A Cajun themed after yoga cooking party…that’s what!

Old Charleston Style Shrimp and Grits w/mixed green salad and Crusty garlic bread.

French Quarter Bread Pudding w/whiskey sauce

One of the easiest and nicest gifts you can give to yourself is surrounding yourself with loving and kind people whenever possible.

In our everyday life we are surrounded by a variety of people. Some of the people we deal with on a daily basis are a joy to be with, and their loving presence nurtures and encourages us. Others may have the opposite effect, draining us of our energy, making us feel tired and exhausted. Our well-being can be easily influenced by those around us, and if we can keep this in mind, we will have greater insights into the quality of our social interactions and their energetic effect on us.

Once we think more deeply about the people we interact with, it becomes easier for us to work toward filling our lives with people who help us cultivate healthy and positive relationships. Even though it might not always seem like we have much control over who we are with, we do. The power to step back from toxicity lies within us. All we have to do is take a few moments to reflect on how another person makes you feel. Assessing the people we spend the most time with allows us to see if they add something constructive to, or subtract from, our lives. Should a friend sap our strength, for example, we can simply set the intention to tell them how we feel or simply spend less time with them. We will find that the moment we are honest with ourselves about our own feelings, the more candid we can be with others about how they make us feel. While this may involve some drastic changes to our social life it can bring about a personal transformation that will truly empower us, since the decision to live our truth will infuse our lives with greater happiness.

When we surround ourselves with positive people, we clear away the negativity that exists around us and create more room to welcome nurturing energy. Doing this not only enriches our lives but also envelopes us in a supportive and healing space that fosters greater growth, understanding, and love of ourselves as well as those we care about.

Summer solstice 2018 in Northern Hemisphere will be at 5:07 AM on Thursday, June 21

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year and the doorway into the second part of the year. It is a day associated with power, fertility, happiness, strength, courage, self belief and celebrating the fullness of life.

Here are five ways you can tune into and work with the magical solar energies of the solstice.

1. Do a life review.

The word solstice literally means stopping or standing still, from the Latin word solstitum – sol (sun) and stitum (to stop) – making it the ideal day to take some time to be still and check in with where you are at this midpoint of the year.

This week, make some time to acknowledge how far you have come this year. Notice the achievements you have made, any lessons learned and all of the blessings the first half of the year has already brought you.

Notice too if you are still aligned with your goals for the year. Reinvigorate them if you need to and decide what it is that you want the second half of this year to bring.

2. Create a Sankalpa (an intention).

From your review, set some intentions. What do you want the next three months before the next symbolic day of change (the Autumn Equinox on the 22 September) to bring you? What would you like to have achieved?

Decide on 1-3 steps that you can take over the next three months that will take you closer to the life of your dreams and create some clear intentions around these.

You may also choose to create a Sankalpa for yourself, this is a sacred intention that comes from the heart. No matter how far away your dream may seem right now, remember that it all starts with a simple seed.

If you want, you may also choose to plant a physical seed that you can watch grow along with your dreams. A sunflower works perfectly for this time of year. Write your sankalpa or intentions on a little piece of paper and plant them along with the seed, then watch both of them burst into life.

3. Make a ‘love-to-do’ list.

Remember that this time of year is all about celebrating summer, joy and happiness, so make a ‘love to do’ list for this summer, filled with all of the things you would love to do over the coming summer months.

Add to your list one or two things that scare or challenge you and also a few experiences that you have never had, things you’ve always dreamed of but never quite got round to, or places that you have never been before – it doesn’t have to be time consuming or expensive.

For example, just a visit to a local village to eat ice cream while wandering along the front is enough to expand your summer horizons, make you see things differently and take you out of your day to day routine and comfort zone.

4. Add to your own inner sunshine.

Did you know that within each one of us we have our own personal inner sunshine? It’s called the Manipura chakra and is located around the solar plexus.

This bright yellow glowing ball of inner sunshine is the centre of power, energy, will and achievement and is where all of our power to manifest comes from.

Create an energy ball by bringing your palms together and rubbing them vigorously until you feel some heat. Then close the eyes, take the palms about shoulder distance apart with the palms facing each other and begin to slowly bring the palms together.

At some point you will begin to feel a little bit of resistance. Start to gently bounce the palms around this ball of energy, feeling it take shape between your hands. Fill this energy ball with your sankalpa, intentions and desires, and when you are ready, place this glowing ball of energy into the Manipura chakra — feeling this bright radiant sun at your center being filled with even more light and energy and glowing even brighter.

5. Get outside.

Spend as much time as you can outside soaking in the solar energies and allowing them to empower you. Allow the lightness of the season to help you feel barefoot, light and free.

