by Brianna | Jan 12, 2017 | Healing, Healing Recipes
I love simple food and I am especially fond of simple soup. There is something so nurturing about a pot of something simmering on the stove and filling the house with its aroma. This soup is about as simple as it can get and doesn’t contain cream or flour so it is both vegan and gluten free. Next time you have a friend on a limited diet dish this decadent and creamy soup up. Brianna’s Potato Leek Soup 2 leeks, root and top 1/3 removed, sliced into 4″ pieces 4 Potatoes, peeled, rinsed and quartered 4 stems of Thyme (remove stem) 4 stems of Rosemary (remove stem) 4 cloves garlic, peeled 6 cups veggie stock (homemade stock is best) Salt and pepper to taste Remember: nothing has to be cut perfectly because it will be blended. Bring this pot of goodness to a boil then immediately turn down the heat. Allow this to simmer for at least 45-minutes or longer. The potatoes and leeks should both be soft. If you have one, use an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender in batches, and blend this simple soup to a creamy consistency. Personally, if I have time, I like to make soup a day ahead and reheat it before serving. I find that letting the soup rest really allows the flavors to combine....
by Brianna | Jan 5, 2016 | Cooking with Intention, Healing, Yoga Davidson
I love tea. All kinds – even the medicinal ones that taste like dirt. There is something so comforting to me about holding a warm cuppa. Although I drink hot tea in the summer it becomes my default beverage in the winter months. Over the past few years I have become more and more interested in making and blending medicinal teas syrups and tinctures. One of my dear friends, Jenny Erhardt of Zensations by Jen, demystified making herbal blends for me several years back. That brief – 2 minute conversation (she did cuss a few times) – freed me to practice through play. Now, when I start to feel blue or rundown I do a little research of what herb, root, or berry would be helpful and then concoct something in my kitchen to make myself feel better. Fill your cup with something kind. ~Carrie Newcomer from Betty’s Diner Recently I hung out with two children under the age of six – three days later my belly decided to revolt. Instead of reaching for ginger ale I started making myself the most delicious ginger tea. Simple Ginger Tea: 1 inch ginger sliced (this can be imperfect – you don’t even have to peel it – your choice) 12 ounces of filtered water Black pepper Local Honey Lime Bring the ginger and water to a boil, reduce heat and allow it to gently simmer for 10 minutes. In a mug: add a teaspoon of honey (more to taste) the juice of half a lime a crack or two of black pepper Pour the hot ginger tea over this mixture....
by Brianna | Dec 31, 2015 | Affirmations, Healing, Transformation, Willingness, Yoga, Yoga Davidson
Miracles do happen. Grace does occur. But more often than not, change, transformation and growth require baby steps – many, many, baby steps. I love the turning of the New Year. It always seems that there has been a reset on a grand scale. The coming months somehow spread out and seem fresh. Time seems abundant and hope is high. New Years resolutions stream through the world, and the people run forth to the new dawn resolved to: read more books, exercise, eat better, loose weight, volunteer more, etc. For a while gyms become packed, yoga classes cram mat to mat, volunteer organizations field numerous requests, 52 new books are bought and then mid-February hits. The newness begins to wane, and for the majority, there is complete fallout. Over the years I have had a lot of resolutions blow-up, how about you? Rather than setting resolutions, I now think more about setting an intention. These words are often used interchangeably, they seem so similar, but there meanings are meaningfully different. After so many years of failed resolutions I now choose to start my New Year not by what I am resolved to do but what I intend to do. To feel the energetic difference between resolution versus intention, say the following two statements out loud with your eyes closed: I resolve to practice yoga regularly. I intend to practice yoga regularly. They create a different feeling, right? Just like wanting change and choosing change: I want to change. I choose to change. Here are my intentions for the coming year: Be better in all areas of my life and...
