: 4 organic lemons (washed), seeded and sliced thin (as you can make it), skins left on.* 10ish ounces of local honey* a clean pint sized mason jar *for preservation, be mindful, it is necessary that all of the lemons are covered by honey. This recipe also requires refrigeration. Step by step instructions to make Lemon HONEY Love with intention: Try to be present as you move though each of these simple steps. Be aware of your breath as you slice the lemons. Inhaling and exhaling deeply to take their vibrant scent in. Did you know that the essential oils of citrus fruits are made from the oil in the fruits skin? Take a moment and thank the lemons. It may seem silly but thank them all the same. Begin to use simple moments to foster a habit of Gratitude, after all it is one of the best healers going. As you...
by Brianna | Oct 9, 2014 | Affirmations, Breathing, Change, Healing, Power of Thought, practice, Transformation, Willingness
I believe that there is a huge difference between choice and habit. Making a choice, also known as a decision, requires presence, awareness, and discernment. Habit is a default setting. Habit is you on repeat. Habit, is your foot on the gas while you are asleep at the wheel. We become what we repeatedly do. Sean Covey Since most of our daily behaviors are habituated we stay on our track, comfortable with the familiar. Humans dislike discomfort and when I say dislike I mean HATE, humans hate discomfort. It doesn’t matter one lick if the habit is helping or hurting you, I guarantee you that even your baddest, darkest, ickiest habit is comfy like a perfectly worn pair of jeans. So many people desire change. They want it so badly they can taste it. They yearn for it. Yet they run their day exactly as they did the day before. Each habit bolstering the track they are on. They get to the point where even the desire to change becomes habituated. How many friends do you have that are talking about creating the same changes in their lives that they were embarking on a decade ago? Life is a series of choices. Each choice leads to the next, a chain reaction that starts in the past and impacts our future. Minor choices, major choices, and all the choices in between create ripples of impact, ripples of possible change. Repetition is not failure. Ask the waves, ask the leaves, ask the wind. Mark Nepo, The Book of Awakening. The simple truth is that when we change it is going to...
by Brianna | Aug 26, 2014 | chakra yoga, Change, Healing Yoga Practice, Power of Thought, practice, Transformation
I teach about change a lot. I have a workshop (In Transition) dedicated to its power. I push my students to transform themselves and step out of their comfort zones. And at this moment, I am being schooled on how much change, even when it is positive and kick-ass, is uncomfortable. Frankly, change is hard. Changing is not for sissies. Currently I am mid move (state-to-state). I am packing 3,000 square feet of living and studio space. I am shifting my business, letting go of my beautiful studio, and transitioning from brick and mortar to: traveling as a teacher, writing my second book, and working with clients online. I was recently and joyfully engaged to my longtime love. A new member of my family was born . My best friend just had twins. I published my first book and with its printing finished a project I had worked on for eleven years. Things are definitely different and in FLUX to say the least. Change is gonna come, like the weather They say forever, they say ~ M. Gray It is times like these, even though I would prefer to eat pizza, brush my teeth with coffee, and drink martinis straight and dirty, that I have to be the most diligent about my practice, my diet, and my sleep. That is because when my stress gets high my nature shifts and I am ready to GO. In times like these I have to rein in my own intensity. I have to actively stop myself from going into overdrive. Otherwise my ass would be up at 3am jumping like...
by Brianna | Aug 12, 2014 | Breathing, Healing, Healing Yoga Practice, Moving Meditation, practice, Yoga
Sometimes busy bees do not have time for an extended practice. Sometimes busy bees are wearing dresses instead of pants and only have one minutes to themselves. Sometimes busy bees are exhausted and an extended practice will harm them more than heal them. One of the most freeing realizations I had during my healing from Chronic Fatigue was that practice is not defined by time – practice means practice. Some days for me my practice is hours and sometimes its minutes. Everyday though I take time to breathe deep, feel my feet, lift my heart and connect my body, mind, and spirit through the beautiful three part practice of Yoga. Yoga requires: YOU Yoga does not require: A mat. $100 pants or pants in general. an hour of your time. a heated room. an instructor in special pants, on a special mat, in a special room. How is your mindset impacting your practice? Does it bolster it or does it defeat it? Now shake a tail feather – get out there – DO THE YOGA! Here is a 1 minute practice to inspire beautiful YOU! ...
by Brianna | Jul 29, 2014 | Relaxation Poses
Pavanmuktasana for relaxation is a wonderful posture to interweave into your daily life. This pose is particularly healing before bedtime or after any experience that has caused you extreme stress. Pavanmuktasana (also known as the wind reliever pose) is one of the most effective ways to release the Psoas muscle. The Psoas is known as the muscle of fight and flight and is one of the longest muscle pairs in the body – extending from its insertion point on the thoracic spine (basically behind the diaphragm) to the femur. It is the only muscle that connects your spine and leg together. It is also one of the main muscles that swings your leg forward. Whenever you become stressed the Psoas contracts so that you can flee. That contraction literally causes the upper and lower parts of your body to come together and makes it very difficult to relax. Pavanmuktasana for relaxation is a wonderful way to get the Psoas to release, relax and length. I hope you enjoy this...