If you can, watch the sunrise on the day of the solstice and feel as though symbolically this is a new beginning for you. Envision the rising of the solstice sun bringing you strength, power and self belief, feel the sunshine energies add light to your dreams.

You may even want to face east on the morning of the solstice and do anywhere from three to 108 rounds of Sun Salutations. If that seems too much, even one reverent bow to the sun will be enough!

Feel that you are moving and flowing with the creative energy of life. Keep in your mind’s eye an image of the sun and feel the warm glow and the power the sun brings with it.

Thin, Young, Flexible… not required in Yoga!

When I mention that I teach Yoga, most often the response I get is, ‘I can’t do Yoga, I’m not flexible enough’.  Unfortunately there is a great misconception that Yoga is purely physical – and that you need to be thin, young and flexible to practice it.

If you type ‘Yoga’ into your search bar, a multitude of results swiftly returns image after image of beautiful, toned, women (with a sprinkling of men) showing off terrifically difficult poses in beautiful tropical settings. One after another, Splits, Arms Balances, and extremely challenging backbends…unbelievable contortions of the body that 99.5% of the population will never achieve. There is a sprinkling of voluptuous yogis, but again, most performing difficult feats like headstands without hands. As if to say, ‘it’s not Yoga, unless you can do something like this’.

Now, I’m not saying that the shots aren’t beautiful, or that there is anything wrong with taking a selfie in a beautiful location. Certainly I aspire to advance in my physical practice. I practice stretching and strengthening to keep my body happy and healthy; however, I recognize it is my ego driving when I push myself to achieve the more ‘advanced’ postures. I know in my heart of hearts, that my life will be no better if I achieve handstand without a wall, yet I still aspire to one day find the stillness, balance and ease to manage that position. Working through the challenge of poses that you ‘can’t do’ can translate into working through challenges off the mat… so whilst there is some value in ‘advanced’ postures, it is disconcerting when a simply entry of ‘Yoga’ into social media, returns such skewed results.

Since Yoga’s great surge in popularity in the west over the past decade – coinciding with technological advances in communication (not to mention the acceptance of the selfie), the proliferation of these types of images has created a great rift between what Yoga is and what many of the public believe it to be.

So if not these pictures, what is Yoga?  In it’s very essence, Yoga is the recognition that we are more than just a body and a collection of thoughts in the mind. The Yogic tools (which include the postures, breathwork, meditation and relaxation), help us transcend our physical and mental limitations to cultivate health, happiness, and a greater sense of self-awareness and higher consciousness.

Yoga has so many benefits beyond the physical exercise. It can help us create balance and union in our mental, emotional and spiritual self. Yoga assists in the full acceptance and awareness of self. A consistent Yoga practice can help bring peace and acceptance to wherever we are in life.  Unfortunately, Instagram, Facebook and some of the major yoga media outlets would lead us to believe otherwise.  Yoga does not require us to be thin, young, flexible, or wearing the latest Lululemon. Literally – If you can breathe, you can practice yoga – and everyone needs to know this.

A Beginners Guide to Yoga by Loretta @ HealthyMeNow.Net

The word yoga, from the Sanskrit word yuj means to yoke or bind and is often interpreted as “union” or a method of discipline. A male who practices yoga is called a yogi, a female practitioner, a yogini.

Yoga is not a religion. It is a philosophy that began in India an estimated 5,000 years ago. The father of the classical eight-limbed path, is said to be Patanjali, who wrote the Yoga Sutra. These writings provide a framework for spiritual growth and mastery over the physical and mental body. Yoga sometimes interweaves other philosophies such as Hinduism or Buddhism, but it is not necessary to study those paths in order to practice or study yoga, nor is it necessary to change any of your religious beliefs.

Patanjali is believed to have collated the practice of yoga into the Yoga Sutra an estimated 2,000 years ago. The Sutra is a collection of 195 statements that serves as a philosophical guidebook. It also outlines eight limbs of yoga: the Yamas (restraints), Niyamas (observances), Asana (postures), Pranayama (breathing), Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyani (meditation), and Samadhi (absorption). As we explore these eight limbs, we begin to refine our behavior in the outer world, and then we focus inwardly until we reach Samadhi (liberation, enlightenment).

Most gym oriented yoga practices are focused on the third limb, asana, which is a program of physical postures designed to purify the body and provide the physical strength and stamina required for long periods of meditation.  For a more in-depth yoga experience consider attending a yoga studio.