by Brianna | Nov 18, 2015 | Fear, Five Minute Yoga Practice, Healing, Healing Yoga Practice, Yoga, Yoga Davidson
I think we can all agree that what is happening in the world is scary. There is violence, strife, poverty, and heartbreak pretty much in every direction. So much suffering is being actively created by the hands of FEARFUL man. Title it what you like but it is fear that is breeding the violence, greed, racism, extremism, the endless arguments about borders, and creating the absolute hell of war. That is fear – often labeled as something else – operating behind the scenes. Which begs the question: “How do you behave after you become afraid?” Not the very instant the fear strikes. But after it settles itself. After it becomes normal rather than abnormal to feel afraid. When the fear has become your bedrock. How then do you behave? Anxiety has always been an issue for me. My practice over time has become my medicine. If I don’t practice enough I notice my anxiety begin to spark and fire. I notice the heat beginning to build and I know I need to get back on my mat for longer practices. And I do. I hate anxiety! So I practice. She noticed her anxiety sneaking around, its darkness at her edges. It appeared as a crawling thing in the corner, a demon in the shadows. It took up space and sang its siren song of misery. Excerpt from Healing Footstep to Footstep For a long time I though my anxiety happened in a vaccum. I was anxious because I was anxious. OKAY?!?!?!?! But through the awareness that practicing yoga and meditation ultimately brings I now recognize that what I...
by Brianna | Nov 3, 2015 | Cooking with Intention, Healing, Transformation
I love Elderberry Syrup. In the fall and winter I take it daily to boost my immune system and ward off the sniffles and flu. It’s an old elixir and as an added bonus, it happens to be delicious. The first time I heard about Elderberry Syrup was several years back when I had a never ending cough. My friend Jenny who owns Zensations by Jen suggested I try it. Although I believe in the power of herbal and traditional medicines Elderberry Syrup caused a “WOW!” moment for me. It made an almost immediate difference and it felt soothing to take it. By the way, Science agrees. Elderberry has been studied. There are resources listed below if you want to read more about it in the medical literature. Recently I started playing with making my own medicinal tinctures and syrups. I now make Elderberry Syrup for myself. It’s a simple recipe and requires minimal effort. Plus, when you are done it is yum. 2 ounces of Dried Elderberry – Sambucus Nigra 1 quart of water 1 cup local honey (LOCAL!) Additional herbs: Whole Cardamom and Cinnamon Sticks Healing Prayer Bring the quart of water to a boil. Add 2 ounces of Dried Elderberry and reduce heat to a simmer. Add additional herbs. Reduce liquid by half. Strain. Return liquid to pan and stir in honey, as you stir, say a healing prayer over the syrup. Store in a sterilized jar. Refrigerate. It should stay good for about 9 months as long as it is stored properly. *I take 2 teaspoons once a day. Its my night time ritual and...
by Brianna | Mar 13, 2015 | Chronic Fatigue, Healing, Healing Yoga Practice, Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, practice, Reiki, restorative yoga, Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease, Transformation, Willingness
Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease vs. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome At the age of 25, I was officially diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. When my doctor told me, my first thought was: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) was the stupidest name for what I was experiencing. To be honest, I never got over that. I still think that the name is dumb. My battle with CFS lasted for several years. For a time I identified with my illness, I wrapped it around myself like a blanket and slept away my days. I was a year in before I decided to try to figure a way back out. It was almost two years before I chose to identify more with healing than with my illness. Looking back, that shift in my focus from illness to healing was in many ways a miracle. Someone I loved once gave me a box of darkness. It took me years to realize that this too, was a gift. ~ M. Oliver During the time of healing I learned far more than I lost. I recognize now that the process of healing from CFS was a remarkable teacher. My illness, in many ways, woke me up to my life. Nearly 15 years since my diagnosis and it turns out that I wasn’t the only one that hated the name Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Recently the Institute of Medicine (IOM) has chosen to reclassify CFS as Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease. It may seem silly, but even now, ten years out from my healing, I am glad for that change. In my healing practice I specialize in helping others find...