Hatha Yoga refers to a set of asanas or postures, and sequences of asanas, designed to align your skin, muscles, and bones. The postures are also designed to open the many channels of the body—especially the main channel, the spine—so that energy can flow freely.

Hatha is translated as ha meaning “sun” and tha meaning “moon.” This refers to the balance of masculine aspects—active, hot, sun—and feminine aspects—receptive, cool, moon—within all of us. Hatha yoga is a path toward creating balance and uniting opposites. In our physical bodies we develop a balance of strength and flexibility. We also learn to balance our effort and surrender in each pose.

Yoga is a powerful tool for self-transformation. It asks us to bring our attention to our breath, which helps us to still the fluctuations of the mind and be more present in the unfolding of each moment.

Namaste.  Nama means bow, as means I, and te means you. Therefore, namaste literally means “bow me you” or “I bow to you.”  The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us. The gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another.

Not Flexible? You are a perfect candidate for yoga. Many people think that they need to be flexible to begin yoga, but that’s a little bit like thinking that you need to be able to play golf in order to take golf lessons. Come as you are and you will find that yoga practice will help you become more flexible.

All you really need to begin practicing yoga is your body, your mind, and a bit of curiosity. But it is also helpful to have a pair of yoga pants, or shorts, and a t-shirt that’s not too baggy. No special footgear is required because you will be barefoot. It may be helpful to bring water to class with you, but you should refrain from eating a large meal 2-3 hours before class. As your practice develops you might want to buy your own yoga mat, but most studios will have mats and other props available for you.

Feel the fear and do it anyway!  A great way to start is at Chandor Gardens Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30pm.  Or Hiking and Yoga at LG Ranch visit HealthyMeNow.Net for more information.

Namaste, Loretta

Farmer’s Market June – What’s in Season?

By HealthyMeNow.Net

Summer is almost here! Can you feel it? The sight of fresh cherries, blueberries and strawberries means that the season of sunshine is near.

Avocados, good gracious, how I love avocado. Avocado on a sandwich is almost impossible to beat, but it’s also a fantastic addition Mexican meals and fresh green recipes of any kind, really. The avocados you’ll find in stores now are probably from Mexico, where avocados are in season year-round, but California avocados are in season now, too

Beets  I’m slowly changing my tune about beets. I like them raw in salads and even in my juice. I’m still learning to appreciate roasted beets, though. Beets are tremendously earthy and can be eaten fresh, cooked or roasted. Some, like the golden variety, are pretty sweet.

Cherries, Sweet, red cherries will grace us with their presence this June. I like to snack on fresh cherries, but roasting cherries really brings out their inherent sweetness. Roasted or not, they are great with balsamic vinegar. Beyond America’s beloved cherry pie, cherries are a great addition to salads, cocktails and desserts.

Green beans are easily overlooked. They go great with almonds, basil, butter, Parmesan, olive oil, onions, parsley, potatoes, shallots, tomatoes and vinegar.

Strawberries are here! Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits to eat as is. I love them in salads, in sauces and desserts.

June in North Central Texas can also give us blueberries, cucumbers, greens, mango’s, fresh peas, red potatoes, and lots and lots of fresh herbs.

So get out to your local farmers market and enjoy some of the season’s best produce!

Easy Strawberry Vinaigrette

• 1/2 pound fresh strawberries
• 2 tablespoon honey (or more to taste if your berries are not very sweet)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Adjust honey to taste.

Namaste

Loretta

Want to infuse your home with a little happiness, without having to go to extremes?  There are a few mystical, even if uncommon ways to bring positive energy and personal happiness to flow through out your house.

Crystal Energy Healing

There is just something about shiny rocks that appeals to me.  Crystals are a very subtle practice, setting crystals throughout a space is believed to affect the energy of a room, and those who inhabit it.  Sure, it sounds a little crazy to think rocks can affect mood, but proponents of crystal therapy believe in the beneficial effects of placing crystals in the home.

Crystal healers recommend trying hematite to protect the home from negative energy and black obsidian to absorb any negativity from others.  Want to bring in that loving feeling? Try sticking a rose quartz crystal in the common area, this light pink crystal brings feelings of love and joy wherever it is.

DoTerra Essential Oils

Ever walk into a friend’s home or your favorite yoga studio and immediately felt a sense of belonging?  That is probably due in part to the use of essential oils.  Essentials oils can be used to create a calm and balanced atmosphere.  Diffusing oils at home can purify the air, cleanse the energy and directly affect the mood of anyone who enters.  DoTerra offers relatively inexpensive, especially when diffused, pure essential oils in wide range of scents.  Play around with different combinations or choose one of their prepackaged blends to clear away negative energy, create a relaxing environment, remove allergens and even purify the air.

Smudging

A Native American form of clearing energy in a space.  Energy can become stagnant after a while.  Some believe bad luck happens due to energy getting, figuratively stuck.  Smudging requires burning dried and fresh herbs such as sage, cedar, lavender and juniper while allowing the smoke to dissipate into the room to cleanse the energy of the space.  This process is deeply rooted in ceremony and should be researched as to how to practice properly.

Feng Shui

Feng Shui stems from how people interact with their environments.  The organization of a home, office, or personal space can deeply affect how one interacts with the world.  Feng shui practitioners believe that the space one lives in mimics the energy of the individual – so if a space is disorganized, messy, cluttered or closed off the inhabitant’s personality could mirror just that.  Start by clearing your space of junk and useless stuff.  Everything has energy in Feng Shui, so surround yourself only with items that have positive associations.  Arrange furniture so you and your guest can flow freely through the home.  There are several books on this subject but really just look around and change what doesn’t feel right to you.

To increase your personal happiness come join me for a mood boosting yoga session at Chandor Gardens every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 or at a Hiking Yoga session at LG Ranch.  For more information go to HealthyMeNow.Net or call me at 817-597-1503.  Hope to see you soon.  Loretta

Your back and neck are screaming; your brain is swimming, you’ve been sitting at your desk for hours and you haven’t moved.  Its crunch time and it’s you and your computer for the any foreseeable future, so you wiggle in your seat and try to find a more comfortable “sitting” position. Nothing seems to work. The aches persist and you spend the rest of the day cursing your uncomfortable chair for turning on you.

How do you get relief? Try bringing some age-old wisdom into the modern work-place by doing a few yoga stretches. Stretches designed so they can be done anywhere, anytime. Taking a few moments to stretch will do your mind, body and soul some good. Not only can a few targeted poses focus your mind, but they can also help you in opening up your lungs, activating your breath, and in fact stretching your entire body without ever leaving your chair.

“Office Chair Yoga” helps combat the negative impacts of sitting by reducing muscle pain and tension and decreasing mental stress. Get started by incorporating some of these popular poses into your daily routine, right at your desk.

Headache and Eye-Strain:  Take minibreaks from your computer screen.  Refocus every ten minutes by looking out the window or around the office.

Each hour close your eyes, let your face soften then slowly roll your eyes in a circle while taking a few deep belly breaths then return to action.  For a more soothing relief, rub palms together very fast till they get warm, then place them gently over your eyes.  Softly hold them there till the heat dissipates.

Neck and Shoulders:  Neck Rolls, drop your head to one side and roll it slowly around in a wide circle, finding the tight spots, hold and breathe deeply, letting your breath release the tightness.

Angel Wings, interlace your fingers behind your head, relax your shoulders, smile, and as you breathe in stretch your elbows back, as you breath out close your elbows in front of you.  Let the tightness release slowly with each breath. Focus on opening your chest as you inhale and opening the back as you exhale. To energize the mind place the hands on the shoulder inhale and exhale at a faster pace while opening and closing the “wings”

Hands and Wrists:  Make it a habit:  Constantly stretch your hands and wrists. Place your hands in a prayer position; move in all directions pressing palms together gently. Interlace fingers bring arms overhead and rotate the hands, palms up, palms down.  Brings arms in front and repeat.  Keep your shoulders relaxed and Breath.

Sore Lower Back:  Good posture is the best place to start. Throughout the day take a moment to align your body properly by sitting up on your sit bones.  When sitting properly your spine lifts into a straight line all the way up to your head. Now round the back and slump forward.  Notice the difference?

Chair Cat/Cow:  Sit so your feet are flat on the floor.  Place your hands on your knees.  As you inhale raise your head up looking at the ceiling, arching your back.  As you exhale lower your chin to the chest and round the back, relaxing the head and neck. Move slowly, mindfully and deeply following the natural rhythm of the breath. Repeat several times.

Chair Twist:  Sit tall with your feet on the floor, hips toward the edge of the chair and your back straight. Inhale and reach your arms overhead to press your palms together, keeping shoulders relaxed. As you exhale, drop your arms down as you twist to the left, bringing the right hand to the left knee and the left arm behind you to the top of the chair, look over your shoulder. Inhale back to center, repeat on your right side.

Adding a few chair yoga poses to your day will help you stretch and strengthen your body. In just a few minutes a day, you will feel yourself getting more flexible, more focused, healthier and happier.  For even more health benefits take a yoga class or start a daily home practice.  We would love to see you at Yoga at the Gardens and/or for Hiking Yoga at Life’s Good Ranch.  For more info on class options go to: www.HealthyMeNow.net  Hope to see you soon.  Namaste, Loretta

It’s been said that we teach what we need to learn and so I write not as someone who has it all figured out, but rather as someone who is struggling to make sense of it all.

Exhausted, stressed, and irritated there just wasn’t enough of me to go around. I had been trying to do things for everyone else without taking care of me first.  I thought if I kept going, giving and doing, then one day I’d feel happy and I’d find my purpose. It never happened.

We search for happiness for our purpose, thinking that once we find the answer – that thing we are meant to do – we will find peace.  But as we look around, comparing ourselves to others, deciding what we think we ‘should’ be doing, we are rarely fulfilled and more often than not, exhausted by our efforts to fit in with the crowd.

So give yourself some love by setting the tone for your day, wake up to a soft light or a wind chime alarm.  Hit the snooze and snuggle under those blankets a little longer.  Scroll through facebo-NoNoNO

We’re at the mercy of the external world when we launch into the day without plugging into ourselves first. Before getting out of bed ask yourself  “How are you feeling today?”  Talk to yourself like you are your own best friend. If feeling a bit off, ask yourself how to get back on track. Ask what do I need to do and whatever it is, do it.

Take five minutes in the morning for meditation.  Just five minutes benefits you all day.  Meditation creates space for honesty in all its beautiful and brutal forms.  Be honest and listen to yourself, your needs.  Just listen! What makes you feel alive? What makes your heart sing? Follow whatever it is that brings you the most joy and share it with others because it is this shimmering passion that lights up the world and makes more of a difference than you can ever imagine!

Allow your perspective to shift as you spend more time with yourself.  Listen to your heart. Listen to your feelings. And that means all of them.  So pay attention, acknowledge what is present and embrace it all – embrace everything that makes you human, realize this is the only way to be.

And remember that whatever you do, you are not alone, ever. We live on this planet with billions of other people and are connected to an infinite source of love and support. We are not meant to struggle. Reach out for help and ask for what you need.  There is nothing you need to do or not do to be more or less worthy. Forget trying to be perfect and know that right now, you are perfect as you are.

If you’re anything like me – and yes, as I said, I am learning too – your mind may drift to every reason that this isn’t so, but if you can take a deep breath and look yourself in the eye with half the compassion and acceptance you so easily offer your best friend, then you’re well on your way to recognizing the truth of who you are.

Taking steps to the best year of your life!  By HealthyMeNow.Net

Put yourself first

Loving yourself is the most crucial requirement for living your greatest life. When you feel good about who you are, you radiate an undeniable magnetic energy that attracts good things to you.

It may be necessary to say no to someone else in order to say yes to yourself. We have all heard the instructions of an airline attendant reminding us to put on our own oxygen mask before we help others with theirs. This metaphor for self-care accurately expresses why it is important. It says, that if you can’t take care of yourself for yourself, do it for others.

Encourage yourself by saying “I am caring for myself so that I am better able to care for others”.  It also helps to remember that self-care doesn’t have to be massively time-consuming acts. The best remedy for taking care of yourself may be a small, daily ritual; taking a half-hour for yourself to meditate, journal, or just be.  Whatever you decide, making some small gesture where you put yourself first every day will pay off for you and your loved ones.

Forgiveness is freedom

Remember that forgiveness is for you and releases the ties that hold you to your past. Being forgiving doesn’t mean you’re accepting what happened or the behavior of the other person.  It means you’re extending grace in the knowledge that no one is perfect. You don’t even have to tell the other person that you’ve forgiven them. You can simply hold the forgiveness in your heart.  Allow healing to occur with these three words, “I forgive you.”

Accomplishments

Sometimes our minds focus on what didn’t work. Ignore the bumps and start with the positive instead. Think back and list the things you’ve achieved –  even the small things. Remember all your positive accomplishments, write them down then place where you can see them daily to remind yourself of all the great things you did.

Lighten Your Load
It’s difficult to clearly see what needs to be done when your environment is burdened with half-completed projects, unfinished to-do lists, old files, clothes that don’t fit, and equipment that no longer works or serves any purpose.  Get ready to clean out the old and make room for the new. What could you give away? What needs to be thrown away? What are you holding on to that no longer serves you.

Give Thanks for What You’ve Learned

A sense of gratitude for life’s hard lessons means, “Thank you. I got it. Now I’m ready to move on.”  Gratitude not only means, “I got the lesson.” It also means, “How can I bless another through my experience?”

Keep a Positive Outlook

The slate is clean. Now go explore all the new possibilities with an open mind and heart.

Namaste